The Ghoulies from Perth, Australia look like regular blokes caught out grocery shopping, but the sound they make is an urgent, insistent punk rock howl with a frenetic keyboard bubbling through.

It took Cheo a couple of years to get back into his usual Latin-flavored slinky tinkles after leaving his previous band, but we’re all glad to hear he’s back.

Don’t let the stage name fool you: Monsieur Leroc isn’t French, he’s really Arne Drescher, and he’s from Germany. And don’t let the label fool you, either: while his new record, Le Slow Motion Boogie Woogie may be on Cornerstone R.A.S./Skunk (best known for Sublime and Long Beach Dub All-Stars), Leroc’s opus is a funk/hip hop/jazz collage set against interesting beats and electronics. Phillip Haire corresponded with Leroc to examine the contradictions.

From the mean streets of Los Angeles, via some crazed German in the Black For…