Record reviewer Peter Baker brings you the releases you need to know about. This week there’s an infectious new album from a post-punk trio, a surprise release from a surprise collaboration, and a lovingly remastered piece of Aotearoa’s music history.
Bar Italia — Tracey Denim
London-based Bar Italia release their
Sharing a minimalist post-punk aesthetic, the trio is made up of Nina Cristante, Jennifer Tarik Fehmi and Sam Fenton. Determined to let their music do the talking, they seem intent on keeping a low profile.
Their songs are awash with thin angular guitar and subtle rhythmic bass, with all three members sharing singing duties. Packed with intelligent lyricism and infectious melodies, with nods to Shoegaze, Brit-pop and post-punk, it’s hard to see Bar Italia shunning the limelight for too long.
Record label: Matador
Release date: Out now
Listen to: ‘Punkt’
For fans of: Interpol, Ride and Dry Cleaning.
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Brian Eno and Fred Again — Secret Life
A surprise release from a surprise collaboration, Brian Eno and Fred Again team up for this release on Fourtet’s UK-based label Text. Respected musician and producer Eno’s lineage is second to none. DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist Fred Again is the rising star of today’s EDM scene.
It’s a long-term relationship that has nurtured learning and experimentation from both parties, as Eno installs the magic of the studio to Fred Again, while Fred Again opened Eno’s ears and eyes to a whole new way of creating music.
Secret Life is a haunting and solemn collection of atmospheric soundscapes fused with YouTube audio snippets, Instagram voice messages and Fred Again’s own fragile vocals, and is now available on CD and LP. These contemplative compositions are warm yet distant, engaging and confronting — a surreal audio experience that leaves you coming back for more and discovering something new each time.
Record label: Text Records
Release date: Out now
Listen to: ‘Secret’
For fans of: Fourtet, Jon Hopkins, and The Durutti Column.
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Advertise with NZME.Proud: An Urban-Pacific Streetsoul Compilation
Compilations are, by their nature, odd entities, often seen as record company money-making affairs. There have been some landmark compilations, though, in the history of Aotearoa music — How Was the Air Up There, AK79, The Dunedin Double and Proud, to name a few. They’re perfect time capsules documenting emerging talent, offering a voice to a burgeoning scene and fostering collectives and united spirits. Proud: An Urban-Pacific Streetsoul Compilation, now available on vinyl, is all of these things and more.
It was originally released in 1994 on Second Nature Records and later rereleased on Huh! Records in 2000. From his Uptown Studios in Freeman’s Bay, record producer Alan Jansson was inspired by the new sounds emerging from South and West Auckland in the early 90s and he had every reason to be. The resulting album includes iconic tracks from Sister Underground, The Otara Millionaires Club and Semi MCs amongst them.
Proud has been lovingly remastered by Jansson over a 12-month period and both versions include liner notes from Philip ‘Sir-Vere’ Bell and Volition Records’ Andrew Penhallow. Available in Limited (coloured vinyl) and Standard (black vinyl), Proud is an essential purchase for anyone faintly interested in Aotearoa and our musical history.
Record label: Huh! and Flying Nun Records
Release date: Out now
Listen to: ‘In The Neighbourhood’
For fans of: OMC, Sisters Underground, and Tha Feelstyle.
Leftfield — Leftism
Paul Daley (formerly of A Man Called Adam and The Brand-New Heavies) and programmer Neil Barnes formed Leftfield in the early 90s, bonding over a desire to create sophisticated dance music and a combined love of house music. Legal issues over their name hindered their initial progress and the pair soon established themselves as remixers de jour, reworking tracks for the likes of David Bowie, Stereo MCs and Yothu Yindi.
With the legal issues sorted, they dropped ‘Raise the Pressure’, featuring Earl Sixteen in 1992, then ‘Song of Life’ in 1993, followed by the breakthrough classic ‘Open Up’, featuring John Lydon.
Leftism was released in 1995 and is regularly referenced as a classic of its genre. Pulsating with its trademark warm ambiance, deep dub rhythms and sampled vocals, there’s a headiness of early mornings and basement raves that’s instantly revisited with every track. Both Leftism and the critically acclaimed follow-up Rhythm & Stealth are available on vinyl again, so grab these classics while you can.
Record label: Sony
Release date: Out now
Listen to: ‘Open Up feat John Lydon’
For fans of: Underworld, The Chemical Brothers and The Orb.
Sufjan Stevens, Timo Andres and Conor Hanick — Reflections
Reflections was composed by Sufjan Stevens for two pianos and eleven dancers, commissioned for a performance piece with esteemed choreographer Justin Peck and the Houston Ballet, which premiered in 2019. Peck and Stevens are currently working on a dance theatre production of Stevens’ influential 2012 album Illinois, scheduled to premiere in 2023.
Stevens is an accomplished singer-songwriter, with a host of brilliant solo albums and collaborations under his belt. A self-taught pianist and composer, here he has enlisted pianists Timo Andres and Conor Hanick to re-record the seven movements of Reflections. Their performances are vibrant and beguiling as they weave impressively through these technically challenging compositions.
Record label: Asthmatic Kitty Records
Release date: Out now
Listen to: ‘Revanche [Visualization]’
For fans of: Bryce Dessner, Caroline Shaw, and Olafur Eliasson.
Peter Baker is a local industry stalwart with 30 years of experience and musical tastes from 80s electronic through to reggae, soul, jazz and country. If you’re lucky, you’ll find him in Tāmaki Makaurau behind the counter at Marbecks.co.nz, sharing his love of music. Read his album recommendations on Viva every Saturday.
