Tag: Sound & Vision

Korea Week 2023: Our library K-Pop collection

Mark

Mayor Tory Whanau travelled to Asia for 11 days in September, taking in Korea, Japan and China. She brought her love for Korean culture with her during her visit to Seoul, and while there signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), elevating Seoul and Wellington’s relationship to the sister city level. She spoke of Korean culture’s rising popularity in Wellington, which dovetails with the upcoming Korean Cultural Festival on October 6th.

Korea Week 2023 is a vibrant cultural celebration, brought to you by the Korean Embassy in Wellington. Discover the beauty of Korean heritage and modern culture in the heart of Wellington.
️Date: Fri, 6th – Sun, 8th October
Venue: Embassy Theatre & Le Cordon Bleu, Wellington
️Admission: FREE

At the Embassy from October 6th to 8th, the Korean Film Festival returns with a variety of Korean films. Experience the magic of Korean cinema with a fantastic lineup including Operation Chromite, Little Forest, A Hard Day, Hwayi: A Monster Boy, Kai, My Brilliant Life, and Fengshui. Booking is required through Eventfinda on each film.                                                                                                                          FREE EVENT with general admission (first-come, first-served seating).

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September’s New Music for Te Awe: Part 1

Mark
Albums laid out against a backdrop of sand, with a palm tree shadow


via GIPHY

Statler: Well, it was good.
Waldorf: Ah, it was very bad.
Statler: Well, it was average.
Waldorf: Ah, it was in the middle there.
Statler: Ah, it wasn’t that great.
Waldorf: I kind of liked it.”
-‘The Muppet Show’.

I’m Mark, the Music & Film Specialist at Wellington City Libraries. I buy music for the CD & Vinyl collections, and also run the Libraries’ Wellington Music Facebook page). My Music Specialist colleague Sam, and Fiction Specialist (and avid music fan) Neil, join me every month to cast an eye over the new material we have been buying for the music collection at our CBD Te Awe library. We pick out some interesting titles across a range of music genres, and try to limit our reviews to a few lines only. Can we encapsulate an entire album in just a couple of lines? [Ed. This is probably unlikely at this point]. Do we actually know anything about new music? Or, are we just too old to understand what most of this is banging on about? [Ed. This is more than likely]. Read on to find out…

Subhana / Ben Ali, Ahmed
Neil says: The Habibi Funk label has justifiably gained an international reputation for bringing to light shamefully neglected surprising and unexpected albums from the Arab World. We at WCL music love the label and have reviewed many of their previous outings. And their latest release continues this trend with Libyan reggae artist Ali Ben’s self-produced ‘Subhana’ album. Libyan reggae has been a big genre in that country since the 1970’s, and the explosion of reggae worldwide caused by Bob Marley’s releases. It’s an intoxicating, unique and uplifting mix sounds that incorporate reggae, traditional Libyan Folk, synths, zokra and even Libyan mizwad bagpipes. Definitely well worth a good listen and highly recommended.

¡Ay / Dalt, Lucrecia
Sam says: Lucretia Dalt is an experimental musician from Colombia who is currently based in Berlin. Through the use of traditional percussion, trumpets, clarinets, string and wind instruments, ‘¡Ay!’ features an immediately organic sound. This is nicely balanced by a stark and inventive production style, with Dalt’s sleek and airy vocals adding a sense of human warmth to the eclectic smorgasbord of sounds. Lyrics are delivered in her native Spanish and deal with a variety of esoteric philosophical subjects across the album’s ten tracks. The combination of classic jazzy instrumental elements with modern technical approaches creates a quirky aesthetic that is fully her own. ‘¡Ay!’ is truly unlike anything else you will hear this year.

Neil says: ‘¡Ay!’ is an ambitious and experimental yet highly approachable album from Lucrecia Dalt. It is an amazingly accomplished work, that is in part a Colombian science fiction musical narrative about an extra-terrestrial visiting earth, and it is also simultaneously a statement on cultural identity. It embraces and redefines, in a very relatable and unique fashion, genres such as bolero, classical and jazz. All from a Latin-American perspective, widening these genres to suit the narrative thread of the work. All these elements are seamlessly woven in. It is unique and brilliantly daring, yet strangely familiar. For example, tiny elements sound like reimagined fifties science fiction film soundtrack music.

Continue reading “September’s New Music for Te Awe: Part 1” →

August’s new music for Te Awe: Part 3

Mark

Here is part two of our new music picks for August. You can catch up with Part 1 here, and Part 2 here. Do we actually know anything about new music? Or, are we just too old to understand what most of this is banging on about? Read on to find out…

A fistful of peaches / Black Honey
Mark says: ‘A Fistful of Peaches’ is the third album by UK band Black Honey. They released a self-titled debut in 2018, and have been steady figures in the UK indie scene since then, with 2nd album, 2021’s Written & Directed cracking the UK top 10. Their latest album has been hailed as their most consistent yet. While arguably there’s nothing really new here musically, lead singer Izzy Bee Phillips manages to inveigh their propulsive, anthemic, 90s styled indie pop-rock, with a surprising degree of emotional shades, from upbeat, to melancholic and malicious. And the catchy tracks often hide pointed lyrics the dig into the mental health struggles and unhappiness that plague her generation.

Sam says: Having formed in 2014, Black Honey is a four-piece indie rock band originating from Brighton, UK, and ‘A Fistful of Peaches’ is their third album. Featuring infectiously fuzzy guitar lines, thumping drums and evocative, yet somewhat reserved vocals, the music pulls together ‘90s-flavoured post-grunge swagger with a more contemporary sense of grandeur. The guitar-driven nature of the music provides a rough edge to the music, which is nicely balanced and smoothed out by the subtle synth and keyboard parts. There is a sense of friction between the infectious and upbeat musical parts and the emotionally troubled lyrical content, which in turn provides an atmosphere that feels both playful and introspective. Those looking for infectious power-pop hooks will find plenty to love here.

Continue reading “August’s new music for Te Awe: Part 3” →

August’s New Music for Te Awe: Part 2

Mark

Here is part two of our new music picks for August. You can catch up with Part 1 here. Do we actually know anything about new music? Or, are we just too old to understand what most of this is banging on about? Read on to find out…

On the romance of being / Marea, Desire
Mark says: The second album from this queer South African musician is a huge leap forward from 2021 debut Desire. That album was a solo excursion into club beats, but his sophomore effort strikes out for broader musical regions, with a 13 piece band featuring stalwarts of the Durban and Johannesburg jazz circles, and key members of South Africa’s experimental scene. The resulting ensemble creates a swirling mix of orchestral sounds, spiritual jazz and searching vocals. In last two years, Desire trained as Sangoma, a traditional Nguni spiritual healer, and you can feel that reflected outward in the music, a sense of communal strength and healing. Standout track is perhaps ‘Rah’, a powerful 9-minute duet with South African singer and songwriter Zoë Modiga.

Sam says: With the incorporation of a wide variety of musical styles into a single melting pot, Desire Marea’s sophomore full length effort ‘On the Romance of Being’ is difficult to classify, confidently existing within its own world. There are several flavours and moods covered over the space of the record, with jazz, soul, electronic, classical and various louder forms of rock music creating a sound-world that is keenly experimental, yet powerfully immersive and coherent. Dynamic variation is a key force, with intimate instrumentals and sensitive vocal passages building up to chaotic, densely orchestrated crescendos that are truly bombastic in nature. There is a strong spiritual undertone that runs through the record, with Marea’s evocative and often pained vocals being an ever-present force of nature. If you enjoy music with an overarching sense of power and beauty, ‘On the Romance of Being’ is worth a listen.

Continue reading “August’s New Music for Te Awe: Part 2” →

Staff Picks: DVDs and Blu-Rays at the Library

Gus

Stumped for something to watch this weekend? Here are some DVDS and Blu-Rays that our library staff have enjoyed watching recently, featuring a range of new arrivals and deep-cut classics from the collection.

Shinji’s Picks

She said – Maria Schrader

The banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh

Both sides of the blade – Claire Denis

The passengers of the night – Mikhael Hers

Triangle of sadness – Ruben Ostlund

Wheel of fortune and fantasy – Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Paris, 13th district – Jacques Audiard

Pearl – Ti West

The velvet queen – Marie Amiguet, Vincent Munier

Accident – Joseph Losey

She SaidThe Banshees of InisherinBoth Sides of the BladeThe Passengers of the NightTriangle of SadnessWheel of Fortune and FantasyParis, 13th DistrictPearlThe Velvet QueenAccident


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August’s New Music for Te Awe: Part 1

Mark


via GIPHY

Statler: Well, it was good.
Waldorf: Ah, it was very bad.
Statler: Well, it was average.
Waldorf: Ah, it was in the middle there.
Statler: Ah, it wasn’t that great.
Waldorf: I kind of liked it.”
-‘The Muppet Show’.

I’m Mark, the Music & Film Specialist at Wellington City Libraries. I buy music for the CD & Vinyl collections, and also run the Libraries’ Wellington Music Facebook page). My Music Specialist colleague Sam, and Fiction Specialist (and avid music fan) Neil, join me every month to cast an eye over the new material we have been buying for the music collection at our CBD Te Awe library. We pick out some interesting titles across a range of music genres, and try to limit our reviews to a few lines only. Can we encapsulate an entire album in just a couple of lines? [Ed. This is probably unlikely at this point]. Do we actually know anything about new music? Or, are we just too old to understand what most of this is banging on about? [Ed. This is more than likely]. Read on to find out…

Voice notes / Lacey, Yazmin
Mark says: Yazmin Lacey is a Nottingham based London singer, part of the new wave of Black female UK singers fusing soul, jazz and beats. Having released three EPs since 2017, this is her debut album. Comparisons have ranged from Erykah Badu and Arlo Parks, to Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott. Breezy, vibey neo-soul mixes comfortable with dub, lovers rock & electronic touches, while the lyrics focus on self-confidence, self-examination and finding peace in tough times. A great late-night mood prevails through out this reflective album that’s sure to take her career to the next level.

Sam says: Voice Notes, the debut album by London-born singer Yazmin Lacey, is an eclectic and accomplished work that teems with ambition. Stylistically it offers a wide smorgasbord of musical flavours, featuring elements of soul, R&B, funk, jazz and electronica. The instrumentation is rich and nuanced, with the music having been composed via studio jam sessions featuring a number of collaborators. Imperfections were embraced in the recording and production process, resulting in a raw and honest work. Lacey’s tender voice is the star of the show, brimming with emotional weight in its portrayal of her impressionistic and soliloquy-like lyrics. These things are brought together to provide a delicate yet powerful listening experience.

Neil says: Voice notes is Yazmin Lacey’s debut album. It was written over two years, but it displays such an assured confidence in its aims that you would never know. It is an album seeped in the past without ever feeling beholden to the legacy it so clearly celebrates. Voice notes is a cool jazz, nu-soul release with carefully woven in electronica. The ultra-smooth production is used to accentuate a dreamy late night café vibe, though the album does have a fun and ebullient side too. Yazmin’s voice is subtle and perfectly accompanies the music nestling seamlessly into the overall sound.

Continue reading “August’s New Music for Te Awe: Part 1” →