New Zealand's Garageland has received some pretty serious press in the last year as they've rolled out their latest "Last Exit to Garageland" throughout the world. Now they're coming to America.

"Last Exit to Garageland" is a slightly off-kilter, high energy set. I have to say that some of the songs hooked me after the first listen, but others, with their punk-like, discordant melodies and screeching guitars were downright annoying -- at least at first. If you listen to "Last Exit to Garageland" and don't particularly like it at first, sit back and listen a couple more times. Somehow these songs, even the more hardcore of them, can really grow on you. A perfect case in point is the track, "Nude Star". The first time I heard this song I was driving late at night and I had to turn it off. The guitars were so annoying they sounded almost like fingernails on a chalkboard. But then I listened to the song another couple of times (because this is something we do in this business -- we don't just listen once, say "this is crap" and then skip the disc across the freeway), and I found myself actually seeking out this track! "Nude Star" went from unlistenable to must-hear -- now that's power! Other tracks, like "Classically Diseased" and "Jesus I'm Freezing" are so perfectly suited for American alternative radio, I can't see how they can possibly lose here in the States.

Made up of Jeremy Eade (guitar), Andrew Gladstone (drums), Mark Silvey (bass) and Andrew Claridge (guitar), this band hails from Aukland, New Zealand. They started as a sort of garage band and named themselves (rather appropriately) after the song by The Clash. They've been together for a couple years, gathering momentum in the rest of the world until recently breaking new ground in the U.K. I think you'll be hearing more of this bunch on American radio very soon.

When I try to compare Garageland to another band, Green Day comes to mind, though this comparison may not be exactly fair. There are a few punk-cum-pop tracks on "Last Exit to Garageland" that are rather Green Day-ish, but as a whole this is a pretty original sounding, which in itself is a rarity these days. If you're looking for something new and you're into rather hard-edged, alternative rock, check out Garageland's "Last Exit to Garageland". While I wouldn't say that every single track is a winner, I'd consider most songs to be good to very good, with a few (especially "Jesus I'm Freezing", my vote for best song on the disc) being outright excellent. This is a good band to check out for new music!

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