Monks of Mellonwah - Neurogenesis

It has been a while since I've reviewed a band from across the Tasman but then this EP from Monks of Mellonwah showed up in the inbox. With my x-ray eyes I possess the ability to see the puzzled look on your face and see you're thinking Mellonwah? Yeah, I've no idea what that is either. Monks of Mellonwah are Sydneysiders so maybe it is food from one of their swankier breakfast restaurants and totally out of my price range.

Hey, that sounds like Canadian political folkster Bruce Cockburn was my recalling thought as "Neurogenesis" opened the EP but then the band veer closer to the heavier side of Tool but as they favour the progressive side of rock, the Monks of Mellonwah don't completely leave their quieter side but the chanting is definitely not of the silent contemplative nature. "Neverending Spirit" is more of a ballad although the guitars shimmer through the underbelly and the beer-bloated overbelly. The strength of the rhythm section bounce through the sweaty audience inducing "Kyoto" aided along with a wall of guitar sound reminiscent of mid-80's U2 or closer to their own home around but from the same time period, v.Spy v.Spy. "You Shine" is a slow building ballad that is reminiscent of those many 80's metal bands found obligatory.

Fans of Muse and Tool will take to this radio-friendly rock EP. It'll be interesting to see what the Monks of Mellonwah produce when it comes to putting out an LP length release.

4/5



http://www.monksofmellonwah.com/



Monks of Mellonwah on facebook




Small Takeover on facebook

Inside Out

Here's some sugary fizzy pop from Aussie band Ratcat. I don't really know too much about the band although do remember their single "Don't Go" getting some limited commercial radio airplay back in the early nineties. However this album is entitled "Inside Out" and has a leopard yawning and poking his tongue out on the cover. Why is the leopard yawning and what is the connection to the album title? And what exactly is a ratcat? It's food for thought if you needed something to think about to pass the time in life's boring bits.

Making boring bits a little more interesting.

Are you alright?

Here's proof there was Aussie hardcore in the 80's. Along with Vicious Circle, Massappeal proved that what happening in the US of A could be done just as well and often even better down under and provided the ultimate soundtrack for tic-tac-toing and doing ollies on fibreglass skateboards. This single should either make you want to rage, skate or weep. Maybe even all three simultaneouly.

Check it out.

Lost Cause, Mate

Proto-grunge? Post-punk? Bubblegum Psychedelia? Screw labels. Here's some fair dinkum noisy rock and roll from Australia's Cosmic Psychos.

Grab it before it goes cold, mate.

NZ Melodic punk split CD

Auckland melodic punk band Fifth Threat have featured in this blog before as have the now Brisbane based kiwi groupNot OK. Not OK have a folk punk lean not unlike Aussie Celtic punkers The Go Set or a restrained Dropkick Murphys. For me Not OK are the better sounding band here as Fifth Threat's drum sound is a little overpowering. This is an advance download. A physical product is in the works due for release hopefully some time soon

You know what to do.

Lime Spiders

I'm not overly fond of youtube blog posts unless I've done the filming as it seems a cheap way of pulling up someone else's work and passing it off as your own. This issue has to come up time to time with cover songs. Do you remember when The Goo Goo Dolls were good? Check out "Superstar Carwash" or "Hold Me Up" if you don't believe me. They had a tasty choice of covers back then and handpicked song from The Replacements and The Plimsouls. In fairly recent times they've been looking toward to Australia and have chosen The Lime Spiders. I don't know how this fits with their other live material as I stopped caring about this band years ago but came across this youtubage not too long ago. If youtube comments are anything to go by Lime Spiders' frontman Mick Blood is tying to work out a way to receive royalties from The Goo Goo Dolls.



Here's some live footage from a Lime Spiders show from a week before Christmas last year.



I bet they were a far more energetic live band back in the late 80's. I remember seeing their "The Cave comes Alive" record album in a secondhand junk shop for $1, sometime in the early 90's, along with a few other Aussie 80's alternative rock albums plus a few others but the only album I bought was a treasured but very much pre-loved copy of MC5's "Kick Out The Jams". I went back a few days later to grab the Lime Spiders album but it had vanished from the cardboard boxes.