August's New Music at Te Awe
Welcome to this month's picks of the new CDs on our shelves.
I’m Mark, the Music & Film Specialist at Wellington City Libraries. I buy music for the CD & Vinyl collections, and also run the Libraries’ Wellington Music Facebook page. My Music Specialist colleague Sam, and Fiction Specialist (and avid music fan) Neil, join me every month to cast an eye over the new material we have been buying for the music collection at our CBD Te Awe library. We pick out some interesting titles across a range of music genres and try to limit our reviews to a few lines only. Read on to find some new listening!
The Endless Echo / Pye Corner Audio
Sam says: Endless Echo is the eleventh full-length work from experimental/electronic composer Martin Jenkins under the moniker ‘Pye Corner Audio’. No doubt influenced by his recent film scoring work, the album conjures a deeply cinematic atmosphere, featuring densely rich soundscapes and retroactive 80s-esque synth flourishes that evoke the classic era of John Carpenter film scores. As the darkly expressive album cover suggests, there is a potent sense of brooding menace within the music, underpinned by slick, danceable beats that call to mind some of the instrumental elements of 90s-era Depeche Mode. Endless Echo may not necessarily be breaking any new ground; however, it stands as a compelling and heavily atmospheric work from a prolific artist operating at the top of their game.
Nothing can stop me : Liberty Records rarities 1960-1962 / DeShannon, Jackie
Mark says: Tribute albums are common now, however they were far less so the early 60s, and even less so was the artistic vision of young women in the music business. This is the debut album that Jackie DeShannon wanted to make after being signed to Liberty Records after 3 successful singles. Unfortunately, in November 1961 not long after Jackie’s sessions were recorded, Bobby Darin released an album’s worth of Ray Charles songs, so this debut album was shelved and remained unreleased until now. Comprising performances of songs from the Ray Charles repertoire, plus 13 rare bonus Liberty masters, this is an interesting early example of female singer interpreting the cannon of a classic male artist from another genre.
Sam Says: Bernard Butler has been a mainstay in popular British music for over 30 years, most notably as the founding guitarist of Britpop pioneers Suede. He garnered high praise as a guitar player, being noted by many critics as the greatest guitarist of his generation. While he has remained active as a songwriter/producer following his departure from Suede in the mid-90s (collaborating with a wide range of artists including Roy Orbsion, Neneh Cherry and The Pretenders), Good Grief stands as his first solo album in 25 years. There is an immediate sense of maturity and reflection within the songs, which showcase the wealth of Butler’s artistry over the past several decades. The weary yet emotive vocals are underpinned by lushly sophisticated arrangements that brim with sincerity. Overall, Good Grief is a strong effort from a well-seasoned artist.
Mark Says: Irish indie-folk duo Lemoncello are Laura Quirke and Claire Kinsella, who have just released their debut album on the reactivated Claddagh Records label (home of Lankum). Primarily cello based tracks underpin the album, as traditions meet the modern musical dissections of Gen-x musicians, and tales of disillusioned relationships. The friendship between them and the deep musical roots of the Dublin scene provide a basis for a pastoral & personal vision, but full of eerie edgy unease. Kinsella’s vocals bring to mind Dolores O'Riordan in places.
Sam Says: Following the well-received debut album I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me in 2022, Liverpudlian indie darlings King Hannah return with their sophomore full-length effort Big Swimmer. the group expand on their established sound, comfortably flexing into new territory with a notably heightened confidence. Merrick’s smoky vocals soar over Whittle’s blazing guitar lines to great effect, creating a beguilingly moody atmosphere. There is a palpable sense of dynamic restrain and release in the arrangements, with alluring low-key passages giving way to roaring climaxes on several of the album’s 11 tracks. Big Swimmer is a triumphant record from a promising young act.
Mark Says: After the universal praise & success of her third album Vulture Prince cemented her reputation, the Grammy winning Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab is back with her 4th album. There are so many superlatives you could throw at this album & her rich Urdu & English vocals, it’s almost hard to know where to start. Ultimately, it’s an elegiac, brooding, and immersive album that channels a larger sense of improvisation, collaborations & discovery, as it pulls threads from Western & Hindu traditions, weaving them into a mysterious and evocative new tapestry.
Neil Says: Arooj Aftab shot to international fame and acclaim with her fabulous 2021 album Vulture Prince, one of our picks of the year that year. She visited Aotearoa / New Zealand last year playing the Michael Fowler Centre and then WOMAD, where she rightfully was hailed as one of the highlights of the festival. ‘Night Reign’ is her fourth album and finds the singer expanding on her unique take on Hindustani and Western classical musical traditions, fused with cool-jazz and folk music. Like ‘Vulture Prince’ the album manages to be mellow, sad, tranquil, beautiful and also intense and passionate, all in the same moment. In short, another outstanding album from one of the best singers of our time, still riding high in her imperial phase.
Mark Says: Earth Tongue are guitarist Gussie Larkin (Mermaidens) & drummer Ezra Simons. Initially somewhat of a musical side hustle, this heavy psych duo has evolved into a band just as successful as Mermaidens. Their sophomore album is a showcase of fuzzy guitar work meeting propulsive drums and a series of homages to old horror movies, plagues, spooky Lovecraftian mythology, and Satan himself. The musicianship on display is really too encompassing & melodically engaging to really pin down as being part of one genre or style. Full of clever time signatures and riffs, they meld in elements of proto-metal, reverb laden psych, spacey rock and pop harmonies, while managing that rare balancing act of taking it all seriously, while of course having their tongue firmly in cheek.
Neil Says: Back in the early 1980s there was only one club to go to, Blitz, that it was so cool it could turn away the likes of Mick Jagger. This collection of CDs presents an extensive snapshot of the clubs play list, not to mention also capturing a musical moment in time where dramatic changes in musical taste and styles were occurring. This multi-disc collection brilliantly captures the scene and a musical revolution in full flow, and is curated by the Blitz’s regular D.J. Rusty Egan who set much of the tone of the scene. The Blitz club in London started off as a post punk club for scene makers, spinning the likes of Roxy Music, David Bowie and Iggy pop. But it quickly evolved into the birthplace of the New Romantic movement, playing at the time cutting edge artists like John Foxx, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark and The Human League. It also launched the careers of huge 80s acts like Culture Club and Spandau Ballet, and more genre defining acts like Visage. Fashion was as much part of the Blitz scene as music - check out David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes video which uses Blitz regulars in full nightclubbing regalia to see the scenes look: