Biographies are so niche. Not everyone is interested real people or feels the need to be a completist. Itâs like that for me, but I also love my weirdos. New Zealand had a indie music moment in the 80s that remains legendary today. Of dozens, two bands have been anointed as the gods: The Clean, for the first hit record off of the fledgling Flying Nun Record Label and The Chills, whoâs songwriting was 1st to capture global interest (this yearâs posthumous Spring Board LP is an encomium that unites the origins of the band with its final yearsâŚreally worth a go). Arguably, Straitjacket Fits completes the trinity. A Lennon/McCartney-esque writing partnership earning a 6-record deal with Arista, they fizzled after 2. This is the origin story of the bandâs Lennon and what went down these last 60 years. CARTER IS A FANTASTIC WRITER. He needed to be. While I love the Doublehappys, the Fits and his 2016 solo album, I struggled to understand the longest-standing Dimmer project. He deftly reoriented me and it just goes to show how listening is as much an intellectual exercise as it is an emotional one. Carterâs story is one of struggle and growth, a lower class punk who has been inducted in the NZ music hall of fame, received legacy awards and laureateships. His literary craftsmanship is witty, turns on a dime, observant and honest. Unique editorial decisions kept things linear, but with swirls in the timeline which really helps connect past events to future ones and back again. I came away loving a broader swath of his music than ever before and respecting his lifeâs path âwhich possesses a real sense of truth to his personal compassâ tremendously. If youâre remotely familiar with New Zealand and the Flying Nun Label / âDunedin Soundâ time period for rock music, check it out.
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