[{"id":399999205614,"handle":"flying-nun-records","updated_at":"2024-02-24T10:15:24+11:00","published_at":"2022-02-08T16:04:47+11:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"Flying Nun Records","body_html":"","image":{"created_at":"2022-02-08T16:04:46+11:00","alt":null,"width":300,"height":300,"src":"\/\/flyingnunaustralia.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/L-20365-1498236818-5866.jpg?v=1644296686"}},{"id":399998157038,"handle":"sneaky-feelings","updated_at":"2023-08-08T01:47:04+10:00","published_at":"2022-02-08T15:48:11+11:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"Sneaky Feelings","body_html":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSneaky Feelings\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e were the poppiest Nun band, preferring poise to noise. They didn't set out to be cool; they set out to make great, hummable records with thoughtful lyrics. Their main musical influences were the Beatles, the Beach Boys, soul music, Fairport Convention, The Brill Building songwriters of the 60s for a start). They formed at Otago University in Dunedin in 1980, where they were all students, and debuted with the Chills in November of that year, mixing original material with covers like Hey Joe played slow like Jimi Hendrix. The line-up eventually settled as a four-piece. David Pine and Matthew Bannister were the guitarists and main songwriters; drummer Martin Durrant also contributed the odd tune. Kat Tyrie played bass.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn November 1981 the group played their first out-of-town gig with the Verlaines at the Gladstone Hotel in Christchurch. Roger Shepherd saw one of the gigs and asked both bands to participate in the\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Dunedin Double\" EP\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003ewith the Chills and the Stones. Three songs; \"Pity's Sake\", \"There's a Chance\" and \"Backroom\" were recorded in a Christchurch bedroom in early 1982. The band weren't happy with the recordings, or with their next single\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBe My Friend \/ Amnesia\u003c\/b\u003e, which was made during the band's first trip to Auckland in late 82.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe following year, however, they recorded their debut LP\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSend You\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eat Mascot Studios in Auckland (as were all their subsequent recordings, with a couple of exceptions). The 16 track studio gave the band the sound they'd been looking for, and the album established the band as a major force in NZ music. It was recorded and mixed in four days and cost about $2000. Much of the bass on the album is actually played on a synthesiser, as Kat had a nerve problem in her arm that prevented her from playing bass with her customary vigour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 1984, Kat left the band and was replaced by John Kelcher of Christchurch. The album came out to good reviews, and the band found themselves in demand. They recorded the single\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHusband House b\/w \"Strange and Conflicting Feelings . . .\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMajor Barbara\u003c\/b\u003e. This came out in 1985 and reached number 17 in the NZ singles charts. It featured cello and horn overdubs and was the group's most complex and accomplished project to date. Another single\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBetter Than Before b\/w Wouldn't Cry, Here's to the Other Six\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(recorded at Strawberry Sound, Dunedin) came out in 1986. Wouldn't Cry was notable for being the first \"proper\" song David ever wrote!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe LP\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSentimental Education\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecame out in 1987. It eschewed loud guitars in favour of a more varied musical palette. A single\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Coming True\/Wasted Time\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ewas also released. By this time the band were living in Auckland, except for Martin, who was still in Dunedin, finishing his English Ph D. This tension eventually led to a break-up. In August to October 1987 the Sneakies toured the UK , Netherlands and Germany.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 1988, they recorded their final LP\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHard Love Stories\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand toured Europe again, using Ross Burge (now Mutton Birds drummer) in place of Martin, who was unable to come due to work commitments in Wellington.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAfter the tour, there was a general consensus that members would go their separate ways. David went back to Dunedin to study law, and played in a band called Death Ray Cafe, who recorded for Pagan Records. Matthew stayed in Auckland, where he formed a new band,\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eDribbling Darts of Love, who recorded for Flying Nun. John went back to Christchurch, where he made solo tapes for Failsafe Records and recorded with a group called Creeley. Martin stayed in Wellington, working as a civil servant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/okYMUMEYQVo\" height=\"720\" width=\"1120\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/okYMUMEYQVo\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" frameborder=\"0\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","image":{"created_at":"2022-02-10T10:32:02+11:00","alt":null,"width":1000,"height":1000,"src":"\/\/flyingnunaustralia.com\/cdn\/shop\/collections\/Sneaky_Feelings_Flying_Nun-3_SQUARE.jpg?v=1644449522"}}]
How do you explain a near thirty-year gap between albums? Perfectionism maybe ….. tardiness certainly…… but it is well worth the wait.
Sneaky Feelings, one of the original Dunedin Sound bands formed in the early 1980s return with a brand-new album of original songs. Sneaky Feelings were drawn to a wider variety of musical styles than most early Flying Nun bands and were one of the first to experiment in the recording studio. Perhaps what drove the band to push the limits of a pop band has been the fact that all four members write songs. And while the band may have not played much over the years, the individual members have continued to hone their songwriting skills. The twelve songs on Progress Junction were recorded over two years in bass player John Kelcher’s Christchurch studio. There was no plan when the band began recording, the four members just had a bunch of songs that suited the Sneaky Feelings sound and feel. As band put the album together they experimented by weaving in snippets of audio from New Zealand radio archives. Voices from the past started talking to the present. True to the lost New Zealand egalitarian dream, each band member contributed three tracks, and although there was no grand design, each song reflects on an aspects of New Zealand life. The album starts with an invitation from the owner of a junk shop to inspect his treasures (Do You Like That Style?) and ends with Ghosts walking out of an abandoned town (Progress Junction). In between there are end of life decisions to be made at a retirement home (Castle of Dreams), celebration of friendship and summer (Summer Song), a warning against unnecessary entanglements (Other People's Lives), a plea for academics to stay true to their calling (Don't Come Down), and earthquakes……All the usual rock and roll subjects ….….. but are the band’s new preoccupations signs of maturity or symptoms of middle age decline? Do they amount to progress?
Wondering where the striking cover came from? Kelcher found a photo of four hard-living West Coast miners from the 1940s staring straight at the camera. When the band saw this haunting image it was like the past was staring straight at them – it had to be the cover.
Tracklisting
Do You Like That Style?
Castle of Dreams
Summer Song
I Don't Blame You
Can't Get You High
Mettle
Other People's Lives
You Never Know
Eyes On The Horizon
First Family
Don't Come Down
Progress Junction
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