Avalanche City
biggest flaw of Avalanche City’s record is the sense of repetitiveness between the songs. Album Review by Melissa Low (B) There’s a point in the second half of the album where songs feel as if they are just another variation of a previous song. The beginning of End of the Ocean in fact sounds like the beginning of Love Love Love, but played an octave lower. The repetitiveness can become really off-putting and disrupts the flow as you play through the album. Many New Zealanders had fallen in love with Avalanche City is not the sort of music you TV2’s promotional song Love Love Love before would want to play while getting ready for a they even knew the name of the artist. If that is night out at town. The overall mood of the any proof to go by, people will enjoy the official album is suited for those sleepy days after, release of the debut album, Our New Life Above where the most comfortable place in the world the Ground, by New Zealand’s newest emerging is relaxing in a warm bed as the late afternoon artist, Avalanche City. sun streams in through your windows. From With manjo (a mandolin banjo) driven sounds Baxter’s personal and poetic lyrics, to the and folk styled tunes, Our New Life Above the sounds of the guitars, manjos and xylophones, Ground is essentially an album for people who Our New Life Above the Ground searches to give like to listen to songs about love. Out of the you comfort and love. It’s those familiar senses 12 tracks on this album, most songs mention of love and comfort that really makes listening the word love or talk about love. And through through the album worthwhile. the right balance of fast and slow paced songs, it paints the picture of a dream-like journey Foo Fighters through the ups and downs of relationships. Wasting Light The album starts off with the popular first Album Review by Ben Matthews (A) single, Love Love Love, introducing itself with its catchy lyrics and infectious manjo strumming. The repetitive yet simple chorus line, “I heard your heart say love love love”, effectively sticks in your mind that you cannot help but to sing and sway with the music. The upbeat tone continues as it launches into Everybody Knows, a short interlude twinkled with xylophone notes. Foo Fighters are the best band in the world at The pace slows down as it goes into Drive On, the moment, at least according to me. Not only a song reminiscent of long and lazy Sunday have they done a benefit concert for damaged afternoon drives. Dave Baxter, the man behind Christchurch, but they have also given each Avalanche City, has a voice that can put oneself person that has brought their new album a into a relaxed and calmed state. Most of the piece of the original master tape. That’s right, songs have the stripped down element that they cut the original master tape into millions bringing the music to the bare essentials of a of pieces and put one in each copy of their new man with an acoustic guitar. There’s a personal album. That is just awesome. element by doing this, which exaggerates the Although I prefer Nirvana, this album caught softer sounds in Baxter’s voice. It gives hints my eye. Firstly, because it is recorded by Butch of vulnerability in the album’s more emotional Vig, legendary producer who has worked with and poetic tracks, especially in the song Love Dave Grohl’s past band Nirvana, along with Don’t Leave, which feels raw with pain as the the Smashing Pumpkins and Green Day. And lyrics, “love don’t leave me now”, plead to tug at secondly, it was recorded in Dave Grohl`s your heartstrings. garage, along with a few old friends, old band In contrast to all the slower songs in the mate Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear, also from middle of the album, tracks like You and I Nirvana but played in Foo Fighters in their stand out with its simple and catchy pace. The early days. This could pretty much be seen as a cute lyrics of the song seem sweeter and more Nirvana reunion, minus the late Kurt Cobain. truthful than anything Bruno Mars sings in his But that is not all. This album was recorded song, Grenade. There also that element of magic on analogue tapes. Those who are not as music and romance present as it sings about all the obsessed as I am, analogue tapes were the imaginary scenarios he would do to make his industry standard for recording music back love happy. in the days before digital music recording Catchy music and sweet lyrics aside, the
Our New Life Above the Ground
www.ausm.org.nz
technology. Quoting Dave Grohl directly, “I think it’s much easier than using a computer; you just plug in the machine, and you put your microphone in input and get your levels and hit the red button and that’s it”. None of this autotune junk. I’ve listened to this album many times to, but due to space, I will talk about two of my favorite tracks. Rope has grown on me. At first I didn’t like it, but I realised that this is perhaps one of their best songs. It sounds like something Kurt Cobain would have written. It as if he is writing in the afterlife through Dave Grohl. Dear Rosemary is a duet between Dave Grohl and Bob Mould, who is famous for the legendary hardcore (gone pop) punk band Hüsker Dü, who the Foo Fighters, along with many other bands such as Green Day and Pixies, have copied. Unfortunately, no one has ever heard of this band, despite the impact it has had on modern music. Hopefully this song will introduce more people into this band, and hopefully this song will be released as a single. To sum it all up, this might be the Foo’s best album to date. Although most people will not like the raw appeal about the album, people wanting a break from all the dance music released to date, this album will be a breath of fresh air. Well done Dave and team.
R.E.M.
Collapse Into Now Album Review by Ben Matthews
(B-)
Strangely enough, R.E.M. are still chomping along as if it’s still 1991 and Kurt Cobain is still alive. However, unlike their previous few albums, R.E.M. has created a half decent listenable album. Finally they have managed to recover from the departure of their drummer, who retired back in 1997 to become a farmer, of all things. The album has a few up beat songs, with Discover having a U2 vibe going on, and Mine Smell Like Honey sounds like some of their I.R.S. days’ stuff. All The Best and That Someone Is You has plenty of distorted guitars and catchy melodies. Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter is a duet between lead singer Mike Stripe and Peaches and Blue is also a duet with punk veteran Patti Smith, with spoken words from Mike Stripe.
29.