THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007 19

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DIVE DIVE DIVE: Sam Walsh, foreground, and Adam McKay nightlife captains of The Yellow Submarine. PICTURE: Bruce Mercer waikato Hannah Curwood and Simon Comber at La Commune. TONIGHT Ric Rush and Kellyn with a new The Big Pay Back at Sekure, with monthly event at The Loft Kellyn and Ric Rush. showcasing new and old house grooves, electro-funk and assorted Rubix Cuba (Australia), Dynamo beats. Go plus guests at Yellow Submarine (see main story). out of town TOMORROW (internationals) Evil, the new project from The 3Ds’ David Mitchell, at Ward SUNDAY Lane. Local support from Skelitor Bobby Brown, American R&B and Yokel Ono, door charge $15. singer, Energy Events Centre, Yellow Submarine Benefit Show Rotorua, tickets from Ticketek. (see main story). Kimbra solo acoustic show at La WEDNESDAY Commune. Regina Spektor, Russian-born Sophie serving up house classics, singer-songwriter, Bruce Mason rolling beats and funk at Sekure. Centre, Takapuna. Tickets from Ticketek. SATURDAY Unearth, Boston metalcore The Bleeders at Yellow Submarine exponents, The Studio. Tickets (see main story). from Ticketek. Paul Orion (Auckland) lashing Bobby Brown, TelstraClear Events out house, breaks and electro- Centre, Manukau. Tickets from styled tunes at Sekure. Ticket Direct.

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The submarine surfaces

The Mole Music chaps are making a new stand for The Yellow Submarine. make it a nice environment to be in.” local music. “The scene relies on people coming to shows — even With a maximum capacity of more than 300 people Sam Walsh and Adam McKay, the 23-year-olds who when there is not 150 or 200 people there, even when — the bunker-like bar is deceptively large once you formed Hamilton’s fledgling Mole Music label, have it’s quite small,” says McKay. descend the stairs — McKay and Walsh are striving to taken control of the Ward St basement music venue “I think Hamilton needs something like this at the make The Yellow Submarine the city’s leading live music The Castle and renamed it The Yellow Submarine. moment,” says Walsh. venue. And as such, they’re open to hearing from any “It’s to provide a (performance) space in Hamilton “If we didn’t see the potential this place has, we performers looking for a place to play. everyone can use,” says Walsh of the new venture. wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing.” “We’ve got bookings from now until September, but “Whether you’re in a live band, want to play your “There is a bit of risk involved,” says McKay. “But there are still Thursdays and a few Fridays and Saturdays acoustic guitar, or play movies here, it’s going to be here we’ve spent hours and hours talking about this together, available,” says Walsh. for a long time — not just for two months, and then and with lots of friends and family. We want to renew “If you wanna play, we can shuffle things around with close down again.” the music and arts culture in Hamilton.” other bands, get you on their bills, and just see where The Castle closed in February after infringements of While there have been a few gigs already at the we can squeeze you in. We can also help with promotion liquor-licensing laws. Since then, McKay and Walsh renamed bar, tomorrow night’s Benefit Show — the ideas,” says McKay have been working furiously to re-open the venue, and first of two, the second happening July 27 — sees things For inquiries, email have formed a new company — Roots Cellar Ltd — to move up a gear. Tomorrow night’s event features sets [email protected]. operate The Yellow Submarine. from nine bands and performers, all playing for free, — Jeff Neems “I think after working on this for three or four months and proceeds will be put straight back into assets and There are four events on at The Yellow Submarine over now, trying to get it open again, it just became a thing equipment for the venue. then next three nights. Tonight, it’s Australian ska band we had to do,” says Walsh. “We couldn’t just stop.” “The big goal of these shows is to get a totally self- Rubix Cuba with locals Dynamo Go ($10, 9pm start). “We’ve lost lots of sleep, and lots of money,” says sufficient PA, so that reduces the costs for the bands, Tomorrow night is the first of the two Yellow Submarine McKay, who has gained a bar manager’s licence and also to do just a little bit of interior decorating to Benefit Shows, with Auckland bands Bear Cat, Infinite Flying Kick and The DHDFDs playing alongside locals specifically for The Yellow Submarine cause. make it our own space,” says McKay. “You can change Decortica, Rumpus Room, Gawj and Kimbra (also $10, The duo say they are trying to rebuild Hamilton’s the environment just by upgrading the lighting and 8pm start). On Saturday, The Bleeders’ current tour reaches gig-going culture, and get more people along to support putting in lots of plants and stuff, get some art on the The Yellow Submarine, with an all-ages show at 5pm and the local and national music they’ll be offering at walls, a wall dedicated to old show posters. We want to an R18 show at 9pm (both shows $15). albums pop Rihanna Kelly Clarkson Marc Almond GOOD GIRL GONE BAD MY DECEMBER (Sony-BMG) STARDOM ROAD (Sequel/Sanctuary) (Def Jam/Universal) It’s not common for the winner of an A man with a history, and well loved in the British Releasing a hit song with the key lyrics “under American Idol-style show to do very well music industry. Suffice to say Marc Almond has my umbrella” shows 19-year-old Barbados- in the music world after the initial hype had a career that has allowed him to survive pop born pop singer Rihanna has still got a hold has died away, as their skill at singing stardom in the ’80s, and progress nicely to the on the pop music scene after two hit albums. There’s a more other people’s songs on television never enviable cult status of now. This is a covers mature feel to the 12-track third album Good Girl Gone Bad, quite transforms into quality songwriting ability in the studio. collection, which in lesser hands would be a groan-inducing affair. and she is sounding more like Beyonce and less like the 17- No one has heard of Ruben Studdard for a while, and Clay Two elements lift this above that: clever selection of material, and year-old who first hit the charts in 2005 with the single Pon De Aiken was last seen singing at birthday parties for screaming Almond’s skills as an interpreter. The songs and the arrangements Reply. With songs written by Justin Timberlake and Ne-Yo — middle-aged women. Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the very strike a vivid English pose, so you could imagine yourself in a very plus help from producer Timbaland — Good Girl Gone Bad is first American Idol, was an anomaly in that she not only smooth but ever-so-slightly seedy London nightclub with James Bond full of her usual radio-friendly hits. The first single, Umbrella, released a successful first album (Thankful), but followed in one corner talking to Ronnie Kray while Liam Gallagher plays features Jay-Z, and is hard to get out of your head with lyrics it up with an even more popular second album (Breakaway). billiards with Lord Lucan. If this is not your thing, then the smooth which seem to go round and round in circles, but do not say However, this latest effort, My December, leaves a lot to be jazz inflections, touches of brass band and cocktail-hour tempos a lot. She has just released the second single Shut Up and desired. Clarkson seems to have gone back to singing other might start to drag a little. But Almond can sing, infusing the right Drive, which is less repetitive but a equally catchy with a dance people’s songs, only applying her own words to make them amount of drama and glam into the material, and he really knows base. The problem is, outside the singles, the rest of the album sound original. A perfect example of this is the track Yeah, how to phrase a line. Yes, it’s camp, but as a contrast to a lot of the feels like filler. There are no other particularly memorable tracks, which sounds suspiciously like Joss Stone. Other tracks are overwrought nonsense that passes for “emotional” or “ballad” styles and she seems to have no point of difference from the raft of poor imitations and weak echoes, intentional or otherwise, these days, this is the how the rules should be written. Closing track other female pop singers in the charts. Rihanna has spent too of Ryan Adams and the Sugababes. Clarkson’s genre-hopping The Curtain Falls is the highlight: just voice, accordion and a much time trying to push her new, older, less-clothing look and third album is not just a disjointed and difficult listen however; traditional, sad tale of empty musical halls and faded glamour, all forgotten to spend time on her music — and as a result this it is also a tribute to a lot of the good, original music currently done with a knowing wink that neatly avoids the cheese factor and album suffers. circulating in the world. Avoid at all costs. brings everyone into the joke. A thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Deanna Harris Arthur Robinson Trevor Faville

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albums compilations Various Artists heavy metal WE ALL LOVE ELLA (Verve Records) Yet another tribute album in a long line of tribute Paradise Lost albums, this time in honour of Ella Fitzgerald, the IN REQUIEM (Century Media) First Lady of Song. I’ve always wondered why we Paradise Lost are among my top three favourite need to listen to a bunch of great artists covering bands ever, so this gets a five. Luckily, even the music of another great artist when we can have having thrown objectivity out the window, In the original. If it’s just about connecting the younger generation with Requiem justifies the rating. While I was one jazz, blues and R&B, will they ever really appreciate Ella when they of the few who enjoyed the band’s flirtation with electronica-tinged have Rihanna singing about umbrellas and Lil Mama giving us the Depeche Mode-esque 1990s material, the last few Paradise Lost lowdown on Lip Gloss? I think not. We All Love Ella offers us wonderful albums have seen the band slowly moving back towards its gothic renditions of some of the songs Fitzgerald is famous for. She appears metal roots, a journey finally complete with In Requiem, which only once on the album, singing You Are the Sunshine of My Life with seems the natural successor to 1996’s classic Draconian Times. Stevie Wonder, recorded live in 1977. I particularly liked Lizz Wright The guitars are back, Nick Holmes’ sullen roar is back, but the and her haunting version of Reaching for the Moon and kd lang’s band’s kept the increased sense of melody it explored in the seriously sexy take on Angel Eyes. Ella was renowned for her vocal 1990s. The Enemy is one of the punchier numbers the group has interpretation, and at the end of the day I want to listen to Ella. If I penned, while Praise Lamented Shade is the most glorious slab wanted to listen to Gladys Knight or Chaka Khan I’d buy their albums. of mournful depression you’ll hear all year. Unreachable is a throwback to mid-1990s PL, while Your Own Reality fits the bill Janine Jackson nicely as the traditional epic album closer. As a whole, the album is suitably bleak, with just enough keyboard and string flourishes Various Artists to keep it interesting and add to the funereal atmosphere. The expanded version features the superb Silent At Heart, which CHROME CHILDREN 2 (Stones Throw) should have made it on to the regular album’s tracklisting, and If you needed any more convincing Peanut Butter a logic-defying mind-blowing cover of Everything But The Girl’s Wolf and his band of merry men at Stones Throw Missing, which works fantastically well. have really got it going on, here it is. The LA-based company is, unquestionably, the finest music label I have encountered in the last decade. Chrome Children is the label’s Reon Suddaby third showcase compilation in the past nine months, and once again it is superb. Madlib The Beat Konducta unleashes one of peculiar electro- Pain beatscapes to kick things off — what a way to start — before we take in PSALMS OF EXTINCTION (Roadrunner) a smidgeon of each and every genre the label dabbles in: hard rap from Caliban MED, soulful, heavily sampled rap from Roc C, wafty psychedelic jazz from Chocolate Star, and a pounding funk rhythm voiced by the speedy THE AWAKENING (Roadrunner) tongued Percee P, the album’s clear highlight. Baron Zen’s Theme (Danny A huge fan of Swedish metalhead Peter Breaks Remix) is the real stomper, a dancefloor rocker of epic proportions, Tagtgren’s work with his main band, while Gary Wilson’s instrumental Soul Traveling does just what it says, Hypocrisy, I was intrigued to see what fare taking the listener on a soulful journey — as does Clifford Nyren’s Keep was offered by his solo project, Pain. The Running Away, for that matter. Only the final two offerings, Arabian results are nothing short of staggeringly good. Prince’s Strange Life and James Pants’ Murder seem a little out of place, On Psalms of Extinction, Tagtgren has single- but given this label has many strings to its bow, they’re worthy of inclusion. handedly produced a collection of heavy, If you’re yet to take my advice and invest in some of the Stones Throw catchy, electronically-influenced songs catalogue, this is yet another ideal introduction. For beat freaks already seemingly touching on environmentalism familiar with the label, Bumps’ Loops — a collection of raw beats, loops (Psalms of Extinction), Hollywood superficiality (Clouds of Ecstasy), and drumbreaks — is also out now. alcoholism (Bottle’s Nest) and, er, zombies (the superb Zombie Slam). There’s even a surprisingly good string-heavy cover of Icelandic nutter Bjork’s tune Play Dead. Pain is a different beast Jeff Neems entirely from Hypocrisy, probably a touch less heavy, but with an increased focus on melody, and arguably better songwriting. Various Artists Tagtgren abandons his “death” vocals too, instead opting for a SHREK 3 SOUNDTRACK (Geffen) rather good mid-range croon. No one element of the album The review copy of the Shrek 3 soundtrack arrived overpowers the others, and yet there’s still enough bounce in the in the post, and that was pretty much the last that programmed-sounding drum tracks to fill any dancefloor — if only any adult member of our household saw of it — it the rest of the music wasn’t so heavy. Pain is top stuff, reaffirming was snatched by the 5-year-old and whisked away Tagtgren’s place on metal’s throne. Germans Caliban have been to be played over and over again at full volume with the bedroom door around for ages, putting out album after album of consistent tightly closed. Which I suppose is to be expected in these hyper-branded thrashy hardcore, without ever scaling the commercial heights times. But I honestly didn’t expect the grown-upness of Led Zeppelin, reached by the much less impressive Hatebreed. The Awakening The Eels and Wolfmother to emanate from her room until she was a will not propel them into that league, but neither is it a poor effort little bit older. The album also features some stage-musical-style and it’s probably the most consistent thing they’ve released in a singalong numbers, presumably dubbed straight from the movie itself, while. While there’s nothing on The Awakening to match the so it’s not all heavy metal. Good to keep the kid occupied — and glorious It’s Our Burden To Bleed from 2006’s The Undying therefore deserving of the maximum score. Darkness, most of the songs feature razor-sharp riffing, contrasting melodic and harsh vocals and fast paced drums, which appear Geoff Doube to have taken a definite step up in speed from earlier efforts. Pick of the bunch are the breakneck Nowhere to Run, No Place to Hide and I Will Never Let You Down. On the downside, some of the clean vocals feel a bit forced, and many of the songs follow crucial selection a predictable heavy verse-melodic chorus formula. Caliban is at the creative crossroads and will have to decide whether to keep repeating itself each album, or branch out, take a few risks, and try something different. The Shins (Pain) OH, INVERTED WORLD Natalie Portman put me (along (Caliban) with the rest of the world) on to Reon Suddaby The Shins in earnest. Oh, Inverted World came along and Megadeth pretty much changed my life. UNITED ABOMINATIONS (Roadrunner) New Slang is about the best song Dream Theater ever written. I’m pretty sure the Geoff Doube, guitarist whole album was written about for The Shrugs. SYSTEMATIC CHAOS (Roadrunner) living in Hamilton East. The last few years have been full of change Swervedriver for Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine. He’s Yo La Tengo RAISE converted to Christianity, replaced his entire I CAN HEAR THE HEART If you want to learn how to play band and set up one of the world’s most BEATING AS ONE guitar, you need to hear Raise. I popular touring metal festivals, Gigantour. So My favourite album from one of wore my tape copy of it out when what of this much-heralded new studio album? my favourite bands. It’s noisier I was 16. United Abominations initially succeeds where and more varied than their later the last few ’Deth albums have failed by being stuff, and has some absolutely Blur a lot more consistent across the board. gorgeous moments — imagine PARKLIFE Openers Sleepwalker and Washington Is Next! belt along at a aching longing expressed in three Boys and Girls was a ginormous cracking pace, full of nifty fretwork, frantic drumming and part harmonies and ear-splitting hit. It was my least favourite song Mustaine’s vitriolic rants, much like the Megadeth of old. The feedback. off Parklife. I have always really controversial remake of A Tout Le Monde (originally found on the liked Graham Coxon’s guitar classic 1994 Megadeth album Youthanasia) with Lacuna Coil’s The Breeders playing (he left the band, though). Cristina Scabbia is impossible to dislike, while Burnt Ice is proof LAST SPLASH Blur’s strength is that its songs are Megadave’s found a capable guitar ally in new offsider Glen Drover Kim Deal was my downfall when very evocative — they manage to (check out the last 90 seconds!). Unfortunately, the middle of I was a teenager. She taught me make you feel something. The the album is standard filler material lacking in hooks to catch the how to smoke, drink, write songs whole fairground psychedelia thing listener’s attention: Never Walk Alone...A Call To Arms, Gears of and loosen up. Jim running through the album makes War and Blessed Are the Dead. United Abominations is still MacPherson’s drumming in No it more than just a witty observation nowhere near Megadeth’s revered 1990 effort Rust In Peace, but Aloha is fantastic. of the Britain of the time. it’s the best thing the band has put out in a long time. For years US progressive metallers Dream Theater were the acknowledged leaders in their field of highly elaborate, technical rock music. But after 2005’s inconsistent Octavarium, questions were asked television as to whether the band had any new tricks. It’s hard to imagine a more resounding answer in the affirmative than Systematic Chaos, an album both heavier and featuring better songwriting C4’s Sunday Night Movie slot this weekend than its predecessor. With only eight tracks but 78 minutes of features the tremendously engaging British music, there’s a bit of everything here: Forsaken could easily nightclub culture film Human Traffic. Directed make it on to radio, first single Constant Motion will keep the by Welshman Justin Kerrigan — who has, to metallers happy, while the traditional prog fans will love the two- be fair, done nothing since — it’s the tale of part In The Presence Of Enemies, which jointly clocks in over 25 five young Cardiff clubbers who mostly have minutes. Lyrically, there’s a slightly darker feel, notably with The dead-end jobs and few prospects, and so live for chemically Dark Eternal Night and Prophets of War. As with almost all Dream enhanced weekends. Although it did get a critical panning when Theater albums, there are homages to the band’s influences: it was released (there isn’t much of a plot, really), what makes this Constant Motion rips its vocal structure in the verses straight off film so watchable is the fact many people aged 20-40 will relate Metallica, while Prophets of War has the same Muse flavour that to it in some way — particularly those who’ve had experiences in so polarised fans’ opinions about Octavarium. As usual, the rave/dance music/nightclub culture. Indeed, as online encyclopedia performances from the band’s members, half of who met at Wikipedia notes: “It has become a cult hit in the rave scene ... Boston’s Berklee College of Music, are top notch: vocalist James many see it as having huge similarity to their own lives.” Yes, this LaBrie is sounding better than he has in years, guitarist John film does deal with drug use, but it’s never blatant on-screen and Petrucci shows he’s still one of the world’s most revered guitarists, more implied than anything else. There are some great comic and keyboardist Jordan Rudess plays a more prominent role. A moments among the anecdotes which form the film’s basis, which strong comeback which should please old fans and win plenty of make it all the more enjoyable. If you’ve not seen it — and you liked new ones over. Trainspotting — this is a great way to fill in a cold Sunday night. (Megadeth) (Dream Theater) Human Traffic, C4, 8.30pm, Sunday. Rated AO due to Reon Suddaby drug use and sexual/language content.