Category: New Music

Album of the Week: Future Islands – People Who Aren’t There Anymore

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

Future Islands’ seventh album is a combination of pandemic era music and post first tour music, and to some extent reflects the change in mindset over those years. The end of relationships, friendships and unhelpful aspects of the self all form the backdrop of this album from the Baltimore alternative stalwarts.

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian describes it as “a brutal, beautiful breakup album” in a review that outstandingly unpacks the album. We look forward to meandering through it each morning this week.

Album of the Week: Sleater-Kinney – Little Rope

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

Sleater-Kinney date back to 1994 when Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein of Olympia, Washington joined forces to create scrappy activist-punk manifestos. On their eleventh album Little Rope explore vulnerability. Leading into the creation of the album Brownstein’s parents died in a car accident in Italy, a devastating loss that working on this album partly provided an outlet. The metaphor of “Little Rope” is ambiguous – it could be rope to hang, or rope to rescue. Pitchfork said that “grief clarifies the air” on the album in a 7.7 review. We’ll enjoy some great rock from the album this week – this interview with AP provides more background from the duo.

Album of the Week: The Vaccines – Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

From the cover you could be accused of thinking this was an American band, however once the first strident chords and vocals of “Sometimes, I Swear” burst through there can be no illusions. The Vaccines burst onto the scene in the 2010s, quickly gaining a reputation on the London music scene. Their sixth album is another great collection of rocking hooky numbers, just the kind of Indie we lap up. The Guardian described it as “high-octane” sonic euphoria” – we couldn’t agree more!

Album of the Week: Grace Potter – Mother Road

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

Conceived on a cross-US road trip Grace Potter has crafted “bold, colorful roots rock record filled with funky rhythms and big hooks” (AllMusic). The singer, organist and guitarist (ex The Nocturnals) has worked with The Flaming Lips, Gov’t Mule and Kenny Chesney. This is her fifth solo album, a really enjoyable album, folky, rocky and evocative of a trip down Route 66. Continuing our journey through some great albums from 2023 that we missed, we’ll be enjoying this album each morning this week.

Album of the Week: Semisonic – Little Bit of Sun

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

Semisonic returned to the scene in 2020 with EP You’re Not Alone which we enjoyed. In November their renaissance continued with the release of the excellent Little Bit of Sun, a warm and melodic album with touches of Indie and Americana. We look forward to checking it out this week.

Album of the Week: Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

Mitski had burnt out on the demands of the music business and the demands of ‘representation’, in her case pigeonholed due her Asian American heritage. The break led to this album, her “most American album … This land, which already feels inhospitable to so many of its inhabitants, is about to feel hopelessly torn and tossed again – at times, devoid of love. This album offers the anodyne”.

With an interesting range of influences this is a rich album – less synth pop than its predecessor Laurel Hell and more settled, although still with a rich soundscape. Alexis Petridis in The Guardian described it perfectly as “Playing country-inflected orchestral pop with sardonic wit and deep feeling, Mitski underlines why she’s one of the very best singer-songwriters working today”.

Album of the Week: Peter Gabriel – I/O

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

Peter Gabriel last released an album of new material over 20 years ago, back in the days when there were CD shops. For this long gestating effort he has embraced an innovative release strategy, with a series of singles at each full moon over the past year along with an accompanying video. We’ve really loved his monthly treats and his insights.

Finally the finished product has arrived. Another innovation has been the multiple mixes of each song – bright side mixes (mixed by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent) and dark side mixes (from Tchad Blake) along with Inside Mixes which are immersive mixes in Dolby Atmos by Hans-Martin Buff. Its been a pleasure hearing the different characters of each of these numbers.

The album seems to have been well received thus far, The Guardian describing it as a “late career masterpiece”, The Telegraph as a “gentle sweeping epic”. We look forward to a wonderful week enjoying tracks from this album each morning.

Background on the making of the album (American Songwriter)

Atmos mixes (Peter Gabriel website)

Album of the Week: Winterbourne – Act of Disappearing

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

This band from Sydney came across our radar via the iTunes store this week. Its actually their second original album (they put out an acoustic version of their first album Echo of Youth in 2020 as well) and is a really polished set of performances with well written, melodic pop (that would probably be labelled as Indie or Alternative). These Beatlesque songs are memorable and indicative of a talented band. Mixdown mag describes it as “a musical journey replete with opulent synths and rousing, crowd-pleasing choruses reminiscent of the golden era of bands like The Verve and The Strokes”.

Album of the Week: Cold War Kids – Cold War Kids

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

Veteran Indie artists Cold War Kids have produced their 10th album. It doesn’t seem to have generated much buzz amongst the reviewers but its a solid set of alternative rock tracks from the Californian band, including a few toe tappers like “Run Away With Me”. Enjoy!

Album of the Week: Angie McMahon – Light, Dark, Light Again

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm. Listen in @tunein at http://tun.in/sfAtE or on the web player.

Melbournian Angie McMahon stimulated an interesting review by a Guardian author, who began by describing an anxiety attack resolved by a walk and listening to McMahon’s second album “Light, Dark, Light Again”. Although it may have therapeutic qualities the album is undoubtedly a musically accomplished set of contemporary singer-songwriter fare that bears repeated listening. Lyrically accomplished with great melodies and performance, McMahon is a real talent and we look forward to listening this week.