Gig Bite: Laneway Festival '12 - Silo Park, Auckland

Talk about a scorcher! But the grey-and-white-flecked Auckland sky, and city landscape, was the perfect backdrop for what proved to be a full day of hot new music.

EMA
First to play was American songwriter EMA (Erika M. Anderson). Some dirty grunge with a distinctly industrial motion to it, her music manages to balance the strong frontwoman (kinda Karen O, and a bit of Bjork - think the demanding vocals in Army of Me), with grinding guitars and sledge-hammer percussion. I really got into the live set, but I've only found a few tracks that have permanent homes in my library.



Cults
Next up were Cults! Continuing the gothic vibe, but injecting a bit of rock'n'roll, Cults manage to broach subjects like death and violence in a sugary, organ-infused coat of tinkly percussion and child-like vocals. Love it!



Glasser
We snuck away to the Park Lane stage to check out Glasser at this point and were grateful to catch even the smallest amount of her set. I remember hearing Apply a little while ago and loving the combination of lo-fi and tribal sounds. It was great to see Cameron Mesirow (along with a bearded and bespectacled sidekick), belting it out right next to the sparkling blue water of the viaduct.



Laura Marling
In all their motherland glory, Laura Marling and band took the stage next, armed to the teeth with mandolins, banjos, acoustic guitars and a double-bass. I just can't say enough about Marling; it might be my soft spot for a bit of British melancholy, or just my huge respect for her skill with words. No matter how hard you try you just can't resent her for being so damn young and talented.



Okay, so at this point we got a bit hungry and missed a bit...but back to the music!

Artist: Laura Marling

Laura Marling - "Ghosts"

So! It's probably a little late to do a Laneway Festival review...but I think I might. Before that, however, just thought I'd quickly share a beautiful little video by Laura Marling (who we saw play at Laneway - she was fantastic). Anyway, more on that later but please enjoy cut-outs, skull makeup and broken hearts.

Artist: Big Sad

Big Sad - "Ghost Club"

Ghost Club is the 2011 release by a good friend of mine, Big Sad. This is true alone music: the headphones go on and there's no pause to watch animal clips on YouTube or to make a cup of tea. The minimalist electronic style of this album evokes the record's namesake: the music of a ghostly place, somewhere devoid of air where the spirits come to dance. An overly literal interpretation, maybe, but the delicate percussive clicks, distant droning melodies and suffocated bass seem to bridge a space that's both organic and other-worldly.

Check out Young, and don't go using your laptop speakers: the loping footfalls of weighty bass is what really moves this track along. Vector Heart is an equally powerful piece, calming and hypnotic.

You can download the album for free here.

Friday Finds: Purity Ring

A YouTube click-through, this one. Purity Ring, the collaboration of Corin Roddick (GOBBLE GOBBLE) and Megan James, are riding the lo-fi electronic wave like pros, and yet their future pop sound is still entirely refreshing and unique. Whether it's the innocent teenage-like vocals, the tasteful use of auto-tune, dub bass and classic synth sounds; or the sophisticated lyrics, Purity Ring's three releases are just genuinely great songs.



Check out their Tumblr to download copies of a couple of their tracks.

Delightful: Martin Brooks' "Golden Tree"

Check out this film clip from Martin Brooks, directed by Ninian Doff.



Via It's Nice That.