Aussie hard rockers The Neptune Power Federation are back with another sumptuous collection of anthemic, barnstorming and very varied tracks for your delectation. Hurrah!

I have to say, pound-for-pound this is the most enjoyable set I’ve heard yet from the band; Starting from a bedrock of late-seventies/early-eighties power pop (think that swoonsome area on the wrong side of town where you might find a beat-up recording studio with rooms containing the Go-Gos, Holly and the Italians and The Runaways all intent on having a bit of a rave-up), they spread their wings wide to produce a huge – make that HUGE – sounding record rammed with muscular guitars and the utterly Titanic vocals of Screaming Loz Sutch, whose multi-tracked musings fill every available inch of recording tape, flooding the listener with her glorious noise.

Seriously, the vocals across this whole record are off the chain; There’s not a mood or style beyond Sutch’s reach, from the spiky punk of opener Let Us Begin to the pure psych pop of Harriette Mae – she’s got it covered with power and precision. This is hands down one of the best vocal performances I’ve come across in a long time.

The rest of the band ain’t exactly sluggards either; check out the low-slung groove of Lock & Key, wherein they channel the snake-hipped joy of Bon-era Dacca with some serious intent, motoring along on the back of Jaytanic Ritual‘s throbbing bass pulse and the rock solid drumming of River Sticks whilst Search and DesTroy and Inverted CruciFox lock in to a six string congress that’s hard not to join in with on that neglected air guitar over in the corner…

At it’s peak – the irresistible Twas A Lie, for instance, or maybe the more progressive Woe Be To Father’s Troubled Mind – this is music that possesses a timeless brilliance that, whilst drawing deeply from the wells of past Goddesses still comes to the ears fresh and alive, possessed of an evergreen relevance that demands the listener give in and roll over to it’s demands without question. Which of course you will as soon as your ears come into contact with this faultless little slab o’magnificence…

Goodnight My Children releases on March 8th.