This thread may very well sink like a stone… Anybody out there a fan of the (now-defunct) NZ-band the Verlaines?
I’ve been listening to Juvenilia for over ten years now and still think it’s the lost masterpiece of the eighties. A slice of pure pop perfection, it somehow combines punk energy and Downes’ classical training – without sounding anything like prog rock (shudder).
Anyone? Any NZ dopers?
I really liked The Verlaines, at least what I’d heard of them. Lots of great Kiwi bands in the 80s - The Clean, The Bats, The Chills, all those Flying Nun groups. Most of 'em are gone now. I wish members of these groups would band together and form a NZ supergroup or something. I miss 'em, and I don’t know what’s going on with the New Zealand pop/rock scene these days.
Yeah I like the Chills and the Clean as well, though I find their albums too uneven to single one out. IMO The Verlaines were also kind of uneven after Juvenilia[ but there are some real gems there if you don’t mind wading through the pretension.
I’ve been meaning to buy a Bats album for a long time … any recommendations?
Compilelty Bats, if you can find it. My personal favorite is Fear of God, with Daddy’s Highway close behind.
Yeah, I love the Verlaines. All their albums up to Ready to Fly at least.
The Bats have never been one of my favourite Flying Nun bands, and I don’t have any of their albums, but I’m sure anything from pre-1991 or so would be a decent bet.
Hey, don’t listen to ruadh, Ace. She didn’t like Geek Love either. I can’t figure out what’s going on in her head. But I love her anyway.
(BTW, she’s right - anything after '91 is pretty much crap as far as The Bats go.)