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These are a few of our favourite things

In which we indulge our love of lists....

March 9, 2010

Homebrew - Benefit  by  ayebronz

March 6, 2010

March 5, 2010

here's a cool video...

So much great music on offer at the moment - Yeasayer, Memory Tapes, Broken Bells, and So So Modern all have new albums that make me excited and dance down the road with my headphones on.

February 23, 2010 

Pitchfork feature on Chris Knox, interviewed by Shayne Carter - here

February 13, 2010

bangin... Scratch 22 remixes The Mint Chicks...

January 29, 2010

Health NZ Tour - 'La noise rock group Health, preparing for their NZ tour, February 2010'

December 23 2009 

Gah! It's Christmas? how did that happen? We have found time to muse on the year that's been though.... 

2009 End Of Year Lists 

Kirsten Johnstone – Presenter/Co-producer, Music 101

So I finally joined the digital revolution and got me a big ol’ flash MP3 player this year. Despite people saying that ‘my life would change’, it hasn’t. I quite like it though, having a soundtrack for mundane things like bus-rides. And I’m discovering the joys of the shuffle function, though I still love the album as an art-form. Anyway, here goes:

Albums I’ve thrashed
The XX – XX
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimist
Dark Was The Night – Red Hot Compilation 
Rhian Sheehan – Standing In Silence
An Emerald City – Circa Scaria
Rosy Tin Teacaddy – The Homeward Stretch
Dear Time’s Waste – EP
Where The Wild Things Are OST
(I also played Bon Iver over and over…2008 release though)

Other random songs I’ve had on repeat:
Speech Debelle – Better Days (feat Micachu) 
Mumford + Sons – White Blank Page
Feist + Ben Gibbard – Train Song
Sharon Jones + the Dapkings – Inspiration Information
St Vincent – Black Rainbow
Lawrence Arabia – Apple Pie Bed
Dirty Projectors – No Intention
East Of Eden – To Lose Someone
James Duncan & Bachelorette - My New Flumes
Family Cactus - Mariarchi Stomper

Gigs I liked lots
Fleet Foxes at SFBH
Justin Townes Earl at Bodega
Camp A Low Hum (pictured, doing a forest session with Rand And Holland)
Daniel Beban playing banjo at Fredstock
NZ Jazz festival – Dhafer Youssef, Melanie Pain
Old Crow Medicine Show at The Front Room

Some moments this year when I really loved my job
- Amanda Palmer singing a song she’d written for New Zealand in her hotel room the day after one of the most audience inclusive gigs I’ve ever seen. At one point she had an audience member holding her keyboard stand, at another she was picking fans questions out of a jar and answering them. Very funny lady.
 
- Speaking to Massive Attack’s Daddy G. What an honest, humble, lovely man. Mezzanine is one of my all-time favourite albums and the ensuing NZ concert was incredible, so speaking to him was kind of a realisation of a teenage dream. We haven’t played that yet ..stay tuned.
 
- Playing radio premieres of both Shayne Carter’s mum and dad’s songs, hearing Te Aratoi's recipe for Kina Mousse,  going to Ceol Anaes - an Irish Festival in Nelson; Making a programme about the Theremin; Listening to Dave Mustaine talk about cults, hexes and s.t.d.’s (and following up the interview with ‘Crabs in My Pants by reggae artist Dillinger…  well we make ourselves giggle, anyway..) actually most weeks putting the show together is lots of fun. Team Music 101 rules. 

Emma Smith - Music 101 Producer/ reporter & Music 101 Summer presenter

Favourite Gigs:
Stereolab at the San Fran, one of my favourites just months before they went on hiatus. Yus!
The feelgood banter of Jarvis Cocker and Ghostface Killah. Jarvis gets extra points for 'Paranoid'.
The brain curdling timing and word-smithery of Beans.
Akron/ Family- Bewitched by a psychedelic wig out.... inside!
Connan Mockasin's furry hood and glittery cape, or was that glittery hood and furry cape? Refer to above musing.
Of Montreal- they couldn't quite get a horse up the stairs of the San Fran Bathhouse, but masks made the magic.
The fresh ideas billowing out of Freds and Space Thing.
The Buzzcocks still have it in 'em. Who'd've thought?
Death And The Dreamlife of Elephants @ Bats - Not technically a gig, but the acutely orchestrated timing and sound design made for an unnerving performance.

Favourite Local Releases Off the Top Of My Head
Various: Audio Foundation NZ Wire Compilation-  a superb snapshot of contemporary experimental music and sound practice in NZ.
Pie Warmer 'The Fearsome Feeling' -Strange yet singalong, disarming yet dancy. I like.
The Verlaines 'Corporate Moronic'- Acerbic tales from home. I like.
James Duncan 'Hello Fi'- Aural overload meets hammy puns. I like.
Various 'Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox'- Life throws out/up some surprises alright.

Liisa McMillan, RNZ National Executive Producer - Music

Memorable Live Gigs (e.g. the ones I can remember):
Fleet Foxes live at San Francisco Bathhouse
Camp A Low Hum 2009 esp. Bonaparte, The Sneaks, our commando ‘Cicada Sessions’ in the forest with Grayson Gilmour, Teacups, Ned Colette etc; & the surprise debut of the Finn Family band.
HLAH @ Mighty Mighty
Buzzcocks @ Bodega (first half)
Strike & Adam Page @ Downstage (pictured)

Daytime Gigs that kids could sneak into:
The Proxies Halloween matinee @ The Adelaide (v. popular with Pixies-obsessed 4y.old)
Fly My Pretties - The Story (matinee) (“I like the conductor (storyteller Dick Weir in a top hat & cape) and the guy with the feather hat (singer Lisa Tomlins) best”)
Greg Malcolm’s kids show @ Fredstock

Albums on Repeat:
Stroke - Songs for Chris Knox
Pie Warmer - The Fearsome Feeling
The Editors - In This Light And On This Evening
Where The Wild Things Are - Soundtrack
Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures
Dimmer - Degrees of Existence
Ragamuffin Children - Seahorse Emporium
Awesome Feeling III
Bachelorette - My Electric Family
… much else, blurring…

Great music stories on the radio:
Camp A Low Hum 2009 live broadcast - we worked our a*ses off, and it was great fun (and hopefully great radio).
Rock'n'Roll Caravan - Supergroove & Elemeno P’s tour diary.
When Johnny Came To Town: the 50th Anniversary of live Rock 'n' Roll in NZ, when a show headlined by Gene Vincent and Johnny Cash played at Auckland's Town Hall.
The Spooky Sounds of the Theremin
Tourettes interviewed by (his album producer) Karl Steven (of Supergroove)
Disasteradio & Blink interviewed in a rainy London park.
Deja Voodoo discussing Grunge.
And thanks to our dedicated reporters for making radio programmes while holidaying in places the travel budget couldn’t reach: I Love The Islands, CHART Fest, Ceol Anaes, Charlie Ash Tour Diary, From the Crate to the Cradle, NZers in Berlin, Mott The Hoople Reunion, Hawkwind in a Tent etc.

Live Recordings:
The Chills @ Montecristo Room
Lawrence Arabia, Connan Mockasin, Liam Finn, EJ Barnes & friends ‘Having A Baby’ gig
Opensouls @ Kings Arms
Lydia Cole Live @ The Classic
Rhian Sheehan @ Downstage
(more from these to come over summer)

Nick Bollinger - Music reviewer for RNZ National and The Listener, musician

Best Albums of 2009
The Beatles - Remastered Box sets
Wilco - Wilco (the album)  
Richard Swift - The Atlantic Ocean
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
Arthur Russell - Love Is Overtaking Me
Levon Helm - Electric Dirt
Tourettes - Who Says You Can’t Dance To Misery? 
Pie Warmer - The Fearsome Feeling
Bachelorette - My Electric Family
David Kilgour & Sam Hunt - Falling Debris
Various - Stroke: Songs For Chris Knox
Don McGlashan & The Seven Sisters – Marvellous Year

Sean McKenna - Nine To Noon music reviewer, Music 101 contributor

Fave albums
Pie Warmer – The Fearsome Feeling
Lee Fields – My World
Lawrence Arabia – Chant Darling
The Leisure Society – The Sleeper
Bachelorette – My Electric Family
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Kats Karavan: The History Of John Peel On The Radio
Vijay Iyer Trio – Historicity
Taken by Trees – East of Eden

Fave gigs
Camp A Low Hum – one of the best music festivals I’ve ever been to. Highlights were Pikelet, the Wicks, Teacups, swimming, Box Wars and the
Finn Family Band.
Akron/Family at the San Fran Bath House – amazing live, though the lead singer looks halfway between Jerry Garcia and an actuary.
WOMAD Taranaki - Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu who gave an incredibly moving performance plus Seckou Keita, Sa Ding Ding, Seun Kuti with Egypt 80 were all great.
The Puddle at Happy – my first time seeing the wonderful songs of George D. Henderson.
Mogwai at The Forum, Melbourne – Mogwai is Scottish for tinnitus.
Dan Deacon at Summer Tones, Melbourne – hilarious audience interaction and a flashing neon skull.
Vic Chesnutt at the San Fran Bath House
Cut Off Your Hands at the San Fran Bath House (hmm, that sounds like an instruction. Drink Off Your Face would be more apt.)
Beans at the San Fran Bath House – the words, the dancing!

My favourite thing about gigs in New Zealand
That the audience can get up on stage at the San Francisco Bath House, dance with the band like it’s a house party and nobody bats an eyelid.

My personal cross-cultural radio moments of the year
Playing Irish language hip-hop on Radio New Zealand for what I suspect is the first time. West Coast! (…of Ireland)
Realising I’m slowly starting to say ‘yis’. And liking it. 

Trevor Reekie - RNZ Music reporter & host of Access All Areas and Hidden Treasures, writer, musician.

Favourite Albums:
Speed Caravan – Kalashnik Love
Miriam Clancy – Magnetic
The Blood Diamond Mixtape
The Melody Of Rhythm - Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer
Everyday Chemistry – Beatles Mash Ups
Inspiration Information - Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics
Falling Debris - David Kilgour/Sam Hunt
Modern Sound Of Harry Beckett – Harry Beckett / Adrian Sherwood

Favorite Songs:
Green Eyed Love Remix – Mayer Hawthorne
Inside Story – Don McGlashan from Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox
Je t’aime  - Staff Benda Bilili – from Tres Tres Fort
Ba Ba Boom Oogun remix – Dub Asylum

Favorite Gigs:
Jeff Beck at Aotea Centre –a guitar genius despite the Spinal Tap haircut and wardrobe
Kitty Daisy and Lewis – Monte Cristo Room – Shambolic and brilliant, fresh and fearless.

Musical Epiphany:
Losing John Martyn and Mink de Ville …
Discovering Brazilian music from the Favela’s.
Meeting the Bedouin Jerry Can Band. Nomads on camels with ipods and iphones.

Music quote of the year:
“The idea that the major labels are the victims of an immoral act is incredible to me. They claim to have the best interests of the artists at heart. Oh, really? They haven’t had the best interests of the artists in mind for 50 years.” Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

Favorite Music Books:
When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography Of Led Zeppelin – Mick Wall
More miles Than Money ; journeys through American Music – Garth Cartwright

Favorite Radio Moments:
Having a laugh with Alice Cooper.

The warmth of Lenny Kaye talking about the genius of Les Paul.

Tracking down Kearney Barton (aged 76) who has a career that dates back to the recordings of the Sonics, the Ventures, the Frantics and umpteen 1960s North Western garage bands. Kearney Barton just recorded Wheedles Groove this year – released by Seattle’s wonderful Light in the Attic label.

Sam Wicks: - Real Groove Magazine Editor and former RNZ Music Mix producer & presenter

Top Ten Albums
Drake - So Far Gone
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Mint Chicks - Screens
PNC - Bazooka Kid
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns
The-Dream - Love vs. Money
The xx - xx
Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement

Top Ten Singles
Animal Collective - My Girls
Beyoncé - Sweet Dreams
Mint Chicks - Hot on Your Heels
Major Lazer ft. Nina Sky & Ricky Blaze - Keep It Goin' Louder
The xx - Islands
David Dallas - Front To Back
Vampire Weekend - Cousins
Homebrew - Bad Bad Whiskey
Lily Allen - The Fear
Raekwon featuring Ghostface Killah and Method Man - New Wu

Best Gig
The Who at North Harbour Stadium

Favourite Radio Moment
Savage - I Love the Islands

 

Marty Duda – RNZ National Music Contributor

Well, for me, the obvious high point was the Mott The Hoople reunion shows in October in London. There were other amazing shows as well...Leonard Cohen and Neil Young in January.
The single coolest live moment came at the Simon & Garfunkel show in Auckland when the power went out on the stage during Bridge Over Troubled Water, leaving Paul and Art in a potentially embarrassing situation. The audience immediately picked up the song, singing loudly and beautifully until power was restored...an amazing moment.

Also very good was My Morning Jacket's set at the Big Day Out.
The Chris Knox benefit at The Kings Arms was also very cool, especially when Chris performed

Fave album of the year is Wilco (The Album)

And, I've just set up my own web site with music and interviews...
www.themusicroom.co.nz

Artist of the Decade...for me Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

Zen Yates-Fill - RNZ National Music Playlist producer

Top Ten Albums 2009:
Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
Lee Fields - My World
Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy
K'Naan - Troubadour
Tres Tres Fort - Staff Benda Bilili
Les Triaboliques - Rivermudtwilight
Fat Freddy's Drop - The Big BW
The Invisible - The Invisible
The XX - XX
Various - Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve: Re Animations Vol.1

And Close but not Quite...
Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence
Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement
Mulatu Astake New York-Addis-London The Story of Ethio Jazz

Simon Sweetman – Music 101 Best of 09 Panel member, Dominion Post and Stuff.co.nz writer

Jan Hellriegel, All Grown Up
Florence and the Machine, Lungs
James Duncan, Hello Fi
James Blackshaw, The Glass Bead Game
Prince Lotus Flower/MPLSound
Rhian Sheehan, Standing In Silence
Lawrence Arabia, Chant Darling
The Clean, Mr Pop
David Kilgour/Sam Hunt, Falling Debris
Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures

Grant Smithies - Music 101 Best of 09 Panel member, Sunday Star Times writer

Bill Callahan: I Wish We Were An Eagle
Dimmer: Degrees OF Existence
The XX: xx
Dinosaur Jnr- Farm
VA: Five years of Hyperdub
Flaming Lips: Embryonic
Grizzly bear: veckatimest
Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavillion
Bachelorette: My Electric Family
Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox
The Gladeyes: Psychosis Of Love
James Duncan: Hello-Fi
David Kilgour/ Sam Hunt- Falling Debris
The Beatles reissue

October 27 2009 

We're putting together our Halloween special this week, full of ghosts, ghouls, and good gothic music. How exciting. I'm assembling a programme about the Theremin, so i thought i'd share a couple of my favourite Theremin related clips...first this professional player shows us how it's done...

and then Jon Spencer shows how NOT to play the Theremin....

And for a perfect addition to that Halloween Mixtape you're making, check out Dead Man's Bones. Creepy. Choice. KJ

September 30 2009 

We're starting to make top ten album/gig/musicalmoments lists. I can only speak for myself (it's Kirsten writing here...) but there's three bands that have completely hooked me in this year, that I'd like to share with you now so that when we play more on the radio you'll be as excited as I am.

The XX are a very young band from London who may not be fabulous performers yet, but have produced one of the most perfect, and utterly addictive pop albums i've heard - a sparce blend of 17 seconds era Cure, undulating 90s R+B vocal lines, and i even hear some Chris Isaak (This Wicked Game) guitar and some Enya styled synths. My producer says that I shouldn't go into P.R. based on this description.

Mumford and Sons are also Londoners, The Guardian described them as "Coldplay reincarnated as Hillbillies" and in this case, it's not a bad thing. They've released a couple of gorgeous EP's, and their debut album comes out next week, so I'm pre-empting my love of this...

Grizzly Bear make beautiful, dense, chamber pop - I love albums that I hear new things in every time i listen. They're not coming to NZ in summer, so I'm going to Australia to see them. That's me skiting. If you have 2009 favourites you'd like to tell us about we'd love to check them out - there's contact details on our main Music 101 page.  

July 24 2009

Friday procrastination...

this keyboard drum machine is so very cool....  

About to interview Handsome Furs ahead of their NZ gigs in August. Forming a band with your wife so you both get to tour amazing places - now that's clever.

July 22 2009

Why we like getting real mail:

 

 The Gladeyes, from Auckland sent us this letter and nice song about emotional psychosis. Thanks, Gladeyes. 

And here's some particularly cultish characters making music in the bath.. er.. river. 

July 14 2009

We like it when Twitter does the job we want it to. And Haunted Love really are fabulous.

 

2008 End Of Year Lists

Sam Wicks (The Music Mix) 

Top 10 albums (in no particular order)

Coco Solid - 'The Radical Bad Attack'
MGMT - 'Oracular Spectacular'
Young Jeezy - 'The Recession'
Kings of Leon - 'Only By the Night'
Nas and DJ Green Lantern - 'The Ni**er Tape'
Fleet Foxes - 'Fleet Foxes'
Erykah Badu - 'New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)'
TV on the Radio - 'Dear Science'
The Bug - 'London Zoo'
Dudley Benson - 'The Awakening'

Best gig

Wilco at the Bruce Mason Theatre

Most Favourite radio moment

Coco on Wax

Kirsten Johnstone (Presenter, Music 101)  

Best Albums of 2008

Fleet Foxes
TV On The Radio- Dear Science
My Brightest Diamond- A Thousand Sharks Teeth
James Yorkston- When the Haar Rolls In
Karen Dalton- Green Rocky Road
Le Loup - The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly
Collapsing Cities: Elixir Always
Ruby Suns- Sea Lion
Side Kick Nick: Miscellaneous Adventures
Samuel Flynn Scott- Straight Answer Machine  

Favourite Homegrown

(great local bands who’ve popped up this year)  

Dear Time’s Waste, HomeBrew, Tiny Paper Daggers, The Ribbon, The Teacups, Secret Knives, Yule, The Family Cactus, Electric Wire Hustle

Random Moments of Musical Joy in 2008

Having Iron and Wine (pictured), and Malcolm Middleton in the studio to play songs JUST for her (and you.)
Playing Sweet Child O Mine AND Welcome to the Jungle on the radio.
Doing a radio show from a sunny courtyard full of happy indie kids. Camp A Low Hum 2008
Playing Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Souxie Sioux, and David Bowie in the one show.
Making live singing debut on the radio with Chris Knox’s Not Given Lightly, Ukulele accompaniment. (Pays to have no shame in this job.)
Discovering the Bluegrass isn’t terrible, and country can be cool.
Talking to folkies at the Wellington Folk Festival
Banjo.

Top Gigs 

Andrew Bird, The Classic
Beirut, SFBH
The National, Kings Arms
Woolshed Sessions, Bats
Connan Mockasin, Camp A Low Hum
PJ Harvey, The Civic
 

Liisa McMillan –  Executive Music Producer 

Best Gigs:

PJ Harvey @ The Civic
Radio New Zealand National Live @ Roundhead
Kimya Dawson @ Paramount
The Breeders @ San Francisco Bath House
SJD @ Bodega
Camp A Low Hum 2008
AK 79 Live @ Monte Cristo Rooms 

Biggest (Live) Regrets (Why Wasn’t I There?)

The National
Kraftwerk
Headless Chickens
Matthew Crawley’s pocket (on his Nick Cave research trip) 

Albums of 08

(in no particular order, and with random sub-headings):

Fleet Foxes
The National (I know, but don’t care that it came out last year, OK?)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!’
Naked And Famous – ‘This Machine’/’No Light’ (EPs)
Ruby Suns – Sea Lion
Moana & The Tribe – Wha
Brian Eno / David Byrne - Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (a late entry, could become a summer soundtrack) 

Local Quirky Humour (that rocks):

Collapsing Cities: Elixir Always
The Tweeks
Yule
Bond Street Bridge
Coco Solid 

Three collections of poetry-with-music -

- which manage to enhance both disciplines

Original Branch Manual – Catalyst 7 (7 poets, 7 artists and 7 musicians)
I Can See Fiji - Poetry and Sound by Teresia Teaiwa & Hinemoana Baker
Jim Christy - God’s Little Angle 

Greatest Loss to Music

Mahinarangi Tocker 

On High Rotate due to Small Child, yet not totally ruined for grownups:

Blondie - Parallel Lines/ Best of…
SJD - Dayglo Spectres
Bad Jelly The Witch
The Wizard of Oz
The Hobnail Boots (slipping down the list from last year though)
Cats (The Musical) – not so successful. 

Trevor Reekie

(Access All Areas, Hidden Treasures)  

Top ten albums

Bob Dylan’s Tell Tale Signs – the bootleg series vol 8
Toumani Diabate - ‘The Mande Variations’
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!
Dan Lissvik – swedish ambient guitarist. 7 Trx + Intermission
Passionate Blues – J B Lenoir – reissued on e-music
Rodriguez – Cold Fact reissue on light in the attic
Elizabeth Cotton - Shake Sugaree reissued on e-music
Fripp and Eno – No Pussyfooting re issue
Odetta And The Blues – reissued on e-music  

Fave Track this year 

Azmari Dub by Dub Colossus - from ‘A Town Called Addis’  

Gigs

Anoushka Shankar at the Ak Town Hall
Master Kong Nay at Womad. The Cambodian Ray Charles
Joe Satriani at G-Tar Fest. A virtuoso and a real nice guy !
The Sami Sisters at Otago Uni – engaging and really funny.
The Closing ceremony at Womad orchestrated by Don McGlashan.
Windy City Strugglers at the Monte Christo Room.
Dudley Benson at St Mathews Church Ak.  

Random moments of musical inspiration

Reading Redemption Song the life of Joe Strummer-Chris Saleswicz
Reading Exile On Mainstreet by Robert Greenfield – a jaw dropping explicit account of the making of a classic album.
Kraftwerk And The Electronic Revolution.. dvd
Joy Division (The Miriam Collection) dvd
Lunch with Murray Cammick. 

Favourite radio moments

Talking to Rodriguez
Talking to Lenny Kaye
Meeting Keb Mo at Blues Fest
Talking to Toumani Diabate (pictured) who descends from 70 generations of kora players. 

Blog sites

Peter McLennan - dubdotdash.blogspot.com
Simon grigg - opdiner.blogspot.com
Russell Brown - publicaddress.net
chrisbourke.blogspot.com
nzmusician.co.nz
e-music.com
coolfer.com/blog 

Nick Bollinger (The Sampler)  

Best Albums of 2008 

Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Part One
TV On The Radio- Dear Science
Dave Dobbyn- Anotherland
Renee-Louise Carafice- Tells You To Fight
Dudley Benson- Awakening
Luke Buda- Vesuvious
White Swan Black Swan
Benji Hughes- A Love Extreme
Jenny Lewis- Acid Tongue
The Felice Brothers- s/t
Nick Cave- Dig, Lazarus Dig!
Randy Newman- Harps And Angels 

Troy Ferguson

(contributor, inc. for The Sampler)  

The most inspiring thing about 2008 was that despite all the boring talk about “new business models”, “music industry disaster” and “Idol-centricity”, there was nonetheless a huge amount of great music available on ALL formats.

Top 10

Happily, this Top 10 could easily be a Top 100, but first to mind:
These New Puritans – ‘Beat Pyramid’
Lykke Li – ‘Youth Novels’
Paul Weller – ’22 Dreams’
Crystal Castles – ‘Crystal Castles’
Melvins – ‘Nude With Boots’
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!’
Naked And Famous – ‘This Machine’/’No Light’ (EPs)
Ivs Primae Noctis – ‘Solo dio’ (single)
Factory Floor – ‘Bipolar’ (single)
Morrissey - ‘All You Need Is Me’ (single) 

Live show of 2008

The New Zealand Friendly Orchestra at St Matthews In The City, Auckland. “Stunningly awful” said a commentator, and they were entirely correct.

Favourite Radio Moment

An “overtired” Ace KJ on Music 101 presented one of the best radio shows I have ever heard -- Peelesque in instinctual delivery and inspired choices.

Best episodes of The Sampler

Those presented by Nick Bollinger. I could understand those ones. 

Hope for 2009

That everybody shuts up about business models and new technology and gets on with making awesome music (Trent Reznor can do all three, as those who walk it AND talk it are exempt). 

Looking forward to: ‘Screens’, the forthcoming album by The Mint Chicks. Apparently they have become “the little Enos” we always suspected.

John Pilley

RNZ National Music Manager

A Top 10 that I’m still listening to from this year

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (real voices and harmonies)
Amadou & Miriam - Welcome To Mali (top of the world)
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey (except the last track ACDC cover)
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip in the Grain (Ray gets happy and finds a horn section)
Sigur Ros - Med sud I eyrum vid spilum endalaust (don’t know it means but dense, rich and powerful)
Dr John - City That Care Forgot  (RIP New Orleans)
T Bone Burnett - Tooth of Crime (deep and dark and uncompressed)
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (big pop)
Bob Dylan -  Tell Tale Signs : Bootlegs Vol 8 (like a fine wine…)
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue (and a great songwriter too)

And other bits that hit

Finally tracked down - T Bone Burnett - Proof Through The Night & The Complete Trap Door
Reissue - The Blasters - Testament: The Complete Slash Recordings (1981-1985)
Box set collection - John Martyn - Ain’t No Saint (what a box set should be)
Single and video -  MGMT - Electric Feel (trippy and poppy)
Discovery of year - James Blackshaw (in the spirit of Davy Graham RIP)
Best live show - Patti Smith Melbourne (artist, poet, musician, still relevant and rocking)
Best Live Show(s) - Womad Taranaki 2008 (Mavis, Master Kong Nay, Neil, Toumani,  the Haidouks)
Best Music on film CSNY - Déjà Vu Live (powerful political film with not bad music)
Best music reads - The Word (long sentences and a writing age over 11), Songlines (discover a world of music)
Pet hate - mastering compression (we don’t want to hear it loud, we just want hear all the music)

Grant Smithies

Music Journalist, Author and Music 101 Best Music of 2008 Panel contributor 

Chad Vangaalen: Soft Airplane
Dudley Benson: The Awakening (Golden Retriever/ Border)
Coco Solid: The Radical Bad Attack (Graffiti Girl/ Border)
Rachel Unthank and The Winterset: The Bairns (Rabble Rouser/ Shock)
Collapsing Cities: Elixer Always (Pastel Pistol
Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Pt. One Universal/ Motown)
Roots Manuva: Slime And Reason (Big Dada)
Side Kick Nick: Miscellaneous Adventures
The Bug: London Zoo (Ninja Tune/ Border)
SJD: Dayglo Spectres
TV On The Radio: Dear Science, (4AD/ Rhythmethod)
Die! Die! Die!: Promises, Promises (Tardus)
Steve Abel: Flax Happy
Madlib the Beat Konducta - WLIB AM  

Duncan Grieve

(Real Groove Editor and Music 101 Best Music of 2008 Panel contributor)

TV On The Radio - Dear Science 
Nas - Untitled 
Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak 
Lindstrøm - Where You Go I Go Too 
Thought Creature - Teleport Palace 
Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair
Gang Gang Dance - St Dymphna
T.I. - Paper Trail 
Lil Wayne - The Carter III 
The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion 
Miley Cyrus - Breakout 
Carl Craig - Sessions

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