Music at Elsewhere

The Veils: Asphodels (digital outlets)

3 Feb 2025 | 1 min read

When we reviewed a 2023 concert at Auckland's Powerstation by Finn Andrews (aka The Veils), we couldn't help but point out the numerous images from Christian and Greek religion he drew on. At time he seemed to also be in an ecstatic state as he came off like a rock'n'roll Pentecostal preacher. As we noted in the review, these images are not uncommon in contemporary music and obvious... > Read more

The Dream of Life

FKA Twigs: Eusexua (digital outlets)

3 Feb 2025 | 1 min read

Well, if it's good enough for William Shakespeare to make up words then I guess pop stars can do it too. Charli XCX redefined “brat” for us – although it hasn't caught on as widely as Bill's bedroom, fashionable, scuffle, cold-blooded and about 1700 other words. But here comes FKA Twigs who has coined “eusexua” to mean some kind of extremely deep feeling or... > Read more

Drums of Death

The Weather Station: Humanhood (digital outlets)

2 Feb 2025 | 1 min read

This is a much anticipated album given Canada's Tamara Lindeman (AKA The Weather Station) appeared as one of our best of 2021 albums with the beautifully arranged Ignorance which explored literal and existential loss brought on by the disconnect between Nature and humanity. It won considerable critical acclaim but somewhat overlooked was the introspective piano-led companion album... > Read more

Humanhood

Lemonheads: Car Button Cloth (double vinyl reissue/digital outlets)

24 Jan 2025 | 2 min read

Until he became a bit of an embarrassment to himself – I have a story about him trying to score on tour here, a week or so after he'd assured me he was clean – you had to admire Evan Dando of the Lemonheads. He shaped the sound of melodic indie.rock in the Nineties alongside Buffalo Tom, REM, Grant Lee Buffalo and others, and he was kinda fun. When I interviewed him in the... > Read more

I Don't Want to Go Home

Chris Prosser: Tune Spree – On 2 Violins (Rongotai Records/digital outlets)

24 Jan 2025 | <1 min read

With the economy of the Ramones, violinist Chris Prosser – who came to attention as half of Besser and Prosser with the late composer/pianist Jonathan Besser – here manages to get 39 pieces on one CD. Now if that sounds like a lot of short fiddle pieces where he duets and duels with himself you'd be right. But Prosser is smart enough to lean into various dances and... > Read more

Musicking

RECOMMENDED RECORD: Search for Yeti: Dark So Soon (digital outlets/vinyl)

20 Jan 2025 | 2 min read

From time to time Elsewhere will single out a recent release we recommend on vinyl, like this one by a three-piece from Wellington/Te Whanganui a Tara which comes in a gatefold sleeve with lyrics and extensive liner notes (including the names of scores of people who joined their PledgeMe fundraising effort) and on coloured vinyl. Check out Elsewhere's other Recommended Record... > Read more

What You Mean to Me

Corrella: Skeletons (digital outlets)

20 Jan 2025 | <1 min read

The Blue Eyed Māori hitmakers return with an album which ticks the boxes between reggae and soul but neatly weaves through social observation and jazzy horns (the smart Power), politics plus yacht rock (the less than subtle Cookie), reggae on the march (War with “I shouldn't want to fight no more, but in the end, it's always been this way”) and moments of quiet reflection... > Read more

War

Wendyhouse: Puddlekopf (digital outlets)

9 Dec 2024 | 1 min read

More than 25 years ago I heard an album by the slightly challenging but enjoyable avant-garde/literary-cum-music group Wendyhouse out of Wellington which used samples, spoken word and noise. I sent off my $15 and joined their fan club and received some little handmade magazines and such. It was kinda fun. But I lost touch with them until Bryce Galloway (who may be Mr Pudding) got in... > Read more

Meltflakes Pop

Various Artists: Reaction: The Label 1979-1989 (Frenzy Music)

9 Dec 2024 | 2 min read

Alongside the on-going celebration of Flying Nun (through new albums and vinyl reissues), Rob Mayes making more and more albums on his Failsafe label available and Peter McLennan's excellent book on the Deepgrooves label (although the music remains frustratingly unavailable), there are whole areas of New Zealand music being brought back to attention, notably through the independent labels which... > Read more

Forever Tuesday Morning, by the Mockers

Beth Hart: You Still Got Me (digital outlets)

2 Dec 2024 | 1 min read

When the big voiced blues-rock belter Beth Hart came to this country in 2000 on a promotional tour, we pushed her LA Song to the top of our charts, her first number one anywhere. To be honest I don't remember the song that much but I certainly remember her. As I said in my interview at the time, “On what felt like one of Auckland's most humid days of the year, Los Angeles-based... > Read more

Wonderful World

Kim Deal: Nobody Loves You More (digital outlets)

2 Dec 2024 | 1 min read

Many years ago the British music writer Pete Frame would produce meticulously researched Rock Family Trees tracing the various comings and goings in scenes and bands, creating vast branches for groups like Fleetwood Mac. If he ever did the influential Pixies branches would include the career of bassist Kim Deal who later founded the Breeders (with Tanya Donnelly of Throwing Muses), then... > Read more

Crystal Breath

Norman McLaren: Rythmetic; The Compositions of Norman McLaren (digital outlets)

29 Nov 2024 | <1 min read

A few weeks ago we wrote about the late Scottish-born Canadian animator and film maker Norman McLaren and our distant relationship with him. We took the opportunity to do because of the Synchromy single/animated footage which appeared. It was one of those innovative pieces where McLaren drew the sounds on card and filmed them as . . . Better you just check it out here. What we... > Read more

Dots

A NOT RECOMMENDED RECORD: The Beatles: Live in Stockholm 1964

28 Nov 2024 | 1 min read

From time to time we have a Recommended Record, an album which you deserve to have on vinyl because it plays better that way, has an especially interesting cover (gatefold sleeve, lyrics, credits etc) and it just feels right on record. This album of the Beatles live in Stockholm comes in an excellent cover but . . . We knew what we were getting in to because we read the back cover (see... > Read more

RECOMMENDED REISSUE: Ray Charles: Crying Time (digital outlets)

25 Nov 2024 | <1 min read

There are any number of great Ray Charles albums (notably the two volumes of Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music) and numerous compilations, but this seminal album from 1966 has just been remastered and reissued so we bring it to attention. It included the slightly notorious (and hit) Let's Go Get Stoned but it is the Buck Owens title track with strings which is the real key.... > Read more

Crying Time

Arthur Ahbez: Arthur Ahbez and the Flaming Ahbez (digital outlets)

23 Nov 2024 | 1 min read

We have it on sort-of reliable authority that Arthur Ahbez is this local artist's real name, not a homage to the fascinating proto-hippie Eden Ahbez who wrote, among other things, the jazz standard Nature Boy. If Eden was proto-, Arthur sounds more post- because this album roams freely through psychedelic pop, country, folk-rock and more. It's quite a trip and if the destination is... > Read more

A Simple Medication

Adam Hattaway and the Haunters: High Horse (digital outlets)

22 Nov 2024 | 1 min read

No one could accuse Ōtautahi Christchurch's Adam Hattaway of coasting. Since his 2018 debut album All Dat Love with the Haunters, they've released five albums of Hattaway originals and co-writes, 2021's Rooster a double. They've ranged from swaggering Stones-like rock'n'roll and dancefloor disco-rock to power-pop and alt.country. The compilation Anthology... > Read more

Mercy for the Weak

RECOMMENDED RECORD: Dwight Yoakam: Brighter Days (Via Records/digital outlets)

18 Nov 2024 | 2 min read | 1

From time to time Elsewhere will single out a recent release we recommend on vinyl, like this double album in a gatefold sleeve with lyrics and track credits and in a classy cover. Check out Elsewhere's other Recommended Record picks . . . . In the rush to embrace new alt.country or young mainstream artists it's easy to overlook the career of someone like the... > Read more

If Only

Fazerdaze: Soft Power (digital outlets)

18 Nov 2024 | 1 min read

One of the most deceptively clever and memorable local pop songs of recent years was the Lucky Girl single by Amelia Murray (aka Fazerdaze). It had a gleaming and upbeat sound but a close listen revealed layers of uncertainty within it. It was on her excellent 2017 debut album Morningside where the classy, mostly upbeat guitar-driven pop belied a downward arc of insecurity in a... > Read more

Cherry Pie

Tessa De Lyon: Tessa's Album (digital outlets)

15 Nov 2024 | <1 min read

We encountered Tessa De Lyon under her given name Tessa Dillion as the singer and songwriter for the excellent Mystery Waitress. Their recent album Bright Black Night is wonderful and we concluded, “Bright Black Night – the title encapsulating the dichotomies in Dillon's astute, refined lyrics – is a rare one. It rocks as much as it penetrates”. De Lyon is the name... > Read more

Rain Swim

Blair Parkes: Blue Cloud (digital outlets)

11 Nov 2024 | 1 min read

Multi-instrumentalist/producer Blair Parkes has appeared a number of times at Elsewhere under his own name and as part of Running Club. He's not easy to pigeon-hole because he has effortlessly shifted ground from dense alt.rock to motorik pop and sometimes an amalgam of those + noise. This time out with longtime collaborator Miss Mercury (vocals) and bassist Marcus Thomas he announces... > Read more