THE WICKS: Why Do People Walk
This tasty musical treat is the second EP from this Auckland-based four-piece. Known for their manic and entertaining live shows, The Wicks spent three weeks atop the bFM charts with the single, Life in the Swimming Holes, from their first EP. Now with a more complex and developed sound, these six tracks are a crazy alt-pop rock blast of keys, drums, trumpets, guitars and some of the most distinctive vocals I’ve heard in a long time. They mould together the sounds of racing guitars, mariachi trumpets, and unexpected melodies. Standout tracks include Tertius, with its video game intro and staccato verses; Moon In A Jar, a honky-tonk sing-a-long; and We Should Total Bake That, wonderful synths, cowbells and a steady beat. It’s irresistibly danceable, and with recording, mixing and mastering by Damian Golfinopoulos polishing up the whole production, it’s the full package. I can’t wait for an album.
MEL PARSONS: Over My Shoulder
This debut album is instantly catchy and enjoyable, a beautiful collection of songs ranging from country and folk to pop, with an underlying jazzy vibe keeping the rhythm. This West Coast native has assembled some very talented souls to back her. Don McGlashan, The Sami Sisters, Lisa Tomlins, Neil Watson and Rhythm Kings all add their talents to the album’s uplifting and natural sound. On the more bouncy tracks like Darlin’ Darlin’ and Pleasure & Pain Parsons vocals take on a fun, bubbly quality similar to those of British pop star Kate Nash. When she slows things down for Against the Tide and Falling For You, her voice deepens and becomes more resonant. The second half of the album would have benefited from another upbeat track, but it’s hard to fault the musicianship, finely crafted songs, pure harmonies and infectious positivity. Engineered by Richard Shirley, produced with the help of David Long and mastered by Mike Gibson, Parsons has clearly managed to sway several established industry figures with her skills, and she will sway you too.
HANNAH HOWES: Candy
This third album from Dunedin’s Hannah Howes is anything but a piece of disposable, sugary, pop – rather an intelligent, smooth, mellow offering that keeps getting better with each listen. The album is a fusion of folk, country, jazz and reggae. The opening tracks are cool and jazzy. By the third song Fallen Star an upbeat dub vibe is added to the mix and No Surprises shifts further in the direction of reggae. Oohaakii opens with a beautiful Maori karanga, building into a skilful mix of marching drums, strings and harmonies. Howes’s voice is pure, understated and very easy to listen to, sounding entirely relaxed and at home in a variety of styles. She is backed by a number of talented musicians including Maz Hermon, Peter Hill,and Myele Manzanza and together they’ve created an album that is calm and powerful at the same time. Recorded and mixed by the masterful Lee Prebble at The Surgery, ‘Candy’ is a pleasure.
CALICO BROTHERS: Tell It To The Sun
'Tell It To The Sun’ begins with a burst of harmonica and wastes no time getting to the melodic, sing-along choruses. The Calico Brothers’ sound is a relaxed mix of homemade rock, pop, and country which suits the conceit of three brothers, a cousin and a friend completing the line up. The title track features on the Outrageous Fortune soundtrack so they must also be westies. The first two tracks are sunny and upbeat, but the band slows things down to a relaxing groove for Stay. Jimmy Calico’s vocals and the band’s harmonies are reminiscent of the Finns’ – and much like those brothers, these songs are tight and catchy with appeal to anyone with an ear for a decent tune. The album feels welcoming and warm, the songs are instantly familiar and the musicianship fun, while clearly showing the deft touches of experience. Recorded live in a basement studio, the album was produced and mixed by Andrew (Mr Calico) Thorne who should be credited with producing a polished and professional record.
TAMA WAIPARA: Sir Plus and the Requirements
Aotearoa’s own Sergeant Pepper, Tama Waipara, mixes here the pomp and flourish of 1960s Brit-pop and Motown with a natural, pure Kiwi-ness. The ‘Sir Plus and the Requirements’ live show was part of this year’s Auckland Festival, and the album reflects the theatrical nature of a show – one so colourful it’s impossible not to get caught up in its fun spirit. It opens with the magical Golden Bullet, a catchy song with Beatle-esque harmonies, keyboards, and unexpected lyrics. Questions is a soulful, more modern track. Then Waipara perfectly captures 1950s doo-wop with Cruise and appears to be channelling Bowie for Hero of My Kind. Welcome to the Show is loungey, crisp and smooth, Bert Bacharach would be proud. Waipara’s delivery is effortless and the whole sound of the record fits beautifully, doubtless aided by the very high calibre participants. The album was engineered by Tony Moan, produced and mixed by Justyn Pilbrow at Waiuku’s Revolver Studios which would have suited perfectly. The arrangements are delightful with layers of sound and harmonies, and turned out beautifully by Waipara’s talent-dripping band. You can hear the influences of other eras, but the album is uniquely Waipara.
MATT JOE GOW AND THE DEAD LEAVES : The Messenger
The debut album from the much travelled, once-Dunedin native, now Melbourne-based Matt Joe Gow and his band. The album opens at a clip with a rousing cover of Grant-Lee Philips’ Come To Mama, the remaining 10 solid, honest country-rock tracks all written by Gow. The tempo moves from the upbeat sing-a-long to mellow. Land Is Burning is a powerful, western ballad that allows Gow to show off his vocal talents. His guitar and down-to-earth voice is backed by a polished and skilled bunch of musicians. The Dead Leaves are drummer Joel Witenberg, guitarist Andrew Pollock and bassist Kain Borlase, with appearances from music legends Bill Chambers and Midnight Oil’s Jim Moginie filling out the sound. Beautifully produced, recorded and also mixed in part by Nash Chambers, the album is out through Liberation who are rightly announcing Gow over here.
ROYAL FALCON: Ruined My Life
This raucous debut album from Auckland five-piece Royal Falcon is an eclectic mix of fast paced, driving rock‘n’roll tracks. It’s hard to pin down just what branch of the vast rock family tree they fit into, but their music is raw and danceable. The addition of Bob Simpson on trombone to Last Sun and Devil Town really shakes up the songs adding another dimension to the tracks. Last Sun kicks things off with a fast, danceable, ska feel – horns blazing. The Death Game is a gritty little number backed by pounding drums and sharp guitars. Dan Pilkington’s vocals growl their way through this sing-along track. The band tones things down (but only slightly) for Rehabilitated and Bicycle Lovers, Kyla Dyresen’s piano providing the melodic backbone to several tracks. Things take a turn south with La Madrina, the upbeat country shuffle a nice change from the previous songs. ‘Ruined My Life’ was engineered and produced by their guitarist Perry Hooper at Zone1 studios in Grey Lynn, and mastered by Tex Houston.
HANNAH CURWOOD: The Blind Love EP
This is the second release from Hannah Curwood following the Otago native’s debut album ‘Sky Above Horse Below’ in 2007. The EP’s opener begins with a vocal hymn before switching to a slow groove, and sets the scene for the remaining four songs. Universal themes of heartbreak, melancholy and pain underline this surprisingly uplifting collection, Curwood’s hypnotic vocals floating up and down gracefully. Backed by a talented group of musicians, the folk sound of the EP is made up of acoustic and electric guitar, piano, glockenspiel, bass and drums. Winter Waltz is a lyrical stand out, emphasised by Curwood’s delicate voice and sparse production, climbing to a musical howl before slowing to a quiet ending. The clunk of pulsing guitar chords builds Watertank into a swirl of sound. Curwood’s breaking voice reaches new heights and she doesn’t let you go as the song grows in power until it reaches an abrupt end. The atmospheric Black Red Morning wraps thing up perfectly. It’s hard to believe this stunning EP was recorded in just three days – it was recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Dale Cotton.
DELGIRL: Porchlight
As the follow up to their Tui Award winning debut ‘Two, Maybe, Three Days Ride’, Delgirl have created a patchwork of perfectly crafted home-grown acoustic songs. ‘Porchlight’ was recorded in the depths of a snow-filled, South Otago winter over two weeks, produced by Nick Bollinger, recorded and mixed by Ross McNab at Sweetway Studios and mastered by Dale Cotton. All songs were written, arranged and performed by band members Deirdre, Erin and Lynn. This multi-talented trio moves effortlessly from drums to ukulele and vocals, from trumpet to guitar and banjo, building their folk-country-blues songs. Each of the women shares song-writing duets leading to a nice mix of voices and styles held together by strong three-part harmonies and visual lyrics. The trio work well together and as long time friends are a natural fit for each other vocally and musically. Railway stands out for its understated beauty, while the stripped back Sister Mother’ is a gospel infused track built on double bass, vocals, a dash of guitar and simple percussion. Sunny, happy tracks like Honey are needed to stop the album from being too mellow and keep things moving along at a pace despite the hefty, 15-track listing. Overall this album is delightful in its simplicity. There are no fancy tricks here – just good, honest back-to-basics songs and music.
GREEN LIKE GO: Green Like Go EP
The first release by Christchurch-based five-piece Green Like Go is a cheery, fun offering that leaves you wishing it was just that little bit longer. Made up of four, fast paced, goodtime tracks there is never a dull moment on this polished, but short, EP.
The band specialises in classic catchy indie-pop, sing-alongs with memorable riffs. The opening track Fat Man In A Tie is a gutsy song with original lyrics and managers to capture the energy of a live performance. By song two, the EP is in full swing, each track perfectly leading into the next. Tracks two and three are poppy-love songs. Came Around is a pretty little number that makes good use of singer Pete Whitcombe’s upper register with keyboards providing a warm layer of sound. The Other Way is a choppy, walking tune with a distinctive kiwi sound. The twang of 60s style guitar is interrupted by swirling keyboards – which is a nice antidote to the standard guitar solo. Rounding out the EP is attitude filled To Me Now with breaks of pulsing keyboards wrapping things up nicely. Engineered and mastered by Ben Delany and Ian Fergusson, this little taster which promises great things from Green Like Go.
The band specialises in classic catchy indie-pop, sing-alongs with memorable riffs. The opening track Fat Man In A Tie is a gutsy song with original lyrics and managers to capture the energy of a live performance. By song two, the EP is in full swing, each track perfectly leading into the next. Tracks two and three are poppy-love songs. Came Around is a pretty little number that makes good use of singer Pete Whitcombe’s upper register with keyboards providing a warm layer of sound. The Other Way is a choppy, walking tune with a distinctive kiwi sound. The twang of 60s style guitar is interrupted by swirling keyboards – which is a nice antidote to the standard guitar solo. Rounding out the EP is attitude filled To Me Now with breaks of pulsing keyboards wrapping things up nicely. Engineered and mastered by Ben Delany and Ian Fergusson, this little taster which promises great things from Green Like Go.