Jet Jaguar Photo: supplied
Interview: Jet Jaguar
Michael Upton has been producing music as Jet Jaguar for just over 25 years, formulating electronic rhythms alongside field recordings and ambient soundscapes. His 12th release Small Things continues to hone his signature sound, which blurs the boundaries between acoustic sounds and electronic ones.
Those sounds can come from unexpected sources: one buried in the track 'Patience and Glue' came from "a friend living in Taiwan," says Upton. "He sent me a recording of one of the street sellers, who was selling a soy drink. It was literally just a voice note, and I realised it would work really well in a piece of music".
Elsewhere on 'Small Things Popping', there's some rudimentary ukulele playing, digitally diced by Upton and including the sound of nearby birds, and on 'Coral and Mimsy', a certain plonking sounds turns out to be "six or seven different instruments all hitting the same note at the same time".
Small Things is the third Jet Jaguar release to come out on Cudighi, a record label based in Los Angeles. "Initially they contacted me," says Upton, "wanting to release some of my stuff. We've just kept in touch, I've really liked working with them".
The album takes its title from 'Small Things Popping', which is a play on 'Big Things Poppin' by American rapper T.I. Initially a jokey name, Upton realised after the fact that "my music does have all these small things in it, and they are kind of popping. Suddenly this is almost a literal description of what Jet Jaguar tracks can be like".
Bottom of the Pool by Julie Dawson
Photo: Bandcamp
On her debut album the Galway, Ireland singer aimed to break away from her band NewDad's guitar-heavy sound of and explore electro textures. She enlisted Belfast's Jack Hamill, who makes music as Space Dimension Controller, to produce, and while some of his rhythmic urgency makes its way here, the best songs are the ones that simmer, like title track 'Bottom of the Pool'.
The trick of Hamill's detailed production is the way it reveals itself on repeat listens, and that sits perfectly with Julie Dawson's music, which is the kind of pop that doesn't bombard you on first listen, but lures you back for more.
The album is a great surprise, full of well-crafted songs that don't outstay their welcome, Dawson's breathy delivery complementing each sparse and sparkling song.
Not Boyz Anymore by Soda Boyz
Photo: Supplied
This Palmerston North-formed band are described in their press notes as "Aotearoa's premier proponents of slowcore". It's a tricky genre to define, but their label Papaiti Records go on to say the band "honed their delivery to emphasize the negative space".
There are plenty of introspective moments, but they're balanced with occasional peppy rhythms, and propulsive guitars. Often the songs feel deconstructed, taking the scenic route where you may have expected a main road.
Maybe that's a result of the long gestation period, (their debut came out in 2020), maybe it's in pursuit of the "negative space" mentioned by their label. Results are always interesting, and sometimes uplifting.
Tony Stamp reviews the latest album releases every week on The Sampler.
