Music

Broken Bells - After The Disco

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Adrian Ng

Grade: B Broken Bells is comprised of James Mercer (The Shins) and Brian Burton (Danger Mouse), who team up again following their 2010 debut. After The Disco is an album of very well crafted songs, merging elements of new-wave and disco with Mercer’s trademark pop sensibilities. The Read more...

Warpaint - Warpaint

Posted 6:57pm Sunday 23rd February 2014 by Adrian Ng

Grade: A- From start to finish, the sophomore effort from this Los Angeles-based four piece emanates a dense atmosphere, each track transitioning beautifully to the next. Soaked in a somewhat ethereal splendor, the record is held together by a subtle, carnal groove which comes across as Read more...

2013’s Best Tracks

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Basti Menkes

1. Sigur Rós - BrennisteinnThe opening number of the Icelanders’ gothic and gorgeous seventh LP Kveikur is a masterpiece of the juxtaposition of light and darkness. Trembling with volcanic basslines and glimmering with Jónsi’s peerless falsetto, “Brennisteinn” is the finest song both of Sigur Rós’ Read more...

2013’s Best Albums

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Basti Menkes

2013 has seen some fantastic releases in the music world, from sonic veterans returning to the game after a long absence to new artists making waves with their impressive debuts. To celebrate another great year for music, Basti Menkes gives you his favourite albums and songs released this year. Read more...

MGMT - MGMT

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Lisa Craw

Rating: 2/5 As someone who’s followed MGMT peripherally for a while, I had high expectations for their latest album. I expected a new slick experience, a return to the clever and commercially viable pop of their first album Oracular Spectacular. After their brief foray into self-indulgence on Read more...

Lorde - Pure Heroine

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Basti Menkes

Rating: 4.5/5 No matter how many times I hear the Lorde story, it never fails to amaze me. In 2008, Ella Yelich-O’Connor was just another North Shore 12-year-old. After a video of her singing at a school talent show made its way to Universal Records scout Scott Maclachlan, she was Read more...

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Fly By Wire

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Tom McCone

Rating: 4/5 With the slow onset of the sunnier half of the year, the musically-inclined are already building up their summer playlists, soundtracking lazy drives to the beach, rooftop sunbathing sessions and afternoon backyard drinking sessions that segue into crisp starlit evenings. Read more...

Kings Of Leon - Mechanical Bull

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Basti Menkes

Rating: 3/5 What a strange tale the Kings Of Leon story has been. Though ever-adored by the British music press, it wasn’t until album number three, their magnum opus Because Of The Times, that they broke into the mainstream consciousness. Even after several monster hits and two more albums – Read more...

Interview: Isaac McFarlane (Two Cartoons)

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Loulou Callister-Baker

The lead singer and guitarist of Dunedin band Two Cartoons, Isaac McFarlane is preparing to head off to London for a record label-sponsored soujourn. Loulou Callister-Baker caught up with Isaac after his final Dunedin show to ask about the big move and how he got into music. Let’s start from Read more...

The Weeknd - Kiss Land

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 22nd September 2013 by Basti Menkes

Rating: 2/5 An arsehole. A genius. Troubled. The second coming of Michael Jackson. Abel Tesfaye, known better by his stage name The Weeknd, has been called many things during his young career. After dropping his first mix-tape House of Balloons in early 2011, claims that the Canadian would Read more...