Amplifier

04.08.10 

What does an artist do once they release a new album?  Tour of course... and Flip Grater has both, a new album While I'm Awake I'm At War and a September tour. Graham Reid reckon's the album is pretty bloody good... "This beautifully arranged album, produced by Tim Guy, delivers through understatement as Grater's vocals are soft, almost hinting at the style of introspective French pop singers, and gorgeously melodic in a deliberately narrow and intimate range."

Gear headz may want to check out CreativeTech next month in Auckland where there will be a bunch of talks and presentations including audio engineering and production, as well as design, developing, movie making, photography, business administration and more.

Release Of The Day:
The Kingites - Feathers Of Peace

Feathers Of Peace is the debut album from The Kingites. It is a dark and gritty work that contemplates the state of our world.

The feathers of peace are the songs being held by the wind in the face of a gathering storm. The album celebrates the fighting spirit, the need to retain identity and the importance of reaching out and achieving equality beyond the paper on which rights are printed.

Feathers Of Peace speaks out against the collusion of the military and oil industries, the decay of big city consumerism and our inability to help the poor as we take soil samples from mars. The songs are a lyrical reminder that the vested interests of the world are still pursuing development at the expense of community. And as the finite resources of this world are further depleted to fuel industry, we have to ask the question - why?

Once we destroy the thawing Arctic, the boreal forests of Alberta, the Mongolian steppes, the Papua New Guinea highlands and many other places, we will be left with chemically scarred moonscapes that are then beautified to hide the poison beneath. And we will leave a legacy of nothingness for our children.

The spoken word content on Feathers Of Peace is exceptional and represents the culmination of band founder, Hone 'H1" Manukau's twenty years as a conscious MC. 

Charting The Mainstream 

Nesian Mystik lead the charge on album placing's in this week's official music chart with their new album 99AD debuting at number four. Holy Smoke continues its reign jumping to number 11 this week. Julia Deans Modern Fables moves from 20 to 15 this week. Fat Freddy's Roundhouse also moves up a few spots and is at 18 with Die! Die! Die!'s new album Form just behind.

There's a mid chart lull for local acts until we hit the lower spots where we find Shapeshifter at 30, Crowded House's Intriguer with seven weeks sales action is at number 32.

Eru Dangerspeil is next with the Live CD/DVD Greats News For The Modern Man entering the charts at number 35. Then hold court at 39 is Dane Rumble with The Experiment and The Deceptikonz  Evolution: Past, Present, Beyond at 40.

The singles chart is down to only five locals this week... J Williams at 11, Stan Walker's Stuck In A Box at 15 and the Naked and Famous's Young Blood at 16. Downtown the new single from Kids Of 88 is at 35.

You can see the official NZ Music Chart here. 

Gigs:

Here are our pick for live music for this week as found on the Makuna gig guide.

For a full breakdown on whats on offer around the countries pubs and clubs take a look at Makuna

Have a great day.
Ed