witchdoctor.co.nz

New Sony Cyber-shot HX20V Released

AshK — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:44:43 +0000

Sony NZ has announced the release of the luxury premium 18.2 Megapixel H Series Cyber-shot HX20V, which offers a 20x optical zoom lens in a compact body. The HX20V features a new Exmor R CMOS sensor that utilises Extra High Sensitivity technology and adaptive noise-reduction. The HX20V also has a high speed auto focus system and ISO capability up to 12,800.

All the usual intelligent auto modes and scene modes are on hand as well as new Photo Creativity and Intelligent Sweep Panorama modes.

The HX20V is available now and is priced at $599

www.sony.co.nz

Boys listening to weird records together

Gary Steel — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:26:47 +0000

IT’S A SAD guy thing to admit, but for most of my life, listening to music has been a singular pleasure.
That is, it’s something I’d done alone – just me, myself, and eye-and-eye.
When I got seriously into pop music as a pre-teen, it was something I had no-one to share with, because my parents thought it was all a mind-bending racket, and my brother and sister were too old to share my burgeoning enthusiasm for Herman’s Hermits, the Cowsills and the 1910 Fruitgum Company. (I jest, but you get the picture).
Then when my hormones began to explode, and I fell in love with my sister’s records – Hendrix, Joplin, the Doors, Led Zep – she had already as good as flown the nest. Within a year or two, my journey by long play music album had become obsessive, and even my sister had no idea about the artists I was besotted with. Captain Beefheart? Henry Cow? Frank Zappa? Emerson, Lake & Palmer?
More disappointingly, neither did my school chums. One of my few friends teased me with a story he had heard about Frank Zappa shitting on stage, and insisted that he was worthless because of this (fictional) event. Too weird, they all said.
Sometimes I would listen to theirs if they’d listen to mine. I would always listen intently to the interminable jams on Deep Purple’s Made In Japan, or the pleasing but unchallenging nonsense of those Uriah Heep epics, but somehow, when it was my turn to spin the record, they either talked loudly through my selections, or decided it was time to do their homework.
With no internet, no social media, feeling like I wasn’t quite alone in the world meant that reading NME and Creem became really, really important, and when it came along, the same thing applied to local mag Hotlix. In fact, I subscribed, and they printed my letter, signed ‘Captain Beefheart’s Greatest Fan’ (cringe). It was the first time my rancid prose was ever published.
My lonely fanboy behaviour continued until I left for flatting life in Wellington, started writing for Rip It Up, became the music columnist for the Evening Post, and started my own lousy free music rag. With new music fanboy friends and long-suffering flatmates, I could finally inflict my favourite selections on other members of the species. (Not girls though, you understand).
What I quickly realised during listening sessions with friends, however, was that it was pointless boring them with things they’d never, ever get into, let alone appreciate. So I learnt to, most of the time, pick selections that I thought they might like, and that I liked, too.
Happily, by this time it was the New Wave era, and a lot of good stuff was coming out, which meant that my listening taste was as close as it would ever get to the zeitgeist.
With my new friends, we would sit around for hours, imbibe suspicious herbs and chemicals, and play very, very loud music through ridiculously expensive stereos that we had bought on stupendously long and lousy HP contracts.
The thing is, every new record we spun in those sessions between 1979 and 1981 was another chance to blow our collective heads off. Tracks from albums by groups like Pil, Gang of Four, Chrome, the Cure, Simple Minds, the Pop Group, Throbbing Gristle, and Cabaret Voltaire.
None of these bands sounded anything like each other. They all had their own sound, their own way with music, a distinct vision, but they all made for a psychoactive listening experience.
But that’s not exactly the point of this piece. As the ‘80s went all feathery and sequined and ridiculous of haircut, there’s a perception that music died. But of course we know that’s a lie. Certain scenes calcified, others bloomed, but there was always good music to be had, and what was great was that an arid pop scene made me explore the greater world of music, including music from around the world.
The listening sessions with various friends continued, and with a few, they became an enjoyable tit-for-tat, where each of us would do turnabout and we would have to give a short assessment of what we thought of the other’s selection.
Okay, that sounds incredibly dweebish, and it is. So what, it was fun, and I miss it, and that’s the point. Last weekend an old chum from Melbourne stopped in at our rural idyll for a couple of nights, and amidst the usual ruminations on the meaning of it all, we fell back into old patterns, and had several long listening sessions. I had a ball.
Some might say that’s what DJs were invented for, but I’ve always found DJ-ing a disappointing experience. It’s entirely one person’s perspective, but that perspective is almost always compromised by the need to woo a crowd. I want people to listen, not dance. And I want a dialogue. And I want to stretch my own perimeters.
That happened during the eight-year reign of the Parallel Universe on bFM, a show I did with the assistance of a couple of other oddball electronic-and-oddness freaks. But its 11pm start was always too late for me. I’d get home at 2am, buzz for another three hours and be a mess the next day.
Some of the most meaningful listening sessions I’ve had were with people who spun roots rock or alt-country or traditional folk or oddball quirky shit… just about anything that challenged me to listen and believe. Understanding why someone likes what they do opens you up to new experiences, even if they are ultimately not your cup of tea. At least some of the time, you can appreciate them for what they are.
I try to apply the same principle to reviewing records. It’s not important that I like the genre, or even the artist. Each album should win or fail on its own merits, not my taste. I’ve given many five star reviews to albums I listened to only a couple of times and then gave to friends who would appreciate them more than me; likewise, I’ve given negative reviews to albums I love, or artists I want to collect, just because.
Last weekend’s listening session included some contemporary releases, but because we hauled out plenty of dusty vinyl, it did turn into a bit of a nostalgia festival and time for reassessment. We played lots of things I hadn’t listened to for decades: Joy Division’s Closer (not as morbid as it used to be), early Human League (better than I remembered), John Foxx (impressively dark synth-pop), OMD (my friend loves ‘em but they never quite worked for me), Chrome (their twisted psych-sci-fi world still impresses me but didn’t quite work for my friend) and many more. But the one disc that floored us both was Cabaret Voltaire’s 1980 masterpiece, Voice Of America. It’s a pre-sequencer synthesiser work that primarily uses collage, in the most amazing ways, to build up a sense of apocalyptic dread. Sonically, stylistically, it’s almost without precedent and it hasn’t aged one jot.
I’m not big on nostalgia, but if it means reassessment, and you’re willing to accept that old favourites might not keep their charms all these years later, then it can be a useful experience. Especially if it means rediscovering something as astounding as that one Cabaret Voltaire album.
We’ve seldom got time for leisurely listening sessions for one these days, let alone several friends, but given the chance, I’d do it every other week. GARY STEEL

No Optical Drive In New MacBook Pro?

AshK — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:54:37 +0000

The rumblings in Mac Land indicate that the new MacBook Pro (MBP) series will be slimmed down in a major way, which is a good thing – after all, the ultra-slim MacBook Air is a ludicrously desirable thing of beauty, while the MBPs are still a tad chubby. However, Apple will apparently be cutting the MBP’s bulk by getting rid of the optical drive, which for this scribe is a bad thing.

That’s a strange statement when you consider that I’ve been predicting the death of the disk for years and have stated repeatedly that when my Marantz SACD player dies, I’ll buy a decent Digital to Analogue Converter to replace it and will stop spinning silver disks except to rip their contents onto my server or computers.

I’m typing this blog entry on a nearly new 15” MacBook Pro and I have to admit that I’d be boned without its optical drive. I use it all the time, as a production tool to read and create work related CDs and DVDs but I’m also ripping music to iTunes and listening to music CDs while I work on a regular basis. A good question might be why I’m still buying CDs – they’re still an easy way to get a high resolution copy of an album, not as good as vinyl but certainly more portable in terms of format shifting.

Big deal I hear you say, use the CD drive on one of your many other computers, which are all conveniently hooked up to the Wireless network. Sure buddy – I’m a single person with a single Mac, so that plan isn’t flying. OK then there are external optical drives available for not much loot, not least of all Apple’s own Superdrive.

Yes, that’s true but I use the MBP’s optical drive when I’m out on the road, when I’m traveling or even when I’m sitting in a café working (I’m impatient, so I rip new CDs to iTunes ASAP so I can get them onto my iPhone, sometimes I just listen to them with earphones while I’m writing). The last thing I want to do is to lug around an external optical drive – kind of defeats the point of a slimmed down computer in the first place.

There’s talk of the Ethernet port going bye-bye as well, which is a great idea – until you end up at a slightly (or entirely) third world cybercafe or hotel where you need to plug in to connect, which is when you whip out your optional USB to Ethernet adaptor and hope it doesn’t block the ports to an extent that stops you from hooking up a USB stick or camera. Note to Apple – the damn USB ports are still to close together and there’s only two of them. Wakey wakey.

I guess I’ll just stick to my “big” MBP for a while yet, although the theory that the new MPBs will get higher-definition displays, standard SSD drives and much faster Intel processors may force me to make an uncomfortable choice. By the way, I’m not one of those “OMG there’s a new Apple product! Upgrade upgrade upgrade!” types, I’m still using an iPhone 3GS, which has been a great product for my needs thus far. Looks like it’s wait and see for a while until the Apple announcements are made in mid-June.

Masturbating in someone else’s house

Gary Steel — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:48:42 +0000

SO, TARGET FINALLY found their man.
With their secret cameras, they finally discovered a tradesman stupid enough not only not to notice those secret cameras, but to masturbate, repeatedly, with the aid of the five pairs of used female panties retrieved from a washing basket and a gym bag, a jar of liquid and internet porn.
Watching it all was a weird, and uncomfortable, experience – but not for the obvious reasons.
I’ve seen friends blabbing about it on Faecesbook today whose reaction has mostly been along the lines of “wasn’t that sick and ghastly?”
My reaction is: If you mean it’s sick and ghastly for Target to film it, then show it, over and over, then yes, you’re right. If you mean what Mr Carpet Cleaner (now Mr Unemployed Carpet Cleaner) did, then my reaction is: what’s the big deal?
Yes, this chap clearly has no idea. He shouldn’t have been sniffing the dirty panties of strangers in a home in which he had been hired to clean a floor. He shouldn’t have been using someone else’s broadband to watch – presumably dodgy – internet of a sexual nature. It’s not professional, and using the client’s internet is vaguely illegal. Oh, and he definitely shouldn’t have been spilling his love juice on the panties, even though they were presumably headed straight to the washing machine.
But beyond that? Hell, it’s a mild perversion. Clearly the guy enjoys sniffing the undies of strangers. He’s a bit kinky, but it’s a victimless crime, at worst.
The victim here, I felt, was the viewer, who was made a party to the whole sad scenario because of Target’s secret cameras. What’s worse: 1) Being made a voyeur by Target’s cameras, and having to watch this guy do his sad stuff, repeatedly, or 2) The guy himself and his sad deed? The former, easily. We’re implicated in the act because of the voyeuristic way it was displayed.
Had Target simply treated it like any other item, pointed out the outrageous behaviour and gone on to the next item, then its actions wouldn’t have been so regrettable. But using up what amounted to half of an entire show on one sad sack (excuse the pun) who felt an uncontrollable urge to repeatedly masturbate in someone else’s house? That’s even sadder than the sad sack himself. I mean, are people’s lives so dull that they feel compelled to go “tut-tut” over some guy who is caught committing what amounts to a terribly humiliating wank?
Apart from everything else, it was boring.
I know TV has sunk to new lows with all the reality shows that I refuse to watch, but I’ve always loved consumer shows like Fair Go and Target (and have been mercilessly ribbed by my friends for watching them). At their best, both of those shows display a side to NZ life that can only be regarded as authentic: average Joe’s who have generally been ripped off, and are feeling the rage, and who literally feel they deserve a fair go. The idea of exposing rotters and ratbags, I think, is admirable.
As an article in this week’s NZ Listener discusses, there’s a long tradition in New Zealand of fair play, which is somewhat at odds with America, which promises freedom but finds the concept of deserving a fair go quite bewildering. [David Cohen’s excellent review of the book under discussion, Fairness & Freedom, by David Hackett Fischer, is here. There's also a story about Fischer in the latest issue].
Consumer programmes like Target and Fair Go have a moral mandate to expose frauds and criminals and get a fair go for Kiwis. Instead, Target has taken what was already a voyeuristic concept (the secret camera) to really uncomfortable levels by “exposing” the poor masturbatory sap, just for ratings. Shame on you, Target! GARY STEEL

Sony XBA-1 Earphones REVIEW

AshK — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:47:06 +0000

$99

4 Stars

Affordable earphones not for bass-mad monkeys, but surprise in numerous ways

SONY’S XBA-1 MODEL is the entry point to the XBA range of Balanced Armature Driver (BAD) in-ear earphones. It uses a single full range, Japanese made BAD to cover the entire frequency range, where the other pure-audio versions use multiple drivers. Most of the information about Sony’s new BAD ‘phones has already been covered in my review of the flagship XBA-4 model (reviewed here). Details of the drivers themselves and comparisons between BADs and conventional dynamic drivers can also be found there.

Like their more upmarket cousins, the XBA-1s are nicely put together and are very solid. Their slim silver and gunmetal grey housing is double layered, with internal liquid crystal polymer and ABS plastic external sections. The compact size of the single driver has allowed Sony to make the XBA-1 housings much smaller than the four-driver model, which is always a good thing from a comfort and fit perspective. On the other hand, forcing a single BAD to cover the lowest of lows as well as the highest of highs may be asking a bit much, seeing as BADs don’t offer as wide a frequency range as dynamic drivers.

These ‘phones ship with four pairs of differently sized silicone eartips and three noise cancelling ones, which have a layer of foam inside to reduce noise transmission. The flat cable has a ninety-degree connector and is 1.2m long, which is a useful length. The ‘phones are supplied with a cable winder and a soft carry bag.

Sound Quality

The sound of the XBA-1 ‘phones can more or less be extrapolated from this graph, albeit without the drop at both ends sounding as drastic as it looks here.

As can be seen above, the XBA-2, XBA-3 and XBA-4 models use multiple drivers to fill out one or both sides of the frequency range, with the full range BAD doing all of the work in between. As mentioned, the XBA-1’s only have that full range driver on duty, so they sound much like the XBA-4s, just leaner and cooler, with less bottom end extension and treble energy on hand.

A direct comparison with the $399 XBA-4s isn’t close to being fair to the $99 XBA-1s but is inevitable to a degree. Sometimes, it can sound as if you’re listening to the same ‘phones but when a bass heavy track comes on, the two missing woofers – along with their associated huge bass presence – are noticeably absent. Still, extended listening to music from the likes of Big Boi, Eminem, Massive Attack and Wyclef Jean showed that there’s a fair amount of bass weight on hand here, enough to do the job but not enough to make you feel like your head is inside a kick drum (some people like that sensation).

The XBA-1s are quite dynamic and convey impact with aplomb as long as they’ve got some volume behind them, but there are any number of equivalently priced dynamic driver ‘phones out there that have more punch at the bottom if slam and power is what you crave.

The XBA-1s have other strengths though and do extremely well when it comes to subtle touches such as presentation of detail, instrument separation and overall clarity. Well recorded, heavily nuanced or textured music is a pleasure to listen to on these ‘phones. Both treble extension and the quality of the highs are good, with nary a trace of sibilance, which ties in well with the smooth yet open and revealing midrange. They aren’t rolled off at the top but don’t reach hopefully for the ultrasonic range like the XBA-4s, striking a nice balance. Some listeners may well prefer the more subdued top end on offer here though, which is ever so slightly kinder to bad recordings, not to mention modern pop or rap.

The sound characteristics suit a variety of musical genres – cue up ‘Smiley Faces’ from Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere CD and the XBA-1s show off Cee Lo Green’s distinctive voice beautifully, laying it bare in all its glory along with the instruments, effects and backing vocals. Yet the track doesn’t sound overly harsh despite the recording’s edgy nature. Switch to a vastly different and much mellower recording such as Rusty Truck’s ‘1000 Kisses’ from Luck’s Changing Lanes, and the XBA-1s present the vocals in smooth harmony while preserving the rich acoustic space and most of the recording’s warm nature.

Even the massive bass on Smashing Pumpkins’ ‘Stand Inside Your Love’ from Rotten Apples sounds decent enough and the song’s energy and power shines through, but this is the kind of music that could use some more grunt at the low end and I pushed the volume up dramatically to compensate. This isn’t a big failing for the Sony’s, but if you’re a headbanger, then you might want to sacrifice some of the openness for bass weight and look at dynamic ‘phones instead.

Conclusion

Sony’s XBA-1 ‘phones make the most of a single BAD module to offer an excellent balance between price and performance. Their detail levels make some other $100-$200 ‘phones I’ve heard lately sound a little closed off, and the XBA-1s are not unlike like a budget all-access pass to your music. You also get an involving and smooth sound that’s not as clinical as the XBA-4s but it is a tad lean compared to some ‘phones that have a much warmer character.

There are better choices for bass freaks but these ‘phones proved entertaining over long listening sessions, even while I was exploring the world of classic rap in more detail, and I do like some bass in my ‘phones, so their other skills more than make up for this. For a hundred smackers, they’d be on my list to consider, no doubt about it. ASHLEY KRAMER

www.sony.co.nz

Arcam AVR360 Home Theatre Receiver Arrives This Week

AshK — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:46:37 +0000

Stock of Arcam’s AVR360 Home Theatre Receiver arrives in NZ this week. The AVR360 replaces the AVR350, which is now discontinued.

The $2,999 AVR360 is the entry-level model in the Arcam receiver line. It joins the AVR400, which is priced at $4995; and the flagship AVR600, which costs $8,995.

The AVR360 incorporates technology that has trickled down from the development of the company’s AVR600 receiver and AV888 processor, with upscaling and cross-conversion carried out by a high-performance Torino video processor that supports all resolutions up to 1080p/60 with support for 24fps and 3DTV pass-through. The RS232, IR and 12V control interfaces allow easy integration with smart-home installations, and the warranty is two years.

Like Arcam’s other receivers, the AVR360 is performance orientated as opposed to feature driven, but it does have most of what today’s home theater buff would consider essential in a receiver. This includes decoding for the lossless surround formats (DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD),HDMI 1.4 with 3D capability and ARC (audio return channel), which eliminates an extra audio cable by allowing a TV to send audio upstream to the receiver; and CEC (consumer electronics control), which allows components to share commands. The AVR360 also offers USB and network audio streaming and its network media player can be driven by an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch using Arcam’s Songbook App.

More info can be found here

GM Unfriends Facebook

Pat Pilcher — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:03:29 +0000

General Motors has pulled the plug on Facebook advertising, with marketing execs attributing the move to the fact that GM’s Facebook adverts appeared to have little to no effect on customers. That this is happening only days away from Facebook’s IPO (Initial Public Offering) is ominous and could potentially impact on the value of Facebook shares (which are expected to be valued at around US$38 each, translating into a net worth for Facebook of up to US$100 billion).

GM has played down dumping Facebook advertising, citing their exit from the social media platform as part of ongoing and regular analysis to determine where advertising dollars are spent and how effectively that advertising is working. The announcement fuels already heated debate, with many saying that Facebook, amongst other popular tech sites, may be grossly overvalued. Speculation that the online advertising bubble could be deflating is also spreading.

This is further backed up by a recent survey of Facebook marketing conducted by Associated Press and CNBC which showed that over 50 per cent of Facebook users say they never click on sponsored ads, and that only 12 per cent say they are comfortable making purchases over Facebook. Critics argue that this calls Facebook’s ability to generate money into question.

Generating a workable and sustainable revenue from its 900 million users represents a sizeable challenge for Facebook. That said, the tech sector has a long history of tech sites managing massive IPOs, even if details on how they plan make money are somewhat sketchy.

High-End iPod Speakers Spotted at CEDIA NZ Expo

AshK — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:34:18 +0000

While wandering through the hall at the CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) NZ Expo yesterday, I spotted these two units sitting on the Sound Group Holdings stand. JBL and Harman Kardon have been in the upper end of the iPod speaker market for ages and these are their latest offerings in the roughly $1,000 category.

The big HK unit is the MS 150, which is disturbingly billed as a “sophisticated music system and alarm clock” in the product sheet. It’s a bit big to be a bedside alarm clock but it does look pretty darn good in the flesh, albeit with more than a hint of B&W Mini Zeppelin in its styling. The MS 150 is more than just an iPod speaker system – there’s a slot loading MP3 and WMA capable CD player, an FM tuner, an optical digital audio input and a 3.5mm analogue input. The speakers comprise two 125mm paper drivers and two 19mm titanium domes driven by a 30 watts per channel amplifier section. RRP is $1,199.

Harman Kardon MS 150

The funky looking JBL device is the Onbeat Xtreme, which features JBL’s new Weave styling. The big rotating dock on top is iPad compatible and the Onbeat Xtreme supports Bluetooth to give connectivity to non Apple devices. Speakers are two JBL Ridge tweeters and Two Atlas woofers, getting 15 watts and 30 watts respectively. RRP is $999.

JBL Onbeat Xtreme

We’ll be aiming to get review units soon. More info can be found at www.soundgroup.co.nz

Once upon a time, there was revolution in the air…

Gary Steel — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:15:20 +0000

IT WAS 1979, and it was end of times. (Or so it seemed).
In music, there was a revolution afoot, and I really thought things were going to change: that the radical impulse behind the most astonishing new music would infiltrate social and political neural networks, fire up a sense of social justice and fair play, and provoke a new era.
Personally, I was down on life, and regularly found myself wearing a button (yes, we wore buttons back then) sporting the cheery phrase “YOU’RE GOING TO DIE”. It was my riff on the idea that life is a series of failures from birth to the grand send-off, and I thought it was grimly funny. God knows why. [Another favourite badge was the one advertising the Ambitious Vegetables, Andrew Fagan’s pre-Mockers group. Their music probably sucked, but I liked the name].
But music was my tonic, my everything, and it had the power to do just about anything. That’s what love does – it clouds your judgment. Revisiting some of the peaks of 1979, however, and the ardor with which I viewed it with is understandable. And possibly the most life-changing record of that year was Pil’s Metal Box.
Public Image Ltd (or Pil) were the ultimate example of how the so-called revolution embodied by punk could be actualized in similarly revolutionary music, and it was pertinent that the group’s vocalist was none other than former Sex Pistols leader, Johnny Rotten/Lydon.
I’d always love the idea of punk, but the reality of the music was dull rehashes of rock’n’roll with little to recommend it: unimaginative and, for most of its exponents, a one shot deal. The Sex Pistols were a great example of that, but at least they did the right thing by self-combusting.
The bands that came out of punk, however, were something else. New wave groups (as they were called back then) were just as hard-edged and serious about what they were doing, but carried their sentiments of revolution into music that stretched the syntax of pop and rock. In Pil’s case, by the time they released Metal Box, the music was a genuinely radical hybrid that owned a huge debt to ‘Krautrock’ groups like Can without aping them. Even the format was Metal Box was revolutionary, and the stated aim was to get rid of the album format entirely: it came as four 12-inch EPs housed literally within a metal canister. [No-one warned purchasers at the time that the metal box would, after several years, start rusting].
Lydon took his bizarre vocals to new, twisted levels, and the music underneath made them seem even more threatening than they were in the context of the Pistols. Keith Levene’s guitar was an almost sick-making sheet of metallic colouring rather than conventional axe-spanking, and Jah Wobble’s bass did the unthinkable in plunging towards extreme sub-woofing depths that even dub-reggae producers like Lee Perry hadn’t attempted.
In short, it was an amazing record that eclipsed nearly everything that came out that year, and held extraordinary promise of things to come.
Unfortunately, it all fell to bits, Wobble left the band, they ended up following up with the disappointing Flowers Of Romance in 1981. The dream was over, so very, very quickly. Rotten ended up leaving for LA, and hooking up with fusion producer Bill Laswell for Album in 1986, on which the unthinkable happened: it was performed by the kind of artists Lydon had once accused of being dinosaurs and relics. People like Ginger Baker (of Cream), Steve Vai (of Frank Zappa’s band).
That was pretty much the end of Pil for me, although they did limp on for a few more albums up to the early ‘90s.
I didn’t take much note of Lydon’s antics from then on, but did manage an ironic laugh when I read Keith Emerson’s autobiography, in which the former ELP keyboardist notes that these days, he’s lunch-buddies with Lydon. [ELP were one of Johnny Rotten's prime targets for gob and derision].
Then, a few weeks’ back, a new Pil album, This Is Pil, came in the post. The optimist in me wondered whether Lydon’s newly refurbished project might have regained at least a sense of what it was when it started out. Stranger things have happened. I mean, Van Der Graaf Generator released one of their very best albums, just last year.
Hope is a dangerous thing. It turns out that This Is Pil – the first Pil album in 20 years – not only isn’t capable of upholding anything of the original group’s ethos, but that it’s something of an abnegation of those roots, despite a window dressing that suggests otherwise.
The thing is, there were a few reasons to be cheerful. Guitarist Lu Edmonds – former Damned member – was back. And better still, the drummer was Bruce Smith, who was with the phenomenal Pop Group and even played with The Slits. [For those looking for a different kind of credentials, he’s also banged things for Bjork and Terence Trent D’Arby]. Not so promising was the inclusion of bassist Scott Firth, who has provided bottom end (what bottom end?) to the Spice Girls.
Sadly, although Firth goes for a dubby bass style that mimics Wobble, the sound of his bass is clumpy and constricted and never reaches towards that beautiful bottom end. That’s a big problem, but not the biggest. Smith does percolate along in a disco-punk style that his fans may recognise, but it doesn’t rescue the record from Lydon’s malaise.
John Lydon’s contributions are lazy and embarrassing, and he sounds like a 60-year-old with the demeanour of a spoilt child and an axe to grind about nothing in particular. So he rants, and he raves, and has nothing much to say, and his verse is about as enriching as kiddy rhymes. The worst thing about it is that Lydon goes on and on, and seldom varies the formula, either because he’s forgotten how, doesn’t allow his musicians the freedom to give the music some life beyond Lydon’s half-thought-out ideas, or is just too bored and lazy to put the effort into realising them.
This Is Pil is a slow death of 12 compromised and overlong songs and in the end, it’s about as much fun to swim in as a spa pool the day after it’s been used for a sex party and left to go tepid.
Life continues to lash out with tough lessons, and if I was as naïve now as I was at 20 (the year Metal Box made a believer of me) then I might be a bit depressed about all this.
New wave didn’t change anything, and nek minute Duran Duran were along to dance with Margaret Thatcher and it seemed all the greatness went down the sink in no time at all.
Releases like this make me glad that I lost my naïve, religious fervor for music some years ago, although sometimes I feel just a little bit sad that I can’t go back to that place where it all really seemed to matter. GARY STEEL

Jennifer Zea & The Antipodean Collective – The Latin Soul (Mamawata/Rhythmethod) CD REVIEW

Gary Steel — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:01:21 +0000

PRODUCER NATHAN HAINES says that The Latin Soul, by transplanted Venezuelan Zea, “redefines the term Latin music”.
It’s certainly a big, bold recording that matches her big, bold voice, but there’s little redefinition going on here, just another bunch of NZ jazz musicians getting off on an exotic energy.
There’s nothing much wrong with The Latin Soul, which features commendable playing by two gifted pianists, Kevin Field and Jonathan Crayford, together with a backing ensemble that does its best to swing with organic grace through the expected Latin moves.
It’s just that neither Zea’s vocalising – which is exuberant but unsubtle – or her admittedly stylistically varied songs, manage to make this more than another competent routine of acoustic-based Latin-styled grooves.
And the horns, which deserve to be perfectly embedded in amongst the busy rhythms, sound piped in from another place. GARY STEEL
Music = 3
Sound = 3