Skallander | |
---|---|
Origin | New Zealand |
Genres | Indie folk, indie rock |
Labels | Involve, Loop Recordings, Type Records |
Associated acts | Signer, Aspen |
Members | Bevan Smith Matthew Mitchell |
Skallander is a New Zealand band made up of electronic musician Bevan Smith and jazz composer Matthew Mitchell. They have been making music under the moniker since 2000. [1]
According to Smith, the name is "a play on the Russian word for ‘cosmonaut suit’. Which is skaffander? I think. Mitch's ex-partner is half-Russian, half-Hungarian." [1]
Smith notes that due to Mitchel's jazz school background, Skallander's songs are recorded in an unconventional style. All the "song parts" (that is, guitars and vocals) are recorded in one take. They are then all timestamped 3–6 minutes apart (depending on song length). Mitchell improvises all the played parts on every song, including a substantial part of the lyrics.
Their second album (although released after the third album) was written wrote and recorded in under a week with one microphone, a sm57, used for everything, and then mixed in under a week. The audio was then run through a hi-end Neve compressor at Radio New Zealand National. Their third album took substantially longer, with the pair working on it for about 6–8 months. The mixes are very dense, with typically about 20–30 vocals layers per track.
The Dominion Post reviewer Lindsay Davis gave their debut album 4.5/5 stars, saying "If you are looking to get beyond the barriers of downbeat albums then Skallander will take you there in style." [2] Renee Jones wrote in NZ Musician that "Skallander's debut album 'The Camels' blends intelligent and innovative production with well-crafted songs." [3]
In a review of 2007's Skallander, Matthew Stern said: "Almost surreptitiously innovative, [Skallander] finds the duo carving out a sound, using unique combinations to create something that doesn’t sound all too far off the beaten path, but resonates memorably." [4]
Amanda Mills of NZ Musician said of their third album: "This beautiful album is sonic experimentation at its most intricate." [5]
Note: The third Skallander album was released prior to the second album due to delays at the label.
Briolette Kah Bic Runga, recording as Bic Runga, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist pop artist. Her first three studio albums debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40 Album charts. Runga has also found success internationally in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom with her song "Sway".
The Black Seeds are a musical group rooted in reggae from Wellington, New Zealand. Their rocksteady-influenced song "One By One" became an international hit when it was played in top ranked TV series Breaking Bad. Their music is a boundary-crossing sound fusion of big beat funk, dub, afro music, pop, rock and soul – and a large or small touch of original roots reggae or ragga is almost always present regardless musical style.
Upper Hutt Posse (UHP) is a musical band in Aotearoa. The progenitors of hip hop music in the South Pacific originally formed as a four-piece reggae group in 1985, the Posse emerged at the forefront of the local response to emerging rap culture. Their unique fusion of rap and reggae has been an inspirational injection into the national music scene, and a powerful vehicle for their revolutionary socio-political perspectives. Influenced primarily by socio-politically conscious reggae and rap music, from Bob Marley to Gil Scott-Heron to Public Enemy. The band name is derived from Upper Hutt, the part of Wellington in which they formed.
Brooke Gabrielle Ligertwood better known by her stage name Brooke Fraser, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter best known for her hit single "Something in the Water", released in 2010. Fraser released two studio albums What to Do with Daylight (2003) and Albertine (2006) through Columbia Records before signing a recording contract with Wood + Bone. Her third studio album, Flags, was released in 2010 and is her most successful album to date. Her most recent album, Brutal Romantic, was released in November 2014 through Vagrant Records.
Anika Rose Moa is a New Zealand recording artist and television presenter. Her debut album Thinking Room, was released in September 2001, which reached number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart and provided two Top 5 singles, "Youthful" (2001) and "Falling in Love Again" (2002). Moa competed at the Rockquest songwriting contest in 1998, which led to a recording contract. She is the subject of two documentaries by film-maker Justin Pemberton: 3 Chords and the Truth: the Anika Moa Story (2003), detailing her signing to a record label and the release of Thinking Room, and In Bed with Anika Moa (2010) on her later career.
The discography of the Irish rock band U2 consists of 14 studio albums, one live album, three compilation albums, 67 singles, and nine extended plays (EPs). The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 as teenagers. In 1979, the group issued their first release, the EP U2-3, which sold well in Ireland. The following year, the group signed to Island Records and released their debut album, Boy. It reached number 52 in the UK and number 63 in the US. They followed it up with the release of October (1981) and War (1983). War was a commercial success, becoming the band's first number-one album in the UK while reaching number 12 in the US. The album yielded the singles "Two Hearts Beat As One", "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day", the latter two have since become among the band's most popular songs. On the subsequent War Tour, the group recorded the live album Under a Blood Red Sky and concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks, both of which sold well and helped establish them globally as a live act.
Shapeshifter are a live drum and bass act from New Zealand. They are known for their live shows and blend of heavy soul with drum and bass. They have made appearances at Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Big Day Out, Parklife plus sold-out performances across Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Alastair Galbraith is a New Zealand musician and sound artist from Dunedin.
The Phoenix Foundation is an indie rock band formed in Wellington, New Zealand.
Cut is the seventh studio album by Australian rock band, Hunters & Collectors. It was mostly produced by American Don Gehman with the group and issued by White Label/Mushroom on 5 October 1992. It reached No. 6 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 17 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. The band were nominated for Best Group at the 1992 ARIA Music Awards and Album of the Year for Cut in the following year.
Fly My Pretties is a collaboration of musicians originally from Wellington, New Zealand who are known for coming together to record live albums, in various locations in New Zealand. The different musical backgrounds of the members make for an eclectic mix of songs on their releases. Fly My Pretties was the brainchild of Barnaby Weir, front man of the Black Seeds and Mikee Tucker of Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa. The objective: To meet, exchange ideas, and then perform and record the results in front of a live audience.
The Experiment is the first solo studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Dane Rumble. Released by Rumble Music and Warner Music on 29 March 2010, it follows two years after the split of his hip hop group Fast Crew. Rumble found it difficult to write music for himself, and therefore deviated to the pop rock genre. The Experiment includes elements of dance-pop and pop rap, and lyrically focusses on personal issues. Rumble produced the album with Jonathan Campbell. In July 2010 Rumble embarked on The Edge Winter Jam: The Experiment Tour, which had him perform in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Love in Motion is the fourth studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Anika Moa. The album's underlying theme is love. Moa's civil partner, Azaria Universe, was her biggest influence when writing the album. With Love in Motion, Moa moved from the folk and country pop influences of In Swings the Tide to a pop rock sound. The album was released by EMI Records internationally on 12 March 2010, with releases in Moa's home country and Australia following on 5 April and 10 September, respectively. Moa toured Westfield malls the week of the album's release, and a concert tour followed in May and June 2010.
Kimbra Lee Johnson is a New Zealand singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. Known for mixing pop with R&B, jazz and rock musical elements, her accolades include four ARIA Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and seven New Zealand Music Awards. Her musical influences range from Prince and Minnie Riperton to Björk and Jeff Buckley.
Glass Heart is Mel Parsons' fourth album, released on 30 November 2018 on Cape Road Recordings. The concept of the album name came from comparing ones heart to a fragile object that smashes if it is dropped.
Joel Little is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter. He is best known for his work as a writer and producer with artists Lorde, Taylor Swift, Broods, Sam Smith, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Khalid, Elliphant, Jarryd James, Shawn Mendes, Marina Diamandis, Amy Shark, Olivia Rodrigo and the Jonas Brothers.
English singer Sam Smith has released three studio albums, one independent album, three live albums, one remix album, one soundtrack, thirteen extended plays, thirty-one singles, and three promotional singles.
Cairo Knife Fight (CKF) is a rock band originating from New Zealand, founded in 2007 by musical artist Nick Gaffaney, featuring a drum and guitar duo incorporating real-time layered loops.
Mel Parsons is an indie folk and alternative country singer/songwriter from New Zealand.
Renee-Louise Carafice is a New Zealand-born experimental pop singer and songwriter. As of 2014, she was based in Nashville, Tennessee.