STACK NZ Jul #75

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TOOGOOD FIRED UP FOR NEW SHIHAD LP

T he iconic Kiwi rockers are currently on tour in Australia, but Jon Toogood is already looking ahead to what will be Shihad’s tenth studio album. Toogood told STACK that he was about to start writing songs for the new record with bassist Karl Kippenberger and indicates that there will once again be a political edge to the material. “All the things we touched on on the last album FVEY - inequality, injustice, greed, materialism - seem to be even more pronounced now than when that album was released,” he says “So I reckon the next Shihad album could be even more intense than the last one!” However, there might be some surprises musically. ”As far as what’s inspiring me at the moment, I’ve been working with musicians from Sudan recently who play this amazing mix of Middle Eastern melodies and these awesome North African rhythms. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before yet I can’t not move my ass to it. It’s just so good!” Toogood is also pleased that some of the band's earlier albums are now getting a vinyl reissue. In April, Shihad’s self-titled 1996 breakthrough – often referred to as ‘The Fish The Shihad frontman is working on an " intense" followup to their last album.

A lthough Hollywood’s habit of splitting the final book in a YA trilogy into two movies hasn’t always worked, Divergent star Shailene Woodley believes fans of the books will enjoy the fact that the third film in the series, Allegiant , takes the source material in a new direction. “This movie is similar to the book but also has a completely novel storyline in many ways,” says Woodley. “There are a lot of things in the film that Veronica Roth created, and then there are a lot of things created by the director and other people involved in the movie. I think this movie is bolder because the characters encounter a world they’ve never experienced before, and that means the audience will also get to experience this world for the first time.” Unlike the previous films, Allegiant also finds Tris (Woodley) and boyfriend Four (Theo James) at odds for much of the movie after falling out over the purpose of a mysterious new facility they discover when they escape Chicago. “Unlike many YA films, their partnership isn't built on the singular foundation of physical attraction,” Woodley says of the film’s central love story. “It’s a very real union that can at times be messy and vulnerable, and at other times be strong and powerful. They never lack passion. I feel Allegiant does a great job of illustrating their ups and downs.” Adam Colby Allegiant is reviewed on page 25 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANT'S

Album’ – was released for the first time as a deluxe 2LP set and the singer admits he is “a complete vinyl nerd”. “That’s how I fell in love with music when I was like two or three years old,” he continues. “I used to watch my parents' albums go round and round on their turntable and just be mystified by the fact that this sound was coming off this bit of black vinyl, through a needle, down a tone arm and then out through these speakers – it was watching a magic trick! And I still get that tingle when I listen to a record. “So yeah, we take great care when it comes to releasing anything on vinyl. To me it’s like the ultimate package. When you master it right it sounds better than any other format, and visually, it’s by far the biggest and best format for getting the artwork right. When you do, it can be stunning – and completely irresistible to a vinyl junkie like me!" Zoë Radas

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“The first time I saw Mavis Staples, it had been raining all day in New York City,” recalls director Jessica Edwards, whose acclaimed documentary Mavis! is released this month. “She was scheduled to perform that evening at an outdoor concert in Brooklyn, and I wondered if the show would be cancelled. But the rain cleared just before show time, and I sat on a soggy picnic blanket with friends and watched as this amazing woman and her band came on stage. Her voice reverberated through the trees as she sang, testified, preached, moaned, wailed and gave everything she had. When I got home that night, I wanted to know everything I could about Mavis and her family.” Mavis! traces the fascinating story of the R&B legend, from her early gospel days with her father Pops’ group the Staple Singers, their successful switch to soul in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, and her triumphant recent collaborations with the likes of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. The documentary is stacked with a wealth of archival material, but Edwards was keen for it not to be just a ‘historical' portrait of the singer. “Mavis’s story isn’t about the past, it’s happening now. The fact that she is 75 years old and is still a vital and important artist, and not just out there performing as an oldies act, informed the way we made the film.” Mavis! is out on DVD and Blu-ray on July 14. SHE'LL TAKE YOU THERE

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