Introverted Dancefloor - Happiness is Such A Mess

This is music for musicians, and for those who like to think about their music as much as feel it. Introverted Dancefloor is the name of a new project from Bevan Smith, known for running a variety of monikers over time...Aspen, Skallender, Signer...and also for being one half of one the great NZ bands of the mid-2000s, Over The Atlantic. The new self-titled album from which "Happiness is Such A Mess" hails has taken four years to arrive. It sounds like it was an almost tortured genesis. Bevan deliberately put himself under a lot of pressure to create an album that was difficult to make. Limiting himself to only two synths, one mic, one filter and one effects processor, many of the songs were scratched and restarted. "Happiness.." demands quite a few listens to get inside one's subconscious, but it is a pleasure after several. And it is not just an aural experience, bringing with it some simple, hopefully helpful, existentialism...(!)

"If you ever feel unhappy,
don't forget that things are bound to change,
not that change is such a good thing,
there's a chance that things might get much worse" 

The stunning video that accompanies this single  was directed by Rowan Pierce, with photography by Matt Henley. Choreography was by Victoria Colombus with dancers Errol Anderson and Emma Martin. Bevan has been on the Carpark Records label since 1999 and says he feels grateful to still be one of what we know to be a stable of well-respected artists. But his continued presence on the label is not accidental. Here is an artist who must continue to interest music fans. And there is an integrity to the intellectualism he brings to it. It is also fun. A range of links are provided below to enable the reader to get to know Introverted Dancefloor better. Highly recommended. Watch out for the album release in September. Hopefully we will get a few more video releases ahead of the release date.

https://www.facebook.com/introverteddancefloor
http://carparkrecords.com/press/introverteddancefloor/
https://soundcloud.com/carparkrecords/happiness-is-such-a-mess-introverted-dancefloor
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/nat-music/audio/201762935/introverted-dancefloor

Introverted Dancefloor - "Happiness is Such A Mess"

Glass Vaults - Sojourn

Gorgeous. Everything that Glass Vaults has been, but warmer. Glass Vaults' new album "Sojourn" is launching in September. The two releases so far indicate an evolution from what I experienced as a ambient melodic electronic focus with often-times dense minor scale textures, to what might be a more guitar-driven (but not dominated) sound, and a sunnier tonal outlook. The "Sojourn" single is my favourite of the two tracks released so far, "Sacred Heart" being the first release. "Sojourn" is a simple love song with a big heart, and layers of rich melody, texture...and light? Impressionist music maybe. The cover art hints at this. Richard Larsen's vocals seem enhanced by the context. And the second lift of the song at 3:10 is one of those dopamine moments. I recommend you listen to this on very good headphones, or on a sound system with good bass response. The beautifully-constructed video is the work of Ryan Fielding, and uses some footage from the much-missed "Camp A Low Hum" music festival which I regret never having attended. The love song could just as easily have been for the festival, a meeting of those that follow alternative life paths and the music that seems to be an integral part of it all. As it is, Paul Simon's "Graceland" and the NZ summer are also objects of the artists' affection here. I will be buying "Sojourn". If you would like to listen to the first two singles right now, or even get acquainted with historical material, please go to the link below. I own everything Glass Vaults have released so far.

http://glassvaults.bandcamp.com/

Glass Vaults - Sojourn

Little Bark - New York and The Dead

I profiled Little Bark's "Party" from the 2010 album "Hope Is Rubbery" album yesterday. Today we have Sophie Burbery's latest single, "New York and The Dead", a more intense offering with house/disco roots, and a bloodline that goes back to acts such as the Pet Shop Boys and Giorgio Moroder.  The song is another example of Sophie Burbery's strong songwriting abilities, this recording being very well put together with great dynamics, nicely-balanced arrangements...and a healthy dose of drama. I love that chorus with the “Gregorian monks” on backing vocals!  I could easily imagine the song as a Top 40 hit internationally, but for me, what is interesting is that might also be in the hands of another act. Such is the beauty of Sophie's songs, which I think are eminently "saleable" to a range of artists. For example, (and hopefully not treading on too many toes), I can easily imagine someone like Rihanna using "New York and the Dead".  So where did "Little Bark" come from? Sophie Burbery started recording with Conrad Wedde (ex-The Phoenix Foundation) about seven years ago, the result being the very well-received video "I Need A Shot" (at link below). As a result of the search for a pseudonym, the partnership came to be named after their cat, "Little Bark". Sophie has material that fits less easily under the synth-poppy Little Bark moniker, so she presents those songs under the "Sophie Burbery" tag.  She describes these songs as being more "indie" and they do tend to have a darker, more contemplative feel, although synths remain. The "New York and The Dead" single was a collaboration with Stef Animal (Mestar, Golden Awesome) and took over a year to put together. The video, which Wellington writer Martyn Pepperell appropriately pegged as “possessing an inverse scale to the huge disco/house informed synth rock sound”, was directed by Mike Heynes, assisted by (Little Bark guitarist) Menno Huibers. It was shot at Sophie's parents' bach  (NZ term for a vacation home) at Waitarere (near Wellington), with costume supplied by her mother's wedding dress! The new album, being done in collaboration with Stef Animal, is called "USB". Sophie described it as a combination of "Sophie Burbery" and "Little Bark". You will be able to buy it at the Bandcamp link below. In the interim, you can download “New York and The Dead” for free at the link.

http://littlebark.bandcamp.com/

The "I Need A Shot" video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVCvjubacVk

Little Bark - New York and The Dead

Little Bark - Party

I caught the last two thirds of "Party" by Little Bark on C4 many months ago, and since then I have been trying to find out who it was, and where I could get access to the song. I got there finally yesterday, and unusually for NZMusic4U, I will be posting two videos in succession as I believe we have an enormously talented songwriter in Sophie Burbery. There are clear 80s and 90s influences in her work, but the songs are strong enough to transmit across genres and could be used by a variety of artists. I wonder to what degree she is "published" offshore? More on Sophie tomorrow. "Party" was co-produced with Conrad Wedde (ex-The Phoenix Foundation), and mixed/mastered by Dale Cotton (The Bats, Bachelorette, Beastwars). The video was directed by John Lake. You can buy the 2010 "Hope is Rubbery" album from which "Party" is sourced, at the link below. Tomorrow, we will cover the latest material.

http://littlebark.bandcamp.com/album/hope-is-rubbery-2



'Party' - Little Bark

The Ruby Suns - Kingfisher Call Me

One of my singles of the year, "Kingfisher Call Me" from The Ruby Suns demanded a video of comparable quality, and here we have one, directed by Sweden's Frode & Marcus (Lykke Li, El Perro del Mar). Coming from an unusual tangent with a very hairy, very primeval-looking Ryan McPhun, it is not what I imagined for the song with it's 80s musical references, but works brilliantly. The song is off  The Ruby Suns' (keenly awaited) new album "Christopher", which was recorded, at least partially, in Norway. The album will be released in January 2013 on the Memphis Industries label. Knowing very little about Scandinavian mythologies, but still a little, I can picture the cultural fabric this video might be emerging from. We have ended up with a sort of Scandinavian forest psychedelia. I love it. You can find out more about The Ruby Suns at the link below.

http://www.memphis-industries.com/artist/the-ruby-suns/



The Ruby Suns - Kingfisher Call Me