New Zealand World Tour & RIP Martin Phillipps of The Chills
The Sound Opinions World Tour rolls along, making its next stop in beautiful New Zealand. Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot take a virtual trip to the other side of the world to explore the best of kiwi music, focusing on the influential jangly pop movement known as the Dunedin Sound. Plus they bid farewell to a giant of the New Zealand music scene, Martin Phillipps, of the Chills.
Obituary: Martin Phillipps
Jim and Greg discuss the lasting influence of Martin Phillipps of The Chills.
World Tour: New Zealand
Lorde is just the biggest name in a long line of important musicians coming out of New Zealand. So this week, Jim and Greg fire up the jet to take the Sound Opinions World Tour to the other side of the world. As a guide, they’re joined by Wellington-based critic Nick Bollinger, host of The Sampler on Radio New Zealand and author of several books including the memoir Goneville.
They focus on an influential era in kiwi rock emerging in the early 1980s known as the Dunedin Sound that’s closely associated with the legendary New Zealand indie label Flying Nun Records. Based around the southern university city Dunedin, the Flying Nun bands drew upon early psychedelia, American garage rock, and The Velvet Underground to create a distinctive jangly guitar-based sound, much of it released on lo-fi 4-track recordings. But while the key bands like The Clean, The Chills, and The Verlaines shared an aesthetic, Nick argues that their musical approaches actually were varied. By the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the Dunedin Sound had fully evolved to incorporate the shoegaze of Bailter Space and even the dance beats of Headless Chickens.
A key part of New Zealand’s culture is its indigenous population. Maori, Samoan, and other indigenous groups make up nearly 20% of the population and have had a major impact on the island nation’s pop music. Nick traces the history of Maori music from the Hendrix-esque guitar styling of The Human Instinct to the reggae boom of the ‘70s to the embrace of hip-hop. He also makes recommendations for great contemporary kiwi artists, including singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, power-poppers Kane Strang, electro-soul artist Electric Wire Hustle, and the eclectic producer Lord Echo.
Featured Songs:
- The Chills, "Pink Frost," Pink Frost (single), Flying Nun, 1984
- The Chills, "Effloresce and Deliquesce," Submarine Bells, Slash, 1989
- The Chills, "I Love My Leather Jacket," Kaleidoscope World, Flying Nun, 1989
- The Chills, "Heavenly Pop Hit," Submarine Bells, Slash, 1989
- The Chills, "Monolith," Scatterbrain, Fire, 2021
- Lorde, "Take Me to the River," Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense, A24, 2024
- Charli XCX and Lorde, "Girl, so confusing featuring lorde," Girl, so confusing featuring lorde (Single), Atlantic, 2024
- The Clean, "Fish," Great Sounds Great, Good Sounds Good, So-So Sounds So-So, Bad Sounds Bad, Rotten Sounds Rotten!!, Flying Nun, 1982
- The Clean, "Tally Ho!," Tally Ho! (single), Flying Nun, 1981
- The Bats, "Tragedy," Daddy's Highway, Flying Nun, 1987
- Look Blue Go Purple, "Cactus Cat," LBGPEP2, Flying Nun, 1986
- The Enemy, "Pull Down the Shades," Live at the Beneficiaries Hall, unreleased, 1978
- Toy Love, "Swimming Pool," Toy Love, Deluxe, 1980
- The Chills, "Rolling Moon," Rolling Moon (single), Flying Nun, 1982
- The Clean, "Anything Could Happen," Boodle Boodle Boodle, Flying Nun, 1981
- The Chills, "Kaleidoscope World," Dunedin Double, Flying Nun, 1982
- The Verlaines, "The Lady and the Lizard," Hallelujah - All The Way Home, Flying Nun, 1985
- The Verlaines, "Death and the Maiden," Death and the Maiden (single), Flying Nun, 1983
- Sneaky Feelings, "Throwing Stones," Send You, Flying Nun, 1983
- Split Enz, "I Got You," True Colours, A&M, 1980
- Bailter Space, "Robot World," Robot World, Flying Nun, 1993
- Straitjacket Fits, "She Speeds," Hail, Flying Nun, 1988
- Headless Chickens, "Cruise Control," Body Blow, Flying Nun, 1991
- The Bats, "Made Up In Blue," Made Up In Blue (single), Flying Nun, 1986
- The Human Instinct, "Black Sally," Stoned Guitar, AIR, 1970
- Herbs, "Light of the Pacific," Light of the Pacific, Warrior, 1983
- Upper Hutt Posse, "E Tu," E Tu (single), Jayrem, 1988
- Scribe, "Not Many," The Crusader, Dirty, 2003
- Aldous Harding, "Imagining My Man," Party, 4AD, 2017
- Kane Strang, "My Smile is Extinct," Two Hearts and No Brain, Dead Oceans, 2017
- Electric Wire Hustle, "They Don't Want," Electric Wire Hustle, Every Waking Hour, 2009
- Lord Echo, "Makossa No. 3," Harmonies, Soundway, 2017
- Post Malone, "Guy For That (feat. Luke Combs)," F-1 Trillion, Republic and Mercury, 2024
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