Mëstar---Porcupine--Surreal Pop From New Zealand--

I've been listening to this album from Mëstar, an interesting three piece act from New Zealand, their second CD, which was released in 2002. I heard about them through The Big Takeover magazine, when they gave a rave revue to their most recent album, Shut The Squizwot Factories Down! which was released on the Arch Hill label. So I saw they had another album out for sale at the Smoke CD's website (a good source for Kiwiania) and picked it up. This past week I've finally been giving it a good listen.

We Can Be Happy In A Rock N Roll World...Gimme Back My Guitar!

Since my last post was on the Undertones, it seems that its quickly becoming Guys with High Voices Week here at Continuum Transfunctioner. But never fear--I have no current plans on doing a Steve Perry post anytime soon. (Or would I?) I like this unusual yet engaging little album. Musically it sounds great, sort of like the New Zealand equivalent of an Elephant 6 band. John White has a terrific voice, but he reminds me a little of the singer from Yes, Jon Anderson. Sometimes they rock out here, sometimes it's a freak folk sound. Often the lyrics seem dreamy, whimsical, even childlike, with a definite Sci-fi slant.

In my dotage, I guess I have made my piece with high voiced singers finally, because for most of my life I have maintained an overt hatred for them. As an aspiring teenage rock star playing music in basements in the 70's, I was forced to attempt singing the music of all those high voiced rock stars of the day. Led Zeppelin, Boston, Yes, Foreigner. How I hated those guys. My voice simply was in another octave--like trying to teach a chimp to talk. Part and parcel of the prevailing sentiment of the times--like you had to be a virtuoso musician or be trained at the Berklee School of Music to make a bloody song. In the Minutemen documentary, they make a similar argument about that era, that the stars of that day may as well have been on Mt Olympus compared to those three corn dogs from San Pedro. Put Punk Rock changed the game entirely.... a lesson I didn't appreciate until College. So consider this a final bit of therapy to help rid myself of this irrational and petty aversion forever.

Oh, yes Porcupine. No, not the Echo and the Bunnymen album. It would be funny if this was their little joke, like the Replacements Let It Be album. Mëstar consist of John White on lead vocals and guitar, Stefan Bray on bass and Ian Wilson on drums. They are also aided and abetted vocally by Jay Clarkson and Demarnia Lloyd on several of the tracks. For instance, Demarnia's backing vox on the dreamy languid ballad Fairytale. Seemingly someone's children, Sam and Zoë sing backup vocals on the sweet and understated Rock and Roll World. They certainly can write songs. I absolutely love the glorious fuzzed out Beach Boys chorus of Land of Dreams. In other cases their music can be reminscent stylistically of Love's Forever Changes or of a mellowed out Pixies.





Note: Song not from Porcupine. From Squizwot Factories, their 3rd.

Probably my favorite song here is Starry Eyes, which is a blissful extraterrestrial love ballad. It reminds me a little of Super Furry Animals Fire In My Heart. I'm not entirely certain why. In a complete 180 degree turn, you have the wonderful Start To Cry, which sounds like a sonic homage to Bailter Space as does the low end crunchy noise of Drift. The band moves in another direction with Bumblebee Tree, a strange dreamlike acoustic acid tune. If you read the lyrics sheet on the CD booklet you don't come away impressed--you might really wonder what they are rattling on about. But the songs sound wonderful in execution.

So if you are like me and are interested in hearing new bands that haven't got too much attention outside their own country, Mëstar might turn out to be a rewarding discovery. Certainly their Porcupine and Shut The Squizwot Factories are definitely worthy recordings. If you want to find about about Kiwi bands, maybe not the first place to start, but nonetheless a consistantly good listen throughout. If you like bands like The Flaming Lips or Neutral Milk Hotel you would most likely enjoy this. For those interested lead singer John White has released 3 solo album the most recent entitled The Incadies. The other albums, Balloon Adventure and Mogwash can be purchased on a single disc. I have not heard the albums or read any reviews.