(The Drop/Inertia)

Kiwis on another Caribbean cruise, and they won’t be rushed

This Wellington-based seven-piece have been a part of New Zealand’s well-established reggae scene for about a decade now but, as befits the languid, stretched-out grooves the band specializes in, they haven’t felt the pressure to churn out releases – this is only their second studio album in all that time, the first, chart-topping one coming out in 2005. And though they’ve eased back on the long jams (their first, live album in 2001 had four tracks in 80 minutes), they’ve bided their time on this new disc too – it takes nearly 70 minutes for these nine tracks to amble by. The undulating electro-charged dub shudder of Shiverman reverberates and percolates for about two-thirds of its ten-minute ride before stepping up the tempo with some ska-flavoured horns and The Raft locks into an old-school reggae bounce while Pull The Catch (inspired by a fishing trip) brings in some of the band’s jazz leanings and Big BW reinforces the soulful aspects of Dallas Tamaira’s voice. But there have been some subtle, or should that be supple, changes along the way, like a Nigeria-to-New Orleans jazz flourish in The Nod while British soulster Alice Russell and a sharper guitar feel add a funkier perspective to the band’s kickback style. But whatever they’ve done, it still comes with that tension-free feel that this band has spent years patiently perfecting.       

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BILL HOLDSWORTH

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