Posts by Ken Double
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Hard News: Friday Music: Buying Cool, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
Award that man the
Sibyl Ince Silver Sieve SalverIt's all down to my new Adobe Meta 4.0 predictive analogy generator.
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Tech stock purchases always send pundits into an entrail reading frenzy where so-and-so's paying moonbeams for such-and-such signals a move into whatever-the-fuck so they can corner the market in people annoying each other with stupid pictures or something. But Beats - crappy headphones or no - is a real business. With, like, turnover. Over a billion a year. They make stuff and it sells for money. How they can hold their heads up in Silicon Valley I have no idea.
(Speaking of headphones, I've just discovered Grado. They make you look like a radio ham and they leak like Edward Snowden so don't bother leaving the house, but they're amazing. Serious hi fi for $160. You will hear things you didn't hear before.)
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Hard News: The Digital Natives, in reply to Andre Alessi,
I wouldn't be surprised if Mana went with an economically literate class warrior over someone with cultural bona fides. If they can persuade poor pakeha that they're in the same boat as most Maori then they have the beginnings of a strong, inclusive political force.
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I don't know if anyone out there watches "Veep" but I believe we can officially dub Slater the Jonah Ryan of New Zealand politics.
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Never heard a T Rex to Doors segue before so hats off to Mr Ahbez for that. And kudos to him for declining to be "achingly melancholic" about it. Must be the influence of his very good band. Non-specific sadness seems to be the resting pose of so much Pitchfork rock these days, so yay for some yays.
My very favourite obscure-ish band in all the world (Wussy) released another stonking record (Attica!) on Tuesday.
Helped along by this from the awesome Merrill Garbus, who I swear is star material. It's been a good week in Melrose I tell you.
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Stepping up to the plate seems to be Lorde's speciality. Listening to her video link I swear her accent's already trending mid-Pacific. She's scary.
I'm happy for Naked & Famous and all but God help me they're representative of a dull strand of indie pop. You expect NZ to succeed with something a little off-kilter, like... er... Lorde, but those kids are nothing more than a testament to professionalism.
And hey Auckland, if the Foundation are going to do a plugged up thing at Real Groovy then get along there pronto. Their in-store at Slow Boat last year before their UK trip was superb. Just being able to hear everything at a mellow volume was a treat. They know how to make all them boxes work the little imps.
I too wanted them to scoop the Taite but I actually thought Jonathan Bree was going to get it. It felt like the vibe among the cognoscenti.
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My Dunedin Double is still in good nick
So's mine! Largely because I never played it all that much. In truth I think that record lives better in the memory.
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Not completely sure about young Thomston on that evidence but I'm glad someone else takes "808s & Heartbreak" as seriously as I do.
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I saw The Job Creator himself at the Rod Laver in Melbourne last year and felt my relationship with him had been consummated. So I kinda didn't have the need to see him in a much bigger, draftier venue. I must say, when the climax arrived, all the house lights went up and a 16 piece E Street went through "Born to Run" for the millionth time, it was a rock moment like few I've ever experienced. I know he's got more schtick than a Borscht Belt comic, but he's still a phenomenon. No one else in rock has used the artist/audience relationship in the way he has. And he has a mofo of a back catalogue.
I suspect his Royals cover (unlike the Saints) was worked out half an hour before going on. For a guy who drills his band like James Brown he's completely at ease winging it. The night we saw him the band did an unrehearsed Red Headed Woman because Bruce missed his wife and someone waved the right sign. That sort of thing makes an impression on a jaded punter.
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Hard News: Friday Music: Some Year, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,
Chur, bro.
Pleasure. Loved what you did on "Call Your Girlfriend"!