Kiwi Rock

In my last post, I discussed the impact (albeit short-term) that filesharing and having an iPod has had on my record buying habits. My conclusion: Despite easy access to free MP3s, I am still buying music and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. In fact, it looks as if I'll go halfway around the world to find what I need.

Admittedly, I didn't actually have to travel very far. Why should I when an order from New Zealand's SmokeCDs.com brings so much of that country's illustrious music right to my mailbox? I've ordered from them several times in the past when I've needed a kiwi fix. First and foremost for my purposes, they carry a huge selection of Flying Nun label stuff, including those first two Clean albums which appear to be OOP elsewhere in the world. Don't let the prices fool you; they're in NZ dollars, until you switch with their very handy built-in currency converter. The prices in USD are pretty reasonable but not super cheap. And while the shipping costs are something to consider (they are on the other side of the planet), they're not terrible. I paid $11+ for standard shipping, for example, and my order was shipped on Monday and arrived that Saturday. Not too bad at all. Past experiences have been similar.

Anyway, I recommend them, especially for the stuff you might not be able to find anywhere else outside of ebay. Here's what I got:

Very Short Films - DVD
Forty-one music videos, each from a different artist on the Flying Nun roster. This is a no-frills collection spanning virtually the entire life of this label's considerable output. It's starts fittingly with the Clean and a video for one of their early songs, “Anything Could Happen.” From there, we see a chronological presentation of videos from the likes of the Chills (with their excellent “Pink Frost”), Verlaines, Tall Dwarfs, The Bats, Bailterspace, and a slew of lesser-knowns (Bored Games or Betchadupa anyone?). And the quality, despite the DVD's notice of archival footage, is pretty decent. Check this page for a full list of videos and a write-up. There's a Volume 2 of this collection which features the same artists but with additional videos. Note that both are in PAL format, so you need a DVD player capable of playing those kinds of discs.

The Verlaines: You're Just Too Obscure For Me
A “long overdue career retrospective,” according to SmokeCDs. Includes “Pyromaniac,” “Death and the Maiden,” and the awesome “Joed Out” which was featured here as Song of the Week for two weeks in a row. Check the write-up at SmokeCDs for more.

David Kilgour: Here Come the Cars
After enjoying the Clean frontman's latest two solo records (especially last year's excellent Frozen Orange), I figured I'd go back and check out one of his earlier releases. This reissue in fact appears to be that of his solo debut. I haven't had much time to absorb this one, but a few precursory listens indicate this one is bit more restrained than later material. The SmokeCDs write-up only features the tracklist and technical details, so look to AMG for a review.