And This... #1: Leonard Charles

AND THIS... 
#1
Leonard Charles

And This... is a new thang where I'm going to highlight a tune, or an artist, or a label, or something or rather, that has caught my ear during the week. The idea is to update weekly. We'll see how we go with that. The intention's good, anyway.

First up, Leonard Charles, a side project of the multi-limbed Jeremy Toy. Created as an outlet for music made while healing from a cowardly king-hit outside an Auckland bar where he'd just finished performing, Leonard Charles' trip is all loose-limbed, funky-ass, head-nodding goodness, which you absolutely need to wrap your head around. Below is his version of 'The Look Of Love', and it's a stone cold classic.

I've always taken a keen interest in Jeremy's music; be it on his own as Ota, with the Opensouls band and with She's So Rad, or his forays into production, dude is one talented guy. It sucks hard when anyone is involved in an unprovoked assault, but it always seems to sting more when it happens to a real good fella.

Check out Leonard Charles on soundcloud here, or bandcamp here. Also take the time to visit She's So Rad's bandcamp page and website; and From The Crate Records' soundcloud page.

Review: Julien Dyne 'Glimpse'

JULIEN DYNE
Glimpse
[BBE/Wonderful Noise]

Dilla sure has a lot to answer for. I'm not (necessarily!) saying Dilla was not (one of!) the G.O.A.T., but I am saying he has spawned a helluva lot of imitators and copycats. Most innovators do, right? Sure, but the problem with his signature beat-heavy, vibe-laden, head-nod style is that you need to have an ear for clever arrangement of the elements in order to keep the listener engaged. Dilla did it brilliantly. Others? Not so much. Julien Dyne? Most of the time, yes, and sometimes with aplomb. Glimpse is Dyne's second full-length solo album, and while it's certainly an exciting progression from his debut, Pins & Digits, it is a continuation of the same feel. It it ain't broke, I guess. Don't get me wrong, he does this style better than most and there are some killer cuts here, like the standout Borritoe, with its rich, shimmering layers recalling Tortoise at their most gorgeous. Others like Koln3 benefit from a straight-ahead groove and monster bass line, while Inner Duplex 2 slides eerily by like some kind of futuristic funeral march for abandoned Atari consoles. Almost midway through Ernst (Rutherford 121) offers a welcome tempo change, but is followed by Rago, Creebin' and Looseends, all of which - as likeable as they most definitely are - provide strong evidence Glimpse works better as a collection of beats than as an album. Having said that, guest spots from vocalists Ladi6 and Parks, Mara TK (Electric Wire Hustle), She's So Rad aka longtime Dyne collaborator Jeremy Toy (Opensouls) and Claire Duncan (Dear Times Waste) add a unique colour. Though there are nineteen tracks in total, the longest doesn't breach the four minute mark and the whole thing's over within fifty minutes, but - and you knew there was a but coming, didn't you? - I'm still left wanting more Dyne, and less Dilla, 'cos there's plenty of Dilla. Which means die-hard beat-heads will probably dig the shit out of it.

3 and 1/2 stars from 5

Check a peek of the album here or on the BBE website.

Review: She's So Rad 'In Circles'

SHE'S SO RAD
In Circles
[Round Trip Mars]

Musical Chameleon. That sums up Jeremy Toy beautifully. The Opensouls' guitarist/songwriter has had his hands in many musical pies over the years - producing Hollie Smith's debut album, playing with local punks Sommerset and crafting wonky hip hop in his solo guise, Ota. For She's So Rad he has linked with Sami Sister Anji to add yet another style to his arsenal: shoegaze. Hazy indie rock informs much of their debut album In Circles, with beautifully bruised pop songs layered heavily with dreamy guitars, washed out vocals and dense, swirling atmospherics. Reference points include Ride, The Charlatans and Toro Y Moi, but mostly you'll hear a modern take on the Dunedin Sound, particularly the excellent Jean-Paul Sartre Experience. Guests include Julien Dyne, James Duncan and Nick Gaffaney, but In Circles mostly serves to illustrate that Jeremy Toy is fast growing into one of this country's true musical treasures. Very impressive indeed.

4 stars from 5

Review: The Sami Sisters 'Happy Heartbreak!'

THE SAMI SISTERS
Happy Heartbreak!
[Parrot Diva Grump Records]

When did "fun" become a dirty word in music? Not the laughing-at-someone-else kind of "fun" which gets passed off as humour; but proper "fun"? Mind you, the subject matter of Happy Heartbreak!, the independently released debut album from The Sami Sisters, doesn't sound like much fun, with all eleven songs dealing with breaking up in one way or another. What does make this album fun - and lifts it from being kinda average to very nearly fantastic - is the vocal interplay between the three sisters. Individually their voices are good without being exceptional, but when they sing together magic is made, particularly as their gorgeous close sibling harmonies are matched with intricate, yet light-as-a-feather arrangements. With masterful production from Ed Cake and Jeremy Toy, the girls glide through retro-pop, country-folk, Motown and classic '50s/'60s girl group influences, all with an irrepressible sense of self. An unashamedly pop album, and yes, "fun".

4 stars from 5

Review: Scratch 22 'Distance From View'

SCRATCH 22
Distance From View
[Round Trip Mars]

Considered, cinematic, cerebral and gently psychedelic. These are words which accurately describe Distance From View, the debut album from Auckland DJ and producer Scratch 22. We all knew the kid had skills (turntablist, radio host, remixer, support DJ to the stars), but this is an incredibly confident and assured debut - just like the man himself. Distance From View recalls Ennio Morricone and David Axelrod mixed with Clutchy Hopkins, Kid Loco or later RJD2 instrumentals, and while some ideas remain underdeveloped, it's refreshing to hear a young producer letting songs breathe. Standouts are Window Rattle, a soundtrack for a spaghetti western car chase (if that were even possible), the loose-limbed, vaguely Hendrix sounding Medicine Man Revisited, and Walking For Faces with its fat-laced, slow-burning funk. Guests include Mara TK (Electric Wire Hustle) and Jeremy Toy (She's So Rad, Opensouls), but without a doubt the star of this show is Scratch 22. Very impressive.

4 stars from 5

* Props to Pete McLennan at dubdotdash for the Scratch 22 aka Rodi Kirk interview, which I've linked to above and just back there where the text went a different colour...