Photo: Supplied
Martin Phillipps' final project wasn't intended as a swansong, but in hindsight feels apt, a full-circle rediscovery of his musical genius.
Re-recording early demos with the latest version of The Chills, and a roster of guests including Neil Finn, Tami Neilson, Shona Laing, and Hollie Fullbrook, Phillipps' songwriting is unmistakable. Some of the tracks have made it to record before, as live cuts on the compilation Secret Box. It's maybe not surprising that each one is softer and gentler on Spring Board.
Photo: Flying Nun
Phillipps said "A 60-year old man couldn't just stick to the lyrics of those formative years", and that seems to apply to 'Stay Longer', the original version of which went by 'Steinlager', and contained the lyrics "Steiny, shiny", and "greeny".
There is perhaps a degree of discord between the songs here - three minute-ish indie pop snacks written by a man in his twenties - and their production forty years later, which is lush to a fault, sculpted by many more hands than your average DIY indie band could dream of.
But that's the nature of the exercise, just as the newfound warmth of Phillipps' voice renders tracks like 'Meet My Eyes' more paternal than they may have been, but no less lovely.
His legacy of expert, concise songcraft is an important one, and that includes the softer second half.
EP2 by Half Hexagon
Half Hexagon - from left to right: James Milne, Yolanda Fagan, Julien Dyne. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
The local indie supergroup of Yolanda Fagan (Bozo, Na Noise), Julian Dyne (The Circling Sun, Avantdale Bowling Club), and James Milne (Lawrence Arabia), burrow deeper into their signature sound on this second offering.
It's a sound I'm not sure anyone was expecting, especially from Milne, who here seems to be winnowing his melodic impulses to the bare essentials. The band are open about who they're drawing from: krautrock bands Neu! and Can, dub musician King Tubby (plenty of echo and reverb here), and electro pioneers Silver Apples.
'Shadow' finds them stretching out for six minutes that mostly linger on one root note, 'Buy the Farm' cycles through harmonically-broad arpeggios, and 'The Method' deploys audacious production to become muffled, then swoop back to life.
They're three musicians with such rich histories, it's a real thrill to hear them combine, and dedicate their talents to such a specific vision.
JID022 by Ebo Taylor, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammed
Photo: Jazz is Dead
In 2017 Ali Shaheed Muhammed, from pioneering hip-hop act A Tribe Called Quest, teamed with multi-instrumentalist Adrian Younge to start Jazz is Dead.
The name is ironic for a record label that champions newer jazz musicians alongside greats of the genre.
That includes adjacent styles like Ghanaian Highlife, represented here by Ebo Taylor. His career began in the late '50s, with a solo debut, My Love and Music, arriving in 1975. JID022 was recorded when he was 88, during his first trip to America (he'll return this year, now 90).
Taylor collaborated with Muhammed, Younge, and his son Henry for the release, which hums by on a mix of upbeat, psychedelic afrobeat; punchy drums and ecstatic horns. There's no denying that his voice has aged, but any loss of technical ability is made up for by an excess of soul.
Tony Stamp reviews the latest album releases every week on The Sampler.
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