Cairo Knife Fight - Album review: The Colossus
11 Jun 2015 // review by Alistar3000
Having seen Cairo Knife Fight perform live many times over the past few years I’d always been under the assumption they were performing songs from a number of prior recordings. So I was a little surprised to discover that The Colossus was actually their first album (they do have a few EPs recorded), and more surprised to find that long time guitarist Aaron Tokona (AHoriBuzz) was no longer a key part of the band, and makes only a small appearance on the album – with that revelation I didn’t know what to expect when I pressed play.
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Tahuna Breaks - Album Review: Tahuna Breaks Live 10
02 Apr 2015 // review by Alistar3000
It’s hard to believe that Tahuna Breaks is celebrating 10 years making music together, although they do seem to have always been around, and I guess if anyone’s going to be keeping a record of how long they’ve been making their brand of funkified reggae, it’d be them. To celebrate the occasion they’ve release Tahuna Breaks Live 10 – 10 tracks spanning their career, recorded live last year at a one-off concert to celebrate the milestone (so I guess the album should actually be called 10 + 6 months).
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LatinAotearoa - Album Review: Latinaotearoa in Latinoamerica
09 Dec 2014 // review by Alistar3000
When I started reading about the concept behind the second Latinaotearoa album it sounded like a good idea and I was quite excited to have a listen to it. If you’re not familiar with the story, Auckland musician Isaac Aesili (Solaa, Opensouls, Eru Dangerspiel, Funkommunity) teamed up once again with Venezualan singer Jennifer Zea, and Brazilian-born DJ Bobby Brazuka, to research and write a bunch of songs in Brazil, then record the album of Latin-influenced tunes in Brazil and Auckland with guest appearances by some great musicians (such as Raiza Biza, Julien Dyne, Riki Gooch and Miguel Fuentes) – what should, on paper, lead to some great experimentation and crossovers of styles.
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Into Orbit - Caverns Album Review
24 Aug 2014 // review by Alistar3000
Wellington two piece noisemakers Into Orbit have an appropriate name for the kind of music they’ve created on their new album Caverns; it’s spacey feeling, often out there and is sure to take off. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from the album before listening to it (or even if I’d like it at all), but came away a devoted fan after having it on constant repeat for a couple of days while I explored everything it had to offer (I’m still not there yet, not even close).
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The Shakedown - Next Movement EP review
10 Feb 2014 // review by Alistar3000
Wellington’s The Shakedown seem to have only been around a short while (or at least since March last year) but have already made a bit of a name for themselves through their live shows and a couple of singles. Next Movement is their first release and is 5 tracks of pretty sweet sounding reggae-laden funk.
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Sky Village - Landfall EP Review
09 Jan 2014 // review by Alistar3000
Wellington alt-country group Sky Village’s debut EP at first seems quite straightforward but on repeated listens the many subtle nuances and depth contained within its six songs start to become more apparent, and to be honest if you don’t listen to this repeatedly you’re doing yourself, and the recording, a disservice. When you delve into this album with the attention it deserves you’ll uncover a musical richness, which stems from the combined experience of the four talented musicians involved in producing it; although guitarist and vocalist Michael Taylor can take credit for writing the songs on the EP he’s gathered a fine group of musicians to support the songs, with Deane Hunter on guitar, and Craig McDougall and Michael Allen on the rhythm section (drums and bass, respectively).
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JCK - The Vampire Trilogy Singles Review
05 Dec 2013 // review by Alistar3000
JCK (aka Auckland’s James Castady-Kristament) performs alternative hip hop, similar in vein to Wellington’s Tommy Ill, but with more of an electronic/dance feel to it.  His latest work, following up from 2011’s The Bees, is The Vampire Trilogy, a set of three songs fittingly released simultaneously on Halloween.
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Mountaineater - Mountaineater Album Review
10 Oct 2013 // review by Alistar3000
Mountaineater are one of the few bands around that manage to somehow sound like their name. Slowly building up layers of sound, with rumbling bass and relentless rhythms, you can almost imagine a mountain crumbling away at the sheer intensity of this sonic assault.
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SansArcade - Re Entry EP Review
15 Sep 2013 // review by Alistar3000
About a year ago I interviewed Auckland rockers SansArcade about their campaign to raise funds to record their debut EP. At the time they assured me that it would be out within months.
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Shepherds Of Cassini - Shepherds of Cassini Album Review
21 Aug 2013 // review by Alistar3000
I first came across the Shepherds of Cassini earlier this year when I heard a demo of their track Eyelid on Soundcloud. It was an interesting track, epic in length and full of prog-rock goodness.
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El Schlong - Live at San Francisco Bathhouse, 13/07/13
22 Jul 2013 // review by Alistar3000
Wellington seems to be having a good run of metal gigs at the moment; it seems like there are a couple of decent gigs to get to every week, usually with a few bands (at least) on the bill, making them real value for music fans. Mid-July saw one such gig at the San Francisco Bathhouse, when art metallers El Schlong returned from Berlin for a quick tour of New Zealand.
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Concord Dawn - Numbers Will Kill Us All EP Review
16 Jul 2013 // review by Alistar3000
Concord Dawn seem to have been churning out albums on a pretty regular basis over the past few years, each seemingly heading more towards the mainstream than the last. That wasn’t really anything to complain about, as the quality of the music was still at a high level and it seemed like a natural progression.
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The Upbeats - Primitive Technique Album Review
21 Apr 2013 // review by Alistar3000
Wellington drum and bass duo The Upbeats have forged a reputation over the past 9 years for their hard hitting, dance inducing tracks and they’ve kept to that winning formula on their latest release, Primitive Technique. It’s packed full of 14 huge tracks, ranging from the jaunty One Step, to the almost menacing opening track Beyond Reality, with a few mellower tracks thrown in for good measure.
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Tahuna Breaks - Shadow Light Album Review
07 Apr 2013 // review by Alistar3000
Tahuna Breaks were one of those bands that I’d heard mentioned a lot but never got around to listening to, until I got sent a copy of their third album Shadow Light. After listening to it I don’t know why these guys aren’t better known here, or why I hadn’t listened to them earlier.
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Urbantramper - Tomorrow We Leave Here EP Review
24 Mar 2013 // review by Alistar3000
Wellington’s Urbantramper really impressed me with last year’s album Internet Freedom Is Love. I really liked their blend of indie folk and downbeat electronica – it had a dark streak through it that I found interesting, yet they maintained a pop feel to their songs.
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Homegrown 2013 Review
11 Mar 2013 // review by Alistar3000
The 2nd of March brought the annual Homegrown festival to Wellington once more and I headed along to get some photos, check out some bands I hadn’t seen live before and soak up the atmosphere of 17,000 happy music fans enjoying the best of our local talent. Last year I seemed to spend most of my time at the Rock Stage, so this year I thought I’d try and check out the stages where I wouldn’t normally hang out.
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Hollywoodfun Downstairs - So Post Modern EP review
17 Feb 2013 // review by Alistar3000
Hollywoodfun Downstairs are one of Wellington’s hardest working bands. They seem to play live more than most bands in town, and if they’re not gigging then they’re rehearsing four or five times a week to tighten their songs up.
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Benny Tones - Chrysalis: The Remixes Album Review
13 Feb 2013 // review by Alistar3000
Benny Tones, star producer and member of Wellington's Electric Wire Hustle, released a pretty solid album of electronica with 2011’s Chrysalis. This year he's looked to follow that success up by releasing an album of remixes.
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Unknown - Look Within Single Review
27 Jan 2013 // review by Alistar3000
J Plates (aka Jeremy Graham) is a Hamilton-based electronic music maker who isn’t that well known here, or known at all outside the club scene, but he seems to be getting plenty of notice abroad. He’s just released a track on a compilation by Russian label Liquid Brilliants.
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Evil Mule - Remnants of a Lost Science Album Review
27 Nov 2012 // review by Alistar3000
A while ago I got to review Evil Mule’s 2008 debut album P-Hood Prophecies. At the time I recall having pretty low expectations for the album yet being completely blown away by how fresh it sounded.
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Decortica - 11811 Album Review
21 Nov 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Decortica's last album, the stunning Love Hotel, showcased their unique sound, drawing on elements of rock and metal to create something that sat somewhere in between, yet almost transcended both genres. It garnered them some attention, through a couple of well-produced videos, but they never really seemed to take off in a big way.
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The Datsuns - Death Rattle Boogie Album Review
08 Nov 2012 // review by Alistar3000
The Datsuns are one of those New Zealand bands who seem to have been around forever, churning out dirty garage rock, releasing well-received albums, but never seeming to do as well at home as they do abroad. Their new album Death Rattle Boogie, the fifth the band has released, may go some way to address that problem.
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Kieran Cooper - Live @ San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington 30/10/12
01 Nov 2012 // review by Alistar3000
It takes a brave person to quit their day job and spend months touring New Zealand; an even braver one to play acoustic folk at the San Francisco Bathhouse, traditionally the home of rock music in Wellington, on a Tuesday night. But Kieran Cooper has made the decision to work hard at being a solo artist and that's all part of the journey for him.
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Home Brew - Home Brew album review
13 Oct 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Releasing a debut album is a daunting feat for any musician; choosing to make your first release a double album may be bordering on crazy. But Home Brew have proven time and again that they are no ordinary musicians and don't do play by conventional rules.
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Going Global Showcase, 6 September 2012 @ San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington
08 Sep 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Unless people are involved in the music industry, or play seriously in a band, they probably wouldn’t know much about the Going Global summit that took place in the first week of September in Wellington and Auckland (and the second week in September in Christchurch). What people might have seen is the music showcases put on as part of the summit.
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Heathen Eyes - Heathen Eyes Interview
28 Aug 2012 // interview by Alistar3000
Auckland's Heathen Eyes are creating a real buzz in the local rock scene. Alistar Wickens caught up with front man Jason McIver to find out what that band has been up to and where they're heading.
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Nightchoir - See The First Star Album Review
25 Aug 2012 // review by Alistar3000
It'd be easy to try and compare the new Nightchoir album to Pluto's music. After all, Nightchoir consists of three members of Pluto, so you’d expect there to be some musical similarities and spillover.
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Swiss - Mr Slow Wind EP Review
18 Aug 2012 // review by Alistar3000
There's always been two camps in reggae music - the musicians who just want to make party music and get people dancing, and those who view reggae as a political outlet. Auckland's SWISS is firmly in the former camp, his music imparting no great wisdom, or long lasting message to the listener, but bound to get the dance floor seething.
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Amos/Anon - AmosAnon DVD Review
29 Jul 2012 // review by Alistar3000
There aren’t a whole lot of musicians in New Zealand releasing DVD’s of their work, for whatever reason – cost of production, the hassles of making enough videos to fill a whole DVD, or people aren’t generally into buying DVD’s of local artists. Or probably a combination of all three I suspect.
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Concord Dawn - Air Chrysalis Album Review
10 Jul 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Concord Dawn have always seemed to be ahead of the drum and bass game, innovating and pushing the genre with each release, and in the process becoming well known here and around the world. That innovative streak seemed to diminish a little with the departure of Evan Short (who has now returned to his metal roots with Cobra Khan and Subtract) and the last album, The Enemy Within, had more of a commercial/mainstream feel than their earlier work.
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Gatherer - Live @ Medusa, Wellington 22 June 2012
28 Jun 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Medusa in Wellington has a bit of a reputation for putting on interesting nights and Friday was no exception. Kicking off the night was local band Spook The Horses, whose album Brighter was one of my favourite New Zealand releases of the past year.
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Clap Clap Riot - Counting Spins Album Review
01 Jun 2012 // review by Alistar3000
You might listen to Clap Clap Riot’s debut album Counting Spins and think that you’ve heard some of the songs before. And you’d probably be right; the band has released four singles from the album over the past year, with the tunes getting airplay all over the place.
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Knives At Noon - Second Skin EP Review
27 May 2012 // review by Alistar3000
It's always good to see bands trying new ways to get their music out to the masses and Knives at Noon seem to be doing better than most at it. Managing to get their music on Telecom's smartphone ads was a good start and now they're offering an exclusive downloadable EP to everyone who buys a t-shirt from them.
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Sound of Amsa - Sound of Amsa Album Review
06 May 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Sound of Amsa is a difficult album to categorise – it starts out with a dancier track, moves through retro, before settling on being a downbeat hip hop album. But at the end of the day, it’s definitely an interesting album and that’s probably all that matters.
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Spook The Horses - Brighter Album Review
09 Apr 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Spook the Horses may be New Zealand’s answer to seminal post-metal band Isis. They share many similarities – the layers of sound, sparse vocals, driving heaviness.
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Jeramiah Ross / Module - Imagineering Album Review
22 Mar 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Imagineering is the first proper album from Module (aka Wellington – via Canada – musician Jeremiah Ross) since 2005's Remarkable Engines; that’s not to say Module has been idle in the past 6 years – there’s been the 70+ minute, single track Dreams For The Sleepless, and a live album released to keep us, and Module, occupied. Those releases haven’t seemed to garner the attention that Remarkable Engines did though, which is a shame as it’s seen Module sort of disappear from our musical landscape (or perhaps just mine).
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An Emerald City - Live @ St. Peter's Hall, Paekakariki
05 Mar 2012 // review by Alistar3000
It starts with a single violin playing an eerie lament, on a stage lit only by antique table lamps on a dark and stormy night in Paekakariki, half an hour out of Wellington.  One by one the rest of An Emerald City stroll onto the small stage to take up the tune, in a way reflecting the band's approach to song writing.
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JCK - The Bees Album Review
12 Feb 2012 // review by Alistar3000
JCK (aka James Castady-Kristament) has been producing his brand of hip hop since 2002 with songs being picked up by radio stations and music TV.  It’s easy to see why he gets so much interest after listening to his latest album, The Bees.
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Illuminus - Until The End Album Review
06 Feb 2012 // review by Alistar3000
Every now and then an album comes along that surprises with its’ fresh sound and bold song writing.  Illuminus’ debut album, Until The End, has been the first such surprise of 2012.
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Spartacus R - The View Album Review
20 Dec 2011 // review by Alistar3000
With their second album, The View, Wellington 6-piece Spartacus R prove that it’s quality, not quantity that matters.  In 6 years together they’ve released a couple of EP’s, their debut album (When The Fever Takes Hold) in 2009 and toured a handful of times.
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High Dependency Unit - Live @ the San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington - 11 November 2011
20 Nov 2011 // review by Alistar3000
High Dependency Unit (HDU) are one of those bands that just seem to have always been a part of the New Zealand music scene.  They were part of the Flying Nun stable in the 90’s until they went their separate ways in 2008 and gained a cult following for their post-rock sound and for their live shows; the latter being remembered for the huge wall of layered sound that the trio would create.
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Bannerman - Dearly Departed Album Review
06 Nov 2011 // review by Alistar3000
I've got a hunch that the new Bannerman album, Dearly Departed, is going to be played a lot in my house.  From the first track I was hooked on the richness of the album, the layers of sound, the songwriting, the melancholy yet whimsical tone of the songs.
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Kive - Gravitate EP Review
20 Oct 2011 // review by Alistar3000
Kive are one of those bands that you hear and wonder why you haven't heard them before. Originally a three piece post-rock outfit, the addition of former Brutally Frank vocalist Jeremy Frank has added another dimension to their sound.
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SINSIN - Layers EP Review
17 Oct 2011 // review by Alistar3000
I spent a good portion of Sunday afternoon looking for something to listen to that would fit in with a stinking hangover.  It takes a special kind of music to slot into a hangover and I wasn’t having much luck; everything was either too loud, or too mellow, or too fast, or too slow.
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Cybiont - So Much Work For Love To Do Album Review
10 Oct 2011 // review by Alistar3000
There’s such a proliferation of music being made on the Mac that it almost deserves its own genre. Unfortunately that wouldn’t help anyone trying to describe Cybiont’s fourth album, So Much Work For Love.
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Mel Parsons - Album Review: Red Grey Blue
25 Sep 2011 // review by Alistar3000
Mel Parsons may seem young but her latest album Red Grey Blue shows a weariness and a maturity belying her age. Many of the songs on the album have a dark streak running through them that speaks of harsh life experiences, although they’re balanced out by tracks like Things Will Get Good and We Will Find Love Again, both full of optimism for the future.
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Mountaineater - Mountaineater, Left or Right, Full Fucking Moon and Ryan Prebble @ Bar Bodega, Wellington - 16 September 2011
17 Sep 2011 // review by Alistar3000
Music fans turning up to Wellington’s Bar Bodega on Friday night were lucky to be treated to a wide range of musical styles. The Nudge’s Ryan Prebble kicked things off, playing solo for the night.
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Alphabethead - Alphabethead's Wonderful World of the Weird @ Medusa, Wellington - 3 September 2011
04 Sep 2011 // review by Alistar3000
When I walked into Medusa last night for Alphabethead’s Wonderful World of the Weird tour to find Hamilton’s DJ Indecline mixing and scratching hip hop and punk records, I knew the night was going to be an interesting one. The colourful circus-like backdrop behind him, and flags hanging around the walls, only added to the atmosphere.
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Elliot Brown - Road To Destruction album review
28 Aug 2011 // review by Alistar3000
At first I didn’t know what to make of Northland’s Elliot Brown.  His claims of alt-country put me off, not being a genre I usually get into too much.
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Backyard Burial - Backyard Burial Final Show @ San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington, 26/08/2011
28 Aug 2011 // review by Alistar3000
The first review I ever had published was of a Backyard Burial gig, so it was a great privilege to be able to photograph and review their farewell show. There were always going to be mixed emotions to this show.
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The Red Eyes - Red Army Album Review
14 Aug 2011 // review by Alistar3000
Traditionally reggae has had either religion or politics as its driving force, which is understandable when it’s viewed as an outlet for the oppressed people of Jamaica. Lately though, reggae has tended to be subverted by the middle class and has been churned out in an easy listening format, almost a reggae-lite, more commonly associated with BBQs, beaches and beers.
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Beastwars - Beastwars @ Mighty Mighty, Wellington, 13 August 2011
14 Aug 2011 // review by Alistar3000
Wellington’s Mighty Mighty last night became a seething mass of metallers, with local sludge fanatics Beastwars providing an apocalyptic soundtrack that nearly left the crowd in a state of physical and mental destruction. Usually catering to the more sedate sounds of indie hipsters, the bar may have been unprepared for the onslaught of bogans, stoners and general weirdoes, my own bad self included, that seem to accompany Beastwars wherever they go.
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The Slur-Tones, Pirate Sons and the Orphins @ Bar Bodega, Wellington 30/07/2011
31 Jul 2011 // review by Alistar3000
I don’t know where Wellington’s music lovers were last night, but they sure weren’t at Bar Bodega. And that’s a shame because they missed a good night of rock’n’roll.
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Knives At Noon - Knives at Noon and The Frisk (Young Lyre) @ Bodega, 22/07/2011
23 Jul 2011 // review by Alistar3000
You go to a gig by the band that provided the tune for the Telecom Android phone ad, yeah that song, and of course you'll go along with certain preconceived ideas about what you’re going to get for your hard earned dollars.  But then when you arrive at Bar Bodega a four piece Irish blues folk rock band, complete with lap guitar, banjo and violin are playing and you don’t even know who they are because they weren’t on the bill originally.
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Paperscissors - Paperscissors @ Bar Bodega, Wellington, 8/07/2011
10 Jul 2011 // review by Alistar3000
I missed seeing Paperscissors perform recently with The Checks, a slip up on my part that, having now seen them play, I regret. For Paperscissors rock (I couldn’t resist…), and they do it well.
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