Spotlight Artist: Led Zeppelin

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/VL6m3N

Music writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine who wrote many of the articles in the influential All Music Guide (my musical bible in the 1990s) said “What the Beatles were to the ’60s, Led Zeppelin were to the ’70s: a band so successful and innovative they wound up creating the prism through which their entire epoch was seen.” A few words can’t really sum up the legacy of this band, one who surround themselves with influences ranging from blues and folk-rock to psychedelia. Although they might have been the greatest of heavy rock musicians, much of their output transcended that genre. We’ll let the music speak for itself this week as we sample well known and less common tracks from their first album in 1969 through to 1979’s In Through the Out Door.

Album of the Week: 5 Seconds of Summer – Youngblood

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/

We’ve been playing the single which gave this album its name for a couple of months now, and the record lives up to the success of that single (still in the Top Ten in most places). After a break of three years (this is their third album) the pop-punk band have embraced a more straightforward sound with plenty of 80s synth influence. Youngblood is unarguably an excellent track but there are plenty of other gems here. Listen out for “Valentine” for example, brilliant sub twenty one pilots pop, complete with staccato delivery in the chorus and dabbing synth. Looking forward to checking out this brilliant pop record from the Aussie foursome.

New Music Friday: 15 June 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.

Lily Allen – Lost My Mind

 

 

 

 

 

Amy Shark – Don’t Turn Around

 

 

 

 

 

Lykke Li – Last Piece

 

 

 

 

 

Ruel – Younger

 

 

 

 

 

Sugarland – Babe ft. Taylor Swift

Spotlight Artist: Tom Petty

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/VL6m3N

Our spotlight artist this week, sadly departed last year, had a stellar career stretching back to the 1970s. From early bands Epic and Mudcrutch, by the end of 1976 he had released his first album with the Heartbreakers. It did respectably in the charts, with single “Breakdown” hitting the top 40 – it also yielded signature song “American Girl”. For me it was their third album Damn The Torpedoes which marked their creative blossoming. Every track a great listen, it sold over 3 million copies in the US and hit number 2 on the Billboard charts.

Tom Petty was a household name through the MTV era, and his 1991 album Into The Great Wide Open and subsequent Greatest Hits collection really cemented his reputation with a new generation. By this time he had joined Rock royalty with his participation in the Travelling Wilburys project with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynn.

Leaving his original label, he branched out to release his second solo album Wildflowers, an exquisite album that we’ll feature several tracks from. He continued releasing solo and “Heartbreakers” albums through to 2014’s Hypnotic Eye and continued to tour all the while.

He leaves an enormous body of fantastic work, and this week we’ll sample only some of the absolute classics he released, along with a selection of lesser known cuts. What a legend.

Album Of The Week: Dave Matthews Band – Come Tomorrow

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/


Stalwarts of alternative music for over two decades, these guys consistently keep producing the goods. Although this new release hasn’t received a massive amount of fanfare in many quarters it is a wonderful journey through love, relationships and parenthood, informed by experience. Jon Pareles in the New York Times (which rated the album highly) summed it up well:

For Dave Matthews, “dad rock” isn’t a put-down. “Come Tomorrow,” the ninth studio album by the Dave Matthews Band and its first since 2012, earnestly embraces fatherhood, commitment, lifelong romance and hope for the next generations.

New Music Friday: 8 June 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.

Ben Howard – There’s Your Man

Ben’s new album was released last week. We’ve been playing “Towing The Line” for a while but Noonday Dream is filled with pretty chilled synthy music. The Independent described it as expanding “the Cornish landscape that has impacted his previous work and brings in sounds and instruments that spark the imagination for places further afield, in the most exquisite way”.

Peter Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Iguana Bird

We’ve been looking forward to this new EP since the track “Bad Dreams was released a few weeks ago, with its noir video. Iguana Bird is another great track.

Mallrat – Groceries

Mallrat is Grace Shaw, an Australian singer-songwriter. This great track off her new EP In The Sky sounds fantastic, and I must admit the cover caught my eye!

 

 

 

Maroon 5 – Girl Like You ft Cardi B

OK its unashamedly commercial, a collaboration between pop superstars Maroon 5 and Cardi B, a smooth pop confection designed for maximum radio spins and streams. But there’s a reason – its infectious great pop that works!

 

Flight Facilities – All Your Love ft. Justin Tebbutt

Folk singer Justin Tebbutt lays down great vocals over Flight Facilities delicate synths in this nice number, another standalone single from the Australian duo. We’re told more great singles are to come soon.

Spotlight Artist: INXS

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/VL6m3N


My brother introduced me to this prolific and influential Australian rock band in the late 1980s. Albums like Kick and Welcome to Wherever You Are are filled with classic tracks and were extremely influential.

Starting out as a covers band called The Farriss Brothers in 1977 they transitioned from New Wave to a harder pub rock sound. Michael Hutchence was the poster boy lead singer, with bassist Garry Gary Beers, the brothers Andrew Jon and Tim Farriss holding down guitarist, drummer and keyboard roles respectively, and Kirk Pengilly completed the initial lineup on guitar and sax.

Their commercial peak was in the late 80s and early 90s with albums like Listen Like Thieves, Kick, X and Welcome To Wherever You Are. 

We’ve got some legendary tracks lined up this week- enjoy!

Album of the Week: Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes

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/


The very popular Canadian songsmith strikes again with his self titled third album. You can get too much of a good thing but after our synth pop week with ChVrches last week we’re ready to enjoy these well written singer songwriter numbers, including the big lead single “In My Blood”.

New Music Friday: 1st June 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.

Passenger – Hell Or High Water

We’ve been enjoying the sweet folk of British singer/songwriter Mike Rosenberg for a few years now. Ahead of a new album this new song delivers more satisfaction.

 

Ray LaMontagne – Such A Simple Thing

From his new album, Ray (smash hit “Trouble” from a few years ago) has produced an album with a variety of sounds, less growl and more smooth. This first single has a hint of country. Worth investigating further.

Lowell – No Talk

The second album from Canadian Lowell, its filled with alt-pop pleasure. “No Talk” struck us as worthy of further investigation.

 

 

Liz Lawrence – Circling Numbers

Liz is an English singer-songwriter and belongs to the electro-pop duo Cash+David. She’s back with this cracking single, following on from a double A side late last year. Nice clean grooves . .

 

pronoun – run

This apparently started out as an album track, but ended up getting released as a single by this Brooklyn singer. A superb track with a nice stilted vocal on the first verse, a very satisfying track that’ll be going into high rotation. Oh – and great to hear some nice ringing guitar!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spotlight Artist: Jeff Beck

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/VL6m3N

Mr Geoffrey Arnold Beck was ranked fifth in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He played with a few bands before being recruited by The Yardbirds, replacing Eric Clapton, on the recommendation of Jimmy Page who joined the band the following year. This was an incredible stamping ground and Beck’s almost two year stint produced some incredible music. Listening to their 1965 album Having A Rave Up is incredible with the blend of solid blues numbers, and the incredible “Heart Full of Soul” which contains Indian influences (the Indian sitar player had trouble producing the sound needed so Beck produced a sitar-like effect on his guitar).

Fired from the gruop late in 1966 he had several solo hits before forming the Jeff Beck Group, then in the early 1970s collaborating with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, releasing a studio and live album with them. Much of his later work is instrumental. We’ll feature songs ranging from the Yardbirds era right through to “Plan B” from his 2003 album Jeff.