2010 (…& another):

Last installment of releases from 2010, a few from here in New Zealand this time:

Cornerstone Roots – Future Is Now
(Rhythm Method/MLR, 2010)

Lines such as “Plant the seeds of positivity, little by little grow your crop” (Seeds), and “Hold on to your roots, maintain your integrity” (Roots) sum up the Cornerstone Roots ethos. Once again Raglan roots husband and wife duo Brian Ruawai and Naomi Tuao have put together a bunch of tunes inspiring positive and proactive thinking for their third album Future Is Now. Joining Cornerstone Roots are appearances from heavyweight Jamaican reggae deejay Ranking Joe (on Rising Sun), local vocalist MC Mana (on Roots), and the introduction of Brian and Naomi’s 10-year-old son Reiki who contributes backing vocals on Everybody before taking the lead role on the album’s final track Bedlam.

With only eight tracks on Future Is Now I was expecting a few longer songs to fill the record up, so I was a little disappointed when it clocked in at little over 36 minutes. Still its 36 minutes packed with good vibes as one would expect from them… future is now, future is here.

Disasteradio – Charisma
(A Low Hum, 2010)

 

Picture a group of girls straight out of the eighties; frizzy hair, big sunglasses, fluro spandex, jumping around and waving their arms. Recall the sound effects from your favourite Atari or Commodore 64 game. Chuck in a couple of electronic dogs barking and a synthesizer or two. Add Luke Rowell to the mix and you have the lead track You Win off the latest Disasteradio offering Charisma. The rest of the album has more of the Disasteradio formula; geek from nineties playing with technology from the eighties making music to appeal to robots of the future. I’m stuck for more ways to describe this album so I’ll let the video for No Pulse do it for me.

The other great things about Charisma are the cover artwork (see above) and a name your price method to share all this goodness. Go get it here.

Matiu Te Huki with My Golden Soul – EP
(Independent, 2010)

More goodness here with a small taste of the talent of Matiu “The Hook” Te Huki. Matiu has lent his voice to many Kiwi acts over the years but he is at his best when performing originals from the heart. It is clearly evident that he sees beauty in everybody, reassuring listeners of their potential and encouraging them to follow their passions. The EP contains five tracks; Poppies, What’s This Thing, and two versions of Come To Me Now which reflect the positive vibes of Matiu’s home on the Kapiti Coast. Also added is a remix of Poppies offering an alternate take and filled with heavy bass.

This is a small offering filled with love and best enjoyed with family and friends out in the summer sun. Hopefully a full-length release is on its way.