Download the Counting The Beat - Waiheke Library DJ Set
More new and recent releases from kiwi artists.
Following the great Happy Ending album and solo albums from almost all of the band, and ahead of a much-anticipated new album in 2010, the Phoenix Foundation have released a "not really anything to do with" Christmas EP titled Merry Kriskmas. The EP was recorded during the album sessions and sounds like the band wanted to loosen up and have some fun. Buy the CD or downloads from Amplifier and apparently there will be limited edition 12' vinyl version available soon.
Bachelorette (Annabel Alpers) has been creating great music right from her first EP but her last album My Electric Family was the album I had always hoped she would make, she brought in other musicians which gave more richness and a more organic feel to her songs. Six months after that album her American label has released a limited edition single of a song that doesn't appear on the album, 'The Circuit'. On this single Bachelorette is back to the solo vocal, synth and drum machine approach - writing performing, mixing and producing the songs with only a co-mixing credit on one song going to Dale Cotton. The song is infectious with a warm sound and la-la-la choruses and, of course, her great voice.
I've been a fan of Urbantramper since I heard the line 'I'm 24 and all I've got is this crochet hat and a shitty flat" on a A Low Hum compilation a few years back. Urbantrampers third album Tokon and The Colours is a real gem and highly recommended. Now comes Rise and Ride Toward - sounding a little happier than the shitty flat days but still whimsical. You can find out the Urbantramper story at http://urbantramper.blogspot.com
I've featured New Zealand music that has been posted on the Free Music Archive in an earlier episode of Counting The Beat but a recent kiwi addition to that collection is a set performed live on new York freeform radio station WFMU by The Axemen, a band in their 28th year of indie, punk mayhem. Forming to play protest gigs against the Springbok tour the core trio have seen off dozens of band mates and on the strengh of this recording as vital as they were back in the day.
Young noisy Auckland four piece Nevernudes have just released a four track EP for free download from nevernudesrule.bandcamp.com. The EP was recorded by ex Mint Chick Michael Logie and you can hear a similar interest in angular jerky song structures.
An Emerald City released a self titled four track EP and then a magnificent album Circa Scaria, which became a thing of legend because of having been recorded in a cave. Even without that back story it is memorable for it's huge Eastern influenced swelling noisescapes. Shortly after the albums release the band took off to Berlin but now they're back in New Zealand and they've have released a new song 'Seizuretron'. Like past numbers the song builds in scale and grandeur although the the Eastern instrumentation is less to the fore. A welcome return.Download the Counting The Beat - New Releases Dec 09 podcast
Don't miss the next episode of Counting The Beat: 
Counting The Beat Podcast RSS
Sometimes I feel like there's almost too much music to listen to. And that means I miss things that deserve greater attention. In this episode I go back and take a listen to some recent-ish releases that I overlooked. They're the ones that got away.
I've been a fan of Bachelorette since her first E.P., The End of Things, but her new album My Electric Family is the release that I've always hoped she would put out. Annabel Alpers engaging tech-pop songs have often touched on themes of isolation and humanity's interaction with technology and reflecting that her music has been mainly solo with just her and her synthesisers. However, as indicated in the title, on My Electric Family Alpers is joined by musicians from Cassette and HDU and as a result the songs are more expansive and richer in texture than past releases. This album has also attracted Bachelorette overseas attention and has been released on US label Drag City. I've posted some Bachelorette clips on the video page and you'll find a National Radio interview here.
That Bachelorette album features members of the band Cassette. Cassette's debut E.P. Emo, released in 2000, was a classic, it's Neil Young like country rock was super laid back with a subtle underlying groove. It was a long wait until the debut album Cut For Summer came out in 2006 but the band had lost none of it's appeal in the meantime. The Cancer E.P. came out in 2008 and then with almost unseemly haste Cassette released their second album The Jingle King earlier this year. Cassette's slow laid back approach is still there along with the groove but songs now build into waves of blissful guitar.
A Low Hum, run by Blink, has been responsible for nurturing and giving opportunity to many emerging artists over recent years through the A Low Hum magazine and CD series, the acclaimed Camp A Low Hum, and releasing CDs and digital downloads from a small roster of artists. A Low Hum releases and events have always been noted for going the extra mile for their imagination and aesthetics. Earlier this year A Low Hum released a digital sampler comprising high quality digital downloads with limited release hand-printed posters. The sampler features Disasteradio, Secret Knives, Mount Pleasant, Ropes, Nikky Brinkman and Over The Atlantic. I've put some Over the Atlantic clips on the video page.
Finally, something brand new. The Mint Chicks recently released their third album Screens. The band have just released a brand new, untitled song on their website. To hear it you need to visit the site and simultaneously play for video clips which together make up the visuals and audio of the song. It takes a bit of buffering but it's worth checking out.Download the Counting The Beat - One That Got Away July 09 podcast
Don't miss the next episode of Counting The Beat: Counting The Beat Podcast RSS
I was lucky enough to attend the recent Silver Scroll Awards. The awards recognise songwriting rather than commercial success and are run by APRA, the organisation made up of songwriters and composers that collects royalties on their behalf. As well as being a celebration of kiwi music the annual awards, now in their 43rd year, are a great occasion in their own right. One of the stand-out features of the night is that each of the five finalist songs is performed by another New Zealand artist, often in a extraordinary or unusual form.
This year the five finalists included a number a couple of Counting The Beat favourites - The Phoenix Foundation's 'Bright Grey' and Liam Finn's 'Gather To the Chapel'. Also nominated were Anika Moa's 'In My Dreams', Op-Shop's 'One Day' and 'Baby Come On' by Elemeno P, a song which I've had stuck in my head ever since.
Counting The Beat recorded interviews with finalists Jason Kerrison of Op-Shop, Dave Gibson of Elemeno-P and Luke Buda of the Phoenix Foundation. You'll hear those interviews and some of the extraordinary cover versions on the podcast. Playing those covers you'll hear Bachelorette, The Sami Sisters and King Kapisi. There's also a chat with inductees into the NZ Music Hall of Fame, The Topp Twins and a performance of one of their songs by Reb Fountain and Johnny Barker
And if you've ever wondered what The Chills would sound like with a pipe organ, bell ringers and a choir you've got to take a listen.
Finally a couple of technical notes: Big Pod who host the Counting The Beat podcasts have a limit on the file size I can post. Because this is an extended podcast I have had to post at a lower bit-rate than I normally do. However the recordings from the ceremony are straight from the sound desk and quite reasonable quality so I have also posted the podcast here at a higher bit rate. I have plenty more great material from the ceremony, including cover performances, that has not made it onto this episode, so I will be posting a second installment within the next couple of weeks.Download the Counting The Beat - Silver Scrolls podcast
