Kia ora e te iwi,… looking to keep you updated on the latest & most wondrous records coming out each week in 2023…we have some catch up to do…
Please support our special indie retailers when you can…they’re just WAY cooler than Bezos. List of retailers below…
U.S. GIRLS
BLESS THIS MESS
The highly anticipated eighth album by U.S. Girls, the nom de plume of North American multi-disciplinary and experimental pop artist Meg Remy, will be released on 24 February entitled Bless This Mess.
A dynamic suite of dexterous melodies and a nuanced artistic response to the complexities of motherhood, Bless This Mess was crafted in tandem with the conception and birth of Remy’s twin boys.
It expands the sonic and thematic palette of U.S. Girls, fusing the muses of funk, mythology, and the radical disorientation of joy into an electric tapestry of anthems, aches, and awakenings.
The ten songs on Bless This Mess were pieced together stem by stem with a vast cast of collaborators (Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost!, Marker Starling, Ryland Blackinton of Cobra Starship, Basia Bulat, Roger Manning Jr. of Jellyfish and Beck,) and audio engineers (Neal H Pogue, Ken Sluiter, Steve Chahley, Maximilian Turnbull).
Available on limited red coloured vinyl, standard black vinyl and CD
- Only Daedalus / 2. Just Space For Light / 3. Screen Face / 4. Futures Bet / 5. So Typically Now / 6. Bless This Mess / 7. Tux (Your Body Fills Me, Boo) / 8. R.I.P. Roy G. Biv / 9. St. James Way / 10. Pump
Label: 4AD
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THE CULT
LOVE
The Cult are fronted by Ian Astbury on vocals and Billy Duffy on guitar. Their music and albums at this point need no introduction as they have cemented themselves over the years since they began in 1983, as one of the greatest rock bands around.
Love was the Cult’s second album, originally released in 1985. It was their breakthrough and produced many singles including “Rain”, “Revolution” and the epic anthem “She Sells Sanctuary” – songs that still resonate today – in fact “She Sells Sanctuary” was recently featured in Season Two of the hit TV show Euphoria.
The album eventually defined their career, but at the time, it flew in the face of everything that was going on in music.
Available on limited red coloured vinyl AND standard black vinyl
A1. Nirvana / A2. Big Neon Glitter / A3. Love / A4. Brother Wolf;Sister Moon / A5. Rain / B1. Phoenix / B2. Hollow Man / B3. Revolution / B4. She Sells Sanctuary / B5. Black Angel
Label: BEGGARS
FOOD FOR WORMS
‘Food for Worms’ marks a sonic departure from anything Shame have done before, abandoning their post-punk beginnings for more eclectic influences, drawing from the tense atmospherics of Merchandise, the sharp yet uncomplicated lyrics of Lou Reed and the more melodic works of 90s German band, Blumfeld.
For the first time, the band are not delving inwards, but seeking to capture the world around them. “I don’t think you can be in your own head forever,” says Steen. A conversation after one of their gigs with a friend prompted a stray thought that he held onto: “It’s weird, isn’t it? Popular music is always about love, heartbreak, or yourself. There isn’t much about your mates.” In many ways, the album is an ode to friendship, and a documentation of the dynamic that only five people who have grown up together – and grown so close, against all odds – can share.
They called upon renowned producer Flood (Nick Cave, U2, PJ Harvey, Foals) to execute their vision. Recording each track live meant a kind of surrender: here, the rough edges give the album its texture; the mistakes are more interesting than perfection. In a way, it harks back to the title itself and the way that with this record, the band are embracing frailty and by doing so, are tapping into a new source of bravery.
Available on limited transparent purple coloured vinyL, standard vinyl, CD & cassette
1. FINGERS OF STEEL / 2. SIX-PACK / 3. YANKEES / 4. ALIBIS / 5. ADDERALL / 6. ORCHID / 7. THE FALL OF PAUL / 8. BURNING BY DESIGN / 9. DIFFERENT PERSON / 10. ALL THE PEOPLE
Label: DEAD OCEANS
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ALGIERS
SHOOK
Algiers returns with Shook, their first new music since 2020’s There Is No Year. Shook features contributions from Rage Against The Machine’s Zack De La Rocha, Boy Harsher’s Jae Matthews, Big Rube, billy woods, Backxwash, and many more.
Stacked with guests spanning icons through to future stars, Shook is a lightning rod for an elusive yet universal energy and feeling. A plurality of voices; a spiritual and geographical homecoming; a strategy of communion in a burning world; the story of an end of a relationship; an Atlanta front porch summer party. Ultimately, it’s a 17-track set of the most mind-expanding and thrilling music that you are likely to hear anytime soon.
While community and collaboration has always been integral to Algiers’ ethos, Shook brings this to its fullest manifestation. The liner notes read like a who’s who of ground-breaking and contemporary underground music, featuring Zack de la Rocha, Big Rube (The Dungeon Family), billy woods, Samuel T. Herring (Future Islands), Jae Matthews (Boy Harsher), LaToya Kent (Mourning [A] BLKstar), Backxwash, Nadah El Shazly, DeForrest Brown Jr. (Speaker Music), Patrick Shiroishi, Lee Bains III, and Mark Cisneros (The Make-Up, Kid Congo Powers). Their contributions throughout deftly reshape and recontextualize the notion of being Shook from a variety of perspectives, occupying shifting roles as oracles and narrators. “It very much deepens and broadens the world of Algiers”, says drummer Matt Tong.
Available on limited gold double vinyl, standard double vinyl, CD
- Everybody Shatter (ft. Big Rube) / 2. Irreversible Damage / 3. 73% / 4. Cleanse Your Guilt Here / 5. As It Resounds (ft. Big Rube) / 6. Bite Back (ft. billy woods & Backxwash) / 7. Out of Style Tragedy (ft. Mark Cisneros) / 8. Comment #2 / 9. A Good Man / 10. I Can’t Stand It! (ft. Samuel T. Herring & Jae Matthews) / 11. All You See Is / 12. Green Iris / 13. Born (ft. LaToya Kent) / 14. Cold World (ft. Nadah El Shazly) / 15. Something Wrong / 16. An Echophonic Soul (ft. DeForrest Brown Jr. & Patrick Shiroishi) / 17. Momentary (ft. Lee Bains III)
Label: MATADOR
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GRUFF RHYS
THE ALMOND & THE SEAHORSE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) LTD 2LP
Following on from his top 10 album Seeking New Gods Gruff Rhys releases the soundtrack to the film The Almond And The Seahorse via Rough Trade Records. The soundtrack is released as a foil numbered, limited edition double-LP, on yellow vinyl with a fold out film poster.
The 22-track album comprises original songs and instrumental score, all composed by Gruff Rhys. Recorded between 2021-2022 with a host of featured musicians including members of the National of Orchestra Wales, the music features throughout the forthcoming film of the same name, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rebel Wilson and Celyn Jones.
Available on limited clear yellow coloured vinyl.
- Skyward / 2. The Brain and the Body / 3. People Are Pissed / 4. Layer Upon Layer/ 5. Orea / 6. Joe’s Theme / 7. Sunshine and Laughter Ever After / 8. Variation with Strings / 9. Amen (Album Version) / 10. Low Cello / 11. Liberate Me From The Love Song / 12. Love Love Love / 13. I Want My Old Life Back / 14. Forest Waltz / 15. Dance All Your Shadows to Death / 16. Library to Kiss / 17. Staccato with Cello / 18. Small Talk / 19. Toni’s Theme / 20. Ffenestr / 21. Penbedw / 22. Arogldarth / 23. Amen
Label: ROUGH TRADE
Its been a helluva start to the year for Aotearoa… literally “hell” for many. We have made a little donation to help those worst affected. Here’s the Red Cross link if you want to do the same: https://www.redcross.org.nz/support-us/our-current-appeals/new-zealand-disaster-fund.
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YO LA TENGO
THIS STUPID WORLD
Times have changed for Yo La Tengo as much as they have for everyone else.
In the past, the band has often worked with outside producers and mixers. In their latest effort, the first full-length in five years, This Stupid World was created all by themselves. And their time-tested judgment is both sturdy enough to keep things to the band’s high standards, and nimble enough to make things new.
At the base of nearly every track is the trio playing all at once, giving everything a right-now feel. There’s an immediacy to the music, as if the distance between the first pass and the final product has become more direct.
Available on limited blue coloured vinyl.
- Sinatra Drive Breakdown / 02. Fallout / 03. Tonight’s Episode / 04. Aselestine / 05. Until It Happens / 06. Apology Letter / 07. Brain Capers / 08. This Stupid World / 09. Miles Away
Label: MATADOR
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TUBEWAY ARMY
TUBEWAY ARMY
Tubeway Army was the name of Gary Numan’s band. Formed in 1977, their self-titled debut album was released at the tail end of 1978. In addition to Gary, the band consisted of Paul Gardiner on bass and backing vocals and Jess Lidyard on drums.
The album was a segue from the punk-leaning sounds of their early singles, to the pioneering electronic music that Gary Numan became known for. The phrase “garagey sci-fi rock” was used in reference to this album. This album truly paved the way for Gary Numan to become an electronic pioneer. It was during the sessions for this album that he came across a minimoog synthesizer by accident in the recording studio, and the rest is history.
Shortly after this album’s release, Tubeway Army recorded their follow-up, Replicas, which contained “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”, which became the first synthesizer-based number 1 hit of the electronic era in 1979. After its release, Numan opted to drop the Tubeway Army name and release music under his own name, retaining the musicians from Tubeway Army as his backing band.
Available on limited blue marble vinyl.
A1. Listen To The Sirens / A2. My Shadow In Vain / A3. The Life Machine / A4. Friends / A5. Something’s In The House / A6. Every Day I Die / B1. Steel And You / B2. My Love Is a Liquid / B3. Are You Real? / B4. The Dream Police / B5. Jo the Waiter / B6. Zero Bars (Mr.Smith)
Label: BEGGARS
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GOLDEN DREGS
ON GRACE AND DIGNITY
On Grace & Dignity’s origins lie in winter 2020 when Woods lost his job in lockdown and moved back to his parents’ house. The only work he could get was as a laboureron a poorly run building site on the grimmest outskirts of Truro. “It was such a bleak winter – waist-deep in mud digging holes and rolling out turf on top of building waste, really grim stuff, which became the backdrop to the stories I was trying to write,” he adds, citing Raymond Carver, Lydia Davis and Richard Hugo as influences.
In among the personal reflections on loss of innocence and inferiority, Woods spins subtly interweaving narratives about survival, desperate acts of violence, loss and the limitations of community in the face of rapacious gentrification. Nevertheless, it is, appropriately for an album about home, somewhere you’ll want to spend a while. Life here proceeds at a graceful pace grounded by Woods’s deep voice, which seems to resonate from his feet as he delivers the sort of meticulously written lunar wisdom worthy of Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner, or the tidy yet revelatory koans of Silver Jews’ David Berman.
Limited clear vinyl.
- Intro / 02. American Airlines / 03. How It Starts / 04. Before We Fell From Grace / 05. Not Even The Rain / 06. Eulogy / 07. Josephine / 08. Vista / 09. Sundown Lake / 10. Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Label: 4AD
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LISA O’NEILL
ALL OF THIS IS CHANCE
Following 5 BBC Folk Awards nominations and a designation by the Guardian as Folk Album of the Year in 2019, it is fair to say that Lisa O’Neill is one of the most evocative songwriters in contemporary Irish music today. Fresh off 2018’s collection Heard a Long Song Gone for the River Lea imprint, The Wren EP in 2019 and an adaptation of Bob Dylan’s “All the Tired Horses” for the final scene of epic TV drama Peaky Blinders, O’Neill now returns with her latest album, and first for the Rough Trade label, the beautiful, resonant All Of This Is Chance.
A raconteur in the truest sense of the word, every story starts somewhere and O’Neill starts this extraordinary collection here on earth, on Irish soil, hands in the land. The album is full of both orchestral masterpieces like the ambitious and cinematic “Old Note” and the title track of “All of This Is Chance”, inspired by the great Monaghan writer Patrick Kavanagh’s prescient meditation on The Great Hunger, as well as stirring meditations on nature, birds, berries, bees, and blood that ring out over a clacking banjo, dusting and devastating all those in its wake.
All Of This Is Chance takes Lisa’s inimitable voice to greater heights, or depths, depending on which way you look at it.
Available on limited metallic silver vinyl.
- All Of This Is Chance / 02. Silver Seed / 03. Old Note / 04. Birdy From Another Realm / 05. The Globe / 06. If I Was A Painter / 07. Whisht, The Wild Workings Of The Mind / 08. Goodnight World
Label: ROUGH TRADE
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VELVET NEGRONI
BULLI
Created during a particularly tumultuous time in Nutzman’s life that involved drug abuse, bank fraud, and a house fire, it’s unsurprising that Bulli would echo Velvet Negroni’s present state of mind. Bulli feels anticipatory, often frantic and manic but given the period of his life that it emerged from its songs glimmer with a pop sheen, as fragmentary soundscapes meld leftfield electronic sounds with alternative rock, power pop, even tender R&B and deft hip-hop.
[CD] 01. Pop Song 2 / 02. Never Said Peep / 03. Pop Song 1 / 04. Sinker / 05. Bell Clapper / 06. Ebony Eggshell / 07. Ballad Smaller / 08. Shiny / 09. Georgia / 10. The Foreigner / 11. Animal / 12. Sub Tieties
[LP] 01. Beginner / 02. Never Said Peep / 03. The Foreigner / 04. Pop Song 2 / 05. Pop Song 1 / 06. Bell Clapper / 07. Repedo / 08. Ballad Smaller / 09. Shiny / 10. Legal Tender / 11. Sinker / 12. Ebony Eggshell / 13. Georgia / 14. Over / 15. Sub Tieties / 16. Animal
Label: 4AD
NZ Music Retailers: <please holler if we’ve missed your fave store!>
https://slowboatrecords.co.nz/
https://www.pennylanerecords.co.nz/
https://www.jbhifi.co.nz/music/
https://www.flyingnun.co.nz/pages/record-shop
