KEV'S TOP 10's - 2022
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Last year, as a bit of fun, I put together my Top 10’s of NZ music for the year. I may well have created an issue for myself though, as more than a few have asked when the 2022 version is coming
out, so here it is in time for the last ever MNZ newsletter in its current form. MNZ is going through some changes, which will result in a modern site, with all relevant data carried over and some old features dropped. Technology has changed dramatically
since the site started all those years ago, but we are still the biggest and longest-running music site in NZ, with our 25th anniversary not far away.
I have been writing reviews for more than 30 years, and although I have been in Aotearoa for the last 16, for some strange reason I had never really thrown myself into the NZ Music scene until 2020 when I volunteered for MNZ, and I can safely say my musical education has been ongoing since then. I am an in-demand writer for multiple sites and magazines in different countries, and this year I have already written more than 650 reviews on bands from all over the world, of which 244 have been for MNZ (don’t worry, I am going to break the 250, at least). The breakdown is 63 albums, 35 EP’s, 94 singles and 52 gigs. That is only a tiny percentage of what has been released in 2022 by our amazing bands, but I doubt there are many who hear as much music as I do, so hopefully the lists are representative.
Please note these are my personal opinion and does not reflect that of the site itself (and will probably change tomorrow anyway). I did also give myself certain rules – no band can appear in the same list more than once (although they can be in more than one list), no single can be included if either the album or EP it is taken from also appears, no live albums or compilations. You will also note there are a couple of Top 12’s as I could just not bear to leave the others off, and a Top 9, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.
This is just a bit of fun, and hopefully it will encourage you to investigate some of the reviews which go with them. There are a few which have appeared on sites other than MNZ as they were reviewed by someone else for this site, so the link will be where my review appeared elsewhere. This list is again all over the place regarding genres, and I highly recommend every band included.
SINGLES
1. Coridian
- Rakasha
Read the review here
2. Aro
- Tohora
Read the review here
3. Villainy
- The Launch
Read the review here
4. Volts
- When You Go
Read the review here
5. The Not Okays - Better Days
Read the review here
6. Dead Favours - Sink or Swim
Read the review here
7. Gerry Paul - The Fairy Child
Read the review here
8. End Boss - Punished
Read the review here
9. Stonehurst
- Whispers
Read the review here
10. Ayla Wesley - Say To Me
Read the review here
11. Ed Waaka - E Kura
Read the review here
12. Sam Bartells - Good Intentions
Read the review here
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EPs
1. Ekko Park - UnMute
Read the review here
2. Anderson Rocio -
Chapter One
Read the review here
3. South for Winter -
Acoustic Sessions
Read the review here
4. Gideon Voon -
EPsode II: Wanderer's Path
Read the review here
5. Cafe Fistfight -
Mourning Brew
Read the review here
6. Melanie - ABCD
Read the review here
7. ARIA - Love Songs Till
Midnight
Read the review here
8. Checaine - Black River
Read the review here
9. Sea Mouse - Evil Heart
Read the review here
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ALBUMS
1. Troy Kingi - The Year of
the Ratbags And Their Musty Theme Songs
Read the review here
2. Capital Theatre -
A Hero's Journey
Read the review here
3. Lee Martin -
Gypsy Soul
Read the review here
4. Goldsmith Baynes -
E Rere Ra
Read the review here
5. Fathom - The World To
Breathe
Read the review here
6. Ellery Daines -
Failure Thirty Minutes Deep
Read the review here
7. Turkey The Bird -
When Turkeys Fly
Read the review here
8. Tall Folk - Wiser
Read the review here
9. T-Bone - Good n Greasy
Read the review here
10. Jenny Mitchell -
Tug of War
Read the review here
11. Nigel Parry - Tales of Common Folk: Salt
& Sweet Kisses
Read the review here
12. Steve Tofa - Koko Stax:
The Legend Of Leni Mafu
Read the review here
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CONCERTS
This was by far the hardest category to gauge, and although only the headline band is named, it is the complete line-up that night which made it what it was.
1. Written By Wolves
@ The Tuning Fork, Auckland -
12 November 2022
Read the review here
2. Villainy @ The Powerstation, Auckland - 28
October 2022
Read the review here
3. Troy Kingi @ Town Hall, Auckland - 19 August
2022
Read the review here
4. Reb Fountain @ Town Hall, Auckland - 29 July
2022
Read the review here
5. The Jordan Luck Band @
The Tuning Fork, Auckland - 3 September 2022
Read the review here
6. Lee Martin @ Wunderbar, Lyttleton - 9 March
2022
Read the review here
7. Looking For Alaska w/ Albi & The Wolves @ Leigh Sawmill, Leigh
- 12 February 2022
Read the review here
8. French For Rabbits @ The Tuning Fork,
Auckland - 13 May 2022
Read the review here
9. Fur Patrol @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland
- 20 August 2022
Read the review here
10. South for Winter @ Ministry of Folk,
Auckland - 17 February 2022
Read the review here
11. Turkey The Bird @ Ministry of Folk, Auckland
- 11 June 2022
Read the review here
12. T-Bone @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland - 3 July
2022
Read the review here
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| Written by Wolves - Photo Credit: Chris Morgan / Morgan Creative Full Gallery |
Villainy - Photo Credit: Ginny C Photography Full Gallery |
Troy Kingi w/ Jed Parsons - Photo Credit: Chris Zwaagdyk / Zed Pics Full Gallery |
BAND OF THE YEAR
They may have not released any new material in 2022, but I managed to see them play three times, and am always made to feel very much part of the family. Such a wonderful group of people, producing amazing music, and with a new album out in 2023, the sky is the limit.
Other Reviews By Kev Rowland
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...
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