Wellington City Libraries

Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui

Search options

New library ‘Wellington’ music on CD & Vinyl – June: Toni Huata/Glass Vaults/Jörmungandr/New Vinyl inc: Name UL, Bulletbelt & FFD

Every month, Wellington City Libraries acquires new CD’s for its large, broad, eclectic collection, and Wellington music is no exception. We regularly inspect Bandcamp, local music websites, trawl music vendors latest releases and check out independent labels like Flying Nun, Arch Hill, Rattle and Lil’ Chief for the latest in Wellington and New Zealand music. So, with this influx of mint music in mind, every month we’ll provide the latest titles and artists added to our Wellington music collection…

Kahungunu maranga.
Expanded from a 3 song EP in 2016 this 2017 8 track album, Toni Huata’s 6th, is a sweet jaunt through a set of Te Reo tracks. A mix of new recordings and some re-recorded versions of older tracks, it eschews the dub/electronica of previous albums for a gently lilting country-swing with touches of Showband Jazz that is thoroughly charming. The beautiful harmonies and arrangements of these songs written by her forefathers, act as an ode to tīpuna, whānau and Iwi. Just lovely. Website here. Facebook here. NZ musician interview here.

The new happy.
The groups second album after 2014’s Sojurn was apparently created with the aim of creating a kind of sonic serotonin, a euphoric wash of beats and pulses. They certainly achieve a musical gestalt of some kind, with their brand of funky indie psych/pop beats. The tunes swirl around your sensory systems in a pleasing manner, but at times it’s hard to figure out if they are serious about he whole endeavour. A bit like Connan Mockasin they seem to straddle the edge of earnestness and tongue in cheek satire, but with tunes this catchy it’s all good. Bandcamp here. Facebook here. Website here. The Wireless Verse Chorus Verse interview.

Cernunnos.
Everything you’d expect from a Viking Metal album. Deep voiced invocations of doom, odes to dark forces, thrashy crushing guitar riffs and songs about Asgard, serpents and altars of blood. Facebook here. Bandcamp here.
 

New on Vinyl:

Choice(s).
Created as a sort of ‘ode’ to the capital’s nightlife Emanuel Psathas’ (aka Name UL) was mixed by Lee Prebble and mastered by Mike Gibson, and features production from Whiterose, C-Sick and Psathas himself, among others. Psathas has been rapping since he was 15, building up a solid following thanks to a series of high profile opening slots for international acts but apparently is more of a fan of ’70s funk which makes itself apparent on the albums instrumentation, which eschews the usual heavy beat background for swirling woodwinds with a jazzy CTI vibe. The lyrics confront the negatives of the city’s embedded drinking culture: the cyclic binging and resulting fallout, the pressure to party, the demeaning of the self, the isolation of trying to break free. Gifted stuff. Spotify here. Facebook here.

Rise of the banshee.
Limited Edition Gatefold vinyl. Remixed and remastered by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust) – joelgrind.com. Expanded artwork and A2 poster from Scarecrowoven – scarecrowoven.com. Transparent Blue w/Opaque Gold Swirl.

Hope for a generation.
Back in 2003 FFD released a limited 10″ featuring this now mythical track – Hope. The band always wanted to release Hope on a louder pressing and Record Store Day 2017 was the perfect excuse. This super limited 12″ features a re-mastered version of Hope on the A side and a re-interpretation of the original artwork engraved on the flip.

Unearthing.Morningside.

Harmonies.The new happy.

All covers used with permission.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *