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Competition, Music, New, Synthesiser Patel
Win A Cut Off Your Hands Bag!
31.08.11 | Permalink | Comment?

Auckland natives, Cut Off Your Hands, released their second full-length album, Hollow, recently. It’s really good. A more fully realised version of the new wave/post punk sound they’ve been producing since 2006. But why listen to me when you can preview some of the new tracks below? They do a much better job of describing the sound, since they are the sound.

If you read the title of this post and then expected a competition to win a bag, fear not, I didn’t mislead you! Simply be the first to comment on this post (and also have a valid Wellingon Libraries YA card) to win a swell Cut Off Your Hands tote bag. It’s official. You could carry library books and the other Cut Off Your Hands CDs the library has (You & I, Blue On Blue and Cut Off Your Hands) home in it. Do it!
Music, New, Synthesiser Patel
Music!
25.08.11 | Permalink | Comment?

Ok, it turns out that the entire time I was doing haiku reviews I was actually writing senryu. You see, haikus are about nature and are serious, while senryus are about human nature and are more humorous. How about that? Excuse the lack of poetry in this post, I need to come to grips with this revelation.

B In The Mix: The Remixes - Britney Spears. Are your favourite songs on Britney Spears albums always the dance numbers? Do you always skip past the ballads while saying, “Pffft, this lacks a certain energy and I just can’t feel it, yo.”? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you’re in luck. All of these songs are the dance numbers, only they are even more dancetastic thanks to Justice, Jason Nevins and various other DJs.

Give ‘Til It’s Gone - Ben Harper. The prolific singer/songwriter has enjoyed such a long career that some of his albums are no longer eligible for a YA card! Sorry, Pleasure And Pain, that Justin Bieber CD is going to cost you $1 now. Ex-Beatle drummer and voice of Thomas The Tank Engine, Ringo Starr guests on this latest effort.

4 - Beyonce. Even though her last album I Am… Sasha Fierce broke the record for most Grammys won by a female artist in one night, I’d like to put it out there that this is even better. Beyonce always has great singles, but on 4 every track is strong, making it one of those rare pop albums you prefer to listen to start to finish, rather than simply cherry picking favourites. #sashafiercewho? #team4bb!

Rome - Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi. Danger Mouse is not a man who is afraid to take some left turns on the way to crafting a pop album. From inventing the mash-up genre by making unlikely bedfellows of The Beatles and Jay-Z, to spending the early years of his career in a mouse costume, it shouldn’t really surprise that this project is a soundtrack to a spaghetti western film that doesn’t exisit. Jack White and Norah Jones “guest star” on a couple of tracks.

More new CDs coming soon…
Music, New, Synthesiser Patel
Music/Poems
26.07.11 | Permalink | 1 Comment

Are haikus getting old? Is there another form of poetry you would like to see music reviews in? Comment away.

Live At The Aragon – Mastodon
Crack The Skye in its
entirety, plus other
concert favourites

Fomo – Liam Finn
Displaying usual
consistent quality with
added “spaciness”

Ukulele Songs – Eddie Vedder
Pearl Jam front man jumps
on bandwagon. What have you
wrought, uke orchestra?!?

The Dark Side Of The Moon – The Flaming Lips & Stardeath And White Dwarfs
Pink Floyd opus by
way of Wayne Coyne’s musical
circus plus Peaches

Smoking In Heaven – Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
As a child of the
nineties, musical siblings
recall Hanson bros

Habits – Neon Trees
American alt-
rock band from Provo, Utah.
Good ole wiki, eh?
Music, New, Vic Ferrari
Rock Fight!
20.07.11 | Permalink | 4 Comments

Two noteworthy music videos were released yesterday and they will battle it out on your computer screens in our new feature, Rock Fight! How exactly do pieces of film set to music battle you ask? By being watched sequentially and then voted on in the comments. Easy.

Our first combatants in the ring are The Beastie Boys featuring Santigold with Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win off their album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.

Good stuff, Beasties! (FYI; Santigold’s album is here)

Taking them on in this titanic struggle is Rebecca Black with her new song, My Moment. She doesn’t have an album yet because she is such a fresh new artist, but I understand an ep is in the works, look for it coming to the library soon!

Nice one, Rebecca!

Now that you’ve sized up both contenders, vote for your favourite in the comments. Who will win the Rock Fight!?!
Jack, New, Non-fiction
New Non-Fiction
18.06.11 | Permalink | Comment?

Man, there’s still so much non-fiction coming in. Pretty sweet if you enjoy facts, am I right? Rather than describe them all – the titles give away enough clues as far as the content goes – here they are in list form.

Waves: great stories from the surf - Tim Baker
The Twilight saga: the official illustrated guide
101 things I learned in fashion school - Alfredo Cabrera and Matthew Frederick
Cat on a hot tin roof - Tennesse Williams
Let’s get this staright: the ultimate handbook for youth with LGBTQ parents - Tina Fakhrid-Deen
Indie craft - Jo Waterhouse
Tees: the art of the t-shirt - Maki
The complete book of drawing manga - Peter Gray
Weirdo noir: gothic and dark lowbrow art - Matt Dukes Jordan
Illustration now - Gregoire Noyelle and Katy Lee
Rock gods: 40 years of rock photography - Robert M. Knight
Glee: the official annual 2011
DC Comics: year by year visual chronicle

There you go. Lots of interesting topics covered. Reserve them if you would like.
Isn't that cool?, Music, Not Library Related, Synthesiser Patel
Synthesiser Patel’s Synthesiser Of The Week
09.06.11 | Permalink | Comment?

This week I was going to write a post about the regular theremin, but after finding the video below, that post can wait.

This man, Ken Moore, has made a homemade theremin out of a wiimote, LED gloves and a Roland synthesiser. It’s that kind of forward thinking that earns you the title of “Synthesiser of the week”. He has a blog here with more theremin related goodness.

If you’ve now been inspired and you’d now like to build your own theremin, you can! This mini theremin from Make magazine is very reasonably priced and cute.
New, Non-fiction, Roberto B.
New Non-Fiction, Art And Fashion
02.06.11 | Permalink | Comment?

As promised, here is more of the new non-fiction. Today music, art and fashion.

Live: Gigs that rocked New Zealand by Bruce Jarvis & Josh Easby. A nice visual history of some of the landmark concerts staged in New Zealand with along with interesting anecdotes. If you look very closely at the crowd photos you may just spot your parents, you never know.

Japanese animation: From painted scrolls to Pokemon by Brigitte Koyama-Rickard. A wonderfully detailed history of Japanese animation. Includes plenty of interviews with famous animators discussing their craft. Interesting to see the development of different trends in Manga and Anime over the years.

Banksy: Wall and Piece. If you are unfamiliar with the work of provocative graffiti artist, Banksy, this is well worth an issue. Page after page of his always humorous and frequently audacious work covering every corner of the globe. Here’s a Banksy Simpsons intro.

Outsiders: Art by people compiled by Steve Lazarides. This a a companion piece to Wall and Piece, with outsider art compiled by Banksy’s manager. Taking the same sort of intelligent, witty and subversive approach, none of these artists have ever been formally trained, yet produce some amazing work.

Juxtapoz: Car Culture. A collection of car and car related illustrations and photgraphs from cutting edge design magazine, Juxtapoz. Filled with the sorts of things you’d see on the walls in American diners and the things you’d see on the black t-shirts inside those same diners. Worth a look for art fans and car enthusiasts alike.

The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman. It’s a sign of blog success when your blog gets a book deal*, The Sartorialist has done just that. If you’ve never been to the site (and for some reason have chosen not to click on the link in the previous sentence) it’s basically a series of very well-dressed people photgraphed in their natural environments. Bookmark it, then reserve this book.

Fashion Box: The immortal icons of style by Antonio Mancinelli. If Friday is your favourite day because you enjoy look forward all week to Le Chic Librarian’s posts, perhaps this can help bridge the gap inbetween? Includes sections like “The little black dress”, “The trench coat”, “Jeans” and “The mini skirt” all worn by good looking famous people.

There are still more books yet to blog. Coming tomorrow; Cars, Surfing and a whole lot of other things that have just arrived since I took my lunch break.

*One day there will be a Teen Blog book. We hope.
Librarian's Choice, Music, New, Synthesiser Patel
The Haiku Machine
19.05.11 | Permalink | Comment?

Give the drummer some - Travis Barker
Claims made of “no one
genre” are false. I know nu-
metal all too well.

Hurley – Weezer
Michael Cera guests,
to play the hurdy gurdy.
- Source, good ‘ole wiki.

Body Talk pt. 1 – Robyn
Now is as good a
time as any to link to
Librarians choice

Body Talk pt. 2 – Robyn
Of course we also
recommend this, the second
installment highly.

Upside Down: The Best Of – The Jesus & Mary Chain
Scarlett Johansson’s
first backing band’s previous
career chronicled.

Attack & Release – The Black Keys
Ably assisted
by a man dressed as a mouse
who provides keyboards.

Euphoric Heartbreak – Glasvegas
Contradictory
band names deserve album names
to suit I suppose.

Clubbers Guide 2011 – Ministry Of Sound
Back cover uses
type that causes Bs to look
exactly like Ds
General Monty, Music, New
~~~ A Cappella ~~~
14.04.11 | Permalink | Comment?

We’ve started a new YA CD collection devoted to the voice, and mostly the human voice in harmony. I’d recommend these CDs to anyone who’s enjoyed Glee (The Warblers, especially!) or has listened to (and enjoyed) your local college’s barber shop quartet.

An American programme called The Sing Off has just been renewed for its third season and has seen a resurgence in interest in ‘a cappella’ singing, which Wikipedia describes as ’solo or group vocal or singing without instrumental sound.’ Watch a clip from Nota, the winners of the 2009 Sing Off competition here.

Here are some of the CDs in the a cappella collection!

The Sing Off : The Best of Season 2
Nota, by Nota
The Sing Off : Harmonies for the Holidays
With a Twist, by Straight No Chaser
University A Cappalla!, by Ben Folds
Music, New, Synthesiser Patel
Mo Music, Mo Poems
06.04.11 | Permalink | Comment?

Ritual - White Lies
Grandiosity
fills every second of
available songs

The Drums – The Drums
Heir apparents to
eighties indie empire start
out pleasingly strong.

No Boys Allowed – Keri Hilson
She only wants men.
I think that was the main
takeaway at least.

Aha Shake Heartbreak – Kings Of Leon
Before they cut their
hair and shaved their beards, the songs
were much, much better?

Youth & Young Manhood – Kings Of Leon
Does this make them the
music version of Samson?
Yes, actually.

Lasers – Lupe Fiasco
Light amplifica-
tion by stimulated e-
mission of photons.

Burlesque – Soundtrack
Christina Aguil-
era sings most of the songs
but Cher chips two in.

Tarot Card Rock – Barnaby Weir
Vaguely predicting
people’s futures through the rock
and roll medium.