Cosmic Psychos - "Blokes You Can Trust" DVD (director: Matt Weston)

Stellar bio on Aussie punks Cosmic Psychos 

It's a shame I had never been familiar with this veteran noise/punk act from Australia. Seems they've been quite influential on a number of famous Pacific Northwest rockers -- many of which are interviewed here. Director Weston qualifies this fine, engrossing documentary with testimonials from folks like Eddie Vedder, Mudhoney, Donita Sparks of L7, Melvins, Butch Vig, Steve Albini, and label supporters from both Sub Pop and Amphetamine Reptile Records. 

But the best parts of this film are the in-depth interviews with Cosmic Psychos members, namely the rock wildman Ross Knight, who's steered the band through (as the subtitle proclaims) a million beers, parties, women, and all the requisite tough times that serious devoted rock bands encounter (like a longtime member passing away due to an addiction). It's curious that, while still performing with a rejuvenated Cosmic Psychos, Knight is a professional body builder as well as a devoted family man and farmer, with a penchant for big tractors. Through it all, Knight is a good guy, likable and full of entertaining yarns.

There's classic footage of the band, as well as interviews with other members, their families, friends, and supporters. "Blokes You Can Trust" is everything a great rock doc/bio should be -- entertaining, fun, and even emotional. Recommended even for those unfamiliar with the band's heavy, raucous punk sounds. Bravo!

Umbrella/MVD Visual

Cosmic Psychos dot com

AC/DC - "The Bon Scott Years" DVD/CD

Shallow and shameful cash-in

Ah, this is a really shady unlicensed set to be certain. The DVD features a few brief old Aussie TV interviews with the band and original front-man Bon Scott. There's very little insight or history here, at all. According to serious AC/DC fans, these clips have been available online for some time, rendering this one pretty well unnecessary. And the entire DVD runs for about 15 minutes. Shameful.

The attached CD isn't AC/DC at all, but early work from Bon Scott's pre-AC/DC days. Sure, serious fans may be curious to hear these 11 tunes, but as they are classic sixties-style pop (rather than bluesy hard rock), this may come as a big shock to fans expecting balls-out Bon Scott "rawk". 

All-in-all, don't be duped by this dubious set of "rare" AC/DC material.

Laser Media

AC/DC site

"Where The Streets Have No Name" DVD (director: Vijaykumar Mirchandani)

This unusual documentary focuses on the humanitarian work of Dr. Harald Falge, who has spent years fighting to alleviate the plight of homeless and hungry street children in the obscure town of Cairns in Northern Australia.

Falge, a chiropractor by trade, noticed an alarming number of homeless youth in his homeland. Seeing how these kids became entangled in webs of drug abuse and prostitution, he set up programs, often with his own funding, and enlisted others to clean up his town. Falge's tireless work on behalf of Cairns' youth has won him a number of awards, and garnered him international respect.

This film examines this work, and sensitively looks at the reasons and motivations of these children, even following some into adulthood (and stability). Candid interviews with the people of Cairns, and Falge himself, show a portrait of a tropical paradise that was once under threat of becoming a seedy center of illegal trade and child abuse, now moving in the right direction.

A splendid film, and one that should rightfully be seen by any and all. (MVD Visual)

Hytest - "Dishing Out The Good Times" CD

Aussie stoner/punk wiseguys Hytest have been active for 6 years, and this debut full-lengther shows them firing on all cylinders. Opening with the raucous "9 Volt", Hytest's speedy, take-no-prisoners approach borrows the raw, loose-nut qualities from punk (think Black Flag), and a dirty, downtuned sludge-rock vibe from precursors like Kyuss. In fact, it seems Hytest have impressed Nick Oliveri (Kyuss/Queens Of The Stone Age/Mondo Generator) well enough to get themselves invited to tour with him, both as opening act and backing band. So that should seal the deal for fans of the aforementioned. The rest of you?

It's like this. "Girl In Black" is a under 2-minutes of blisteringly fierce heaviness with a melody that gets under the skin. "Goodbye" begins with a rockabilly-style riff before launching into another blistering speed attack. Yet the melody underneath the thick-as-molasses guitars is undeniably pop-oriented, and in a good way. "Abolisher" begins as a ramshackle spitball of immense riffage and high-octane speed riot vocal throttling, and doesn't let go at all. It's just massive. "Dishing Out The Good Times" is jammed with smoking heavy rock sounds with plenty of good times indeed. My only complaint is that these 11 songs are over within 28 minutes. Kick-ass heavy rock for speed freaks, this! I like. (Impedance Records)

Hy-Testspace

Pestilential Shadows - "In Memoriam, Ill Omen" CD

Hailing from, of all places, Australia, this black metal mob creates a (perhaps too) crispy set of ballbreaking speed riffs with tortured, gargled-from-satan-himself vocals. Unlike some of the more tuneless among their black metal brethren, Pestilential Shadows inject some old-fashioned melody into "Beautiful Demise", which should please any fans of classic metal, and the doomy piano at the conclusion is a nice touch. "With Serpents I Lay" is a wall of noise, though the vocals are kinda cliche and tend to mess with the melodic, galloping rhythms of drummer Sorrow. I have to mention the lack of low-end bass on this recording, too, for it all seems trebly and buzzsaw-like. For example, "For Man And Heavens Ruin" rains down the same trebly guitar sound until it threatens to drown out the song itself. Those complaints aside, if the brutal, non-song-based aesthetics of this scene have been a turn-off to many, bands like this one make it all a little more palatable, with more traditional songwriting and structure. "In Memoriam" is a solid piece of work, not altogether unique, but well listenable and a good mix of styles. (Pulverised Records)

Pestilential Shadowspace

Clayton Jacobson - "Kenny"

This charming mockumentary from Australia is a triumphant look at an everyman (played by co-producer/co-writer Shane Jacobson, whose brother Clayton also co-wrote and directed) who happens to be employed as a port-a-john deliveryman/plumber. Convincingly honest, down-to-earth, and likeable, Kenny is assailed at all sides by family woes (his ex-wife is a royal pain), a disapproving (and cranky) father, and some incompetent workmates, as well as a son who he'd like to spend more quality time with.

In-between all this, he manages to earn a trip to Nashville, TN to attend a prestigious international plumbers convention - which leads him to meet a potential love interest named Jackie (who is a flight attendant on his airline) - and a work promotion when he seals a major deal with a large Japanese company - spearheaded by a Japanese drinking buddy he meets and deems ''Sushi Cowboy'.

But this is not another tale of the down-and-out loser, or the bumbling fool as it seems most American flicks of this ilk end up like. Somehow, you just feel good about Kenny and his choices. He is a respectable and virtuous man who happens to work 'in the shit'. His anecdotes are amusing, wise, and oftentimes hilarious, and it's actually a credit to the directors that his portrayal is so utterly realistic and human.

It's not 'lol' funny, but 'Kenny' is a rollicking good time of a movie, and here's hoping it gets more attention stateside.