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Articles By camy3rs

Myele Manzanza - Album Review: OnePointOne (Live At The Blue Whale)
20 Nov 2016 // review by camy3rs
There are very few percussionists I can think of that would be able to pull off a live recorded album that falls even into the same league as OnePointOne (Live At The Blue Whale). From the opening bars of A Love Eclectic and onward throughout, the whole collection draws on many contrasting genres, cultures and aural motifs that somehow harmoniously flow out of and into each other.
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Openside - EP Review: Push Back
21 Oct 2016 // review by camy3rs
Admittedly, home grown pop-rock has never been a particularly easy sell in New Zealand, but when Openside started turning heads with last year’s single Worth It the group began a rather rapid ascent, opening for various international acts including Twenty One Pilots and Melanie Martinez, selling out their own secret headline show and culminating in the recent release of their debut EP Push Back. The collection opens up with the hook-laden All I Really Want – catchy as all hell, the song initially comes off as the kind of upbeat, self-help anthem you might put on a mix-tape for your best friend who was recently dumped.
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Broods - Gig Review: Broods @ Vector Arena 15/07/2016
02 Aug 2016 // review by camy3rs
It’s a wee bit of a sad state how seldom a full line-up of Kiwi acts take the stage at Vector Arena, but hopefully after the success of Broods’ Conscious tour, we can see the wheels begin to turn a little more in favour of New Zealand bands. The night opened up with Blenheim-based newcomers, October.
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Broods - Album Review: Conscious
12 Jul 2016 // review by camy3rs
With the follow up to their 2014 debut album Evergreen, Broods are back again with another collection of the moody, atmospheric, dance-pop that gained them their notoriety. Conscious is a straight up beast of an album.
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Kaushun - Album Review: Tonight
25 Jun 2016 // review by camy3rs
Aside from having one of those names that makes fans wary of mispronounciation, Kaushun (pronounced as ‘Caution’), is a electronic music producer based in Auckland, but originally from Leeds in the United Kingdom. Tonight is the producers second album and a decent mix of run-of-the-mill dance/club beats, interesting electronica soundscapes and some high tempo pieces that wouldn’t go amiss on the soundtrack to a futuristic David Fincher film.
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Avalanche City - Gig Review: Avalanche City @ The Powerstation 03/06/16
21 Jun 2016 // review by camy3rs
Dave Baxter and ilk have become a rather large part of the quilt of Kiwi music – encompassing all of the personality traits that Kiwis seem to love in their icons, modest about his skill, understated in the news, seemingly soft spoken and dedicated to his practice. Avalanche City itself is a bit of a pop wonder - the roots in folk and country that set the band a part from other pop acts should (at least, to Kiwi audiences) be the proverbial bullet in the heart, and yet at every point they defy the odds.
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Ladyhawke - Album Review: Wild Things
05 Jun 2016 // review by camy3rs
Pip Brown is the kind of musical artist I forever wish that the world had more of, - intuitive, intentional and innovative. Everytime a new Ladyhawke album is released, the incremental advances towards an even more polished, cohesive and  genre defying sound are obvious.
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Drax Project - Gig Review: Drax Project @ Neck Of The Woods, Auckland - 13/05/16
04 Jun 2016 // review by camy3rs
Roughly three years ago, I remember walking down Courtenay Place in Wellington and stumbling across a three-piece jazz ensemble playing top 40 pop and RnB covers outside of the Reading Cinema. I’ll tell you now, you have not heard Katy Perry until you’ve heard these guys play Hot ‘n Cold with a saxophone covering the entire lyrical line.
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Zen Mantra - Album Review: Zen Mantra
25 May 2016 // review by camy3rs
Opening with the tumultuous, twangy guitar refrain on Will Disappear, Zen Mantra’s self-titled album is a brilliant, collective cross-section of reedy, jangling guitar dispersed with sporadic synth. As a mainstayer of the Christchurch music scene and a member of currently touring local group Yumi Zouma, Sam Perry curates a pretty formidable reputation, so expectations for this collection were set pretty high.
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Nation - EP Review: Nation
08 May 2016 // review by camy3rs
Invercargill gets a bad rap - it’s cold, it’s far away, the people have stronger accents – but SIT is a becoming a major drawcard for savvy musicians and audio engineers who don’t want to end up in major debt whilst studying. The school is turning out some seriously decent bands with a pretty distinct sound.
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Bailey Wiley - EP Review: S.O.M.M.
07 May 2016 // review by camy3rs
I get the impression that Bailey Wiley is the kind artist who quietly, meticulously hones their craft and affects the kind of upswell, grassroots change that eventually overhauls the industry. A ‘nose to the grindstone’ kind – the type of which you don’t seem to come across so often in this ‘recorded-in-a-bedroom-and-straight-to-soundcloud’ era.
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Jason McIver Collective - Gig Review: The Jason McIver Collective and The James @ The Kings Arms, Auckland - 22/04/2016
03 May 2016 // review by camy3rs
The Jason McIver Collective are slowly becoming an Auckland mainstay, their latest release I May No Perf finding credence with a growing local fan base. The Collective’s live show adds another layer to the multi-faceted sound– the heady, driving bass and tight drums develop an almost ‘darker’ feel live, one that is less apparent on the album.
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Andrew Keoghan - Gig Review: Andrew Keoghan @ Q Theatre Loft, Auckland - 24/03/2016
07 Apr 2016 // review by camy3rs
After a nasty bout of laryngitis lead to the cancelling of his initially scheduled show, Andrew Keoghan put on an amazing performance in Q Theatre Loft on the 24th, the  pool of talent that graced the stage over the course of night was formidable and possibly only rivalled by the mass of kiwi songwriters and artists that made up the audience.  Andrew Keoghan has got to be the textbook definition of a musician’s musician.
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Marlon Williams - Gig Review: Marlon Williams & The Yarra Benders @ The Powerstation, Auckland 09/03/2016
24 Mar 2016 // review by camy3rs
I’ll preface this review with the fact that I’ve been seriously out of the loop on Marlon Williams - all I seem to have read about lately is how the future of American Roots music is currently sitting on the shoulders of a Kiwi lad, but I never clicked to the fact that this mantle (whilst obviously exciting) is such a disservice to his talent. As Australian songstress Julia Jacklin opened William’s Sold Out Powerstation headliner, the tone for the night was well set.
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Cub Sport - Album Review: This Is Our Vice
10 Mar 2016 // review by camy3rs
You may or may not be aware of it - but ever since the phenomenon that is Lorde took over the world, overseas eyes have been on New Zealand and Australia waiting for the next of her ilk to arise.  Now, I’m not one to attempt to name ‘the next big thing’, but if the Pop revolution is finally on the way and Brisbane-based Cub Sport is not leading the charge, someone has messed up.
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Seth Haapu - EP Review: Volume I
24 Feb 2016 // review by camy3rs
Off the bat, I’ve got to admit - Seth Haapu is one of my favourite Kiwi musicians, he’s the kind of young artist that makes me excited for the future of New Zealand music, and his ear for melody is amazing. Volume I his latest EP is a slick, wee taste whetter that kicks off with B.
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Manzo - Album Review: Ultramarine
07 Feb 2016 // review by camy3rs
Manzo is the musical brainchild of Wellington based visual artist Alan Hodgetts and Ultramarine is the project’s first album, a conceptual exploration of a futuristic dystopia. The overall sound reads like a mash up of War of The Worlds and Daft Punks soundtrack for Tron; Legacy.
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Lowagrove - EP Review: Aristocrat Barista Cat
20 Jan 2016 // review by camy3rs
Aristocrat Barista Cat, aside from being super hard to say really fast, is the first release from Kiwi artist, Lowagrove. Information on the artist is hard to come by but the EP speaks well in their stead.
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Churlington - EP Review: Now I Have A Machine Gun....Ho Ho Ho
20 Jan 2016 // review by camy3rs
Churlington are a Christchurch based band, comprised of two dudes who give the impression of being very angry but make no discernable attempt to explain through their music why this is the case.  Now I Have A Machine Gun… Ho Ho Ho consists of five pieces and comes in under seven minutes in length, so in terms of ‘bang for your buck’, probably not an especially good investment.
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Bruno Merz - Album Review: Highways
06 Jan 2016 // review by camy3rs
Bruno Merz is a soothing, folk singer/songwriter from the Waikato, where his debut album Highways was recorded. Opening with the title-named Highways a brilliant ukulele-based piece that evokes comparisons to both Josh Pyke and Sufjan Stevens – most specifically in the layered vocal build ups and the chorus, the album overall, has very apparent folk-pop sensibilities -similar to Avalanche City, as well as moments of warm, almost complacent vocalisation – in the vein of Justin Vernon.
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Ginny Blackmore - Album Review: Over The Moon
03 Jan 2016 // review by camy3rs
Ginny Blackmore’s initial single Bones broke onto international radio over two years ago, went platinum and introduced New Zealand audiences to one of our finest unacknowledged songwriting talents. Off the back of that single, we have finally been graced with her debut album.
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Kong Fooey - Album Review: Final Destination
21 Dec 2015 // review by camy3rs
Kong Fooey’s Final Destination is a solid collection of uptempo summer jams, perfect for the oncoming sunshine season. Opening with Kong Fooey 1, a wee instrumental of slick, kung-fu-fight scene reminiscent drums and synths, the album smoothly transitions to the first song Right As Rain; a catchy, infectious funk’n’B/Pop piece.
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Aron Ottignon - EP Review: Waves
06 Dec 2015 // review by camy3rs
Aron Ottignon is a Paris-based Kiwi Electronica/Jazz musician, and his new release Waves is a 3 song instrumental EP featuring the production know-how of Berlin-based Kiwi musician, Rodi Kirk (Scratch 22), along with the steel pan drumming expertise of Samuel Dubois. The comparison is probably inescapable, but Ottignon’s new release has aspects that sound like a heavier, more musically dense and less melancholic Yann Tiersen piece.
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Chambres - EP Review: Rings
06 Dec 2015 // review by camy3rs
Kevin Spacey is the first song off of Chambres debut EP; Rings. The piece is very reminiscent of work from Chvrches first album, at least up until the vocals come in.
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Bakers Eddy - Gig Review: Bakers Eddy @ Ding Dong Lounge, Auckland 20/11/2015
02 Dec 2015 // review by camy3rs
It’s beyond disheartening to go and see a live band and recognise that there is obvious talent there that is being completely misrepresented by a bad sound engineer, sadly this was the case for Bakers Eddy at Ding Dong Lounge. The band were hyped, cohesive and interacted well with the crowd.
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Lisa Crawley - Gig Review: Lisa Crawley @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland - 13/11/2015
27 Nov 2015 // review by camy3rs
As soon as she casually walked out of the audience and on to the stage at the beginning of her set, I had the distinct feeling that this is gig was going to set a high bar. It was obvious from the first song that the effortless integrity that Lisa Crawley exudes live, is a phenomena unto itself.
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Aaron Carpenter and The Revelators - EP Review: Aaron Carpenter and The Revelators
04 Nov 2015 // review by camy3rs
Blues music can be a hard sell in todays market; rendering itself as more of a lifestyle than a genre, the blues requires a bit more from its listeners. You need to subscribe to the legends of artists selling their souls to the devil in exchange for guitar mastery.
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Greg Johnson - Album Review: Swing The Lantern
03 Nov 2015 // review by camy3rs
Greg Johnson is not an artist to be trifled with, the prolific songwriter has a back catalogue of over 300 songs and with the release of Swing the Lantern – his 11th studio album, he proves once again why he is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most transcending, consistent and beloved musicians. Swing the Lantern is Johnson’s own exercise in returning to more traditional recording methods, bringing in a few friends and some long-time cohorts to form a collaborative studio band, rather than hiring various available musicians to record in different studios .
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K.One - EP Review: Out Of Thin Air
03 Nov 2015 // review by camy3rs
It has been a wee while since we’ve heard from Masterton native, K.One (Kaleb Vitale) but on the basis of his latest EP release, hopefully it’s not as long again until we hear more.
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Tiny Ruins - Gig Review: Laura Marling & Tiny Ruins @ The Powerstation, Auckland - 23/10/15
01 Nov 2015 // review by camy3rs
Fans frequently talk about favourite musicians who have an ‘Old Soul’, but it’s not often that someone fits the bill so quintessentially as Laura Marling. In her first New Zealand headlining performance, she proved the validity of her fans claims of ‘voice of a generation’ and her range as a songwriter.
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Lisa Crawley - EP Review: Up In The Air
30 Oct 2015 // review by camy3rs
As a country, we tend to lose a lot of our best talent to Australia and the US, and Lisa Crawley is no exception. Currently Melbourne-based, the songstress has recently released Up In The Air, a collection of retro-pop songs citing the production and mixing skills of Ryan Ritchie (Kimbra).
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Groeni - Gig Review: Groeni @ Wine Cellar, Auckland 16/10/15
26 Oct 2015 // review by camy3rs
The night’s line-up opened with DJ Martyn Pepperell, followed by 2-piece band Monticola and then Auckland-based Keepsakes. All three were of quite varied genres and there was no apparent cohesion between the opening acts which made the initial tone-set of the EP release a bit disjointed.
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Groeni - EP Review: Hinde
17 Oct 2015 // review by camy3rs
There’s a lot of buzz going around about Groeni at the moment - Wellington based Alexander Green’s solo studio project turned three piece band has recently been announced as a feature of the 2016 Laneway line-up, were named one of NZ On Air’s Top 15 acts to watch for in 2015, and have just released their third EP. Hinde is a phenomenally well-produced collection of pieces, and the balance of parts within each song is nigh on immaculate.
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Amiria Grenell - Album Review: Autumn
14 Oct 2015 // review by camy3rs
Autumn is the third album from Lyttelton-based musician, Amiria Grenell and it’s a solid addition to a steadily growing and poignant body of work. The first release through Grenell’s own Quiet Bird Records, the album opens with the jazzy, driving Rain, and from there flows seamlessly through its 13 numbers.
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NZ Top 10 Singles

  • APT.
    ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
  • DIE WITH A SMILE
    Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
  • BIRDS OF A FEATHER
    Billie Eilish
  • TASTE
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
    Gracie Abrams
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • SAILOR SONG
    Gigi Perez
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
    Shaboozey
  • GOOD LUCK, BABE!
    Chappell Roan
View the Full NZ Top 40...
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