It’s when bands like Micachu and the Shapes come along that I regain my confidence in the future of music as a whole. At times, it appears to me that bands taking a crack at experimentalism are bombarded by the tidal wave of nonsense being generated by other bands elsewhere having an experimental month and, in turn, it becomes difficult to sort out what new ideas are rubbish and who is actually on to something. Micachu is like the old lady who spends her afternoons sorting through heaps of trash for the gems she chooses to take home, polish and put on her mantle. Aptly named Jewellery is a magnificent mash of dirty beats, clanky guitars with a perfect dusting of sprite synths and sweet vocals. The drums on this record honestly sound like a rusty collection of pots and pans whilst the guitar, almost inaudible at times, sounds like a homemade shoebox banjo with fishing-line strings. I suppose what I’m getting at here is that Micachu has successfully taken a step that many of us have been trying to take for the last 2 years; Jewellery delivers insightful new song structures but still has an addictive pop charm, has an appropriate electronic element but still sounds like it was made in someone’s basement. Way to go Micachu, now what do we do after everyone copies you?

Micachu and the Shapes – Just in Case

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Micachu and the Shapes – Golden Phone

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Micachu and the Shapes – Calculator

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wow. What month. I’ve been traveling pretty much non-stop since late august and have seen the majority of New Zealand’s North Island. Most recently, I joined some friends on a last minute romp back up to Northland (the peninsula that sticks way out up top). I had already been up there but it was just so slap-me-in-the-face beautiful the first time I was compelled to jump on the bandwagaon when I heard there was a group going that way (even though it was ridiculously out of my way). The Northland is comprised of gorgeous beaches lining the bays that spot each coast and luscious, rolling farmland, sandwiched in between. We did a bit of surfing at ‘Shipwreck Bay’ on the west coast and nearly got destroyed by a tsunami. Then we did a bit of fishing on the east coast and caught a delicious Hoki but threw it back because we thought it looked poisonous. Here’s a photo re-cap.

Would you eat that?

The campsite next to our fishing jetty.

Some happy campers using Gerty to her fullest on the shores of Maitai Bay, way up north.

On the way back up north we made a pit stop to visit our old friend Tane Mahuta. I was driving with some new travelers that hadn’t seen the giant Kaori trees yet so it was nice to be wowed with them. This fella is the actual Tane Mahuta himself, posted by request.

This is another shot of the massive Mt. Taranaki. I spent sometime in New Plymouth, a surf town at the foot of this monster, before heading way back up north.

Psychedelic dead cow-pig.

So the plan is to hang out in Wellington for a few months and get my wallet poppin’ again. I’m house-sitting for a co-worker of my father’s whilst they’re out on business. It’s indescribably nice having a hot shower at my disposal among other household luxuries. Wellington is a rad city and I’m really looking forward to settling in a bit and seeing what it’s all about. I’ll also be polishing up some songs I’ve been working on and doing a bit of album art for the new Chairy Arms EP. Expect heaps more posts about tunes and art and other goodness.

My travels will begin again in December when my super awesome friends, Liz and Patrick come to get mind-fucked with me on the South Island. Following their visit, the rocket-ship babe from outer space, Christina “yer dad” Shapalis will be hoofing it wit me for a good 2 months. Yessss. Then, my Ma will be making the trek out here as well for her own mom-style NZ adventure.

And here’s what I’ve been listening to:

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Hot Boyz ft. Dear Nora

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of Montreal – Kissing in the Grass
listen to that bass line. and, um oboe intro? clarinet maybe? brilliant.

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