When it comes to shifting CDs off shelves, you could say they outsing Gwen Stefani and outrock Green Day. But for their seventh album, Golden Rule, the Brisbane-based five-piece have thrown open the doors of the studio to face the unknown. "To fearlessly tread," says lead singer Bernard Fanning of the philosophy behind the 12 new tracks. "To accept new ways of looking at things and embrace them." The album forsakes fashion in favour of taut songwriting and heartfelt lyricism, but that's not to say the record lacks white-hot rock – "All Of The Dreamers" and "Burn Your Name" are the kind of anthems destined to tumble out of open car windows and get heads nodding round barbecues across the country. Fanning admits collaborating with the same four
people for 20 years hasn't been easy. Their golden rule for making a killer record? "Agree to disagree," guitarist Darren Middleton pronounces with smiling eyes. And so the Powderfinger legend continues.