♫ The Checks – Candyman Shimmer (previously praised)
I wish I loved this LP more cause Alice By The Moon was one of 09’s best but this LP feels a bit meh. Good stuff but where is the epic-ness?
[Quickies are mini-reviews that can fit into a 140 character tweet. They are of albums that people already know of but perhaps are curious about our take on it. What did you think of the disc?] Read more
♫ The Checks – Candyman Shimmer
My favorite New Zealand band The Checks are back and I couldn’t be more pumped! These guys dropped on of the best (and most under-acknowledged) albums of 2009. Candyman Shimmer is a winding slow burner that gets under your skin and makes itself at home. But forget my words, the band’s own description can’t be beat.
“Candyman Shimmer” is really all about you and your stinking mate in a clapped out 1.3 litre Fiat Uno chain smoking cigarettes hooning past two slick fellas in expensive suits cruising the motorway in a silver Porche. You pull your blue jumper over your eyes as you boost along and think about the Barbados coastline.
See, a new jam and some new vocabulary words! Learning was never this much fun. New Checks album is slated for a November release in NZ so start saving for that plane ticket.
Get loud in Soundcloud
In true summer fashion this 3rd installment is coming a week later than promised but it’s all good cause you been chilling so hard that nobody noticed. Well get out of the pool, dry your hands, and get downloading cause the sun will be setting soon and you’ll want this sun-mellowed summer mix to close out your day. Throw your arm around your summer fling, settle into a chilled beverage, and let the sunset burn into your retinas. Don’t forget volumes 1 & 2!
1. ♫ Jay-Z – 99 Problems (Prince Ballard Royal Edit feat. The Dap Kings)
This is it. The best of the best. As determined by me and in alphabetical-by-artist order. This list has been a labor of love and it is an honor to pay tribute to so many fantastic albums. With that said, don’t hesitate to lift your leg and leave your own mark in the comments. Or just track down the albums here that you don’t know and get down with a good set of headphone. I know these lists are self indulgent and often pointless but they are fun nonetheless. A big thank you to all the TBE readers who stick with me day after day and trudge through my ramblings. Ok, I’m out. Carry on! Read more
After yesterday’s artwork fiasco I felt I had to hit you all with some mind bending awesomeness. Well, here it is, the cover for the new album by New Zealand’s The Checks and how about some mind bendingly awesome music to go along with it? Hmmm? How’s that treat you? The Checks were introduced to me by TBE reader Jared and after finally getting around to tracking down their sophomore album (not easy) I was pretty blown away by Alice By The Moon. This thing is solid rock and roll with just enough swampy dirt to suck you in and just enough hooks to pull you back out again. Crunching guitars and creeping beats that have look to put Alice By The Moon on my year’s best albums list so far.For reals. It was no easy task picking 1 or 2 songs to share here. Jared recommended Alice‘s opening three, “Bagheera,” “You And Me,” and “Crows,” and while they are great it was “Ballroom Baby” sitting at track 4 that really gave me pause. Holy smokes. Then it’s just wham bam through the rest of the 13 tracks. Some more dancey, some more dirty, some sounding like what The Dead Weather should sound like (as opposed to just being bad), and some with epic guitar solos.
Don’t make me beg, go buy this album. If you have your own music blog and dig this magic then pass on the love. These guys are being screwed by geography but it is really us non-New Zealanders that are the victims. A damn shame. OK, enough from me, I have their debut LP Hunting Whales to track down…
Bury your face in MySpace /// Buy Alice By The Moon from the band