SOUND BYTES
Brooke Fraser has been putting the finishing touches on a new album with US producer David Kosten. The now Brooklyn-based Kiwi singer-songwriter recently took time out from her busy schedule last month to get involved in The Night of Poetry and Song, a Los Angles-based fundraiser which highlighted human rights issues and the resilience of Afghan women. Fraser read Dried Flower by Farahnaz. Her fourth studio album, which is expected to be released within the next four months, is as yet untitled.
Kiwi globetrotters Broods are heading home in August to satisfy patient fans. The group will play shows in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch for the first time.
After a seemingly long teaser time, August 15 has been announced as the official release date of Kimbra’s new album, The Golden Echo. AUCKLAND-BASED indie popsters Glass Owls took their first overseas trip as a band last month.
The ‘‘working holiday’’ for Tomas Nelson and Antony Metcalfe proved to be a ‘‘great escape’’ ahead of the release of their debut solo album Out From The Darkness.
It was also a good way to road test songs off the album.
‘‘We didn’t play any of our old material,’’ Metcalfe says of the six shows that encompassed two gigs at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, a support slot at the NMEpresents venue Coco, two other London shows and a quick trip across the channel to play First steps: Tomas Nelson and Antony Metcalfe made their debut foreign tour last month playing gigs in the UK. another support slot in Paris.
We supported Australian band Solomon Grey at Coco. They had quite a fortuitous connection with the venue manager and he pulled a few strings for us. The venue is an old theatre. There are boxes everywhere. The response was really good. We were playing to people who we didn’t know and who didn’t know us. We came away from it feeling like the crowd was actually more engaged than audiences back home.’’
Glass Owls have already released two singles from the album – Tired Of The Internet and Best Of Us – which have been well received on alternative radio. They officially dip their toes into the water again with the launch Out Of The Darkness at Cassette Nine in Auckland on Friday.
Before they left for England Thomas and Metcalfe dressed up in suits and waded waist deep into water for a photo shoot by Jenna Wood.
‘‘The idea was to put a relatively normal situation in an uncomfortable light,’’ Metcalfe says.
‘‘It’s a theme running through a lot of the songs on Out Of The Darkness. Although it wasn’t conscious at the time, some of the songs are quite dark. We have both had interesting lives since we released our debut EP Dead Love. From a musical and personal standpoint it’s definitely transitional.’’