Tracks Of The Year

Normally on Friday morning New Zealand Net Radio plays fresh tracks we’ve noted – New Music Friday. This week however something different. Our top 40 tracks of 2018. After hours of gruelling work, we had it down to 130! Getting it to 40 required extraordinary grit. No doubt about it, unless you’ve been under a rock, 2018 has been a great year for music. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/ as we count down our Top 40 tracks of 2018.

Countdown

Janelle Monáe

Every weekday between 1 and 5pm we play tracks from our #spotlightartist. They’re an artist with a body of work which has stood the test of time. We’ll play the hits – but also some deep cuts. Listen ad-free through New Zealand via @tunein at https://goo.gl/VL6m3NS

Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Janelle Monáe can probably vie credibly for artist of 2018. She certainly isn’t a new artist. Her first (unofficial) album The Audition was released in 2003, and she has already released scores of great singles as well as albums like The ArchAndroid (2010) and The Electric Lady (2013). However this year’s Dirty Computer really captured the zeitgeist. Although the openness of her sexuality undoubtedly helped in raw commercial terms with the publicity regime the album fully deserved its commercial and critical success. It wasn’t the one we listened to the most necessarily, but it certainly stood out for its freshness, sexiness and incredible funk and new wave sounds. This week in our Spotlight Artist spot we’ll track back over some great songs from Monáe’s career, stretching from The ArchAndroid through to today.

Album of the Year: Kimbra – Primal Heart

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

So many choices – we’ve had some real delights as albums of the week this year, and plenty of nice ones that have just missed out because of a plethora of albums at the same time. The 1975’s A Brief Enquiry Into Online Relationships, Ariana Grande’s Sweetener, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s Hope Downs, Beach House 7, A Star Is Born, The Greatest Showman: Reimagined and Parquet Courts Wide Awake spring to mind. In the world of the critics,
Janelle Monáe, Mitski, Robyn, Kasey Musgraves and Christine and the Queens seem to have triumphed frequently (https://www.albumoftheyear.org/list/summary/2018/). We could have chosen any of those, but we decided to go with a Kiwi effort, an album we kept returning to through the year – Kimbra’s Primal Heart.

Look forward to featuring this fantastic album once again this week. On Friday, in place of New Music Friday, we’ll count down our top 40 songs of 2018 through the morning.

Spotlight Artist: The Beach Boys

Every weekday between 1 and 5pm we play tracks from our #spotlightartist. They’re an artist with a body of work which has stood the test of time. We’ll play the hits – but also some deep cuts. Listen ad-free through New Zealand via @tunein at https://goo.gl/VL6m3NS

Three brothers, their cousin and a friend put together a rock band in 1961. It went on to be legendary. From surf songs, they progressed to the incredible creativity of Pet Sounds before Brian Wilson’s attempt to create an even bigger album masterpiece (Smile) collapsed in acrimony and Wilson’s own unstable mental state. They still produced some good tracks after this time though, like “Do It Again” and “Bluebirds Over the Mountain”. With summer well and truly here, what better than the Beach Boys!

New Music Friday – 14th December 2018

Its Friday so its time for five brand new tracks to get their first spin on the hour every hour from 9am. We’ll keep playing these tracks on New Zealand Net Radio, home of streaming radio ad free 24/7 throughout New Zealand.

Its our last New Music Friday for the year. Next week we’ll round up our favourite tracks of 2018 (yes we try to wait for any last minute treasures!).

Toro Y Moi – Ordinary Pleasure

Baynk – Off Limits feat. Glades

ZAYN – There You Are

From his forthcoming album – this one should get some chart traction.

MorMor – Pass the Hours

Seeb – Grip feat Bastille

Spotlight Year: 1956

Every weekday between 1 and 5pm we play tracks from our #spotlightartist. They’re an artist with a body of work which has stood the test of time. We’ll play the hits – but also some deep cuts. Listen ad-free through New Zealand via @tunein at https://goo.gl/VL6m3NS

Something a bit different this week. We love contemporary music, but just lately have had a bit of a craving for some ‘savoury with the sweet’, good raw simple rock’n’roll with really simple production. This week we’ll Spotlight 1956 and some great pop music and Rock n’ Roll – artists like Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry and The Platters. Nothing like variety – in fact its our passion.

Album of the Week: Ziggy Alberts – Laps Around The Sun

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

Well the music year is winding down, and everyone has already started trotting out the “Best Of” lists. Although new releases are quieting we’ll look back a few weeks to an album that got a bit crowded out (and didn’t get enough attention). Ziggy Alberts is an Australian folk musician who has put together a sweet and contemporary set of songs with great melody and singing. Enjoy!

New Music Friday: 7th December 2018

Its Friday so its time for five brand new tracks to get their first spin on the hour every hour from 9am. We’ll keep playing these tracks on New Zealand Net Radio, home of streaming radio ad free 24/7 throughout New Zealand.

Mark Ronson – Nothing Breaks Like A Heart featuring Miley Cyrus

Stop the presses on single of the year – this one will be big.

 

Cheat Codes x Kim Petras – Feeling Of Falling

 

 

 

 

Amila – Somebody Like You

We always get very nervous when the Herald starts beating the drum of “New Zealand’s newest rising pop star” but this young woman sure has talent, and a great story.

 

 

Alessia Cara – Out Of Love

NME in its review of her new album the pains of growing said “On the evidence of this impressive and winningly authentic second album, Cara is increasingly unforgettable.” This song is just one outstanding track from this talent.

Jeff Tweedy – I Know What It’s Like

The Wilco frontman returns with solo album Warm.

 

Spotlight Artist: Queen

Every weekday between 1 and 5pm we play tracks from our #spotlightartist. They’re an artist with a body of work which has stood the test of time. We’ll play the hits – but also some deep cuts. Listen ad-free through New Zealand via @tunein at https://goo.gl/VL6m3NS

The new film Bohemian Rhapsody is already the highest grossing music biographical film ever. Undoubtedly the performances and production of the film play a part, but we would say this is largely a reflection of their continued popularity. 36 million monthly listeners on Spotify can’t be wrong, and a recent analysis of their sales and streaming popularity shows they are top tier, well ahead of bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and U2. We look forward to revisiting the hits, some deep cuts and live versions this week.