Shake Summation

Rip It Up, Issue 115, 1 February 1987, Page 30

Shake Summation

©naweta 'Dance Little Children’ (7”) This is a rollicking little song heading in its own direction for two minutes then stopping, having

led us nownSre. Both it and the Bside .‘Escape’ showcase Roy Ms. rtyn’s meaty bass, and I like ‘Escape’ best for being more interesting. But hey — I stepped on a weta and it stung me in the foot! Appalling, eh? Armatrak ‘Oh Bungo’ (PYP 7”) More refreshingly unstraightjacketed punk from Armatrak (tho’ only their tight attack belies that title...). Lotsa good sen-

sibilities about this band, and shit, things start looking funky on ‘Friends: Plus 10 points for the line “land of the long woolly rainbow” too. Available from Positive Youth, PO Box 8809, Symonds St, Auckland. Nikkola & Ford Street (Ruru 12”)

Four songs recorded in Melbourne by West Coast-ite Nikkola Donovan and friends. The home recording lacks nothing in clarity

but fails to let the songs develop fully, leaving the instrumentation to fall flat on all the tracks. However high romance on (and for) the West Coast is engagingly mixed with a mild dose of feminism here. Available from c/o Moana PO, Westland. If ‘Terminal’ (12”) If —- Dieneke and Mark from Flak allied with Dutchman Rob, based in a huge Amsterdam squat named Emma. Theirs is a united dark vision "it gets a bit claustrophobic here” (‘You Have to Understand 1 ), expressed in images of urban decay — “I don’t need another clanging town.” The best of Terminal settles halfway between isolation and hell, trapped ‘ln City Setting’ and funereal urban R&B stomp for the 80s named ‘Taking Taranaki by Apathy' ... a record with real moments. See too the tape Bill (On Tape review this issue) and also available is the 1985 single ‘lnFormation’ — three songs: ‘Soldiers Sing,’ ‘Grit’ and ‘Left Hand Path,’ most obviously a Übu dance party, but good all the same. Kontakt M Webster, 132 Island Bay Road, Auckland 10. Paul McKessar

Graham Brazier ‘Fight’ b/w Dave McArtney ‘Same Old Deal’ (Pagan 7”) Solo sailors back to back for the Queen City Rocker soundtrack. Graeme (sic) Brazier’s full-chested vocals give more beef to Simon Alexander’s ‘Fight,’ originally done by Chrome Safari last year. Before, it was competent Australian rock — now it’s good Australian rock. The highlight of ‘Same Old Deal’ is McArtney's characteristic adenoidal vocals; it’s got an unusual slow pace and scratchy guitar, though the middle eight seems familiar. Atmospheric, but needs the visual support. Cheek ta Cheek ‘Colonial Reggae* (Pagan 7”) The standout of the new material for Queen City Rocker, this has really grown on me. It's the feeling in the simple bassline, very evocative of the movie’s Auckland streetkids. Strong vocals, though overechoed. A ‘‘South Pacific sound" was the aim, and they’ve succeeded. B-side (yet another instrumental) has the pleasant flitting flute mixed forward. Hammond Gamble ‘Jewel in the Sea* (WEA 7”) The cover hints at some Ameri-

ca’s Cup tie-in, but the connection remains unclear. Hammond’s familiar voice returns to quirky hard rock/reggae hybrid backing. Quite fun, unusual, but lacks a real melody to carry you away. B-side instrumental brings Walter Bianco’s sax and Beaver’s vocals to the front — if they’d shared the limelight on the A-side, things would be greatly improved. Today’s inspirational verse: “He ain’t no loser I Sure ain’t no cruiser / In these mighty and southern seas / And if you know what I mean / He’s a survivor.” Jamboree ‘lndependance Day’ (Hit Singles 12”) Excellent production, playing, singing and packaging. Though the Comsat Angels’ original had more punch, this is fine and a good choice. Would work well live with an atmospheric light show, however the same moody tendencies dominate the B-side. ‘The Longing’ rests on Edge-like guitar lines, and ‘Cloak and Sickle’ goes further into U2 territory. Again, well-crafted, with crisp playing but more personality needed and less length. Superbly engineered.

Chris Bourke