BACK in the mid-1990s, Grinspoon were the little band that did.
The post-grunge act burst out of Lismore in 1995 thanks to Triple J's UnEarthed competition - they were the first winner and remain the project's most successful graduate.
But Grinspoon's evolution has drawn ire and praise from fans and critics alike.
Their debut went double platinum, while the follow-up Easy was a critical and commercial disappointment, despite being their most consistent work and a fan favourite.
The string-laden ballad Chemical Heart shoved them into the mainstream in 2002 and the album that followed, New Detention, remains their biggest seller. Despite their last two albums being hit-and-miss (Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills) and downright dire (Alibis & Other Lies), Grinspoon are far from finished.
``I don't think anyone in the band could leave,'' guitarist Pat Davern told Musicology.
``If anyone left it would be like leaving the brotherhood. We've been through too much shit together.''
Davern reviewed the band's five albums and looked ahead to their sixth, which he said could be recorded early next year.
Guide To Better Living (1997)
``We were still living in Lismore (NSW) and we recorded this in Byron Bay. It sounded like we were having a good time. It's pretty raw all round. We were just getting to know each other and know our instruments - I was getting to know how to tune a guitar! We sold 200,000 copies - I think it's our second biggest selling album. Railrider was one of my favourites, as are Bad Funk Stripe and Just Ace.''
Easy (1999)
``This one was really fun. 66.6 is the making of that album and I do watch that video every now and then because they were good times. We were kind of thrown in the deep end but (producer Jonathon) Burnside is hilarious and it was a good experience. There wasn't a lot of pressure on Easy because a lot of the songs were written a long time (earlier). They came from the same group of songs as Guide To Better Living and we'd already written a few new ones. (Instrumental track) Overdriver was a favourite because we got to kick Phil out of the studio. I still like all the songs.''
N ew Detention (2002)
``It's the Grinspoon classic. Easy is metal and grating but this is nice. Chemical Heart sold the record at the end of the day. That song connected with radio, that's for sure, but I still love this album to be honest. It was a good moment in time. It's a bit more ear candy, but we wanted to do that, we wanted to be a bit more adventurous. We demoed so much beforehand and I think that's why it was a quality record. There were so many songs to choose from... about 38 got put in the scrap heap. Make It Happen is a favourite, with Phil's crazy vocals, it's very light and shade.''
T hrills, Kills & Sunday Pills (2004)
``It's probably the best audio of any of our albums. We went to LA. It's just guitar, bass, drums and vocals - no superfluous keyboards. It just sound like us. The singles (Hard Act To Follow, Better Off Alone, Hold On Me) were well received and I think Enemy, Rising Tide and She's Leaving Tuesday were good too.''
Ali bis & Other Lies (2007)
``That wasn't our most successful record. It didn't have a big stand out single. We should have known at the time when no one could decide what would be the first (single) off the record - Black Tattoo was almost a compromise. Phil's rehab thing, which was going on through the album didn't leave the best taste in our mouths, and with all these things going on, we released an album that wasn't up to our standards. Plus we're not the kind of band that sits around pondering (little details), but we did a lot of that on Alibis. But Carried Away is one of the best tracks we've done.''
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