The month of May is not over yet, but my collection of NZ music has all been listened to, and thus it is time to move back into the alphabet.
To conclude, I shall share a few music videos from YouTube from NZ bands:
3Ds - Hey Seuss (1994)
This Dunedin 3-piece formed in 1988, releasing 4 albums before disbanding in 1997, then reforming briefly some 10 years later. The name comes because all3 of the members had names starting with "D". They later took on a fourth member, also starting with D but did not change their name to the 4Ds.
This song is a homage to Dr Seuss, and is fun and funky. Also highly irritating when it is top of your playlist and thus played everytime you open up your audio library and it's not set to random.
Greg Johnson Set - Isabelle (1991)
Greg Johnson left NZ in 2002 and now lives in California. I love this song, which is probably their most successful.
The Front Lawn - The Beautiful Things (1993)
I hated this song when they first started playing it on television. I'm not sure why, because now I actually like it: with its discordant rhythms, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and general quirkiness.
This comedic and theatrical duo comprise of Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair.
McGlashan was also responsible for:
The Muttonbirds - Dominion Road (1992)
Dominion Road is in Auckland. Obviously it is worth singing about. More well known songs by this band are "Nature" and "Anchor Me" but I didn't really feel like listening to them again.
Crowded House - Chocolate Cake (1991)
This song always makes me hungry. And takes me back about 20 years. Mmmm, cake. The lyrics area tongue-in-cheek parody of the American's tendency for excess. It was not well received in the US.
The Finn brothers are from New Zealand, however, because the other two members (at this time) were Australians and they formed in Australia, they've been stolen by the Aussies, just like pavlova.
Split Enz - Message to my Girl (1984)
Before they were in Crowded House, Tim and Neil Finn were in Split Enz. They are probably one of our most successful bands. They are best known for tracks like "Six months in a leaky boat", "I Got You" and "I See Red".
Finn Brothers - Won't Give In (2004)
And Tim and Neil Finn won't give in with the singing - they have endured! This song always makes me feel a bit glum.
There's about 100 more songs I can add here, but I'm bored with playing on youtube at the moment, so I'll add to this list later, perhaps.
Showing posts with label new zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new zealand. Show all posts
Saturday, May 25, 2013
The Chills - Submarine Bells (1990)
This is the final NZ CD I shall be spinning this month - although I may move onto my cassette tapes.
The Chills are one of the classic Dunedin bands. Frontman Martin Phillips is the only consistent member of the band, and they have released six full length albums - several compilations and a bunch of EPs. This was their third album, and their most succesful (it attained #1 on the charts) - in part due to the explosion of popularity in the whole Flying Nun/Dunedin sound and aided rather by the opening track and first single "Heavenly Pop Hit" which I still regard as one of the Definitive NZ songs. Many of the more modern NZ bands have a polished, American sound, but the sludgy, low mix of the Flying Nun label will always stick in my head as being the true NZ sound. Although it should be noted, this album was not released on the Flying Nun label - this was their first release on a major label - Slash/Liberation.
The cover depicts, I believe, a jellyfish, although it also rather resembles a translucent mushroom. It is very blue.
The opening organ of "Heavenly Pop Hit" is utterly unmistakable, bringing with it a clarity and joy that stirs the spirit and the heart. Phillip's voice is sweet and moderately high.
We have piano and a slightly British feel to "Tied Up in Chains". It reminds me a little of Blur and Madness and that whole English Rock sound of the late 80s. Not so much the Dunedin sound at all. Of course, this is somewhat ruined by Phillip's very kiwi accent.
Another nicely rock number is "The Oncoming Day". It offers little new - just a good pace and steady rhythms, catchy chrous.
We drop to a slightly lower pace for "Part Past Part Fiction" with its dreamy, slightly surreal feeling.
"Singing in My Sleep" is vocally dominated, interlaid with tremolo guitar and keyboard rhythms.
The swooping and gliding flute leads a soft and lilting edge to "I Soar" with its slight folk feel. It's a pleasing, slow song with sunlight shimmering through dappled leaves and a leaf frolicking on the wind.
More organ/keyboards lead us into "Dead Web" with its catchy and rollicking chorus.
Fast paced "Familiarity Breeds Contempt" is a solid rock number, with its steady rhythm. Phillips' Kiwi twang really shows in this number.
Pianoleads us into the more haunting "Don't Be - Memory". Vocals are slightly distorted, echoeey, with a shade of Pink Floyd (but Kiwi).
The beautifully titled "Effloresce and Deliquesce" has a wonderfully folkish aspect to it. The vocals are fast, and pronounciation, an education! To blossom and decay. What magnificant words. And quite a glorious song too, with its playful rhythms.
"Sweet Times" is absurdly short, almost choral and over too soon.
Another haunting number, "Submarine Bells" has the symphonic power of the opening track, but is overset by a melancholy that makes it spine-chilling.
Aside from "Heavenly Pop Hit", this album was previously unknown to me. At least this time it was because it's not my CD, but my husband's (although I do own some CDs that I've not actually listened to). It certainly seems more English than I had expected - with the pacing and music found in bands like Blur and Madness - the whole Britpop explosion. Although, given this album came out at approximately the same time (or before, in some cases), it makes you wonder whether it was intentional or coincidence. The tracks are short, and the whole album only clocks in at around half an hour.
The clarity of sound is certainly very good, and it is an enjoyable and well produced album - just not entirely to my musical tastes. I could listen to it, but I'd probably not buy it (although I may be persuaded to acquire several of the tracks).
Rating = 7/10
The Chills are one of the classic Dunedin bands. Frontman Martin Phillips is the only consistent member of the band, and they have released six full length albums - several compilations and a bunch of EPs. This was their third album, and their most succesful (it attained #1 on the charts) - in part due to the explosion of popularity in the whole Flying Nun/Dunedin sound and aided rather by the opening track and first single "Heavenly Pop Hit" which I still regard as one of the Definitive NZ songs. Many of the more modern NZ bands have a polished, American sound, but the sludgy, low mix of the Flying Nun label will always stick in my head as being the true NZ sound. Although it should be noted, this album was not released on the Flying Nun label - this was their first release on a major label - Slash/Liberation.
The cover depicts, I believe, a jellyfish, although it also rather resembles a translucent mushroom. It is very blue.
The opening organ of "Heavenly Pop Hit" is utterly unmistakable, bringing with it a clarity and joy that stirs the spirit and the heart. Phillip's voice is sweet and moderately high.
We have piano and a slightly British feel to "Tied Up in Chains". It reminds me a little of Blur and Madness and that whole English Rock sound of the late 80s. Not so much the Dunedin sound at all. Of course, this is somewhat ruined by Phillip's very kiwi accent.
Another nicely rock number is "The Oncoming Day". It offers little new - just a good pace and steady rhythms, catchy chrous.
We drop to a slightly lower pace for "Part Past Part Fiction" with its dreamy, slightly surreal feeling.
"Singing in My Sleep" is vocally dominated, interlaid with tremolo guitar and keyboard rhythms.
The swooping and gliding flute leads a soft and lilting edge to "I Soar" with its slight folk feel. It's a pleasing, slow song with sunlight shimmering through dappled leaves and a leaf frolicking on the wind.
More organ/keyboards lead us into "Dead Web" with its catchy and rollicking chorus.
Fast paced "Familiarity Breeds Contempt" is a solid rock number, with its steady rhythm. Phillips' Kiwi twang really shows in this number.
Pianoleads us into the more haunting "Don't Be - Memory". Vocals are slightly distorted, echoeey, with a shade of Pink Floyd (but Kiwi).
The beautifully titled "Effloresce and Deliquesce" has a wonderfully folkish aspect to it. The vocals are fast, and pronounciation, an education! To blossom and decay. What magnificant words. And quite a glorious song too, with its playful rhythms.
"Sweet Times" is absurdly short, almost choral and over too soon.
Another haunting number, "Submarine Bells" has the symphonic power of the opening track, but is overset by a melancholy that makes it spine-chilling.
Aside from "Heavenly Pop Hit", this album was previously unknown to me. At least this time it was because it's not my CD, but my husband's (although I do own some CDs that I've not actually listened to). It certainly seems more English than I had expected - with the pacing and music found in bands like Blur and Madness - the whole Britpop explosion. Although, given this album came out at approximately the same time (or before, in some cases), it makes you wonder whether it was intentional or coincidence. The tracks are short, and the whole album only clocks in at around half an hour.
The clarity of sound is certainly very good, and it is an enjoyable and well produced album - just not entirely to my musical tastes. I could listen to it, but I'd probably not buy it (although I may be persuaded to acquire several of the tracks).
Rating = 7/10
The Brunettes - Paper Dolls (2009)
We are now reaching the end of New Zealand Music Month and I had run out of NZ music cds (excluding my husband's Chills cd, which we have temporarily misplaced the case for, and I still have a number of cassettes to fall back on, anyhow). That was, until I went shopping today. To a music store. Two music stores in fact: the first, Penny Lane, almost lured me into purchasing Pumpkinhead's "Sloth" and the Nixon's "Foma". Luckily I resisted the latter, because I had neglected to remember that whilst there was an NZ band called The Nixons, they had to change their name to Eye TV due to the American grunge band by the same name. And this cd was that of the US band, misfiled in the NZ section.
Anyway, I found my way into another music store (Marbecks) and lucked upon this album instead, for the kingly sum of $10. Now, you might have come to the theory that I am a bit of a metalhead - so the fact that I now own all of the Brunette's full-length albums may surprise you. They are not even close to metal - they are bouncy, poppy; sweet and innocent with a touch of bubblegum and cotton candy. They are rainbows and kite flying; rollerskates and icecream. They are diners and discos; paper dolls and hairagami. They are a duo from Auckland that sound like the belong not only in California, but in California some 50 or more years ago.
They are a charming, quirky, whimsical and playful delight. As is reflected in the album cover. This one is a paperfold out affair with some lovely pencil renderings of Jonathan and Heather, including your very own set of very small paperdolls - complete with clothes. But don't cut them out, because you'll ruin your album cover! It has a clean and polished look to it, rather more whimsical to the sophisticated but sterile whiteness of "Structure..."
As the follow-up to "Structure and Cosmetics", this album also displays a distinct evolution from the 60s bubblegum of their first two albums. It seems they have now attained the 80s.
Piano starts us "In Colours". Colourful, playful, with tinkly, boppy rhythms and percussive instruments. Somewhat more electronic feel than the earlier two albums, and the drum machine merely accentuates that. Heather's voice starts us off, clear and sparkling like a bell, before Jonathan joins her in a harmonising echo.
The drum machine dominates "Red Rollerskates", synth/keyboards soaring back and forth like something from the 80s meeting the 60s - electronica meets retro. Jonathan's voice is distorted, fuzzy at the edges, Heather's chorus pure and sweet - as her asthma problem is cured by the acquisition of a pair of red rollerskates so that:
Electronica synth retro makes "The Crime Machine" sound almost like an old computer game, bringing us into the 80s. Singing about the 1920s. Echoey computer voices and those high bauble notes should make it feel very dated, but it's so polished and smooth it's just beautiful.
The synth, drum machines and bobbly music continues in "Bedroom Disco" with its powerful rhythms that almost drown out Heather's silver voice. The Macarena is mentioned.
Only the Brunettes could make chip tunes* sound eerie, as "Paper Dolls" has a hauntingly spectral edge to it, enhanced by the slow, high guitar tremelo and the occasional dip and dive of string instruments. It is an unusually eclectic combination of sounds. Heather's voice is its usual, innocent and fragile self; whilst Jonathan's more droll and serious strikes a strange harmony. The lyric sheet finishes about halfway through the song, with some odd stationery references in the latter part:
There's something very, very familiar about the opening melody to "It's Only Natural". It certainly has very bouncy rhythms. When I saw it on the tracklist I was kinda hoping it would be a cover of a NZ classic, but it's a song about hair colour, I believe. Very boppy and retro. Polka dots and high hair.
And the drum machine is back; bringing with it a somewhat dance vibe. "Magic (No Bunny)" is another playful duet; combining Heather's high and playful innocence with Jonathan's more sophisticated, droll humour.
A hauntingly melancholic piece, "If I..." has a romantic feel to the music, and also the lyrics - until you start studying them closer. The duo discuss their feelings on what should happen if one of them were to, well, die:
Guitars and actual drums bring us into the closing track, as the duet say "Thank You". To all of the fans, the listeners, around the world. It's bubbly and bright and kind of reminds me of ABBA.
Overall, this is a fun and playful album. The mix is not as strong as the previous endeavours: the electronica chip tunes drowning out the vocals in some of the tracks. Overall it seems a little less experimental, despite the 80s vibe to the instrumentation (I think I prefer the percussion, thank you) and lacks some of the freshness of the earlier albums. Whilst still a pleasing aural experience, it does feel rather like they've found their niche and are now stuck in it.
It's also a very short album, clocking in at around 35 minutes.
Rating 7/10.
* My husband just told me the official name for them!
Anyway, I found my way into another music store (Marbecks) and lucked upon this album instead, for the kingly sum of $10. Now, you might have come to the theory that I am a bit of a metalhead - so the fact that I now own all of the Brunette's full-length albums may surprise you. They are not even close to metal - they are bouncy, poppy; sweet and innocent with a touch of bubblegum and cotton candy. They are rainbows and kite flying; rollerskates and icecream. They are diners and discos; paper dolls and hairagami. They are a duo from Auckland that sound like the belong not only in California, but in California some 50 or more years ago.
They are a charming, quirky, whimsical and playful delight. As is reflected in the album cover. This one is a paperfold out affair with some lovely pencil renderings of Jonathan and Heather, including your very own set of very small paperdolls - complete with clothes. But don't cut them out, because you'll ruin your album cover! It has a clean and polished look to it, rather more whimsical to the sophisticated but sterile whiteness of "Structure..."
As the follow-up to "Structure and Cosmetics", this album also displays a distinct evolution from the 60s bubblegum of their first two albums. It seems they have now attained the 80s.
Piano starts us "In Colours". Colourful, playful, with tinkly, boppy rhythms and percussive instruments. Somewhat more electronic feel than the earlier two albums, and the drum machine merely accentuates that. Heather's voice starts us off, clear and sparkling like a bell, before Jonathan joins her in a harmonising echo.
The drum machine dominates "Red Rollerskates", synth/keyboards soaring back and forth like something from the 80s meeting the 60s - electronica meets retro. Jonathan's voice is distorted, fuzzy at the edges, Heather's chorus pure and sweet - as her asthma problem is cured by the acquisition of a pair of red rollerskates so that:
"...I bought some rope and red rollerskates - now I pull her 'round behind me"Their lyrics are as delightfully quirky as ever.
Electronica synth retro makes "The Crime Machine" sound almost like an old computer game, bringing us into the 80s. Singing about the 1920s. Echoey computer voices and those high bauble notes should make it feel very dated, but it's so polished and smooth it's just beautiful.
The synth, drum machines and bobbly music continues in "Bedroom Disco" with its powerful rhythms that almost drown out Heather's silver voice. The Macarena is mentioned.
Only the Brunettes could make chip tunes* sound eerie, as "Paper Dolls" has a hauntingly spectral edge to it, enhanced by the slow, high guitar tremelo and the occasional dip and dive of string instruments. It is an unusually eclectic combination of sounds. Heather's voice is its usual, innocent and fragile self; whilst Jonathan's more droll and serious strikes a strange harmony. The lyric sheet finishes about halfway through the song, with some odd stationery references in the latter part:
"... a post it note beside the phone. An HB pencil sharpened well..."It's time to make a "Connection". Opening with more of the eerie and synthesized keyboards, then the boppy, poppy rhythms come in, Heather's voice all pure sweetness and innocence. Interestingly enough, the lyrics reflect a more modern era than the music does, and it appears that they both enjoy French films. The drum machine is back in, along with some very tinkly rhythms.
There's something very, very familiar about the opening melody to "It's Only Natural". It certainly has very bouncy rhythms. When I saw it on the tracklist I was kinda hoping it would be a cover of a NZ classic, but it's a song about hair colour, I believe. Very boppy and retro. Polka dots and high hair.
And the drum machine is back; bringing with it a somewhat dance vibe. "Magic (No Bunny)" is another playful duet; combining Heather's high and playful innocence with Jonathan's more sophisticated, droll humour.
A hauntingly melancholic piece, "If I..." has a romantic feel to the music, and also the lyrics - until you start studying them closer. The duo discuss their feelings on what should happen if one of them were to, well, die:
"If I should accidentally die and leave you much too soon - would you play and sing our songs the same, with somebody new?"The reference to Jonathan as a "sweet romantic tool" is quite amusing.
Guitars and actual drums bring us into the closing track, as the duet say "Thank You". To all of the fans, the listeners, around the world. It's bubbly and bright and kind of reminds me of ABBA.
Overall, this is a fun and playful album. The mix is not as strong as the previous endeavours: the electronica chip tunes drowning out the vocals in some of the tracks. Overall it seems a little less experimental, despite the 80s vibe to the instrumentation (I think I prefer the percussion, thank you) and lacks some of the freshness of the earlier albums. Whilst still a pleasing aural experience, it does feel rather like they've found their niche and are now stuck in it.
It's also a very short album, clocking in at around 35 minutes.
Rating 7/10.
* My husband just told me the official name for them!
Friday, May 17, 2013
Dead Flowers - Sweetfish (2004)
Auckland band, Dead Flowers, followed up their 1993 release with this album - "Sweetfish" in 1994. The cover is very colourful and reminds me of some of the Art Trading Cards I've seen on my favourite forums. Lots of faces, eyes, hands and worms all randomly juxtapositioned around each other and all in vibrant and bright colours. It is vibrant and psychaedelic and fun.
First track "Watch Her Play" varies little from those on their earlier album - it is poppy and colourful, fast and sunny.
Still bright and bouncy, but Bell's vocals are taking on a slightly rawer edge with the inappropiately named "Gothic". The lyrics and vocals have a somewhat nasty edge but overall, it's fast and almost cheerful sounding.
Somewhat moodier, "Same Same" might seem an odd song to release as a single - given the chorus is along the lines of "it's the same, same shit... no one to blame everyone to bitch" and of course it got editted when it was played on public television. You can't say "shit" on tv! Another with a bitter edge. Good rhythms: fast verses, smooth purr of a chorus. Kinda catchy, but you've gotta watch where you sing it!
This is followed by the other single release: "Home". Released the year after Pumpkinhead's "Home" and a year before Shihad's "Home Again". Not sure what it is about NZ bands' obssessions with home. This one is a fast and frantic, helter-skelter piece with aggressive guitar and whining vocals.
A slower number, "She Can't" features the now fairly standard semi-whining vocals. The music is smooth, but with erratic quirks and the chorus a steady and catchy pace.
A nice intro into "Dead Boy" with repetitive twiddly guitar rhythms giving it an almost oriental flavour. repetitive but shows some pretty competent guitaring. The last line is pretty cool:
We mellow a little for "Shades", slowing the pace and with Bell's voice returning in its usual maudlin counterpance.
Heavy bass leads is into "Some Brain Ride" with its low and somewhat ominous vocals and rhythms.
Picking up the pace again, "Not Ready" starts with a guitar eruption and displays some rather competent rockin' out.
Slow again, as we fall into "Slumber". Starts slow and dreamy with the lightest of drums. Building, vocals rising like a gentle embrace. Soothing, soft, like lying in a pile of pillowy clouds. The guitars join in, lightly strumming. Then it surges into awakedness. An goes on for a very long time...
"Spaceboy" is the slow, melodious and haunting conclusion to the album, and the stand out track in my opinion. It's beautiful.
Overall, a fairly uninspiring album, perhaps following too fast on the heels of the debut. Very few of the songs offer anything new or different and it all rather blurs into one. Not a bad album by any regard, just not particularly fresh and original and with few stand-out tracks.
Rating = 7/10
First track "Watch Her Play" varies little from those on their earlier album - it is poppy and colourful, fast and sunny.
Still bright and bouncy, but Bell's vocals are taking on a slightly rawer edge with the inappropiately named "Gothic". The lyrics and vocals have a somewhat nasty edge but overall, it's fast and almost cheerful sounding.
Somewhat moodier, "Same Same" might seem an odd song to release as a single - given the chorus is along the lines of "it's the same, same shit... no one to blame everyone to bitch" and of course it got editted when it was played on public television. You can't say "shit" on tv! Another with a bitter edge. Good rhythms: fast verses, smooth purr of a chorus. Kinda catchy, but you've gotta watch where you sing it!
This is followed by the other single release: "Home". Released the year after Pumpkinhead's "Home" and a year before Shihad's "Home Again". Not sure what it is about NZ bands' obssessions with home. This one is a fast and frantic, helter-skelter piece with aggressive guitar and whining vocals.
A slower number, "She Can't" features the now fairly standard semi-whining vocals. The music is smooth, but with erratic quirks and the chorus a steady and catchy pace.
A nice intro into "Dead Boy" with repetitive twiddly guitar rhythms giving it an almost oriental flavour. repetitive but shows some pretty competent guitaring. The last line is pretty cool:
"Too much like a praying mantis couple - give it up lest your head will tumble."Now we race into the almost-punk frenzy of "What Do You Take Me For?" Vocals by Damon Newton, who is a lot rawer than Bell.
We mellow a little for "Shades", slowing the pace and with Bell's voice returning in its usual maudlin counterpance.
Heavy bass leads is into "Some Brain Ride" with its low and somewhat ominous vocals and rhythms.
Picking up the pace again, "Not Ready" starts with a guitar eruption and displays some rather competent rockin' out.
Slow again, as we fall into "Slumber". Starts slow and dreamy with the lightest of drums. Building, vocals rising like a gentle embrace. Soothing, soft, like lying in a pile of pillowy clouds. The guitars join in, lightly strumming. Then it surges into awakedness. An goes on for a very long time...
"Spaceboy" is the slow, melodious and haunting conclusion to the album, and the stand out track in my opinion. It's beautiful.
Overall, a fairly uninspiring album, perhaps following too fast on the heels of the debut. Very few of the songs offer anything new or different and it all rather blurs into one. Not a bad album by any regard, just not particularly fresh and original and with few stand-out tracks.
Rating = 7/10
The Brunettes - Structure and Cosmetics (2007)
This is the third full length album by the Auckland twee-pop duo. Some of the playful innocence has been lost, and the cover is more mature, more sophisticated depicting Jonathan and Heather in a white tiled room, Heather is applying make-up while Jonathan gazes up at the camera. It is all very clean, polished and stylish (somewhat marred by the crack across my plastic box, grrr, I think it was there when I bought it). Inside the booklet is equally as clean and polished - black font on bright white, no capital letters in sight (or any punctuation except ' and " and ...). I believe the cd is designed to look like a compact. Very meta.
We open with the dreamy, almost trance-like "brunettes against bubblegum youth". It is heavier on the electronica-pop feel than previous instlaments. Plenty of hand clapping, vocals and the triumphant hum of their various interesting instruments (glockenspiel, mellotron, rhodes, melodica... I don't even know what half of these are!). Lyrics are repetitive, the same verse repeated numerous times.
It merges right into "stereo (mono mono)" which is a fun piece, in which the two vocalists have fun with the vocals switching between speakers. Heather's voice is sweet and gentle, innocent as a butterfly's flickering wings. Jonathan's voice is low and soothing. This is a quite amusing piece.
"her hairagami set" is a soft, soothing, electronically dominated number. It has a cruisy, dreamy feel to it, like softly lying on a feather bed and drifting off into the clouds. It seems to be a song about playing with your hair. The video is really good - watch it!
Another slow and cruisy number, "credit card mail order" is dominated by Jonathan's vocals, with a melancholic air.
Now it appears to be time for an "obligatory road song" which is also slow and has a somber air. The lyrics are somewhat amusing, however:
Sweet and innocent vocals lead us into the more typical Brunette duet of "if you were an alien" with its playful guitar strumming and vocal interchanges. Lovely harmonies and references to pop culture. Love it:
This album shows an increased complexity and more modern sound than their previous instalments, losing some of the childhood innocence and moving into a more mature, somber affair. The additional instruments - like the clarinet, the glockenspiel, organ, harmonica etc all add an extra element of dreaminess and bring it to life, but overall it lacks somewhat in the playful spirit, having a more sophisticated polish. Perhaps, like all of us, the Brunettes are growing up - albeit that they are doing it with tongue-in-cheek, ironic twists and little quirks!
Rating = 8/10.
We open with the dreamy, almost trance-like "brunettes against bubblegum youth". It is heavier on the electronica-pop feel than previous instlaments. Plenty of hand clapping, vocals and the triumphant hum of their various interesting instruments (glockenspiel, mellotron, rhodes, melodica... I don't even know what half of these are!). Lyrics are repetitive, the same verse repeated numerous times.
Soothing and pleasant listening, but not overly stimulating or exciting."My sugar, my honey, my b-a-b-y, baby..."
It merges right into "stereo (mono mono)" which is a fun piece, in which the two vocalists have fun with the vocals switching between speakers. Heather's voice is sweet and gentle, innocent as a butterfly's flickering wings. Jonathan's voice is low and soothing. This is a quite amusing piece.
"her hairagami set" is a soft, soothing, electronically dominated number. It has a cruisy, dreamy feel to it, like softly lying on a feather bed and drifting off into the clouds. It seems to be a song about playing with your hair. The video is really good - watch it!
Another slow and cruisy number, "credit card mail order" is dominated by Jonathan's vocals, with a melancholic air.
Now it appears to be time for an "obligatory road song" which is also slow and has a somber air. The lyrics are somewhat amusing, however:
"stealing motel condiments on our leap in the dark"Heather's vocals take over the melancholy in "small town crew". Another slow and somewhat bittersweet number, with some brilliantly moody backing instruments. It sounds a little like a piano accordian, but it could be an organ, I suppose? The pace picks up a bit at the end, soars and then drops away.
Sweet and innocent vocals lead us into the more typical Brunette duet of "if you were an alien" with its playful guitar strumming and vocal interchanges. Lovely harmonies and references to pop culture. Love it:
"if you were alien I'd call you my martian manPoppy and maudlin, "wall poster star" begins with Heather, but Jonathan joins in. This feels like a song about the loss of innocence, even though the lyrics are relating mainly to the taking down of wall posters and moving onto a more sophisticated way of living. Which somewhat describes this album. For some reason, I really like this line:
bake banana cake as you drive us through the doom..."
"...bouquets are overrated and diamonds cost too much..."Even though we're already slow, we drop down further into the bittersweet "structure and cosmetics" with its classical instrumentations. Another beautiful duet, switching between the two with the slow and quirky instrumentations adding little flourishes. It has a dreamy, haunting feel to it. A lovely conclusion to the album.
This album shows an increased complexity and more modern sound than their previous instalments, losing some of the childhood innocence and moving into a more mature, somber affair. The additional instruments - like the clarinet, the glockenspiel, organ, harmonica etc all add an extra element of dreaminess and bring it to life, but overall it lacks somewhat in the playful spirit, having a more sophisticated polish. Perhaps, like all of us, the Brunettes are growing up - albeit that they are doing it with tongue-in-cheek, ironic twists and little quirks!
Rating = 8/10.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Banshee Reel - Orchaestrated Litany of Lies (1995)
Now defunct Wellington band, Banshee Reel, are one of the best New Zealand bands from the mid 90s. Their sound is a fusion of folk and country, with a strong Irish element. They are competent musicians, skillful songwriters and sadly parted ways. Guitarist, Julia Deans, is now a member of Fur Patrol. She is responsible for the female vocals on the album, with Chris O'Connell and Allan Clark sharing the male vocals.
The album looks pretty cheaply made. The cover is white, a simple singlefold affair. Half the cover is some sort of peasant jester, covering half his face, the other is the title set out in a not very exciting font and displaying a somewhat lack of typesetting. Inside there is a band listing and a message to the people of New Zealand, Canada and Alburqueque, as well as a threat to some folks that stole their band equipment.
The album opens with the strumming, tinkliness of "Sorrow", like teardrops dripping down a painted, wooden face. Vocals are filled with sorrow, bittersweet and angsty, with a touch of an Irish accent. Or maybe kiwi-Irish. Catchy rhythms.A rather dramatic mandolin solo.
Slower, bolder; "Never Can Tell" has a slight country-hint to the rhythms and plenty of acousitc guitar. This is a song of murder, deceit and all beautifully sung with accompaniment from Deans and the lislting flight of a tin whistle.
Vocals lead us into "Blood on Your Hands", and then the instruments bounce in with almost carnival-esque rhythms: strong and bold and fast. Fast and surprisingly bouncy given the context is, once again, murder.
There's a brief reel and then we are into the looming, haunting "Lament". An entrancing, otherworldy piece with beautiful harmonies, backed with strings and guitar. One of the finest, most atmospheric folk songs I own - this is the song that sold the album to me. Well, the cassingle - the album came some years later.
This is followed by the most devastatingly heart-breaking track on the album. "The Miner" starts with piano, but is largely dominated by the heart-renching vocals. Listen to the lyrics - they will haunt you and linger with you and bring a tear to your eye. The music is a soft, sorrowful accompaniment.
"In Yer Dreams" is far more rockabilly country-esque with its fast, chugging pace and catchy choruses. Same vocalist as "The Miner".
It's back to the bittersweet melodies with "40 Miles of Pain" - it has a fast pace but the vocals and the voice of the string instruments lend a melancholic air.
More traditional folk - "Burn Me" has nice rhythms and somewhat morbid lyrics.
Another with strong country influences, "I Haven't Time" rocks along at a cracking pace, mostly guitar with a hint of fiddles.
"Horses" is slower, with wonderful folk rhythms and the vocals like a gentle caress. This is listed on the cassingle as "Equus: Fear of Tides". Another achingly haunted piece.
We conclude with "Lament II" - the same structure and rhythms, but slowed down into bittersweet melancholy and with different lyrics (I think) and possibly more strings. A majestic, beautiful piece and a wonderful way to conclude.
Banshee Reel were a talented and original band, that I wish could have been with us for longer. Their music is sublime, variable and gorgeously emotive and their songs linger with you and haunt you for hours afterwards. There are some weaker tracks on this album, but they are vastly overshadowed by the powerful ones. They definitely deserve a 9/10.
The album looks pretty cheaply made. The cover is white, a simple singlefold affair. Half the cover is some sort of peasant jester, covering half his face, the other is the title set out in a not very exciting font and displaying a somewhat lack of typesetting. Inside there is a band listing and a message to the people of New Zealand, Canada and Alburqueque, as well as a threat to some folks that stole their band equipment.
The album opens with the strumming, tinkliness of "Sorrow", like teardrops dripping down a painted, wooden face. Vocals are filled with sorrow, bittersweet and angsty, with a touch of an Irish accent. Or maybe kiwi-Irish. Catchy rhythms.A rather dramatic mandolin solo.
Slower, bolder; "Never Can Tell" has a slight country-hint to the rhythms and plenty of acousitc guitar. This is a song of murder, deceit and all beautifully sung with accompaniment from Deans and the lislting flight of a tin whistle.
Vocals lead us into "Blood on Your Hands", and then the instruments bounce in with almost carnival-esque rhythms: strong and bold and fast. Fast and surprisingly bouncy given the context is, once again, murder.
There's a brief reel and then we are into the looming, haunting "Lament". An entrancing, otherworldy piece with beautiful harmonies, backed with strings and guitar. One of the finest, most atmospheric folk songs I own - this is the song that sold the album to me. Well, the cassingle - the album came some years later.
This is followed by the most devastatingly heart-breaking track on the album. "The Miner" starts with piano, but is largely dominated by the heart-renching vocals. Listen to the lyrics - they will haunt you and linger with you and bring a tear to your eye. The music is a soft, sorrowful accompaniment.
".. I don't blame you for leaving, my lovely; I don't blame you for leaving this slum. It was no life for you, watching me die, but I wish was out in the sun..."Deans gets the leading vocals on "Honest to God". Not my favourite song - more old school kiwi feeling than Irish, even with the accompaning fiddles. Good pace and entirely danceable.
"In Yer Dreams" is far more rockabilly country-esque with its fast, chugging pace and catchy choruses. Same vocalist as "The Miner".
It's back to the bittersweet melodies with "40 Miles of Pain" - it has a fast pace but the vocals and the voice of the string instruments lend a melancholic air.
More traditional folk - "Burn Me" has nice rhythms and somewhat morbid lyrics.
"First I heard her screaming when I laid my head to sleep. She turned my dreams to nightmares enough to make me weep..."I'm not sure if she's a real person, deceased or some sort of demonic spirit. Probably the second or third option.
Another with strong country influences, "I Haven't Time" rocks along at a cracking pace, mostly guitar with a hint of fiddles.
"Horses" is slower, with wonderful folk rhythms and the vocals like a gentle caress. This is listed on the cassingle as "Equus: Fear of Tides". Another achingly haunted piece.
We conclude with "Lament II" - the same structure and rhythms, but slowed down into bittersweet melancholy and with different lyrics (I think) and possibly more strings. A majestic, beautiful piece and a wonderful way to conclude.
Banshee Reel were a talented and original band, that I wish could have been with us for longer. Their music is sublime, variable and gorgeously emotive and their songs linger with you and haunt you for hours afterwards. There are some weaker tracks on this album, but they are vastly overshadowed by the powerful ones. They definitely deserve a 9/10.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Straitjacket Fits - Blow (1993)
Continuing in the 1993 vein, we now have Dunedin band, the Straitjacket Fits, led by Shayne Carter (now of Dimmer). They formed in 1986 from the ashes of The DoubleHappys after the accidental death of one of the members, and rose to prominence on the NZ music scene. They are probably one of the most well known bands of the era, along with The Chills. One of my High School friends was a bit SF fan, and I became quite familiar with their music - alas at that point they had already parted ways. However, we did attend a couple of Dimmer concerts at local pubs.
This album was their third full length release and I acquired it second hand via Bishopdale Library. Either that, or I've had it out on hire for a great many years! The poor disc has seen better days, being scratched quite badly, but we'll see how well she spins. In terms of album desire - the cover is not overly dramatic - blueish-green, the word "BLOW", some dandelion "parachutes" dancing across it. Inside the band look very young and quite feminine. Carter has adorably high cheekbones.
We rock it off with the cruisy "Done". Carter's vocals are smooth with a bit of a quirky lilt and the music seems to overwhelm them in parts.Slightly fuzzy-sludgy edge to the recording that I've come to think of as the "Flying Nun" sound.
"Falling" gets off to a lively start. The guitar plays a bouncy poppish rhythm, trilling and dancing like some sort of vibrant insect. the vocals leap and dance gleefully around the chords.
A dramatic cascade leads into "Brother's Keeper" with its surging rhythms and sludgy vocals.
"Cat inna Can" is a somewhat playful piece, with poppy-rock rhythms and a "mew-ing"chorus line.
A rather moodier number, "Burn It Up" is laden with sludgy-dreary darkness. The bass kind of looms and the vocals spark whilst the guitars flicker and trace smoke through the air.
Then we surge into the jubiliant "Joyride". Still sounding somewhat mired in fog, but with a youthful enthusiasm.
Gentle plucking picks up the pace as we dash into "Train". There's a sense of "goodbye" here, but also the hopeful expectation of new beginnings - like moving from the old life and into the new.
Another poppy-boppy number "Let it Blow" The guitar strums start light and the vocals thickly distorted. The chorus has a sense of childishness: Probably because of the "la-la-la-la-la-la-la let it blow" which sounds like a pretend "I'm not listening" brush off if ever I heard one.
The hauntingly melancholic "If I Were You" is a beautiful, if somewhat bittersweet piece. The vocals are soft, dancing lightly across the gentle caress of the music.
Heavier rhythms herald the start of "Turn". Vocals distorted, almost like a feral purr.
Vibrant and poppy; with a cruisy surge to it we ease into the dreamy "Way" with its fleetingly sweet vocals and gentle instrumentations.
Equally cruising and oddly soothing is closing track, "Spacing". There's something lethargic and dreamy about it, thick with mellow rhythms and slow, relaxing.
Overall, the Straitjacket Fits are a gentle, nostalgia inducing band; their thick Dunedin sound combined with quirky guitar (and other instrument) rhythms to add a dreamy, otherworldly quality to their music. They sound young, and fresh. Listening to them always makes me hark back to a time of sneaking into smoky bars (you could still smoke inside, once), of drinking bitter brew (Speights, pride of the South - not my choice!) and talking myself hoarse with my friend Vaughan, who was very fond of the band (albeit we never actually saw the Fits live, only Dimmer, but they did play the occasional Fits song, IIRC).
They've never been a particular favourite of mine, although I do enjoy their music. The production is a bit mired down and the vocals muffled, thus I shall rate this album: 6.5/10.
This album was their third full length release and I acquired it second hand via Bishopdale Library. Either that, or I've had it out on hire for a great many years! The poor disc has seen better days, being scratched quite badly, but we'll see how well she spins. In terms of album desire - the cover is not overly dramatic - blueish-green, the word "BLOW", some dandelion "parachutes" dancing across it. Inside the band look very young and quite feminine. Carter has adorably high cheekbones.
We rock it off with the cruisy "Done". Carter's vocals are smooth with a bit of a quirky lilt and the music seems to overwhelm them in parts.Slightly fuzzy-sludgy edge to the recording that I've come to think of as the "Flying Nun" sound.
"Falling" gets off to a lively start. The guitar plays a bouncy poppish rhythm, trilling and dancing like some sort of vibrant insect. the vocals leap and dance gleefully around the chords.
A dramatic cascade leads into "Brother's Keeper" with its surging rhythms and sludgy vocals.
"Cat inna Can" is a somewhat playful piece, with poppy-rock rhythms and a "mew-ing"chorus line.
A rather moodier number, "Burn It Up" is laden with sludgy-dreary darkness. The bass kind of looms and the vocals spark whilst the guitars flicker and trace smoke through the air.
Then we surge into the jubiliant "Joyride". Still sounding somewhat mired in fog, but with a youthful enthusiasm.
Gentle plucking picks up the pace as we dash into "Train". There's a sense of "goodbye" here, but also the hopeful expectation of new beginnings - like moving from the old life and into the new.
Another poppy-boppy number "Let it Blow" The guitar strums start light and the vocals thickly distorted. The chorus has a sense of childishness: Probably because of the "la-la-la-la-la-la-la let it blow" which sounds like a pretend "I'm not listening" brush off if ever I heard one.
The hauntingly melancholic "If I Were You" is a beautiful, if somewhat bittersweet piece. The vocals are soft, dancing lightly across the gentle caress of the music.
Heavier rhythms herald the start of "Turn". Vocals distorted, almost like a feral purr.
Vibrant and poppy; with a cruisy surge to it we ease into the dreamy "Way" with its fleetingly sweet vocals and gentle instrumentations.
Equally cruising and oddly soothing is closing track, "Spacing". There's something lethargic and dreamy about it, thick with mellow rhythms and slow, relaxing.
Overall, the Straitjacket Fits are a gentle, nostalgia inducing band; their thick Dunedin sound combined with quirky guitar (and other instrument) rhythms to add a dreamy, otherworldly quality to their music. They sound young, and fresh. Listening to them always makes me hark back to a time of sneaking into smoky bars (you could still smoke inside, once), of drinking bitter brew (Speights, pride of the South - not my choice!) and talking myself hoarse with my friend Vaughan, who was very fond of the band (albeit we never actually saw the Fits live, only Dimmer, but they did play the occasional Fits song, IIRC).
They've never been a particular favourite of mine, although I do enjoy their music. The production is a bit mired down and the vocals muffled, thus I shall rate this album: 6.5/10.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Dead Flowers - Skin of a Stone (1993)
It appears that 1993 was the hayday of NZ rock music. The Dead Flowers were an indie-pop-rock band with a few hard rock elements that formed in Auckland in the early 90s. They received reasonable airplay and modest levels of fame, including opening for some well renowned acts - including Guns N Roses and received good reviews and overall seemed to have been on the road to success.
Their first single was "Lisa" and I actually went to a short acoustic performance at a local music store, and got my cassingle autographed. They laughed at me - in a nice way - because at that point they'd been around for some time and released a lot of other stuff and here I am presenting them with a cassette tape to sign - and not even a full length album , a cassingle. Anyhow, I am pleased to say I now own all three of their albums - two on cd and one of cassette. Although I will confess, they were pretty cheap (this one, for example was 50% off $16.99.
This was the only time I ever saw them live. I guess they never played at underage events locally.
This century, however, it appears they have vanished into obscurity, although vocalist Bryan Bell appears to be pursuing a solo career. The good news is that due to their relatively succesful career, I should have some videos to share with you, the possibly uninitiated reader.
Now, back to their first album release. The cover is one of those fold-out-into-a-poster ones, except that the only cover image is on the bit that sits in front of the cover and the rest is all the lyrics and band photos. The main cover shows a rather distorted and blurry image of an angel statue, next to a headstone. Very moody.
The album opens with the rocking "Be Someone". It's quite heavy, with an edge of aggression. Bell has a strong voice, with a sharp edge of angst. This is a song about paternal child abuse - so pretty heavy stuff, as is reflected in the hard guitars and the angry tone.
"Someday" is somewhat less passionate and inspiring.
There's something undeniably gloomy about "Underground". With its slow rhythms, melodic harmonies on the chorus and general down-tuned sound of the instrumentations. And the lyrics reflect this:
Sunshine speckled, dreamy guitar with an echoey edge lends us some "Karma" - a song that radiates colour and sunshine, light and love. The vocals are gentle and sweet. A rather short piece.
Erratic, dramatic; like (extremely musical) nails on a chalkboard, we enter into "Madness". There's almost a Deep Purple edge to the opening guitar rifts which are heavy, then dancing up and down the neck. Falls quickly into fairly regular rhythms.
Bright, vibrant and colourful guitar introduce us to "Lisa" this is a cheerful, lively piece with a high edge to the guitar strumming, melodic vocals and a general feeling of sunshine and life.
To follow up the cheer, we have "The Killing of Lisa". This is a slow, acoustic number with a decidedly melancholic edge. You cannot help but wonder how exactly Lisa died - and if it is a physical or metaphorical death:
Another slower piece, with aching vocals, "Ma Ma Picture" has good rhythms, slightly erratic and with a hint of the melancholic.
"Mihi" starts with a quote in Maori, translated into English and then a gentle and sorrow-filled folk song in Maori, from a female singer, Whaea Hadfield (Riqi's wife? Or sister?). About halfway through, Bell takes over, adding his own haunted voice. Another electric acoustic piece.
Final track "Collision" gets off to a headlong, racing start. I reckon this would be a good song to play over surfing video footage. Vocals are fast, frantic and the guitars chug along. Energetic with a hint of aggression and a touch of distortion.
Overall, a polished and very nice album from a skillful New Zealand band. They were professional and talented and produced a good solid, but accesible rock album that has a distinctly kiwi flavour, a touch of sunshine and their own distinct sound. Rating = 7/10
Their first single was "Lisa" and I actually went to a short acoustic performance at a local music store, and got my cassingle autographed. They laughed at me - in a nice way - because at that point they'd been around for some time and released a lot of other stuff and here I am presenting them with a cassette tape to sign - and not even a full length album , a cassingle. Anyhow, I am pleased to say I now own all three of their albums - two on cd and one of cassette. Although I will confess, they were pretty cheap (this one, for example was 50% off $16.99.
This was the only time I ever saw them live. I guess they never played at underage events locally.
This century, however, it appears they have vanished into obscurity, although vocalist Bryan Bell appears to be pursuing a solo career. The good news is that due to their relatively succesful career, I should have some videos to share with you, the possibly uninitiated reader.
Now, back to their first album release. The cover is one of those fold-out-into-a-poster ones, except that the only cover image is on the bit that sits in front of the cover and the rest is all the lyrics and band photos. The main cover shows a rather distorted and blurry image of an angel statue, next to a headstone. Very moody.
The album opens with the rocking "Be Someone". It's quite heavy, with an edge of aggression. Bell has a strong voice, with a sharp edge of angst. This is a song about paternal child abuse - so pretty heavy stuff, as is reflected in the hard guitars and the angry tone.
"Someday" is somewhat less passionate and inspiring.
There's something undeniably gloomy about "Underground". With its slow rhythms, melodic harmonies on the chorus and general down-tuned sound of the instrumentations. And the lyrics reflect this:
"Goodbye sunshine, hello rain, come tomorrow here again."Another somewhat maudlin piece, "Plastic" picks up the rhythm a bit and rises to a relatively stirring (if slightly sarcastic) chorus. I like the video for this one, since they seem to be trying to do the whole vampire-goth thing. The lyrics have a distinctly nasty edge. I would suspect this is a "break-up" song. Good solo in the middle there, building like a steamroller of disgruntlement.
Sunshine speckled, dreamy guitar with an echoey edge lends us some "Karma" - a song that radiates colour and sunshine, light and love. The vocals are gentle and sweet. A rather short piece.
Erratic, dramatic; like (extremely musical) nails on a chalkboard, we enter into "Madness". There's almost a Deep Purple edge to the opening guitar rifts which are heavy, then dancing up and down the neck. Falls quickly into fairly regular rhythms.
Bright, vibrant and colourful guitar introduce us to "Lisa" this is a cheerful, lively piece with a high edge to the guitar strumming, melodic vocals and a general feeling of sunshine and life.
To follow up the cheer, we have "The Killing of Lisa". This is a slow, acoustic number with a decidedly melancholic edge. You cannot help but wonder how exactly Lisa died - and if it is a physical or metaphorical death:
"Cause you see the sun crashing to the floor. Your rainbows crash and your windmills soar..."The not-at-all-country "Better Dead than a Country Singer" follows it up, with its cynical, bitter and somewhat sarcastic edge to the vocals and the mocking rhythms of the instruments.
Another slower piece, with aching vocals, "Ma Ma Picture" has good rhythms, slightly erratic and with a hint of the melancholic.
"Mihi" starts with a quote in Maori, translated into English and then a gentle and sorrow-filled folk song in Maori, from a female singer, Whaea Hadfield (Riqi's wife? Or sister?). About halfway through, Bell takes over, adding his own haunted voice. Another electric acoustic piece.
Final track "Collision" gets off to a headlong, racing start. I reckon this would be a good song to play over surfing video footage. Vocals are fast, frantic and the guitars chug along. Energetic with a hint of aggression and a touch of distortion.
Overall, a polished and very nice album from a skillful New Zealand band. They were professional and talented and produced a good solid, but accesible rock album that has a distinctly kiwi flavour, a touch of sunshine and their own distinct sound. Rating = 7/10
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Blackjack - Deal (1993)
Blackjack were a Hamilton hard rock act. This was their first album, it features Gavin Dempsey io vocals and guitarist Paul "The Axeman" Martin (ex-Nightshade) who also hosts The Rock Metal show: The Axe Attack (sunday nights from 8pm). I used to listen to the show religiously, but nowadays I'm not so inclined to stay up late, listening to the radio with my finger poised over the REC button, in case they play something good. Nowadays, you can buy most music at the touch of a button.
Anyhow, back in 1993, some of the videos off this album received airplay - alas, I've lost them all now to the villainy of mould and time. They are not even preserved on YouTube (come on Paul, release them, I dare ya to!). I once had "Key to the Shade" and I'm pretty sure "Now You Fly" had a video too. Sadly, lost in the voids of space and time.
I don't currently have the cover of this album, because I kinda acquired it via the library.
The album opens with the rather rocky, almost glam-sounding "Merry Go Riding". Catchy rhythms, nicely melodic vocals and a good beat. Not particularly original or unique, but an appealing song indeed.
It is followed up by even more glam-style "Young, Single and Dangerous". Unlike some of the other NZ music from this era, this is very clean and polished, akin to the quality of Warrant, Motley Crue and other bands of the era - just going to show that NZ did have proper music studios. Lyrics are somewhat sexist. But this was the early 90s, after all. Some pretty skillful guitaring there from the Axeman.
There's something familar about "Now You Fly" and I'm not just talking about the fact that I've heard it on numerous occasions and really like it - it is rather reminscient of Queensryche's "Silent Lucidity" with similar structures and the melodic, almost lullaby feel. Vocals soaring, guitar and drums playing light accompaniment. Building into a powerful chorus with an almost classical vibe to it. Okay, so there ARE some classical instruments involved.
A rather heavier follow-up, "Little Trouble" gets off to a dramatic start with a very kiwi-accented news report. Vocals are somewhat funkier, with a quick beat and a catchy, commercial chorus.
Guitar chugs us into a "One Step Sunset". Solid drums, vocals a little lower and less melodious.Solid, powerful bass. Has a kind of Californian vibe. Not sure why - maybe because it's making me think of palm trees? But then, why California? There's a slightly ominous edge to it.
The rather sentimental "Mother" has some heartfelt lyrics and is a touching and beautiful ballad - but just a wee bit sappy and saccharine. And dare I say it - a bit sissy. I'll have to say though - it'd make a nice Mother's Day card and is very well timed:
Another funkier number, with a nicely sleek chorus, "Burden of Freedom" sort of rolls off the tongue. It has a kinda Living Colour feel to it. The way he sings "burden" makes me think "Bird in of freedom" and it sort of soars and swoops like a bird, taking flight after captivity. Nicely jaunty guitar rhythms.
Nifty choral melodies in "Outta Here". Good rhythm, straightforward and a little bit funky.
Another slower, almost Marillion-esque number, "Spinning Wheel" has nifty vocals - low and smooth.
There are two additional bonus tracks. The first being the "guitar version" of "Little Trouble". It is a heavy and energetic rendition with a less technical sound to the former version, stripped of the sampling.
This is followed by the radio edit of the dream-like "Now You Fly". I believe it has less of the classical instrumentation going for it.
Blackjack have a very clean, commercial sound that is sophisticated and polished enough to be truly professional and should have taken them far in the mainstream. It apparently made them the most well known band in Hamilton. Alas, they appeared at a time when NZ music was largely overshadowed in the media. And now the cd is very difficult to find. They're very melodic, pretty mainstream but very appealing and with a nice amount of variety to their tracks. And I rate them an 8/10.
Anyhow, back in 1993, some of the videos off this album received airplay - alas, I've lost them all now to the villainy of mould and time. They are not even preserved on YouTube (come on Paul, release them, I dare ya to!). I once had "Key to the Shade" and I'm pretty sure "Now You Fly" had a video too. Sadly, lost in the voids of space and time.
I don't currently have the cover of this album, because I kinda acquired it via the library.
The album opens with the rather rocky, almost glam-sounding "Merry Go Riding". Catchy rhythms, nicely melodic vocals and a good beat. Not particularly original or unique, but an appealing song indeed.
It is followed up by even more glam-style "Young, Single and Dangerous". Unlike some of the other NZ music from this era, this is very clean and polished, akin to the quality of Warrant, Motley Crue and other bands of the era - just going to show that NZ did have proper music studios. Lyrics are somewhat sexist. But this was the early 90s, after all. Some pretty skillful guitaring there from the Axeman.
There's something familar about "Now You Fly" and I'm not just talking about the fact that I've heard it on numerous occasions and really like it - it is rather reminscient of Queensryche's "Silent Lucidity" with similar structures and the melodic, almost lullaby feel. Vocals soaring, guitar and drums playing light accompaniment. Building into a powerful chorus with an almost classical vibe to it. Okay, so there ARE some classical instruments involved.
A rather heavier follow-up, "Little Trouble" gets off to a dramatic start with a very kiwi-accented news report. Vocals are somewhat funkier, with a quick beat and a catchy, commercial chorus.
Guitar chugs us into a "One Step Sunset". Solid drums, vocals a little lower and less melodious.Solid, powerful bass. Has a kind of Californian vibe. Not sure why - maybe because it's making me think of palm trees? But then, why California? There's a slightly ominous edge to it.
The rather sentimental "Mother" has some heartfelt lyrics and is a touching and beautiful ballad - but just a wee bit sappy and saccharine. And dare I say it - a bit sissy. I'll have to say though - it'd make a nice Mother's Day card and is very well timed:
"M is for memories and a life filled with love, Over and over she's there. T is for her tears, and there were many, H is for the home we all shared. E is for every time she catched me from falling and R is for the reasons when I asked her why?"This is followed up by the rather rockier "Key to the Shade", which has a good build to it, and a rising feeling of passion, leading into a nicely triumphant guitar chorus.
Another funkier number, with a nicely sleek chorus, "Burden of Freedom" sort of rolls off the tongue. It has a kinda Living Colour feel to it. The way he sings "burden" makes me think "Bird in of freedom" and it sort of soars and swoops like a bird, taking flight after captivity. Nicely jaunty guitar rhythms.
Nifty choral melodies in "Outta Here". Good rhythm, straightforward and a little bit funky.
Another slower, almost Marillion-esque number, "Spinning Wheel" has nifty vocals - low and smooth.
There are two additional bonus tracks. The first being the "guitar version" of "Little Trouble". It is a heavy and energetic rendition with a less technical sound to the former version, stripped of the sampling.
This is followed by the radio edit of the dream-like "Now You Fly". I believe it has less of the classical instrumentation going for it.
Blackjack have a very clean, commercial sound that is sophisticated and polished enough to be truly professional and should have taken them far in the mainstream. It apparently made them the most well known band in Hamilton. Alas, they appeared at a time when NZ music was largely overshadowed in the media. And now the cd is very difficult to find. They're very melodic, pretty mainstream but very appealing and with a nice amount of variety to their tracks. And I rate them an 8/10.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Canis - A Good Solid Flesh Crime (1997)
Formed in Kingsland, Auckland during a police raid, Canis are a hybrid of 80s, swamp blues, various distortion noises and general sludgy sounds. They practised in a converted bank space (it kinda sounds like this album may have been recorded in it) and brought forth a sound that is akin to Nick Cave in his most under-produced and sludgy, with a touch of industrial metal thrown into the mix. Having listened to Cop Shoot Cop a couple of weeks ago, I would have to say they have a similar vibe.
The cover is quite macabre, depicting a slab of meat strapped to a cross with barbed wire. There are some pretty purple flowers as well, though. On the back cover, a crucified bird hangs.
The album opens with the slow "Womb of the World" with spoken vocals and heavy, slow, ponderous bass line. Achingly borderline industrial, surging hollow drum beats, raw and raucous. Swampy and sludgy. Like metal rusting, dripping with corrossion.
Faster drums, very bassy. The "Seventeenth Century Heaven Death-Head" has low vocals reminscient of early Nick Cave.
"Oh can you slow dance, baby, hung from that tree?"A hollow drumroll and screeching, stretching guiars ushers us into "Blackslider" with its achingly low and slow vocals, barely mixed above the music.Sighing and growning into guttural harmonies. Ominous, eerie.
Faster but gently ominous, it is time to meet "Jack Hammer Red" - a simple piece that builds from the soft and gentle, louder, louder, aggression, like a jack hammer.
A bit of a slow start to "Arcane World". Low, threatening, like a predator peeking over the bushes, waiting its chance to strike. Then it does, vocals are low, with a good pace to them.
"All Hail (the raving soul)" starts with iron hands clapping, and a rolling barrel kinda rhythm. Definite Birthday Party feel here. I can almost imagine a metal drum, in which flames and smoke dance forth, swirling through the air, whilst around it dance semi-clad, blood stained hunters, calling upon some sort of arcane deity.
Distortion and more trebly-laced bass, whining metal, the beating of hollow skins. "Cold Hard Sell" is fury entwined with despair.
Low, sludgy, swampy rock - "Kindred" is bleak and nihilistic. Rolling drums, churning guitars wading through the gloom:
"Children beg your father not to have another son like this one..."The tempo picks up a notch into the downtrodden lounge feel of "Black Water Janitor". I can actually see the vocalist in his suit and tie, sunglasses, singing in a nightclub - but the sort of nightclub that caters to the downtrodden, the broken, the lost and the forgotten.
This next track, "Daddy God" is apparently reorded on a shitty stereo at Basque Rd. It certainly has an unhealthy level of sludge and distortion. The vocals are quite strong, very angry; spoken more than sung. The backing music distorting and twisting like some sort of out of control machinery.
Hauntingly area, crawling feedback, drums chipping in. Guitars drawl along. Vocals low, snarling their way through "Blood River". Whining instruments, slightly discordent. Creepy, unsettling lyrics.
"Red river, red river run red..."This song is sharp and subtle as a razor blade.
It has taken several repeated listens, but this album is starting to grow on me. The sludgy NZ under-produced sound has been eliminated from modern music, but here it is king. The low churning swampy sludge lends a grit and authenticity. It could well be recorded in a disused bank vault - but a portion of it is in fact recorded live in studios (which I think means the whole band perform together, instead of individually and it being mixed?). Like CSC, this is industrial sludge, sort of a modern-day steampunk* filled with dark vibes, low (but surprisingly powerful and well mixed) vocals and overall, a decent album. It makes me curious to try out their other album, which apparently has jazz influences. Might be a little more upbeat!
I'm going to rate it 6.5/10.
* that is probably an oxymoron.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
New Zealand Music Month
We now interrupt this alphabet play-through for some New Zealand music.
It has just been brought to my attention that May is NZ Music Month. Therefore, I shall now review one album by each of the bands I own stuff by that hail from my home country. Disturbingly, my CD collection yields a grand total of eight NZ music cds - 3x Brunettes (2 of which I have already reviewed), 2x Dead Flowers, 1x Straitjacket Fits, 1x Canis, 1x Banshee Reel, 1x Chills (which actually belongs to my husband). I DO have a bunch of older stuff, but it is all on cassette tape (half of it recorded off the radio because they never made official releases) and was part of my "preserve the reel" project.
Here are some bands that I enjoyed when I was young:
Pumpkinhead: Vocalist Brent went on to front The Valves whom I actually saw live at the Rock to Wellington way back when and thought "that vocalist looks familiar". I saw Pumpkinhead live quite a few times in local concerts.
There's some nice shots of Christchurch in the Pumpkinhead video.
147 Swordfish: From Christchurch. Performed with Pumpkinhead occasionally.
Semi Lemon Kola : Another skinny guy with dreadlocks. I think I saw them live once or twice.
Tempest (and this song) - changed their name to SevenTongues. Then moved to Aus seeking success but never found it.
Straitjacket Fits were one of the more well known NZ bands, and vocalist Shane Carter left to form Dimmer. I saw them live a couple of times, one of my friends was a big SF fan. I still think of him whenever I hear them!
The Chills are one of the more well known - they have the sludgy NZ Dunedin/Flying Nun garage rock sound.
Blackjack actually released an album. Solid hard rock with melodic metal influences.
Scarf only ever released this one track. Glam vibe.
Push Push experienced some success (they got to #1 on the charts!) before moving to Australia (leaving their vocalist, Mikey Havoc behind) and vanishing without a trace. I REALLY loved Push Push when I was 13. Even dragged my mother to an all ages rock concert. Abandoned her so I could go up the front and mosh.
Nine Livez vanished without even a YouTube record. They also had the glam/hard rock feel and the only information I can find about them is that their guitarist became a policeman and got into issues for shooting a suspect.
Rumblefish also left no YouTube record. They had a funkier vibe, sorta like the RHCP maybe inspired them a bit. I have a copy of their live album "Freaky Dog Live". Must MP3 it at some point.
Saturn Rising were my favourite band in one of the Smokefree Rockquests and I was lucky enough to share a lecture in Uni with one of the members - so he gave me a copy of their demo album. They were nifty, a sort of rock-pop vibe with folkish elements. The school they hailed from was Rudolph Steiner, who consistently had very good bands at the Rockquests.
I should probably mention The Eastern as well. I didn't see them when I was a teenager - I've never seen them live, because they didn't form until more recently - but I went to school with Adam, the vocalist.
It has just been brought to my attention that May is NZ Music Month. Therefore, I shall now review one album by each of the bands I own stuff by that hail from my home country. Disturbingly, my CD collection yields a grand total of eight NZ music cds - 3x Brunettes (2 of which I have already reviewed), 2x Dead Flowers, 1x Straitjacket Fits, 1x Canis, 1x Banshee Reel, 1x Chills (which actually belongs to my husband). I DO have a bunch of older stuff, but it is all on cassette tape (half of it recorded off the radio because they never made official releases) and was part of my "preserve the reel" project.
Here are some bands that I enjoyed when I was young:
Pumpkinhead: Vocalist Brent went on to front The Valves whom I actually saw live at the Rock to Wellington way back when and thought "that vocalist looks familiar". I saw Pumpkinhead live quite a few times in local concerts.
There's some nice shots of Christchurch in the Pumpkinhead video.
147 Swordfish: From Christchurch. Performed with Pumpkinhead occasionally.
Semi Lemon Kola : Another skinny guy with dreadlocks. I think I saw them live once or twice.
Tempest (and this song) - changed their name to SevenTongues. Then moved to Aus seeking success but never found it.
Straitjacket Fits were one of the more well known NZ bands, and vocalist Shane Carter left to form Dimmer. I saw them live a couple of times, one of my friends was a big SF fan. I still think of him whenever I hear them!
The Chills are one of the more well known - they have the sludgy NZ Dunedin/Flying Nun garage rock sound.
Blackjack actually released an album. Solid hard rock with melodic metal influences.
Scarf only ever released this one track. Glam vibe.
Push Push experienced some success (they got to #1 on the charts!) before moving to Australia (leaving their vocalist, Mikey Havoc behind) and vanishing without a trace. I REALLY loved Push Push when I was 13. Even dragged my mother to an all ages rock concert. Abandoned her so I could go up the front and mosh.
Nine Livez vanished without even a YouTube record. They also had the glam/hard rock feel and the only information I can find about them is that their guitarist became a policeman and got into issues for shooting a suspect.
Rumblefish also left no YouTube record. They had a funkier vibe, sorta like the RHCP maybe inspired them a bit. I have a copy of their live album "Freaky Dog Live". Must MP3 it at some point.
Saturn Rising were my favourite band in one of the Smokefree Rockquests and I was lucky enough to share a lecture in Uni with one of the members - so he gave me a copy of their demo album. They were nifty, a sort of rock-pop vibe with folkish elements. The school they hailed from was Rudolph Steiner, who consistently had very good bands at the Rockquests.
I should probably mention The Eastern as well. I didn't see them when I was a teenager - I've never seen them live, because they didn't form until more recently - but I went to school with Adam, the vocalist.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Brunettes - Mars Loves Venus (2004)
Time for something a bit mellower, melodic and sweetly romantic, I think. Time for some more from that kiwi duo*, the Brunettes.
This is their second album, and it was released in 2004. It is fairly plain in the packaging department - the white cover features Jonathan and Heather, one at each side and a love heart and arrow in the center. Inside are the lyrics and a notice informing us that copying this disc is illegal. There is also Copy Control Technology on this disc, and when I put it in my drive it informs me there is an .exe program too. Now, my feelings on pirating music are mixed. I don't believe it's fair to the artists to have their songs stolen and distributed willy-nilly, but as a girl growing up in a small town in a small country in the days before the internet, a large proportion of my music was discovered through cassette mix tapes sent to me by my friends overseas. Since then, I have gone on to buy 100s of cds quite a few of which are from bands I would never have known about if I had not had these mix tapes. Also, the CCT means that if you own the cd but wish to add it to your computer (smartphone, ipod, ipad whatever) playlist then you can't. Except that I'm fairly certain with this one I just ripped it to my hard drive like I have (almost) every other CD I own. One of my other CDs pretended I had ripped it, then insisted I reinsert the disc into my computer if I wish to listen to it (one of my Epica ones, IIRC). For a band like the Brunettes that are not particularly well known, they are limiting themselves from being shared and heard.
Anyhow, semi-rant over. Let's get the Twee Pop a-spinning!
Album opens with "Mars Loves Venus" a redone version of one of their very first tracks. It's poppy and playful - with tambourines. To sweet and innocent, like cotton candy.
Stirring organ leads us into "Too Big for Gidget", a duet in which both partners ponder falling in love with someone that they don't match up to. Height wise. Short and sweet.
"Whale in the Sand" starts with singing (squawking?) gulls/monkeys. Good rhythms. Repetitive lyrics. Kinda makes me feel summery and sunny, even if they're singing about a big dead whale (or maybe the elephant in the room is a similar concept).
Beautiful, gentle musically, "You Beautiful Militant" has rather harsher lyrics. Good beats, with a slightly discordant keyboard (or some sort of keyed instrument) edge to them.
"These Things Take Time", like learning the clarinet. Which is how the song begins - clarinet, piano. Some nice do-doodo-dah piano playing. Maracas. Hand claps. All very school group 70s stuff. Possibly reminscent of Abba. Loads of percussion, including those little circles that clacker together. Castanets?
Bit more of an epic start to "Bestfriend Envy". Some melancholic guitar. Bouncy, but whiny lyrics - ah, jealousy raises its ugly head.
More melancholy, but "No Regrets". Beautiful, bittersweet; delicate piano accompaniment.
"Leonard Says" starts with Heather's tender, hurt vocals; then Jonathan interjects with the next line. You can actually hear Heather's kiwi accent in one of her lines. This is a conversation to musical accompaniment.
We end with the gloriously bittersweet "Your Heart Dies" in which Jonathan and Heather sing mournfully but tenderly to one another, switching out line-for-a-line. Contains what might be possibly one of the finest lines in a song:
Another beautifully sweet, sensitive and somewhat sorrow-filled album. I love the playful innocence to the music, and the slightly darker side to some of the lyrics.
Let's go for an 8/10.
* and friends
This is their second album, and it was released in 2004. It is fairly plain in the packaging department - the white cover features Jonathan and Heather, one at each side and a love heart and arrow in the center. Inside are the lyrics and a notice informing us that copying this disc is illegal. There is also Copy Control Technology on this disc, and when I put it in my drive it informs me there is an .exe program too. Now, my feelings on pirating music are mixed. I don't believe it's fair to the artists to have their songs stolen and distributed willy-nilly, but as a girl growing up in a small town in a small country in the days before the internet, a large proportion of my music was discovered through cassette mix tapes sent to me by my friends overseas. Since then, I have gone on to buy 100s of cds quite a few of which are from bands I would never have known about if I had not had these mix tapes. Also, the CCT means that if you own the cd but wish to add it to your computer (smartphone, ipod, ipad whatever) playlist then you can't. Except that I'm fairly certain with this one I just ripped it to my hard drive like I have (almost) every other CD I own. One of my other CDs pretended I had ripped it, then insisted I reinsert the disc into my computer if I wish to listen to it (one of my Epica ones, IIRC). For a band like the Brunettes that are not particularly well known, they are limiting themselves from being shared and heard.
Anyhow, semi-rant over. Let's get the Twee Pop a-spinning!
Album opens with "Mars Loves Venus" a redone version of one of their very first tracks. It's poppy and playful - with tambourines. To sweet and innocent, like cotton candy.
"Walk? We should run! Such is life under this burning sun..."Twangy guitars give us "Loopy Loopy Love". Another playful and delightful piece, with a slightly bitter edge to it:
"Gonna kill me a cupid cos a cupid causes love....""Polyester Meets Acetate" is slower and kinda cruisey, with Jonathan doing most of the singing.
Stirring organ leads us into "Too Big for Gidget", a duet in which both partners ponder falling in love with someone that they don't match up to. Height wise. Short and sweet.
"Whale in the Sand" starts with singing (squawking?) gulls/monkeys. Good rhythms. Repetitive lyrics. Kinda makes me feel summery and sunny, even if they're singing about a big dead whale (or maybe the elephant in the room is a similar concept).
Beautiful, gentle musically, "You Beautiful Militant" has rather harsher lyrics. Good beats, with a slightly discordant keyboard (or some sort of keyed instrument) edge to them.
"You pick up your gun and shoot everyone. You know what to do, to someone who don't like you."Jonathan takes charge of the vocals in "The Record Store". Lots of La-la-la-ing.
"These Things Take Time", like learning the clarinet. Which is how the song begins - clarinet, piano. Some nice do-doodo-dah piano playing. Maracas. Hand claps. All very school group 70s stuff. Possibly reminscent of Abba. Loads of percussion, including those little circles that clacker together. Castanets?
Bit more of an epic start to "Bestfriend Envy". Some melancholic guitar. Bouncy, but whiny lyrics - ah, jealousy raises its ugly head.
More melancholy, but "No Regrets". Beautiful, bittersweet; delicate piano accompaniment.
"Leonard Says" starts with Heather's tender, hurt vocals; then Jonathan interjects with the next line. You can actually hear Heather's kiwi accent in one of her lines. This is a conversation to musical accompaniment.
We end with the gloriously bittersweet "Your Heart Dies" in which Jonathan and Heather sing mournfully but tenderly to one another, switching out line-for-a-line. Contains what might be possibly one of the finest lines in a song:
"I could be as faithful as a seahorse and if you were a marine biologist you'd know how tender that line was."Mostly a vocal piece, the gentle, accompaniment of a banjo and light drums help create the maudlin mood. There's a little pause in the center, a couple of heart rending spoken lines and then more exquisitely moody instrumentation.
Another beautifully sweet, sensitive and somewhat sorrow-filled album. I love the playful innocence to the music, and the slightly darker side to some of the lyrics.
Let's go for an 8/10.
* and friends
Monday, March 4, 2013
Katie Thompson - Tall Poppy (2008)
Another mild oddity in my CD collection. Katie Thompson is a West Coast, New Zealand singer, with a fine voice. One of my co-workers was a friend or associate of hers, and I purchased this CD to support local music. For a self-published pressing, it looks very professional - the cover depicts the lovely young Katie Thompson with her acousitc guitar, beside a handdrawn poppy. Inside are some quotes and the lyrics of two of the songs - with a link to where you can find the rest. My copy is, of course, autographed.
She has a charming voice and her style of music is country, with a touch of pop. The vibe is very much a West Coast one - as you shall see from the song titles as I go through it track by track.
You can purchase it through itunes.
the first track is "Do It Today" which is essentially vocals and light acoustic guitar. Her voice is strong, but with a sweet edge to it. She sounds rather like she's smiling.
"Karamea Cowboy" has a real western coutnry sound, which is quite funny given the lyrics:
"Tall Poppy" is a lovey song, rather sweet, even if the lyrics are slightly bitter. Has more of a pop music vibe.
Back into the true country again - vocals and acousitc guitar, "Gone" is your standing C&W song - ie: about leaving your loved one. Except in this case, she actually is taking pride in the fact that it is she that has ditched him.
The next one I imagine is a real pub favourite - "Monteiths on Tap". It has a rolicking, sing-along chorus:
Following it is the equally bittersweet, "Is It Ever Gonna Change?" There are some male vocals in this song too, ghosting alongside Katie's sweet, sorrow-filled tones.
"Better Left Unsaid" is a wee bit more upbeat, but still has the haunting sorrow-edge typical of light acoustic guitar and very low bass lines.
Now we get into the slightly more pop "Not the One for You" which has a stronger guitar and a slightly electronic/keyboard edge, which sounds a little out of place, but somehow also works.
This is followed by her rendition of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues"* She does manage a bit of power and aggression, but for the most part, it's sweet and delicate. Even when the lyrics are a bit sinister!
The twisty guitar leading into "This is Goodbye" is beautiful and delicate, like petals falling. The vocals are soft and gentle, like tears in the morning rain. The general mood - heartbreaking. Haunting. Lovely.
We conclude with a duet "A Long Time Ago" which as advertised as "acoustic" but I think most of the album sounds acoustic (they might be electric-acoustic). Again, this song is all about the voices, the music more as a support to than a force of its own.
At the end, we get a repeat of "Monteiths on Tap" so we can 'rock' out to it again. The lyrics have been changed to first person. This is another acoustic duet.
After listening to music where the instruments create a vast cascade of sound, this is a very gentle, very light album, it is sweet and somewhat soothing. Very pleasant to listen to. As far as country goes, it is blended well with the pop stylings. There is an innocence and naivette to her voice - not because it isn't powerful - (it is) but she feels fragile, like a flower, the sort of young lady who has yet to be hardened to the hardships of life, to truly feel love and pain and loss. Long may she keep that innocence!
Country music is "not really my thing" but I'm going to give her 7/10.
Here's her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/katiethompsonz/
Looks like she's moved into more blues now and away from the country, her voice has gotten stronger, the music more sophisticated. She has opened for Elton John.
* I am so proud of myself for recognising this! It probably helps that I listened to Johnny Cash a few weeks ago.
She has a charming voice and her style of music is country, with a touch of pop. The vibe is very much a West Coast one - as you shall see from the song titles as I go through it track by track.
You can purchase it through itunes.
the first track is "Do It Today" which is essentially vocals and light acoustic guitar. Her voice is strong, but with a sweet edge to it. She sounds rather like she's smiling.
"Karamea Cowboy" has a real western coutnry sound, which is quite funny given the lyrics:
"Holed up in Hokitika, living my life on Monteith's bitter..."Firstly, for those of you not in the know, the West Coast NZ is not even mildly like the west of the USA. It's wetter, greener and although there are cattle and it does have a wild feel, it's rather more like Washington state than Wyoming.
"Tall Poppy" is a lovey song, rather sweet, even if the lyrics are slightly bitter. Has more of a pop music vibe.
Back into the true country again - vocals and acousitc guitar, "Gone" is your standing C&W song - ie: about leaving your loved one. Except in this case, she actually is taking pride in the fact that it is she that has ditched him.
The next one I imagine is a real pub favourite - "Monteiths on Tap". It has a rolicking, sing-along chorus:
"Does heaven have a bar, is Monteiths on tap? Why work so hard, if he can't have that?"A rather melancholic song - "Tears Me Down" is about the loss and loneliness in relationships and how it haunts you - bruising a part of you forever. The guitars are a little more emphatic here, and the music is very empathic.
Following it is the equally bittersweet, "Is It Ever Gonna Change?" There are some male vocals in this song too, ghosting alongside Katie's sweet, sorrow-filled tones.
"Better Left Unsaid" is a wee bit more upbeat, but still has the haunting sorrow-edge typical of light acoustic guitar and very low bass lines.
Now we get into the slightly more pop "Not the One for You" which has a stronger guitar and a slightly electronic/keyboard edge, which sounds a little out of place, but somehow also works.
This is followed by her rendition of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues"* She does manage a bit of power and aggression, but for the most part, it's sweet and delicate. Even when the lyrics are a bit sinister!
The twisty guitar leading into "This is Goodbye" is beautiful and delicate, like petals falling. The vocals are soft and gentle, like tears in the morning rain. The general mood - heartbreaking. Haunting. Lovely.
We conclude with a duet "A Long Time Ago" which as advertised as "acoustic" but I think most of the album sounds acoustic (they might be electric-acoustic). Again, this song is all about the voices, the music more as a support to than a force of its own.
At the end, we get a repeat of "Monteiths on Tap" so we can 'rock' out to it again. The lyrics have been changed to first person. This is another acoustic duet.
After listening to music where the instruments create a vast cascade of sound, this is a very gentle, very light album, it is sweet and somewhat soothing. Very pleasant to listen to. As far as country goes, it is blended well with the pop stylings. There is an innocence and naivette to her voice - not because it isn't powerful - (it is) but she feels fragile, like a flower, the sort of young lady who has yet to be hardened to the hardships of life, to truly feel love and pain and loss. Long may she keep that innocence!
Country music is "not really my thing" but I'm going to give her 7/10.
Here's her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/katiethompsonz/
Looks like she's moved into more blues now and away from the country, her voice has gotten stronger, the music more sophisticated. She has opened for Elton John.
* I am so proud of myself for recognising this! It probably helps that I listened to Johnny Cash a few weeks ago.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Alpine Fault - Iraena's Ashes (2011)
This is my newest CD*. So new, in fact, that I received it three days ago and only listened to it today for the first time - I was saving it until I worked my way through the alphabet for the first time.
You've probably not heard of Alpine Fault - unless you have a facebook page and similar interests to me, and clicked on the promotion link when it appeared in your adds feed. That's what I did - and I would like to report - that sometimes those adds are very useful!
Alpine Fault were formed in New Zealand, like the right-lateral, strike-slip fault that runs the length of both our islands. They now make their home in Brisbane. With any luck, they might be performing when I head that way later this year (*fingers crossed, pretty please*). They combine classical music and metal, with operatic female vocals, melodic male vocals, and the occasional snarl or scream. For a band that have only been around for seven years, their sound is very polished, very complex and very, very good. They have recently replaced their vocalist, so it shall be interesting to see how she differs from the singer on this album, Nadia Vanek.
"Iraena's Ashes" is something of a concept album, based on an incident that happened in Auckland, in 2004. A young schoolteacher/model named Iraena Asher called the police expressing fears for her safety. Instead of sending a police car, a taxi was sent instead. To the wrong address. Iraena was then found wandering by a couple, who took her into their home for several hours. At sometime after midnight, she left and was last seen, semi clad, walking towards the beach. When approached by others, she ran away. She was never seen again. It is suspected she drowned, although her body was not found. She suffered from bipolar disorder. This album is a tribute to her and follows the themes of loss and separation, love and death. It is a beautiful, moody album.
The cover is hauntingly melancholic in shades of blue and grey - a woman stands alone, looking down and into the ocean. She is off-cetred, to the left, further enhancing the atmosphere of sorrow and loss. It is beautifully rendered, flawlessly professional. The interior holds more of the spectral sea, rocks merging from its treacherous depths. Further through, and the band stand in the whispy fog, their small figures looking lost and alone against the vastness of their environment. Their poses look almost amusingly forced, their expressions alternate between moody and bored.
The opening track, "Into the Night" is infused with heavy guitars, intermingled with violins and with Nadia's sweet voice like a melancholic wail. Male vocalist, Anthony Royle, joins her on the chrous, his voice performing the "Beauty and the Beast" counterpoint. This is the song about walking into the sea, and the tumultuous nature of the music corresponds with the heaving, confused emotions of the lyrics. It fades on a heart-rendering, wailed, note of despair.
"Above the Storm" brings in the violin and gentler guitar, before falling into a steady, haunted rhythm.The tune is tinged with desperation and despair. The violin adds a fragile thread of loneliness.
Strumming and violin again lead us into the mesmorising "I'll See You Soon"
A heavier song, tempered with mourning violins, is "Mourning has Broken (sleep)" here the vocals are exclusively male and the mood flavoured with anger.
"Requiem" is bewitching. With its spectral murmurings of the ocean, over the gentle intro music; forlorn vocals and haunting lyrics.
A largely instrumental piece, "The Watcher Beneath" allows the violinist full scope, creating a mood of misty haze, hanging in sullen clouds over the dark and treacherous depths of the ocean. Beneath lurks the unknown.
Insanity and aggression seems to be the theme of "Severance" with the music becoming a frenzied, untamed beast.
"March of the Tides" is a beautiful violin instrumental. I do not think I have seem a symphonic band in which the violin is as integral as in Alpine Fault. It adds a special, haunting, mesmorizing tone and an element of mournful longing.
"Under a Dying Sky" is as haunting and forlorn as you might expect from the title.
I've only listened to this album maybe two or three times now, and I can already say - with assurance, that I am a big fan of Alpine Fault and that I am very, very keen to see them live. They are performing in Auckland later this year - as part of AetherCon 2012 (although I would not consider them particularly steampunk, but who cares?) but not sure if my budget extends to taking another overnighter up to the humid city for another concert this year. Still, as they now hail from Brisbane and we will be headed that way later this year, maybe I'll luck it. Anyhow, with sounds like this - they're going to go far and should be around for some time yet.
Let's give them a 10/10.
You can buy Iraena's Ashes from here: Alpine Fault's website
* Note for my sole reader: My second-newest I shall be reviewing when I reach "D"
You've probably not heard of Alpine Fault - unless you have a facebook page and similar interests to me, and clicked on the promotion link when it appeared in your adds feed. That's what I did - and I would like to report - that sometimes those adds are very useful!
Alpine Fault were formed in New Zealand, like the right-lateral, strike-slip fault that runs the length of both our islands. They now make their home in Brisbane. With any luck, they might be performing when I head that way later this year (*fingers crossed, pretty please*). They combine classical music and metal, with operatic female vocals, melodic male vocals, and the occasional snarl or scream. For a band that have only been around for seven years, their sound is very polished, very complex and very, very good. They have recently replaced their vocalist, so it shall be interesting to see how she differs from the singer on this album, Nadia Vanek.
"Iraena's Ashes" is something of a concept album, based on an incident that happened in Auckland, in 2004. A young schoolteacher/model named Iraena Asher called the police expressing fears for her safety. Instead of sending a police car, a taxi was sent instead. To the wrong address. Iraena was then found wandering by a couple, who took her into their home for several hours. At sometime after midnight, she left and was last seen, semi clad, walking towards the beach. When approached by others, she ran away. She was never seen again. It is suspected she drowned, although her body was not found. She suffered from bipolar disorder. This album is a tribute to her and follows the themes of loss and separation, love and death. It is a beautiful, moody album.
The cover is hauntingly melancholic in shades of blue and grey - a woman stands alone, looking down and into the ocean. She is off-cetred, to the left, further enhancing the atmosphere of sorrow and loss. It is beautifully rendered, flawlessly professional. The interior holds more of the spectral sea, rocks merging from its treacherous depths. Further through, and the band stand in the whispy fog, their small figures looking lost and alone against the vastness of their environment. Their poses look almost amusingly forced, their expressions alternate between moody and bored.
The opening track, "Into the Night" is infused with heavy guitars, intermingled with violins and with Nadia's sweet voice like a melancholic wail. Male vocalist, Anthony Royle, joins her on the chrous, his voice performing the "Beauty and the Beast" counterpoint. This is the song about walking into the sea, and the tumultuous nature of the music corresponds with the heaving, confused emotions of the lyrics. It fades on a heart-rendering, wailed, note of despair.
"Above the Storm" brings in the violin and gentler guitar, before falling into a steady, haunted rhythm.The tune is tinged with desperation and despair. The violin adds a fragile thread of loneliness.
Strumming and violin again lead us into the mesmorising "I'll See You Soon"
A heavier song, tempered with mourning violins, is "Mourning has Broken (sleep)" here the vocals are exclusively male and the mood flavoured with anger.
"Requiem" is bewitching. With its spectral murmurings of the ocean, over the gentle intro music; forlorn vocals and haunting lyrics.
A largely instrumental piece, "The Watcher Beneath" allows the violinist full scope, creating a mood of misty haze, hanging in sullen clouds over the dark and treacherous depths of the ocean. Beneath lurks the unknown.
Insanity and aggression seems to be the theme of "Severance" with the music becoming a frenzied, untamed beast.
"March of the Tides" is a beautiful violin instrumental. I do not think I have seem a symphonic band in which the violin is as integral as in Alpine Fault. It adds a special, haunting, mesmorizing tone and an element of mournful longing.
"Under a Dying Sky" is as haunting and forlorn as you might expect from the title.
I've only listened to this album maybe two or three times now, and I can already say - with assurance, that I am a big fan of Alpine Fault and that I am very, very keen to see them live. They are performing in Auckland later this year - as part of AetherCon 2012 (although I would not consider them particularly steampunk, but who cares?) but not sure if my budget extends to taking another overnighter up to the humid city for another concert this year. Still, as they now hail from Brisbane and we will be headed that way later this year, maybe I'll luck it. Anyhow, with sounds like this - they're going to go far and should be around for some time yet.
Let's give them a 10/10.
You can buy Iraena's Ashes from here: Alpine Fault's website
* Note for my sole reader: My second-newest I shall be reviewing when I reach "D"
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Brunettes - Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks (2002)
The first time I heard The Brunettes was in Takaka, where my now-husband (then boyfriend) and I were staying at a local inn-come-pub. The first night we were treated to the retro-vibes of this vocal duo and their backing band, as it came up through the floorboards and soaked through the walls. The next evening we had to endure the rather less charming sounds of Salmonella Dub, as their bass pounded through the floorboards, but from that moment on, I was intrigued by this Indie-pop band that sounded as though they had stepped from a time machine.
If you have read my earlier two entries in this journal, the inclusion of this rather sweet-sounding, bubblegum blowing band may surprise you. I do have a few more... eclectic tastes. And I do so hope there shall be some other unexpected surprises in store for you.
As you may also have guessed, to choose the CDs to listen to, I am working through the alphabet. For each letter, I shall play one CD until I reach the end of the alphabet, then I shall begin again. I do not have multiple CDs for every letter - I may not even have one for each letter, but we shall see - and it will save you from having the entire backlist of Helloween thrust upon you in one swell foop.
If you wish to hear the Brunettes for yourself, hop along to their MySpace page.
The CD packaging is designed to look rather retro - the two vocalists are pictured on the front, looking very clean and like they've stepped from the 70s (and yes, they are both brunettes), complete with circles (which make it look a little like a record) and a san serif font, the whole image is of clean and wholesome-ness. Almost an innocent vibe.
The interior contains a rather whimsical story about how the band formed -
The songs are similar in tone, polished and sweet. We begin with "The Moon in June" - a quirky little short piece that merges into the longer duet of "Cupid".
"Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks" begins with ducks quacking. I love the playful-ness of this song, and Heather's voice is pure sweetness. It makes me think of summer days and long afternoons chillaxing in the park.
"Talk to Jesus" is a more mellow tune, and followed up by the boucier "Dancefloor" - a song which kind of wants to make you take to the dancefloor.
"Summer Love" is charming, especially since Heather is the one singing "... I could do with summer love with a girl named Sandy, I'm sure it's good..." It sounds like an innocent love song, but you cannot help but feel that there is a tongue-in-cheek cheekiness.
Take, for example, the lyrics to "Super Eight":
"Mafioso" is fun - mostly mellow with a few uptempo moments as the two vocalists plan a afternon - a date, together that involves sarsapiralla and ice cream. Oddly enough, I cannot find the lyrics to this song online, getting something from some rap artist.
"End of the Runway" is very cruisy, complete with "sha-la-la-las".
We pick up the pace on "Cotton Candy", which comes across as a bit flirty and cheeky - "... at the rollercoaster I had tucked in my teddy... he told me I was just like Cotton Candy." Just brings mental images of a young lady, blowing bubblegum and holding an enormous teddy bear (such as one would win as a carnival price).
"Tell Her" is a rather melancholic break-up song, still in the sweet, innocent manner of the earlier pieces. A ratherlovely conclusion to the album.
All up, this is a fun album, with a playful innocence that is rarely seen nowadays. Very clean, very sweet, very much what I would refer to as "bubblegum pop" but yet there is a slightly cynical edge, where you get the feeling that the vocalists are teasing you - and having a damned fine time of it all.
Overall score = 7/10.
If you have read my earlier two entries in this journal, the inclusion of this rather sweet-sounding, bubblegum blowing band may surprise you. I do have a few more... eclectic tastes. And I do so hope there shall be some other unexpected surprises in store for you.
As you may also have guessed, to choose the CDs to listen to, I am working through the alphabet. For each letter, I shall play one CD until I reach the end of the alphabet, then I shall begin again. I do not have multiple CDs for every letter - I may not even have one for each letter, but we shall see - and it will save you from having the entire backlist of Helloween thrust upon you in one swell foop.
If you wish to hear the Brunettes for yourself, hop along to their MySpace page.
The CD packaging is designed to look rather retro - the two vocalists are pictured on the front, looking very clean and like they've stepped from the 70s (and yes, they are both brunettes), complete with circles (which make it look a little like a record) and a san serif font, the whole image is of clean and wholesome-ness. Almost an innocent vibe.
The interior contains a rather whimsical story about how the band formed -
"It all began on 90 mile beach where the two first crossed paths. Jonathan, a frisbee hurlin' widewalk surfin' highschool dropout and Heather, an innocent girl desperately running from her small-town ghosts...."
The songs are similar in tone, polished and sweet. We begin with "The Moon in June" - a quirky little short piece that merges into the longer duet of "Cupid".
"Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks" begins with ducks quacking. I love the playful-ness of this song, and Heather's voice is pure sweetness. It makes me think of summer days and long afternoons chillaxing in the park.
"Talk to Jesus" is a more mellow tune, and followed up by the boucier "Dancefloor" - a song which kind of wants to make you take to the dancefloor.
"Summer Love" is charming, especially since Heather is the one singing "... I could do with summer love with a girl named Sandy, I'm sure it's good..." It sounds like an innocent love song, but you cannot help but feel that there is a tongue-in-cheek cheekiness.
Take, for example, the lyrics to "Super Eight":
I don't like the hoursThis is followed up by the rather bouncier "Jukebox" in which Jonathan gets more vocal time. Once again, the lyrics are innocent and sweet.
And the big blinding lights
I don't like the make-up
I just want the money"
"Mafioso" is fun - mostly mellow with a few uptempo moments as the two vocalists plan a afternon - a date, together that involves sarsapiralla and ice cream. Oddly enough, I cannot find the lyrics to this song online, getting something from some rap artist.
"End of the Runway" is very cruisy, complete with "sha-la-la-las".
We pick up the pace on "Cotton Candy", which comes across as a bit flirty and cheeky - "... at the rollercoaster I had tucked in my teddy... he told me I was just like Cotton Candy." Just brings mental images of a young lady, blowing bubblegum and holding an enormous teddy bear (such as one would win as a carnival price).
"Tell Her" is a rather melancholic break-up song, still in the sweet, innocent manner of the earlier pieces. A ratherlovely conclusion to the album.
All up, this is a fun album, with a playful innocence that is rarely seen nowadays. Very clean, very sweet, very much what I would refer to as "bubblegum pop" but yet there is a slightly cynical edge, where you get the feeling that the vocalists are teasing you - and having a damned fine time of it all.
Overall score = 7/10.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)