Eye of the beholder

One of the highlights from Camp A Low Hum, The All Seeing Hand are now embarking on a nationwide tour, playing 12 shows over four weeks around New Zealand. The Wellington trio combine staggering thrash drums at breakneck speed with indiscernible avant-garde vocals and extreme samples. The high-energy noise they create is like a religious experience, engulfing you in their creationism until you’re basically preaching at their altar. When we saw them play a little low-ceilinged hall in the bush outside of Wellington, they arranged themselves in a circle on the floor, with candles lining the beams above them. People were getting into it in an epic way. It was a sight to behold.

The merging of each member’s musical backgrounds makes for an incredibly unique experience. Drummer Ben Knight’s hardcore punk roots (Teen Hygiene, Rogernomix) come out in his relentless and manic yet incredibly controlled and restrained drum smashing. Meanwhile, former national turntable champion Alphabethead fuses insane otherworldly influences and Noel St Cosmos contributes creepy, guttural but utterly suiting vocals to the mix. They have to be seen to be believed!

More tour information on Facebook

The All Seeing Hand on Facebook

Listen to The All Seeing Hand on Bandcamp

Posted by Sarah Gooding under New Zealand, Wellington
No Comments

Warped All Day

Take a ride on Cartoon’s magic carpet through an interstellar world of warped synths, squeals and relentless barrelling drums. Listening to the album 69er On A Magic Carpet is like being stuck in a remixed computer game, upside down. Dizzying sounds whir past at breakneck speed in an ever-upbeat utopia. In the spirit of Dan Deacon, Ryan Bennett’s energy levels remain high in a constant state of psychotic bliss. With chewy synths splitting the crisp cuts of seamless melodies it seems like he barely takes a breath throughout the entire album. An epic drum master from a myriad of bands, including Megaheroes, Ryan continues his effortless conquering of the skins with this frenetic attack. Enlisted to help with the album’s production were Luke Rowell (Disasteradio) and Jeremy Coubrough (Marineville, Signer, Orchestra of Spheres and founder of the Rampant Runes label) with mixing, Jason Post with mastering and Tim Shann with drum recording. The album was officially released on January 2 and screen printed cassettes should be available soon from Epic Sweep Records. Download the album from bandcamp now for pay-as-you-like and buy a sweet t-shirt!

Listen to Cartoon’s interview with Australia’s Noosa Community radio

Posted by Sarah Gooding under New Zealand, Wellington
No Comments

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 on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
No Comments

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
1 Comment

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).

Artwork by Becky Routley

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
No Comments

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 on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
No Comments

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.

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

Wet Wings on Facebook

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
No Comments

Goldilocks and the Three Beers

The dynamic team that comprises Wellington rapper Tommy Ill and his oh-so-clever music video-making buddy Brian Hainsworth released this awesome music video for ‘Secondhand Concorde’ on Monday. True to their creative form, it’s a cartoonish, funny take on everyday problems, set to a visual theme of goldilocks and the three beers. My favourite? “This beer is too baked beansy!” Tommy’s lyrics in this single – his third off his latest album – are remarkably honest and genuine, musing on playing shows to pay the rent because he spent all his money already. Brian’s smart direction injects even more colour and frivolity into Tommy’s imaginative tale, with style nods that could perhaps be to Michel Gondry and Wes Anderson. Watch the brilliant video below and see for yourself. This is probably my new favourite Tommy Ill song, too.

I Hope Nothing Happens

Wellington songwriter, Tobias Brockie has been releasing music under various rhinoceros related pseudonyms for like five years or something – maybe longer than that. It’s hard to tell with fiercely ‘in bedroom’ musicians like this, who you hear traces of on and off for as long as you can remember ‘local music’ being a thing that exists. Currently working under the Rhinoceros Brave moniker, Brockie’s efforts make for guttural and often cacophonous listening. Slacked out mumbles and forceful drumming. His latest offering – the seven track EP, Dark Star Athena – is no different. It’s all messy and frustrated and sounds like it comes out with great difficulty. You can see him when you listen, strangling his instruments and playing just as loud as he possibly can without aggravating the neighbours. I think it’s this restraint that makes his music so appealing. Because when he finally manages to vent it feels real real good. The title track is just that. Feels like the massive cum shot you’ve been jonesing for since the first track. Feels real real good.

The angst carries over into his lyrics as well. Existential looming or something. He sounds scared about something. It doesn’t surprise me that Brockie spends his days as a subeditor in the newsroom of one of our nation’s print conglomerates. Makes sense. Right. It’s hard to read a newspaper and not feel like killing yourself.

In the not too distant future he’ll be releasing a single on French label, Beko DSL.You can find his music on his blog where he posts his wry, measured and mostly hilarious musings, as well as his outsider cuts.

Rhinoceros Brave- I Once Dug A Girl:MP3

Rhinoceros Brave- To Go Home: MP3

Rhinoceros Brave- SoundCloud

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, Wellington
1 Comment

Upgrade Your Chassis

Olugbenga Adelekan, bass player in UK band Metronomy and part-time DJ/producer recently sent us this remix he pieced together of So So Modern’s ‘Give Everything’ and ‘Berlin’. The song was originally arranged for a remix compilation that So So Modern had planned to release in conjunction with the NZ/Aus release of their debut album Crude Futures, but unfortunately the remix compilation never happened.

Olugbenga wanted you, as fans of So So Modern and Metronomy to hear it. Adding Nigerian church music and vocals spoken in his father’s native Yoruba language, the remix centres around the looping of Grayson Gilmour’s voice and a yelping “hey”. Electronics squeal and whisper away amid a remixed drum beat with African undertones, while the rhythm runs on a well timed mathematical cycle.  It strips So So Modern back to a minimal house sound, while retaining the band’s schizoid energy and strict structure. There’s layering towards the end of the song that makes it somewhat spacey and primeval.

Purchase Crude Futures from Transgressive Records

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand, UK, Wellington
No Comments