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.

Spotlight: Mara TK 'Taniwhunk'

Mara TK possesses one of "those" voices. You know what I mean: disarming, seductive, almost ethereal. It is no lion's roar, sure, but despite this he delivers his messages with as much intent and clarity.

Mara is the vocalist and frontman (such as they have just one) for one of our most forward thinking and exciting musical groups, Electric Wire Hustle, and son of legendary Kiwi guitarist Billy TK. He is also one of the most gentle, reticient and caring frontmen I've ever met.

The Taniwhunk EP was a double A-side release on a very limited run of 7" singles back in 2011, but this self-confessed 'Maori in Space' has just scored quite the coup: he is re-releasing both tracks (Run and Anyone Here?) through German label OnGravity Records - with remixes by Moodymann and Simbad. I know!

Check the Moodymann mix in the player below, or here; and the Simbad mix here.

Propers to the brother for getting the word out. And speaking of 'the word', check out this link for some serious prose (brose?) describing his sound and the driving force behind his music making. Mauri Ora!

Spotlight: Some Other Planets

OMG, as the kids say. (Do they still say that?!) Some Other Planets is the name for a collaboration of some of my favourite leftfield NZ producers and musicians; namely Riki Gooch (Eru Dangerspiel, Trinity Roots), Julien Dyne (Opensouls), Parks (Ladi6) and (the "grumpy" one, tbh) Christoph El Truento (@Peace).

Seriously? Seriously.

While I've not yet uncovered any original material from this little corker of a collective, they have let slip a mix that you can listen to (below), and download (right here), should you so desire.

WARNING: for a group comprising beatmakers, drummers and percussionists, this mix is surprisingly beatless. Open your ears, wide...

Could be worth checking their live debut out at Golden Dawn, Thu 21st Feb too. More info on that here...

Spotlight: @Peace

While not being a card-carrying fan of Homebrew by any stretch of the imagination, I am definitely enjoying what I'm hearing from Tom Scott's "other" project, @Peace. He's not the only fella involved, of course, despite being the most recognisable vocally. Also a part of the group are Lui Tuiasau, Christoph El Truento, Dandruff Dicky and Brandon Haru. So a pretty solid lineup of talent, then? Shit yes, and it's not going to waste, either.

Barstool Balancing Act 1 is the perfect example of why I prefer these guys to Scott's "main" outfit. Another good reason is the latest single Flowers. This is unexpectedly gripping stuff lyrically - and musically these guys are pushing the right buttons too, leaning far enough into the squelchy, wobbly stuff to be current but without being predictable. It's a fine line, so propers where they're due.

I do hope @Peace get half the attention Homebrew have managed to rustle up - but being there's no novelty single like Benefit rearing its head, I fear the band may not trouble the mainstream media much at all. That's a shame, because I'd kinda like everyone who bought the Homebrew album to be able to hear and compare it to this stuff. I think that'd help re-dress the balance, as it were.

Check out this mini-movie trailer for the Girls EP, which both of these tracks below are taken from.

Links: Barstool Balancing Act 1 // Flowers

Spotlight: Opensouls 'Rise Up' (Lewis McCallum remix)

I've always had a lot of love for Lewis McCallum, and also for the Opensouls - and many of the projects the various members of that band have gone on to as well - so it gives me great pleasure to be able to extend further love (as it were) to both parties in one fell swoop.

Check out this link for a free download of Lewis' remix of the Opensouls track Rise Up, originally from their debut album Kaleidoscope. Indeed, Lewis was heavily involved in the recording of the album version. You can also listen to the remix in the player below... and while you're here, why not take a moment to listen to Fly Or Die, one of the most enduring tracks from Lewis' debut solo album Wake.

Review: Kora 'Light Years'

KORA
Light Years
[Kora]

Music is a quite magical thing. One of the few art forms which has the ability to transport the participants to otherworldly places and spaces, music has a transformative quality which has rightly been celebrated throughout the ages, from Count Ossie's Rasta drummers to the whirling dervishes of the Middle East. And in Whakatane, on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Laughton, Francis, Stuart and Brad Kora, and brother-from-another-mother Dan McGruer, are among those few musicians capable of really moving a listener, and their self-titled debut album from five years back did just that. Hence there's been some pressure on them to prove it wasn't a one-off. So it'd be fair to say that Light Years has been more than merely eagerly awaited. As with all truly good music, the songs take a few listens to properly digest, and with lashings of layered keys and squelchy bass lines, there is a lot to take in. They call it "Alien Funk", which seems appropriate, as many of these tracks have their heads in space, crackling the kind of electric energy Kora have become famous for. There's more hip hop and electronica and less metal than on their debut, but that seems a logical - and welcome - progression for a band still unafraid of breaking out the guitars. Beyond all of that though, this is pop music: a diverse and intoxicating cocktail of future funk and soul science, making for some seriously spaced-out - and really, really good - pop music magic.

 4 stars from 5

Check out the track Dream Life here, or in the player below.

4. Dream Life - Kora by KoraOfficial

Review: Homebrew 'Homebrew'

HOMEBREW
Homebrew
[Independent]

Don't believe the hype? You can't argue with the facts, bro. The debut album from Homebrew, Avondale's most infamous hip hop crew, is really fucking good. Lyrically, musically, conceptually, this is a seriously tight package, spreading its' wings over two discs. Apparently divided between 'light' and 'dark' themes, I guess it depends on your definition of light and dark. Whatever. There are few New Zealand lyricists who are better able to capture the subtle (and not so subtle) nuances of life in our country better than Tom Scott. He has a wry sense of humour and a keen eye for detail, which he allies to an always on-point rhythmic delivery. There are no lazy Americanisms here either, cuz, as he tells tales of growing up poor in Auckland, acknowledging local landmarks, laying out relevant philosophical and political arguments and exposing the underbelly of a lifestyle most of us are more than familiar with. There are so many examples, but I'm highlighting my current favourite: Good God. Tom is viciously brilliant. Check it, as it provides the ideal counterpoint to the gimmicky-sounding Benefit (thankfully the only time that trick gets played out). Musically too, the album shows a surprising maturity, with enough raw, loose and gritty to balance out the woozy, hazy and experimental. Refreshingly un-Dilla-like, the beats move between golden era boom bap, piano-laden Blue Note-referencing head-noddin' and warm, live instrumentation. Some of the guest players include Chip Matthews and Christoph El Truento, while Lui Tuiasau (@Peace), Esther Stephens, Tyna Keelan, Tourettes and Hollie Smith appear on vocals; but the plaudits due belong to Tom, Haz and Lui, aka Homebrew. They're not just a lot harder working than they'd like us to believe, but they're also a hell of a lot smarter. Who woulda thought? Yes, the album is ambitiously-assembled, but it's impressively-realised, and one of the best debuts I've heard in years. Believe the hype.

4 and 1/2 stars from 5

I've never been one to advocate drug use, but I am quite prepared to highly recommend you check out the track Datura below, featuring Lui Tuiasau, and taken from the above album...

Home Brew - Datura (featuring Lui Tuiasau) by homebrewcrew

Review: Ladyhawke 'Anxiety'

LADYHAWKE
Anxiety
[Modular]

Anxiety is the eagerly-awaited and oft-delayed second (I'm from New Zealand, bro, I'm not using the word "sophomore") album from Ladyhawke. The Masterton, New Zealand-born 32-year old otherwise known as Pip Brown has seemingly nailed her colours to the mast with the title of this album - and it's true that the "second album slump" is something many musicians (and critics) are acutely aware of and, quite rightly, anxious about. Happily I can report there's no such slump for Brown, and nor should she be particularly anxious about how her new album is received - despite not really sounding very much at all like her feted debut. While the '80s influences are still present, they're dialled back big time, with gritty rock n' roll guitars (played by Brown) often outmuscling squiggly-sounding synths, and live drums (also played by Brown) edging out programmed beats. The electro-styled floor-fillers from her debut have largely been replaced by pop-rock songs with big choruses and a handful of welcome Pixies and Nirvana references. A couple of notes, though: Brown's vocal delivery sounds at times a little too removed, and she sounds just too damned nice. Not always, but often enough for me to wish she'd perhaps let her guard down an little more when recording her vocals. And, while there are some truly cracking songs here, there's no obvious chart-straddling follow-up to her previous mega-hits My Delerium and Paris Is Burning. You can decide whether or not that's a bad thing. I think it's great, and I like this record a lot.

3 and 1/2 stars from 5

Check out the single Black, White & Blue below, or follow some of the links above for more... aaaand you can read my interview with Ladyhawke from May 2012, here.


BLACK WHITE & BLUE by Ladyhawkeofficial

Review: Eddie Numbers 'Another Day In Paradise'

EDDIE NUMBERS
Another Day In Paradise
[Independent]

One of my Facebook friends (and, as it happens, real life acquaintances) mentioned the other day that we should define ourselves not as generation x, or y or whatever, but rather we should align ourselves with the musical genre we grew up with. His was hip hop. While I'm unsure as to what mine actually is (it can't be yacht rock, surely...?), I know it ain't hip hop. There are hip hop artists I like a lot (The Roots, Madlib, Latyrx, Foreign Exchange, etc.) but I usually steer clear of "reviewing" hip hop albums as I just don't feel qualified enough to offer strong, considered opinion. In this case though, I'm making an exception. Another Day In Paradise is the debut album from New Zealand group Eddie Numbers, and it's not strictly just a hip hop album, blending guitars, strings and layers of keys with sharp story-styled lyricism and straight-ahead micsmanship. Eddie is the frontman, and Numbers are his live band - and they're hype, laying down exceptionally-played energetic grooves for the London-born, Auckland-based emcee to grace. If The Roots are your benchmark for a live hip hop group, then you'll be feeling these guys. The over-riding lyrical themes are pretty dark though (aside from a little sharply witty hipster-baiting), touching on broken relationships, coming up tough in the city, and, er, transporting a body out to the Waitakeres in the boot of a car. Told you it was dark. Having said that, the album also contains two clear standouts: the Deftones-style Problem, which must go down a treat live; and my current favourite "hip hop" track, Never Rap Again. I'm impressed, and I can see why these guys have built up a big live following in no time at all. This album deserves the amount of hype and attention Homebrew are getting for their debut album. Get amongst.

4 stars from 5

Check out what I reckon is one of the best local tracks I've heard in a while, Never Rap Again...

Never Rap Again by Eddie Numbers

Review: The Black Seeds 'Dust & Dirt'

THE BLACK SEEDS
Dust & Dirt
[Easy Star Records]

The Black Seeds are one of the Wellington bands at the forefront of what is often disparagingly referred to as our "BBQ Reggae" scene. While that's a tag a few bands undoubtedly deserve, on the strength of Dust & Dirt it's undeniable The Black Seeds do not. Without dialling up the cliches, the bands' fifth album sees their sound maturing, and the group making a genuine effort to push beyond reggae grooves - though that distinctive lope does remain a central core, particularly on "old school Seeds" songs like Love Me Now. However, it's almost as it the band consciously decided against recording an "anthem" like So True or Cool Me Down with which to climb the charts, but chose to further explore the directions hinted at on their last album, Solid Ground. There were a couple of changes which may have encouraged the experimentation: the bands' own Mike Fabulous handled production and the album was recorded in their own studio space. Either way, Wide Open and Settle Down benefit from the touches of psych-rock, and The Bend shows welcome traces of funk, with its' Stevie Wonder meets Salmonella Dub groove. The other noticeable shift may also have something to do with Fabulous (or more to the point, his solo project Lord Echo), as songs like Don't Turn Around, Loose Cartilage and lead single Pippy Pip slide into beautifully layered disco-reggae blends - and end up being some of the best tracks here. Indeed, Fabulous' production gives Dust & Dirt a sense of grittiness and real warmth which is sometimes missing from their early, often over-polished work. There's an overwhelming feeling that Dust & Dirt may be the beginning of something new for The Black Seeds, who are clearly capable of far greater things musically than their first few albums would've indicated.

3 and 1/2 stars from 5

Aside from investigating some of the links above, you could also check out a few tracks from the album in the player below...

The Black Seeds by Easy Star Records

RIP: Volume Magazine

It's a sad day today.

Here in New Zealand we're not exactly blessed with a high quality of street press or weekly magazines, zines or other printed reading matter. Costs prohibit, I understand that. But Volume magazine was supposed to be something different - bankrolled by APN Publishing and connected with the NZ Herald's large online following, this was a proper "yoof" magazine which had the backing of the big boys.

Or so we thought.

Despite stamping its personality on our scene almost immediately, and after only thirty three issues, Volume magazine is no longer. Apparently a lack of online audience was enough to convince its owners that there was no future in reporting on music that's slightly outside the realm of commercial Top 40 fodder.

More frustratingly, just at the beginning of NZ Music Month, one of the true champions of local content has been axed. You couldn't have waited another month, at least?

So, very sad news, as it leaves a gulf in quality street press here in NZ, and once more means that talented folks like Sam Wicks and Hugh Sundae are again forced to forge a path for themselves (and for those who they believe in) in a media world where the deck remains stacked against them.

Good luck, lads, I'll be aiming to do more than simply cheer you on.

RIP Volume Magazine

Review: Myele Manzanza 'One'

MYELE MANZANZA
One
[Every Waking Hour]

"You're a nice boy, we like you heaps... but really your drumming is unacceptable any more, OK? Bye bye for now."

I wonder if Myele Manzanza's neighbours see it as a compliment that a selection of their phone messages feature on the opening track of One, Manzanza's debut solo album? A tribute to their patience, perhaps? Patience is one thing Manzanza seems not to have. The young man seemingly moves at the speed of light, having played with everyone in NZ from Recloose to Olmecha Supreme to Scribes Of Ra. Currently one-third of "super-group" Electric Wire Hustle, Manzanza's skills as a drummer are clearly apparent. The first "proper" song here, Big Space, lays those skills out for all to see as it builds into a hard, funky, jazz freakout; while the following track, Absent (featuring the ever-compelling Bella Kalolo) gives us a glimpse into Manzanza's abilities as a songwriter and beatmaker. And it's true: he's a talented motherfucker. The blend of live drumming and programmed instrumentation is spot-on, and all of the ideas presented are well thought through and impeccably delivered, in what is an excellent debut. Having said that, instrumentals like Delay and Elvin's Brew are impressive but challenging to listen to, while the more "straight-ahead" tracks like City of Atlantis (with Charlie K and Ladi6) and On The Move (featuring Rachel Fraser), really shine - perhaps because of a more subtle hand on the production rudder. Though Manzanza himself has stated he was keen to reflect the many aspects of his musical interests, so in that regard, job well done. Other guests include Mark de Clive-Lowe, Isaac Aesili, Steph Brown, Crete Haami, fellow EWH bandmates Mara TK and David Wright, and Myele's Dad, renowned musician Sam Manzanza. As for Myele's neighbours? I reckon they'd just be happy he's spending the next few months based in Europe.

4 stars from 5

Go and purchase One here... I did.

Review: Hallelujah Picassos 'Picasso Core Jukebox'

HALLELUJAH PICASSOS
Picasso Core Jukebox
[Fruity Loop Recordings]

"I want to educate people to the fact there are always more possibilities than the situations you have encountered. Naivety is still so strong among people. The Picassos are about social and cultural observation." - Harold 'Roland' Rorschach, Hallelujah Picassos (1992)

I remember coming to Auckland from a rather rural upbringing in Waihi Beach, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and first encountering the Hallelujah Picassos. I was gobsmacked. As a young man wanting to get my teeth into playing in a proper band, these guys blew my mind. They played reggae. They played rock. They played most everything - hard, and loud. I was sold. What's more, they hung out at what became my local: DKD Cafe. What was curious to me was they never really received their dues. Shit, there are kids worldwide right now trying to piece together what these guys did years ago! Perhaps Picasso Core Jukebox (alongside last years' originals collection, Rewind The Hateman) might address that? Probably not. That's a shame, as these guys were the real deal and even now, well over a decade later, the excitement, the genine intent, the sheer passion seeps through these incredibly diverse grooves. Imagine what this sounded like to a fifteen year old kid from the country!? It was like nothing I'd ever heard before. Scratch that. It was like everything I'd ever heard before, thrown together in an aggressive, vibrant, liberating whole. Put aside the decidedly average recording quality on some of these tracks and put yourself into the shoes of early 1990s New Zealanders as the Hallelujah Picassos tore through a set littered with these (severely) re-imagined covers alongside their own material. One of the criticisms these guys have always copped is that their records sounded like compilations. Fuck that. And fuck the Great New Zealand Songbook, while we're at it. If you want some proper NZ music history, and you want to pay respect to some of the actual originators in our scene, buy Rewind The Hateman, and then buy this. Makes me proud to be a Kiwi again.

4 stars from 5

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: Frank Booker Boogie Tape

Various Artists
FRANK BOOKER BOOGIE TAPE
Compiled and Mixed by Frank Booker
[Independent]

SoundCloud really is a bloody marvellous thing. DJs, producers and musicians can upload their tunes, edits and mixes onto their own page on the site for Joe Blow to listen to in his/her own time. Perhaps it's the simplicity which makes it so attractive. Whatevers. The reason I'm blathering on about this (and I probably should acknowledge that if you've made it as far as reading my blog, you inevitably already know wtf SoundCloud is...) is that I've recently been spending a lot more time on the site, and would like to begin sharing some of the goodness I regularly stumble upon. Starting right here: the Frank Booker Boogie Tape is a 50+min "pause tape" of classics soul and boogie tunes from the likes of The Jones Girls, Deodato, Chanson, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Unlimited Touch, Central Line and many, many others - there's even an MJ tune (in the form of the classy, understated Todd Terje edit), all lovingly put together by Mr Booker himself. I can't fault a single selection, as they're all top drawer stuff. Get amongst this mix and cop his vinyl releases on Wonderful Noise, Untracked, Fine Art and Sleazy Beats.

4 stars from 5

Check out the whole tape here and you can even download it for free.
Also worth a gander is the Hit It and Quit It Radio Revue Vol. 1, compiled and mixed by Recloose and Frank Booker.

Review: Dub Asylum 'Stereo Freeze'

DUB ASYLUM
Stereo Freeze
[Loopy Fruit Recordings]

Dub Asylum is the nom de produceur for Peter McLennan (of noted '90s NZ noisesters Hallelujah Picassos). Stereo Freeze gathers six tracks, old and new, which were recently threatened with permanent deletion thanks to a manky old hard drive. Freed of their former confines, they each stack up very nicely against Dub Asylum's past work. Melodica features heavily on opener Jumping Jack Skank (amid spacious echoes and a bouncing reggae beat) and on the dark, heavily percussive Get It Together (sounding like the theme music for a Jamaican version of James Bond); and the instrumental EP features appearances from Chip Matthews (Opensouls, Anika Moa) and Olly Harris (WBC/Kolab). McLennan belies his Picassos roots with plenty of genres peeking out from between the sweet reggae grooves - Skatta lays down slow-motion Afrobeat grooves for a horn-heavy skank to drape itself over - but dub really is the glue holding this excellent release together.

4 stars from 5
David Carroll

Review: Funkommunity 'Chequered Thoughts'

FUNKOMMUNITY
Chequered Thoughts
[FMG/Universal]

Chequered Thoughts is the debut album from Funkommunity, the brainchild of musician, songwriter and producer Isaac Aesili (Opensouls, Solaa) and vocalist/songwriter Rachel Fraser (Recloose, Sola Rosa); who first collaborated on I'm All In, the standout track from Aesili's excellent solo debut album Eye See. Soaked in future soul and funk, Chequered Thoughts treads a similar path to the likes of Electric Wire Hustle and Platinum Pied Pipers. The key difference is provided by Fraser: while her voice isn't technically amazing she has soul and gravitas, recalling old school jazz divas with her ability to draw listeners into the heart of songs; songs which are cleverly constructed, showing the kind of deft touches which belie Aesili's prolific musical experience over the years. Squelchy basslines and wobbly beats underpin bubbling keys and washes of horns and harmonies, while Fraser's voice ties it all together on what is an assured and accomplished debut.

4 stars from 5

Check out more from Isaac Aesili here...