Hard News by Russell Brown

Monday January 11th 2016 - Jamie XX is playing the St James, Auckland. Can't wait!

Apparently will see Jamie!

Monday January 11th 2016 – Jamie XX is playing the St James, Auckland. Can’t wait!

Shit, how did I miss that!?

Struggle to come up with a list as its been a reasonably big year on the vinyl front: a steady trickling from local shops and record fairs, an extremely good year for op shop pickups (best ever I’d say) and a trip to Japan (which resulted in 61 albums being carted back home). Suffice to say the digital side of things has been impacted, with (somewhat curiously) less downloads than before.

A few special mentions ..

Fabreeze Brothers: Fast rap and banging sample-based beats project of Phil the Soulman and Paul Nice. Peep ‘Fashion plate’ for a tasty Galt McDermott rerub and ‘The Sure Shot!’
https://paulnice.bandcamp.com/album/fabreeze-brothers

Rapso - Takeover: Reissued from obscurity via Australian imprint Left Ear Records, fantastic reggae LP which could soundtrack summers forever hereafter. Don’t be put off by the 1986 original release date..
https://leftearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/rapso-take-over

Leong Lau: Another reissue on Left Ear Records, Lau – from Malaysia – was active in Sydney during the 70’s and this has long been pretty obscure (his other album Dragon Man was reissued by Light in the Attic as well). The title track ‘That Rongeng Sound’ is the standout:
https://leftearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/that-rongeng-sound

Sister Janet Mead: A rediscovery of sorts (I had a copy buried in the shelves), ‘The Lords Prayer’ was a big international hit in the mid 70s and has stellar cast of aussie musicians including John Sangster. Surprisingly fuzz infused, enjoy

I'll play... got a bit of time on my hands since being taken out back of the Herald to be banged on the head with a rock.

I couldn't name top tracks of 2015 - that new fangled music hurts my head - but have made some sweet vinyly scores of late. if there's a quality outcome to not having to get up of a morn' all regular like it's being freed to play mo' gigs.

So, I found a banged up copy of Diane Renay's popcorny Navy Blue 45 a few months back which tickled my fancy, so I've been keeping my eye out for her. Odd career, she seems to only sing about servicemen, anyway I found her album (in glorious, loud mono) at Groovy yesterday and clocked this number.

Was also jazzed to find a latter day Jay and the Americans LP. I've got a major soft spot for layered harmonies over pastoral rock styles. Most of the album is pants but I dig this one:

The Guitar Ramblers looks like one of those stringsploitation LPs that were banged out daily during the 60s/ 70s to live out their days on the junk shop circuit, but this one has a gem. Surf!

and a bunch of others I can’t remember right now.

what, no Feelers?!... only joking ... how about Hopetoun Brown's 'Burning Fuse' (and a couple of brilliant live shows to boot), Silicon's 'Personal Computer' and Delaney Davidson's up-tempo 'Lucky Guy' for starters.

Can't wait for the Nadia Reid and Anthonie Tonnon shows in March. Must buy the former and give the latter another coupla blasts this weekend. Thx for reminder :-)

Aside from the usual suspects (Jamie, Courtney, Kendrick etc) I'm boostin':

Hop Along "Painted Shut" (the normal setbacks, but Frances Quinlan feels 'em)
Angel Haze "Back to the Woods" (virtuoso)
Ashley Monroe "The Blade" (Nashville and proud of it)
Carly Rae Jepsen "Emotion" (purest pleasure)
Grimes "Art Angels" (outreach at last)
Mbongwana Star "From Kinshasa" (afrofuturism is the best futurism)
Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment "Surf" (fluid)
Shamir "Ratchet" (droll)
Vince Staples "Summertime '06" (stone cold)
Miguel "Wildheart" (luurve, but also love)

Showing my guitar-centric jangle and americanish roots a few more that hit the spot for me locally were Marlon Williams, Tami Neilson, Don McGlashan's latest and of course the Chills. That Nadia Reid is something else though. Honorable mention also to the guys from around here-Jakob.

Leong Lau: Another reissue on Left Ear Records, Lau – from Malaysia – was active in Sydney during the 70’s and this has long been pretty obscure (his other album Dragon Man was reissued by Light in the Attic as well). The title track ‘That Rongeng Sound’ is the standout:
https://leftearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/that-rongeng-sound

Oh man! That is all kinds of groovy!

https://soundcloud.com/moodynz/trinityroots-this-road-moody-remix

Oh, nice.

‘The Lords Prayer’ was a big international hit in the mid 70s

Oh my goodness – I'd forgotten!

I've really enjoyed Barnett, got to see her twice this last year or so.

2015 was a really really weak year for New Zealand music in the top 40, which I think is due to streaming. It seems unless you're Six60, no other locals acts enjoy popularity on Spotify. That is, it's all very well to "support New Zealand music" by buying music on iTunes, but it no one's interested in listening to it on Spotify, it's not going to have much impact.

And you wind up with four or five old Six60 tracks in the supposed Top 10 Singles week after week. It's pretty much wrecked the idea of having a chart.

‘Journalistic’ doesn’t seem the right descriptor for Anthonie Tonnon.
I have heard a reference to the spirit of Raymond Carver and that seem more appropriate. Such intelligent song-writing and the music is pretty damn good too