Olivia Chaney’s second album is an accomplished and smooth, if unexciting, collection of chamber folk ballads. The follow-up to 2015 debut The Longest River treads much of the same ground as that album – Chaney’s soft elegant vocals, sparse acoustic backing, mid-tempo carefully dignified compositions.
At the opening night of his NZ tour, Marlon Williams gave an emotional and musically meandering performance at The Hunter Lounge in Wellington. Coming back after an overseas stint, the sold-out show was the first that Williams played in his home country since the release of his excellent sophomore album Make Way For Love. New […]
“I’ve got a lot on my mind/but I don’t know how to say it” sings Courtney Barnett on Sunday Roast. Coming at the end of an album called Tell Me How You Really Feel, it’s an almost humorous contradiction that incidentally points to the shortcomings of Barnett’s lyrical approach on the LP.
Last night, the pews of St Peter’s Church of central Wellington were occupied with what I imagine is not the usual attending crowd. A mix of aging hipsters, ex-punks and the occasional younger attendees filed in and filled the ornate church. The entrance into the church was filled with a distinct herbal odour most likely […]
For an album where the last line is “and the pussycat died miserable”, The New King is a pleasant gentle listening experience. The second full-length from Auckland’s Carnivorous Plant Society is a dreamy tropical collection of mostly instrumental pieces, fleshed out with some spoken word story-reading and a handful of guest vocal appearances.
New South Wales duo Hockey Dad brought an energetic set of summery garage rockers with them to Wellington last night, making up with conviction what they occasionally lacked in originality.
Perfume Genius – Odlins Plaza March 13, 2018 Seattle’s alternative-pop star Perfume Genius played his first of two consecutive Wellington dates in majestic fashion, fusing well-written pop with experimental elements and a visually arresting performance. The venue was the picturesque and cosy circular pop-up tent (“tent” is somewhat of a reductive term in this instance) […]
The New Zealand Festival continues this week in Wellington. Tim Gruar and Ruben Mita were there to sample some of the music and events. Highlights include: collaborations between Lawrence Arabia, Luke Buda and Sam Scott and another with Laughton Kora and Bailey Wiley; a dazzling jazz performance from American bass king Thundercat; folk by The […]
“No one’s here to stay” repeats Kim Deal a third of the way into All Nerve, The Breeders’ long-awaited new studio album. Coming over the menacing groove of MetaGoth, that sounds like it could have been recorded by the group any time since they formed in 1989, the line is a strong reminder of the […]
Wellingtonian folk artist Emily Fairlight screened the music video to her gorgeous new single The Escape last night in Wellington’s picturesque Bats Theatre, treating the small audience to an intimate set afterwards.