Yet again I
managed to sneak a couple of album reviews past the quality control police over
at NZ Musician magazine (for the hot-off-the-press February/March issue).
Publication of the Kong Fooey review (below) was especially timely, with the
band set to play Wellington's Bodega this coming Saturday night. What a funky
little album that one is.
I was also quietly
a bit chuffed to see Yoko-Zuna feature on the magazine's front cover, given
that I wrote the accompanying feature piece. Well, I say "wrote" but
what I really mean is "co-wrote", given the hissy fit I had when
challenged by the editorial team to make some minor changes to my original
draft.
All I really did
was conduct the initial interview, submit 1800-odd words, throw my toys, stomp
my feet, then sit back wait for the co-editor to tidy-up my half completed
mess. Hackdom 101 made easy. But I'll say no more ... let's just say I'm
thrilled this incredibly talented young band got the exposure they deserve and
leave it at that. My job was the easy bit.
I'll link to that
piece in a few weeks, but in the meantime, here are those album reviews:
Kong Fooey – Final Destination
Final Destination is
the soul-infused hip hop debut album from Kong Fooey; the collective work of
ex-Pumpkinhead beatmaker Jason Peters, guitarist David Haslett, rap artists
Maitreya (Jamie Greenslade) and Topaz (Alice Egan), plus guest co-conspirators,
vocalists Ella Rose and Katerina Theo. It’s an album that positively oozes the
good vibes and raw energy of old-school style funk, and a cursory glance at
titles like Time To Move, The Mahina Shuffle and Get In The Flow only serves to confirm
that Kong Fooey's sole intention is to make us dance. Awash with brass, heavy
bass, vintage keys, and lashings of funky guitar, it’s also an album dripping
with ubiquitous Stax and Motown reference points. That formula lays down a
foundation for the vocal collaborators to do their thing, and when they do the
message is almost always one of genuine positivity: “Life is too short to be
wearin’ a frown” (on early single Let Go)
being just one upbeat lyrical refrain on an album crammed full of them. There’s
a strong element of humour across the generous 15-track release, and if that
cover looks familiar, it’s because it apes the Elvis debut, and The Clash’s London
Calling, with its distinctive pink and green lettering and font set against a
black and white photo image. Something that only adds to the retro-feel of the
whole thing. This one is as sharp and punchy as they come.
Golden Curtain – Hell Is Other People
Album number three
for Hawke’s Bay’s Golden Curtain, the super tight three-piece consisting of
guitarist Andrew Mckenzie, bass player Brad Gamble, and former Garageland
stickman Andrew Gladstone on drums. Short in its duration, with just eight
tracks clocking in a few ticks under 25 minutes, Hell Is Other People takes us
on a whirlwind journey into the world of alt-country Bay-style, with ’60s
passages (Toys), boy-girl excursions
(Penelope Blue, Lucille), and an occasional venture into rockier climes (Like An Island). All supplemented with a
pop twist, colourful textures, and subtle hints of psychedelia. Produced by the
band, mixed and mastered by Brett Stanton, one of the album’s real strengths is
the strong vocal harmonies throughout – something that seems to hint,
inadvertently perhaps, at a certain togetherness or unity, or of a collective
self-assurance. At the very least, there’s a sense that this band is perfectly
comfortable in its own skin. Or it might just be as simple as Golden Curtain
being right at the very peak of its powers. Despite the relative brevity it’s a
solid album, with the musical package suitably complemented by the rather
fetching pop-art album cover artwork by local music identity, artist, and
all-round Hall-of-Famer, Fane Flaws.
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