New Zealand duo Black City Lights offer us a haunting and dance worthy new wave sound. After hearing this for yourself you'll see that it's sure to stay with you for months to come.
After a golden run of remixes, producer/singer Adi Dick has bundled six of the best together into a sweet little packaged. RMXD includes a few of Adi's rerubs that have already featured on this site (I see you Erykah Badu and Q-Tip) , but there are a few bits that have flown under the radar. Bilal, Phat Kat, and sadly defunct Kiwi band Opensouls all get the magic brush from Adi, with some most excellent results. And better yet, it's free. Can't lose. [...]
After a golden run of remixes, producer/singer Adi Dick has bundled six of the best together into a sweet little packaged. RMXD includes a few of Adi's rerubs that have already featured on this site (I see you Erykah Badu and Q-Tip) , but there are a few bits that have flown under the radar. Bilal, Phat Kat, and sadly defunct Kiwi band Opensouls all get the magic brush from Adi, with some most excellent results. And better yet, it's free. Can't lose. You can check [...]
As much as I love me some dusty samples and studio beats, it's mighty nice to hear a bunch of players get together and belt out some quality live music. From what I can figure, many-piece group The O'My's are combining the best of both of these worlds with their new mix tape,which sees them team up with producers Blended Babies . I don't know much else about the project, but I can tell you what my go-go-magic-Google-search helped me find out. The O'My's are a self-described "band of scoundrels [...]
"New Zealand reggae-soul heavyweights The Black Seeds return with their highly-anticipated new studio album Dust And Dirt, set for release in North America on April 10 th through the trailblazing label Easy Star Records. Dust And Dirt is the fifth studio album from the Wellington-based multi-platinum selling group whose unique brand of reggae-funk fusion has seen their fan base spread around the world in recent years. Easy Star will also be re-issuing The Black Seeds' celebrated back catalog on the same day, with two of the titles (On The Sun and Into The Dojo) seeing their first-ever physical release [...]
How often does the mighty KRS One touch down in New Zealand to perform? Up until now, never. So when the Blastmaster hits Auckland and Wellington next week, you better be ready for a show. And now, a couple of lucky folk out there will be well and truly ready - because AGOMWAB has two tickets to give away to the Auckland show, which takes place next Saturday, 21 April. Let's keep this simple: to enter, all you need to do is head over to the recently re-established AGOMWAB Facebook page , show [...]
Eye of the beholder One of the highlights from Camp A Low Hum , The All Seeing Hand are now embarking on a nationwide tour, playing 12 shows over four weeks around New Zealand. The Wellington trio combine staggering thrash drums at breakneck speed with indiscernible avant-garde vocals and extreme samples. The high-energy noise they create is like a religious experience, engulfing you in their creationism until you're basically preaching at their altar. When we saw them play a little low-ceilinged hall in [...]
Adi Dick's re-lick of Erykah Badu's 'On & On' from earlier this month seems to have hit the spot for readers of this site, and a few more to boot. 17,000 plays and counting on the old Soundcloud doesn't lie. So to sign off on what has been a strong month of music from all comers, here's another tidy remix ting from Adi. Q-Tip gets the once over today, with Adi throwing 'Breathe & Stop' up on some blocks and stripping it back to basics. The end result [...]
Warped All Day Take a ride on Cartoon's magic carpet through an interstellar world of warped synths, squeals and relentless barrelling drums. Listening to the album 69er On A Magic Carpet is like being stuck in a remixed computer game, upside down. Dizzying sounds whir past at breakneck speed in an ever-upbeat utopia. In the spirit of Dan Deacon, Ryan Bennett's energy levels remain high in a constant state of psychotic bliss. With chewy synths splitting the crisp cuts of seamless melodies it [...]
Slug Guts Flying Through Space New(ish) Wellington trio Sunken Seas step out with a post-rock/pop number, combining the noisier moments of Secret Knives (think 'Black Hole') with the ricocheting guitar sound of Spacemen 3. It's a little bit Flying Nun too, with HDU and Bailter Space having an obvious influence on the band, and there's a hint of British indie rockers The Horrors in the bass lines. The band was formed after the trio's previous project (Tiddabades) ended. Leaving behind their angular guitar days for a more structured [...]
Across the Ocean Glass Vaults has been getting airtime on KEXP 90.3FM in Seattle with their new single 'Gold Star', largely thanks to their US label Jukboxr . The song is the first to be released from the band's forthcoming EP Into Clear, out on vinyl and CD in the US and released digitally here in New Zealand on October 31. But while the EP title Into Clear suggests a bright pristine sound, without mystique or unusual curiosities, 'Gold [...]
I recently finished this interview with Zac Anthony, lead singer-songwriter for the Australian power pop band The Wellingtons. The latest album is "In Transit" - go to the interviews section or check it out over here . BTW: I have also archived my exclusive interview with Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles in the interview section. To hear that one go here .
Melbourne Australia's hardest working power pop band recorded and mixed In Transit in London and had it mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. And the Wellington's latest is once again a wonderful power pop creation. The band's sound has gotten tighter and more consistent with time, and lead vocal Zac Anthony's approach has more of a pop (as opposed to rock) sound than previous releases, with less emphasis on the lead guitar driving the melody and more reliance on vocals and harmonies to do the heavy lifting. Opening with the fast-paced chords of "Keep Me Holding On" [...]
An Artist's Impression Of Music 'Buildings', the first single off Fuyuko's Fables' debut EP, is an absolute delight. Driven by a wonderfully archaic sounding drum beat with a dash of reverb encasing the vocals, the song sounds like the younger sibling to Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago . There's something very special about this group - their sound is crisp, gentle and sincere, achieving the perfect balance between reflection and observation. Their songs build upon winding vocal melodies, tensile guitar rhythms and [...]
Matthew Sage, of the Patient Sounds label, lays down some wonderfully ramshackle noise-pop under his solo moniker Wellington Downs . His latest release, entitled Bruises Apples, is packed with crackling tracks that sound as if they were recorded in a room with no gravity. "King Blacker Lungs" is a standout that displays what I mean quite well. Sharp-edged guitar and cymbal crashes slice through the mix and let Sage's long-drawn vocal drones escape into the air and out into space. The rest of the song follows suit and takes listeners on a loud and static-filled [...]
Smoggy Nights Head Underground Brooke Singer and John Fitzgerald are a relatively new duo who crept onto the Wellington folk music scene in February. They first caught my attention a few months ago via Twitter and now again with the first single ('The Cats') from their debut EP, which they're hoping to release in October. The band structure is simple - Singer, a former member of Christchurch folk duo Ragamuffin Children and an original member of the shoegaze band O'Lovely, plays keyboard, guitar and [...]
Tales of the Riverbank Finally available to be fully digested after several tracks slowly trickled on to the internet over the past month, is Wet Wings' strikingly beautiful debut album Glory Glory. Both 'Stockholm' and 'Feeeel It' introduced the album in June, as a work centred more around Lucy Botting's voice and a retro blend of atmospheric electronics and rustic guitar playing. The full album, released yesterday, reveals a more characterised personality, full of soft focus sounds and cascading instrumental arrangements. 'Stockholm', [...]
The Eversons // The Eversons EP There is no shortage of attitude on Wellington band The Eversons most recent self-titled EP. It's not a bad attitude, but rather it's an almost brazen confidence in what they're doing. They cite The Beach Boys , The Clean , and Pavemen t as influences but I'm definitely hearing alot more in there than just that (plus don't forget the hefty New Zealand accents). There is a pretty strong 1960's British invasion vibe that (yes, I know) has been [...]
Goldilocks and the Three Beers The dynamic team that comprises Wellington rapper Tommy Ill and his oh-so-clever music video-making buddy Brian Hainsworth released this awesome music video for 'Secondhand Concorde' on Monday. True to their creative form, it's a cartoonish, funny take on everyday problems, set to a visual theme of goldilocks and the three beers. My favourite? "This beer is too baked beansy!" Tommy's lyrics in this single – his third off his latest album – are remarkably honest [...]
I Hope Nothing Happens Wellington songwriter, Tobias Brockie has been releasing music under various rhinoceros related pseudonyms for like five years or something - maybe longer than that. It's hard to tell with fiercely 'in bedroom' musicians like this, who you hear traces of on and off for as long as you can remember 'local music' being a thing that exists. Currently working under the Rhinoceros Brave moniker, Brockie's efforts make for [...]
The Owl Mag
A Grumpy Old Man With A Beard
MOJOPHENIA
Einstein Music Journal
Powerpopaholic: The Power Pop Music Review Site!
Visitation Rites
Cactus-Mouth
The Rains of Castamere by The National
Nas - Daughters
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
A-Trak & Dillon Francis - "Money Makin'" (Official Video)
CHROMATICS "THESE STREETS WILL NEVER LOOK THE SAME"
Azealia Banks - '1991' [Listen]
New Music Tuesday
