Ocean Colour Who? is the first question most people are asking if they've made it this far. So briefly: OCS started out in the UK as a post-baggy group in 1990, got a huge stack of money for first album which flopped, changed their sound to 60's R&B and started playing with Paul Weller, who helped them come back some five years later with a new album (which this is off) and chart success.

The Weller connection runs deep, as not only did he help them get noticed but two of OCS play in Weller's band and the Modfather himself plays hammond organ on the single. And they sound like Weller too, which for most people can only be a good thing. The other tracks aren't as strong as "Riverboat" (which has a killer bluesy riff) finding them in an acoustic, reflective mood.

Most Australian listener's would have heard the lead track "Sunday" which was played incessantly on radio station JJJ and earned a place (at no.82) in their hottest 100 of 1995. Why? Possibly because the Pixies/Smiths cross is pop perfection. From the soaring guitar riff and meloncholy lyrics to the huge chorus, this is a 90's classic. Elsewhere things get heavier with "Bruce and Elvis" and on their signature tune "Heavy Pop" (which is err, heavy pop), lyrically obsessed with JFK's assassanation.

Mr. Blonde Interview | Sunday Soundbite

This is something a bit more recent from Sydney's Mr. Blonde and it's another great little 5 track EP. The song which has been receiving the most attention is "Saturday Night", a rolicking good time drinking tune if ever there was one - something like a cross between The Specials and Supergrass on a pubcrawl. First track "Dominator" is a funky number about a sad S&M freak, while my personal favourite is "Stars and Stripes" a drum machine, riffing anthem about the good ol' U.S of A. This EP is extremely infectious and enjoyable showing the short, sharp, and punk influences (Buzzcocks/Jam) of Mr. Blonde. It should not be thought of all that Mr. Blonde can do, (see the previous EP for more variety), merely a fun and a very enjoyable side of them.

Mr. Blonde Sound Bites Saturday Night | Dominator

Third single from All Change is another fine rocking tune. It's about as heavy as Cast get (i.e. not much) more in the style of "Finetime" than "Alright", but still a strong single from a better-than-average album (All Change). The other songs while nothing life changing are still listenable and include live studio versions of "Alright" and "Back of my mind", which are very similar to the LP takes only slightly heavier. Why they didn't include real live tracks instead is questionable considering all the reports about their "fookin excellent" live shows that we've been hearing about.