“Head In The Clouds” by Renovator’s Delight

If you love Dumb Things as much as I do you’ll adore Renovator’s Delight, the solo+friends band of Dumb Things guitarist/ vocalist Madeleine Keinonen, who has just released a first album “Bark All Night”. It’s delightfully melodic and jangling guitar pop, and “Head In The Clouds” here could be a long lost Magick Heads song. It’s a beauty. The whole album is.

The phrase “renovator’s delight” is a real estate agent’s euphemism for an old ‘character house’ that has seen better days, requiring re-piling, re-plumbing, new electrics and replacement windows, bathroom kitchen etc. In other words, a money pit. However your commitment of $11 AUD for the digital album or $32 AUD plus postage for the LP of “Bark All Night” is a sound investment. No hard work required here, but many hours of rewarding listening guaranteed.

As with Dumb Things, Renovator’s Delight does the simple stuff exceptionally well. Guitar & bass, drums, Keinonen’s unaffected vocals, and some additional texture from clarinet, violin, and, well, bowed saw of course. As with Dumb Things, Keinonen’s lyrics are observational, slice-of-life stuff, and work with the homespun music and arrangements.

“Bark All Night” seems to display as much of a strong stylistic link to southern New Zealand jangle pop past (Robert Scott and his bands Magick Heads, and The Bats) and present (check the forthcoming album by Jim Nothing if you like your laconic jangling guitar pop served with violin), as there is to the legions of Australian jangling guitar pop icons past and present. Quietly essential.

As bonus content, here’s the video for the opening track “Bucket of Water”:

“Reed Replacement” by Robert Scott & Dallas Henley

Our Day 29 song for 31 Days of May Madness, attempting to post a New Zealand track every day of the month of May, is “Reed Replacement” by Robert Scott & Dallas Henley:

“Reed Replacement” is from a very limited edition CD album called “Level 4” with an original artwork cover from Robert Scott (The Clean, The Bats, Magick Heads). Scott and his partner Dallas Henley recorded the songs at home during “Level 4” during NZ’s nationwide Covid19 Level 4 lockdown in 2020.

Scott’s two most recent solo albums – “Ends Run Together” and “The Green House” – are two of the understated highlights of NZ music in the past decade.   

This low-key unpolished set of songs is an audio scrap-book of songs that, in normal times, would end up being developed for albums by The Bats, or The Clean. “Reed Replacement” here would make a perfect song for any future (but highly unlikely) album by The Clean.

The guitar and voice is Scott’s of course. His unavoidable influence on bassist Dallas Henley is clear throughout the album, as she provides the most Robert Scott-esque basslines imaginable, using the instrument as a melodic counterpoint to Scott’s guitar and vocal melodies.  

If you are in Dunedin and pop out to Port Chalmers on Otago Harbour you will find their gallery and art supplies shop Pea Sea Art on the main street. Pop in, view and buy the art works, and check the bins of local music on LP instore too.

“Lights are Low” by Robert Scott

Our day 22 song for New Zealand Music Month 2020 is “Lights are Low” from Dunedin, New Zealand music legend (and artist) Robert Scott.

“Lights are Low” is the opening track from Scott’s brilliant 2014 album “The Green House” and features Hollie Fullbrook (Tiny Ruins) on co-lead vocals. Fullbrook sings on 5 of the songs on the album, which stands as the high point of Scott’s solo catalogue.

Robert Scott should require no introduction. But just in case… (deep breath) … he has been bassist and one of the songwriters and vocalists in The Clean for almost 40 years, plus he’s also been guitarist, songwriter & vocalist in his own band The Bats, first formed just after the early 80’s reign of The Clean, and still going strong with the same line-up today. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget his other bands, like the glorious Magick Heads (1991-1997), or his covers band The Moreporks (playing Buzzcocks, Joy Division, Stooges etc. Bats-style for weddings, birthdays etc.). So calling him ‘prolific’ seems like an understatement.

Scott is also an artist and, together with partner Dallas Henley, runs and art shop/ exhibition space in Port Chalmers near Dunedin called Pea Sea Art. As well as art supplies, there’s also a collection of local vinyl and CD releases available for sale there, including some of Scott’s own releases.

 

“Vertigo” by Robert Scott

Robert Scott should require no introduction. But just in case… (deep breath) … he has been bassist and one of the songwriters and vocalists in The Clean for over 30 years, plus he’s also been guitarist, songwriter & vocalist in his own band The Bats, first formed just after the early 80’s reign of The Clean, and still going strong with the same line-up today.

Oh yeah, and let’s not forget his other bands, like the glorious Magick Heads (1991-1997), or his covers band The Moreporks (playing Buzzcocks, Joy Division, Stooges etc. Bats-style for weddings, birthdays etc.). He even plays bass now in a band called Kilmog with Glen Ross (Onanon), Richard Ley-Hamilton (Males) and, um, me (The Puddle). So ‘prolific’ seems like an understatement.

“Vertigo” is one of two tracks from his new album “The Green House” which you can stream via Flying Nun Records’ Bandcamp.

The other song – “Lazy Boy” – features the voice of Hollie Fullbrook (Tiny Ruins)

Hollie sings on 5 of the songs on the album, so these two songs together give a good indication of the variety on the album. As with his previous solo album “Ends Run Together” this new one is an accomplished and diverse collection which adds new depth to the Robert Scott songbook.

She Goes She Goes by The Clean

The Clean play a two-night ‘residency’ at legendary Chick’s Hotel in Port Chalmers near Dunedin in a week’s time.

The venue will be limited to 150 people each night & I may well go both nights. The first night will be loose and feral, maybe a bit like that London show captured on In-a-Live that comes with the re-issue of ‘Vehicle’

The Saturday show will be a bit more measured and probably go into the stratosphere as the crowd levitates on distortion harmonics and tribal rhythms.

Thirty two years ago the same three people – Robert Scott, Hamish & David Kilgour – played at the Rhumba Bar in Auckland. Here’s a video of them playing ‘She Goes, She Goes’.

They still look a bit like this only 32 years older. They still sound like this too. But they have elevated primitive melodic guitar rock to transcendental levels.

If you are lucky enough to be in Dunedin on Friday 31 January and Saturday 1 February you can get tickets here. You will need them as they will sell out before Friday.

If you are not in Dunedin you can probably get a flight from anywhere in the world to get there in time. You won’t regret it. And there’s plenty to do and see while you are in Dunedin.