long player by hollie smith

i guess this review is a little late in coming (the album was released a few months ago), but after a long wait i finally picked up this cd at the warehouse last night (thanks to a free voucher i got from answering online questionnaires).

without wanting to provide free advertising for the warehouse (a nz discount retailer), can i just say their prices are amazing for new releases - it looks like nearly everything is NZ$22.95. when i used to work in the music department at the warehouse back in the day, the normal retail price was $29.95 - and even that was cheap compared to other stores that wanted anything up to $33.95. i think this type of price drop is absolutely crucial in this day and age of the digital download, and if the warehouse can do it then there must be a margin, which shows you what the usual mark-up on cds is. with this album costing $17.99 to download on itunes, why wouldn't you fork out the extra $5 and get the cd art and drm-free music?

so anyway, back to the album. hollie smith is hot property in the wellington nz music and has been for quite some time. she released an ep a couple of years ago which was excellent. meanwhile, she engaged in a number of collaborations, most notably fly my pretties. apparently she also had pretty good success with an album of celtic music when she was a teenager (a fact that she is no doubt trying to forget, but you can buy that album from the online shop of historic scotland). after 'long player' came out this year she was promptly signed to a division of blue note records.

'long player' is an incredibly mellow album (maybe a tad too mellow?) that beautifully showcases hollie smith's abilities without overstating them.we have a mixture of 10 cruisey jazz/soul/gospel/funk infused songs. i haven't listened closely enough yet to be able to tell you what she is on about in her songs but it is definitely something soulful. musically, the only disappointment for me was that there is very little dub influence on the album and i love it when hollie sings on dub tracks. but maybe the nz scene has enough dub now (not that i mind - the more dub the merrier).

the album art is also understated but very nice.

'long player' comes highly recommend - great laidback vibe from a supreme talent. get it!

pocket symphony

'pocket symphony' by air

it is really is true that no matter how into downloading music you get, there is nothing like having an actual album in your hand. it is a concrete thing.

i was pleased to recently spend some music vouchers i got for my birthday on the new album from french band, air.

over the last ten years or so, air have become the undisputed kings of down tempo lounge electronic music - despite stiff competition from zero 7 (but air came first, so they win). i'll get straight to the point and say that i think 'pocket symphony' is their second best album ever (after 'moon safari'). their previous album 'talkie walkie' had moments of brilliance, but i think this new album is all up a better thing.

a feature of this album is a zen minimalist approach that they have garnered from japan, so the whole album has a slightly oriental feel (in a good way). the best indicator from 'talkie walkie' about the direction they would head for their new album was the track 'alone in kyoto', which was featured in the film 'lost in translation' (great film). so this new album is very mellow indeed - it floats along rather nicely.

guest vocalists on the album (which is, by the way, mainly instrumental) include jarvis cocker. i get the distinct feeling that jarvis is quite popular in france (there is a definite touch of the moulin rouge about him). i personally think he is a bit of tosser (excuse the term) but i'm grateful for his appearance on the album because he does a good job and his style blends rather nicely with air's music.

another advantage of having guest vocalists is that it means the air boys themselves stay away from the microphone. our bonne hommes nicolas godin and jean-benoît dunckel insist on singing in english and their lyrics often verge on out and out silliness. thankfully all their vocal work on 'pocket symphony' is subtle - except on the track 'once upon a time' (which i think may be the single). a sample of the lyrics from this track:

i'm a little boy, you're a little girl, once upon a time
i'm a little boy, you're a little girl, once upon a time
time's getting on
time's over now

i ask you?! this is the only track i now skip on the cd. but air fans have become accustomed to this feature of air. afterall, their first big single ever was 'sexy boy' - not a song of tremendous lyrical genius. i also think that air fans have come to accept that the band has always trod a fine line between cheesiness and brilliance. fortunately for us, they come down on the side of brilliance far more often.

in this day and age of digital music, downloads etc, i think that any album review should cover the cd packaging and any bonus content that ships with the cd. the artwork on 'pocket symphony' is superb - the photography features resin figurines of nicolas and jean-benoît in different locations. for a feel of the artwork visit www.pocket-symphony.com.

the cd features 'opendisc' technology. you can rip the tracks an unlimited amount (it's not copy-protected), but inserting the cd into your computer rom drive launches a portal that allows you to register your copy and then access exclusive content online. this content includes two rather nice bonus tracks (including another one featuring jarvis cocker) and video material. apparently new content will be added over time - so they say. so, there is good incentive for buying the cd rather than just downloading the tracks.

all up, an excellent album that is well worth buying.