Julia Deans, Tom Scott of Home Brew and Amanda Palmer. Photos / Stephen Tilley, Tom Grut & Duncan Innes
Julia Deans, Tom Scott of Home Brew and Amanda Palmer. Photos / Stephen Tilley, Tom Grut & Duncan Innes
Working Class Hero
Cat Power and Iggy Pop
This month marks the 43rd anniversary of John Lennon’s murder and the Apple+ documentary John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial. Ironically, this cover of Lennon’s folk ballad relates to neither but has been recorded for a tribute to Marianne Faithfull, who alsosang this blunt and dyspeptic song written by Lennon between the break-up of the Beatles and his strident political period. Lyrically still pointed — “they hurt you at home and they hit you at school, they hate you if you’re clever and despise a fool” — and this brooding electro-whisper version is quietly compelling. They don’t resile from the F-bomb Lennon deployed. Former National Party MP Marilyn Waring’s 1980 bowdlerised version is a collector’s item these days. – Graham Reid
Little Island
By Amanda Palmer with Julia Deans
Amanda Palmer – kind of America’s weird answer to Tim Minchin, if you haven’t encountered her before – became one of our celebs-in-residence during the lockdown era, initially exiling herself with writer husband Neil Gaiman. They’ve since split. Ahead of her January return tour, she has released a four-track EP entitled New Zealand Survival Songs. The latest track, the funny pandemic diary The Ballad of the New York Times, was recorded live at a show in Waiheke. But the EP’s most impressive moment is Little Island recorded with Julia Deans and making a McGlashan-esque film of how she saw the place. – Russell Baillie
Drinking in the Morning
By Home Brew
Just added to the Laneways line-up and releasing a second album this week after an 11-year gap, Home Brew’s second single from the new set is a woozy, bittersweet tale of regret that wouldn’t pass a breathalyser test but shows Tom Scott’s gift for creating a hip-hop pity party. And it comes complete with a guest cameo by Once Were Warriors’ Beth Heke near the end. – Russell Baillie
Smokefree Rockquest has elevated yet another young, talented Kiwi band, one formed years ago at a Nelson intermediate school with an EP mixed and mastered thanks to “hours of watching YouTube videos”, according to their guitarist, Kahu Sanson-Burnett. Parallel Park’s new single Can We Talk? Is energetic and a vibrant taste of teenagerhood in Aotearoa – an experience captured infrequently in pop but similarly by the likes of Lorde’s first releases. – Alana Rae
Elevator Hum
By Declan McKenna
Declan McKenna wrote his breakthrough hit Brazil as a teenager for his GCSEs. Something seemingly still haunting him in the way many young artists are frozen at the age they become famous – opening his September single Nothing Works with “You tell me I don’t relate to the kids any more, now I feel like I’m letting them down.” And yet, his new music, including Elevator Hum, maintains the fun, skilful use of guitar, catchy hooks, tension and release that listeners originally praised him for. A bit of indie Ed Sheeran lyricism with fun experimental moments similar to that of Aussie’s Ball Park Music. – Alana Rae
Straight outta Raglan with a punchy electro-beat ballad comes Teresa Michels (aka Soulti) with an affirmative message and an attention-getting debut produced by Danny McCrum. Signals a forthcoming EP inspired by her recent trip to India, as well as drum and bass, R’n’B and electropop. Big sound all round. – Graham Reid
Graciane Finzi, L’épouse du criquet (version for flute, string trio and narrator), from La lune à la fenêtre
by Helios Ensemble
As I write, the Bangladesh cricket team is pursuing a historic series win over the Black Caps. I am reminded, therefore, of the 1999 song cycle La lune à la fenêtre, by Moroccan-French composer Graciane Finzi (no relation to English composer Gerald Finzi), who set six haikus to music, including this one: L’épouse du criquet or The Cricket’s Bride. – Richard Betts
