The music scene in New Zealand has really taken me by surprise. It is a small, but devoted group of musicians that love to collaborate and are loved by virtually the entire NZ population. It's the sort of scene any musician would love to be a part of, that is, big enough for creativity to thrive, but without all the trappings of international prestige and competition. In a scene dominated by electronic, reggae, and drum and bass, it did take me a little while to sniff out some great rock bands. Low and behold I have finally fond a few worthy of merit, and today I'm going to tell you a little bit about them and share some music.
The first group of the three is Shihad. Shihad is a Wellingotn based group that has been in the scene for over 20 years, and have released albums ranging in style from the Metallica Esq thrash metal in the late 80's to the more pop oriented alternative rock that currently defines them. It was the latter style that briefly propelled Shihad onto the international stage in the early 2000s, becoming the "home-town heroes" of New Zealand and ensuring their legendary status. Believe it or not, if you were listening to radio rock in the early 2000s you may have heard a few of their tunes (I know I had), but you would never have known due the scandal surrounding their name. As you may have guessed, the name Shihad which they derived from the Arabic word "jihad," suddenly became a marketing nightmare after 9/11/01. They ended up releasing their 2003 album internationally under the name of Pacifier. Rumor has it that they disliked having to change their name and the clever message behind new name shouldn't be lost on anyone. Unfortunately for them, this album turned out to be the only album ever released internationally, and subsequently the peak of their international fame. So here I'm going to highlight a few of their songs from various stages in their interesting career.
You Again from the album Killjoy - This was the first song that grabbed my attention, so I figured I'd share.
Everything from the album Pacifier - This is one of the biggest hits off of their international album, and is the one you may have heard.
Ignite from the album Ignite - A more down tempo song, but great none-the-less!
The second band I'll be covering today is another Wellington based act. In fact, this band shared a practice studio with Shihad in their up and coming days. The band of which I speak, is Head Like A Hole (also known as HLAH). Their name may have been taken from a Nine Inch Nails song, but they certain aren't derivative of NIN. This band is more of a straight forward rock and roll band that sounds like they would have been comfortable in the early 90's Seattle scene. I don't have too much to more to say about them, so rather than reading my rambles why don't you get onto youtube and check them out for yourself!
Swagger of Thieves from the album Blood Will Out - Great stoner rock from their latest album (sadly, they disbanded shortly thereafter)
Hootenanny from the Album Double Your Strength, Improve Your Health and Lengthen Your Life - This song is a prime example of their music in all it's mid 90's glory.
The final band I'll be talking about today is The Checks. While honestly a little hit and miss for me, I figured they warranted a mention as they were the first rock band I found out about and they do have some songs I think are worth listening to. Hailing from the North Shore area of Auckland, they are a modern sounding blues rock band reminiscent of The Strokes (maybe even The White Stripes if you're willing to stretch a bit). Many of their songs have some very wacky and interesting lyrics that I still haven't quite deciphered, but the groove will get stuck in your head before you know it. They released three albums before disbanding in 2012.
Bagheera from the album Alice by the Moon - This is a great jam with some of the off the wall lyrics I was talking about.
Ballroom Baby from the album Alice by the Moon - This is probably my personal favorite song, and was a good backing track to some of my first months in New Zealand. A bit more laid back, and catchy as hell
Hunting Whales from the album Hunting Whales - Just press play and I promise the first squeal of the guitar will grab you.
