The top five songs have been announced in New Zealand's premier songwriting award - and musician Ruban Nielson will be hoping it's fourth time lucky when the winner of this year's Apra Silver Scroll is announced in September.
The former Mint Chick, now leader of the Unknown Mortal Orchestra, is nominated once again, for Ffunny Ffriends, the catchy opening song from the band's debut album, released this year.
The other contenders are Jon Toogood's band The Adults, for propulsive stomper Nothing To Lose, featuring Ladi6 on vocals; dark and mechanical synth popette Bachelorette (real name Annabel Alpers) for Blanket; Christchurch singer-songwriter Delaney Davidson's beautiful rootsy blues tune Little Heart from his album Self Decapitation; and folk-pop act Avalanche City (aka Dave Baxter) for his No. 1 hit Love Love Love.
Nielson and his brother Kody first got the nod for Opium of the People in 2005, with Ruban writing Crazy?Yes!Dumb?No! which was a contender in 2007, and last year they were up for Say Goodbye.
Meanwhile, it's interesting to note that for a guy who has written some of this country's best-known tunes with Shihad, Toogood has had slim pickings at the Silver Scrolls.
