WELCOME to Australia’s number one selling album of the moment, and deservedly so for The Living End’s fourth studio release State of Emergency is more rock and less rockabilly, while maintaining TLE’s trademark lyrics of society on the brink. The album is full of standout tracks, opening with ‘Til the End and superbly backed by current single Wake Up. Tracks 3, 6, 7 (a No.1 hit prediction) and 11 also shine.

– Michael Weaver

IT’S here at last – Vol 13 of Triple J’s Hottest 100. Wheeling and dealing with record companies resulted in a 2 disc CD compilation with 42 tracks (not necessarily #1 to #42), with live tracks from Bernard Fanning, The Herd, and Wolfmother. Number 1 this year is Bernard Fanning’s Wish You Well (you get the original AND a bonus live version), closely followed by Ben Lee’s Catch My Disease. Powderfinger, with Bernard Fanning as lead singer, holds two distinguished Hottest 100 records: they had three tracks in the 2003 100’s Top 10.

– WO2 Andrew Nichols