Album Review: Rhian Sheehan – Recollections, Vol.1
Rhian Sheehan – Recollections, Vol.1 (LOOP) Reviewed by Tim Gruar. Comedian Bill Bailey once made a joke about the best way to listen to Pink Floyd – you pull the curtains, lie on the floor, turn the speakers over andContinue Reading
Album Review: Reb Fountain – Reb Fountain
Reb Fountain – Reb Fountain (Flying Nun Records) Reviewed by Tim Gruar. I first met Californian born Reb Fountain during her tour of her 2008 ‘Holster’ album when her bandmate Sam Prebble (also performing as Bond Street Bridge) introduced usContinue Reading
Troy Kingi wins 2020 Taite Music Prize
The annual Taite Music Prize awards ceremony took a slightly different stage this year due to COVID-19 regulations. Originally to take place at Auckland’s Q Theatre in April, the awards ceremony found a new home via web stream on Facebook,Continue Reading
Classic NZ Album Review: Shihad – Churn
Shihad – Churn (Wildside) Reviewed by Bridget Herlihy. Ahhh… the good old days. Most of us have an album or two (or three or four) that provided the soundtrack to days of a potentially reckless and misspent youth, or conjureContinue Reading
Welcome to NZ Music Month 2020
Today is the first day of May, which marks the beginning of New Zealand Music Month. This year it will be markedly different from any other NZ Music Month we have experienced before; not only is it the 20th anniversaryContinue Reading
Album Review: The Dream Syndicate – The Universe Inside
The Dream Syndicate – The Universe Inside (ANTI-) Reviewed by Tim Gruar. The Dream Syndicate were one of those US alt-rock/neo-psychedelia bands that injected the vibrance of the Paisley Underground into the depressive veins of the late 80’s, at aContinue Reading
Album Review: The Frights – Everything Seems Like Yesterday
The Frights – Everything Seems Like Yesterday (Epitaph Records) Reviewed by Tim Gruar. With Covid-19 the best thing, if there is anything to be positive about, has been the opportunity to stop and refresh the batteries and get stuck intoContinue Reading
Album Review: Purity Ring – Womb
Purity Ring – Womb (4AD) Reviewed by Bridget Herlihy. It has been five years since Canadian electro-witch-pop two-piece Purity Ring dropped their last album ‘another eternity’ to critical acclaim. On ‘Womb’, their third album, vocalist Megan James and multi-instrumentalist andContinue Reading
Album Review: The Weeknd – After Hours
The Weeknd – After Hours (XO / Republic Records) Reviewed by Sam Smith. After ten years in the music game, R&B prince The Weeknd is back with another project and this time he has brought his darker side to proceedings.Continue Reading









