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Posts Tagged Indie

Archive

August 15, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Ben Lee: Quarter Century Classix

Ben Lee Quarter Century Classix New West Records I’ve always wanted to like Ben Lee more than I think I actually do. And I’ll always give an album of cover-versions an extra chance. So I’m an all-day sucker right here when Ben Lee decides to release a collection of his favourite indie-pop songs that are […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 25 Years, Album Review, Alt, Ben Lee, Ben Lee: Quarter Century Classix, Cover Versions, Covers, Indie, Pop, Quarter Century Classix, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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September 22, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 248

Peter Fonda, Peter Fonda (2018) I have a very kind friend based in Australia who has hooked me up with some interesting vinyl from talented, if lesser known players. His philosophy is simple: connecting people with music, sharing his tastes, helping out his mates – his mates in bands and his mates that like music. […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged Art, Artwork, Aussie, Australia, Australian, Band, Fonda, Friend, Indie, Inner Sleever, LP, Ltd Ed, Painting, Peter, Peter Fonda, Record, The Vinyl Countdown, The Vinyl Countdown # 248, Vinyl, You'd Know Best ·

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May 6, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

Stubs: # 226 – Snarky Puppy, Wellington, 2019

Something clever happened here – Snarky Puppy sold a version of jazz to an audience of hipster-indie fans and boofheads (and some genuine jazzers too I guess…) and I wanted to know a bit more about that, having only heard some of their recordings and having missed their previous visits to the country. It blows me away they can sell so […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 2019, April, Gig, Indie, Jazz, Live Gig, Musicianship, Opera House, Snarky Puppy, Stub, Stubs, Stubs: # 226, Stubs: # 226 – Snarky Puppy, Wellington, Wgtn ·

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April 2, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 141: Silver Jews – “Bright Flight” 

I think this might be the only Silver Jews album I hadn’t heard. Funny. Not that I was ever a massive fan of the band – if that was the case I would have heard this album for a start. Just record store days really. You sought out the indie stuff, the cool stuff, the interesting stuff. That, plug peak days reviewing records. I […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1001, 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums Challenge, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 2000s, 2001, Bright Flight, Indie, Silver Jews, Silver Jews - “Bright Flight”, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 141, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 141: Silver Jews - “Bright Flight”, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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January 3, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

Fergus & Geronimo: Revisiting Unlearn

Fergus & Geronimo is the name of an American duo from Denton in Texas . The band takes that name from the characters in this film. I didn’t know anything about them until I was given their debut album, Unlearn, to review. For all the truly awful albums that pass across my desk in a […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 2011, Andrew Savage, Doo-Wop, Fergus & Geronimo, Fergus & Geronimo: Revisiting Unlearn, Indie, Jason Kelly, Revisiting Unlearn, Unlearn ·

Archive

December 3, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

Pavement: The Greatest Band of the 1990s

The 1990s had several big bands that staked a claim – obviously Nirvana even though they didn’t last longer than half the decade; obviously many people will want to say Pearl Jam because they started in the 1990s and released a few albums across that decade – and carried on from there. And Smashing Pumpkins […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 90s, Alternative, Grunge, Indie, Nineties, Pavement, Pavement: The Greatest Band of the 1990s, R.E.M., The Greatest Band of the 1990s ·

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December 1, 2015 by Simon Sweetman

Kristin Hersh: Don’t Suck, Don’t Die – Giving Up Vic Chesnutt

Don’t Suck, Don’t Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt Kristin Hersh University of Texas Press Well, after Rat Girl, I’d read anything by Kristin Hersh. And I was a fan of the incredible songwriting of Vic Chesnutt so this slim volume got the big tick as a concept, before it was even in my hands to […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Book, Book Review, Don't Die, Don't Suck, Don't Suck Don't Die, Don't Suck Don't Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt, Giving up Vic Chesnutt, Indie, Kristin Hersh, Memoir, Paradoxical Undressing, Rat Girl, Singer/Songwriter, Throwing Muses, Vic Chesnutt ·

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December 11, 2014 by Simon Sweetman

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks: NZ Tour (March 2015)

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks will play four New Zealand shows across three cities in early 2015. The ex-Pavement singer/songwriter and his (new) band The Jicks (they’ve released six albums and have been an entity for over a decade) released one of the first best records of 2014 with January’s Wig Out at Jagbags. Malkmus and […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 2015, Auckland, Dunedin, Gig, Indie, Live, March 2015, NZ Tour, Pavement, Stephen Malkmus, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Jicks, Tour Announcement, Wellington ·

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December 8, 2014 by Simon Sweetman

Off The Tracks presents All Apologies: 90s Music DJ Set

For my final Friday night session down at The Old Bailey this year – Friday, December 19, it’s going to be an all 90s set: trip-hop, hip-hop, Britpop, grunge, metal, rock, indie, maybe even a bit of New Jack Swing… It’ll be (not quite) all vinyl all night – a bit of CD/Mp3 assistance may […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1990s, 2014, 90s, All Apologies, All Apologies - 90s Music, Alternative, Christmas, DJ, DJ Set, DJing, Friday December 19, Grunge, Hip-Hop, Indie, Lambton Quay, LP, Off The Tracks presents All Apologies: 90s Music DJ Set, Old Bailey, Pop, Rap, The Occidental, The Old Bailey, triphop, Vinyl, Wellington, Xmas ·

Archive

April 24, 2013 by Simon Sweetman

Terror of the Deep: Death of the Gideon

Terror of the Deep Death of the Gideon (Independent) Wellington band Terror of the Deep has been around since 2008 and, in the way that you’d hope, each release improves the sound – and direction – of the band; they feel more focussed, more confidant, calm even, with each album/EP. So the latest, Death of […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Death of the Gideon, EP, Flying Nun, Indie, Pavement, Permanent Weekend, Pop, Stephen Malkmus, Terror of the Deep, The Chills, The dB's, The Go-Betweens, Velvet Underground ·

Archive

April 22, 2013 by Simon Sweetman

Nick Raven: Love And Lomography

Nick Raven Love and Lomography Powertool Records The songs of Nick Raven’s album, Love and Lomography have haunted my stereo, beckoning for repeat plays, working their way into the room almost by stealth. The first few times I listened to the album I liked what I heard – but left it as it was, walked […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Bandcamp, Bedsit, Folk, Indie, Jose Gonzales, Love and Lomography, Neil Finn, Nick Drake, Nick Raven, Powertool Records ·

Archive

April 15, 2013 by Simon Sweetman

Devendra Banhart: Mala

Devendra Banhart Mala Nonesuch An overnight sensation as the larking-loon figurehead of the so-called freak-folk movement, Devendra Banhart was everywhere. For a bit. Then he was nowhere for a while. And though you were never supposed to take him – or his music – all that seriously things started to reach idiot-point when, as part […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Beck, Devendra Banhart, Freak-Folk, Indie, Mala, Nonesuch ·

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