Let's Update Nature's Best: 2007-2009
The next few years' worth of tracks bring us the Mint Chicks, Gin Wigmore and mega-hits from Tiki Taane and Smashproof.
If you want to catch up on the Nature’s Best story so far, here are the posts so far: Introduction | 2001-2002 | 2003-2004 | and 2005-2006.
Before we get to the next batch of tracks …
2005-2006 reconsidered:
Based on the voting from last week’s additions:
A big call for Pluto’s “Long White Cross” to move higher, which I felt when I was placing it on the list. I’m going to bump it from #85 to #60
Half of you thought Savage’s “Swing” should move down the list so I’ve dropped it ten places from #44 to #54
Calls again for Brooke Fraser’s “Albertine” to move lower or drop of the list; I decided on the happy medium of moving it to the bottom of the list (#127).
Everything else seemed fine where it was, or the voting wasn’t enough to move me into moving the songs. And with that, on to the next group of nominees …
> Opshop - "One Day"
OpShop front man Jason Kerrison built a doomsday bunker after watching the movie 2012 starring John Cusack. You know it. I know it. We all know it. I’ve watched 2012 on multiple occasions and it has never occurred to me that John Cusack might be on to something. But also OpShop were huge for a couple of years there. You know it. I know it. We all know it. After a moderate success with their debut, their sophomore album peaked at #1 on the albums chart and has been certified triple platinum. “One Day” was the big hit, peaking at #4 on the singles chart and winning an APRA Silver Scroll and the Aotearoa Music Awards Single Of The Year, as well as scoring a massive NZ Post campaign. OpShop didn’t have a lot of longevity, but #70 feels right for this one.
> Anika Moa - "Dreams In My Head"
Anika is currently sitting at #53 with her debut single “Youthful”, but there are two things to consider here: a) Anika Moa has had the kind of longevity that warrants multiple placings on the list; and b) her third album In Swings The Tide, which spawned “Dreams In My Head”, is her best album that doesn’t have ‘bubbas’ in the title, and won Moa an award for Female Solo Artist. “Dreams In My Head” was nominated for the 2008 Silver Scroll and is remembered now as the best song from Moa’s best album. I’ve popped it at #37.
> SJD - "Beautiful Haze"
Sean James Donnelly is another of these characters in the NZ Music Industry that has an outsized role - aside from his successful solo career, Donnelly has collaborated with the likes of Neil Finn, Don McGlashan, Shayne Carter, and more. 2007’s Songs From A Dictaphone is his most successful album, and “Beautiful Haze” is the most memorable song from it. More than that, it is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve put up for consideration; it sounds like Kiwiana in a three minute package. And I reckon #43 is the right place for it.
> Shapeshifter - "One"
I can’t justify adding a second Shapeshifter track, even though I do think they are one of the most successful acts of the last twenty years. Speaking of massive success undeserving of a place on the list …
> Atlas - "Crawl"
How is it possible that a song which sat atop the NZ singles chart for seven weeks could be left off this list? They literally disbanded within a year of being nominated Breakthrough Artist Of The Year. Sorry, Atlas.
> Tiki Taane - "Always On My Mind"
I’m not even going to make a case for this one. Tiki Taane’s Past, Present, Future is a brilliant album, and “Always On My Mind” is one of the most successful and popular songs of the last 25 years. I’m putting it at #9. (Did it also inadvertently lay the groundwork for the existence of Six60 and L.A.B.? Let’s not dwell.)
> Gin Wigmore - "Under My Skin"
Gin Wigmore is another one of those artists that I think deserves a place on the list (three #1 albums, 6 wins from 13 nominations at the Aotearoa Music Awards, and a guest spot on a pretty big track coming up down the page), but I’m just not sure where. What I do know is that “Under My Skin” is the right song: it sounds like a slice of kiwifruit, and is arguably her best song. #84 feels like a solid compromise.
> The Mint Chicks - "Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!"
Just listen to the drum roll that plays at super speed in the chorus, between ‘to love you’ and ‘I won’t be fooled again’, and I think you’ll get it. The Mint Chicks carved out a niche for themselves as a punk-pop-noise outfit (they called themselves ‘troublegum’ at one point) and won six out of eleven nominations at the Aotearoa Music Awards. “Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!” is probably the most famous song they released prior to disbanding in 2010 and one of the finest rock songs up for consideration here. I reckon #49 sounds good.
> Ladyhawke - "Paris Is Burning"
I’m not really sure what to do with Ladyhawke: the singer known as Pip Brown has had a hit single with “My Delirium”, won awards for Breakthrough Artist and International Achievement in the same year, and had a wildly successful career overseas, particularly in Australia and England. And yet, it doesn’t feel like she should be too high on our list. I’m going to pop “Paris Is Burning” - her debut single, and an infinitely better song than “My Delirium” - at #105 and let your voting figure it out from there.
> Smashproof - "Brother (ft Gin Wigmore)"
Okay, so Smashproof don’t have the longevity or the track record for a Top 20 placing. But it broke a 23-year old record for longest stretch at #1 for a NZ artist by topping the singles charts for 11 straight weeks and furthering the hip-hop movement in this country, then winning three Aotearoa Music Awards, then launching the career of Gin Wigmore. And after all that, it charted at #81 in Germany as well. Lyrically, the song covers the murder of 15 year old Pihema Cameron, an alleged tagger who was stabbed by Bruce Emery, making “Brother” another in a long line of Kiwi songs that address real stuff.
Look, I reckon this is a brilliant and uniquely New Zealand track, and deserving of a spot at #18.
> Lawrence Arabia - "Apple Pie Bed"
Christchurch musician James Milne - better known as Lawrence Arabia - is one of the most well-regarded, if not widely known, musicians this country has produced: collaborations with the Black Seeds and the Phoenix Foundation have made him a little more well known, as have a string of Aotearoa Music Award wins later in his career, but it was this song which put him on the map, winning both a Silver Scroll Award and the inaugural Taite Music Prize in 2010. Given Arabia’s reputation, his songwriting prowess, and his international success, I reckon a spot at #58 sounds about right for him.
Alright, that is another nine tracks on the list, taking us to 135 total. Next week brings us another twelve songs from 2010 to 2013, including one which might be the highest new placement on the list yet. See you then!
Thanks for reading today - and make sure you get your votes in!
Ka kite, Chris