Nickel Creek, Sea Oleena, & Ian Anderson

Some recent new music purchase have included the following: Nickel Creek's "A Dotted Line" in 24-bit/96kHz resolution; Sea Oleena's "Sea Oleena" & "Sleeplessness" EPs from Bandcamp (in 16-bit/44.1kHz resolution), and Ian Anderson's "Homo Erraticus" in 24-bit/48kHz resolution.

Go Lorde! Congratulations!

Awesome result for Lorde at the 56th Annual Grammys! Fantastic effort on winning the "Best Pop Solo Performance", and with co-writer Joel Little "Song Of The Year"! Royals was certainly the song of the summer when I was in the USA in September & October, and I've really enjoyed listening to "The Love Club EP", and now the subsequent album "Heroine". The former is still my favourite at this stage.

  

Congratulations Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor. Will be great to see where she goes in the future - she looks to be a true individual, and someone to watch for something different and original!

  

"Trauma" by Cœur de pirate

My newest album addition a week or so ago was "Trauma" by Cœur de pirate (Béatrice Martin) which is available on Bandcamp as a 16bit 44.1kHz download in FLAC or ALAC; its also available in VBR MP3 or AAC lossy files, or Ogg Vorbis format. You can also access it using Bandcamp's free mobile access. Released on 14 January 2014 I believe this is Cœur de pirate's only album since Blonde (here second album released in November 2011), so it's been a while coming...

  

This is an album of covers - which a slightly eclectic selection of songs, but very much in keeping with the atmosphere the album is intended to generate (see below), and nevertheless something I'm finding enjoyable and just a little different from Béatrice Martin's other work.

Amanda Palmer's New Album

Amanada Palmer has announced the release of a new album (An Evening With Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer) with Neil Gaiman. The 40-Track album (equivalent to 3 CDs) is available through Bandcamp (from US$10) and can be downloaded in FLAC (ALAC, MP3, or other formats), and contains a mix of her older material and some new songs, poems, and more.

"Recorded live in 2012, and initially released as a limited edition set to Kickstarter backers, Neil and Amanda now bring the experience to you for your listening pleasure. Enjoy Neil and Amanda performing audience favorites, duets, cover songs, poetry, short stories, and more!"

Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H6 Headphones

I've picked up a pair of the fine looking Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H6 Headphones - thanks to some loyalty reward points - the question will be do they sound as good as they look stylish (I must confess the do look stylish but sound may not match appearance)?

"Designed by Jakob Wagner the BeoPlay H6 is crafted from luxurious materials and makes a bold statement in terms of design. It’s a perfect match for the style-conscious consumer who refuses to compromise quality in sound, design or craftsmanship. The ear pads are made from soft lambskin, and the headband from the more rugged cow leather, a combination that ages well and only looks more beautiful with use."

Fat Freddy's Drop Live in Auckland

Yeah, that's right, the near mythical Fat Freddy's Drop were here at The Powerstation, Auckland, on 13 September 2013! I had been listening to Blackbird" quite a bit when it first came out - and it's a different sound to their earlier albums - so was intrigued to see what the set list would be for this show!

Amanda Palmer Live Totally Rocks!

Yes, if you didn't know already Amanda Palmer totally rocks! Supported by the Grand Theft Orchestra (from her latest album "Theatre Is Evil") and some interesting support acts the classic "King's Arms" style show, with a truly eclectic crowd of fans, on Friday 6 September 2013 was totally awesome (to put it in one word)!

Support acts were The Murder Chord (we only arrived as they were finishing so only heard the last track unfortunately), followed by an awesome solo performance by Jherek Bischoff (the bassist from Grand Theft Orchestra).

Steve Vai live in Auckland

What a show (Saturday 20 July 2013) - my ears didn't come right until Monday morning! The Steve Vai show at Auckland's ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, The Edge was full on and loud! But if you love guitar - as I do - it was totally awesome! What a show!

Beth Orton Live

Went to see Beth Orton live at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell, here in Auckland. Good concert, and great venue, although somewhat more understated than I expected and not what I'd class a great performance - while she is obviously a folk singer her performance seemed a little more subdued than how I find her albums (and obviously being live the expectation was for perhaps a tad more energy so I was a little underwhelmed). I am undecided on the set list (although there was definitely not enough of her earlier stuff in my opinion), although it was worth attending if only to have seen her live.

Danny Bhoy!

Went to see Danny Bhoy's "Dear Epsom" live show at the Civic Theatre, The Edge, here in Auckland on 3 May 2013. Great show - he was brilliantly funny as always! Fantastic! Thumbs Up Danny!

See feed back at Ticketmaster NZ.