Movie Review: Beautiful Machine

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When I first heard about this documentary and watched the trailer, I knew it was going to be either fantastic or awful. I had high expectations of what the film should be, so if Beautiful Machine didn’t live up to them I would be giving it less than a one out of five and cursing the New Zealand music industry. However, and lucky for New Zealand, Beautiful Machine is the best thing to hit cinemas since the non-3D version of Titanic.

Beautiful Machine tells the story of how Shihad, New Zealand’s long standing rock band, formed and began their journey to music success. It shows childhood memories of the four band members and how music inspired their success. The four band members, their families and the music industry professionals they have interacted with throughout their journey all give insight into the band through interviews and tales, intertwined with concert footage with from the past 24 years. 

What makes the film brilliant is the brutal honesty. There was no skirting around the edges, no glossing over the bad parts to make Shihad look better. And for this, I respect the band so much more. They do not parade on about their rise to fame and the millions of records they sell. Rather, they told the stories of their battles with alcoholism, their struggles to stay apart from their friends and families and girlfriends when they made the decision to move to Melbourne and how depression nearly tore them apart.

There are three main stories which shape the documentary. The first is the formation and the beginnings of stardom; how they went from underground bars to opening for AC/DC and being the main stage at Big Day Out, until tragedy struck the band. The second part focuses on their highs during their time in Germany and Eastern Europe. The final part, and the part which hit home the hardest, was the band’s honest description of how their tour of United States miserably failed. This is where we are told how they felt about changing their name to Pacifier and how the tour almost broke the band up because the tour was not the success they had imagined.

To me, Shihad have always been that rock band who is always there. I’ve never been the biggest Shihad fan, but I’ve always liked their music and I have enjoyed seeing them live before. However, seeing Beautiful Machine has increased my respect for the band. I urge you to see this documentary and go on a journey with Shihad, because it is a brilliant cinematic masterpiece from a band New Zealand is so proud of.  

Album Review: Shelter

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Will Frost is a new, young artist from Christchurch and Shelter, his debut album, was launched as part of New Zealand Music Month. According to Will’s website, Shelter “is a mixture of powerful ballads, folky acoustic sounds and lyrical, wistful songs, which cross effortlessly between a rich full tone and a yodeling falsetto.” Sometimes the internet fakes the truth, but in the case of Will Frost, they have hit the nail on the head. Shelter is a fantastic album.

The first song on the album has the most impact and is a wonderful way to start a music career. It’s Time is written about rebuilding Christchurch following the devastating earthquakes and it really pulls your heartstrings. With minimal backing instruments, a theme which continues across the album, It’s Time is raw and beautiful and reminds you of the struggles in Christchurch. It’s a song which comes from the heart; Will’s website explains he has spent his whole life in Christchurch and you can feel his love for the city in this song. It’s no surprise this song was a finalist in the 2012 Festival of Flowers Song Writing Competition.

This raw sound continues throughout the album. Will takes a turn with love, with the songs Eternal and Clarity. Despite only being a teenager, Will manages to nail wistful lyrics and packs a lot of emotion into his songs, as seen in my favourite song off the album, One in Five. The tempo kicks up with songs Shelter and The Hero and His Friends in the right place to keep the attention of the listener slipping. These songs mix in nicely with the slower songs without losing any impact.

What I love about this album is the simplistic nature. There are no huge instrumentals overpowering the lyrical meaning; rather the right amount of accompanying instruments to give it the added effect, with an awesome alto saxophone inclusion in Number Nine. With this minimalism it would be easy for this album to become repetitive, but effortless mixes of fast and slow, wistful and impacting keep you listening. Will has a unique, distinctive voice which ranges in pitch and pace throughout the album, and more than a few strong notes come through.

I think this album is fantastic. And, considering I spend most of my time buried in the rock music styles of Bon Jovi and Foo Fighters, this is a big statement. This is the album I want to put on after a long day, a summery afternoon, a cosy winter night, or indeed, anytime, anyplace, for anyone. It’s slick, it’s professional, it’s comforting, and it’s the sound New Zealand needs to hear more of. 

Concert Review: Owl City / Cobra Starship

Owl City and Cobra Starship live at the Auckland Town Hall March 2010

When my friend texted me and said he had a spare ticket to this concert, I hesitated for only a moment. Owl City were trending at the time and Cobra Starship were being danced to at every party, mostly thanks to the inclusion of Leighton Meester in one of their songs.

At this concert, we were seated along the side of the Town Hall. If you’ve ever been there, you’ll know it’s quite small but packs a lot of noise. I was quite glad I wasn’t in the mosh down below – the teenagers were going mad!

Owl City and supporting band came on and were a hit from the beginning. I’m quite a fan of Owl City and the slow, sweet sounds he makes. Chart topping hits from 2009 and 2010 were played, including Fireflies and Vanilla Twilight, which are songs which make you feel good when they listened to on the radio, and make you ten times happier when they are heard live.

Cobra Starship upped the anticipation with their more upbeat and dancy tracks. I was pleased to see all their music was being played live and not pre-recorded or DJ’d from one person behind the singers. They got the mosh pit going, but while I was not jumping out of my seat at the top, I was foot tapping and head nodding along to the beats. They let themselves down by leaving their two hits, Hot Fuzz and Good Girls Go Bad both for their encore. These two were the best two songs they ever released and the best songs of the night. I wish they had put Hot Fuzz on earlier during the set to create more of a buzz. Also, it was always going to happen, but Good Girls Go Bad just wasn’t right without the additional Meester vocals (her part was covered by a female band member).

Overall, I was impressed by these guys. I wasn’t blown away, but then again, their music doesn’t blow you away. It is nice, cool music and they had a live performance to match it. Good vocals, good instrumentals and a good crowd sold the night for me.

And, as a side note, Auckland Town Hall also sold me as a venue to host live shows. I haven’t made it back to a show there yet, but I aim to as soon as someone cool comes to play there!