ROCKHard-Ons, I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken(Cheersquad/Magnetic South) ***1/2LRB and John Farnham, INXS and Jon Stevens, The Angels and Dave Gleeson… as with other established bands joined by already-famous frontmen, it’s off-putting at first to hear the voice of You Am I out front of Aussie punk legends the Hard-Ons. But the familiar musical backdrop soon has you settling in for the ride, and Rogers’ vocals are a worthy foil to the high-intensity musicianship. There’s the insistent power chords, blazing guitar breaks and primate backing noises of Pucker Up, while a F—ed Up Party has Rogers wondering: “Where the hell’s my coat and where the f—-’s my cap?” Chiming guitars make recent single Lite as a Feather a standout, then there are the backing harmonies of Frequencies and The Laws of Gossip. And it all reaches a melodic peak on closing track Needles and Pins.Hard-Ons – I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been TakenROCKMoaning Lisas, Something Like This But Not This(Farmer & The Owl/BMG) ***1/2On their debut long-player the Melbourne quartet – two gals and two guys – display vocals that recall Juliana Hatfield, Paramore or The Jezabels, with throbbing basslines and towering guitar hooks that channel stadium rockers like Coldplay or even U2. All the while they put their own deeply personal spin on it: “I spent too much of my childhood trying to please people who did not listen to me,” sings Hayley Manwaring. On Enough, you get the feeling she could be strumming on the same acoustic guitar gifted her by the first love of whom she sings. Bike Riding is a dark, moody interlude as it deals with mental and physical health and endless advice, while Inadequacy confronts insecurity: “My greatest mistake is one I’m yet to make/It’s something I’ll always dread.” The satisfying set ends with introspective ballads Don’t Dream and Wild Days, the latter on which Manwaring sings: “Too young to settle down/Too old to be f—ing around… Tell me there’s still some wild days left in us.” We certainly hope so!Moaning Lisa – Something Like This But Not ThisROCKSam Fender, Seventeen Going Under(Dew Process/Universal) ****If it weren’t for the British accent you might think Sam Fender was singing about the American heartland, such is the Springsteen-esque, Killers-esque soundtrack that evokes sprawling vistas and the angst of youth. But while the singer-songwriter is from North Shields, northern England, the concerns he writes of are universal. The throbbing opening title track seeks to let go of teen regrets, to the soaring strains of whoa-oh-ah-oh-oh harmonies, then the clappy, upbeat vibe of Aye belies its heavy social commentary: “I’m not a f—-ing liberal any more/I’m not a f—-ing anything any more.” He curses his own negativity on Get You Down and displays intricate guitar skills on the softer Spit of You that builds to a soulful sax-solo outro: “I can talk to anyone/I can’t talk to you.” And Fender recites a Mantra that dissolves into a sublime instrumental: “Please stop trying to impress people who don’t care about you.”Sam Fender – Seventeen Going Under
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