SEQUELA, by MEDaL
The 2020 debut album Replica by MEDaL – a trio out of that nexus of creativity, Lyttelton – announced something of a South Island supergroup: Dave Mulcahy of Superette and JPSE (vocals, guitar, synths), drummer Mark Whyte (Into the Void) and John Billows (Renderers, Dark Matter) on bass, vocals and synths.
The album was a forceful implosion of power pop, brittle rock, motorik rhythms, widescreen synths and brooding boogie across nine songs that bottled up menace but did so in memorably melodic songs. MEDaL came off like JPSE’s heavier older brother.
With their sophomore album Sequela, they again deliver an emotional and sonically dense intensity that throbs threateningly with a big chorus on Divide (about the post-Trump world), headdown hard-pop (UFO Radio) and driving rhythms coming on like relentless half-track tanks on a blighted landscape (the terrifi c Head Pig).
Denne historien er fra November 25- December 2 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra November 25- December 2 2022-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
