Groeni - Hedre
The Wellington music cognoscenti have been excited about Groeni for some time. Recently there has been somewhat of a wider breakout. Groeni was originally ex-music student Alexander Green's solo project, but he has now been joined by Mike Isaacs and James Paul, both also ex-music students. "Hedre" is typical of their tight, subtle and assured approach to building moody, atmospheric electronic textures, coupled with that soulful NZ male vocal timbre which I think maybe subconsciously can trace its DNA to Trinity Roots' beautiful music of the late 90s, early 2000s. I hear echoes often, and not just in Groeni's work. The "Hedre" video is an absolute stunner. Created and directed by Joel Fear, it is a simple concept, brilliantly executed. Hypnotic and complete. Difficult to believe it is his first video effort. With electronics at its core, Groeni's is not a sound one would associate with dynamic live performance (only so much nodding one can do in front of a keyboard!) but from what I hear, the band can deliver live. Wellington music journalist Martyn Pepperell told me, "they're making psychedelic folk with a bass music frame – this is exciting – but that's really exciting is seeing it cleanly delivered by a live band. That's what makes all the difference and helps set them apart." "Hedre" as an overall offering is almost achingly beautiful and up there with the best of 2015. If you are liking this, the new "Hinde" EP is due out October 1st and will be available at the Bandcamp link below. The band is touring to launch the EP. Details can be found at the Facebook link below. I have also included a link to the (very good) www.wireless.co.nz video premiere article as it fleshes out the band better than one of my usual blog posts can. I love this band. Can't wait to see them live.
http://groeni.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groeniband
http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/video-premiere-groeni-hedre
Groeni - Hedre [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
Diamond Field - This City feat. Matthew Ruys
As L.P. Hartley wrote "the past is a foreign country: they do things differently there", Auckland in the '80s was a very different place to the city it has become. At night it was often quite empty except around the many night clubs that sprouted around the edge of the CBD. It was so much quieter, and less the partly Asian city it has become (I'm not saying that is a good thing). Music had emerged from the Australasian pub rock sound w/ splashes of disco, there were surges of punk, ska and post-punk, then with the emergence of synth-pop and the New Romantic movement (which somehow seemed to sit side-by-side w/ soul and RnB) we had a sound that for me, this track evokes, probably heightened by the Radio with Pictures' Peter Blake (oldies will know that name) "cinema" video effects. Just standing around in videos was also a classic "cool" device. May I stress production standards were pretty poor back then, and "This City" does not suffer from that problem. Great vocals from Matthew Ruys, and a stunning electronic back-drop driven by classic DX7 samples, such as the synth bass and electronic piano, layered up against a chorused slap bass. The overall sound of this outstanding "blue-eyed soul" track places somewhere between 1984 and 1987. The track would not have been out of place in long-disappeared nightclubs such as Quays, Zanzibar and the Six Month Club. Diamond Field is NYC-based Kiwi Andrew White. He and Matthew put the video together on the smell of an old oily rag, using an iPhone 6 Plus and Final Cut Pro. Impressive considering that. The single is available through Luca Discs/Future City Records. You can buy it and various remixes at the Bandcamp link below.
https://diamondfield.bandcamp.com/album/this-city-feat-matthew-ruys-special-maxi-single
Diamond Field feat. Matthew Ruys 'This City' Official Music Video
The Impending Adorations - Land of the Long White Cloud
When Paul McLaney (who is The Impending Adorations) released his series of progressive-rock-influenced singles earlier this year, I was quietly worried we might not get the fourth instalment of his "G.I.F.T." anthology (the acronym using the first letter of each of the album titles). The first three were "Gestalt", "Intentions", and "Further", and now we have "Threshold". Each is a masterpiece of electronic post-rock using found sounds and ambient textures to build evocative sonic landscapes, topped off by Paul's distinctive vocal stylings. I think this might just be one of the greatest bodies of work put out by a NZ artist, although I am not sure how many people know it exists. To a certain degree Paul's music is an acquired taste, but I have found that once I discarded artistic prejudice, it has been immensely rewarding to listen to. There are several dominant tracks on the latest album, my favourites being "Each Life's Legacy", "Threshold", and this track "Land of the Long White Cloud", from my experience one of the more political of Paul's tracks, although it is far from an overt statement. Rather I interpret it is a subtle lament at the destructive short-termism of modern neo-liberal New Zealand. The lyrics are provided below. Paul put the video together himself, using found footage. It works beautifully. If you would like to hear more of The Impending Adorations' music, you can listen/buy at the link below. Please buy it if you like it.
Land of the Long White Cloud lyrics...
Flags in the harbour like vertigo reach into the distance of letting go
The Sun's shining like a bonfire in the sky
Voice of the ocean in the throat of a shell
Spectators in the frontline sell
The possibilities of everything that money can buy
Land of the Long White Cloud
Your time is up
The Sun beats down
Land of the Long White Cloud
You filled your cup just to pour it out
A loud rhythm of silence greets
The chorus of approval from these dead end streets
The Sun's shining like a furnace in the sky
Histories for sale at the highest price
Auctions of ambitions offer up the birthrights
Of generations yet to claim them
Land of the Long White Cloud
Your time is up
The Sun beats down
Land of the Long White Cloud
You filled your cup just to pour it out
God defend us