In your favour

Look Blue Go Purple -Compilation (1991) ****

Nominated by: Kevy

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Cactus Cat

Cards on the table time - I have a real soft spot for all-female groups (as in all the musicians in the band are female). My favourites: Girls School; The Runaways; Fanny; Marine Girls; and NZ's own - Look Blue Go Purple.

There is something very different about the way all-female bands play and write songs compared to bands with a male component. I love that difference.

Look Blue Go Purple are no exception. Starting with the name - I don't think there is a Flying Nun band with a better name (and the label has some brilliantly named bands), Look Blue Go Purple are stunningly different to other NZ bands.

I don't own this compilation of their EPs (criminally, they never recorded an album) - instead I own the Still Bewitched compilation. I prefer that one because it has the complete EPs in chronological order, plus some live tracks.

Yes, I have OCD tendencies, but having the complete EPs in order allows me/us to trace their development. Instead Compilation mucks up the order so that we have the murky Bewitched songs mixed with the flutey songs on the second EP - LBGPEP2. The more professional sounding This Is This songs bringing up the rear. This is NOT the reason I've gone for 4 stars though.

It's not even the murky production of the Bewitched songs. Michael Stipe on the first REM album Murmur is buried in the mix and nothing he says is clearly articulated. But it sounds great. Bewitched follows the same production template, and those twin LBGP voices make it even more of a guessing game as to the lyrics, but I love it!

It's that flute! It just gets in the way, in my opinion. They are so much better without that blimmin flute. Luckily it's only on a couple of songs and then it's back to the LBGP beat, the reedy organ and the strummed electric guitars. Perfect!

Best song hands down is Cactus Cat but songs like 100 Times, Grace and others (all of the This Is This EP for instance) aren't that far behind, so it doesn't overshadow the compilation.

Great name. Great sound. Great choice Kevy.

Glory of the snow

Clairo - Charm (2024) ***

Nominated by: Tom  

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  Nomad

Clairo has a lovely, effortless delivery. She reminded me of one of my all time favourite singers - Ricky Nelson, in that they both allow the listener to relax and enjoy their company. There are no sharp edges; there is no tension in their voices.

That can also be a problem though - too much pleasant easy sounds can result in good songs floating on by without lingering in the memory.

Therein lies my problem with Charm. It seemed to be, that whenever I started playing this album I'd get about 4 songs in and then lose focus. Before I knew it the record was done. Even mid song I'd sometimes tune out.

It's a beautiful sound, so the lack of focus began to bother me! But it kept happening.

So, in the end I find it really hard to appraise the true worth of this album. First 4 or 5 songs - lovely, rest...not sure.

I feel terrible about this state of affairs because I truly like her voice, but an EP would have been superb. A whole album is a real stretch.

Will I come back to it in time? Probably not, to be fair. But I am really happy Tom put it forward for our enjoyment.

Sorry (feeling shiite). 

Flagship

Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free (2015) ***

Nominated by: The Legend

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  24 Frames

This is an easy album to like. Jason veers away from his southern gothic rock style with Drive-by Truckers and instead heads down a more laid back, acoustically fused, furrow.

Being a Kiwi, my one abiding slight problem with Americana artists is that we don't have much in common. Their accents aren't like mine, their interests and their cultural markers aren't mine.

Now, that's slightly disingenuous on my part, I acknowledge, because I've always loved American culture. Especially in my teenage years. I was deeply engrossed in American politics, myths, and especially its music.

In the last ten years or so, and influenced by Kevy's devotion, I've embraced and appreciated my Kiwi background much more. My NZ record collection has grown a lot for one thing.

So, while in the past I've embraced Americana, these days I've chosen to move away from it a bit. Before you splutter your coffee out GK - I don't regard Arlo Guthrie as Americana. He's folk rock if he's anything.

Speaking of GK (The Legend), he, on the other hand, has embraced and appreciated the meshing of genres into Americana a lot more than me. And, I can see why.

There are certainly plenty of quality bands and solo artists working in the genre. Like Jason Isbell.

Something More Than Free has a nice acoustic bed and a gentle lope, even if the lyrics reveal Jason is one troubled cookie ("God..is a pipe bomb ready to blow"). Jason's vocals are easy on the ear. There's not a lot to grind the gears, although some de rigueur mythic cowboy references (Children Of Children) might give Kevy a nervy twitch.

As to the songs, with the exception of Hudson Commodore, the back end of the album is not as strong as the first 5 songs - which are excellent - four stars for them! 

Why is it artists often programme slower, less engaging songs towards the end of albums? Palmetto Rose never quite gets going, although the riff is promising, and To A Band That I Loved doesn't do it for me either. especially as an album closer.

All up, listening to the album multiple times this week didn't really modify my initial thoughts from a few years ago regarding both Drive-By Truckers or Jason Isbell's solo albums.

Lord knows I love crunchy southern guitar bands but give me The Marshall Tucker Band or Blackberry Smoke over Drive-by Truckers any day and while Jason's solo albums are much easier to absorb, I'd rather spend time with Ryan Adams, Giant Sand, or Jay Farrar. As I've said previously, it's a really over-crowded genre that reaches out in many directions.

But, who cares about my preferences? Jason Isbell has reached a new status. I mean - a feature in Mojo Magazine is up there baby! Good luck to him. Maybe he'll cheer up a bit now.

Ghosts

The Chills - Brave Words (1987) *****

Nominated by: Kevy

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Brave Words

The tragic news about Mr Chills, Martin Phillipps, colours the appreciation of this album somewhat.

It is very fitting that we're back at the start of their career (album wise) with Brave Words (Kaleidoscope World is a compilation). It's hard to beat that youthful intensity and joy of performing. 

On Brave Words, The Chills produce a distinctively dense echoey low fi Dunedin sound - Look For The Good In Others being a clear example, but elsewhere the distinctive Phillipps' nervy vocals mix it up with the keyboards, the playfulness and experimentation is there, and angst from a failed relationship is also a factor that darkens the mood a tad at times (first song Push is a raw moment).

The influences are clear - REM (Wet Blanket); Syd Barrett (Ghosts); The Cure (House With A Hundred Rooms) but The Chills of 1987 use those influences to forge their own alt-pop sound.

No skips, no duff tracks. Each time I listened I heard new things (that tinkly piano in House With A Hundred Rooms frinstance). I also liked the consistent pace of these songs - it just drives ever onwards.

The cover is interesting too. The characters (band members) appear to be caught in a web of sorts. It's a nice visual metaphor for the complexity of relationships.

All up - a Kiwi classic. I don't know enough about their other albums to call this their best (I only have three early singles and Silver Bullets - again - thanks to Kevy for that album) but it must surely be in the running. 

Great stuff Kevy - a fitting way to remember a great NZ musician.

Sweet vibration

The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know  (2024) ***

Nominated by: Al

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition:  How To Love

This one, the fifth album by The Lemon Twigs, is brand new - only released in May of this year, so it's fresh as a daisy (in more ways than one).

The band is really just two brothers and I'm a big fan. Are you kidding? Power pop and progressive rock are very me.

Two of my favourite bands loom large on A Dream Is All We Know - The Beatles and The Beach Boys. There are hints and echoes of The Raspberries (power popper Eric Carmen was also a huge fan of both bands); Todd Rundgren, Myracle Brah, Pugwash, Jellyfish, Badfinger, High Llamas and dozens of other bands with the same influences.

Personally, I have zero problem with that. I love all of those artists.

The Lemon Twigs do manage to forge their own sound out of those stellar influences, in my opinion. I'm sure, plenty will argue against that (I can hear Tom's voice in my ear) because, at times, there is evidence to the contrary. 

For instance, My Golden Years starts off like they are ripping off The Rembrandts but then the chirpy Twigs vocals kick in (via The Beach Boys) and we're off into Twigs land where influences are blended, bent and bashed around. It shouldn't work, but it does.

After two or three songs you can either play spot the influence, or else relax into the album, smile, and start embracing their Twigness. Admittedly it does take a few listens, but all it takes for me to forgive them all their liberties is something like that bit in the middle of Church Bells - do do dit etc.

Great choice Alex. Big tick from me.

Piece of the pie

Boom Crash Opera - These Here Are Crazy Times! (1989) ***

Nominated by: G 'Bad Boy' K

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  Dancing In The Storm

In the past, I have kind of dismissed Boom Crash Opera as INXS-lite. Which is unfair, but also accurate, I feel.

Aussie groups of the late eighties like INXS, Icehouse and Boom Crash Opera tended to have similar approaches (super slick commercial pop) and used similar production techniques.

The major difference between the three was that Icehouse and INXS had huge hits and BCO didn't. At least, none that I can recall.

So, the big Aussie pop sound of 1989 dominates right from the off. The first three songs are hugely important for any album because they set the scene. The weird thing is here that I didn't like the first three songs at all (or the last song Superheroes), but then I actually quite enjoyed most of the rest of the album proper (the bonus tracks don't add anything to the party).

The first three (and let's get them out of the way quickly):

1) Onionskin is an okay song but the kitchen sink is thrown at it. Brass, guitar solo, synth stabs, big drums, gang vocals. The bombast continues on...

2) Where There's A Will has the same kitchen sink approach and desperately wants to be an INXS song with all that repetition going on.

3) The Best Thing has the lead vocalist doing his best Bono impression.

From then on they settle into a more relaxed sound (while it continues a kind of pick-the-soundalikes game). Piece Of The Pie sounds like The Angels so it's in the running for my favourite track. It also messes a bit with their pop formula and moves in a few different directions, albeit tentatively. 

So, a mixture of negative (first three and last songs) and positive (the rest) for me. For the most part, the lads are having a good time - it doesn't sound forced. Their hearts are in the right place and there are those mid album songs, post the first three, that I enjoyed on repeat outings apart from Piece Of The Pie: 

Forever is nicely weird and benefits by being less in-yer-face. It almost sounds like indie-pop; End Up Where I Started also has a quirkiness (Cherry Poppin' Daddies came to mind) that is appealing and the brass arrangement works for once, i.e. it swings; Dancing In The Storm benefits from a great bass line, excellent Midnight Oil style group vocals, and it's on a bed of acoustic guitar which I think always helps a song sell itself; Mountain Of Strength wins me over with the same formula - acoustic guitar, some space around the instruments and some harmonica!

Having said all that, my underlining thought was - when would I ever play this album again? It's a bit too noisy and brash for early morning or late evening (I need more meditative sounds then - this one was built to be played loud). During the day then? Well, no - because there are so many other albums I'd prefer to listen to during the day.

Still, I'm glad I heard those boys in action. Thanks for their selection Mr 'Bad Boy'.