Violent Soho - Hungry Ghost (2013)

The third studio album from the Brisbane-based, post-grunge/alt rock revival quartet, Hungry Ghost finds the hard-hitting Aussies adopting a punchier tone while keeping their feet firmly planted somewhere between Screaming Trees, early Smashing Pumpkins, and Mudhoney. Luke Boerdam's sneering vocals aside (which lean more toward emo and pop-punk than they do the seismic, yet always melodious angst of Kurt Cobain), Violent Soho are as committed to their retro sound as ever, churning out a fiery 11-track set that's as spirited as it is redundant, with highlights arriving via the thunderous five-minute opener "Dope Calypso" and the tightly wound "Eightfold," the latter of which manages to break through the flannel barrier with some much needed call and response vocals.