by Jonathan Lewis

Rebecca's Empire released their debut album The Way of All Things in 1996 to critical praise and popular approval. The band had already received saturation airplay on Australian radio with the song "Atomic Electric."
The Way of All Things was an example of melodic power pop, similar to both Belly's Star, though without the quirkiness, and Teenage Fanclub's Grand Prix, though more influenced by Led Zeppelin than by The Byrds. Infectious, well-written guitar pop songs were the order of the day and few bands do these as well as Rebecca's Empire.
If there were to be a criticism of this album it would be that Rebecca Barnard's voice does tend to get repetitive throughout the disc, although songs like "So Rude" provide some respite, with the band experimenting with vocal effects.
"Atomic Electric" also found its way onto this set and is a highlight, although there are any number of strong tracks. "In Deep," "So Rude," "The Way of All Things" (complete with sitar) and "Empty" (which had also appeared on 1995's Take a Look at Happiness EP) are all superb pop songs.
An excellent debut album from an underrated Australian band.