What am I going to do

Pop Art Toasters - Pop Art Toasters (1994) ****

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Go Ahead

Kev introduced this as a bit of Flying Nun fun. Ha ha I thought. Dunedin and Flying Nun are usually associated with chilly (pun intended), lo-fi, darkish days - not a lot of sunshine and rainbows or funster associations generally.

But then - along comes Pop Art Toasters with a fun cover and name.  The music comes to the party as well. The nod to sixties Beatles/Hollies pop during the start of the opening track on this EP sent me dancing around the music room at Maple Grove in a paroxysm of joy. Really.

Kev also teased that we'd know the lead singer and sure enough - this is clearly Martin Phillipps leading the line for these merry pranksters. His vocals are very distinct. The other band members I'd have to guess at - maybe a Verlaine, another Chiller perhaps and a Cleaner?

Having just 'searched them up' (as my students would say) I see David Kilgour was also on board so I was kind of right (no Verlaines, but Clean and Chills input fersure).

This is expert pop music. Great having a short rush of songs via the EP. Pop is always about singles and EPs (now downloads): the immediacy of two minute singles, the catchy hooks, and the facile lyrics are all part of the deal.

As there are only five songs here are my play by plays.

1 - What Am I Going To Do: An instant hook and some nice harmonising - woulda coulda shoulda been a hit but the retro fit works against it in that regard.

2 - Everyone's Gonna Wonder: the closest Chills' style amid this bunch (now the official collective noun for EP tracks). It's light, catchy, pop froth - almost a pastiche. Again - very sixties British pop.

3 - It Won't Hurt You: Slower, moodier. A tad out of place in this bunch.

4 - Go Ahead: back to the pop froth of the first two songs. Why wasn't this a massive hit?

5 - Circles: A heavier sound but again, mid sixties British pop. Not the strongest song as they go for a more Yardbirds style Psycho Daisies type of vibe but don't quite sound convincing enough.

So, yeah - 4 out of the five could easily have been pop hits but maybe the retro nature of these songs didn't fit the mid nineties zeitgeist.

Cool to listen to Kevy. Maybe they should be re-released - they'd now fit the breezy pop times, I'd think.

Everything matters

Aurora - In Gods We Can Touch (2022) ****

Nominated by: Alex

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition: A Temporary High

Aurora is a Norwegian singer-songwriter - there must be something going on in the Scandanavian/Nordic countries - they produce an inordinate amount of gifted musicians - in all sorts of genres. 

There are aspects of Abba (Sweden), Sigur Rós (Iceland), Bjork (Iceland), and even my favourite Lene Marlin (also from Norway), about Aurora. She retains a kind of off-kilter weirdness while also being very accessible. 

I don't know about her other work but In Gods We Can Touch uses electro pop/synth pop sounds as well as folk to great effect on these songs. She has a beautiful clear voice that floats about and the musical backing is sympathetic to her approach.

While listening to the album, I kept getting images of that scene in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? where the sirens are enticing Pete with their alluring singing. Aurora sounds, at times, as if she's doing the siren call, and her lyrics often touch on water themes. The folky Exhale, Inhale even has an allusion to sirens singing.

I really like the variety throughout the album - pop songs (A Temporary High is a highlight for me), folk stylings (Exhale, Inhale is another highlight), introspective moments, playfulness (bizarrely I thought of Disneyland's The Tiki Room while listening to Cure For Me), some dark corners in songs and big themes - all adds up to a wonderful experience. 

Fab choice Alex - thanks for the introduction!

Olé, Olé, Olé

Chumbawamba - Tubthumper (1997) ****

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Scapegoat

I know very little about Chumbawamba outside of the two hits that came from this album - the title track and the football anthem Top of the World (Olé, Olé, Olé), so it came as a pleasant surprise to hear the whole album.

When GK and I were crazy schoolkids, we amused ourselves by making what I called 'Eclectic tapes' on cassettes (a.k.a. crazy tape). We'd take snippets of spoken word from records, TV, anywhere and add them to jumbled up music snippets. The tapes made a crazy kind of sense and we had a lot of fun.

I was reminded of this when listening to Tubthumper (the album) because they share this approach (albeit 20 years after Gregarious G-String and Buster Bloodvessel pioneered it). Various cut ups of politicians, TV characters (Leonard Rossiter has a cameo before Drip Drip Drip frinstance) are added to the music which displays all the hallmarks of an ADHD student on a sugar rush.

On the evidence of this album's themes, it seems the band trades in highly politicised approaches but done in a general way (class warfare figures big time) and I would have got long odds on GK being the first of the three amigos to choose an album housing a string of F bombs and the c-word (shock horror - it's before Mary Mary). The lad loves to surprise us.

I pretty much loved it, although they are strictly of their time (late nineties) and a few songs are a tad repetitive (Creepy Crawling). It is also one looong album - clocking in just shy of an hour. However, there are plenty of 'bangers' along the way (I believe that's the expression the youngsters are using du jour).

Favs would be Tubthumper, Amnesia, Drip... and Top of the World. They are obvious standouts but there are a few others I put into my favourites file as well, like The Good Ship Lifestyle and Scapegoat.

It was worth the eye rolls at Maple Grove while it played out and I bet Mrs. Knowles doesn't approve either (I suspect AM is a fan). They'd definitely hate those eclectic tapes as well, though, to be fair.

Take good care of it (The Verlaines)

The Verlaines - Bird Dog (1987) *****

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Just Mum

When I think of Flying Nun bands I instantly think of The Verlaines. They are synonymous. Hand in glove. Get me?

Their early albums, and Bird Dog was their second, capture everything that was glorious about NZ indie stuff released on the iconic Flying Nun label. I'm talking about complicated music that sounds simple and effortless. That is quite a trick. Amateur hour this is not, but it still has that unpretentious whiff about it. Sums up Nu Zild in many ways.

The vocals by main man Graeme Downs always remind me a bit of Chills main man Martin Phillipps - same vaguely erudite delivery; same thoughtful lyrics that reward repeat listens. There are depths to these dudes, maan.

Speaking of resonances, the guitar often reminds me of early REM and there's also a hint of The Cure about proceedings. Still, the combined sounds are entirely Verlaines. The busy drum sound is something peculiar to them. It's of the time and suits their style.

Bird Dog never puts a foot wrong and constantly surprises. The first couple of times I heard Slow Sad Love Song I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. It builds extraordinarily and ends in a orgiastic howl. It's not indulgent in the slightest though and is a clear stand out although it's difficult to listen to in the same way as John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band is a demanding album to listen to. Both share a kind of cathartic primal scream quality.

The rest of the album has many highlights, I've nominated Just Mum as my playlist addition, but it could just have easily 3 or 4 others.

A five-star classic - no duds, no skippers. All killer, no filler!

A red head albino

The Delines - Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom (2025) **

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom

As I have mentioned before: I'm a daaay person. The Delines trade in doom and depression and there will be audience for this low life world view (it's a reality for many - I get that) but it can be depressing subject matter over the course of a whole album. 

The darkness left me cold: missing persons, missing teeth and missing fingers; pimps and darkness; abandoned people in life's margins. And poor Lorraine (she cops it on this album). Not a lot of light at the end of the Deline tunnel.

Enough already! 

Although, musically, I had a lot to admire. The genre is either alt country (her voice positions them here) or Americana (the music is a folk/country/tex-mex hybrid). Genres that appeal to me generally, although I'm more of a country rock kind of guy. The brass is used judiciously throughout, and the pace is easy on the ear, albeit mournful on occasion. 

It also has an excellent cover.

I can't think of too much to say really. GK loves this stuff and good on him! I'm sure he won't mind if I sit this one out.

Tell my sister

Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Kate & Anna McGarrigle (1976) ****

Nominated by: Lewis

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition: Foolish Me

These two Canadian sisters really started with a high bar album back in the mid-seventies. I remember at the time, reading about this album in Sounds and there was quite the hullabaloo around it - I think because of the association with Loudon Wainwright III (then husband to Kate), producer Joe Boyd and Lowell George's involvement as well as the gentle harmonies from the siblings.

Mid-seventies though I was locked into heavy metal, Beatles pop, blues rock etc - so it's only now - 50 years later that I'm listening to this for the first time. I can now appreciate the nuances.  

Speaking of 'locked in' - their voices don't appear to be locked in like the Everly's, but they offset each other's voices perfectly throughout most of the songs. I'm a sucker for harmony and there is something about siblings.

Standouts for me are Anna's beautiful Heart Like a Wheel - covered by Linda Ronstadt and many others, Complainte pour Ste-Catherine, Foolish You (sounds effortless), Swimming Song killed me every time, and Talk To Me of Mendocino has some lovely harmonising going on.

Actually, 'lovely' sums up the album well. As a whole it covers a lot of ground expertly - country, folk, rock and whatever Complainte is (jaunty Canadian/Cajun rock?). 

Pretty remarkable that this was their debut!

Hey thank you

The Stereo Bus - Brand New (1999) *****

Nominated by: Kevy

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Birthday

After successive listens, my initial reaction to this album still stands! OH HELL YES!!! By the time four tracks have sped by I'm having one of those rare musical epiphanies - these guys are the bizness. New Zealand's Big Star!! All distorted guitars, ripper choruses and full on power pop commitment. 

Then they turn all shoe-gazey on us for the second half, starting with Brand New and my interest remains high despite the sound still being derivative. Gadzooks! Main man David Yetton clearly has some Kevin Shields stuff in his collection. 

Why haven't I heard this before? It's great. A five-star classic for me Kevy - no duds, no skippers - just one terrific song after another the last track is the weakest, but still a goodie). Actually, I'm hard pressed to choose a highlight. It came down to either Birthday or Nova Scotia. 

I'm off to explore how to grab a physical copy of this and to listen to their earlier album and The Jean Paul Sartre Experience - a band I've heard of, but I've not previously heard any of their material.

Loved this one! Exciting to come across a new album and subsequent rabbit hole to head down. Chur bro!