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Tag: Authentic Page 1 of 2

Just two, but they’re good.

deadweatherJack 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.

gossipThe 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.

Even More Metal

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.

masterofpuppetsMaster 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?

andjusticeforallMetallica’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.

metallicaMetallica, 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.

blizzardofozzBefore 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…

highwaytohellAC/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.

Even More Metal

Metal, Soundtracks, Local

kill-em-allMetallica 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.

somewhere-back-in-timeSticking 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.

headstuntsThe 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.

metal, soundtracks, local

The Week In Music.

4 New CDs have arrived. If your fancy is tickled by any of them they can be found, as always, in the YA area.

Grace/WastelandsEx 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.

dr-boondiggaAn 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.

Coolest. Video. Ever.

Remember when we made a list of the top ten music videos and declared Radiohead’s House Of Cards number one because it was shot with lasers? Well, it’s been topped by the Cold War Kids. So far the only thing better than lasers is interactivity, have a play here. What is the next innovation in music video? The smart bet is on interactive lasers.

New YA CDs

The new music is coming in thick and fast these days. I’ve seldom seen it thicker or faster.

Keri Hilson is described by allmusic.com as a dynamic singer songwriter. These dynamic skills have been used to write songs for the likes of  Usher, Ludacris and Kelly Rowland, and now on her own album In A Perfect World.

Destroy all lines : dance floor anthems is a compilation for all you cats out there who like dancing to anthemic hits on floors. If that’s you then you’re in luck, because it’s a whopping two-disc affair.

Remember Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad? Yes, of course you do. Well, now I’d like to introduce you to Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes. A good stop-gap between Rihanna albums proper.

Platinum emo-poppers Paramore have a new live album entitled The Final Riot. All your favorite Paramore tunes being sung along to by an arena full of kids. Close your eyes and pretend you’re there.

Local Hip-Hopper Savage is back in time for New Zealand Music Month with Savage Island. I can only assume that this is a concept album based on some sort of Survivor type show hosted by Savage. At least I hope so …

21st Century Breakdown is the new, soon-to-be inescapably huge album from Green Day. It’s divided into three acts because they’re so big and important they transcend the regular album format. Golly!

 

may09

Doo doo doo

I told Grimm that we mustn’t write ‘check this out’ on the Teen Blog too often, but really, you should check this out.

New music, and playlists return!

We have 6 new CDs, but more exciting than that (for me anyway) is the return of embedded playlists! This time we’re using deezer.com; it’s cool, stylish and most importantly it works with our firewalls. Anyway, on with the new music…

Evermore return with album number two, Truth of the world : welcome to the show. It’s a very grandiose title, perhaps befitting the ambitious sounds within.

Another New Zealand CD is Optimus Gryme’s Eclipse LP. Do you think Optimus Gryme is a rival of The Decepticonz? Do we have a local rap war on our hands ala West Coast vs East Coast circa mid-nineties US? Stay tuned, kids.

J. Dilla was a much beloved hip hop producer before his untimely passing in 2006. Dillanthology is a greatest hits of sorts featuring Common, Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes and more.

The-Dream is one of those big, multi-platinum R&B types from the US. His album Love VS Money features other big, multi-platinum R&B types, such as Kanye West and Mariah Carey. If you are a fan of big, multi-platinum R&B types you know what to do.

Alter Ego is a new mixtape from Kanye West. On it are remixes, live versions and other little goodies not seen on albums prev. A Kanye completist’s dream.

Hip Hop: the 2009 collection has a rather self-explanatory title. Hip Hop from 1992-2009 spread across 2 discs. Includes Akon, LL Cool J, Rihanna and a whole lot more.

Discover De La Soul!

Top 5 NZ Music Videos

It’s been New Zealand Music Month for a week now, so what better time to post a list of the top 5 New Zealand music videos of all time?*

5. The Sneaks – I’m Lame

 Never fails to make me chuckle…

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Lots of new cds!

Hello, I’ve been away for a couple of weeks and in my absence a large pile of new music has appeared. So here it is, all ready to issue and enjoy!

The first ever winner of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson has defied all expectations in creating a nice little career for herself by making consistently good music. Her fourth album, All I Ever Wanted has just popped out and again it’s a job very well done.

Fans of The Jonas Brothers will enjoy Demi Lovato and her debut Don’t Forget. She of course starred alongside the lads in the movie Camp Rock and they’ve lent a hand by co-writing much of the material and even dueting on the song On The Line.

Away from the pop for a bit and into the indie-rock with The Notwist and The Devil, You + Me. Give it a whirl if Radiohead and Sonic Youth float your boat like they do mine.

Taylor Swift has released two albums and they both came in at once. So now you can take home Fearless and the self-titled Taylor Swift from the acclaimed country-popper.

And lastly Platinum Rock vol.3 is a two disc collection of popular rock tunes from 1999-2007. It includes the likes of The White Stripes, The Killers and our own The D4. Put it on and rock out for an extended period of time.

Apologies for fans of playlists as there shall be none this time due to the ever worrisome ‘technical difficulties’, hope to have it sorted soon.

My Little Joker

Some of you may have had My Little Ponies when you were growing up – but they probably didn’t look like the ones in this new collection! The new range, designed by Mari Kasurinen to resemble characters from movies, are selling for £330 each, so start saving I guess. My favourite is the Joker one, miss u sooo bad Heath. I wonder if the Care Bears are in line for a similar makeover?

Where Are The Wild Things?

In theatres October 16 is where. Nearly everyones favourite picture book Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is getting a big screen adaptation and somebody just emailed me this link where you can watch a very cool trailer. I know I’ll be off to see it when it comes out!

This New Music We Have

Three new CDs this week. If you want them, now you can issue them. Yay!

First is Old Skool Summer Jams, a 2 disc compilation of classic hip-hop and R&B tracks with a summery feel from 1988-2002. Included are The Fresh Prince, Naughty By Nature, TLC, Coolio and a bunch of other stuff to help squeeze the remaining fun out of the pretty much over summer.

Sound Of The Overground is another compilation, this time from 2004-2008. It’s a mix designed for dancing to and includes tracks by Ladyhawke (whom I adore), Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and many more.

We also have Lily Allen’s new album It’s Not Me, It’s You. Expect more of her tongue in cheek pop cheekiness and hit after hit. I just listened to it and it’s ace. We also have her previous one here if you haven’t already listened.

20/03/2k9

Music. New Music.

Miley Cyrus, the wildly popular daughter of Billy-Ray Cyrus (remember him? possibly not, but he was responsible for the world going line-dance crazy for a brief period in the 90’s) and star of Hannah Montana has gone platinum. So here is Breakout: Platinum Edition.

Tha 411 3 bills itself as “18 monster new tracks from the global urban directory”. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then good, because we have a cup of tea for you. Includes Nelly, Usher, Alicia Keys, Bow Wow and other similar Top 40 bothering songsters.

And finally, local hip-hoppers The Fast Crew return with Truth, Lies and Red Tape. You might remember them from 2004, when they released Set The Record Straight

10/3/2k9

Rainbow Playlist

One of the only good things about rainy days (like this one) is the possibility of seeing a rainbow. Today I’ve put together the perfect soundtrack for rainbow watching because I can’t go outside.  Each colour is represented by a song (apart from pesky old indigo which has a band name instead). Enjoy!

rainbow

New CDs and a list you can play

We have new music. Yay!

allmusic.com describes Basshunter as a Swedish computer nerd and his first album called LOL <(^^,)> would seem to indicate that this is accurate. He’s back with Now You’re Gone: The Album for another round of homemade Euro-Dance silliness.

British pop trio Sugababes have just released a sixth album which must make them one of the most enduring girl groups ever. It’s called Catfights and Spotlights and easily ranks among their best.

Friendly Fires scored a big hit in the blogosphere last year when their song Paris was remixed by Aeroplane. Now comes their debut album Friendly Fires with more of the same fun dance-rock that shot them to prominence.

If you’ve turned on a TV at all in the last few weeks you’ll have realised that Fall Out Boy are touring. They’ll be here to support their latest, entitiled Folie a Deux. Fans will love it.

And lastly, if you need to chill out during these troublesome back to school days, pick up Chillout Sessions XI. Stress relief is practically guaranteed.

20/02/2009

 

Top 10 Music Videos

Lately we’ve been talking about our favourite music videos a lot. Much time has been spent/wasted on the subject, all so we can share with you our top ten, Here they are …

10. First up are cooler than cool French duo Justice with the video for D.A.N.C.E. Check out the album here

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Quizzing In Kilbirnie

Just a quick note …

Bring your family to the Ruth Gotlieb Library on Thursday 26th February at 6:30pm for an exciting quiz night. There will be a special kids’ round and prizes. A fun night out for the entire family. Teams of 8 or less.

More New Music Y’all

A whopping eight new CDs this week. Here they are …

Fleet Foxes are here with their self-titled debut album, Fleet Foxes. Pitchfork loved it so much it was their album of 2008. Delightful indie-pop for fans of The Shins and their ilk.

Lady Gaga is making a splash with The Fame. She says she is influenced by Madonna and Michael Jackson, it shows because she makes dance-pop in a similar vein.

One of my favorites, Ladyhawke, has made it into the YA collection with her debut Ladyhawke. She’s from New Zealand and has generated quite a lot of buzz overseas with her Blondie-esque pop. Highly recommended.

We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things by Jason Mraz is also in. Mraz is one of those singer-songwriter types with an acoustic guitar, this, his third album is considered my many his best work to date.

Jennifer Hudson was a contestant on the third season of American Idol and also had a role in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. Quite the star. Another self-titled debut called (duh) Jennifer Hudson.

Bic Runga has released a rarities collection called Try To Remember Everything: Rare And Unreleased.  Fans of this local lass will surely be pleased with this compilation of her harder to find work.

Art-Rockers Franz Ferdinand are back with Tonight… Franz Ferdinand. Another effortlessly cool collection of songs from the Glaswegian quartet.

Duffy’s Rockferry has gotten a deluxe re-release. It now comes with seven extra bonus tracks housed on a second CD. <3 bonuses <3

11/02/2009

We can haz teh facebooks?

The Wellington City Library Teen Page has gone all 2.0 with its new facebook profile. You can use it to keep up to date with all our happenings – things like upcoming events, new books and CDs will be posted. Become a fan of us (we know you are already …) and receive invitations and alerts first!

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