Images of the conflict in East Timor saturated the media last year and shocked everyone with the treatment of the Timorese at the hands of the Indonesian military. To assist the support of the Timorese and the rebuilding of Timor two indie record labels (one of which is Melbourne based Library Records) have got together to create 'Indie Aid Abroad: A little help for East Timor', a collection of rare and unreleased tracks by some wonderful low key pop bands. The fact that there are 11 Australian bands here is a sign of the outstanding quality of our local acts and their enthusiasm to assist our northern neighbours.

Melbourne's The Steinbecks get things rolling with their crisply clean pop 'Are you guys into wings? pt 2' closely followed by a collaboration project called The Lucky Ladybugs (a combination of The Lucksmiths and The Ladybug Transistor). Catchy is probably an understatement when describing 'Even Stevens', a song that gets into your head and immediately grabs a firm hold with engaging melodies, organ flourishes and handclaps!

'Population~2' and 'Commitment', from the perennial indie pop favourites The Cannanes, have both appeared already on limited vinyl releases but were remixed especially for this compilation. 'Population~2' is a definite highlight with restrained guitar strumming combined with soft vocals subtle melodies. The "less is more" approach is strongly evident throughout the CD's tracks but is particularly evident in Robert Coopers' acoustic rendition of 'If in doubt..." and The Steinbecks' second contribution, 'All that is ahead is the future'. The vocalist of the Steinbecks has an emotional frailness in his voice that is perfectly suited to this style of pop, a little introspective, a little twee but soaked in honesty.

Even As We Speak's 'Until Tomorrow' will blow the cobwebs out of any dreary day with sweet female vocals, even sweeter melodies and finished off with some lead guitar that'll have you up on the bed playing air guitar in no time! The most interesting track here is Hydroplanes' upbeat 'World without you' that has a wonderful sample that sounds suspiciously like 'Louie Louie", a big change from their usual ethereal approach. If you've wanted to hear some of the many bands that regularly appear on small indie labels overseas, this compilation serves as a good starting point. For those already in on the secret, it is a chance to get a few tracks on CD for the first time with tracks from Pencil Tin, The Singing Bush, and Super Falling Star previously unavailable on CD. Lets hope this CD maintains the awareness of the plight of the East Timorese people while introducing some uninitiated to Australia's wealth of wonderful pop bands!