Paolo MizernaPaolo Mizerna

Primus - Green Naugahyde

The return of drummer Jay Lane to the fold makes this naturally feel like something of a ‘vintage’ Primus album, an outcome that several critics have inexplicably decried. Sure, those averse to Les Claypool’s wonderfully weird, creepy voice (Moron TV feels like the auditory version of a Cronenberg movie) or the house of horrors vibe that permeates through tracks like Eternal Consumption Engine won’t care for Green Naugahyde. But if that’s the case, why are you listening to a Primus album in the first place? Set the LP aside for those of us that embrace this time-tested, quirky rock freak…

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Paolo MizernaPaolo Mizerna

Liam Finn - Fomo

There’s no denying that a follow-up to his impressive 2007 solo debut I’ll Be Lightning was a big ask, but Finn has put together a confident, hook-heavy album that offers an effective balance between dreamy, kaleidoscopic tunes (Chase The Seasons) and out-and-out melodic pop (Cold Feet). There’s bundles of talent here that’ll one day prompt many to ponder, “His father was Neil who?”

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Paolo MizernaPaolo Mizerna

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Minor Traffic

If looking for a Pavement rehash then you’re unlikely to find it on the Beck-produced Minor Traffic, but there’s plenty of familiar Malkmus alchemy and eccentricity at work here nonetheless. Moments of chaos and noise blur still gel together enough that you’re left marvelling in wonder at the sheer wizardry that has gone into making it all so effectively entertaining (Brain Gallop is a bluesy highlight that feels like it should be dismissed as overlong and self-indulgent - if it wasn’t just so much damn fun to listen to). This is incredibly varied, masterful stuff.

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Paolo MizernaPaolo Mizerna

Frenzal Rhomb - Smoko At The Pet Food Factory

It’s been five years since Frenzal Rhomb’s last album and we’ve all been the lesser for it. This is fast, frenetic stuff cut with Frenzal’s familiar melodic harmonies and brazen sense of humor (consider the manic Just Because It’s Soap Doesn’t Mean It’s Clean) that make for an incredibly satisfying half hour of Aussie punk rock. With Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson at the production helm (and work with such bands as Black Flag and NOFX behind him), the Sydneysiders were in safe hands for this long-overdue return. Get to it.

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