Thursday, May 01, 2008

new zealand music month 2008

It’s May, which means New Zealand music month again. The month dawned golden, with news that Flight of the Concords debuted at No. 3 in US charts. It’s been an excellent year for Kiwi music.

Salmonella Dub were back with Heal Me. While they missed Tiki Taane, their partnership with the NZSO was a wonderful blend of indigenous beats and luscious harmonies.

Speaking of Tiki Tane, he went solo. Past, present, future is not a great album, but it holds promise of musical creativity worth nourishing.

Another album from Little Bushmen is well worth a listen. Pendulum feels like a lot more of unified narrative that the Onus of Sand. Experimental and thoughtful.

SJD was back and I’m glad. Songs for a dictaphone is much more mainstream in sound than his earlier work. But it works, presenting a much more cohesive and accessible sound.

But my top album award goes to Into the Dojo, by the Blackseeds. Great beats. Laidback. Superb.

In the year ahead, I’m hanging out for the partnership between Richard Nunns and Paddy Free, and that mix of beats and indigenous Maori instruments. This is a definite creative stream in New Zealand at the moment. It has led to me trialing an innovation in our Sunday morning service, whereby we start with a brief recorded karanga, or musical call, using snippets of indigenous Maori instruments, followed by a prayer, acknowledging our sense of place and those who have gone before. Still waiting for feedback, but for me, it deeply connects me with God here and new in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What about you? What has been your musical highlights of the last year, and how has that enriched your connection with God?

Posted by steve at 10:19 PM

1 Comment

  1. Hi Steve,
    Hamilton has (imho) a world class choir in the Hamilton Civic Choir.
    They, along with the Opus Chamber Orchestra, presented an Anzac concert featuring Karl Jenkins’ “The Armed Man (L’Homme Armé): A Mass For Peace”
    This was a powerful portrayal of the impact of war & the need for peace, framed by several faith traditions.
    My highlight for the year!

    Comment by Merv — May 4, 2008 @ 9:41 am

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