Auckland Libraries is now providing access for library members to the exciting database Music and Performing Arts Channel through the Digital Library. This database is a diverse
collection of music and dance content that serves students, researchers, and
music lovers alike. It includes hundreds of genres from alternative rock to
zydeco and from alternative dance to operatic arias, and encompasses a wide
range of materials including videos of live performances, audio recordings,
instructional films, and previously unpublished works from acclaimed
playwrights, performance posters, video interviews, and choreography.
The database includes the following collections:
African American Music Reference
American Song
Classical Music in Video
Classical Music Library
Classical Music Reference Library
Classical Scores Library: Volumes I, II, III and IV
Contemporary World Music
Dance in Video: Volumes I and II
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
Jazz Music Library
Opera in Video
Popular Music Library
Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries.
With Music and Performing Arts Channel you can do amazing things:
Watch searchable transcripts that run alongside almost all titles
Search and browse by title, instrument, performers, composers, publishers,
time periods, genres, people and playlists
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Cross-search other Alexander Street music products
It's May, which means its New Zealand music month! And what better way to celebrate New Zealand music month then going out and watching some of the awesome local live acts playing around Auckland this month.
HEX
Wellington trio Hex are releasing their debut EP- 'CALLING TO THE UNIVERSE' this week and are playing their release show up in Auckland at the Golden Dawn Tavern. I've never been much of a fan of labelling bands and putting them into genre's, but on their facebook they describe their genre as pagan folk metal, which after much listening I think it sounds like exactly that. HEX play May 13th Friday at the Golden Dawn Tavern with Civil Union and DJ Kiran Dass, show starts at 8PM.
CIVIL UNION
Auckland band Civil Union who describe their music as stadium/death rock/shore core/slob goth, are releasing their debut album 'SEASICK LOVEDRUNK' this month. Their shows are always awesomely loud with heavy bass, mad drums and a guitar that cuts through all of it like a chainsaw, so good! Civil Union are having their LP release at Whammy Bar on May 19th Thursday with Peach Milk and Guardian Singles.
CENTRE NEGATIVE
Centre Negative are one of my favourites! I've seen them play twice now and each time was a hoot with lots and lots and lots of dancing. Two synths, heavy bass and some awesome guitar playing and then Michael McClelland, who fronts the band, is a force to be reckoned with. Centre Negative play at Audio Foundation on May 14th Saturday, with a swarm of awesome local bands. Show starts at 4PM.
I.E. CRAZY
Claire Duncan aka Maggie Magee is the absolutely mesmerising i.e. crazy. Hauntingly beautiful lyrics and singing, backed by a drum machine, and her electric guitar, is an act not to be missed. i.e crazy plays May 13th Friday at The Crown Hotel in Dunedin with Seth Frightening and Terrified.
It's New Zealand Music Month, so it seems like a good time to run through some of the acts that seems likely to make a big splash in the local scene this year. There's everything from folk to garage rock to rap/EDM on this list, so hopefully there's something that'll strike your interest, though do feel free to add more recommendations in the comments if you wish.
Aldous Harding
Last year, it was the turn of Marlon Williams to be hyped as the latest, greatest artist out of the Lyttleton folk scene. Though this year it seems likely that the spotlight will return to his partner, Aldous Harding. She has a new album coming out later this year, which seems like it might add a gothic edge to the dark-folk sound of her debut self-titled album. It certainly sounds like there is a bit of PJ Harvey in the delivery of this live recording of new track, 'Horizon,' and the result is creepy and beautiful!
Lawrence Arabia
Lawrence Arabia has released very little new material since his last album, The Sparrow, came out in 2012. However he's been very busy on the live scene - playing at unusual venues such as art galleries and libraries, as well as scoring a silent film for the NZFF last year. Now there are stirrings that his new album is not too far away and a new single has emerged, which has all the playful lyricism we've come to expect from this sharp songwriter. I notice that the Youtube description mentions Flying Nun, which shows more signs of a slow return to prominence of the label over the past few years (they released Princess Chelsea's album, The great cybernetic depression, in the US and UK last year so they may again become synonymous overseas with great music from our shores).
Tiny Ruins
Hollie Fulbrook (the singer/songwriter behind Tiny Ruins) has been very busy since the release of her last full-length album, Brightly Painted One. She's currently touring through the UK and Europe as I write this, but has also been busy on the home front, mainly through her collaborations with an impressive list of highly-respected local musicians. She has toured with Bic Runga, which saw them forming a super-group from their two backing bands and playing a spread of covers and originals. She also contributed vocals to a song by Robert Scott (from The Clean) and recorded a whole EP with former Clean-drummer, Hamish Kilgour - Hurtling through. If that wasn't enough, she started this year by releasing a song that was produced by cult filmmaker, David Lynch (after Lorde recommended her music to him). Who knows what is coming next, but it's sure to be impressive. Here's the Lynch-produced track for you to check out...
Raw Nerves
The Raw Nerves are part of a recent revival of Auckland garage rock that has been instigated by the arrival of a new, vinyl-only record label, 1:12 Records. Others on the roster include: The Conjurors, Roy Irwin, and The Cavemen. Another band on the label, The Situations, will be known to many for acting as the backing band for Wanda Jackson on a recent visit to our shores, as well as working with Shaft and Ray Columbus in previous years. Nick Bollinger spoke at length about 1:12 Records on one of his recent sessions on National Radio and Grant Smithies was equally enthusiastic in his recent review of Roy Irwin - he's about to go overseas to tour from July-December, so no doubt he'll be known as NZ's answer to Kurt Vile by the end of the year (we have Irwin's first album if you want to hear how he got started).
However, my favourite among the label's band is The Raw Nerves, who seem to be bubbly with catchy hooks and gritty guitar sounds. This video also shows you how to make gourmet sausages, so hopefully that adds a bit of value for some viewers too!
Young tapz
The local hip hop scene has been bursting with talent over the last year, with Loui the Zu re-emerging as Mzwetwo and Tom Scott (from Homebrew/@Peace) starting a new group, Average Rap Band, whose focus on tongue twisting verbal dexterity has put his skills into true focus. Arriving hot on their heels has been Raiza Biza, a rapper from Hamilton who burst into the scene in 2014 with the fast-paced release of his first two albums. However the artist we're focusing on today - Young tapz - is even newer to the scene and is already looking to push out front.
Young Tapz works regularly along Mzwetwo as part of the Gallantino crew and their early achievements (along with those of Raiza Biza) led to an article on the Australian Vice website about the sudden emergence of NZ rappers originally born in Africa (and/or the Middle East). Their work is definitely worth searching out if you're interested, though be ready for some serious coarse language! (don't say I didn't warn you...)
So let's rewind the clock back slightly and look at the biggest breakthrough that Young Tapz has managed so far - dropping rhymes for "Buzz" by Aussie group, Hermitude (off their album Dark night sweet light), and thereby ending up in the Top Twenty of the Australian charts! Here's Young Tapz performing alongside Hermititude at the Australian Music Awards last year. He's sure got a lot of swagga for a twenty-year old!
The news has finally arrived that Roger Shepherd has finished his book on Flying Nun - In Love With These Times - and it is scheduled for release through Harper Collins at the end of next month (no doubt timed to coincide with NZ Music Month). This is a long awaited arrival since there has never been a complete account of how Shepherd's little label from Christchurch managed to achieve a cult following across the UK and US during the late eighties and early nineties, leading to dozens of drooling reviews in the pages of NME.
The closest we've come to a firsthand account so far was given by Matthew Bannister in his book, Positively George Street, though his scope focused around his own band (Sneaky Feelings) rather than encompassing the wider Flying Nun ouvre. Though if you're interested in the very early years of the label, then there's some great material in Have you checked the children by Wade Churton. It's packed with great anecdotes and quotes from the local seventies punk scene and the indie acts that followed soon after. However, be warned - it's a very lo-res production and the book takes the annoying approach of dividing events strictly by year, so just as the story of one band gets going, it has to abandon it for forty pages to fill out everything else that happened at the same time.
If you looking for some more recent books on music to read while you wait for Shepherd's book to come out, then I'd recommend checking out How bizarre by Simon Grigg. You'd think that a story about an artist with only one hit song would not provide much opportunity for a whole book, but this work provides an amazing picture of how the worldwide music industry works and the clash of cultures that happens when a young man from South Auckland finds himself in the midst of it all, feeling like he can trust no one and, as a result, lashing out at those around him at the most inopportune moments.
Last year also saw the release of two fascinating autobiographies by highly-respected musicians. Elvis Costello has a lot of ground to cover in his career which spans back to the seventies, but his book (Unfaithful music and disappearing ink) remains poetic and vital throughout its 674 pages. Equally fascinating, but considerably shorter is Carrie Brownstein's Hunger makes me A modern girl, which charts her path to success in riot-grrl act Sleater Kinney and then her second life as an actress (in TV show, Transparent) and comedian (in Portlandia).
It's also worth mentioning a few new music books that have been added to our catalogue as eBooks. First on my list is Your song changed my life, which has NPR music host Bob Boilen questioning a wide range of contemporary musicians on the song that had the strongest effect on them personally - his subjects include Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Cat Power, David Byrne (Talking Heads), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), and the afore-mentioned Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater-Kinney). Alternatively, if you have kids that you'd like to foist some edgy music upon, then I'd recommend the picture book, What is Punk? (also available in a print version).
If you've enjoyed any recent music books yourself, then do leave a comment below. There's always a little more room to add more books to the pile beside my bed...
At the weekend, as I stuttered past a fast filling stadium, aka Western Springs, upon Auckland’s public transport finest, I reminisced about the many acts that I had attended at this part time outdoor venue. U2, REM, Mc Cartney and more fill the faded lines of a well-worn and often mislaid notebook, but one great gig that had me toe tapping all the way to Albert Street.
Thirty years ago, 1986 to be exact, a British pop group with real Kiwi connections, in the form of local lass Allanah Currie, sat proud in our top 5 album charts with the platinum platter, ‘Here’s to Future Days’.
The Thompson Twins were (and still kind of are – having recently hit the road again), an 80’s hit machine. Taking their name from those famous Tin Tin comics and made up a cool collage of sound, the Twins blended a mixed bag of sound splices, everything from Caribbean percussion to soft, sultry strings with irresistibly catchy choruses.
Back in 1986, after a previously rained off attempt at an Auckland outdoor show two weeks earlier, the Twins were set to mop up the soggy stage to an extremely eager local crowd. I was a pimply pop fan of 15, with badges and white Reeboks, all set to kick off my stadium pop experience.
By today’s standards the vast green field was laid quite sparse with just proud of 12,000 stone washed diehard fans, here to pop their 80’s cherries. These were the days of deck chairs and blankets, picnics at the pop concert. One of the things I recall as a super surprised pubescent fan boy was the pre-show cut up session from third member Joe Leeway. Often recognized for his high falsetto backing vocals, Leeway lead a 60 minute mash up of dub, funk and cinematic club tunes that pre-dated the superstar DJ by about a decade.
The ultra-clever Tom Bailey delivered a signature performance, with shout outs, re-rubs and raucous renditions of all their hits and I loved the fragrant odour of cabbage, chips and cheap cologne.
Live concerts and the outdoor up, close (as you can get) and personal is a timeless treat that I will long continue to enjoy. I keep the ticket butts, buy the badges and tee shirts and spend café time recalling the concerts from days gone by. Living in Point Chevalier I could hear the heaving heartbeat of Western Springs on Saturday as a whole new generation pushed the fences at the first Auckland City Limits music festival. And so the experience continues. Here’s to future days!
Curious for some nostalgic niceness? Then check out the Thompson Twins. Also try Tom Bailey’s side projectInternational Observer for a variation on his original sounds.
Taranaki once again plays host to WOMAD from 18 - 20 March this year. We know a lot of Aucklanders make the trip down for this unique music festival, so thought it would be worth recommending some acts that we're particularly excited to see.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
This South African vocal ensemble first became famous in the 1980s playing on Paul Simon's Graceland album. They've released over a dozen albums since (including the remarkable No Boundaries with the English Chamber Orchestra), but for many this will remain their signature song:
Songhoy Blues
The landlocked areas of West Africa have become famous for gritty, spiraling style of guitar playing and each year WOMAD seems to uncover a new group with a fresh take on this style. This year the slot is taken by Songhoy Blues from Timbuktu (Mali). The core members of this group were forced to relocate to the Southern capital of Bambako when a jihadist group took over the north of the country and imposed strict sharia law (which included banning cigarettes, alcohol and music). Their newly formed group soon gained an international following and their debut album, Music In Exile, was recorded by Nick Zinner (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). The video below might induce motion sickness in a few viewers, but just hide the visuals if necessary and have a listen because it's a great example of the great music that's been coming out of that area of the world over the last couple of decades.
Edmar Castañeda
Castañeda's music might sound like a groove-based Colombian take on jazz, but if you actually see how he's creating the sound then you'll be amazed. What sounds like bass and acoustic guitar on first listen is actually just him playing a harp on his own. Even if this isn't your type of music then the musicianship on display needs to be seen to be believed.
Calexico
For the last twenty years, Calexico have been creating their own, distinct Tex-Mex sound. Their latest album, Edge of the sun, was seen by many as a return to their best, with rave reviews from Pitchfork, Q Magazine and Uncut. Here's a track of the album that shows that the influence of Mexican horns and rhythms still provides the heart of their music:
Also...
The artists above are just some of the fine acts appearing this year and the overseas line-up also includes: Fela Kuti's son, Seun Kuti, bringing some Afro-funk; De La Soul sparking up the dancefloor with their catchy hip hop sound; and St Germain providing some great live jazz instrumentation over smoothly programmed beats.
I'd also recommend the combined set by Tiny Ruins and Bic Runga, during which they do versions of songs by Fleetwood Mac ("Dreams"), Simon and Garfunkel ("So Long Frank Lloyd Wright"), Yoko Ono ("Nobody Loves You Like I Do"), Love ("Andmoreagain"), and Donovan ("Wear Your Love Like Heaven"). Amazing to hear two of New Zealand's strongest female voices come together in beautiful harmony, especially when their taste in covers is so intriguing. And if that's not enough local talent, then you also have the chance to see soulful country singer, Tami Neilson, and an amazing new piece ("No Man's Land") by one of our finest contemporary composers, John Psathas.
Well before smiley
faced whistle blowing club goers were, ‘right on one matey’ and losing
themselves in ecstatic bliss on UK dance floors, local Kiwi creators were
twiddling knobs and injecting their own brand of synthesised soul into the club
scene and national sales charts.
Post punk, studio
fused tracks took the raw elements of an anti-establishment mentality whilst
embracing new technologies such as sampling keyboards and funky frequencies, to
redefine the sounds and styles of what we were used to hearing on our
turntables.
From as early as
1979, Mi-Sex, a neo-new wave collective, combined cutting edge studio
production with a dynamic live show to expand and explode this new
electronic/guitar noise on our unsuspecting eardrums. Led by enigmatic Steve
Gilpin as lead vocalist, Mi-Sex scorched the charts with sonic singles ‘People’
and ‘Computer Games’. The later timeless classic rammed a repetitive keyboard
loop into the mainstream, full of attitude with a brainwashing beat to
hypnotise and exorcise our living rooms.
Another epic slab of
energetic experimental ism came in the form of Body Electric, a loose studio
based band of post punk pioneers emerging from the ashes of Wellington’s punk
and proud The Steroids. Steered by the clever hands of Alan Jansson (yes, he of
‘How Bizarre’ fame), Body Electric tinkled with the idea of aural anarchy via
the airwaves of the burgeoning student radio network. 1982 saw their local
launch of ‘Pulsing’, an extended mix of chaotic frequencies, which took on the
mighty Sheffield synth gods Human League, taking a place on our national charts
after nearly 3 months of slow building airplay support. To this day ‘Pulsing’,
is highly unique, in that it sounds like a techno time capsule from the future,
beat-box blades scraping a mashed up melody from scraps of psychotic ranting,
hypnotic, harmful and yet fully immersive.
At this time Split
Enz were crafting a less manic mindset and New Zealand culture and sounds were
calming down from banging heads and piercing punk provocativeness to a
financially fused production experience. Often behind closed doors in well
stocked studios, overseas inspiration was flooding into our creative process,
with Kraftwerk and Public Image Limited paying a prominent part in shaping our
future sounds.
Check out some Mi-Sex and see how it stacks up with today's sound or delve into the equally excellent compilation It's Bigger than the Both of us, both well worth a re-visit.
Alternatively, for an equally excellent excursion slap on the Hallelujah Picassos, or the dreamy dubbed out bliss of Pitch Black, proud examples of what a well stocked studio can deliver.
A late entry to the 2015 album list, the young and talented 20 year old Archy Marshall (better known as 'King Krule' or 'Zoo Kid')'s latest digital album "A new place 2 drown", may have just made it as one of the better ones of the year. Indeed it is one to have on repeat if you're an indie/blues/jazz fan who likes to dabble into other genres such as the realms of trip-hop or electronica.
This album is deep, meaningful and has been a long time coming! Little has been heard from Marshall since the release of his first single in 2010 other than his fantastic album "6 feet beneath the Moon" (well worth a listen). Throughout this time, Marshall has treated his music as loose change, producing one track here and there with a spattering of different genres from Hip-hop through to Jazz. Whilst his first album was dominated by crooning, deep vocals, with punchy and complex guitar progressions, "A new place 2 drown" shifts from dramatically from this style. Ratherhis latest work dissolves and drifts through 37 minutes of dreamlike elemental beats. Marshall truly reaches his top standards presenting a variety of moods, textures and tracks of pure creativity which simply has to be heard to be believed.
The Laneway Festival is coming up on 1 February, so here's a few picks on who to see (or, if you're not going, then it's also a nice way to discover some new acts).
It's tempting to start with Courtney Barnett, since she took over the main stage last year with her grab-you-by-the-throat heavy rock live sound - somewhat surprising since she's more known on record for her witty lyrics. However, we just sang her praises a few posts ago, so let's go to the opposite end of the noise spectrum and instead start with one of our own emerging female musicians, Nadia Reid ...
Nadia Reid's latest album, Listen to formation, look for the signs, received a 7.2 rating on music-nerd website Pitchfork and she will no doubt provide a wonderful afternoon respite from the noisier bands at Laneway, especially for those who are fans of Aldous Harding and Tiny Ruins.
Let's keep it local with our next pick, the solo project of Kody Neilson (former singer of The Mint Chicks and colloborator/partner with Bic Runga). His live show features a DJ with a large robotic head and Kody isn't shy of performing (when he played in the sedate surroundings of Newsworthy, he still got up on the presenter's table and danced in their faces). This is the first single of his album, Personal computer:
Moving on to the overseas acts, it's hard to go past Beach House, who shocked many fans last year by releasing two albums quickly on the heels of one another - Depression Cherry and Thank your lucky stars. Most of it is fairly mid-tempo, but they're bound to sound huge on the main stage - hopefully as the day cools and the sun begins to set. This song will make it seem like the whole festival is taking place within a David Lynch movie...
Now let's pick up the pace a bit with DIIV, whose sound manages to take the shoegaze approach of My Bloody Valentine and Ride, but crank up the tempo a little bit. Their first album, Oshin, was their breakthrough release and here's the lead single off it:
You'd think from the above acts that Laneway is just all about indie rock, though this year there's some big hitters from the hip hop world as well - Vince Staples and The Internet. Though for many the biggest drawcard will be the odd pop music of Grimes, who injected some art school experimentation into her last release, Art Angels. Since she'll probably close out the night at Laneway, it seems only right to let her have the last word here as well:
The year that was is so often the perfect vantage point, from which to name check the most liked locals from our insatiable app-etite for all things digital. From the countless dozens of ditties streamed around our islands to the decent downpour of downloads snapped on to our many devices, Kiwi culture shone bright in 2015, for all to see and hear.Following in the well- travelled footsteps of the Kiwi road-trip came the ‘oh so’ photographable Marlon Williams. Proving that simply getting out there and performing is still the best way to engage with the people, Marlon toured the country, garnering all the cool kids and hipster parents with his sultry slant on bluesy acoustic surfside soul.
He also wooed the industry by taking out both the ‘best male solo artist’ and ‘breakthrough artist of the year’.
Also, nurturing a nostalgic nod to sixties retro rock, Tami Neilson built on her loyal fan-base with a simply irresistible second release entitled ‘Don’t be Afraid’. Sitting somewhere between the smoky late night jazz of Amy Winehouse and jangly jailhouse rock, Tami touches bad guy ballads with a tattooed heart. Again, a must see live, up close and personal with your besties at the Tuning Fork.
Other notable mentions that caught my own attention were the super successful hit machine that is Six60, with more hits than Brendan Mccullum, they got snapped up by an international label whilst popping up everywhere from the big gigs to the All Blacks dressing room.Ones to watch in the New Year include the lyrically blessed dirty ole Diaz Grimm, Rei and Sneakers. In a digitally connected sound sharing universe, NZ beats are banging the bass bins of international head-nodders, enjoying the same stage with two island seasoned sounds. Oh my Lorde, what a perfect pacific place to be!
I discovered the existence of the Albert Ayler album 'Nuits De La Foundation Maeght 1970 ' when I saw a Youtube link with no accompanying text turn up on my twitter feed, as posted by John Darnielle of indie folk band 'The Mountain Goats' (whose presence on the internet is often as compelling as the music he makes). I clicked on the mystery link and was taken to an Albert Ayler song called “Music is the Healing Force of the Universe.” Noting the title, it seemed no coincidence this song had been shared only a few days after the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, especially given it turned out to be a live performance recorded in France. As I listened to Ayler’s playing, his horn so full of yearning and love at the same time, so full of agitation and pro-active energy, the song did indeed seem to perfectly embody its title. It’s a transporting psychedelic pill which, as its lyrics spell out with unabashed frankness, aims to lead the listener towards an internal sea change for the better.
Given that it's almost the end of the year, it seems like a good time to have a quick scan over the various award winners of the year and pick out some of the best.
Front of mind is the New Zealand Music Awards which took place recently. The Stuff website has a full list of winners, but rather than give more breath to the big winners (e.g., Broods), let's dig a bit further down the list.
First up, the Critic's Award winners, Bespin. The band are named after the cloud city on 'The Empire Strikes Back' and the group's dreamlike, psychedelic sound fits the name perfectly...
Marlon Williams was the winner of Best Male Solo Artist and Breakthrough Artist of the Year, as well as being in the shortlist for the Silver Scroll Awards (as well as being a nominee for "Best Blues and Roots Album" at the ARIA awards in Australia). His self-titled debut album is firmly based in the folk music, but the songwriting is strong enough to breath some new life into this tradition and the album was recorded by Lyttelton music scene stalwart, Ben Edwards.
Here's a creepy little tune he wrote about a man living in a house that seems to be filled with ghosts ever since his wife died. The video also features Williams's girlfriend, Aldous Harding, and they seem to just be a pair of hobos fooling around until the final twist...
The act that beat Williams at the Silver Scroll Awards was Unknown Mortal Orchestra, who recently released their third album. The outfit is led by Reuben Neilson from the Mint Chicks, though the recording also features his brother (Kody, who now plays as Silicon). The awards was given to UMO's tune, "Multi-Love", but I have to admit a preference for their tune "Keep Checking My Phone" and this live version (on Conan O'Brien) sounds great and shows Reuben dropping a nice dance move at the end...
Casting an eye across the Tasman, also shows a few worthy winners emerging from the Australia's ARIA awards. The psychedelic music revival is just as strong over there and Tame Impala has showed he is still ahead of the pack on his second album, Currents, which saw him win "Best Rock Album" and "Album of the Year." Equally deserving was Courtney Barnett who won "Best Breakthrough Artist" for her critically adored album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit. This tune about the unaffordability of local real estate should strike a chord with a lot of Aucklanders!
And last but not least, let's look even further northward and check out the winner of the UK's prestigious Mercury Prize, which has the occasional ability to shine a light on a upcoming talent that most of the country hasn't heard of. This year's winner was Benjamin Clementine, who grew up in London but was discovered by a French music label while busking on the streets of Paris. This led to his debut album, At Least For Now, being released back in the UK, though his real breakthrough wasn't until he scored a surprise slot on Later ... with Jools Holland.
Emerging from the shaggy sixties Kiwi music scene, the Loxene Gold Disc Awards were the groovy great grandparent of today’s New Zealand Music Awards.
To give a shout out to these often contentious awards, celebrated at Vector Arena in Auckland next week, I delve back in time, rewinding to the local tunes of 1995.
Twenty years ago, Grandmaster Jim Bolger turned up the national sound system, whilst the country swaggered and saluted a tangy tub of local treats. Running up the charts with her headless chooks, Fiona MacDonald tapped the bottle of pop recognition, severing the ties to their alternative cohorts with the ultra-digestible ‘Body Blow’. Also set for cruise control, brat-brass funky fellows Supergroove spun some major “Traction’ with their debut album sounding like a greatest hits of our summer antics.
South Auckland street-sounds blasted the skateboard ramps from Ranui to Raglan, with 3 the Hard Way’s heaving Holden anthem, “Hip Hop Holiday”, sparking many a tinny road trip over the summer months. Rollin ‘In the neighbourhood’, took the Sisters Underground from the Otara markets to the café stretches of Ponsonby proudness, crossing over our separated soundtracks.
Be it rhythm and booze or patriotic Dobbyn loyalty, we Kiwis punch way above our beat belts. We love our music, both local and otherwise. To stand beside our mates, on a girl’s night out or cruising down Dominion Road, we have and have always had a lot to celebrate. Not a lot has changed in that regard, even now, twenty years since 1995.
The latest Sufjan Stevens album Carrie & Lowellis named after his parents. Well, sort of. To be specific, it’s named after his mother, who left the family when Stevens was 1 year old, and the man she ended up with. Stevens wrote the album after her death, as he struggled to process both her passing, and the internal contradiction of feeling such immense grief at losing someone with whom he’d created so few memories, shared so little time. As he sings on the song All of Me and All of You: “Should we beat this or celebrate it?”
It’s my favourite Sufjan album. Those same delicate, cyclical guitar arpeggios which have been the foundation for so many of his songs are intact, but they’re both darker and, for me at least, more beautiful. Where previous records adorned this foundation with cheerful orchestral arrangements or abrasive electronica, Carrie & Lowell fills out the stereo spectrum with little more than a second acoustic guitar matching the first, as if to keep it company, and obsessively double tracked lead vocals. One feels that Stevens is singing and strumming along with himself because everything would just be too sad, too raw, without the extra ambience of a companion, even if the companion must be his own ghost vocal. The lyrics blend wisps of happy memory with jarring references to emotional dysfunction, self-destruction, and a deep sadness, all rendered beautiful by yearning melodies that never stoop to maudlin.
The first single No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross exemplifies the emotional complexity that can result from relatively unsubtle constituent parts. The singer castigates himself with sarcasm, (“Like a champion, get drunk to get laid,”) implores fate to connect him with his mother in any way possible, (“Drag me to hell in the valley of the damned, like my mother. . .”), imagines some invisible presence conspiring against him (“my assassin like Casper the ghost”), before concluding in the songs title that there is no grace to be found in the struggle to bare life’s burden.
Yet as he passes through these lyrical stations of pain Stevens sings along with himself as sweetly, as angelically, as he ever has, leaving us with the impression that maybe it’s okay to celebrate what you can’t beat. It’s a nice feeling to get from a record.
Not so long ago Wellington's The Phoenix Foundation released the video for the titular anti-ambition anthem of their 6th album Give Up Your Dreams. Featuring a dirty and desperate Bret McKenzie (one half of The Flight of the Conchords and Oscar and Grammy award winner) digging an endless hole somewhere in the Wellington hills, the video is an Andrei Tarkovsky-inspired existential trip directed by fellow Wellingtonian Loren Taylor. The video is a perfect accompaniment to the meditative mood that we find the Foundation in; reflecting on their existence as a band and their place in the musical landscape as they age.
The track itself is peak Phoenix Foundation, with its wryly observed lyrics, driving rhythms and strong synth-led melodies. Despite a droll voice over intoning maxims such as: "Don't let anyone tell you that you're special" and "Don't anyone say that the world is your oyster" in the bridge, this is a joyous and ultimately uplifting affair. Plus, it never hurts to be reminded that "all that we can do about it is be alright about things and get on with stuff".
Aotearoa has an abundance of exceptionally talented Hip Hop artists, but
very few ever venture into Gospel territory. Emani Suaesi, AKA E.Man is
leading ...
Fijian-born Pradodh Kumar Mishra's memories are like a trip through
history: During his first career in Fiji's Foreign Affairs he met the
Queen and was t...
What a year it has been for EP releases.
Following the semi-regular EP review columns that have been posted on
Elsewhere throughout the year, here are f...
