Six Piece Wellington - New Zealand Spacy Band - The Phoenix Foundation Has A New & Astonishing Album - 'Pegasus'.

Six piece Wellington band The Phoenix Foundation were formed in 1997 by Samuel Flynn Scott (vox/gat), Luke Buda (vox/gat/keys) and Conrad Wedde (gat/keys). Having jammed for a couple of years, recorded "This Charming Van" and releasing the China Cove EP in 2000, they were joined by Richie Singleton (drums), Will Ricketts (percussion) and Tim Hansen (bass) in 2001. Songs begat songs until "The Drinker", which received special attention from the Bnet radio network and went on to win Best Unreleased Song at the 2002 Bnet Awards. Other 'hotcuts' "Blue Summer" and an early mix of "Let Me Die A Woman" also received significant airplay, with "Blue Summer" becoming the second most played song on New Zealand alternative radio in 2002.

The Phoenix Foundation recorded their debut album 'Horsepower' during the winter of 2002 with Lee Prebble (The Black Seeds, Trinity Roots) at The Surgery in Newtown, Wellington. The gruelling late nights and scurvy resulted in one of the most acclaimed New Zealand albums of the 2003. Horsepower was the only album to be nominated for 'Best Album' at both the Vodafone NZ Music Awards (aka the Tuis) and the Bnet Awards. It was also voted the 'Best NZ Album' of 2003 by nzmusic.com and was the only New Zealand album selected in The Listener's 'Top Ten Albums of 2003' by Nick Bollinger (Listener/Radio NZ). The video for the album's first single "Let Me Die A Woman" was made by esteemed video director/producer Richard Bell (One Collective) and went on to win the 'Knack Award' at the 2003 NZ Music Video Awards. The follow up video for "Going Fishing", also directed/produced by Richard Bell, again went on to win the 'Knack Award' at the 2004 NZ Music Video Awards as well as 'Best Cinematography' at the 2004 Handle The Jandal Awards.

In 2004 'Horsepower' was released in Australia on Remote Control Records (The White Stripes, Badly Drawn Boy, The Pixies) and, following a quick tour of 'the lucky country', received strong reviews and radio play on Triple J and RRR. In May 2005, The Phoenix Foundation will release their long awaited 2nd studio album 'Pegasus' through Festival Mushroom Records. The 11 track album was again recorded and produced by Lee Prebble at The Surgery in Wellington and features new bass boss Warner Emery. The first single 'Hitchcock' has already reached the top spots on the New Zealand Alternative Charts and b.net stations. The video for Hitchcock was directed by esteemed New Zealand producer Rueben Sutherland and is set for release in February.

Renowned for their strong live show, the band have had much fun playing with the likes of Calexico, SJD, Evan Dando and Cortina. Highlights so far in 2005 have included a performance at the 'Big Day Out' and an outdoor concert in January at Wellington's Botanical Gardens which attracted a 3500 strong crowd. In June the band will embark on a New Zealand tour to celebrate the release of 'Pegasus' and are also planning a second Australian tour in July.

Bio By Noizyland Dot Com.

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About The Scene Of Wellington & 'Pegasus' New Album:




Undoubtedly the most anticipated album of the year so far and a landmark for that oft-quoted, all-encompassing beast, the "Wellington sound", Fat Freddy's Drop's Based on a True Story is unlikely to disappoint the thousands who have been feverishly awaiting its release. The anticipation is a well-deserved reward after six years of acclaimed live gigs, and latterly crucial vinyl releases, that have seen their reputation spread out of New Zealand and onto the worldwide underground, assisted by patronage from Gilles Peterson, Recloose, Jazzanova and other tastemakers.

It is to their credit that, locally at least, the hype has been generated organically with a low-key approach that would leave most outfits under the radar, but instead has placed them at the front of the pack. Frustratingly, this laid-back approach also results in a review copy arriving the day after it was available in shops and allowing scant time before deadline to absorb the 10 drawn-out tracks. The production from Mu, or DJ Fitchie as he has now styled himself, is routinely superb and there can be no denying that it's an outstanding-sounding, lovingly recorded and mixed record. On the album highlight "Ray Ray", the combination of musical nous, instinctual playing and adventurous mixing and construction is breathtaking. It's the only entire track where all these factors fall easily into alignment throughout, and the glimpse of what this fearsome unit can potentially achieve feels as if it's over too quickly – not something usually said about an album with an average track length of seven minutes.

The remainder of live favourites, reworked vinyl cuts and new compositions generally draw on the model that has worked so well with the 12"s but fail to engage in the same remarkable way. On initial plays, at least, it feels like a little too much of a good thing. The impact of Dallas Tamaira's impressive voice has been blunted by his serial guest appearances on other people's records and the concentration on lengthy skankers leaves no room for the directness and discipline shown on their greatest single achievement so far, the b-side of "Midnight Marauders", "Seconds". This is only the beginning of the Drop's account and it's heartening to see an independent release achieve so much without playing by the rules, but musically the best may well be yet to come.

From a similar vintage and also including the ubiquitous "featuring members of" other bands in the Wellington co-op fashion, the Phoenix Foundation spread their wings a little further on Pegasus. After the splendidly wigged-out abstraction of their recent Rhian Sheehan remix all bets were off on how this record would sound, but only the whimsical instrumental "Sea World" comes teasingly close to that sort of behaviour. Refreshingly unpretentious in their musical explorations, the band are musically and lyrically several steps further down the track than their melodic, meandering debut Horsepower and they now boast the confidence and agility that allow for great lines in the "Slightest Shift in the Weather" and "Nest Egg" and even some sketchy rhymes on "The Posh Tiger". Though it may be short of a screaming singalong like "Going Fishing", there are several highly infectious pop oddities, including the breezy "All in Afternoon", studio lament "Damn the River" and the aforementioned Western-esque wonder "Slightest Shift in the Weather".

They pitch their tent most prominently in a kind of sub-country twanged-out zone that they make their own – the red herrings are the beautiful but incongruous piano piece "Twilight" that closes the record, and the inspired spooky instrumental chugger with the SUV-baiting video, "Hitchcock". As with their first album, there are moments where it feels as if they may have stretched themselves a little further than they are able, particularly vocally, but those moments are fleeting and fewer this time around on a beguiling sophomore effort. (Review & Story By Listener.co.nz)

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