As a New Zealander, this site’s naturally biased towards New Zealand artists. I’ve collated them all into one page.
New Zealand pop music didn’t start in earnest until later than the rest of the world. Despite flickers of brilliance like The Fourmyula’s 1969 hit ‘Nature’, New Zealand didn’t produce many noteworthy albums until the second half of the 1970s.
Artists I plan to cover include Anika Moa, and a bunch of Flying Nun acts like David Kilgour/The Clean, The Bats, and The Able Tasmans.
Able Tasmans Album Reviews
Graeme Humphreys started his musical career in the Whangārei band Sister Ray. Located in the subtropical north, Whangārei is the furthest NZ city from the Flying Nun epicentre of Dunedin....
The Beths Album Reviews
The Beths met at jazz school in Auckland, New Zealand. Guitarist Jonathan Pearce stated that playing jazz provided a “very clear idea of what we didn’t want to do”. Instead,...
Bressa Creeting Cake Album Reviews
Ed McWilliams and Geoff Maddock met in art class at high school in Auckland, New Zealand. They formed the trio Breast Secreting Cake with drummer Joel Wilton. Forced to change...
The Chills Album Reviews
The Chills started on the legendary Flying Nun indie label during the 1980s. Martin Phillipps was the only constant member. His sophisticated writing was different from most of his post-punk...
Crowded House Album Reviews
Breaking up Split Enz, Neil Finn retained drummer Paul Hester from the final Enz lineup and created a more streamlined band. They recruited Australian bass player Nick Seymour (brother of...
Dimmer Album Reviews
In January 1994, Straitjacket Fits played their last gig at the Big Day Out festival. Disillusioned by the music industry, Shayne Carter returned to Dunedin and spent years largely away...
Dave Dobbyn Album Reviews
Every country has a songwriter who's very successful in their home territory but hasn't translated well elsewhere. Australia has Paul Kelly, while Canada had Gord Downie from The Tragically Hip....
Finn Brothers Album Reviews
I've already covered the Split Enz and Crowded House catalogues separately. This page covers Neil and Tim Finn's solo albums and duo projects. I've only covered a handful of Tim's...
The Front Lawn Album Reviews
Growing up in Auckland's North Shore, Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair deferred their chosen careers when they returned from their OEs. McGlashan was a musician. He had already drummed for...
Kimbra Album Reviews
Kimbra Johnson was earmarked for stardom early. Online videos show her singing as a pre-teen, while she placed second in New Zealand’s national secondary school rock quest at 14. But...
Lorde Album Reviews
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the daughter of a poet and a civil engineer. She grew up immersed in poetry and literature. She built a...
The Mutton Birds Album Reviews
Don McGlashan kicked around the arty end of the New Zealand alternative scene during the 1980s. He played the drums in Blam Blam Blam, providing lead vocals for the iconic...
The Phoenix Foundation Album Reviews
New Zealand indie band The Phoenix Foundation was formed by Wellington High School students in 1994. The group features two singer-guitarists - Polish-born Luke Buda and Samuel Flynn Scott (the...
Nadia Reid Album Reviews
Singer-songwriter Nadia Reid hails from Port Chalmers. It's a port suburb of Dunedin, New Zealand, known for alternative life-stylers and artists. Her mother is a local jazz singer. Operating in...
Bic Runga Album Reviews
New Zealand’s Bic Runga has only released four albums of original material, starting with her 1997 debut Drive. But despite her limited output, she reigns supreme as the queen of...
Split Enz Album Reviews
Formed by a group of Auckland students in 1972, Split Enz is an iconic New Zealand band. They had a distinctive visual image - percussionist Noel Crombie designed their costumes...
Straitjacket Fits Album Reviews
Dunedin has a small population and is located in the deep south of New Zealand. But Dunedin's Flying Nun record label produced a string of critically acclaimed and influential guitar...
Supergroove Album Reviews
Supergroove barely made an impact outside New Zealand, but they were inescapable there in the summer of 1994 and 1995. Their blend of hip hop, funk, and metal had already...
Trinity Roots Album Reviews
Prominent popular music from New Zealand in the late 20th century was often Caucasian. Most internationally recognised musicians came from the Flying Nun stable of twisted guitar pop or the...
Tiny Ruins Album Reviews
New Zealand is presently enjoying a strong crop of female singer-songwriters. Along with Hollie Fullbrook of Tiny Ruins, we also have Aldous Harding's weirdness and Nadia Reid's imagery-laden writing. Pop superstar Lorde isn’t...
Marlon Williams Album Reviews
Marlon Williams grew up in Lyttleton, New Zealand. He toured Europe as a member of the choir of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and started playing guitar in high...
New Zealand Miscellany
A bunch of New Zealand acts where I don't have the patience to review all their records. It's a mixed bag - Fly My Pretties' debut is the worst album...
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
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