The Thousands

If Kurt Cobain had never killed himself, and Courtney Love hadn’t become a shallow, snobby media whore, they might have formed The Time Of The Assassins.

Recorded by Steve Albini, AWAKE IN SLUMBERLAND is the debut album from this Melbourne trio, and though it’s certainly not "retro" – it does sound like an album from the golden age of grunge. The mood swings and simmering rage of Nirvana mixed with Slint’s epic menace underscore Renaissance man Aspen Michael Taylor’s marble-mouthed drawl and Carisa Mellado’s riot grrl shriek.

**What really sets The Time Of The Assassins apart from most modern day brooding "rock" bands is their lack of self-conscious irony, pub rock bravado, or fashionable faux misery. Oh well, whatever – nevermind.