The Tragically Hip of New Zealand (in terms of longevity and local popularity).
The Metallica of New Zealand (in that they are best slotted into that metal/new metal category).
The Flight of the Conchords of New Zealand (in that theirs was the only album in New Zealand to sell better that FOTC’s album when they released it at the beginning of May). I’ll have more on the Conchords upon my return from the South Island.
The discussion of hard rock in New Zealand begins and ends with Shihad, which is why I’ve put them last. Knowing my audience’s sensitivities makes it difficult to pick two videos of theirs to show off, however. There are a lot of bad CGI and heavy riffs in Youtube’s video vault.
So I’m posting the very-much-not-like-Shihad first single off their new album which dropped in April, “One Will Hear the Other.”
And I will also post “Everything,” which was released during their Pacifier* days.
But rest assured that the majority of their other tracks are total headbangers.
* – after September 11th, Shihad changed their name to “Pacifier” because Shihad kinda sorta sounds like “jihad” which was non grata at the time. They regret having ever made that change. Wikipedia does a neat job summarizing the events behind the switch.
And so ends New Zealand Music Month. Thanks for putting up with my self-indulgence this month.
Okay, one more Dunedin Soundish, “history of music” band for you all. The Clean. Dunediners, new wave roots but influential in their own right, saviours of Flying Nun Records. When there are so many classic artists kicking around, somebody has to rise to the top. I choose…The Clean.
The big big big hit (although the charts said otherwise) was “Tally Ho” from 1981.
And I quite fancy “Anything Could Happen” from 1982.
Bonus post for New Zealand Music Month.
One of the greatest one hit wonders of the 1990s (top five, for sure), OMC, are Aucklanders!!!
OMC = Otara Millionaire’s Club. Otara is one of Auckland’s poorest suburbs.
I cannot believe, for the life of me, that this was a New Zealand act and I had no idea. I only just learned this five minutes ago.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and post Liam Finn. See, Liam is actually Australian, like how Crowded House may or may not be Australian. Liam was born in Melbourne, but for all sense and purposes he’s a New Zealander. Sort of like how Brett Hull might actually be Canadian…and how Jesse Crain really isn’t. He came to mind recently as he is the son of a legendary rocker and he has an album due out soon, plus the Globe and Mail recently did a piece on how the children of legendary rockers are all trying to carve their own niche in the singer-songwriter world.
I think Liam is doing okay, and as far as I can tell he qualifies for NZ on Air funding. The song I like the most is “Second Chance.”
“Gather to the Chapel” is quite popular as well.
In my never ending pursuit of finding the most obscure, most awesome band ever, I think I have fallen for Auckland’s Motocade. I don’t know anything about them. There have been a couple of EPs and the album is supposedly out later this year. I should go looking for those at the shop.
It was the video for “Soap Opera” that did it for me.
And in the name of posting two videos, here is “My Friends.”
Another lovely indie rock/art rock/Dunedin Sound-sort-of act, who unfortunately have fielded two EPs that I own both of but have songs that are really, really identical to each other. Can’t fault consistency, I suppose. I love how they have made music videos for almost all of their songs.
Cut Off Your Hands. Aucklanders, extremely talented musicians, and their biggest hit thus far is an absolutely fantastic song that you should be requesting at the bar on Friday nights. Oh, if I were a nightclub DJ…
The song I’m fawning so much over is “Still Fond.”
The video for “You and I” is one of my three favourite music videos of all time.
Here’s what all the kids are listening to these days. Goodnight Nurse. Aucklanders, together for a few years now, mucho talented, February album release went very well for them, currently touring the North Island and are off to Australia soon.
The big, huge, monster single from the album is “The Night.” I can only assume the video is a representation of what high schoolers do these days…or what I should have been doing in the late ’90s.
This video was for their highest charting single ever. “My Only.”
They’re a pretty good act in that pop-punk mold sort of way.
A little more generic pop-punk for you. Elemeno P are the Blink-182 of New Zealand. The Sum 41 of New Zealand. The Green Day (Dookie album) of New Zealand. Aucklanders. They’re quite popular here AND they have a new album coming out this week.
“Fast Times in Tahoe” doesn’t sound like them at all.
“Verona” does.
Problem is, my favourite two songs of theirs do not contain the current lineup. Elemeno P added a female frontwoman a few years ago. So I’m posting from their new album as well. This song is “Baby Come On” which was the first single from that new album. You can see the aging in their sound run (dance?) rampant through this video, although neither dancer is in the band. Not necessarily a bad thing…
Holy smokes, I Live in New Zealand. 