01 December 2022 - 0 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

Written By Wolves

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.

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