Popular Music

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New 'Select: Sound & Vision' collection!

Select collection sticker Get the latest CDs & DVDs faster! The 'Select' collection is designed to make it easier to borrow heavily used and reserved items within our AV Collection. The items in this collection have a reduced loan period of 3 days, meaning you can access the most popular CDs and DVDs faster for the same price and find them on the shelf more often.

You can find more information on our News page.

Latest Staff Picks

Varshons, Lemonheads.
Having done a 'punk' cover of Suzanne Vega's 'Luka' on their third album, 'Lick', and followed it with interpretations of everyone from Gram Parsons, Simon & Garfunkel, Mike Nesmith, New Kids on the Block & Danzig, an official Lemonheads covers album was always going to be something different. Produced, and inspired by, Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers who apparently used to slip Evan Dando mix-tapes, 'Varshons' is idiosyncratic to say the least. Country leanings prevail with covers from Gram Parsons & Townes Van Zandt, but they sit next to covers of Christina Aguilera & Wire, with Liv Taylor lending vocals to a Leonard Cohen track. Rough, but never dull. (Mark)

The resistance, Muse.
Rock trio Muse have exploded back onto the music scene with the release of their fifth studio album The Resistance. Entirely produced by them this time, Muse have pulled out all the stops in their aim to push their sound to its fullest. Their album features all the guitar-based rock you have come to expect on tracks such as Uprising and United States of Eurasia. However, Muse have also experimented with more classically influenced piano, adding a sample from Chopin at the end of one track. The album climaxes with a song divided into three parts, in a symphonic-style set piece called Exogenesis that features an orchestra. One track, I Belong to You (Mon Coeur S'ouvre a Ta Voix), even features a rearrangement of an aria from the French opera Samson et Dalila. Contrasting with that is the purely electronic, Depeche Mode style track, Undisclosed Desires. Matthew Bellamy's lyrics are again about conspiracies and corrupt leaders, but are also heavily influenced by George Orwell's seminal dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. There is a strong love-theme that runs throughout the album, and Bellamy uses his impressive vocal range to convey all the emotions embedded in the music. While The Resistance may be too heavy on classical influences for fans of Muse's more guitar-based sound, from their Origin of Symmetry days, it is definitely Muse's most experimental and progressive album so far, demonstrating that they are not afraid to push the boundaries of their sound to its limits. Muse are also headlining The Big Day Out in Auckland in January 2010. (Susannah)

Fourth world. Vol. 1, Possible musics, Jon Hassell.
An hypnotic, other-worldly album from two of the masters of ambient music (call it New Age and I will hunt you down and hurt you...) - this unhurried but never dull album combines the best of Eno's ear for electronic sounds, and Hassell's weird treated trumpet, along with African drumming, to triumphantly work on many levels. (Neil)

Yours truly, the commuter, Jason Lytle.
First solo effort from the former 'Grandaddy' frontman. 'Grandaddy' were one of those bands that never quite made it, despite a significant amount of critical acclaim - their great 2000 effort 'The Software Slump', leading to their tagging as the 'American' Radiohead. Unsurprisingly Lytle sounds somewhat like his former band, 'Yours truly, the commuter' is more interesting than the last Grandaddy effort 'Just like the fambly cat' (which was essentially a Jason Lytle project as the band had split during the recording of the album), and worth checking out if you were a fan of the melodically airy space rock of Grandaddy. (Mark)

Songs for the deaf, by Queens of the Stone Age.
I have been re-appreciating Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age, especially in the lead-up to the Them Crooked Vultures gig in January (and having just seen Nick Oliveri play solo at Bodega) It's packed with hits, such as No One Knows, Go With the Flow and Gonna Leave You. (Rowan)

Desert Sessions 9 & 10.
Josh Homme collected a number of musicians - including PJ Harvey, and members of Queens of the Stone Age, Ween and Marilyn Manson - together at his Joshua Tree ranch for a return to basics, away from the sanitised record industry world of the cities. Great stuff, and worth it for the PJ contributions alone. (Neil)

Through the devil sofly, Hope Sandoval.
After Mazzy Star split singer Sandoval joined up with ex-My Bloody Valentine drummer Colm O'Ciosiog to form Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions and released the album 'Bavarian Fruit Bread' in 2001, followed by a couple of EPs. Eight years later they finally weigh in with a follow-up album. After such a long break, some changes may have been expected, but 'Through the Devil Softly' proves that's not the case - which is a good thing. Sandoval's voice is still as beguiling as ever, and the album is more focused and melodic than their debut. Hazy songs shimmer beautifully beneath hushed instrumentation. A welcome return. (Mark)

English majors : a comedy collection for the highly literate, Garrison Keillor.
'English Majors,' contains choice self-contained literary comedy routines, poems and monologues from America's longest running and best known radio show. There's the Ten-minute Macbeth with Macbeth played creepily by Mr Rogers, an American children's television presenter (Imagine Jason Gunn or, even better, Ollie Olson) and Lady Macbeth, by cook Julia Childs. The voice talent is inspired and when Jack Nicholson and Henry Kissinger join the faux-Shakespearean cast all seems lost, truly. This is great fun for the slightly literate, the graduate and the lay person: it can be enjoyed on several levels. Billy Collins reads two poems which are both profound and funny. Roy Blount Jr's rift on 'eating hearty' southern style strikes a welcome refined yet rowdy note and his family table feast is pulled off game(ly). Keillor's famous 'Prairie Home Companion' monologue is about spring, the primal urges that spring brings, love, that farmer socialist family and their haunted house, and then, the death of Keillor's College teacher. It's a lovely piece and parallels the entire collection with its humour, precision of description, subtlety and joy in life. (Monty)

Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain, Current 93.
If you are a fan of creepily intense Christian/Pagan/Gothic mysticism, this could be the album of 2009 for you. If you're not, well it still holds many pleasures. David Tibet combines his usual unintelligible acoustic meanderings with some loud guitar riffs and unexpected bursts of noise that perfectly intensify his ecstatic visions. (Neil)

The Hi singles A's and B's : the Willie Mitchell, Al Green.
Seriously good compilation collects the A side and B side's of Al Green's single releases during his Hi Records period (1970-78) - before his first retirement from music - documenting some of the greatest soul music ever made. (Mark)

Little Joy, Little Joy.
Also, a more recent title I've really been enjoying is the self-titled debut album from 'Little Joy'. Catchy tunes with a retro flavour, should appeal to people who enjoyed Albert Hammond Jr.'s solo stuff. Highly anticipating Julian Casablancas' solo album which is just out as well. (Rowan)

Universo ao meu redor, Marisa Monte.
Marisa Monte is undoubtedly the most prominent, influential female singer in Brazil today. However, she is not a conventional artist. Since bursting into the scene with an amazing live album in 1989, she has not been afraid of taking risks. She also shows great respect to her Brazilian roots and traditions, and supports old sambistas and produces their albums etc. In 2006, she put out two albums simultaneously, pop and samba albums, and they both went to double-platinum in Brazil. This is the latter one and was awarded the Latin Grammy, but it's not a typical carnival-like samba album. The materials she chose are old and new. There are some traditional samba songs and the others are written by her and her Tribalistas friends, but the music here gives a strong sense of unity. Based on samba, she weaves her own fresh, sophisticated, hybrid pop music. David Byrne joins in on one song. (Shinji)

"But what if I don't like it?" Well, it's true one's meat is another's poison, so why not double check with allmusic.com first to see if it sounds like your cup of meat/poison/tea.
Previous staff picks

Librarian's Choice

Recommended by Wellington City Libraries staff members, these CDs are chosen from all genres of our wide collection and are displayed with gold Librarian's Choice stickers on the cover. Watch out for the display of Librarian's Choice CDs and DVDs in the Sound & Vision Centre. A list of the CDs chosen is available here (Word) and from the Central Library Sound & Vision Centre desk.

Recent books

The underlined titles will take you directly to our catalogue. Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Dylan, by Luke Crampton & Dafydd Rees with Wellesley Marsh.
"In 2008, Bob Dylan became the first rock and roll artist to be honored with a Pulitzer Prize, for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power. A musician, poet, and celebrated nonconformist of unparallelled stature, Dylan is revered by critics and fans alikeas the most influential singer-songwriter in the history of popular music. Setting out in 1961 as a young man with a guitar and a harmonica, this elusive and enigmatic artist has grown into an international cultural icon as a tireless author of over 30 albums and a relentless live performer. The Music Icons series: Each title contains a painstaking selection of approximately 150 portraits, colorful posters and record covers, rare concert photos, and previously unpublished candid photos." (Amazon.com)

Jacko, his rise and fall : the social & sexual history of Michael Jackson, by Darwin Porter.
"From famed celebrity biographer Darwin Porter, this is the most honest and journalistically important biography of Michael Jackson ever published, with a roster of literary reviews that outnumber and outclass any other MJ bio on the market. After its original release in 2007, it was widely reviewed as the most thorough and comprehensive biography of the superstar published anytime during the previous 15 years. Following the superstar's death in June of 2009, Porter edited and amplified his already controversial texts to include startling new information about The Gloved One, adding a final chapter and a post-mortem epilogue reflecting the mysterious circumstances surrounding Jackson's death and an analysis of its aftermath." (Amazon.com)

Michael Jackson - legend, hero, icon : a tribute to the king of pop, photography by Peter Beste ; edited by Johan Kugelberg ; introduction by James Aldis.
"A lavishly illustrated tribute to the greatest entertainer of a generation. 'The world has lost one of the greats but his music will live on forever' - Madonna Michael Jackson was the undisputed King of Pop and his untimely death has provoked tributes from around the world. With a colourful life spanning from 1968 when Michael was a member of the Jackson 5 to his recent announcement of a final comeback tour at the O2 in London, nobody can dispute the achievements of the man who was arguably the greatest artist of the millenium. This fully illustrated book offers an insightful tribute to the man behind Thriller, the world's best selling album of all time. Including sections on Michael's early life and the Jackson 5, the making of Off the Wall and Thriller, and the troubled years leading right up to his announcement of a comeback tour, this will be a comprehensive and fitting tribute to a legendary pop star, the likes of which the world will never see again." (Amazon.com)

Totally wired : post-punk interviews and overviews, Simon Reynolds.
""Totally Wired" features 32 interviews with the era's most innovative musicians and colourful personalities. From Ari Up, Jah Wobble, David Byrne, Green Gartside, Edwyn Collins, it also includes conversations with the most influential of label bosses, managers, record producers, deejays and journalists - such as John Peel and Paul Morley. Crackling with argument and anecdote, these conversations bring a rich human dimension to the post-punk story and its exceptional characters, from their earliest days to their glorious and sometimes disastrous musical adventures. Along with interviews, we get 'overviews': further reflections by Simon Reynolds on post-punk's key icons and crucial scenes, including John Lydon and Public Image Ltd, Ian Curtis and Joy Division, and the lineage of glam grotesquerie running from Siouxsie & The Banshees to the New Romantics to Leigh Bowery." (Amazon.com)

Misses, Joni Mitchell.
"This album-matching folio collects all of Joni's personal favorites, hand-picked by her. Titles are: The Arrangement * Beat of Black Wings * Car on a Hill * A Case of You * Dog Eat Dog * For the Roses * Harry's House * Hejira * Impossible Dreamer * Magdalene Laundries * Nothing Can Be Done * Passion Play (When All the Slaves Are Free) * The Reoccurring Dream * Sex Kills * The Windfall * The Wolf That Lives in Lindsay." (Amazon.com)

Antonio Carlos Jobim for guitar tab, Antonio Carlos Jobim.
"This title lets you celebrate the best of today's pop with over 20 chart-topping songs arranged for voice and piano with guitar chord boxes. It includes the big songs of the moment from Lily Allen, Girls Aloud and Take That, as well songs from Katy Perry and Dido, and the number one hit from the X Factor Finalists." (Amazon.com)

Magazine roundup

Sick of reserving the latest copy of Mojo, only to find a seven-page feature on Val Doonican? Tired of trudging up the stairs to get Rolling Stone, only to find that Yanni review cruelly missing once again? Avoid nasty surprises with our music magazine roundup.

Here's what's happening in:

Acoustic Guitar website
Bass Player fulltext
Downbeat fulltext
Froots website
Guitar Player website
Modern Drummer website
Mojo website
New Zealand Musician website
NME website
No Depression website
Q website
Real Groove website
Record Collector website
Remix website (requires Flash)
Rip It Up website
Rolling Stone fulltext
Songlines website
The Source website
Uncut website
Wire website

For more magazine links, visit our online music resources page.

Popular music collection

At Wellington City Libraries we have a ridiculous number of CDs (well, over 20,000) for you to borrow at the altogether reasonable price of $1 each. Whether Matmos or Minogue, Strokes or Stockhausen, RZA or AWB you may very well find just what you were looking for in our collection.
Try these searches for the latest CDs in these categories

stack of CDs

Popular
Hip-Hop
Electronica
Compilations
Jazz
Soundtracks
Experimental
Country
Punk
Metal
Soul/R&B
A full list of music genres is available on our Catalogue Quicksearch page.

Of course we also take care of classical music.

"Music Ad Lib" radio show

"Music Ad Lib", hosted by our own library staff music enthusiasts, airs monthly on Access Radio 783 AM. The show is on a Saturday afternoon from 4.30-5.00pm on Access Radio 783 AM - look here for the tracks from a recent show.