“Then Who” by Na Noise

If you enjoyed the treat from French trio Juniore here recently (and who wouldn’t?) then here’s some fuzzy garage rock from the opposite side of the world – Auckland to be exact. It’s a single from Na Noise called “Then Who”:

Na Noise are Yolanda Fagan and Hariet Ellis (from Echo Ohs) warping old-style 1960’s beat-group-pop through a stylistic blender and time-machine into the 21st century.

The song is built on a catchy George Harrison-styled note-bending guitar lick like an out-take off an early Beatles recording, with soulful smoky Ye-Ye style vocals, a whiff of T. Rex in the chorus vocals and rifferama perhaps, some surf music reverb & twang, and then towards the end, the lead guitar goes into a quivering Electric Prunes toned solo over more Kaylan & Volman style falsetto outro warbling. Get it on indeed.

“Then Who” is musically and stylistically all over the place and it’s totally great. Even with all these oddly combined elements the song sounds neither imitation nor pastiche, just 100% cool, fun and timeless fuzzy beat-pop goodness. Let there be more, please.

“Acolyte” by I Think Like Midnight

Philadelphia instrumental 4 piece I Think Like Midnight have a new album out in a few weeks. “This Land is Your Mind” is jam-packed with shimmering and often deliciously psychedelic guitar-driven soundtracks to road-trips way out West of Weirdsville – real or imagined. Here’s “Acolyte”:

The album takes in many moods from surf twang to motorik psychedelia and even instrumental power pop. It often travels similar cosmic trails to the instrumentals of New Zealand’s David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights, and also Australian guitarist Cam Butler. So, if you like those artists or if you like what’s on offer here on “Acolyte”, take the plunge and get the album. You won’t be disappointed.

The recording and sound is rich and colourful, and the ensemble playing by the band balances technical skill with feeling, bringing the arrangements alive. And sometimes those arrangements provide imaginative surprises from additional instruments – keyboards and vibraphone – to add even more layers to the sonic variety and atmosphere.

Here’s another song, called “Tuned Mass Damper”, in video form:

‘Live at Castle Takeaway’ by Planet of the Tapes

Day 21 of the 31 Days of May NZ Music Month challenge breaks the rules (which are there to be broken) and does not come to you via Bandcamp. Instead, imagine a world pre-internet, where things are only ever released on vinyl and these rare artefacts have to be hunted down the old-fashioned way.

Planet of the Tapes, as the name may suggest, are a lo-fi retro-space-surf-instrumental band. They are from Christchurch and their ‘esoteric space trash’ music may or may not have caused the Christchurch earthquakes (a long and fanciful story involving a UFO from The Planet of the Tapes appears on the back of this 33 rpm 4 track EP). The EP is great if you like this kind of thing.

It is released on the renowned but a bit secretive Stink Magnetic Recording Company. I have no idea how you find out about buying one of these at all. There is no Stink Magnetic website to guide this, no Facebook page, an old out of date MySpace page and no website. The band at least has a Facebook page.

I’ve all but forgotten how we used to do this stuff before the internet. I vaguely recall we relied on either (a) finding these records in a shop or (b) seeing an advert in a print magazine (or, more likely for this sort of release, a fanzine), or (c) hearing about it from a friend who passed on the contact address.

We do have still have independent record shops in NZ. I expect that Evil Genius in Berhampore, Wellington for example, will be able to help you with this one.

Or you could try writing to the contact address on the back of the EP:
Stink Magnetic Record Company NZ
PO Box 9212
Wellington

Maybe if you enclosed $15 (and your address) that should cover the 4 track EP and postage & packaging. Then you just sit and wait. And hope. Like the old days.

[Update: Sources broadcasting a weak interplanetary Morse code message from Planet of the Tapes inform me that Evil Genius record store at 462 Adelaide Road in Berhampore, Wellington is in fact the only source for this release in Wellington. And not many left now. Another source says Penny Lane in Christchurch has some. So perhaps best not post your hard-earned cash to Stink Magnetic’s address and wait in hope at all, as that hopeful wait may be in vain. Better to head to your local independent record store and ask.]