CD Review: Ocean Alley - Lonely Diamond

Features
By ( Australian Guitar ) published

"Despite coming out in the dead of winter, Ocean Alley have brewed up the perfect summer soundtrack in LP3."

(Image credit: supplied by label)

OCEAN ALLEY
Lonely Diamond
INDEPENDENT

Despite coming out in the dead of winter, Ocean Alley have brewed up the perfect summer soundtrack in LP3. Fuzzy, low-fi quips of ‘70s psychedelica gel with blindingly bright indie rock hooks, the whistling keys and punchy drums a radiant backdrop for Angus Goodwin’s sharp and soaring leadwork to shine. 

His ripping solo on “Way Down” is an early highlight, but rest assured there’s plenty of kaleidoscopic ebbing and flowing across this 45-minute mind-melter to keep fans old and new alike gripping their armrests. 

At times jammy and others jazzy – sometimes cool and sometimes chaotic – Lonely Diamond is not just the Sydney sextet’s most sonically diverse and interesting set of tunes to date, but also undoubtedly their best. 

Ellie Robinson
Ellie Robinson
Editor-at-Large, Australian Guitar Magazine

Ellie Robinson is an Australian writer, editor and dog enthusiast with a keen ear for pop-rock and a keen tongue for actual Pop Rocks. Her bylines include music rag staples like NME, BLUNT, Mixdown and, of course, Australian Guitar (where she also serves as Editor-at-Large), but also less expected fare like TV Soap and Snowboarding Australia. Her go-to guitar is a Fender Player Tele, which, controversially, she only picked up after she'd joined the team at Australian Guitar. Before then, Ellie was a keyboardist – thankfully, the AG crew helped her see the light…

More about music releases
Bachman-Tuner Overdrive 2025

"The BTO sound is BACK!!" Bachman-Turner Overdrive release first new material in over 25 years – and it features a Neil Young guitar solo
Captain Beefheart performs onstage with The Magic Band at The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam on April 8, 1972

“He would beat the crap out of the guitar. The result can best be described as Jackson Pollock trying to play like John Lee Hooker”: Aggressively bizarre, Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica remains one of the craziest guitar-driven albums ever made
Vicki Peterson

“Walk Like an Egyptian was so silly. But solid players have asked, ‘What are you playing at the end?’”: Vicki Peterson sees herself as “a bit of a hack player,” but she still made guitar-pop history with the Bangles – and guested with Tom Petty
See more latest
Most Popular
Vicki Peterson
“Walk Like an Egyptian was so silly. But solid players have asked, ‘What are you playing at the end?’”: Vicki Peterson sees herself as “a bit of a hack player,” but she still made guitar-pop history with the Bangles – and guested with Tom Petty
Eric Clapton performs onstage in London in 1989
“The concept of the guitar duel at the end was just appalling”: Crossroads is an essential piece of '80s guitar lore, but not every guitar legend was a fan of the film
Billy Rankin
“Zal is really nobody’s guitar hero. Fans say he’s the most underrated player ever; many guitarists rate him amongst the best... but I’ve never heard anyone call him their ‘guitar hero’”: Billy Rankin on lessons learned from the legendary Zal Cleminson
Yoyoyoshie of Otoboke Beaver performs on the Park Stage during day four of Glastonbury Festival 2024.
“I’m extremely honored. It reminded me that it’s important to stick to my own playing style”: Her fans include Dave Grohl, Jack White and Eddie Vedder, and she’s the face of Fender’s Hello Kitty campaign. Why Yoyoyoshie is Japan’s next great guitar hero
Joe Satriani wears futuristic wraparound shades and a leather jacket as he plays a solo on his Chrome Boy Ibanez signature guitar. His new 3rd Power Dragon amps are in the background.
“The three of us plugged into my Marshall, passing the cord around. The one thing Eric said to me was, ‘Wow, there is so much gain!’” Joe Satriani on reuniting with Eric Johnson and Steve Vai and the devil in the detail of Eddie Van Halen's playing
Plini performs at The Fillmore on January 30, 2020 in San Francisco, California.
“I like that their appearance intrigues non-guitar players and bothers old-fashioned people”: Despite early love from Eddie Van Halen and Allan Holdsworth, headless guitars became a punchline – yet in 2025, they’re more popular than ever. We found out why
The Chameleons perform live
“Once Dave got his Roland Space Echo, it changed the vibe… that, and a lot of marijuana”: They inspired everyone from Oasis to the Smashing Pumpkins. Now English post-punk luminaries the Chameleons are back for more
Andy Fairweather Low is suited and booted as he plays an archtop live during a 2022 UK festival appearance.
“When I worked with Eric Clapton, I thought I was getting fired every tour”: Andy Fairweather Low on his first gig, a beloved dumpster guitar find and the mistake he made with Roger Waters that he can never forget
Silktone guitar amp on carpet
“I got a long text message praising the amp and talking about tone. I’m like, ‘Holy crap… I think this is Joe Perry!’” Why Silktone’s tube amp range is rapidly gathering big-name fans
Mark Tremonti performs in Birmingham with his solo project, he is show from below on a stage lit up in orange and red and plays his PRS signature guitar.
“If I brought that to Alter Bridge, they’d look at me funny… I don’t know if they like speed metal as much as I do”: Mark Tremonti on finding an outlet for his metal cravings and why nothing beats PRS and Dumble amps