1 Nov 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Troy Kingi - Album Review: The Year of the Ratbags And Their Musty Theme Songs

11 Oct 2022 // A review by Kev Rowland

It is safe to say there is no other artist in New Zealand currently working at the pace of Troy Kingi. Earlier this year he released the te reo version of Holy Colony Burning Acres, Pu Whenua Hautapu, Eka Mumura, finished the tour for Black Sea Golden Ladder, and is now back with his latest album, Year of The Ratbags and Their Musty Theme Songs, while already in the studio with TeMatera Smith working on his next one. There is no time to let up for the man who is determined to release 10 albums in 10 years in 10 different genres. This is the sixth in the series, so he is now more than halfway through, and this time we have been taken firmly into the pop world of the Eighties. Troy was born in 1984, the Chinese year of the Rat, and hence the album title, and yet again he has produced an album which is not only solidly within his genre of choice but also a place where he sounds so much at home.

It is hard to connect this album with the last one, which was much more of a folk-inspired release, but how to compare it against the amazing Shake That Skinny Ass All the Way to Zygertron, or the incredible The Ghost of Freddie Cesar? Last year’s Black Sea Golden Ladder was my album of the year, while Holy Colony Burning Acres is one I still often return to.The word “genius” is one that is generally massively overplayed within the music scene, but it does appear to be the only word which fits Troy as each of his albums are superb and have resulted in multiple chart hits and award success, and each one sounds like the genre he was destined to play in, right up until the next one. I have not heard his debut album, Guitar Party At Uncle’s Bach, but I do have all the others and was once lucky enough to see Troy at work in the studio, where he has an ability to not only spot what is missing but going straight back in after a playback to add those elements with ease.

The album cover screams the 80’s over polish of pop, and this album’s band (this time called The Promises) have fitted perfectly in with the theme. It is no surprise to see bassist Marika Hodgson involved yet again, as she is surely one of the very finest bassists on the circuit and has worked with him on other albums, and here she underpins the sound, linking in with drummer Treye Liu, who has to make his drums sound electronic as that was the style back then. The keyboards of Guy Harrison are wonderfully dated, both in sound and approach, and I must also mention TeMatera at the end of Authenticity and others, as his spoken word pieces are hilarious. It is interesting to note that one of the songs is a co-write with Delaney Davidson, so I presume this was discarded from the last album as not fitting in with that theme.

There is no doubt that when the awards season comes around that Troy will be grabbing another armful, not because he is a judge’s favourite but because the songs and performance are top notch. I have the double-vinyl 45 rpm version of the album, but it is available in standard vinyl, CD, cassette (strictly limited edition) or digital download. However you like to consume your music, Troy Kingi has delivered yet another masterpiece which this time around takes its cues from the likes of Human League, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads and so many more. What will the next one bring us I wonder?

Rating: ( 5 / 5 )
 

About Troy Kingi

Troy Kingi (Te Arawa, Ngapuhi, Te Whanau-a-Apanui) is an actor and multi-award-winning, multi-genre musician from Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Described by the New Zealand Herald as “One of our finest Songwriters ”, Kingi rose to fame after the release of his first two multi-award-winning albums Guitar Party at Uncles Bach and Shake That Skinny Ass All the Way to Zygertron, along with memorable major roles in Kiwi films including ‘Hunt For The Wilderpeople’, ‘The Pa Boys’, ‘Mt Zion’ and ‘The Breaker Upperers’.

Since then he has gone on to roles in multiple New Zealand Films, TV Series, and television commercials.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Troy Kingi

Releases

Leatherman & The Mojave Green
Year: 2024
Type: Album
Pu Whenua Hautapu, Eka Mumura
Year: 2022
Type: Album
Black Sea Golden Ladder
Year: 2021
Type: Album
The Ghost of Freddie Cesar
Year: 2020
Type: Album
Holy Colony Burning Acres
Year: 2019
Type: Album
Guitar Party at Uncle's Bach
Year: 2016
Type: Album

Other Reviews By Kev Rowland

Gig Review: Crushfest @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland - 07/07/2023
07 Jul 2023 // by Kev Rowland
So it was down to Tuning Fork for the first night of the second Crushfest festival. Tonight was going to be Wellington and Auckland bands, and then some of the same will be playing at the second night in Wellington next month.
Read More...
Rain - Single Review: Love and War
15 Jun 2023 // by Kev Rowland
It has been quite a while since I last heard from Wellington-based singer songwriter Cathy Elizabeth, and back then Rain was seen solely as a studio project with Cathy being accompanied by Thomas Te Taite, who provided all the instrumentation including digital drums. Now they are a full band who have been performing live, and it is the first time they have recorded as such, with Thomas now, just providing acoustic guitar (plus engineering and producing etc.
Read More...
Lost Vessels - Single Review: All This Time
01 Jun 2023 // by Kev Rowland
I must admit I was not that impressed when I first saw Lost Vessels play at Crushfest, something they later admitted to me was the worst gig of their career, but since then they have improved in leaps and bounds. This has been noticed by others on the Auckland circuit as they are getting more opportunities with better support slots, and I was not at all surprised when they won the Ding Dong Lounge Battle Of The Bands in November last year.
Read More...
Unwanted Subject - Single Review: Sons of Savages
28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
I have caught Unwanted Subject in concert a few times over the last couple of years, and while they have been getting better each time I have seen them, I must admit that nothing prepared me for this, which right from the off is a monster. I have never heard them quite this is aggressive, nor as polished, and this multi-sectioned single sounds almost like a different band as they have pushed their metal roots to the max in this metalcore beast which sees them mixing and blending different genres to create something quite special.
Read More...
Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland - 26/05/2023
28 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
So it was back to Ding Dong Lounge on a Friday night for one of their infamous Emo nights, which tonight was a three-band bill with Stray Dogs having an extended set, supported by Altaea and then up first we had Blindr, a band new to me. Blindr are a quartet featuring Bill Caldwell (vocals, guitar), Blake Woodfield (lead guitar), Jack Power (bass), and Charlie McCracken (drums).
Read More...
Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland - 27/05/2023
27 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Back up to Auckland Guide Centre in Mount Eden tonight for my second consecutive gig (Sol suggested it was a turkey sandwich as I am at Vader tomorrow) to see Taranaki’s finest, Turkey The Bird at The Ministry of Folk. Before that we of course had Hoop, who are Al Baxter (vocals, guitar, harmonica, banjo, mandolin), Nick Edgar (vocals, guitar, ukulele, flute, harmonica), Emily Allen (violin, viola), Glenn Coldham (bass) while tonight Gary Hunt was filling in for drummer Rusty Knox.
Read More...
This Silent Divide - Single Review: Beautiful Creature
25 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Here we have the latest single from Wellington-based melodic hard rock quartet This Silent Divide, entitled Beautiful Creature. I really enjoyed their Tall Stories EP, and they played a great gig at Dead Witch towards the end of last year, and this would have been recorded at about the same time.
Read More...
Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe - 24/05/2023
24 May 2023 // by Kev Rowland
Earlier this week I had a message from Emily Rice asking me if I lived in South Auckland. When I responded I did, she asked if I would be interested in coming along to an event she was putting on in a coffee shop in Pukekohe to celebrate the release of her new single, Warenoa.
Read More...
View All Articles By Kev Rowland

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • APT.
    ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
  • DIE WITH A SMILE
    Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
  • BIRDS OF A FEATHER
    Billie Eilish
  • TASTE
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
    Gracie Abrams
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • SAILOR SONG
    Gigi Perez
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
    Shaboozey
  • GOOD LUCK, BABE!
    Chappell Roan
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem