The Strokes – Juicebox – RCA/SonyBMG
With a rumbling bass throughout, “Juicebox” immediately sets itself apart from the Strokes of Is This It or Room on Fire by sounding utterly crisp and clear – gone are the layers of distortion piled on top of everything, giving “Juicebox” the sort of clean and crisp sound that might – shock! horror! – actually deliver the Strokes the hit single they so richly deserve. Clearly one of the most exciting released of 2006, First Impressions of Earth cannot come soon enough.

Wolfmother – Mind’s Eye/Woman – Modular Recordings
Single of the year? It’s gonna go close. As the first taster from the band’s deadset thrilling debut set, “Mind’s Eye” unfurls slowly, with Andrew Stockdale’s voice sounding nothing short of amazing, like a cross between Robert Plant and Jack White. The song itself is pure Led Zep, while the thrilling keyboard break that comes in some three-quarters of the way through is pure Deep Purple. The newly re-recorded “Woman” is a monster of a song, with the dynamics of Queens of the Stone Age pegged to a fabbo pop song.

Bloc Party – Two More Years – Wichita
The first new taster from the band – coming in the same year as their debut, no less – “Two More Years” is perhaps a touch less edgy than the material on Silent Alarm, with Kele Okereke singing clearly. There’s none of the disjointed jauntiness found on their debut, in favour of a sensible song structure. That style is found on b-side “Hero”, but it’s “Two More Years”, with its linearity, that really sets Bloc Party up for 2006.

Jane vs. World – B-Grade Lisa Loeb – Popboomerang Records/Shiny
Bouncy, happy pop music that’s somewhere between a commercial pop record with killer hooks and an alternative one laced with irony and knowing winks, “B-Grade Lisa Loeb” is most certainly one of the catchier tunes to ape the trend for cheesy `80s keyboards, and at under two-and-a-half minutes is sincerely simple and deliciously devious with its mega-pop nature.

Ben Lee – Into the Dark – Ten Fingers/Inertia
With a clutch of ARIAs in his keeping, Ben Lee is the new singer-songwriting star of the Australian landscape…it’s only taken him a decade to get there. Along the way there’s been pitfalls (getting dropped by Grand Royal being one of them) and pratfalls (dubbing third album Breathing Tornados, referenced in the lyrics here, the best Australian album of all time being a good example). Now, though, as songs like “Into the Dark” show, Ben is writing charmingly handsome pop songs that give away none of the quirkiness of before, but instead come across as simple, and direct, and effortlessly appealing.

The Fuzz – Take the Money – Fuzz Music/Reverberation
Bursting with energy, Perth kids the Fuzz absolutely go for the storming run-and-gun approach on “Take the Money”. A bristling first taster of their impending debut 100 Demons, its all about the energy with “Take the Money” – it moves in a similar manner to something like the Distillers, but with far more aggression and a distinct edge to it. It points to good signs for the band.

Sugababes – Push the Button – Island
Sugababes have always been the souped-up girl group from the UK it’s okay to like – songs like “Overload” and “Freak Like Me” (not-so-coincidentally, like “Push the Button”, the first singles taken from their first two albums) were absolutely knock-out tunes. “Push the Button” isn’t quite as good as either of those numbers, but the added sex subtext to “Push the Button” offers something new. Plus the build-up to the chorus is fantastic (totally Ronettes!), and the pay-off is strong, if not mind-blowing.

Faker – Hurricane – Capitol
Once it’s in your head, “Hurricane” simply doesn’t let go – that “Ooh la la” chorus repeated ad nausea is utterly addictive. It’s made deliberately so, and in doing so Faker have relied once more upon the rhythmic drumming of Paul Berryman, formerly of the Superjesus, who has given this Sydney five-piece a solid backbone upon which they can rely. The cover of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” is not a good choice, however; if you can’t match (or beat) the original, why bother?

Coheed and Cambria – Welcome Home – Equal Vision/Columbia
A six minute long single that builds from acoustic openings to a massive metal payoff? What is this, the mid-1980s? With Wolfmother and Airbourne doing it for the `70s by sounding like the new incarnations of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC respectively, Coheed and Cambria are doing it for Rush, or perhaps Queensryche. It’s all bombastic string build-ups, squealing guitars, and the distinct voice of frontman Claudio Sanchez. It’s all decidedly over-the-top, and all the more enjoyable for it – this is crazily manic metal, but with tunes and expressive dynamics.

Bernard Fanning – Wish You Well – Dew Process/UMA
It’s not too far removed from Powderfinger at their most open and acoustic, but Bernard Fanning’s first solo single is certainly a slice of something. He sings out clean and clearly, and the production is crisp and clear throughout. It’s all a bit Pete Murray – the song is a mature singer-songwriter effort, and it’s all perfectly charming. It’s also got a great chorus, and a scant two-and-half minutes is ready made for radio. All in all, it’s a fine beginning to an interesting side project.

Kisschasy – Face Without a Name – Below Par Records/Eleven: A Music Company
Not as instantly addictive as “Do-Do’s and Woah-oh’s”, the first cut from the band’s solid debut United Paper People, Melbourne four-piece Kisschasy have nevertheless come up with another solid offering with “Face Without a Name”. They’re not quite emo, they’re not quite a pure pop-rock act, and in Darren Cordeux they’ve got one of the most talented young frontmen roaming the country, armed with a guitar and three mates. The live b-sides show that they’re still not quite together yet in that area, but their recordings are tight, punchy, and catchy.

Shannon Noll – Shine – SonyBMG
‘The Australian Bryan Adams’ (only, y’know, without any of the hard graft he went through to get to where he is) returns with another up-beat pop-rocker. He’s sounding more and more like a ProTooled Robbie Williams, and like Robbie he shares a writing credit not on the single, but on b-side “What Love Is”. Lyrically it’s more than a touch naff, but it’s a solid driving rock song that’s extremely commercial.

Elemeno P – Verona – UMA
The latest New Zealand act to start making waves in Australia, Elemeno P play fuzzed up power pop in a perfectly radio-friendly way. Is it anything really new, exciting, or viscerally thrilling? Hardly. It’s merely solid, and standard.

Black Eyed Peas – My Humps – A&M Records/UMA
One of the more horrid records you’re likely to hear this year, “My Humps” finds Fergie from Black Eyed Peas singing about her boobs and her bling over a beat that’s more than just a touch reminiscent of the far more risqué and interesting “My Neck, My Back” from a few years back.

Simply Red – Perfect Love – UMA
Simply Red still exist? Huh, who’da thunk it? When the pasty white Irish lads got all soulful on previous singles, they pulled it off. On “Perfect Love” they come over totally Santana/Rob Thomas Cuban-like, and it really, really, REALLY does not work.