Saturday 19 June 2010

Heavenly Pop Hits

I just found a great documentary about the New Zealand music scene during the eighties and nineties. It tells the story of the legendary label Flying Nun Records whose DIY work ethic gave birth to the famous Dunedin sound and is home to bands like The Chills, The Bats and The Clean. All of them still tour and release records, much thanks to people like Stephen Malkmus and other bands listing them as important influences. The documentary also shows the strengths and limitations of releasing music the DIY way without large funding or big company bosses trying to interfere with production. Although mistakes were made and many of the bands unfortunately didn't reach their full potential, the label won international acclaim for its unique sound which captured that era and can be recognized as an influence on today's music. The label has recently started up again with the ambition to put out re-releases and take on new kiwi bands, yay!

There are nine episodes available on the tube. Here's the first one, followed by a couple of videos.





Sunday 13 June 2010

Gimme the awesome!



I missed Owen Pallett's early performance at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, except for the last song which happens to be one of my faves; The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead. When searching for vid's from the festival I came across his cover of Caribou's 2010 hit Odessa. It sends chills down my spine, it's so cleverly crafted!

Primavera Sound was heaven and I wish I could go there every year for the rest of my life. For a selection of pics; Flickr. Plus a mix:



My latest musical crush are The Feelies! Velvet Underground meets 80's jangle pop with Crazy Rhythms (which is also the name of their cult classic). Check 'em out!
Fa cé-La (via Hype Machine)


Laaaaaaater