Lost in New York

Last time we featured Pikachunes on EMJ someone commented saying, “(this) sounds more like a 12-year-old boy experimenting with electronic music programs in his room and just not getting them right.” Another commenter said, “these beats sound like they were made on fruity loops or some shit.” But the overall response was pretty positive and live crowds around the country always seem totally into it. Most recently, signed to Lil’ Chief Records, Pikachunes toured the USA with Princess Chelsea and received a mention on MTV Iggy. This new video, filmed while on tour in New York City sees him walking around the city in a Pikachu suit, visiting a few famous landmarks and bringing smiles to the faces of serious New Yorkers. The video was directed by Doug Schachtel who has previously made music videos for The Go! Team and The Brunettes.

‘Like’ Pikachunes on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under Auckland, New Zealand
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Slug Guts Flying Through Space

New(ish) Wellington trio Sunken Seas step out with a post-rock/pop number, combining the noisier moments of Secret Knives (think ‘Black Hole’) with the ricocheting guitar sound of Spacemen 3. It’s a little bit Flying Nun too, with HDU and Bailter Space having an obvious influence on the band, and there’s a hint of British indie rockers The Horrors in the bass lines. The band was formed after the trio’s previous project (Tiddabades) ended. Leaving behind their angular guitar days for a more structured approach, members Ryan Harte, Craig Rattray and Luke Kavanagh have gone semi-shoegaze without being overly aggressive with their distortion pedals. It allows the previously mentioned pop elements to creep in, creating a more positive atmosphere while retaining some of the darker elements that the band so obviously embrace (watch the video for ‘High Rise’). Their first single, and only release to date is a serenading vocal-less song titled ‘High Rise’. It can be downloaded for free from Bandcamp or you can watch it with moving pictures over on Youtube.

Sunken Seas – High Rise: MP3

Sunken Seas on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
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Across the Ocean

Glass Vaults has been getting airtime on KEXP 90.3FM in Seattle with their new single ‘Gold Star’, largely thanks to their US label Jukboxr. The song is the first to be released from the band’s forthcoming EP Into Clear, out on vinyl and CD in the US and released digitally here in New Zealand on October 31. But while the EP title Into Clear suggests a bright pristine sound, without mystique or unusual curiosities, ‘Gold Star’ draws a direct oxymoron, developing an environment where darkness and eerie imagery are an essential catalyst for the music’s moody disposition. Richard Larsen’s voice is like that of a man awash with emotion, while Rowan Pierce adds shimmering backing vocals to extend Larsen’s vociferous call. Bevan Smith (Signer) produced the album, so as imaginable the quality is superb, full of smoothed edges and whimsical rhythms that float beneath Larsen and Pierce’s voices remarkably well. The accompanying image here is by Hannah Sutherland, and will be used as an insert inside the CD and vinyl versions of Into Clear. It also goes with a similar theme the band is adopting for the ‘Gold Star’ video, which still has an undecided release date.

Glass Vaults will play three release shows this October/November: Auckland on October 21 in St Kevins Arcade, Whanganui on October 22 at Space Monster and  in Wellington on November 5 at Matterhorn. All shows will be with Seth Frightening.

Glass Vaults on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
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Life & Debt

Back in June our friend Matthew Scheurich was shot with a bow and arrow while living in the Papua New Guinean jungle. The attack made international news headlines. He’s now back living in Auckland, New Zealand, recovering from his traumatic experience. In an email today he said, “chest pains flare up from time to time”, but that his “lung capacity feels much better now.” Since his near-death experience Matt has been working on a new musical project, to help him deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s titled it Bow Arrow and it’s very different from his previous work as rapper MC Stormtroopa and in punk band Damsels. Bow Arrow is a very gloomy project, full of rich electronic textures and dark motifs. There’s a lot of pain and trauma in the lyrics, with thundery echoes surrounding his voice. It’s got a dark, witch-house sound, similar to Salem, Nite Jewel and Chelsea Wolfe.

The first Bow Arrow release, titled Σ Of An Aftermath, can be downloaded from Bandcamp. Please donate generously, as Matt’s financial situation has been severely strained since leaving hospital and returning to New Zealand. You can listen to ‘Glitter’ here on EMJ.

Bow Arrow – Glitter: MP3

Posted by Nick Fulton under Auckland, Hamilton, New Zealand
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Grounded

We’ve already featured Cool Cult on EMJ several times this year – back in March when they released their debut album Try Crunch, and then in June as the featured artist for the global Music Alliance Pact. Now with the help of talented Auckland film crew A Soft Caress, the band has released their first video for ‘Tomorrow’, one of many standout tracks off Try Crunch. The video sees the band sitting in a lobby… perhaps waiting for… tomorrow? And is cut up to include footage of the band’s ferocious live set. Soaring guitars dominate the song, carrying a noisy post-punk shoegaze energy.

Cool Cult on Facebook

Purchase Cool Cult’s debut album Try Crunch

Posted by Nick Fulton under Auckland, New Zealand
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Cat Food Never Decays

Remember American college rock from the ’90s? Superchunk, Sebadoh and Pavement appear to be huge influences on Auckland band Meese and their press release confirms it, also name-checking Modest Mouse and Built To Spill. This video for their single ‘Waiting For A Holiday’ is built upon a retro ’90s vibe, in the spirit of reckless DIY grunge videos and VCR-style technology. The three band members (Alex Angrignon, Sophie van der Linden and Sam Harper) build up an image of a psychedelic wonderland, playing in front of a green screen with a montage of nuns, biblical scenes and old cartoons. They even jump into the future, thinking ahead from circa 1995 and seemingly imagining the world of digital technology in 2002. It’s simple, catchy and fun – three essential elements of a good pop song.

‘Waiting For A Holiday’ is the first single taken from Meese’s debut album Pieces of You, Pieces of Meese, out on September 16. The single can be heard over on their Bandcamp page.

Meese on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under Auckland, New Zealand
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An Artist’s Impression Of Music

‘Buildings’, the first single off Fuyuko’s Fables’ debut EP, is an absolute delight. Driven by a wonderfully archaic sounding drum beat with a dash of reverb encasing the vocals, the song sounds like the younger sibling to Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. There’s something very special about this group – their sound is crisp, gentle and sincere, achieving the perfect balance between reflection and observation. Their songs build upon winding vocal melodies, tensile guitar rhythms and disciplined harmonies, before climaxing on the perfect monumental axis. The relatively new Wellington five-piece are the latest to join a talented line-up of local folk icons, alongside Seth Frightening, Wet Wings and The Body Lyre. The group is Scott Maynard (bass/lead vocals), Al Green (drums/vocals), Jeremy Hunter (guitar/vocals), Matt Maynard (drums/vocals) and Mike Isaacs (bass/ clarinet/vocals).  This is the best debut EP of 2011 – download Fuyuko’s Fables’ EP now from Bandcamp (name your price). The MP3s below are low 128kbps bit rate.

Fuyuko’s Fables- Buildings: MP3

Fuyuko’s Fables- No Such Thing As A Green Eyed Fox: MP3

Fuyuko’s Fables on Myspace

Artwork by Becky Routley

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
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Wild Flames

Former Christchurch – now Auckland – shoegazers O’Lovely have just released their debut album after months of reworking, refining and securing the approval of all three band members. Vocalist/keyboardist Laura-Lee Watson has no shame in describing herself as a ‘perfectionist’, and for those able to compare this album with the band’s previous, somewhat rare EP (20o9′s Lost Luck) , the smoothing and polishing off of several two-year-old songs is easily noticeable. Titled Constellations, the album contains four songs from the EP, all with subtle changes, ranging from tempo, vocal delivery and the rerecording of some guitar parts to sound stronger and less abrasive. Engineered by Dale Cotton (Die! Die! Die!, HDU), the album is the perfect accompaniment to New Zealand’s moody, unpredictable winter. There’s a lack of space in the songs that provide a warm, enveloping sense of safety-by-sound, where it’s hard to doze but easy to lie curled up in a warm cocoon. Slow to begin though, the album does require some patience, but once into songs like ‘Bright Lights’, ‘Wild Flames’ and ‘Wave’ you’ll be fully involved, as these tracks have a whimsical decadence, merging together in a traditional stark shoegaze manner. Right now you can check out the band’s latest single ‘Bright Lights’, streaming below.

Constellations can be downloaded from itunes and physical copies can be purchased by emailing the band at theolovelys@gmail.com

O’Lovely- Bright Lights: MP3

O’Lovely on Facebook

TOUR DATES
Wellington - Friday 26th August @ Mighty Mighty w/ Pikachunes
Christchurch - Saturday 27th @ The Brewery w/ Von Klap
Auckland - 9th September @ Whammy Bar w/ Your Mother The Mountain

Posted by Nick Fulton under Auckland, New Zealand
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Smoggy Nights Head Underground

Brooke Singer and John Fitzgerald are a relatively new duo who crept onto the Wellington folk music scene in February. They first caught my attention a few months ago via Twitter and now again with the first single (‘The Cats’) from their debut EP, which they’re hoping to release in October. The band structure is simple – Singer, a former member of Christchurch folk duo Ragamuffin Children and an original member of the shoegaze band O’Lovely, plays keyboard, guitar and sings while Fitzgerald holds down lead guitar. ‘The Cats’ is a beautifully enchanted tale of loneliness, loss and escapism, capturing emotion not only in the lyrics but also through the repetitive instrumental tide that dominates the second half of the song. Adding to the song is an ensemble of backing musicians, including members of St. Rupertsberg on backing vocals, Ben Wood on drums, William Sklenars on bass and Glen Clark on trumpet. The song sounds like it belongs near the seaside, where stray cats live among broken dingies fighting spring tides and dodging freak waves. There’s something about the song that relates to the ocean; its isolation, its continuous lapping rhythm and its unknown, undiscovered vastness.

You can stream and download ‘The Cats’ below. All proceeds from the purchase of the song will go towards mastering the band’s EP.

French For Rabbits- The Cats: MP3

French For Rabbits on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
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Tales of the Riverbank

Finally available to be fully digested after several tracks slowly trickled on to the internet over the past month, is Wet Wings’ strikingly beautiful debut album Glory Glory. Both ‘Stockholm’ and ‘Feeeel It’  introduced the album in June, as a work centred more around Lucy Botting’s voice and a retro blend of atmospheric electronics and rustic guitar playing. The full album, released yesterday, reveals a more characterised personality, full of soft focus sounds and cascading instrumental arrangements. ‘Stockholm’, named after the Swedish city, gives off a wintry Scandinavian vibe, recalling the lighter touches of Peter, Bjorn and John, pre- Writer’s Block; ‘Stay Inside’ with its chiming keyboard closely resembling the sound of ringing church bells is again an icy composition, but Botting’s voice turns it into a soft lullaby, leaving with the afterthought that if she really unleashed she could sound a lot like Debbie Harry. ‘Last Day Of Summer’ is a more vibrant song, delivered with an edgy sounding selection of quickly interchanging keyboard notes, packing the mid section of the album with positivity. Glory Glory then drifts back into a near dormant state, with the aptly titled ‘We’ve Lost Her’, followed by ‘A Terrible Thing’ and ‘Grace’ bringing grief to an album already heavily skewed towards the darker side of life.

Wet Wings- Feeeel It: MP3

Download Wet Wings’ debut album, out now on Lil’ Chief Records

Wet Wings on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
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