Victims rock.

Recently stumbled onto the blog Orbis Quintus, out of New Orleans, which at first glance features a bracing blend of science and music, and perhaps, if we can go by the name, an appreciation of Borges. Anyway, the OQ recently posted a pair of killer songs by Australian punk ravers The Victims, from the late 1970s, about whom I knew nothing. I encourage you to visit, listen, and enjoy. Apparently, some of the Victims went on to form the Hoodoo Gurus, who made 1-1/2 great albums before succumbing to marketplace forces and becoming sucky. You can actually hear this happen on side 2 of Mars Needs Guitars!

There must've something Detroity in the water Down Under in those days, as some phenomenal garage rock emerged from the pop culture slime, including the Gurus, the Scientists, and the Lime Spiders, all of whom have decent anthologies now available. Also, if you need a news hook, EMI recently released remastered versions of the first two Gurus albums, with bonus tracks, available in the US at import-only prices.

And, for the intrepid collector, this discography would appear to be the final word in Australian punk 1978-1983. (But don't even ask this guy about 1984. I mean, please.)