5 more CDs for NZ Music Month

List by Danielle

'Thank you for inviting me round for tea, what a lovely garden this is, your house is so nice

Yes, I'd love some crostini, did you make it? how crunchy, shall I open the wine?'

~ Goon, from 'Mofoso'

Music Month part two: five cds just a little bit louder, rockier and more raucous than the first list (metrosexual lyrics above aside, and you really need to listen to the ominous bassline in the song above to get the full effect). Also, there are swears on some of these - you are warned. Thanks again to Amplifier for all of the band info.

Honourable mention:

Local Kid / Fur Patrol: how could I not listen to one of the NZ rockers that Tosca most wanted to be?

Five CDs that made NZ Music Month rock

List by Danielle

'There's only six miles of bad road between you and I
Only six miles of bad road and blue sky
If he gets there fast, you won't feel his breath
You won't catch my eye
But I count the time and I watch the days
Till he helps you fly'
~ Jordan Reyne, from 'The proximity of death (Blue eyed boy)'

Last year, I listened to a cd a day for NZ Music Month. The only criteria I had: the artist had to be from NZ, and the cd had to be one that I'd never listened to before. I don't listen to the radio much, so the artists were often completely unfamiliar, too. I totally recommend this as an exercise in musical exploration, especially if, like me, you're normally a bit timid in your listening habits and tend to 're-listen' (the musical equivalent of re-reading).

This year, I listened to about 35 new cds over the course of May, and while there were certain cds that I couldn't even finish despite the always-intriguing cover art and inventive band names, there were plenty that I plain loved, and a list of 13 or so that I plan to buy. I had too much trouble choosing just 5 favourites, so there is another top 5 queued up as a companion to this one. There is a big helping of boy angst on this year's list, lots of guitars and percussion and pop/rock with the kind of energy that keeps you awake on cold winter mornings when even your pc doesn't want to start up. I'm not much good at describing music, so thanks to Kiwi music site Amplifier for info on the bands, it's an awesome site and a great source of NZ music. They even sell the Shortland Street theme! Huh.

Honourable mention:
New Hot Nights / Luger Boa: big loud fun rock which is not entirely worksafe

5 reasons to enter Launch Your Lyrics

"I think songwriters are more related to fiction writers. The Odyssey was a story in song. To me, that's so beautiful, all those painted characters, all those travels and adventures."
- Regina Spektor

Happy New Zealand Music Month! There are still a couple of weeks left to enter our Launch Your Lyrics competition, and if you're not yet convinced that you should, then today's post is just for you. Aged 11-18 years old? Love music? Write your own songs? This is an opportunity you just can't miss, and is as easy as emailing us your lyrics along with an mp3 recording of them. Make sure to read the terms and conditions and, when you're reading, simply follow the instructions listed here: http://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/EN/News/NewsArticles/Pages/launchyourlyrics.aspx

If you need a few ideas to get started, or did get started and need a little help to carry on, try these on for size:

Songwriting without boundaries : lyric writing exercises for finding your voice by Pat Pattison

The art of songwriting by Casey Kelly and David Hodge

Get started in songwriting by Sam Inglis

Songwriting for dummies by by Jim Peterik, Dave Austin, Cathy Lynn

Songwriter's rhyming dictionary : quick, simple and easy-to-use : rock, pop, folk & hip-hop by Jake Jackson

What a great way to celebrate NZ Music Month. I can't wait to see the entries! As for me, I'll be celebrating by listening to one-new-to-me NZ CD a day. You'll see my recommendations on the tweetstream with the hashtag #nzmusicmonth. So look out! I'm raiding YOUR local library's CD collections. If you know anybody aged 11-18 who'd be interested, why not share this post with them? Here are 5 reasons to enter Launch Your Lyrics :)

How are YOU celebrating NZ Music Month 2012?

My 5 favourite finds of 2011

List by Danielle

I'll take vampires over werewolves anyday...
~ From 'Vampires', by Minuit

2011 = much YA and more short stories and graphic novels than usual, in an attempt to actually finish some reading, what with the demands of work (apparently I have to work there, and not just read) and wonderful young kids. Also, 2011 brought a memorable 31 days in May listening to a new NZ cd each day, for NZ Music Month. Well, new to me. Which brings me to: Note: I'm not an early adopter. I don't so much start trends as fall over them in my near-sighted way a few years down the track, and marvel at their shininess. With that in mind, here are my favourite 'discoveries' of 2011 (oh look, the Wheel! Sliced bread! An Interweb!)...

Top 5 NZ Music Month discoveries

List by Danielle

'We're just happy people.'
~ Dave Gibson, Elemeno P

31 days... 31 NZ cds! That was the challenge I set myself at the start of the month.

I'm posting a little early because, well, frankly, I enjoyed my trip through the Manukau Library NZ music collection so much that some days I listened to 2 or more cds. I'm a bit shellshocked by this stage, what with so much new music to listen to in such a short time, but the overwhelming impression I have is that NZ music is pretty darn awesome and well worth a listen. Yes, there were a couple of cds that I had to force myself to soldier to the end of, but there are also about 15 cds that are now on my 'do-some-budgeting-and-buy' list, and at least a handful that I have repeatedly thrashed in the car. I even put my foot down and made the kids take off 'Never smile at a crocodile' for some of them. Choosing 5 is actually a major mission. At least half the list deserve honourable mentions.

NZ Music Month: Top 5 tracks/pages from 'The great New Zealand songbook: autographs' that inspired a mini-epiphany or moved me to tears

List by Tosca

"Music is the medicine of a breaking heart."
- Leigh Hunt

How are you celebrating NZ Music Month? Danielle (the same Danielle who updates the Top 5 Goodies blog with me) set herself an NZ Music Month goal for this year: to listen to 1 new-to-her NZ cd a day. It was such a brilliant idea that I decided to do the same for myself and tweet/Facebook whatever it was that I'd chosen for that day. Two days in to my May resolution and I'm quite excited about the possibilities. My first cd was TV knows better by Clap Clap Riot, which Danielle recommended, and it was a loud and joyous kickstart to my musical journey. I've received a couple of recommendations from people already (please feel free to leave your own as a comment - I will try any and all): Kids of 88's Sugarpills and Whirimako Black's Soul sessions. My NZ Music Month journey led me to my greatest find so far this week, an unassuming title I found by happy accident that is, in a nutshell, a book with a couple of cds. The two cds are The best NZ music from last century and The best NZ music from this century highlighting some 42 songs in total. Every person who appears on the cds was given the opportunity to contribute to a journal where they could handwrite the lyrics to their song and add photos, anecdotes, memorabilia and/or sketches. I couldn't believe how much more meaning this added to each track, to be able to know what inspired a melody, a lyric or even a title. I spent a long time poring over every page, reading and re-reading, both with and without the cds playing, jotting down notes, scribbling them out again, muttering to myself and generally trying to make sure my list was true to me but the hardest part of preparing this post was listening to the music with new eyes. A challenge in and of itself. I wish I could tell you I had some empirical, scientific method for selecting which 5 tracks/pages I love, love, loved the most but that's not my style. I chose, instead, to list those that inspired a mini-epiphany of sorts or moved me to tears because, really, that's the sort of person I am.

Top 5 NZ albums I play and play and play again

List by Danielle

'Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.'
~Berthold Auerbach

I'm a re-reader, and a re-listener. If I like something, it gets thrashed, then tucked away, then brought out for another thrash a bit later on. Rinse and repeat.
If you feel like something new to have a loud sing-along with, and for once the kids aren't in the car and you don't have to play 'The princess and the frog' soundtrack for the umpteenth time (though that might just be me), why not try a new Kiwi artist this month? Last year about this time I borrowed CDs by a handful of NZ artists that I'd never listened to before, and this year I think I'll follow Tosca's lead and try it again. Just think how much NZ music has suddenly appeared in the catalogue, thanks to the library amalgamation! Piles and piles, and stacks of piles. Meanwhile, here are the albums that are haunting my ipod (and my car) at the moment.

Top 5 NZ gigs I have enjoyed (and the albums I forever associate them with)

List by Tosca

A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.
Leopold Stokowski

Happy birthday NZ Music Month! Like the rest of the country I'm looking forward to a month long celebration of homegrown musical talent :) I meant to write a current NZ Music Month list, I honestly did, but it's at this particular time of year, more than any other, that I feel nostalgic. I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that musically I spent my early to late 20s going from one live NZ music gig to another. More often than not on my own. I love live music. I'm not a mosher and never have been but the best spot to stand is right at the front where you can watch every movement the musicians make. Unfortunately, this has meant that over the years, I have been stood on, jumped on and shoved seven ways from Sunday but it was worth it. I'd do it all over again if it meant I could see the five acts I've chosen to list below. These are my top 5 NZ live acts (and the albums I forever associate them with) which are, no doubt, different from anyone else's list. Feel free to leave your own preferred choices as a comment. This year I intend to celebrate NZ Music Month 2011 by looking up 5 current NZ bands/artists whose work I have never heard before. That'll be another upcoming post. How will you be celebrating NZ Music Month 2011?

Top 5 most looked at posts for February 2011

We've had a wonderfully eclectic mix of posts for February 2011 and, for those of you who are new readers, this is little more than a roundup of the most popular posts viewed this month. Weirdly, though, 2 are from last year. How odd!

Top 5 most looked at Top 5 posts

List by Tosca

"Good taste is the excuse I have given for leading such a bad life."
- Oscar Wilde

Have you led such a bad life, readers? Do you have excellent taste in books, movies, music? Only time, and blogger's inbuilt stats tools, know :) I was poking around in the Stats section of our Top 5 blog and came across info displaying the most looked at pages...which translates into this fly-by posting of our top 5 most looked at Top 5 posts. Oy, what a mouthful! And you know what? They tell me next to nothing about your varied interests at all LOL You'll find a link to each of the separate posts below as well as their full introduction. Enjoy :P

Top 5 NZ female alternative musicians I most want to be

"You are the best thing that's happened to me since I fell on my face on Tuesday..."
- 'Beautiful' by Fur Patrol

Putting this list together I have realised 2 things about myself. I am either a stalker from way back in the day OR (and this option I like better) I really enjoy music. So much so that of the 5 musicians/bands listed below, I have seen 4 live. Some of them multiple times - in fact, Fur Patrol, Elemeno P and Stellar* I probably chased all around the North Island. I would blush but who'm I kidding? I have no shame! These guys were that good I wanted to see and hear them over and over again. I imagine a lot of it had to do with where I was/who I was at that point in time. Listening to them recently leaves me with a rather bittersweet feeling of nostalgia for that version of me, and a reminder of exceptional friends, good times, awesome road trips, great parties and a general feeling that the world was waiting to be explored. Music has that effect.

Top 5 NZ albums

List by Bridie

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."
- Victor Huge

At the beginning of May we sent an email around to all library staff asking for Top 5 list recommendations to celebrate NZ Music Month. Bridie submitted her list - which you see here before you today - and that's pretty gosh darn amazing considering she herself doesn't work for us, her mum does :) How cool is that?

Enjoy Bridie's list!

Top 5 NZ albums and artists

List by Rachael

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence."
- Leopold Stokowski

This 'Top 5 NZ albums and artists' list was sent to us by Rachael, who writes: I don’t really listen to music without analysing it, I can’t help it, I like music better when a lot is happening. Adeaze and Katchafire top my NZ music list, both have a lot of vocals and hamonies, they keep my listening ear trained by giving me the chance to find every voice/harmony and sing it. Katchafire also has a great range of percussion instruments, I try to hear and listen to every instrument from the voices down to the cabasa. Fly My Pretties is very Kiwi, great to really listen to, lots of different instrument and voice combinations. Hollie Smith and Fat Freddy’s are good for chillaxing with.

So...kick back and enjoy Rachael's NZ Music Month list :)

Top 5 NZ reggae bands

List by Tosca

"My music will go on forever. Maybe it's a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever."
- Bob Marley

My parents have very eclectic music tastes. I say that in a slightly accusatory way but I'm wholly serious. You were just as likely to hear Peter, Paul and Mary as you were Anita Ward, Kid Creole & the Coconuts or Yvonne Elliman. Bob Marley's music was a constant in our home while growing up. I was fortunate in that my parents ensured I heard not just his music but also his beliefs, his philosophies and his politics. I was 14 when I realised that I much preferred his very early recordings, the sort of stuff he produced before he went mainstream. If you've only ever listened to his later stuff I encourage you to make the effort to try some of his early music - it has a really distinct sound. When Bob Marley died in 1981 I was only 5 years old, but thanks to my parents I understood the huge impact he had on New Zealand's own music scene. His music wasn't just a bunch of notes put together - I learnt that it could be political and it could tell histories. Perhaps it was no wonder, then, that indigenous people identified so strongly with his songs of exodus, of redemption, of Jah and of dispossession.

My Top 5 Counties-Manukau bands/musicians

List by Tosca

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence."
- Leopold Stokowski

This is my nod to NZ Music Month. I had to keep in the back of my mind that this list had to be based on items we already have in our collections. I think that made it more challenging. Or hard, depending on which way you look at it.

My family are music mad - you either sing or play an instrument. Only one of us can do neither and, being profoundly deaf, he chooses to express his musical ability in another way and writes some pretty fierce lyrics. It seems like we've always had music in one way or another and, much like our family only on a much wider scale, the Counties Manukau area has always had music, too. Because of that I've certainly never been short of good sounds.

Top 5 NZ albums

List by Corin (Digital Services, Manukau Libraries)

I listen to a lot of music with a strong British bent to my tastes. My formative years were the 80's when New Zealand music was very Flying Nun and I found a lot of this not to my taste. I have always been keen on lyric driven music with strong melody. I am a singer myself and I guess that is why it is important to me. However, I have collected Kiwi music over the years. With the broadening of the New Zealand music industry from the late 80's onwards, I have found plenty that I like and listen to. When compiling this list I set myself 3 criteria:

1) I must own the album;
2) It must be in the Manukau Libraries collection;
3) It must not be a compilation.

There are many names that would have vied to be in the list if they had been in the Manukau Collection, The Mockers, Stellar, Supergroove, to name just three. I have also just realised that all apart from GoldenHorse, hail from Christchurch. This is not intentional I assure you......So with these three rather resticting criteria in mind, here are my top 5 favourite Kiwi albums: