In keeping with my tradition (can one other time even be considered a tradition?) of making video ads for our upcoming teen events, here is the official Wellington City Libraries Twilight Trivia Night trailer:
Thank you to Kristina and Matthew for starring.
Remember everyone to register, it promises to be a fun night!
Maximo Park are a guitar driven angular pop quintet from the UK. They’ve gained quite a following in the wake of the post-punk revival of the mid decade and look to continue this form with Quicken The Heart, their third effort.
Head Like A Hole, or HLAH, were one of the most popular and hard-rockin’ NZ bands of the 90s. They might not fit into those leather pants as easily as they did back then, but they’ve been touring of late and reports have been overwhelmingly positive. The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands documents these shows.
Along with Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors are the crossover indie-darling success story of 2009. Bitte Orca marries sweet harmonies and bursts of atonal noise in the most beautiful way imaginable, highly recommended.
MGMT were last years crossove indie-darling success story and to tide everyone over until a new full-length arrives their 2005 ep, Time To Pretend has been re-released. It includes the original versions of Kids and Time To Pretend, along with 4 songs that didn’t make Oracular Spectacular. Managementbros rejoice.
Hip Hop Anthology is a four disc, well, anthology of hip hop. It’s a pretty in depth collection that turns the focus on quality – not necessarily sales – and is to be praised for this, unlike so many other compilations out there. Features tracks from the 80’s to today.
PNC is a local rapper who loves his home town of Palmerston North City so much he named himself after it. His last album Rookie Card won best Urban/Hip Hop album at the 2007 Vodafone Music Awards and his newest, Bazooka Kid, just might repeat the effort.
Lastly, Eskimo Joe return with Inshalla. Fans of commercial rock groups like Nickelback might find something to enjoy on this one.
Are you familiar with the Scene-it? series of DVD games? They’re a series of movie quiz games you can play on your DVD player – sort of like Buzz, but don’t require a console. Anyway, the exciting news is that a Twilight one is coming very soon and is even coming to the Nintendo Wii in some sort of super deluxe package. Team Edward can face off against Team Jacob in trivia showdowns very soon then.
As the decade draws to a close more and more websites will start posting top 100 lists looking back on the 2000s, or the noughties, or whatever it was we decided to call it. Other websites will do the opposite and post bottom 100 lists, like Rotten Tomatoes has with this, its worst movies of the decade list. Simon and I noticed we had a fair few of these in the catalogue, so if you’d like to watch something terrible for laughs …
82. Supercross: The Movie
81. Extreme Ops
60. The Perfect Man
46. Material Girls
38. Happily N’Ever After
26. Kickin’ It Old Skool
21. Epic Movie
And worst of them all…. 1. Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever
Enjoy, I suppose.
Have you seen this video? Go on, give it a watch.
If that made you smile, and really how could it not, we have the full story of Christian the Lion on DVD. It’s called A Lion Called Christian and it tells the true story of two men who bought a lion in a London department store, it’s release into the wild and their subsequent reunions. All very sweet and tearjerking.
And if you want some more things to watch we have these two; 17 Again starring the dreamy Zac Efron and Primeval series two which has giant Mastodons in it.
Well, as long as five new DVDs is considered mad it’s madness. All kinds of bases are covered by this selection, and here they are…
Best of Dangerous Encounters with Brady Barr follows a reptile expert as he does all sorts of silly things in the name of science. My favourite bit is when he wears a 200 pound kevlar suit covered in hippo dung to extract sweat from a hippo.
The Most Extreme is a series that follows all sorts of extreme behaviour in the animal kingdom. Fighters, Stinkers, Gluttons and many more are looked at in these fantastically shot episodes originally made for Animal Planet.
Sticking with the extreme, Gravity Games H2O is a four disc box set filled with wakeboarding, tow-in surfing, motorcross, kite surfing and other assorted watery hijinks. Except for the motorcross, I can’t explain it’s inclusion unless they somehow ride on water. Now that’d be extreme.
Ultimate Factories is a National Geographic series that goes to, well, ultimate factories. In this one they go see how Ferraris and M1 Tanks are produced. So if you’ve ever wondered how they put them together, now you can find out.
Naked Science: Surviving nature’s fury is a three disc set in the excellent National Geographic Naked Science series. These episodes look at asteroids, the Bermuda Triangle, alien contact and other popular and controversial scientific topics.
Doom is a masked rapper famous for being mysterious prolific and really, really good. He used to be known as MF Doom (and various other aliases), but dropped the MF, much like Diddy dropped the P from P. Diddy. Anyway, Born Like This is his latest. If you enjoy your hip hop old school and clever give this a listen, then delve deeper into his catalogue.
Gin Wigmore is a local singer in the Amy Winehouse / Macy Gray mold of funny voiced songstresses. Her EP Gin: Extended Play went gold here this June and now arrives on our shelves. You’ve probably seen her videos and heard her on the radio, but if not pick this up if you like folksy pop.
Sticking with the local content, Ulcerate are New Zealand’s premier death metal oufit and they bring Everything is Fire to the table. It’s been lauded in the international growly vocals and pounding double kick pedalled drums community for being cerebral and forward thinking, though fans of loud noises will enjoy also.
Liam Finn pops back with Champagne in seashells, a wee five tracker recorded with Eliza Jane. It’s a nice follow up to I’ll be lightning and makes me look forward to his next full-length. More tasty pop-rock treats from our beardy pal.
German emo kids Tokio Hotel’s English language debut Scream serves up the sort of melodramatic rock now expected by the genre, the twist being that they (at the time of recording anyway) were all eligible for YA library cards. If your boat is floated by MCR etc. pick this up, as you’ll likely enjoy greatly.
Yes, it’s been announced, these are the sounds of New Moon.
01 Death Cab for Cutie: “Meet Me on the Equinox”
02 Band of Skulls: “Friends”
03 Thom Yorke: “Hearing Damage”
04 Lykke Li: “Possibility”
05 The Killers: “A White Demon Love Song”
06 Anya Marina: “Satellite Heart”
07 Muse: “I Belong to You (New Moon Remix)”
08 Bon Iver and St. Vincent: “Rosyln”
09 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: “Done All Wrong”
10 Hurricane Bells: “Monsters”
11 Sea Wolf: “The Violet Hour”
12 OK Go: “Shooting the Moon”
13 Grizzly Bear: “Slow Life”
14 Editors: “No Sound But the Wind”
15 Alexandre Desplat: “New Moon (The Meadow)”
Seeing as it won’t be out until October 20 I’ve provided some links to albums some of the artists have out at the library, should you need something to sink your fangs into (sorry!) in the interim. If you want to hear the Death Cab For Cutie song you can here. All very exciting stuff.
There are five new CDs this week, and they are…
Hands by Little Boots is a synth-pop album that has received it’s fair share of internet buzz via the blogosphere over past few blog years. Is the hype deserved? “Yes it is”, will say cats who dig on Ladyhawke, Hot Chip and their ilk. If this is you, you know what to do.
If Little Boots (above) piqued your interest then allow Ready For The Weekend by Calvin Harris to do the same. More dancefloor ready numbers reside inside the jewel case patiently awaiting the weekend, which I suppose is why it’s named what it is.
Did you go see the movie 17 Again and think that the music was fantastic? If you did you’re in luck because 17 again : music from the motion picture has just arrived. Includes tracks by Cat Power and The Kooks. Also pictures of Zac Efron on the cover, should that also entice.
Florence Welch is an alt-friendly bluesy singer from South London who releases music as Florence and the Machine. The Machine must be a backing band, though I hope it’s an actual machine, like a robot. Anyway, her music on debut Lungs is similar to that of Cat Power and Amy WInehouse.
The Arctic Monkeys third full-length, Humbug, finds them working with Josh Homme, he of Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal fame, who encourages them into expanding their scope to embrace a bigger more darkly sweeping sound. A new direction, and an exciting one at that.
La Roux means “red-haired one” in French – this is a good name for them since singer Elly Jackson has red hair. They’ve been topping the UK charts for a few months now with an impressive run of 80’s synth-pop inspired singles and have now released La Roux, their self-titled debut.
French electro-rockers Phoenix have been around for a while now, but recent release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix sees them mastering their craft and conjuring up some of the catchiest pop of the year. If you dig MGMT and Empire Of The Sun, pick this record up.
Fantasy Ride, Ciara’s third is the type of album that will get plenty of play in the clubs this upcoming summer. Guests include Justin Timberlake and MIssy Elliott, the production is supremely glossy and the grooves danceable. Also included is a DVD where you can watch Ciara in the studio and at rehearsals and things.
Blindspott broke up in 2007 to focus on solo commitments playing a final set to a sold out Powerstation, this show has now been released on a handy dandy CD + DVD combo as Sold out: live @ Powerstation, for everyone who wasn’t there, or wants to relive the night. As expected from Blindspott, it’s a largely shouty, noisy affair. It also works as a sort of greatest hits package if you want it to do that to.
This summer looks to be the summer of beloved childrens books being turned into good movies. With Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, and now Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox set for cinematic release one can only speculate what will be next. Personally, I’d like to see Willard Price’s Adventure series get a turn. Anyway, here is the trailer for Fantastic Mr. Fox, starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and directed by Wes Anderson.
Three of them actually. 1977’s Let There Be Rock, 1980’s Back In Black and 1990’s The Razor’s Edge, making all of them too old to get a YA card [see here for reference - G]. Even though they’re getting on a bit, they still rock totally hard and you can catch them in Wellington next January. Until then, why not practise your screechy vocals along with the albums?
Jack White is a prolific man. If his bandmates aren’t ready to release any new material he simply forms a new band and presses on. Dead Weather being active band number three, with The White Stripes and The Raconteurs being the other two. Dead Weather is somewhat of a departure for White, who is banging the drums instead of strumming the guitar on this record. On Horehound, the bands debut, he shares vocal duties with Allison Mosshart (of the Kills), with Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) and Jack Lawrence (Raconteurs and Greenhornes) rounding out the group. If you’ve ever enjoyed any of the above bands, or even just Rock music in general give Horehound a listen.
The Gossip emerged out of the Nu-Rave scene spearheaded by The Klaxons in 2006 with Standing In The Way Of Control and now return with their new long-player Music For Men. Lead by outspoken front-woman Beth Ditto, it’s more of the same adventurously aggressive, neon-coloured electro-pop.
Paisley, Scotland’s Paolo Nutini was all set to follow his father into the family fish and chip shop business before getting signed two weeks before his 18th birthday. Sunny Side Up is his second album and will be enjoyed by people who normally enjoy folksy pop-rock, also perfect for this nice weather we seem to be having of late.
Just in case you were worried another week was going to go by without some new metal, fret not, for Sevendust’s Animosity is here. Originally released in 2001, it’s been all remastered and stuff for new fans to pick up and enjoy. Expect heavy riffs and downtrodden lyrics.
Speaking of heavy riffs, Sepultura’s Arise has been remastered too. This was the album that turned the Brazilian death metallers into international stars. Your parents won’t like it, and as always, that’s the whole point of metal isn’t it?
Do you like Minuit? If so you’ll be pleased to have seen all the posters about for Find me before I die a lonely death.com, their new one. As far as I can tell it’s not too much of a departure and fans will enjoy. They’ll be touring soon too, so go have a look.
Sticking with the local content, Cut Off Your Hands followed up the excellent Blue On Blue ep with You & I last year. Pick it up, it’s the sort of poptastic treat that gets quite happily stuck in the head for days at a time.
South Auckland born J. Williams has a record out called Young Love. A quick google search revealed he is also a champion break-dancer and should appeal to fans of Chris Brown, T-Pain etc. Fun fact: Older sister Emily Williams placed 2nd in the 2006 edition of Australian Idol.
Also some compilations: Onelove : smash your stereo 2009 is a summer dance collection, as is Summer sessions from those Ministry of Sound chappies and Fly girls! celebrates 30 years of women in rap over 2 cds.
Did you know Maurice Gee’s Under The Mountain is now a soon to be released movie? I didn’t until I found the trailer, but it looks like it could be quite good. Check out the book and 1982 TV series at the library before you head off to the theatre.
Metalheads rejoice! A whopping two-thirds of the new CDs this week feature loud guitars and shouty vocals. Beatles fans and Tiki Taane fans can also rejoice, but not quite as much.
Master of Puppetsis considered by many as Metallica’s masterpiece and one of the, if not the greatest metal album of all time. Your parents may not consider it a masterpiece if you play it loud enough, and really, isn’t that the point?
Metallica’s next album …And Justice For All, realeased in 1988 (so too old to have a YA card anymore) saw them break-through on MTV with the video for One. My first memory of Metallica was seeing One on Beavis and Butthead, which means I’m far too old to have a YA card anymore.
Metallica, or the Black Album as it is is commonly referred to due to the black cover, was the one that made Metallica into proper mainstream stars. It includes quite a few big hits like Enter Sandman and slow-dance favourite (at least if you go to bogan schools) Nothing Else Matters.
Before he was a tragic figure on a reality show Ozzy Osbourne cranked out a few top-notch metal albums, the fantastically titled Blizzard Of Ozz being the first of his solo efforts. A cornerstone of 80’s metal.
Diary Of A Madman came next for Ozzy Osbourne in 1981. Building on his previous success, this classic album turned Ozzy into a star. Biting the heads off bats and other craziness would follow…
AC/DC are another classic metal band who operated in the 80s. Highway To Hell was their best record to date and also their most well recieved to date. Includes the classic single Highway To Hell.
A couple of Beatles compilations have turned up, 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, also known as the Red and Blue albums respectively. These are pretty much the definitive Beatles compilations to seek out if you don’t feel like picking up the million or so albums they made.
Flux / Tiki by Tiki Taane has turned up. It’s a remix job for the Past, present, future album and includes a song called David Lange You Da Bomb!, which confused me initially until I realised that David Lange probably was our most rockin’ PM.
Metallica are one of the biggest and longest tenured bands in metal and it all started here on Kill ‘Em All, their 1983 debut record. It’s also probably their fastest and rawest album, if you enjoyed the more recent Death Magnetic then this is right up your alley.
Sticking with metal for a while longer, there is a new Iron Maiden compilation out. Somewhere back in time : the best of 1980-1989 arguably finds the band at their peak. Includes Run to the Hills, Number of the Beast and other headbanging classics.
The Datsuns recently released album number four, Headstunts, and now it’s joined the YA collection. If you’ve ever enjoyed The Datsuns in the past, or are a fan of The White Stripes, The Libertines etc. then pick this one up.
Sate Of Mind are a local drum and bass group who’ve been making waves recently with Faster Than Light. It also comes with a bonus disc of remixes, so, bonus.
Transformers : revenge of the fallen : the album is the soundtrack to the newly released Transformers movie. Green Day, Nickleback, Linkin Park and other similar bands are featured.
Lastly, Hannah Montana : the movie also has a soundtrack that’s been added to the collection. If you’re a fan of Miley’s go out and pick this one up post haste.
Another large pile of new CDs have turned up, here are some fun facts about them:
The very best definitive ultimate greatest hits collection by Faith No More is a 2 disc overview of the band’s entire career. The title would seem to suggest that all bases are covered and all hits are present and indeed they are.
Vetran punk-rockers Rancid have a new one called Let The Dominoes Fall. If punk is your thing, then you will enjoy this very much.
The Beatles Anthology 2 takes in the groups ‘middle years’ from 1965-1968 and presents alternatives takes, acoustic demoes and live versions. A must for any Beatles completist.
In 1971 heavy metal pioneers Led Zeppelin released IV. It quickly became their most popular work, thanks in no small part to Stairway To Heaven, which remains to this day the most requested song on American radio.
Ministry of Sound continue their clubbers guide series with Clubbers Guide 2009. This is what dance clubs sound like this year.
Join The Q by the Qemists mixes drum and bass, electro, rock and pop together to make an energetic nu-rave concoction. Sort of like The Prodigy back in the nineties, but better.
Moment and Melodies by Incubus works as both a best of and a new album, how generous of them. Disc one is hits plus a couple of new tracks and disc two is mostly unreleased material. For fans old and new alike.
If you’re a Klaxons fan you might enjoy You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into… by Does It Offend You, Yeah? Even though the band name is a bit silly, they overcome this stumbling block by making good indie-pop.
Do I really need to say anything about the Jonas Brothers other than Lines, Vines and Trying Times is in? Probably not.
Brit rockers Kasabian return with album number three, entitled West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Judging from first listen I’d predict it as their breakthrough album.
Shawty Get Loose: 20 R&B Club Anthems is a compilation of twenty R&B songs that are considered anthemic, the sort that shawtiez might get loose to in a club. Features R. Kelly, N.E.R.D., Ciara and more.
And finallly, we have Now that’s what I call music 29 and Now that’s what I call music 30. Get caught up on all the recent big pop hits with these two.
12 new CDs this week, so here is a marathon post and a marathon playlist. Phew. 
If you’re a fan of MGMT and their work, have a listen to Empire Of The Sun’s really ace Walking On A Dream. Also they wear really silly costumes, which is always a nice bonus. 
The Rakes’ third album Klang is here. If you enjoy Interpol, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and all that sort of thing, then The Rakes are right up your alley. 
Punk Popsters Plain White T’s Big Bad World has arrived. I think they have a new one coming shortly, so get caught up with this beforehand… If you want to that is. 
Released in 1973 Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon is one of those albums that always pops up in top 100 all time lists. Come get it from here if you can’t find it amongst your parents collection.
More CDs and playlist after the jump…
4 New CDs have arrived. If your fancy is tickled by any of them they can be found, as always, in the YA area.
Ex Libertines and Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty has re-emerged as a solo artist called Peter Doherty. The addition of the ‘r’ is supposed to make us take him seriously as a mature artist and on Grace/Wastelands he does indeed come off as serious and mature . . . at least comparitively so. A very good, if somewhat subdued, album.
An album that is sure to be playing in cafes for the next 3 years is the new Fat Freddys Drop CD, Dr. Boondigga and the big BW. Who is this Dr. Boondigga? And what is a big BW? Answers inside, maybe.
Flying the flag for New Zealand rock are Midnight Youth with The Brave Don’t Run. This is their debut and it could be the start of big things for them.
And lastly, a fantastic compilation called Simply The Best New Wave. 34 tracks across two discs and every one of them is a gem. Includes The Modern Lovers, The Cure, New Order, Blondie and other classic artists. HGHLY RCCD.
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