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The Dead C

Good blog:
http://thedoledrums.blogspot.com/

http://www.myspace.com/thedeadc

Minisnap are 3/4 of The Bats and their album Bounce Around is ace. From Flying Nun you should also check out Bailterspace, HDU (High Dependecy Unit) and The Subliminals for noisier stuff. You should definitely listen to The 3DS & The Chills as well. Straitjacket Fits were weird guitar rock...amazing songs and music. David Kilgour (from The Clean) has put out some great solo records. See Here Come the Cars & Sugarmouth. If you like Neutral Milk and other E6 type stuff, then check out The Tall Dwarfs too.

Off Flying Nun, Voom are a great unnoticed band. Still going I think. The Stereo Bus are probably my favourite NZ band...now defunct...very sonic wimpy guitar pop.

Are one of my favourite 'new' discoveries of this year (although the EP I've been listening to was originally released in 2007), they're great: http://www.myspace.com/killsurfcitygo

If you like twee pop

really good mathy dance-core on transgressive. Amazing live band as well (cute panda outfits).

The comp of their EPs is on Spotify:

spotify:album:1TBDLLxZhMjUOeszjOJrS8

but can't emphasise checking out Straitjacket Fits enough - they're an amazing and overlooked band. The 3Ds from Flying Nun are pretty great also - Outer Space is one of my favourite FN songs.

Here's some stuff from the scant amount of NZ music on Spotify:

http://open.spotify.com/user/loveuglychildren/playlist/7bke2BUPWIktiQzUzscUn2

History Never Repeats is only on there because I <3 it so goddamn much. Skip it if you want.

Other than that, Chris Knox's 'Meat' album is cool, and Darcy Clay's only EP before he killed himself, 'Jesus I Was Evil', was recorded on a 4-track and went top 5 - sounds a bit White Stripes-y (and spookily includes a cover of Jolene before they did it....)

colourful indie pop with ethnic styling.

www.myspace.com/therubysuns

New Zealand's fourth most popular folk parody duo.

Alphabethead - Amazing turntablist mixing hip hop, jazz and anything else he can work in.
Charlie Ash - Good electro pop a la Ladyhawke etc but better.

i'd recommend the compilations as starting points to give a feel of which artists / songs you'll like the most. Abbasalutely - A Flying Nun Tribute to ABBA is a lot of fun...

Under The Influence: 21 years of flying nun pretty much features decent songs by all the lesser-known flying nun bands, and a great malkmus cover of a verlaines song.

if you like the clean, there's a great covers record of their stuff too - features pavement, guided by voices, calexico, etc. (also, so many bands have covered their songs on other compilations - times new viking, american analog set, broken social scene, etc) their influence really cant be understated.

also, here are my few "essential" flying nun tracks, see what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeuy8PD0bFM - Verlaines- Death & The Maiden

if you like that, their record Juvenilia is a great compilation of their early EPs and singles, though my favourite studio record of theirs is Some Disenchanted Evening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAcZtIwnOXs - the chills - pink frost

their best of is pretty much incredible. almost as good as the clean's anthology. however, their first three studio records are all worth tracking down - kaleidoscope world in particular is gold.

also: anything by alastair galbraith, chris knox (who has got a benefit comp out soon after recently having a stroke - covers by jay reatard, jeff mangum, gbv, will oldham, bill callahan, ETC), the bats, sneaky feelings, tall dwarfs, etc.

ALSO (last one) - David Kilgour (the clean) has loads of really great solo records. Here Come The Cars & The Frozen Orange especially.

The Great Unwashed are also a great band - formed during The Clean's split with former members. Collection has everything theyve ever done in one compilation (I think)

if you ever get bored, its worth watching this compilation on youtube too - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjUDemQFznA . really interesting watch & will tell you more than i ever could.

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to succinctly answer your question, here are the most vital flying nun (or related) releases:

1. the verlaines - some disenchanted evening
2. the chills - kaleidoscope world
3. god save the clean (compilation)
4. the bats - compilitely bats
5. under the influence: 21 years of flying nun (compilation)
6. david kilgour - here come the cars
7. the great unwashed - collection
8. abbasalutely - a flying nun tribute to abba (compilation)

& i honestly think surf city's ep is up there with those records. i really hope they come over and tour.

SORRY for this being way too long

the soundtrack from the latest series of Flight of the Conchords.
Fully expecting some sort of backlash for this post.

www.myspace.com/bailterspace
Wonderful shoegazey stuff, bit harder edge than yer slowdives