"Drone Warfare" (Iceage Productions)

Which is the band and which is the title? No idea. Doesn't matter, either.

Actually, the EP-thing is four tracks by four different Melbourne artists. The Bandcamp page says so, so it must be true. But none of the artists' names appear, which reminds me a little of the fake dance LP by the Silicon Teens (aka Daniel Miller of Mute Records fame). So, is this another bunch of guises behind which the head honcho of Iceage lurks? 

I have no idea, and it simply doesn't matter.

Just quickly, you can't really dance to this, not unless you're out of it. You shouldn't try. Shove the volume up and lie on the floor and you'll be taken away to somewhere entirely different. 

A Chance To Relax…with The Smart Folk – The Smart Folk (self released)

With a changing of the political guard in Australia, we’ve been assailed with talk about a new, genteel and respectful way of doing business in the Federal Parliament - as if none of the fuckers are going to revert to type and we won’t end up with the same shit-fight on our hands. It’s just as well that 90 percent of the population doesn’t give a rat’s arse.

Rock and roll may be similarly set in its ways, but there are band chosing different pathways to tread. Sixties-derived pop with a jangling edge is where Sydney’s The Smart Folk chose to reside and they're making their mark in their own way.

“A Chance To Relax…with The Smart Folk” is the latest EP from this band of ex-mod scene regulars and if it doesn’t wrap you in a stranglehold and impress with its urgency and energy, that’s fine. It’s mid-paced, obviously freakbeat-influenced guitar pop that has a warm charm – maybe more so than the records that have come before.

Lightheavyweight 2 - Jack Howard (self released)

Jack Howard? 

Trumpet player. One of the guys in the Hunnas horn section. And The Horns of Contempt.

Who's been playing with Midnight Oil a lot over the last few years. Special gigs with X, a few with Hunnas, but ... you know. Day job, kids ... who has time to be creative these days?

Jack can't let go of the creative bug. In between all those suburban things, he's been doing solo material, working with the band Epic Brass (a sight to behold) ... good, God, there are 15 releases on his Bandcamp page! 

Of The Sea – Howlin’ Threads (Meinshaft Records)

An EP with a generous serving of guests, “Of The Sea” is nothing if not true to Howling Threads’ Detroit-via-Darlinghurst musical roots. Which sits just fine around these parts.

If you don’t know already, Howlin’ Threads is a trio whose members are located in and around Canberra and Wollongong. Dylan Thomas (guitar and vocals) and drummer Adam Fermo were in notable Newcastle band The Fools in the ‘90s while bassist Matt Houston was briefly in Tumbleweed.

Super Spreader - Fear and Loathing (EC Productions)

So, to Adelaide's Fear and Loathing, an outfit who described themselves as "punk" way back in 1981 (or whenever the hell it was) and who are still standing, and who are also still punks (I've seen their toilet, it's STILL revolting). Now, as guitarist and maestro Chris Wiley once explained to me, for a long time FAL were fun but not very good. But, because they kept going and no-one stopped them, they "accidentally" became good.

To see Fear and Loathing (especially in Adelaide) is to witness what the past should have been, and what the future might be. I've seen the band a number of times, and every now and then I spend an entire night hypnotised by one member - for example, Terry, whose complex drum style and ferocity has to be witnessed to be believed, is utterly captivating.

Not this time out, however. "Superspreader" is brilliant, feral and ferocious, all jagged fucked edges and scraping vocals, pounding rhythm section that resembles a couple of out-of-control road trains (Hermann Lauss and Terry Rowe) and everybody's favourite, a twin-guitar assault meted out by Chris Wylie and Sean Tilmouth.

The Strains – The Strains (No Solution Records)

Rock and roll is usually at its best when kept simple and played hard. Detroit’s Euro-American outThe Strains know this well and deliver in spades.fit 

With a bloodline that includes membership of Dark Carnival, Euro punks Dumbell and The Nitwitz, Cult Heroes and backing bands for Andre Williams and Cub Koda, you should have more than an inkling that it’s going to be good. I’m happily here to tell you it’s much better than simply good.

Recorded live in the studio with minimal overdubs, ”The Strains” is a no-nonsense instant classic. This band’s powered by a twin cab, heavy-duty engine room and armed with sawtooth twin guitars and attitude. Paul Grace-Smith spits out a dozen songs full with an anthemic, street savvy edge. These are stories about the streets and their populace. No bullshit.