New and Recent Releases May 10

In this episode I feature some new and recent releases.

Sola Rosa's album Get it Together was originally released in 2009 and did pretty well, going gold. The album has just been re-released in a very special limited edition through the on-line music retail site Bandcamp. The physical product is really something special. Limited to 500 copies, on 200 gram translucent blue vinyl, it has incredible artwork by Dan Stiles. As well as the vinyl there's a download of the album including bonus remixes like the Clav remix of the amazingly funky 'Del Ray'. There's a video of Andrew Spraggon from Sola Rosa talking about the vinyl release on the video page along with the Get it

Grayson Gilmour has the honour (or perhaps the burden) of being the first artist to have a new release on the resurrected Flying Nun label. Gilmour has previously a number albums and EPs under his own name (many available at Sellmates), along with many releases as a member of So So Modern. The first song from the new album No Constellation 'I Am A Light!' is based on an insistent piano line and is packed with layers of harmony, percussion. It's a strong return for Flying Nun. The video for another track from the album, 'Loose Change' is on the video page.

Red Steers new EP The Fever Fold has been released by A Low Hum, another label thinking of innovative ways of releasing material. In this case the mp3s are available for free but those downloading the EP are asked to consider buying a handprinted artwork to accompany the digital material. The EP itself features samples, loops and programmed beats along with Daniel Johnston's treated atmospheric vocals. It's a consistent and strong release.

Urbantramper have been favourites of mine for a long time so I'm looking forward to hearing their new release The Workers Album: All That is Solid Melts Into Air. As is fitting for a workers album it was released on May Day and in the usual Urbantramper style will be made available for download from the Urbantramper blog, where you can also order a CD, or you can pick one up at Slowboat Records in Wellington. Urbantramper have formerly written some gorgeous odes to mid twenties angst but this album opens with 'The Marching Song' a positively joyful tune encouraging workers to sing down the government.

Street Chant's 'Yr Philosophy' features on a great new compilation released as a free download by Real Groove magazine. Awesome Feelings 4 is the latest installment of an series that Real Groove magazine release to mark NZ Music Month and celebrate "the sound of young New Zealand". Street Chant's three members bring their respective enthusiasm for experimental noise, country and alternative guitar bands to their music but it's the latter that wins out in their loud, catchy as hell, guitar pop. Worth a watch is the live in the studio session of Street Chant recorded in the Red Bull Studio.

Malty Media is an electronic music alliance between Aquaboogie (Stuart McDonald) and Jet Jaguar (Michael Upton). In addition to a Wellington ambient electronic radio show the two have been recording and releasing their own material, a playful mix of electronica, field recordings, and pop culture samples. They have recorded two EPs, both available for free download from the Malty Media website along with podcasts of their radio show.

'Come On' by Thieves is another track from the Awesome Feelings 4 compilation. It's from the Dunedin band's 'Thieves' EP, a collection of Flying Nun / post-punk sounding indie-pop. The EP, along with a collection titles 'Earlier Material' are both available on the Thieves bandcamp page. Also check out their myspace page to hear the a song with one of the best titles I've come across for a while, 'I'm Being Stalked by the National Bank Horse'.

New out on Arch Hill Records is the second album from The Haints of Dean Hall. Sleeper, like the self-titled debut from this brother and sister in law duo, is delicate and dark alt.country based around Stephen Reay (ex-Subliminals) guitar & Kathryn McCool's unique voice. Sleeper is presently being released as a download only album, it's a bit hard to find on the Arch hill site but you can find it at The Haints of Dean Hall Bandcamp page for only $10. There's a video for the song Paper Plate on the video page.

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Putting NZ on the MAP

Late in 2008 I was emailed by a Scottish guy called Jason who runs a blog called Popcop. He had started up an international project called the Music Alliance Pact. The idea being that music bloggers from around the world would select a song from their country each month to contribute to an international on-line compilation. We each post all of the songs simultaneously on the 15th of each month with info on the artists and a link to their myspace page. The MAP itself has garnered a lot of attention from around the world. The songs are receiving many thousands of downloads, their was a recent write-up in the Guardian newspaper in the UK and I have interviewed by German public radio.

While I mainly try to profile lesser known or new bands, I have also been lucky enough to include some bigger names - most notably The Verlaines. You can find all of the Counting The Beat contributions by using the widget in the sidebar that allows you to find posts on earlier Counting The Beat episodes - just look for Music Alliance Pact or MAP.

This episode compiles the 1st year of Counting The Beat contributions to the Music Alliance Pact.

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New and Recent Releases Dec 09

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.

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New Releases August 09

Batrider originated in Wellington but are now based in London, following a stint in Melbourne. They've just released their second album Why We Can't Be Together. It's got a lot of good things going for it - it's strident and raucous, without being too much of either and it reminds me of all those early nineties female fronted grunge bands I liked so much, like L7, Babes in Toyland and Hole. There's also something about the sound of the whole album, it stretches and shifts. Imagine a music box that's been dropped, or got water in it. Afterwards it still plays the tunes but they sound a bit ... wonky. There are a few Batrider clips on the video page.

There's a new site selling downloads of a small but carefully selected range of local music called Sellmates. They also have a few free downloads and they've made some out-of-print limited releases available again. Amongst those are the early EPs from synth/guitar indie band So So Modern, some of which like 0000 EP originally only came out in a release of 100 mail order copies. It's nice to have this music available and affordable. Until this site came along the only other way to get your hands on them was to buy a Japanese only compilation which sold for around $50. Check out So So Modern on the video page and interviewed on National Radio (stream).

Street Chant's three members together bring their respective enthusiasm for alternative guitar bands, experimental noise and country to their music but it's the former that wins out in their loud, catchy as hell, guitar pop. They've recently released 'Scream Walk', a great primer for an album due in October. There's some nice live in the studio videos of Street Chant recorded in the Red Bull Studio - while you're there check out what is an extensive repository of live performances by local acts.

A couple of months ago I featured Urbantramper on the Music Alliance Pact. I described them as producing introspective pop songs that reflect an endearing, naive angst about their place in the world and wrote of their experimentation with making music available through creative commons licensing and pay-what-you-want pricing. It must be working to at least a small degree because after that I got reports back from overseas about people buying their last album Tokon And the Colours. The band have now released a new song 'Olympic Theme 2012' on their website, Urbantramper.com

Only one band could write a song about TV journalist John Campbell pressuring the Prime Minister to change the law to allow people to adopt pandas - and that band is Bear Cat. They've been singing about pandas, and I've been singing their praises, since 2007. Bear Cat have finally recorded an album of their extremely silly, infectious and endearing songs, Xiong Mao (Chinese for Bear Cat or Panda), which will come out in September.

Liam Finn and his musical partner Eliza-Jane Barnes appear to be workaholics. They've been touring the United States almost solidly for two years promoting Finn's first solo album I'll Be Lightning. That tour included live performances on America's National Public Radio (listen to that here) and the David Letterman show (you can hear the pair talk about that with Kim Hill on National Radio here - mp3 and see the performance on the video page). Liam participated in the recording of the second 7 World's Collide project with his father Neil in January and he has just released an EP with Eliza Jane titled Champagne in Seashells. As if that's not enough both have just recorded an album with Connon Mockasin and Lawrence Arabia called Having A Baby. The four are about to tour NZ and hope to release the album in the new year.

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Music Alliance Pact July 09

This month sees the eighth Counting The Beat contribution to an exciting international initiative, the Music Alliance Pact. On a monthly basis music bloggers from around the globe select a track from their own country which is then posted collectively and simultaneously on those blogs - giving each nation's track international exposure. This month's Counting The Beat is pleased to be contributing 'Southern Hemisphere Blues' from Urbantramper. For more material from them check out the Urbantramper blog.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Urbantramper – Southern Hemisphere Blues
Urbantramper are a five-piece from Wellington who are part of a loose collective known as Treeninja. The band produce introspective pop songs that reflect an endearing, naive angst about their place in the world. This is a group with a manifesto! They're currently considering issues of music distribution, copyright and the impact of these on the nature of the relationship between musician and audience. Urbantramper have a strong back catalogue and a new album due in September.

AMERICA: I Guess I'm Floating
Spanish Prisoners – Kiss The Lawn Goodbye
Brooklyn's Spanish Prisoners, fronted by Leo Maymind, create fractured power-pop in the vein of The New Porno's Dan Bejar (Destroyer). They're currently working on a new album but in the meantime they've released a free three-song EP - download it here - from which Kiss The Lawn Goodbye is taken.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Mi Pequeña Muerte – La Música Nueva
Mi Pequeña Muerte means "my little death" so you're probably thinking this is not a particularly optimistic band. That was true for Hospital, their 2004 debut album, which was loaded with melancholic indie-rock tunes and moaning vocals. But this is 2009 and believe it or not, the band's third album is called Un Futuro Brillante ("a brilliant future"). Maybe that was just pure irony, but in this new effort they define themselves with shiny sounds and instruments, including horns and Moog synthesizers.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Boat Beam – The Rain Pauly
So it turns out that Josephine of Sparkadia is now in this gorgeously gentle folky trio in Madrid called Boat Beam, and they seem to be kinda popular (check their MySpace). How crazy is that? I could listen to The Rain Pauly for days.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Nancy – Keep Cooler
Five-piece band Nancy have played just a few shows in Brazil and may be more well-known outside the country. They were the first Brazilian band on virtual label RCRD LBL and have been featured on BBC Radio's Introducing programme, showing their soft indie tunes. Nancy's members live in different cities and countries so the band's debut album, Chora Matisse!, was composed on the internet through emails and IM.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Rah Rah– I've Got Faith
When I had to submit my ballot for the Polaris Music Prize (think a Canadian version of the Mercury Prize), the one album that was toughest for me to leave off was Rah Rah's amazing Going Steady. As I've Got Faith shows, the band combine the best elements of Broken Social Scene (with the constant sense they're just barely keeping everything together) and Arcade Fire (in its epicness), with the end result being a sound that's all their own.

CHILE: Super 45
Pedropiedra – Sol Mayor
Pedro Subercaseaux has been involved with music for almost a decade. Having explored such diverse styles as cumbia, hip-hop, electronica, pop and rock, he has been part of several projects such as Hermanos Brothers, Tropiflaite, Yaia and CHC, gathering a good amount of success along the way. This year Subercaseaux has decided to release his debut solo album, under the moniker Pedropiedra, in which he demonstrates his great ability to craft catchy pop-oriented melodies.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
The Works – Live And Direct (featuring Jams F. Kennedy)
It's time to bring some urban tunes to all ye faithful readers of the Music Alliance Pact. Enter The Works aka producers Twelve Beats and Terry Tester, whom I stumbled across quite recently and whose intriguing fusion of hip-hop and electronica I haven't been able to shake off since. Minimalist, yet rich on details. Hardly moving, but always taking you places. Their debut release, Yokohama EP, is out now and streamed in full on their MySpace.

ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Friendship – The Graveyard Shift
Tired of indie bands showing off their 'African influences'? Well, get ready for one more, although this is done with a lot more bite, distortion and general sense of fun than most.

FINLAND: Glue
Neufvoin – Robot
Neufvoin are an up-and-coming indie band who create beautifully-arranged catchy pop melodies with guitars, synthesizer textures and a few other instruments. Apparently, they also like playing with bots and droids. Robot is taken from their debut Robokop EP, six songs produced by Rubik frontman Artturi Taira that journey many different musical landscapes.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Jessica Fichot – Un, Deux, Trois (1,2,3)
Born in America to a French father and Chinese mother, chanteuse and songwriter Jessica Fichot was raised in France in a multicultural environment. She is a lot like her hometown of Paris: French at heart, but with a soul that's truly international. Her multi-ethnic upbringing colors the songs on her debut album.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Bonaparte – Gigolo Vagabundo
Bonaparte are a Berlin-based artist collective from all across Europe. Their sparkling weird-folk is powered by Balkan pace and electronic rhythms. Outfitted with crazy costumes, they are one of the most exciting German live acts around.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Sudden Weather Change – Prey Mode
Sudden Weather Change are a five-piece rock band from Reykjavik who have been compared to Sonic Youth and Pavement. Prey Mode is taken from their debut album, Stop! Handgrenade In The Name Of Crib-Death 'nderstand, which came out in April on the Icelandic Kimi Records label and will be released in Europe and America in September.

IRELAND: Nialler9
The Holy Roman Army – Elegy
Ireland has already produced its fair share of amazing records so far this year and we can now add The Holy Roman Army's album to that list. How The Light Gets In is the brother and sister duo's debut and it's filled with ambient and electronic flourishes with an organic heart. Perhaps it's not a surprise they are a doctor and a psychologist respectively. Elegy is a perfect example of the band's yearning for something emotional between the city's streets.

ITALY: Polaroid
Iori's Eyes – Anchor
Iori's Eyes are a boy and a girl from Milan who play gentle pop with a dreamy touch. Their music brings together a folk mood and a post-rock background. Their songs sound as fragile and delicate as little toys, but definitely know how to be surprising and poignant. Iori's Eyes just released their debut EP, And Everything Fits In The Yellow Whale, and I can't wait to listen to a proper album.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
LITE – Ghost Dance
LITE are a Tokyo-based instrumental band who play experimental rock with striking, groove-heavy basslines. Formed in 2003, their spirit is similar to Mogwai, 65daysofstatic, Battles, Toe and Envy. In May, LITE visited America for the first time, going out on tour with legendary bass guitarist Mike Watt.

MEXICO: Club Fonograma
Hello Seahorse! – Universo 2
Hello Seahorse! is the year's most acclaimed Mexican indie band. With their third album, Bestia, the trio have made the transition into a multi-dimensional group with a masterwork under their belt. Bestia shines in between ghosts and hazy sonic beauty, in a universe of its own, and proves Hello Seahorse! have total control over their romanticized and passionate, sublime creations.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Silverdrop – Real Life
It's July, it's summer and it's time for some fresh and shiny indie-pop from Norwegian six-piece Silverdrop. These are definitely sounds for the sunny days and the band's new recordings are even more bouncy and energetic than the songs I've heard from them before. Silverdrop are currently working on their debut album.

PERU: SoTB
Francois Peglau – Spring Lovers Song (Si Tú Quieres)
Francois Peglau's songs do not need much explanation, they just happen. They are simple and beautiful - they could be borne from a whistle on a bus or a nice sunny day with friends. Francois moved to London two years ago and Spring Lovers Song (Si Tú Quieres) is his most recent song.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Andrew Thorn – ME Jane
Andrew Thorn is João Pedro Coimbra, a Portuguese composer/musician/producer and founder of the extremely successful duo Mesa. Andrew Thorn is João's way of exploring his creativity beyond Mesa's sound. The debut EP, Brutes On The Quiet, was released independently (Mesa is signed to Sony/BMG) on July 13 and ME Jane is the first authorized download by the artist and a MAP exclusive.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Melting Carousel – Several Other Universes
Melting Carousel are an indie-pop band from Timisoara with an eclectic approach, ranging from alternative pop to jazz.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Maple Leaves – Easy Speak
Even though Glasgow's pedigree of producing twee, folky-pop bands (Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura) is strong, few have been as relentlessly joyous as Maple Leaves. With their dreamy girl-boy vocals and penchant for colouring their songs with flute, piano and acoustic guitar, Maple Leaves are guaranteed to put the spring into anyone's summer.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
Force Vomit – Liberator
Surfing and punk-rock in the city state of Singapore don't necessarily go hand in hand due to the lack of any noteworthy waves (both literally and metaphorically). Enter Force Vomit, the antithesis of Singapore's two shortcomings with their brazen brand of surf-punk that takes the piss out of Singapore's sanitized idiosyncrasies and semblance of normal life. Sounding like a Dick Dale number cut by switchblades, Liberator should easily find a place in a Tarantino film.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Dringe Augh – Tutelar
Singer-songwriter Dringe Augh offers lovely songs full of lively guitar play. Over the years he has recorded several demos and his first official EP, Individually Wrapped, was released in June. On the new version of Tutelar, Dringe is accompanied by delightful female vocals from Eunjie Song of modern folk duo Sogyumo Acacia Band.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
MAKTHAVERSKAN – German Boy
I was stumbling around the net (MySpace in particular) and came across this band called MAKTHAVERSKAN. I have since learned they are signed to Luxury. Consider this your introduction to the new 'it' band from Gothenburg. They are agit-pop combined with post-punk and a little bit of Joan Jett tunefulness.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimeto Musical
Gonzalo Teppa – De Conde A Principal
Gonzalo Teppa is a musician, composer and a breathtaking double-bass player. Born in Barquisimeto, he has wowed audiences in Mexico, Brazil, Spain, USA, Colombia and Bolivia. Downbeat Magazine has selected him as solo artist of the year twice. De Conde A Principal is a version of an original work from Venezuelan composer Aldemaro Romero. It belongs to his latest work, ConTrabajos De Aldemaro.

To download all 26 songs in one file click here

New and Recent Releases July 09

Sora Shima's third E.P. Destroy Electronica balances power, noise and beauty in five (sometimes lengthy) instrumentals. On E.P. opener 'Here be Dragons' the Hamilton drum, bass and guitar four piece create a moody, evocative soundscape, that shimmers and builds into thundering waves of sound. 'Calor Human' is more contemplative with a cello adding a warm touch, while 'Hello Big Sky' adds beats to the droning guitars. Sora Shima inhabit a position on the musical landscape close to Napier band Jakob, Dunedin's HDU, and defunct Christchurch band Barnard's Star. I wish I'd discovered this band earlier. At the Sora Shima website you'll find links to free downloads of two earlier E.P.s and info on how to get hold of Destroy Electronica. I've also posted a couple of Sora Shima clips on the video page - check out the video for 'Hovercraft' - it's really good.

Over the 30 odd year career of The Clean they've only released a handful of studio albums, but their reputation means each is eargerly awaited by fans around the world. They have taken their influences, punk, psychedelic pop, and more recently folk and eastern drones, and melded their own unique and instantly recognisible sound. The Clean are one of only a few kiwi musical acts who can be said to have had a global influence, cited as such by the likes of Pavement and Yo La Tengo. They've recently signed with American label Merge Records who will release Mister Pop in September, the band's first studio album, since 2001. The song 'In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul' is available from the Merge website as a free download. For more more info on the early days of the band check out Part 1 of National Radio's Flying Nun doco. There's a recent live clip on the video page.

The New Telepathics are led by Darren Harkness, born in Gore, and now living in Germany. Darren has a broad musical background, having played in rock group Dead Flowers, experimentalists From Scratch and indie group Spacesuit. The New Telepathics album Rudiments and Theories of Silence is a diverse collection of rich and complex songs ranging across, and melding, those various musical threads along with jazz and light touches of Afrobeat. Sometimes including up to ten members, The New Telepathics are an amazing live group. I've put a video of the group performing in studio on the video page and there are more songs at the Red Bull Studio site. There is a National Radio interview with Darren Harkness here (stream).

I've been a fan of Urbantramper since I heard the song 'Shitty Flat' on an A Low Hum compilation a few years ago. That song is a great example of the endearingly naive angst that is the subject of Urbantramper's introspective pop. The band are currently developing a loose manifesto, examining issues of music distribution and pricing and the impact of these on the relationship between artists and audience. As a result the band are experimenting with free and pay-what-you-want distribution of downloads. On the Urbantramper blog the band have recently made a number of new and past songs available for free but they will release a new album in September. Their last, 'Tokon and the Colours' is the only release currently available. You can buy it through Amplifier. There are Urbantramper clips on the video page and you can hear a National Radio live session here (stream).

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