minisnap

Do you love Flying Nun Records, the classic New Zealand label who brought the likes of The Clean, The Verlaines and The Chills to the world? Well, I sure do, and you sure will once you watch the film clip to one of my favourite, favourite songs - "Death and The Maiden" by The Verlaines.



Anyway, I am digressing in a big way. I mention Flying Nun because one of my favourite bands off said record label is The Bats, and now there's a side project to The Bats called Minisnap.

From what I can gather, this is effectively The Bats without Robert Scott, and it's the vehicle for bringing Bats guitarist Kaye Woodward's songs to the world. I've been listening to these songs all night and I'm just in love with them - they're literate, warm and jangly, which is everything that made Flying Nun bands so legendary back in the 80s. Kaye's vocals are lovely - so mature and self-confident, but never betraying her femininity. It's like those girls from Look Blue Go Purple, another bunch of Flying Nun stalwarts who embodied that classic NZ sound.

I've never been to New Zealand, but I believe Christchurch is about as close to being in the United Kingdom without actually going there. In listening to Minisnap, I feel as though I could be listening to any band that's stepped out of Glasgow in the past 15 years. I've said it repeatedly, but all these cold climates seem to produce the prettiest songs. Having never lived in a cold city, I wouldn't know what it's like or what triggers it, but please, keep the songs coming. I could drive down highways all day listening to "Innocent" or "In My Pocket" and wouldn't tire of it.

Minisnap's new album "Bounce Around" comes out on Monday - add it to your lists!