STACK NZ May Issue #62

MUSIC

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Jakob win 2015Taite Music Prize. ANOTHER GREAT TAITE

On the JB Stereo

A s well being our only music award that is judged purely on artistic achievement, the other great thing about the Taite Music Prize is that the winners are almost always impossible to predict. Last year, for example, the judges honoured Lorde’s mega-selling debut Pure Heroine , even though the Taite is most commonly associated with indie music. This year, with three of the 10 nominated acts coming from the folk/country world, you could have been forgiven for thinking that a roots artist would triumph. But no: the 2015 Taite went to sonic titans Jakob for their excellent album instrumental album Sines . They seemed more surprised than anybody that they had won the award and that’s the way it should be: even if you don’t always agree with the eventual winner, at least you know it’s the artistic merits of each album that matter, not how many they have sold. Because the shortlisted artists have been selected on a similar basis, all 10 are definitely worth investigating: from folky faves like Delaney Davidson (who also played a short but great opening set), Tami Neilson and Aldous Harding, through to out-there hip hop from @Peace. As inaugural winner and co-host for the evening Lawrence Arabia noted, the quality, depth and breadth of the nominees is so much greater than when he first won the prize.

Faith No More Sol Invictus

Squarepusher Damogen Furies

Lucky Stars Don McGlashan

The Darkness Last of Our Kind

Jakob

Ryan Adams Heartbreaker

The ceremony itself is an informal affair; as well as the aforementioned Lawrence Arabia, there was an entertaining speech from Lorde (she missed last year’s event) in which she paid tribute to the nominated acts and shared a few secrets from the road, and Moana Maniapoto was the perfect choice to introduce the winner of this year’s Independent Music Classic Album prize to Herbs for Whats' Be Happen . So congrats to all the winners – and the good news is that 2015 is already shaping up to provide another bumper crop of nominees next year.

Matthew E White Fresh Blood

Tali Wolves

Hot Chip Why Make Sense?

The Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers

Florence and the Machine How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Moana Maniapoto

Lorde and Lawrence Arabia

Delaney Davidson

Florence +The Machine

MAY 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

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