Difficult follow-up syndrome is common in the music industry. The pressure of following up a hugely influential album often results in a confused, underwhelming effort that tries to succeed on all fronts, while somehow failing to satisfy on any of them. Some bands try to counteract this by opting for an intentionally “arty” or difficult follow-up. Unfortunately, trying to be artistic is like trying to be cool — if you’re trying, then you’re doing it wrong. MGMT’s Congratulations album from last year is a good example of this. The other, more common, method is to simply try and recreate the…
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Those who know me know that I’m not a great fan of the majority of music produced by my fellow Kiwis — call it my guilty displeasure. So it was with some reservations that I started to listen to a debut album by Birds of Passage, whom I’d not heard of before, but had come personally recommended to me by Sophie from the UK’s Her Name Is Calla. To my surprise, Without The World was a New Zealand album that provided a chillingly beautiful listening experience, and broke the mould of beige local music for me. Birds of Passage is…
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Buffalo is the latest album from kaleidoscopic pop group The Phoenix Foundation, whose last album, Happy Ending — originally released on the legendary Flying Nun label — had critics hailing them as New Zealand’s best kept secret. Buffalo is being released in the US in June, distributed by Revolver. Now signed to Memphis Industries in the UK, home to friends and fellow countrymen The Ruby Suns, The Phoenix Foundation are set to remain a secret no longer. From intelligent and infectiously catchy pop/rock gems, to epic, psychedelic prog rock, The Phoenix Foundation’s music is a glorious pop polyglot, combining sunbleached…
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Who is Grizzly Rose? Miwa Gemini met Grizzly Rose while traveling alone in the desert among the Joshua Trees. Grizzly Rose is intimidating, she is a mystery, some even suspect she’s a murderer; but to Miwa Gemini, it’s her combination of fearlessness, flourish, and breezy glamour that make Grizzly Rose a worthy focus for her latest album, Fantastic Lies of Grizzly Rose (Rock Park Records). Of course it isn’t all Grizzly Rose’s doing. Miwa Gemini embodies all of Grizzly Rose’s qualities, combining a classical music education as a child in Japan to a creative aesthetic she developed studying art in New…
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In the words of Jack Black in the movie High Fidelity: “is it unfair to criticise a formerly great artist for their latter day sins?” More importantly, should an entire album be considered poor when it contains three amazing tracks, plus a truckload of filler? These are two important questions that get raised in relation to every new album The Strokes have released since their hugely influential debut Is This It — arguably one of the most important albums of the last decade. Angles is the first album of new material since First Impressions of Earth in 2006. That album,…
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If you’ve been out of the loop in the indie music world, chances are you missed the “chillwave” movement that sprouted in the summer of ’09. The legitimacy of chillwave as a genre was questioned by some critics, as it was a term conjured up by a highly popular “hipster” blog. The year 2010 proved to be South Carolina-native Chaz Bundick’s breakout year. He released his debut album Causers of This under the moniker Toro yards Moi, and the album helped chillwave reach its peak in popularity later that year. The album garnered much acclaim from fans and many publications…
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Like many others, I was first introduced to Noah and the Whale from their instantly infectious single “5 Years On”. Its sweet, if slightly silly, feel-good melodies made it into an instant whistle-along hit, destined for a long life of commercials and repeated video plays. With the release of their new album, Last Night On Earth, I was curious to see how this near perfect few minutes could translate in a longer form. The third album for the London-based three-piece band builds on their previous sound, resulting in a more mature, deeper sound than they have previously created. The trademark ukulele…
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Within the last couple of years the Baltimore Indie music scene has put itself on the map. Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, otherwise known as Wye Oak, aim to stand apart from their Baltimore counterparts with their distinct and unique sound. The duo has garnered quite a bit of success since their partnership began in 2006. Wye Oak have released two well-received albums, gone on numerous tours opening for Dr. Dog, Cold War Kids, and The Decemberists, and landed a record deal with Merge Records (home to Grammy winners Arcade Fire). Wye Oak successfully combines folk rock elements with the…
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The fact that every show in London manages to sell out instantly is both a good and a bad thing. If you hesitate and miss a ticket, you are left cursing your sluggishness, but for those lucky few that do manage to get through, it ensures you are going to view something intimate — regardless of how big the band might be, the promoters always manage to find a perfect venue. And so it was for The Decemberists. My first trip to the HMV Apollo Hammersmith had me arriving at a beautiful art deco building, the music geek in me…
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Pop punk music often gets a bad name; while it is fair to say that it often lacks the authenticity of mohawked anarchistic screamers, with pop punk there is a different goal… celebrating the enjoyment of life. On Eve, Bridges and Powerlines do just this, invoking images of summer, beaches, and good times. What makes this album stand out is the integrity and intelligence they maintain while celebrating. Eve is the first album by the New York-based quartet, after releasing two quiet but critically well received EPs. After putting in several appearances at SXSW and CMJ over the last few…
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