Square wave

The Voidz - Like All Before You (2024) ****

Nominated by: Al

Music club: MNAC

MNAC playlist addition: Prophecy of the Dragon

I was joking with Al that I'd lie about liking this even if I hated it and guess what? I don't have to lie. At all.

This is great! I was a little worried when I saw the album had an Overture and an Outro (could have been very pretentious) but in the context of this album it's very fitting.

This Overture works a bit like Funeral For A Friend before Love Lies Bleeding - i.e. perfectly!

Then it's all on with a mash up of The Killers, Cher (yes Cher), New Order and The Darkness. And it has real songs! And it's hilarious! And it doesn't run out of oomph - in fact the last couple of songs before the Outro are great.

The humour is important to my enjoyment of Like All Before You. I may have this entirely wrong, but it sounds like they are totally having fun and not taking themselves too seriously on these songs. I laughed out loud a few times, in a good way.

Favourite tracks: Square Wave; Prophecy of the Dragon; 7 Horses; All The Same; When Will the Time of These Bastards End.

Even though it's not perfect (not every song is a masterpiece), there's not one song I didn't like or felt the need to skip on repeat listens (and I listened to it a lot this week). I didn't mind the vocal manipulations at all - for me they added some variety and fun to the mix.

I'll have to go back and listen to Virtue now - the album I've previously dissed, and re-examine it (it was an album chosen by Al before I started this blog).

Genuinely loved this record!

Don't ask me twice

Sin City - Another Round (2024) *** 

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Mama, Please Let Me In

This is a Kiwi duo/band who appear to have relocated to Aussie to ply their trade. They play a sort of rollicking country rock'n'roll hybrid in a deliberately sloppy old timey way.

Let's get something clear: they aren't Faces. There is no Rod Stewart type handling vocals, nor is there an Ian McLagan directing traffic or Ron Wood on strutting guitar.  

Instead, this Sin City album eventually settles into some pleasant Americana inspired roots rock. But it is inconsistent in its approach. 

Sidewalk Sale is effective because it avoids the strident and has a nice country feel. I'm Your Man is probably the best of the attempts at an early Beatle rockabilly sound (their attempts at Carl Perkins songs spring to mind). She's Got No Heart is the best Graham Parker moment.

Mama, Let Me In is a highlight with its Commander Cody country (I love Commander Cody) and best sloppy rock moment is Candy.

The wonky moments - like Loving Arms don't work for me because they are deliberately aiming for an American vibe with an American voice.

As things go, if I want some rock infused country blues with a Kiwi inflection, I'd prefer to listen to The Desotos. Paul Gurney has a more dominant, realistic voice for this kind of material, and, as a band, they don't sound forced. 

Obvs. this is purely my personal preference, and I realise I'm being a bit critical of Sin City. I don't really mean to. They are a good time band and criticising them seems a bit mean.

Good luck to them in the Aussie bars!

Running in the family

Level 42 - Running In The Family (1987) ***

Nominated by: GK

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Running in the Family

Greg quite rightly signed off his Album of the Week choice with 'not expecting five stars but don’t care'. He loves this album (this was not news to me!) and that's great.

Sure enough, although 42 is the answer to "the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything", it's a three star album for me - pretty fine.

In the eighties I admired and liked the big hit singles well enough, principally Lessons in Love and Running in the Family. They have only grown in stature since then, becoming standouts on eighties compilations. Although, they are very much of their time (1987).

Three other songs were released as singles from this album (To Be with You Again, It's Over, and Children Say) but I don't remember them being too successful in NZ. Nor do I remember them being on the radio.

So, I didn't buy any of them then, nor did I buy any Level 42 albums. Why not?

Well, at the time, their mainstream commercial sound wasn't appealing to me beyond those two singles. Plus, I was knee deep in nappies (Adam's) and trying to keep our family of four afloat at the time, so my eye wasn't on the ball.

Listening to the album now reveals that I didn't miss an awful lot. There are other catchy songs here for sure, but nothing of the class of Lessons in Love and Running In The Family. Next best is Children Say, and those are the first three songs on the album! So, from there on in the album is a mixed bag for me.

Weak tracks: the gloopy ballad It's Over and the ADHDish Fashion Fever are the only two I skipped on repeat listens.

None of this will matter a jot to GK, and nor should it. Mark King remains one of his heroes, and the band is still in existence without me noticing, and even touring next year I see, so...who cares. 

Just my two cents worth.

Home alone

Mousey - The Dreams of Our Mothers' Mothers (2024) *** 

Nominated by: KS

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Dog Park

This was an interesting one - an album none of us had heard prior to Kevy's choice as WTWMC album of the week. I was intrigued and the picture I had in my head from Kevy's introduction was perfectly replicated by the style of music here.

I can see her in black boots and hippy chic black flowing things performing at one of Wellington's Cuba Street's trendy coffee places. Loads of tats and piercings!!

Well, at least the music and her songs conjure up this visual imagery for me. She has a tough edged don't-mess-with-me vocal style that I really like on most of the album.

On her best songs (the four listed below) her breathy vocals feel committed and passionate and yet held in check. Restrained power I guess sums it up. Impressive for the most part (I really liked the style of Dog Park).

Of the eight songs, four are a little underwhelming: I'm less inclined to believe her on the quiet stuff - Island of Hope Pt 1 doesn't do it for me. Some of the songs feel a little like demos (first song isn't a great intro - the creeps are out? Yeah...and?) and second song Home Alone needs a rethink IMHO. Worst of all - ES is a mess.

Controversial statement time: she's young (I guess) but the music could do with further honing. At times, it wants to be willfully experimental in a Tom Waits kind of way but doesn't quite pull it off consistently over these 8 songs. 

It also feels quite disparate style wise - IDWGBTY is a Lana Del Rey style delivery which is interesting (I love Lana as you know), and the independent folky style is here at times too. Maybe a weakness? Maybe not?

That said, I get why Kevy is so excited by this emerging NZ talent. This has a lot of potential - would have made a great EP. Be interesting to see how she'll evolve.

Highlights: Dog Park; Opener; Island of Hope Pt 2;  IDWGBTY. All four are stellar efforts that I enjoyed listening to on repeat.