Is Melodrama the best album of the year? We’ll know definitively later today (*irony warning*), but in the meantime, Elle Hunt predicts the winners of the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. These Grammys, the sixtieth ever, are the third for which two friends and I have got our picks in. The Grammys’ administration starts four to … Read more
Who would threaten to burn down a restaurant in New Zealand because of the politics of the Middle East? Yael Shochat, owner of the Israeli restaurant Ima in Auckland, responds to the menacing abuse that has followed Lorde’s decision not to play in Tel Aviv. I‘m sure you’ve heard of Lorde’s decision to cancel her … Read more
Like the rest of the internet-having world, Sam Brooks has been listening to Lorde’s new album today. Unlike most of the world, he writes plays for a living. Here’s his interpretation of his favourite song from the album. First published on 16 June 2017. * The following is what happens when you sit in The … Read more
Opinion: Yesterday Justine Sachs and Nadia Abu-Shanab penned an open letter urging Lorde to cancel her concert scheduled for next June in Tel Aviv. Here Dane Giraud, a member of the NZ Jewish community, offers a counterview. Dear Lorde, I’m not often asked to be the mouthpiece for political movements. Funny that. Not really. Who’d want … Read more
Opinion: Lorde has announced a concert in Tel Aviv for June. Jewish New Zealander Justine Sachs and Palestinian New Zealander Nadia Abu-Shanab make the case for her to reconsider. Read a counterview from a member of the New Zealand Jewish community here Dear Lorde, We’re writing to you about your planned performance in Israel. We’re … Read more
We asked you, our loyal readers, what your favourite albums and songs of the year were, both from here and from elsewhere. Oh, and your favourite shows, your reflections on the year, and predictions for next year. This is what you told us. Okay, list season is underway. The arms race is escalating and best … Read more
This morning the Spotify-subscribing world woke up to Spotify’s annual ‘your year in review’ package, including a personalised top 100 played songs of the year. Here are music editor Henry Oliver’s top 10 (plus a few more). 1. Aldous Harding – ‘Horizon’ No surprise here. This song cuts deep. For reasons I won’t go into … Read more
Yesterday, Henry Oliver risked it all by predicting the winners of last night’s New Zealand Music Awards. Today he updates that post with the actual results and slightly jaded commentary. Okay, last night actually went pretty well. By which I mean that, yes, it was a good show, I was sitting at a good table with nice people, … Read more
The Spinoff vs Spotify. Narrative vs Data. Heart vs Head. Who can predict more winners of tonight’s New Zealand Music Awards – The Spinoff’s Henry Oliver or Spotify’s team of (probably) Stanford-educated computer-geniuses? A year ago, I proclaimed myself New Zealand music’s Nate Silver and made (not) data-driven predictions about the outcomes of the 2016 … Read more
Tamsyn Matchett and her Lorde-obsessed eight-year-old daughter Ruby review Lorde’s show at the Bruce Mason Theatre in Takapuna, on 12 November. (Plus: Ruby’s letter to Lorde.) Ruby is eight years young and affectionately known as “Spawn”. She loves music, specifically Lorde, Michael Jackson and R.E.M, and often asks me if I can invite Lorde to … Read more
Alex Casey reviews Khalid’s show at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Sunday night. Just like a very primitive prototype for an iPod shuffle, I have the capacity for a little over two albums a year. In 2017, my brain is completely full with Lorde’s Melodrama, and Khalid’s American Teen. By some kind of cosmic collision of … Read more
Earlier this week, the ‘handpicked’ support acts for Lorde’s New Zealand tour were announced. In case you weren’t up with all of them, Lauren Spring has made you a playlist. New Zealand’s high priestess of pop is coming home for a string of shows in early November, supporting her sophomore album Melodrama. She recently announced … Read more
Tonight, Ella Yelich O’Connor, along with her co-writers Jack Antonoff and Joel Little, won the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Award for Lorde’s song ‘Green Light’. Elle Hunt explains why the song is so powerful. The 2017 Silver Scroll, the award for excellence in New Zealand songwriting, has gone to Ella Yelich O’Connor, along with her … Read more
The Spinoff and Spark proudly present Pod On The Couch, a weekly podcast exploring music and the people that make it. This episode: Henry Oliver talks to Kate Robertson and Matthew McAuley about some recent pop music highlights. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver talks to contributors Kate Robertson and Matthew McAuley about Taylor Swift’s return, Charli XCX’s triumph, … Read more
The Spinoff and Spark proudly present Pod On The Couch, a weekly podcast exploring music and the people that make it. This episode: Henry Oliver talks to Leonie Hayden and Kate Robertson about the Silver Scrolls finalists. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver talks to Spinoff staffer Leonie Hayden and contributor Kate Robertson about the 2017 Silver Scrolls finalist … Read more
Yesterday, APRA announced the five finalists for the 2017 Silver Scroll Award. Today, exclusively for the Spinoff, the five artists discuss each other’s work. Lorde on ‘Horizon’ by Aldous Harding The first time I heard ‘Horizon’ – late at night, alone at Electric Lady – I specifically remember this feeling of my head snapping back and … Read more
And the history making five finalists for the 2017 Silver Scroll Award are… ‘Close Your Eyes’ by Bic Runga (written by Bic Runga and Kody Nielson) ‘Green Light’ by Lorde (written by Ella Yelich O’Connor, Jack Antonoff, and Joel Little) ‘Horizon’ by Aldous Harding ‘Life of the Party’ by Chelsea Jade (written by Chelsea Jade … Read more
As music director for this year’s Silver Scroll Awards, Shayne Carter’s job is to design song reinterpretations of the five finalists for the best New Zealand songwriting. He spoke to Calum Henderson about the skill of covering a song, writing his book, and not really liking awards shows. The midday temperature in Dunedin is 3 … Read more
Every artist is making Spotify playlists these days. Amanda Robinson listens to four of the most popular – and one that isn’t, but really deserves to be. Lorde In the ‘Homemade Dynamite’ episode of The Spinoff’s Behind The Melodrama podcast, Lorde talks about how “sometimes it’s just about having your arms around your friend’s shoulders … Read more
The Spinoff and Spark proudly present Pod On The Couch, a weekly podcast exploring music and the people that make it. This episode: Henry Oliver talks to Kate Robertson and Calum Henderson about some recent pop music highlights. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver talks to contributor Kate Robertson and staff writer Calum Henderson about Lorde’s Melodrama, Selena’s ‘Bad Liar’, … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey gather around the oval table to talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. Alex returns from our nation’s capital to confront tales told in her absence. She also brings with her the latest Sue Nicholson and Bevan Chuang physic/clairvoyant/seer news. The gang of … Read more
Lorde: Behind the Melodrama, an 11 episode track-by-track podcast interview with Lorde about her new album is out now. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver introduces the series. Read our definitive review of Melodrama here and our interview with Lorde about her return to the stage at Coachella here. Over two afternoons in May, I sat in the … Read more
Elle Hunt reviews Lorde’s new album, Melodrama. Every sophomore album of a breakout young star is hotly anticipated as a test of their artistry and staying power, and Lorde did precisely nothing to ease the pressure on herself. Melodrama comes very nearly four full years after her debut album, Pure Heroine, and, in that time, … Read more
Like the rest of the internet-having world, Sam Brooks has been listening to Lorde’s new album today. Unlike most of the world, he writes plays for a living. Here’s his interpretation of his favourite song from the album. The following is what happens when you sit in The Spinoff, rushing through your first listen of … Read more
On Monday 19 June we’re releasing Lorde: Behind the Melodrama, an 11 episode track-by-track podcast interview with Lorde about her new album, Melodrama. Over two afternoons in May, Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver sat in a boardroom in Auckland with Lorde, talking about the lyrics, songwriting, and production of her new album, and hearing the … Read more
While watching the Comey trial, Lorde announced the first leg of her Melodrama world tour this morning, including New Zealand dates. Here’s where she’s playing when and how to (let in line to) buy tickets. 7 NOV – DUNEDIN @ TOWN HALL 8 NOV – CHRISTCHURCH @ ISAAC THEATRE ROYAL 11 NOV – WELLINGTON @ … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey gather around the oval table to talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. This week on The Real Pod, the gang travel back to the ancient land of 2017, when knights, dames and maidens roamed the Earth. That’s right, the Queen’s Birthday … Read more
The Spinoff Music team weighs in on Lorde’s new single. Henry Oliver ‘Perfect Places’ is the last song of the party which Lorde’s forthcoming Melodrama is loosely knitted around. It’s the fervent heartfelt anthem to be slurred between the outdoor confessors and belted out on the dancefloor by the drunk and the high before the … Read more
A couple of years ago Aldous Harding was just another New Zealand folk musician. Then she found a fierce voice, and started playing a string of mesmerising live performances which now have her on the cusp of international stardom. Henry Oliver sat down with her to try and find out what sparked her transformation. Aldous … Read more