Sonic Youth
The Eternal (Matador)

Featured tracks: Anti-Orgasm, Malibu Gas Station

Old people can be so sexy. The Eternal seems like a familiar, weirdo lover, crawling up to you from the bottom of the bed, never breaking eye contact. And no, they aren’t stuck in the past like some tragic cougar trying to revive their glory days by paying off fresh meat, instead their mature musical libido is set to stun. A fresh start on Matador records seems to have liberated and re-energised the band, but The Eternal oozes the Sonic Youth goodness that we all want, with the grunge and art rock
still dominating. There is a good mix of Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo and Kim Gordon on vocals (Gordon being extra sexy with her breathy vocals on Massage the History), oh god… Excuse me, I have to go and touch myself. Old people being sexy AND making a goddam great album? Confusion IS sex (Hahahaha), and I want it.
MINTY FRESH

Dirty Projectors
Bitte Orca / Stillness Is The Move (Domino)

Featured tracks: The Bride, Still Is The Move

The cover art presents two folk femme’s masked behind rudimentary circles of contrasting red and blue, and sets up a pretty brilliant metaphor for this album: Opposites Attract. Those old nuts of Loud V Quiet and Male V Female are certainly there, but there’s also Pop V Awkward (in terms of song construction at least) and, the contradiction that probably underpins the album as a whole: Beautiful V Ugly. And so, completely unlike a dirty projector which would produce a god aweful result, dichotomy’s are gold when creating a beautifully clean, and appropriately warped vision within album Bitte Orca.
COURTNEY FLURO

Wilberforces
Haunted (Etch)

Featured tracks: Tidal Waves, A Grandma Name

A menacing release from these ruffian Dorklanders, Haunted stalks along with 8 engaging songs. Thom’s vocal lines scream of Flying Nun, with Emily getting amongst the ruckus from time to time. There is a lot of consideration that has gone into the sound of this recording – but that hasn’t made
it lose its grunge. Oh no no! It only solidifies the fact that the Wilberforces are not just some ragamuffin shits with instruments. This album hangs out on the darker side of town, especially in songs like ‘A Grandma Name’ where a strange male rolls off girls names, sounding somewhat like the
deadpan John Cale in The Gift – evoking a similar eeriness. A great local treat – buy it or they will probably punch you.
MINTY FRESH

Black Moth Super Rainbow
Eating Us (Spunk / EMI)

Featured tracks: Born On The Day The Sun Didn’t Rise, Tooth Decay

NYC based Black Moth Super Rainbow have been present in the back-alley Indie venues of the Big Apple for a few years now. ‘Electronic Psychedelia’ or ‘Suga-Psych’ as they have been termed – the sound is familiar but not cliche. New album ‘Eating Us’ has equal moments of Boards Of Canada, The
Jimi Hendrix Exp & Jefferson Airplane whilst still managing to add a fresh approach to the ‘experimental’ genre. BMSR have toured with Animal Collective, Flaming Lips, Grizzly Bear, & School Of Seven Bells…
LOTION

Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career (4AD)

Featured tracks: French Navy, Away With Murder

My Maudlin Career is a great study in writing enchanting pop songs and how to reach joyous emotional climaxes. There are nuggets of tenderness and desperation in there that tickle you in all the fuzzy emotional places – I just want to pinch their little cheeks! Tracyanne Campbell takes us on a journey through her tumultuous love life, setting it amongst charming arrangements with well chosen instruments that all ring with their own sentimentality. My Maudlin Career is a good album to listen to if you are feeling a little emo about love in all its annoying, soul-destroying and wonderful shapes. Aptly maudlin, indeed.
MINTY FRESH

The Randoms
Throw Your Knives (Rhymemethod / Independent)

Featured tracks: Track 3, Track 4

These guys have a freakin’ wordfind on the back of their album instead of a track listing. That’s awesome! But it also means that I have no idea what any of the track titles are called. I guess the plan is that you sit with the album playing, back cover in hand, and by the lyrics potentially work out what the track titles could be. Are they even in the word-find?

Are The Randoms (note band name) fucking with us? I saw a film recently called X Way Vision which was a compilation of live clips from kind of forgotten-due-to-Flying Nun’s-popularity bands such as Chug, The Dead C and Shayne Carter’s early work, and this totally reminds me of that. Yes, NZ DIY hardcore resurgence!
COURTNEY FLURO

Busdriver
Jhelli Beam (Anti-)

Featured tracks: Handfuls Of Sky, Fishy Face

A left, left, left of the centre avant-garde hip hop album that will challenge (and mostly impress!). Busdriver has a voice like no other – staying true to yourself and vision has hardly justified itself so well! Cryptic and hilarious lyrics that will blow your brain, thrown at you faster than a knife in a kung fu movie. If TV on the Radio were to make a hip hop hop album, Jhelli Beam would be it.
MINTY FRESH

Dear Times Waste
Room For Rent EP (Isaac / Universal)

Featured tracks: Clandestine, Room for Rent

Dear Times Waste is the creation of fresh Auckland songstress Claire Duncan. It has however (through necessity of playing live) grown into a band. DTW have just released their debut EP called ‘Room For Rent’ and it showcases 5 awesomely well-crafted tunes. Claire’s musical history includes Classical & Jazz, which somehow seem to influence her songwriting structures… though her musical sensibilities lean more towards sultry & twisted Indie-Pop. DJ Lotion strongly urges you to seek out this local treasure.
LOTION

Crocodiles
Summer Of Hate (Fat Possum / Shock)

Featured tracks:I Wanna Kill, Summer Of Hate

Crocodiles are a 2-piece band based in San Diego. They have been together less than a year and during that short time have garnished themselves a solid reputation as an excting band to watch out for. Crocodiles sound is equally ‘Garage Goth’ and ‘Shoegaze Melodramatic Pop’ with comparisons
sitting somewhere between Jesus & Mary Chain, Spiritualized & Velvet Underground. The album ‘Summer Of Hate’ is out now and rumours abound they will be visiting these shores before too long!
LOTION

Phoenix
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (V2 / Shock)

Featured tracks: Love Like A Sunset Part 1, 1901

Parisian Power-Pop has never been sounded so good! Phoenix release another slab of ridiculously catchy Indie ditties in the form of new album ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’. I have always been a fan of these guys and this album has only reaffirmed that fact – from the opening chords ‘Lisztomania’ it’s on! Phoenix’s music has been a staple inclusion in movie-maker Sophia Coppola’s films for the past 3 films. Phoenix Singer Thomas Mars is her husband, so the circle is complete. Nominees (& possibly winners!) for the “aarrgghh songs that stay in your head for days on end” award.
LOTION

The Thermals
Now We Can See (Kill Rock Stars)

Featured tracks: We Were Sick, When We Were Alive

Like the ’90’s Sub Pop bands that preceded them (although these guys have been around for a fair while too) The Thermals make in your face music and in your face video clips whose simplicity undermines their lyrical and musical integrity. Recording first album in singer Hutch Harris’ kitchen on a four track effectively sums up the DIY urgency The Thermals dedicates to its message, which up until now has consisted of an intense “time capsule worthy” (according to Pitchfork anyway) anti-Bush sentiment, particularly on Fugazi produced third album The Body, The Blood, The Machine. So Obama’s in, and The Thermals are back with fourth album Now We Can See, which just casually deals with emptiness and post-apocalyptic new beginnings. Who said punk was dead?
COURTNEY FLURO

Golden Silvers
True Romance (XL Recordings)

Featured tracks: True Romance, The Shakes

The Golden Silvers have written an album that relies pretty much entirely on sleazy synthesizer chords and semi-sung funk white rapping. Doesn’t that sound absolutely fucking terrible? It sounds like what would happen if Prince and Tom Jones got together with Simian Mobile Disco and all wore sequins and yellow pants and just kind of danced amongst silver disco lights while Devo wore those geometrically appropriate hats and played two keyboards at the same time each. And there were mirror balls. BUT. It’s actually really pleasant to listen to and really refreshing. Just when I thought we were in an inescapable jungle of timpani inspired Brooklyn-based indie rock, The Golden Silvers are taking it back to where the Brits have always been good at harking from – the Streets – albeit with the hardly-State-Housing additions of handclaps and A Capella.
COURTNEY FLURO

Beck
One Foot In The Grave Deluxe Re-issue (K Records / XL Recordings)

Featured tracks: Orange Peel, Teenage Wastebasket

So sometime over the last couple (maybe three) albums things on Beck’s end have been anything but peachy. He’s depressed at the world people, if Modern Guilt wasn’t a big enough hint, and who knows, maybe Scientology has something to do with it. But there was a time, 1994 to be more specific,
when Beck was just a golden locked lad (albeit also musical genius) doing his thing – which given he was already onto his third studio album which would preceed the much lauded Odelay – was creating elegantly crafted, intelligent pop, that seemed simple but hid a critical musical process and progression that would come to the fore in future years and future albums. It’s Beck pre-paranoia, and it’s crucial listening if you want to understand his pre-theological career.
COURTNEY FLURO

Fever Ray
Fever Ray (Rabid / Universal)

Featured tracks: When I Grow Up, Keep The Streets Empty For Me

Fever Ray is the alias of Karen Dreijler; vocalist/songwriter of The Knife – Sweden’s Kreepiest Band! Fever Ray is Karen stepping out on her own, without brother – Producer, multi-instrumentalist Orliff in tow. The album is similar in feel to her previous work – the eeriness & spook factor of The Knife are still present. However the beats and tempo are not. This is the sound of a talented banshee stretching her own musical muscle as Fever Ray moves off in a more downbeat, organic & melodic direction. The album’s lyrics are a mix of blood, sweat, tears n’ housework.
LOTION