19 Mar 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Jiahu Symbols - Single Review: Northern Exposure

17 Apr 2021 // A review by darryl baser

An interesting song, Jiahu SymbolsNorthern Exposure opens with a guitar swathed in chorus, maybe a little tremolo, with a couple of bars before the song crashes into life.

The verse structure is played a couple of times, before Andrew Murray-Brown begins singing. He has a shoegaze, slightly lackluster vocal style, which raises in the chorus.

At 2:57 long it is just under the ‘perfect pop’ length of three minutes, and it fits in with all the typical features of a pop song.

Listening to the bridge, I can’t help but think they’d have trouble pulling the timing off live; Murray-Brown’s vocal line is seemingly off-beat within the snare drum roll driven structure. To be honest I found it jarring and a bit clumsy, seriously brave and interesting, but mathematically odd.

Lyrically it tells a relationship or friendship story. In their press notes the band compares it thematically with The Front Lawn's song Andy, which as a card-carrying Don McGlashan fan is always going to seem like a huge call.

Musically the band is pretty tight, I look forward to hearing them develop.

Rating: ( 3 / 5 )
 

About Jiahu Symbols

Jiahu Symbols is an emo/shoegaze band with members of former (and current) Auckland groups Scarp, Backward Yard and Too Late. They play heavy guitar-based music in the vein of nugaze bands (Nothing, Hotline TNT, Wednesday) with textures and melodies drawn from shoegaze and power-pop.




Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Jiahu Symbols

Releases

For The Good Times
Year: 2023
Type: EP

Other Reviews By darryl baser

MEDaL - Album Review: Sequela
14 Dec 2022 // by darryl baser
Christchurch trio MEDaL are a combination of many years of New Zealand musical history. Singer and guitar slinger David Mulcahy was in JPSE and Superette, bass player John Billows has spent time with The Renderers and Dark Matter and drummer Mark Whyte is part of Into The Void.
Read More...
The Bobby Holidays - Album Review: At The Beach
13 Dec 2022 // by darryl baser
The Bobby Holidays' At The Beach opens with the song Jane, syncopation is to the fore with a great horn section blowing against bass, drums and guitar. The song has an up tempo happy summer vibe.
Read More...
Mad Cow - Single Review: Same Boat
01 Dec 2022 // by darryl baser
Same Boat is the latest single to be released Taranaki 3-piece Mad Cow. Mad Cow are mainstays of the New Plymouth have been around since the 1990’s in the North Island’s music scene, evolving from school band No Comment.
Read More...
The New Existentialists - EP Review: Last Days of the Internet
23 Nov 2022 // by darryl baser
It might seem like George D Henderson has been a part of the New Zealand music landscape for about as long as Keith Richards has been playing guitar. He’s been in the Flying Nun arena with The Puddle based in Dunedin.
Read More...
Nika - Single Review: Saviour Complex
03 Nov 2022 // by darryl baser
A song with an interesting title will always grab my attention, and the idea of people with a saviour complex has always fascinated me, so when the new song by Nika called Saviour Complex was offered to me to review I almost somersaulted. The song opens with a gently and alluring piano melody before Nika’s voice kicks in and from the first notes some vocal training is obvious.
Read More...
The RVMES - Single Review: Simple Things
05 Oct 2022 // by darryl baser
Oh My God. There are bangers then there’s this tune.
Read More...
VÏKÆ - EP Review: Love Games
25 Aug 2022 // by darryl baser
Veronika Bell, known to music fans as Vikae, has been composing and producing music for a good few years, and is gaining some crossover traction between the dance and pop worlds. While she writes many of her tunes on a piano, and can perform them beautifully with piano and her impressive voice, it is the dance-styled pop versions of her tune which have been garnering her acclaim.
Read More...
Mecuzine - Album Review: Locksmith Thief
21 Jul 2022 // by darryl baser
Now that’s a great way to open an album. Bruised and Broken is the first track of Mecuzine’s new album Locksmith Thief, and my god what an epic track to open their new record.
Read More...
View All Articles By darryl baser

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
    Ariana Grande
  • BEAUTIFUL THINGS
    Benson Boone
  • END OF BEGINNING
    Djo
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • TEXAS HOLD 'EM
    Beyonce
  • PRAISE JAH IN THE MOONLIGHT
    YG Marley
  • STICK SEASON
    Noah Kahan
  • CARNIVAL
    Kanye West And Ty Dolla $ign
  • SATURN
    SZA
  • LOVIN ON ME
    Jack Harlow
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem