What's New in New Zealand Music?

And of course I'll also buy you a pint when I get there.

In terms of a unique NZ sound, a couple of acts from Wellington are making huge waves with the public, and bypassing the music bizz circus – Fat Freddy’s Drop and Trinity Roots. Trinity have two self-released albums, Freddy’s have some 12”s on overseas based labels, but rumour has it a (double?) album in the works. Both acts fuse soul/dub/reggae/funk/electronic but in a very deep, very cool way. New Zealand hiphop has been getting the big push recently too – Scribe, Deceptakonz, P-Money, Che Fu etc.

On major labels, there's the straight up rock of The Datsuns, The D4 and about a hundred thousand million lesser bands...

In Wellington there’s real healthy little avant rock (if that’s what you call it) scene based at a venue called Happy – saw an incredible band there last night called The Elephant Men- manic vaguely free jazz but with trad rock line up and f*cked up vox. In terms of indie guitar music, Marineville (Wellington) are fine band – due to release their second album this year some time. And of course the Phoenix Foundation (Wellington) are great. Lots of other little bands here doing cool stuff – The Chandeliers, The Timeless Sounds, The Labcoats. Plenty of talented musicians with open minds…

There’s always exciting sh*t happening here underground, eh? Most of those great Dunedin bands are still going in some capacity and tour every once and a while. Saw The Renderers here in Wgtn last week and they were incredible (still).

Hmm this probably didn’t help – it’s mostly pretty hard to access if you don’t live here! Try googling ‘bnet awards” – that’ll list the nominees for the national “college radio” (in American parlance) awards – most good new acts will be there…

NZ artists to check out:
mint chicks (auckland spazz-new-wavey-punk with real good songs)
pumice (ultra-varied lo-fi/experimental outfit)
futurians (fucked-up dunedin yobbos with a penchant for noise)
disasteradio (c64-totting keyboard whizzo)
die! die! die! (ex-carriage h - explosive scuzz-rock / screamo from auckland)
silo (former substandard guitarist danny bare's new chch neu-type krautrock duo with rustle covini on drums - ex-aesthetics)

+ birchville cat motel, sunship, crude, spacedust, renderers, terminals, greg malcolm, bruce russell, minisnap, bats, shocking pinks, trillion, operation rolling thunder, undercurrents, coolies, international telepaths, goldenaxe etc etc all making great shit..

the a low hum fanzine / tours are always a good place to start..oh and my site too, of course..

terminals are godlike, are they still going? stephen cogle, sigh.
where's the new bats album, i know someone stole their computer with the album on it but i think that was a long time ago.

Ugly roolz OK. Then again I love the Dead C.

last i heard of the terminals people, three of them were carrying on as the minus two.

Don't know how new they are but they are new to me.

hey cameron, i run the http://thebigcity.co.nz nz music site, and you guys keep coming up, but ive got fuck all info on contant pain or your and roddys other stuff..

did you get a copy of the ep?, i seem to be getting good comments about it so far.. i might do a 2nd run if the foxy digitalis review comes out positive

btw, im the bass player for the idols, and dj as 'self-titled'.. Fleurs' got a great night planned!

http://thebigcity.co.nz/posters/images/100904.jpg

Fantastic new NZ Indiepop compilation, definitely will follow up on a mess of these bands:

http://fishriderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/t-e-m-p-o-r-a-r-y

Hmm this probably didn’t help – it’s mostly pretty hard to access if you don’t live here!

Eleven years later, things are a bit better! To hear about Kiwi music, Radio New Zealand's Music 101 show archive is a revelation, hours of interviews and features every Saturday, mainly NZ artists. The NZ On Air Music page on Soundcloud shares a lot of new tracks too, a bit hit-and-miss by nature. But even those two don't come close to covering everything.

Young Gifted & Broke is a music/art collective with some cool stuff on it. @Peace (At Peace) have split up now, but they left off with an album last year, @Peace & the Plutonian Noise Symphony, very woozy and spacey, got compared to Outkast a lot. They also featured on 'May 11th' with Team Dynamite. The two @Peace MCs are now in Australia as the Average Rap Band (funny interview with Tom Scott and Lui Tuiasau here). Some other tracks I like on the same label – 'Heartbeat' by Esther Stephens and the Means ft. Hone Be Good, and 'Culture Clash' by Estère. Hmm this probably didn't help.

http://urbankill.tumblr.com/post/125341800988/youre-not-invited-new-zealands-underground

This is an amazing collection of what is good in NZld underpants now and recent past.

The Stream of Nonsenseness EP's video has dropped – or in this case, five videos. This Average Rap Band is above average if you ask me. The intention was for Scott and Tuiasau to record some rap 'exercises' as a respite after their previous projects, and it shows – it's great fun.

Video playlist is here (for all the tracks except the interlude)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK2e613BYic&index=1&list=PLWNq0iKxaFQrmpSxEjg7DuF2qaT-wbikT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Ke1ccRxG4

Now for the best bit of the thread, where we see what NZ music finished 453rd in the ILM End-of-Year 2015 polls! Well, this some of it – there may be more Kiwis in there. At this point it's basically "what etc put" (hope etc doesn't mind), and omitting stuff already mentioned here.

Descriptions are from the artists/Bandcamp and other wordy people. Suffice to say, there's some cracking stuff in here...

ALBS

Girls Pissing on Girls Pissing – Scrying in Infirmary Architecture (comedy folk gothic industrial no wave post-punk religious)

Ron Gallipoli – Agrocomplex (ambient experimental industrial tropical Auckland)

She's So Rad – Tango (fuzz)

Mareko – Hong Kong Food City (all the real life shit…)

Coolies – Kaka (punk reggaeton beatmaking female mc oi)

(mine:) Caitlin Blake – Neo Tokyo EP (samamammmple-based)

TRAKES

She's So Rad – "Cool It" ("mad Brian May")

and

i.e. crazy – "You're a Stranger (to me now)" (alternative blood yodel breakups)

And with a staggering 2 votes, The Magnets with their excellent song "Lorde", well done her. Yet another prestigious award :)

Lately I've been easily impressed with:

Scuba Diva's "Marimba" (a sparse yet hooky slice of... uh... good)

A great interview with Mille Lovelock from Astro Children http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/201787465/astro-children

And a new track from these guys and girls: Stack & Piece x CampusKit - "Break Control" (feat. Diaz Grimm, LarzRanda and Samahra Eames)

^ Clearly, it's a celebration of the cricket season, through the coded messages

"I won't let it bounce away"

and LarzRanda's

"I feel less afraid and a lot more BOWLED"

http://img.cricketcb.com/i/news/fth/300x200//stories/2015/mar/28/prv_97813_1427603303.jpg defend dammit

I quite like Death And The Maiden, Fazerdaze, and Shifting Sands. All sort of neo-shoegazey indie.

Ka mau te wehi! http://thespinoff.co.nz/featured/30-07-2016/good-news-looks-like-radio-hauraki-has-figured-out-how-to-pronounce-its-own-name/

Awesome

Really enjoying what Margins is doing https://marginslabel.bandcamp.com/releases

^ Thx! Love that K2K track.

Not an entirely new song, but the new Poi E movie is really good. It's not so much a doco about the song as about the people who were involved – perhaps that's why it seems (to me) to also be a film about loss. Even as the song endures, some key players are no longer around to talk about it, and a question is asked in the movie, "what if Poi E hadn't existed?". It's still well worth remembering how unlikely a hit it was.

The Maui Dalvanius Prime documentary on NZ on Screen covers slightly different ground, but it tells some of the same story.

Silver Scrolls awards are on just now - http://www.radionz.co.nz/collections/silver-scrolls/silver-scrolls-2016, with live video on RNZ.

Not quite a "best of 2016", but Loop's mixtape from May was pruddy good. Featuring Bailey Wiley, Miloux and Yoko-Zuka:

https://soundcloud.com/loopcrew/lpmt007

But the year belonged to Aaradhna:

http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/refusing-award-aaradhna-stays-true-to-brown-girl

http://thespinoff.co.nz/music/18-11-2016/repost-the-spinoffs-july-2016-aaradhna-interview-on-racism-and-the-music-industry/

A previous NZ Music Awards event had inspired her to pen ‘Brown Girl’, she said. “There was this guy and my friend heard him shout so many racist things, and that’s what pushed me to write this song.”

“I have always dealt with those moments ever since I was young.”

In solidarity with Aaradhna's courage, we at ILM have decided to place a bunch of bands in the category of white people, or something

Thinking of making a thread on this subject (not only for NZ):

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/201853309/apra-aim-for-gender-equity

I wonder if that's a result of the Equalise My Vocals & assoc panels/agitation? Fingers crossed, eh.

Like what I've heard from the new SWIDT album, Stoneyhunga.

Glad Kings & Alien Weaponry made the Silver Scrolls longlist but I suspect/dread it's gonna go to one of the alt-folk-y types this year.

k2k's got a new EP out on Margins if you haven't heard it, sbahhof.

I thought the k2k ep was getting a 7" vinyl release but I can't seem to find it..

What's been new in 2017?

TELL ME

Apart from

Estère, who's on fire rn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-h2dS2GUlM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUbtgDsVmoE

So far she's released half the album, My Design, also including "Ambition" https://youtu.be/zJdyRmg5n1s

So Below in club banger mode

https://soundcloud.com/sobelowsound/ruin-sombear-remix-1

Indi (Indira Force) is having a good year – a solo album Precipice (title track here) and an astonishing ambient collaboration with violinist Anita Clark, The Dying Light:

https://newdawn1.bandcamp.com/album/the-dying-light

And K2K's extremely chill EP, as mentioned [NOT VINYLED YET]

https://marginslabel.bandcamp.com/album/mar-003-k2k-sugar-ep

Has anyone mentioned Surf City? They're almost a Flying Nun circa early 90s pastiche but with some great songs. If the Flying Nun roster were like the Premier League table, I'd have the Chills, the Bats, the Clean and Straitjacket Fits occupying the Champions League spots, Surf City would be somewhere towards the bottom of table with Garageland.

Hey Grantman, you may like Search & Destroy: Flying Nun &
Flying Nun 25th Anniversary box set

Surf City got mentioned in the Arch Hill records thread – some stuff is on Bandcamp/Spotify, but the Kudos album isn't available to stream apparently.

2017 NZ albums, what are yours?

A posse of ILMers are losing their shit over Thread of Aldous Harding - eccentric 'gothic folk' NZ singer songwriter so that's good.

The NZMA awards on Thursday, several awards went to Lorde obv - also two for SWIDT's Welcome to Stoneyhunga as mentioned by etc. This was their performance:

- http://www.maifm.co.nz/home/vids/2017/swidt-perform--player-of-the-day--at-the-vnzmas-2017.html

- http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/lorde-and-jacinda-ardern-gave-us-the-defining-moment-of-the-nz-music-awards

Apparently Maisey Rika withdrew herself from the Māori Artist award, in order to support the younger musicians. It was won by Teeks' smooth soul EP, The Grapefruit Skies.
'

A few more albums...

Ria Hall makes a play for history with Rules of Engagement, an album years in the making, and which should have appeal well beyond 2017:

- https://riahall.bandcamp.com/album/rules-of-engagement

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0638701128_7.jpg

The key inspiration for this work is the letter scripted by Henare Taratoa (Ngāi Te Rangi) in March 1864 to the Governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey. This letter outlined the way in which both Māori and British should conduct themselves during war, namely the battle of Pukehinahina (Gate Pa) in my tribal area of Tauranga Moana. This code of conduct was known as the Rules of Engagement, and is where this album takes its name from.

Forgot to mention Tei's mixtape from earlier in the year, OMW:

- https://teimusic.bandcamp.com/album/omw

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1715241857_7.jpg

And Yumi Zouma's latest, Willowbank, as nom'd elsewhere:

- https://yumizouma.bandcamp.com/album/willowbank

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0997252318_7.jpg

For the making of Willowbank, Yumi Zouma's members — Charlie Ryder, Josh Burgess, Christie Simpson and Sam Perry — settled on a plan to reunite for the New Zealand summer. To complete what would become their first significant work written and recorded entirely in their home country, they rented a studio in Christchurch’s semi-demolished CBD, on one of the few remaining blocks that still characterizes the city from before it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes. “It was as though there was a brief pause in all of our lives and we finally felt like a band from New Zealand,” said Burgess. “We were on home turf and creating from a place that felt fundamentally natural.”

Hey, sbahnhof, keep forgetting to thank you for boosting the Ria Hall album and Estère EPs - while I'm probably not as up on them as you are, spending more time listening to them has been great. The whole Loop Recordings / Wgtn jazz-school thing had put me off a little (early aughts PTSD), but they're both a lot richer than that. Having an Irish transplant / Erykah Badu fan asking for local recommendations was another good reason to engage, as well. Could have sworn I'd mentioned the tei. mixtape here, but must have been somewhere else.

Quite a strange choice of group name, but this came out of nowhere to pretty great effect:

Babyface - Dirty South Pacific
https://growroomakl.bandcamp.com/album/dirty-south-pacific

Looking forward to the new Coco Solid mixtape, COKES, on Waitangi Day, eh.

Under The Radar's EOY playlist and roundup are pretty catholic:

http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/13685/Stream-Our-2017-End-Of-Year-Playlist.utr

http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/13696/2017-End-Of-Year-Round-Up.utr

My god, with this kind of voting bloc, something Kiwi might even reach the top 777!

Thanks for your panic-nominning, Etc, it's all here

- ILM's 2017 End of Year Tracks & Albums Poll / NOMINATIONS THREAD

That SoccerPractice album is very good, I'd totally overlooked it:

- https://soccerpractise.bandcamp.com/album/soccerpractise

- http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018623054/soccerpractice-discuss-their-excellent-debut
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3367875804_7.jpg

Other NZ stuff in the EOY includes Lorde, Aldous Harding and SWIDT, and others?

Mermaidens' album Perfect Body

- https://mermaidens.bandcamp.com/album/perfect-body-3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP6jUTd-jfY

Nadia Reid's Preservation

- https://nadiareid.bandcamp.com/album/preservation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jN1BfSLbzg

That Nadia Reid album is so good, feel like a lot of ppl on ilm would like it?

really great recommendation, thanks! video is cool too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=67&v=0jN1BfSLbzg

Yeah, I have a soft spot for "Richard" - she's great live, too. Some surprisingly Eno/Buckley-ish textures on the album.

Meanwhile, a few days until
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DU1AoHOVoAErWBD.jpg

Don't forget Coco Solid's Aroha Bridge is coming back too. It's a cartoon and almost a documentary:

- https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/aroha-bridge-2013/series

Some great concerts are taking place for Waitangi Day 2018 in some locations...

- https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018630566/waiata-on-waitangi-day

Finally, a song to sing when someone is carrying a bag which looks heavy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPQaxGJcRRg

(story of the song & video on this page)

Oh yeah also

New Zealand has an act called Jeremy Corbyn Sound System

They played this festival, and that's all we know so far

- https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/13413/A-Gathering-In-The-Forest-Announces-Lineup-For-2018.utr

Astro Children's new single is more chill and less lo-fi for them. Surprisingly they've put a donk a synth on it.

And frontwoman Millie Lovelock interviews as entertainingly as ever:

- https://thespinoff.co.nz/music/09-03-2018/astro-children-the-only-dunedin-sound-i-have-ever-cared-about-is-my-own/

No one in Dunedin is safe! Also, that grafitti thing that she mentions (Chills mural defaced by a new band seeking notoriety), doesn't really make anyone look good...

Dear BBC 6 Music listeners – sorry & you're welcome for The New Radiohead, NZ band Groeni (pronounced...."Groany"?), who may not have realized they were such a tribute act. But hey, it's working for them. Even got played on Radio 3's Late Junkshop, so they're def doing very well. Luv u Groany.

(The R3 host calls them "Groiny", in fact)

And now

IT'S REGGAE O'CLOCK
once an hour :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAGqGgsYup8

Etc's linking of this interview-article about Tomorrow People is a good reminder that reggae is really popular in NZ, so it probably needs a mention itt :-) Or is it just Six60 dominating the NZ-only singles chart?

https://s26.postimg.org/yhum4fx2x/NZ-top-six60-singles-19mar2018.png

Imagine five months of that with a 6-track EP - they controlled the NZ-only chart even more with a full album, though their sound is less reggae-ish now. Bands like that might be the Kiwi music with the most long-running appeal in NZ – helped by reggae's prominence in movies like Mt Zion starring Stan Walker, and The Pā Boys. It can't only be people at BBQs listening to it...

Sort've wished the interview had teased out things re, say, their popularity vs Ria Hall's rather than putting all NZ reggae / Aotearoa roots / dub / whatevs stuff in the same basket. (etc)

Well, Rules of Engagement got to number 6, but maybe it's a simple case of being more 'challenging' thematically that it didn't become more popular? Dunno if interludes in Te Reo from the '60s are what the kids are streaming these days. I hope they are, but not at all sure. BTW, don't reggae and roots mean the same something similar? Obv Tomorrow People are playing a very poppy variant of those. Reggae is usually best imo when it's political and extremely pissed-off, like Herbs, or, uh, Sons of Zion? (For bemused ILMers, the music's popularity here goes back to the Māori rights and Pacific anti-nuclear protest movements of the 1980s.)

https://s26.postimg.org/eie004hm1/whats.jpg

In pop atm, the solo musician October is on a run of four decent-to-great singles, but might win the Unpopular Populism star prize without some urgent Spotify fixing. New song "1000 Eyes" is her most polished, but maybe least distinctive https://youtu.be/dPtzNAoI1OU ... The previous one "All She Does Is Stare" was more representative of, as one writer cautiously called it, "a zero f***s approach". She don't give a fly*** eff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctVfUKiKrww

nm, "1000 Eyes" is just great

Hamish Kilgour of The Clean Has A New Solo Album Coming Out This Summer

Ba Da Bing will be releasing Finklestein, on July 6th

It’s our second record with Hamish, and we’re happy to brag we’re the only label who has ever released a Hamish Kilgour solo record! Take that Cleano Productions!

The Clean member Hamish Kilgour's second-ever solo album, Finklestein, flips the singer/guitarist/drummer's path taken on All of It and Nothing. Having previously gone for intimate, minimalistic performances, Finklestein displays a chock-full production quality akin to a fairytale. It's a fitting change, seeing as the songs are based around a children's story Kilgour conceived for his son about a kingdom that invents a way of dealing with their depleting gold resources. The songs include organ, saxophone, pedal steel, piano, vibraphone, harmonica, even footsteps (Hamish is renowned for his stepping), most of it performed by Kilgour and his producer/collaborator Gary Olsen at Olsen's studio, Marlborough Farms in Brooklyn. Originally conceived as being a children's book as well as album, Finklestein rides roughshod through this fairytale world with grace.

Finklestein took a year to record, as Hamish's involvement with a large part of the Brooklyn music scene, as well as dates with recent New Zealand Music Hall of Fame inductees The Clean, split his time. His songs benefit from this elongated recording period, as each track creates its own space within the Finklestein world, mixing instruments and melodies in a rainbow of ways. Yet it's Kilgour's songwriting sensibilities that hold the album together, his charismatic and loose arrangements within a congenial environment of musical play.

For more information, please write Ben and Katie at press at badabingrecords.com

Thought there was a thread all about The Clean and/or their kind of music, but couldn't find one.

Apparently there are nine threads for them O_O They win ILM! Most recent two you could use are The Clean - Compilation + The Clean Anthlogy and there other material

NZ Music Month, or is it?

http://thewireless.co.nz/system/production/content_images/images/000/003/471/full/NZMM-01-v2.gif?1462220757

Pop musician October has released her album, Ultra Red. A set of beautiful pop songs disguised as ugly industrial fuzz:

- https://open.spotify.com/album/3sLYZtrcfagCOYEv8L1IBa

https://www.muzic.net.nz/images/news/7501.jpg

Rei has unveiled his Māori-language hip hop EP, Rangatira:

- https://musicbyrei.bandcamp.com/album/rangatira

- http://musicnation.co.nz/rei-releases-groundbreaking-te-reo-maori-ep-rangatira

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1739189705_7.jpg

JessB is a possible new hip hop star – she brought out the EP Bloom in March. Latest video is "Set It Off", with cameos :)

- https://basefm.co.nz/jessb-set-it-off

- https://soundcloud.com/ogjessb/sets/bloom-ep

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music118/v4/c6/86/31/c686310b-ef52-e39d-95ac-26c73c83a710/192562225240.jpg/200x0w.jpg

Estère's two-part album is done now, My Design, On Others' Lives:

- https://estere.bandcamp.com/album/my-design-on-others-lives

Also recently, the new album by Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Sex & Food ... Metal band Alien Weaponry's bilingual debut album, Tū, is out tomorrow ... New Zealand's fourth most popular independent music award, the Taite Music Prize, was criticized for an exclusionary voting system, and during the ceremony the ashes of the Headless Chickens' Grant Fell (Ngāpuhi) were scattered onto the stage, a major no-no in Māori culture due to the sanctity of human remains ... Coco Solid was unimpressed with NZ music's response to the gender equality campaign Equalise My Vocals: "Now what? The industry needs to use it's resources and platforms for better & not leave it to 2 tired queer women of colour with a crowdfunded 5k to do all the fucking work".

David Dallas brought out the video to "Probably", the fourth single from the album Hood Country Club cos he's South Auckland AF

- https://youtu.be/meLtp1tYr_c

NZ Music Month coincides with comedy festival month, and some talented comedians have invented the genre of Centrist Reggae:

- https://twoheartsnz.bandcamp.com/track/legalise-it (warning, extreme content)

And the top Kiwi song of the moment: those angry reggae punks Sons Of Zion, with the furious "Drift Away":

- https://youtu.be/tq4adoBJCU8

As RMNZ has introduced a second NZ top 20 for the week's fastest-rising songs, here are some things that are bubbling under the charts under the charts:

Hi-Nes and Krisy Erin join the elite with "Never Get Me Back":

- https://youtu.be/IAVixrS8UuA

Raiza Biza brings the chill beats in "Marco Polo" ft. Bobandii:

- https://open.spotify.com/track/6WQC0R3sDNSIp4yIFcHUS3

Country-folk artist Emily Fairlight released her heartbreaking album Mother of Gloom. It's a bit sad...

- https://emilyfairlight.bandcamp.com/track/drag-the-night-in
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2172066623_7.jpg

(Recommended if you liked Like Splitting the Head From the Body by Womb, from earlier in 2018)
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0584207770_7.jpg

-

On a much sunnier note, pop band Drax Project dropped their Noon EP, but their single "Woke Up Late" has been on the NZ chart forever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD4LgdcDdVc

And for maximum tonal whiplash, metal band Alien Weaponry bring the opposite of chill on their debut album Tū, in Māori and English, an LP that hit the top 5:

- https://youtu.be/5kwIkF6LFDc
https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0321818772_7.jpg

TBH, all I really want to do is post episodes of Aroha Bridge and The Māori Side Steps to confuse our non-Kiwi viewers until the thread reaches 100 posts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOe67mNhWc4

i love the Chelsea Jade record which was released yesterday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s-koCm9INw

SO GOOD!

"Laugh It Off" is one of the 20 songs that might win the Silver Scroll, the prestigious "artists' choice" award. All nominees are here:

- https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018652990/the-apra-silver-scroll-award-2018-top-20-announced

...Chelsea Jade and 19 indie songs :-) Well, not quite, and there's a lot of really nice music on the list, but it isn't as "diverse" as they claim – it was selected by only nine people, and it shows. In the whole list there's one rap song, lots of downtempo/MOR stuff, no female Māori artists, no songs fully in Māori... (Songs in Māori have the Maioha Award, but that gets much less publicity.) At least they didn't nominate Groany, but it's all very "Music 101 on a Saturday afternoon". I'm not a big SWIDT fan, but "Conquer" leaps out of the speakers against this field.

The voting system has some problems similar to those the Taite Music Prize was criticized for. Artists enter their own songs, and must be APRA members, which shouldn't be necessary imo, if they're truly seeking the best NZ songwriting. This year's awards come after the 2017 Silver Scroll, when APRA voters chose an all-female top 5 for the first time.

Anyway in conclusion, here's Groeni, I mean, Rob Ruha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIqQTrxc15E

The Beths, also on that Silver Scroll shortlist, have an album out too and it's the most glorious bored squally pop https://open.spotify.com/album/4NK0WVg7ZK0rIrcwFKjTIU

The new Broods single is great too!

^ These are they

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVImwSb4EYU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKG1Ddm8KgE

The Beths now have a thread, imaginatively titled The Beths

Some recent-ish stuff:

Haja, an all-star album featuring current NZ artists: Aaradhna, Chelsea Jade, Estère, JessB, Kings and Raiza Biza.

As well as that, it's a fusion of musical styles from Sudan and New Zealand. Surprisingly it was put together by rock frontman Jon Toogood, of Shihad – he first heard the Gisma Group and aghani al-banat, "girls' music", when he got married in Khartoum, Sudan. The band recorded there with him, some of which is on this album years later.

- https://open.spotify.com/album/1lCMWkUACs5TaPm7Y1KABa

- https://www.noted.co.nz/culture/music/jon-toogood-married-african-roots-nz-hip-hop-new-album

https://www.noted.co.nz/media/19898/mt0718_the-adults-haja.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_FrOD9st4M

Maybe for Discogs reasons, the label insisted on reviving the bad-but-good name "The Adults", which Toogood's supergroup used in 2011, although the two albums are quite different.

btw, Estère's radio Mixtape is highly ILM-friendly, but don't let that put you off. She even knows the words to "Akanamali" :D

Jazz hip-hop band Avantdale Bowling Club, fronted by Tom Scott of the influential rap group Home Brew, as he reflects on life and fatherhood. The band includes Julien Dyne (drums) and Guy Harrison (piano/trumpet).

- https://avantdalebowlingclub.bandcamp.com/album/avantdale-bowling-club

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a4203606936_7.jpg

And one of the sleeper hits of the year by a New Zealander, Robinson's "Nothing to Regret", it's for the young people

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dICTrWgBp_U

After streaming success in NZ and Australia, the song is one of the nominees at the New Zealand Music Awards 2018.

"Our culture is your culture"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4sN1etmws8

Who won the Silver Scroll, you don't wanna barely know, but Ria Hall won the Maioha Award with her song "Te Ahi Kai Po" from Rules of Engagement.

‘Te Ahi Kai Pō’ is about healing after war, and trying to find hope in times of despair. It draws on Ria’s own family history, telling the story of the Battle of Te Ranga (just south of Tauranga), where, in June 1864 the British Army took retaliation for the earlier battle at Gate Pā. Over a hundred Māori died there, some buried where they fell.

At the ceremony, local soul singer Teeks delivered a moving performance of ‘Te Ahi Kai Pō’, supported by Nick Dow and Ngā Tumanako kapa haka group. – (RNZ)

The Scrolls' main award went to Marlon Williams' ballad with Aldous Harding, "Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore", with its pleasingly literal video:

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsJIDptF-2c

Williams' ‘Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore’, a duet with fellow Lyttelton musician Aldous Harding, explores the pair’s break-up. Williams said it was an honour to receive the award and paid homage to the other finalists. "To hear my name in your company is something that I treasure," he said.

Great tune.

And at the NZMAs in November, Williams won best album for Make Way for Love. Other highlights included JessB's medley performance featuring Rubi Du, and Upper Hutt Posse's Te Kupu, who filibustered the broadcast for 15 minutes by listing the names of everyone they'd ever worked with.

END OF 2018 is near, so if you want you can post your best of the year... perhaps using the classic "fake awards ceremony" style, such as "Best gangsta indie EP" or "Most improved DJ".

This was Chelsea Jade's debut album Personal Best, 10 tracks of VERY tight pop tunes, and one o_O title track

- https://open.spotify.com/album/05JyBFPtta56x6uBvIfnal

https://nztop40.co.nz/assets/record_covers/cover_5_1532656962.jpg

The new album by Yoko-Zuna and a host of guests, Voyager, continuing their cool electro-hip-hop-jazz thing. Though with the cover artwork, they're positioning themselves as the Daft Punk of New Zealand :-)

- https://yoko-zuna.bandcamp.com/album/voyager

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3135319595_7.jpg

Coco Solid and Queen Kapussi feature in the 9-piece rap collective Fanau Spa:

- https://fanauspa.bandcamp.com/album/fanau-spa

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0752519859_7.jpg

We each possess a different lens, voltage and ancestral life that the world rn needs to hear from - and we know this record serves a purpose bigger than what we could do as individuals. Ngā mihi mega ki a mātou katoa.

- (UnderTheRadar)

There's a whole heap of recent stuff I still need to hear, but in the meantime, from earlier in 2018, some unofficial awards:

Best conscious rap / Most conscious rap: STOP THE VIOLENCE produced by Icepro, who's worked with youth musicians in Palmerston North for years

Best song title you wouldn't think was necessary in this day and age: CHILDREN DON'T BELONG IN JAIL, Luke Buda & Don McGlashan

I have felt very upset and outraged by the reports coming out of Nauru, especially the stories of children as young as five engaging in serious self harm.

We wrote this song to raise awareness of what is happening in offshore detention, in the hope that more people will sign up to the campaign to pressure the Australian government to end the horror they have created for these little kids and their families.

Best compilation imo:

Shoegaze emo band from Wellington, Bad Friend, released their Best Of, so far. It is eleven minutes long

- https://badfriendnz.bandcamp.com/album/best-of

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0842844951_7.jpg

The bad friend EP is great, yeah - in associated acts, the namesake EP that's just come out is v.dreamy: https://namesake.bandcamp.com/album/4-songs

Some EOY stuff:
Under The Radar's best albums/videos/songs moments: https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/15341/2018-End-Of-Year-Roundup.utr

The Spinoff's best local albums/singles: https://thespinoff.co.nz/music/21-12-2018/the-definitive-very-best-new-zealand-music-of-2018/

Great to see the Shiraz & LSJ video "Where Tha Pape$ @" in the former - their "Clubsmoking"'s another great no-fi video.

Namesake are very chill!

Two tracks nominated for the ILM 2018 EOY that weren't already mentioned:

Yumi Zouma's beautiful dreampop song "Powder Blue / Cascine Park", from their EP III:

- https://yumizouma.bandcamp.com/album/ep-iii

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3174856807_7.jpg

With EP III, they grab us by the hand and take us out on a gorgeous adventure.

“Powder Blue / Cascine Park” is the first destination, and it's spellbinding. Delicate beats, a chiming guitar, and (Christie) Simpson’s stirring vocals recreate the feeling of summertime bliss. – (TheRevue.ca)

Dance track "Arbuz" by Kiwi-Italian-Melburnian producer Chambres, with vocals from Abigail Knudson:

- https://chambresband.bandcamp.com/album/arbuz

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1753870535_7.jpg

I'm stunned that October got two separate nominations, that's my AOTY! Thank you, nommers. (and sorry for calling you nommers)

A few other 2018 things...

The solo debut Shine Your Light by Kaaterama, who's in the successful pop group Maimoa. Her first single "He Iti" is getting the iwi radio plays, but most impressive imo are her soulful tracks "Mr. Man" and "Paiheretia", with the choir of Te Reanga Mōrehu o Rātana:

- https://open.spotify.com/album/1mOUoRm61WqW68aA4wE2KA

https://www.muzic.net.nz/images/news/8188.jpg

Maybe even more chill than Namesake(!), the first EP by twin-sister duo Tāl (Shalina and Shantini Sandran), including Indian tabla and sitar:

- https://talduo.bandcamp.com/album/t-l-ep
- https://nzmusician.co.nz/music/tal-tal-ep

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0630431439_7.jpg

In other Māori-language music in 2018, the collaborative album Te Kākano went to number 1 on iTunes in September, recorded by Pere Wihongi, Mere-Arihi Pipi-Takoko, Makaira Berry and Hamiora Tuari.

On the artier side, Allana Goldsmith brought out The Waka Kura Sessions, and Gisborne's Miss Pou made her debut.

Kiko released a blues-rock EP, Ranginui Blues, including the video to "Patupaiarehe", in which the band get attacked by the fairy-like being of the same name, it's a good watch

Also, taonga pūoro! - Rolling Classical 2018

In the singles chart this week, Six60's "Vibes" ended 6 (six!) months as the top NZ song. "Long tail"/"dumb algorithm" doesn't begin to describe it...

The new No.1 is Bene and her laid-back track "Soaked" - https://youtu.be/ubE_ac2wYPQ

We posted about the Broods single earlier – their album will be called Don’t Feed the Pop Monster. Hopefully it'll turn out to be the best thing ever and/or a Gaga rip-off, just so we get more funny interview quotes like

Caleb: "I left my phone in LA so I’ve just been off the grid. It’s amazing. I have no idea what’s going on in the world. Or what time it is. I’m just watching the sun."

and

Georgia: "I don’t like the word lucky. I think we’re fortunate."

that Bene song is so good. Looking forward to the Broods album, all of the tracks they’ve released so far have been enjoyable to varying degrees.

It's only Bene's second song to be released - the first was "Tough Guy" in 2018. Guess she must've played more songs live this summer.

Apparently "Soaked" first became a radio hit in Australia, on Triple J's 2018 EOY list.

And Broods' album is out, UNLEASH THE MONSTER

- https://open.spotify.com/album/1zVzO9st0ZXLCH6YmgAzYF

1-listen review: it's good! I like it nearly as much as the Chelsea Jade album, with which it shares quite a lot in common sonically, nice word. Critics seem to agree it's a 5.0 out of 10.0, and skim-reading their equally mediocre numerology, it's because the band haven't changed their sound. Which reads more like a dig at electro-pop than anything. (There's one track that might be a baggy Madchester tribute... if that helps.) But "Peach" is prob the bangin'est song on there.

Another album from the ILM poll:

By experimental electronic musician OMIT, Clinton Williams – the vast 5-album set Enclosures 2011-2016

- https://endofthealphabetrecords.bandcamp.com/album/enclosures-2011-2016 (also released on Picadisk)

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2370721155_7.jpg

OMIT employs home-built instruments constructed from modified electric motors and salvaged sound sources to create a startlingly original soundworld. It is a world he inhabits alone, isolated in the small town of Blenheim in southern New Zealand, but it involves a deep exploration of the human condition. Over the years OMIT’s music has become less noisy and more sparse and minimal, as open signal patterns and oblique textures pass each other in haunted spaces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDJq5Wu-Lvc

Nadia Reid's new song, and a radio interview:

- https://podcast.radionz.co.nz/aft/aft-20190213-1310-nadia_reid_live_and_solo-128.mp3

"She will release her third album later this year, and previews one of the songs from it, which was written after a New Years Eve in Levin. It's called 'All Of My Love'." – (RNZ)

And as mentioned in the interview above, Teeks has got an orchestra!

- https://www.noted.co.nz/culture/music/teeks-apo-soul-man-orchestrates-next-big-move

Teeks is also performing at WOMAD 2019 (Aotearoa section) along with Nadia Reid, Charlotte Johansen, Finn Andrews, KORA, Niko Ne Zna, Ria Hall and The Black Seeds.

https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/15611/CHAII-Shares-Debut-Single-Digebasse-Enough--Video.utr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q00SjA7DSc

“My concept was simply a commute. A journey through places and people, spreading loving vibes. At the same time, putting a positive light on the middle east. I was doing this in respect to all the underground artists who have to hide away because of their art. Covering up felt empowering and badass.”

– UnderTheRadar.co.nz

https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018690578/auckland-rapper-mo-muse-dedicates-friday-to-the-victims-of-the-christchurch-attack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go5gvtQ8WLg

A benefit concert is taking place in Christchurch on Wednesday, featuring nearly everyone in NZ music. Absolutely no idea what it'll be like, but please give generously.

The concert will be live on the radio from 07:00 GMT / 19:00 NZT, and locally on TV Three.

Some related links:

- https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018690891/marlon-williams-in-auckland

- https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/111954347/shihads-jon-toogood-on-being-muslim-changing-his-bands-name-and-keeping-the-faith

- https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018689779/illbaz-racism-in-the-music-industry-it-s-always-there

https://cdn.eventfinda.co.nz/uploads/events/transformed/1268658-564668-34.jpg

In the U.S., there are two benefit concerts: in Jersey City (Wed.) and Los Angeles (Thursday), with music by New Zealand artists who are based there. Like the concerts in New Zealand, they're named You Are Us/Aroha Nui

- http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1904/S00104/us-iyou-are-usi-concert-announcement.htm (Archived)
-

The concert will be live on the radio from 07:00 GMT / 19:00 NZT, and locally on TV Three.

Worldwide livestream video too, here.

It was a triumph, for the most part – showed NZ music in a fantastic light, and was planned in such a short time. The full concert video is online at the moment, with TV Three's ad-riddled and vapid coverage. Enjoy!

https://www.radionz.co.nz/assets/news/192543/eight_col_P4179695.JPG
Estère! - (Article on RNZ)

NZ music is at a low ebb in popularity, so they'd probably raise more money by asking the All Blacks to sing, or getting Jacinda Ardern to pander to the business community. But that's beside the point. :)

A slight dampener: it turns out NZ's most successful apolitical party band are not so bright

"How dumb do you gotta be to sing a song with the lyrics 'I'm a loaded gun, got my aim on you' and 'Turns out you ain't bulletproof' at a benefit concert for a mass shooting?"

The song was Six60's "Vibes", mentioned earlier - they'd already played at the Auckland benefit concert and didn't notice any problem with it. Possibly even dumber, the Otago Daily Times printed this actual headline:
"Six60 blasted for inappropriate lyrics at Chch concert"
The band probably didn't change anything at all from their usual concert - they also introduced their own song as a "national anthem" when the show included the actual anthem and Dave Dobbyn.

Other things:

Should Spotify be forced to play more Kiwi music? (yes, duh)
- https://thespinoff.co.nz/music/05-04-2019/the-music-quota-debate-has-finally-arrived-on-spotify

or Spotify could help music even more by shutting down, frankly

AND Tom Scott has won the Taite prize for the rap-jazz Avantdale Bowling Club – some astonishing poetry on that album.

Name-change alert - hitmaker Bene has changed her name to Benee, possibly for google reasons like when the Beetles did it.

Her follow-up track to "Soaked" was "Evil Spider". One-listen verdict: she's lost it! nah just kidding, it's more of the same.

- https://youtu.be/uQ983htswu8

ILM fan's favourites Yumi Zouma are one member less, and they've gone weird with their weird single, "Bruise" (Warning: not weird)

- https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/bj9748/yumi-zouma-is-back-with-a-new-unexpected-single

They're also trying to get into one of those endless "band photo" threads

https://video-images.vice.com/articles/5ce46f88d10c93000bb3840b/lede/1558536018603-Yumi-Zouma-Henry-Hargreaves-II.jpeg?crop=0.7762xw%3A0.6678xh%3B0.0844xw%2C0xh&resize=700%3A*

Olivia Foa'i released her second solo song, after her band Te Vaka's great success with the Moana movie soundtrack. "My Way" includes lyrics in Tokelauan, and good god she can dance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8iaJoTsw88

Maisey Rika has posted some demos from years ago, it's the new Basement Tapes

- "TUHOE"

- "KEEPING IN CONTACT" AD JINGLE (for Telecom, before it became a television channel)

- "CERVICAL CANCER AWARENESS JINGLE DEMO" ... Maisey Rika with the "O Superman" voice effect. Track of the year

On TV, Aroha Bridge is back for a series of full episodes - with the voices of hip hop's Coco Solid and Rizván, about the adventures of their band Hook Ups

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceWeQxZe2t4

Also, Moana Maniapoto has become the country's most serious journalist in her show, including the immortal line, "Coming up after the break: How can we avoid the apocalypse?"

This is an extremely useful thread. Many thanks sbahnhof for your diligence.

Making good progress catching up on this year's music, I'm nearly at mid-April.

Astro Children's Millie Lovelock goes solo on her confessional debut album, she's never been better

Repulsive Woman - Relief
- https://repulsivewoman.bandcamp.com/album/relief

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3712362028_7.jpg

Ria Hall has seriously found the core of classic reggae as protest music. Almost as if it's still relevant today! #ihumātao

Ria Hall - "Cause and Effect"
- https://riahall.bandcamp.com/track/cause-effect

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3393789660_7.jpg

Imugi can't get any cooler, it's not humanly possible

Imugi 이무기 - "Be Here Soon" / "Greensmoke"
- https://soundcloud.com/a-label-called-success/imugi-be-here-soon
- https://youtu.be/Psce1BtWC-g
-

Yes, I would like to listen to the Kora/Katchafire supergroup from Whakatane with slight Dire Straits influences, thank you for asking

L.A.B. - "Personify"
- https://labmusic.bandcamp.com/track/personify

And an album curated by Hinewehi Mohi, Waiata / Anthems, has some of NZ's biggest music stars doing their songs in Māori, released for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori - it was a heck of an effort:

“It was initially meant to be a bilingual album, but the artists said to me ‘I want to do it all in Maori’. Only one is a fluent speaker, so for most of them this was their first real opportunity to sing in Māori. The artists have been brave and inspirational through the recording process which has ultimately been extremely challenging for the majority of them having little or no Maori language skills,” said Mohi. “It is testimony to how important they each view Te Reo Maori as the cornerstone of our culture. This music will help us all to feel like we can participate and celebrate in the uniqueness of our national identity.”
– Music News - Introducing Waiata/Anthems, music.net.nz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BFFXEhpthI

Unsatisfied with the old Views, JessB brought out her New Views

Her 2nd EP features tracks with Paige and Church Leon, who is not a man of the cloth, I fear

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF5DAeMHcG0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDOhuyx76QQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft-nT9dizLo

Nadia Reid's third album will be out in March 2020, Out Of My Province

- https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1912/S00045/nadia-reid-announces-new-album-out-of-my-province.htm

“The song [Best Thing] is about relationships, childhood and nostalgia. It is about intimate love and about the love between a mother and a daughter. In it, I am rigid and almost emotionless. But perhaps that is because we shot in Dunedin at 6 am... in the wintertime!” Reid quips. – (The Label/Scoop)

You've heard the quips, now see the vid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osWgE_Y5Z0M

Nadia Reid is so good.

Six60 are so bad.

Are they as interesting as that? :-)

It is strange how popular Six60 are in NZ, breaking some chart records recently... More popular than Lorde, and their concerts this summer might make them the country's biggest act ahead of Ed Sheeran. If it's any consolation, on their radio session they kinda looked like they couldn't be arsed. Only gave the poor drummer a tambourine. I can't see much reason other countries would take to them, though they've nibbled the Aussie charts this year.

Ooh, what is everyone's favourite NZ track or album of the 2010s? (apart from ilm's obvious faves The Beths and Six60.) Would love to know. I'm still not very familiar with 2010-2014 – will post a few retrospectives that are online later.

My favorite NZ albums of the 2010s:
John White - The Inkadies (2010)
Die! Die! Die! - Form (2010)
Cut Off Your Hands - Hollow (2011)
Punches - Etheria (2011)
Opossum - Electric Hawaii (2012)
The Shifting Sands - Cosmic Radio Station (2015)
Bespin - Osiris EP (2015)
avoid!avoid - Particle And Wave (2016)
Doprah - Wasting (2016)
Street Chant - Hauora (2016)
Fazerdaze - Morningside (2017)
Death And The Maiden - Wisteria (2018)
David Kilgour - Bobbie's A Girl (2019)

I dig The Beths, Aldous Harding, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Mermaidens, etc but have never fallen for entire albums.

Cheers, Gerald! I need to give Doprah another spin, I really loved Indira Force's other band New Dawn.

If I'd known before now that the choreographer Parris Goebel did a rap album where she shouts song titles over a banging donk, I would've listened solely to that for the past three years

each to their own of course but that list up there is pretty dull and leaves off a whole shit tonne of great music -heres another decade perspective:

Maxine Funke - Lace
Negative Nancies - You Do You
P.H.F - I Hate Myself
Centre Negative - Emotion is Cringey
Coolies - Kaka
SWIDT - Bunga
Unsanitary Napkin - Orgasmic Capitalism
Coco Solid
Opposite Sex - Hamlet
Kraus -Pudding Island
It Hurts - Estuary
Piece War- Apathy
Thistle Group
Futurians - Robots in Disguise
Randa - Orange Juice , singles etc
Vincent H.L - Weird Days
Terminals - Antiseptic
Purple Pilgrims - Perfumed Earth
Pumice - Puny
The Biscuits - The Dolly Dog Seems Alright

prob some I have forgotten ten yrs is a long time

Thank you for these dangerous sounds! That's my Christmas party sorted.

But please, less of the "pretty dull" comments - everybody's perspective is welcome.

Having this many recommendations is a nice surprise, especially when there aren't so many fans of Kiwi music on here

https://i.postimg.cc/fygTbBnQ/aroha-bridge-audience.png
(visual approximation)

UnderTheRadar: years gone by
From the archives, these were the UTR site's best-of lists during this decade:

2010 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018

* (2015 page was lost, possibly Kim Dotcom has it)

Radio New Zealand has done a staff poll of the 2000s + 2010s combined. It somewhat dilutes everything by trying to cover a 20-year period, but perhaps they never did a 2000s albums list.

As you'd expect, it's a triumphant victory for Pacifier, nah just kidding

"RNZ Music's top 21 NZ albums of the 21st century"
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/2018724138/rnz-music-s-top-21-nz-albums-of-the-21st-century (Archive)

More from the 2010s, what did real people actually listen to? These are the NZ artists' charts for each year.

While Lorde is the biggest name internationally, at home it's much closer - the decade's two best-sellers have been Six60 and the pop-opera trio Sole Mio, who topped the EOY album chart four times from 2013–2017.
(Note* The all-NZ chart wasn't around in 2010, recorded as starting on 31 October 2011.
Streaming was added to the charts in 2016.)

2010 Singles ★ 2010 Albums*
2011 Singles ● 2011 Albums
2012 Singles ★ 2012 Albums
2013 Singles ● 2013 Albums
2014 Singles ★ 2014 Albums
2015 Singles ● 2015 Albums
2016 Singles ★ 2016 Albums
2017 Singles ● 2017 Albums
2018 Singles ★ 2018 Albums

HIGHLIGHTS from ☆ KIRIHIMETE ☆ (Xmas) and ◴ TE TAU HOU PĀKEHĀ ◷ (Hogmanay)

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music113/v4/95/e5/03/95e503f7-3e22-eee0-8460-7f71445f7c18/190295292133.jpg/268x0w.jpg
(?)

An album with something for everyone, everyone:

"Top Māori artists lift spirits with new visual album Mōhau
Rob Ruha, Ria Hall, Troy Kingi, Bella Kalolo, Majic Paora, Kaaterama and the East Coast Tira Waiata (Choir) sensation Ka Hao have united to create a powerful visual album, entitled Mōhau (For you)."

“Some songs were originals like 'Aue Wairua' which I wrote in the 90s, and some songs are new," Ruha explains. ... “Although this is the season to give, there are some people who we know are less fortunate and so they are discouraged in a way. So we thought as a collective that this project can be presented as a gift, something they can share among their family and loved ones.” – (Te Ao news)

Various Artists - MŌHAU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEl7sFAYfjg

Now, I know we all thought Benee's breakthrough hit "Soaked" was a breath of fresh air, but because of that, she's started pumping that sound for all it's worth and "Glitter" began 2020 as the no.1 Kiwi song after becoming a meme on Ticktock, god I hate the internet

Benee - "Glitter"
- https://youtu.be/D3gmU0GOTXI

"Is being a TikTok dance good?"
"Benee probably won’t make money off TikTok, but there are few platforms as powerful for building an immediate and global following. At over 11.5 million streams on Spotify, ‘Glitter’ has been listened to almost twice as much as ‘Find an Island,’ which might surprise anyone who’s been listening to the radio lately."

Marlon Williams popped up on the Australian new year's eve concert on the ABC (on his birthday, in fact), performing two covers – a moving rendition of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy", and also "Common People", in which the mild-mannered crooner danced around the stage like a man possessed. Guess which song this link leads to:

- https://youtu.be/2CeJ23f80LY?t=1h23m16s

In Rolling non-US rap thread 2020 I posted Randa's "Rock Bottom" single that I named the G.O.A.T., mainly thanks to the brilliant video with Hamish Parkinson. Having said that, Randa's follow-up "Toughen Up" is probably a better song, continuing their run of great tracks – a celebration of niceness with an anti-macho message. And the song's 'tough' rock sound would make it ideal for Radio Hauraki playlists, except that it doesn't suck

Randa - "Toughen Up"
- https://larzranda.bandcamp.com/track/toughen-up

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0167685671_7.jpg

I'm not saying life in Auckland is exactly like Aroha Bridge, but the hottest ticket in town was Imugi playing the closure of a food court:

- https://youtu.be/3iB2m9254CU?t=45m30s

...so yeah, in the struggle to catch up on 2019, I'm just up to Queen's birthday. Haven't even heard Chloe Swarbrick's "OK Boomer (Remix)" yet

2019 ILM poll NZominationz :

Starting with a nomination on the metal poll – Beastwars made a shock return, reuniting in the unhappy circumstance of Matt Hyde's illness. The band's frontman went through cancer treatment in 2018, just before they made their fourth album. It seems he's doing well, as they're now on an Aus/NZ tour.

You can hear, listening to the album, how cathartic it is.
The new album is simply called IV, and its cover is the work of artist Nik Keller (who also did their previous three). The Greek goddess of health, Hygeia towers over a fallen soldier, a snake coiled around her shoulders, and a sword in her hand. – (RNZ)

BEASTWARS – IV
- https://beastwars.bandcamp.com/album/iv

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2948879241_7.jpg

On ILM's poll, art-pop duo Purple Pilgrims' album is nominated, as is the track "Sensing Me". The album features guitar from Roy Montgomery (friend of ILM!) on "Ruinous Splendour":

Purple Pilgrims – Perfumed Earth
- https://purplepilgrims.bandcamp.com/album/perfumed-earth

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0378203621_7.jpg

On the ILM tracks poll:

Mermaidens – "She's Running"
- https://mermaidens.bandcamp.com/track/shes-running

Broods – "Falling Apart"
- https://open.spotify.com/album/3emsEOWvKnlvAOj80KEqLE

And there are album noms for THE DEAD C and Aldous Harding.

UTR's various contributors reviewed the year

UTR's 2019 Favourite Music Moments
- https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/16760/UTRs-2019-Favourite-Music-Moments.utr
-

Some great tracks from later in 2019:

"ROULETTE" – CHURCH & AP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTJjQigWQ8Y

SWIDT – "BUNGA"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQBEJQJ7_JQ

Disciple Pati – "The Boy Who Cried Woman"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66UD_8RSfGc

^ That's a debut single from December (more info here).

Also in December, Soccerpractise brought out their second electronic album, Te Pō (The Night) with noticeably more guitars, more reo Māori, and their Banger Ratio is up by about 300%, which = bangers. It's also available as a dizzying "visual album".

SOCCERPRACTISE – TE PŌ
- https://open.spotify.com/album/3He6sMx8TLPhEwUNtV3KGv

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/k3zjqlR0kHk/mqdefault.jpg

A few more 2019 releases – Punk band Miss June brought out their first album, Bad Luck Party after several years together, with a more conventional '90s alt-rock sound but some rough edges still there ... Electro producer BAYNK released Someone's EP II to some acclaim, and he's launching a U.S. tour next week ... Surf-rockers Soaked Oats made their 3rd EP, Sludge Pop ... And pop singer/songwriter Theia wrote a beautiful new Christmas song, "Te Kaiwhakaora O Te Ao".

Other stories:

Very Obscure Vinyls: there's an exhibition about lathe-cut records that were made in tiny numbers in NZ. Some of the lathe-cuts (a cheap alternative to vinyl) are now valuable, if you're into Aldous Harding anyway. The exhibit's coming to Lower Hutt in February.

Boomer/Millennial soundclash: can choral singing prevent ageist intolerance?

Kia māia (Be bold) - Ria Hall spoke at the 2019 Silver Scrolls on the disregard for women and reo Māori music in sectors of the industry, and encouraged them to change. (Just in case it isn't clear, this thread is not "the way it is" in real life. Inclusion here is almost a guarantee that an artist will be as obscure as a 19th-century war)

Another ILMy nom I forgot, by Chaos In The CBD - the second track on this record from the house DJ brothers, last February:

"Green Dove" is an upbeat trip that's also mellow and weird, including more retro rave influences complemented by lush atmospheres. An intro of synth washes picks up another bumpy melodic bassline. The brothers then chop up the vocals, creating an immersive soundscape that invites you to shut your eyes.
– (Resident Advisor)

Chaos In The CBD – "Orange Blank" / "Green Dove"
- https://chaosinthecbd.bandcamp.com/album/orange-blank-green-dove

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0976911012_7.jpg

Radio New Zealand have decided that youth radio is the future and they might build a station with a heavy focus on Kiwi music. Good luck with that! :-D

So, I'd like to a take a sec to mention some other places where New Zealand music is played and covered – and plz add others that you like, if any. I wrote before about RNZ's weekly show, Music 101.

IWI RADIO is where the largest number of NZ songs are broadcast every day, on the regional stations in each Māori tribal area:
- http://www.irirangi.net/iwi-stations.aspx
Three good ones for reo Māori music are Moana Radio (in Tauranga), MFM/Maniapoto FM (Te Kuiti) and Tūranga FM (Gisborne), and honestly the general pop mix on Atiawa Toa FM is better than anything that bigger and more cynical companies can come up with. The iwi stations do a great job on very low budgets, helped by the passion of volunteers, and sometimes by the automatic DJ machine that was going to take over RNZ Concert. (Don't praise the machine.)
An airplay chart is also compiled, Te Reo Māori Top 20.

UNIVERSITY MUSIC:

- BFM (Auckland), the show "Freak The Sheep" / video channel
- Radio Control (Palmerston North), "The Local Show" / vids
- RadioActive.fm (Wellington), "The NZ Music Show" / vids
- RDU (Christchurch), video channel / "Te Ahi Top 10"
- Radio 1 (Dunedin), "The Local" / vids

...Until now I didn't know about Radio Control's mixcloud, and neither does anyone else in the world apparently. The show that I stream the most often is R1's. New host is a bit full-on, tho

EXCITING WEBSITES:

- https://basefm.co.nz/category/video/local-eyes/
- https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/
- https://nzmusician.co.nz/
- https://nztop40.co.nz/

And further off the radar, there's always the Bandcamp tag New Zealand and Aotearoa.

A superb live band, L.A.B. have had their first hit together, and it's become the biggest Kiwi song of the moment – from their album L.A.B. III

L.A.B. - "In The Air"
https://labmusic.bandcamp.com/track/in-the-air

On the charts, some local musicians have had a very good summer. In 2020 so far, L.A.B. and Benee have reached No.2 and 3 on the main singles chart, where the last New Zealander to hit No.1 was in 2017.

The collaborative song "Ka mānu" is the current top song on the reo Māori radio chart:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIj3cKbWgRE

Ria Hall (heard in "Ka mānu") brought out her new album last week. A tribute to classic reggae bands, it's a a good follow-up to Rules of Engagement, but at 7 tracks may've been more rightly labelled as a generous EP. The instantly iconic cover is by the artist Robyn Kahukiwa.

Ria Hall - Manawa Wera
- https://riahall.bandcamp.com/album/manawa-wera

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3428938539_7.jpg

Metal band Shepherds Reign released their first Samoan-language track as a tribute to the country of heritage of their vocalist Filivaa James and guitarist Oliver Leupolu. It's possibly the first metal track to be sung in le Gagana Sāmoa, though that's hard to ascertain. The band were supporting Alien Weaponry last week.

Shepherds Reign - "Le Manu"
https://www.thecoconet.tv/songbook/islandjams/shepherds-reign-le-manu/

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2668439964_7.jpg

And for maximum tonal whiplash

NADIA REID - Out of My Province
- https://nadiareid.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-my-province

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a4145199521_7.jpg

The indie-folk star's third album, its title quoting Janet Frame, was written while Reid was travelling the world. Alongside guitarist Sam Taylor, the violinist Anita Clark (Motte) returns to her live band.

Nadia Reid - "Get The Devil Out"
https://youtu.be/VoRc9nBYwHo

L.A.B. - "In The Air"

A huge hit, the song eventually rose to No.1 overall, where it's stayed for 3 weeks now. A very rare achievement for a Kiwi artist.

Benee may get her first No.1 here soon – her track "Supalonely" has gone feral on TwitClock. On an unrelated note, she's also gonna try to take over the U.S., it can't be that hard.

- https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9337519/benee-interview-supalonely-emerging-artists-spotlight

OTHER STUFF: bKIDD featured new vocalist Jarna on his rap track "Can't Take This" (a 'Visualizer' is a music video with no budget?) ... Electro artist VASILI has a stunning new album, Hidden Inside, his tenth(?) in 7 years ... Yumi Zouma released their new record, Truth or Consequences ... Some prominent Various Artists have made a Katherine Mansfield album, GET YER OWN IDEAS, MATE ... (that's not the title) ... Rappers Shiraz & LSJ had some success last year and unveiled their most polished track yet, "Whitney". They had it mixed & mastered and everything ... Estère played a session track, "Mad about Your Sea" from her upcoming album ... And, the NZSO will stream its Bach concert live on Wed 25 March at 19:30 NZT on https://nzso.co.nz/live

The coronavirus is affecting New Zealand and its musicians like anywhere else – there's a page for artists who are facing problems with money, mental health and other things:

- https://nzmusician.co.nz/news/covid-19-vs-nz-global-music-industry

Ah, that one music video TV channel we have is back! for a few months.

I guess they don't mind the comparison with Radio with Pictures...
- https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/radio-with-pictures-1976/series

WOMAD festival was one of the last events to be held, in March.

But... there was a problem.

Wellington publisher Mary McCallum went to Womad with 17,000 people each day, just before the lockdown.
It’s a fortnight since people headed home from Womad in New Plymouth, some going straight into self-isolation as a preventive measure.

The problem with Womad
- https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2020/03/31/1107877/the-problem-with-womad

If a song called "Supalonely" can't get to No.1 during a human quarantine crisis, something unusual must be happening

The rapper Melodownz signed to Def Jam last year; his party piece is probably the track "Peace Signs, Gang Signs", he also did a long-distance collab with UK MC Coops on "Infinite" in 2018.

His latest single is a change of direction, heavily influenced by drill.

'“There’s a lot of drill and darker themes in music at the moment which I love also, but I just wanted to create something that makes people happy and comfortable.” Melo describes.'

MELODOWNZ - ‘Fine’
- https://basefm.co.nz/melodownz-fine

reason I stick with this dude is goofy lines like
"I don't hang with nobody who not nice"

From last year, but whadevva:

LOU'ANA - "Move Along"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd3STQPI6PY

Old time occasional poster/long time lurker who just retrieved his password here to say that GRG67 just put out their new album on Rattle Records last week and are very good at the jazz. Their release show was terrific and they're playing again on Thursday.

https://rattle-records.bandcamp.com/album/happy-place

Also went to the Cakekitchen release show last week. Wasn't overwhelmed by the selections from the new album on a first listen, but when you're competing against the career highlights on almost 40 years that's an occupational hazard, and a new track (recorded during lockdown) was one of the highlights of the whole damn show.

https://allyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/trouble-again-in-this-town

Coming to stages in Auckland in August: black metal legends Ulcerate, whose new record is a monster.

https://ulcerate.bandcamp.com/album/stare-into-death-and-be-still

(Since The Beths have their own damn thread I assume mentioning them here is redundant...)

I hadn't heard GRG67 before! Happy Place is a great album, thx.

Sorry for implying earlier that Radio 1's Henny G was too "full-on", as I now realize that she is the world's funniest broadcaster and her emergency music show in lockdown was the best one of those. Furthermore, the playlist starts with someone called Lee F Blower and then the latest banger "Heatwave" by Randa, whose yet-to-be-completed album will, I maintain, be the Alb of the Decade if they do it right.

- https://www.mixcloud.com/Radio_One_91fm_Dunedin/nz-on-air-presents-the-local-9420-with-ashley-adelaide-henessey-sam-tom

It's not quite true that I spent the last ten months listening to that Soccerpractise album on repeat, but pretty close.

Election special: Underground doomcore merchants The Beths helped the Green Party back to parliament by performing at their campaign rally in Titirangi ... Meme MP Chlöe Swarbrick got a booming result in the vote in central Auckland, an achievement maybe even bigger than her appearing in JessB's first video in 2018 as a netball official ... The opening track on the Ulcerate album, "The Lifeless Advance", also happens to sum up the far-right party of that name ... And there's a Cannabis Referendum but the electoral commission were too stoned to count the results for about two weeks. Obviously, There Is No Weed-related Music in New Zealand, so I'm not sure why I'm mentioning it here.

This band "Dick Move" might be a bit political as well :-D
- https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/news/17818/Dick-Move-Touring-New-Album-Chop!-In-October.utr

What's Old and Still Fresh in New Zealand Music? Well for instance this 'un I wrote about long ago in the Voice:

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2008 AT 4 A.M.

Die! Die! Die!

Promises, Promises (SAF)

"So much for blue skies! What about the future?" Thus New Zealand's young punks Die! Die! Die! yap back at a preacher's "You must believe!" They aren't really asking, but they also aren't really that close to no-future angels of '77. Of course not---too many things under the bridge, including bridges---and while these neo-classic cage-rattlers demand come-on comparison, they don't cling to it. They've got their own sonic reflux, absorbing the news and vice-versa. So even Die! Die! Die!, with their shrieky little name and shrieky little songs (tattooing ear canals), find themselves pausing just long enough to explain, quite reasonably, "Well sir, this winter, I cannot believe." "Blue Skies" is the last stop on Die! Die! Die!'s second album, Promises, Promises. Their Steve Albini–recorded, self-titled 2006 debut's flying shards of impulsive/compulsive encounters were caught by walls thrown up, tracks tightened till they imploded: 10 songs, in just over 20 minutes. But now, on this Shayne (of Straitjacket Fits) Carter–produced set, walls are pushed out as inner space-junk expands; shards reappear as pieces of Wilson's personal blue skies, of old hopes and dreams. His shattered, scattered voice and guitar can't help planting some bizarre memory garden of l-u-v. The eloquent guts of Lachlan Anderson's bass will never digest such seeds very easily, and drummer Michael Prain's Keith Moon-style soloing-as-accompaniment dents craters in a common labyrinth-in-a-maze, where Wilson and "You!" grapple in reflective gear.
Die! Die! Die! play the Music Hall of Williamsburg March 29 and Highline Ballroom March 30.

This might be new:

Die! Die! Die! - "450" / "I Seek Misery"
- https://diediedie.bandcamp.com/album/450-i-seek-misery

Vanessa Worm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZREmKORfWNI

xpost Thanks! Should have known they'd be on bandcamp.

The NZMAs, now named the Aotearoa Music Awards, are happening tonight and broadcasting on The Edge TV and Three.

Haven't followed the charts much this year, but it looks like a very promising nominee lineup – there are sure to be prizes for the some of the ones mentioned above based on popularity and maybe artistry.

Paige, who collaborated with JessB last year, is up for the breakthrough artist and pop award. Meanwhile, Troy Kingi's band are four years into their project to make 10 albums in 10 genres with the new one, The Ghost of Freddie Cesar, and he's nominated for best single for "All Your Ships Have Sailed".

Troy Kingi - The Ghost of Freddie Cesar
- https://troykingi.bandcamp.com/album/the-ghost-of-freddie-cesar

Chaii ain't gonna win, but I love her

CHAII - Lightswitch EP
- https://soundcloud.com/chaiimusic/sets/lightswitch-ep-1

Jawsh 685's "Laxed (Siren Beat)" is up for best single because it became popular worldwide as a 20-second snippet, which is handy, as there's nothing more to the track. The video's pretty good tho.
(Then Jason Derulo saw an opportunity, etc etc)

the cuticles & n.t. honey (typo'd elsewhere as m.t. honey but it's n.t.) are good. crude is doing stuff again but i only heard 30 seconds of a recent gig on someone's instagram post. heazlewood has a new band called consolidated fuzz, they're probably good, i haven't heard them. i'm in a band again too, good. why do people like the veils, they're terrible.

Arm Up Ehoa; The Pigs Want To Open Carry by Captain Cooked on #SoundCloud

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/G4AbY

Fazerdaze has a new song out: https://open.spotify.com/track/2qkAa6IrUy5WWizVE1rpeh?si=9u0qWliWSou70CfEOntp4g

It's got a great mid-nineties alt rock vibe. Less shoegazey than her previous work, with plenty of fuzzy grit.

It's been five years so hopefully a new album is coming soon!

I like the new Tiny Ruins songs, pretty indie-folk with memorable hooks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4feBg1lmrU