Tales From Bad Drip – Bad Drip (Outtspace Records)

From out of Sydney’s Inner-West comes Bad Drip and they’re quite the thing if you’re partial to heavy blues jams. “Tales From Bad Drip” is only four songs but the vinyl-only EP packs plenty of punch.

The Inner-West Delta. It’s where Surry Hills’ survivors settled when gentrification pushed the inner-city rents up and the dole dried up. Some of them even got mortgages and have spawned kids. It’s a funny place, full of contradictions and probably ripe for urban renewal itself, but it’s also where most of Sydney’s music now lives.  

A lot of those Inner-West bands sound like fey indie rock or hip slacker drivel with no songs. If the cliche is reality, Bad Drip is refreshingly atypical. A quartet that’s only been around two years, this is their first physical release. Of course, it’s on vinyl.  

A Crowd Pleasing Extravaganza – Moot (Outtaspace Records)

It's a point hat has been made here before: Moot comes from the New South Wales Mid North Coast region and you’d struggle to think of a place with a more tenuous claim to being a spawning ground for punk rock.

Neat farms sit on rich alluvial land, squeezed between eucalyptus-lined mountain ridges and coastal towns that cling steadfastly to beaches or river inlets. The populace seems past or approaching retirement age. It’s a region devoid of (visible) dole queues or massive social dislocation – at least on the surface.

Premonition K – Kilbey Kennedy (Foghorn Records)
I came not to praise Prog Rock but to bury it. You know, throw on a “Pink Floyd” T-shirt with a handwritten “I Hate” appended to the front of the band name, just like it’s the King’s Road in London, circa 1976.

The claws were out and the poison pen primed with ink. It was time to snarl about pomposity and pretentiousness, declare a fatwah on all hippies and kick out some serious wordplay jams . This War Against The Jive is relentless, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer truly do suck dogs’ balls.

Crawling Back To You – Stu & The Connections (Crankinhaus Records)

There’s a lot of ground covered on this mini-album (digital only) from Stu Wilson and his all-star collective The Connections. The drummer with Lime Spiders, New Christs, The Crisps, Loose Pills, Leadfinger, Aberration and Chris Masuak & Dog Soldier, Stu contributes lead vocals, keyboards harmonica, drums and percussion..

Looking at his c.v., you might have certain expectations. Leave your preconceptions at the door. This is a cohesive collection of  seven songs that cajole and captivate rather than assault. 

Say It - New Toys (13^th Street Records)

The years 1979-82 were stellar for power-pop, with many pundits looking back with a great deal of affection for bands such as The Knack, the Romantics, Nick Lowe, Greg Kihn, Dwight Twilley and so on. All giants of the genre, with lesser-known acts such as the Shoes, the Records, 20/20 and The Beat also holding their place amongst power pop fans.

Yet there was one band from New York City on par with any of them: New Toys.

New Toys released one album of stupendous, melodic power pop called “Say It” in 1982. Long out of print, it was recently re-issued by 13^th Street Records with all songs restored, remixed, and remastered from the original multi-track tapes.

Rip Shit or Bust - S.S.D. (self released)

Hello I-94 Barflies, hope you’re all well. “Rip Shit Or Bust” is the new four-song EP from Queensland underground punk rockers SSD. With members all over the country, it took a bit of time to follow-up the excellent “Resurrected” EP. 

“Rip Shit or Bust” just grooves. It really is a strong effort.