From The Sunday Times (UK)
April 20, 2008
Minisnap: Bounce Around: The Sunday Times Review
Mark Edwards
Minisnap is a side project from the veteran New Zealand indie-rock band the
Bats – in fact, it’s what the other three members of the Bats do
while Robert Scott is working on one of his many side projects (and if you’re
starting to think, ah, now I see why I’ve never heard of the Bats, you
may have a point). Yet Bounce Around doesn’t sound like a bunch of leftover
songs hastily assembled by some musicians with too many projects and not enough
focus. In fact, Bounce Around is rather glorious. Kaye Woodward’s songs
are pretty, delicate pop numbers that, for the most part, float over chiming
guitars. From time to time – notably on Big Blue Sky – the band
reveal an ability to chug along in a more muscular rock fashion, while Wintersweet
and Coppice hint at the Velvet Underground’s (third album) sound.
Stolen Recordings POCKET004
Side Project Crush Band - Minisnap July 1st, 2008 | 9:30 am est | Tim Sendra
The curse of any band, good, bad or otherwise, is that the drummer always
wants to sing or the bass player has some “amazing” songs he just
has to get on the album; no one is ever content to just play the role they
are suited for and this dissension can tear a group apart. Hence, the side
project. Now the keyboard player can harmlessly concoct new age tributes to
The Legend of Zelda, or the singer can indulge her fondness for trip-hop and
carnal imagery with relative impunity, and we can easily avoid them if we choose.
Every now and then though, and we’re talking Cubs winning the World Series
infrequent, the side project is actually good. I’m coming up blank on
examples right now … except for today’s Crush Band, Minisnap.
This quartet of seasoned New Zealand pop pros are basically the Bats without
leader Robert Scott and with the addition of Marcus Winstanley of the Undercurrents.
Bats bassist Kaye Woodward takes over the singing and songwriting chores and
does a smashing job at both. The group doesn’t sound too different than
the Bats, the same jangle and propulsive drive is there, as is the honey-sweet
melodic sense, but Woodward’s vocals are far more angelic than Scott’s
and not too far from those of Georgia Hubley or Katrina Mitchell. The band’s
excellent 2007 release Bounce Around is soon to be released by Magic Marker
in the US, and any fan of NZ rock or just good old indie rock with plenty of
pop ought to track it down. Here’s a video for “New Broom” to
keep you warm while you wait.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufpnifV3yzQ
PS When you’re done checking the video out, head here to see more Minisnap
and Bats videos.
Posted in Crush Bands
Comments | Ricardo Amaral
Great choice. And great song indeed. Good ol’ Flying Nun graceness. |
Zack
Cheese on Toast
MINISNAP - Bounce Around (Pocket Music)
What do you do when your band mate is the busiest man in NZ music? You start
another band without him. At least in the case of Minisnap, the line-up is
pretty much the Bats without Robert Scott, with Kaye Woodward taking on
lead vocals.
Bounce Around is, unsurprisingly - given the folks involved, a breezy pop
gem. First single New Broom is nothing if not classic kiwi pop, just waiting
to be
swept up (urgh...) and championed. It's an absolute pleasure to hear New
Zealand sound like this again. MC
CRITIC
Minisnap - Bounce Around
March 19, 2008 22:10
Pocket Music
It is quite difficult to approach an album such as this new release from Christchurch's
Minisnap with no prejudices or expectations, given that the band members have
long histories in New Zealand music (the bass player, Paul Kean, was Toy Love's
bass player), and that three quarters of Minisnap are also the rhythm section
and lead guitarist for The Bats. With those touchstones in mind, the expected
sound of this album would be something akin to upbeat folky pop, with perhaps
a hint of country twang here and there, and initial listens prove this to be
pretty much bang on.
But it would be lazy and unfair to simply state that they are The Bats with
female vocals (however true it may be). The opening song pretty much lays out
the album's intent with a shuffling drum beat introducing simple, straight
forward rhythm guitar; a remarkably restrained bass (Paul Kean is finally learning
to reign in his more jittery, note jumping habits to the absolute benefit of
the songs); and Kaye Woodward's beautiful, melodic vocals.
And each subsequent song tends to follow this well established template, no
one getting too out of line or displaying a tendency to showcase anything other
than nice, simple songs of indeterminate subject matter. Which is pretty much
what you'd expect from this band, as it isn't much of a variation from what
these musicians have been producing for the last twenty or so years. Having
experienced the highs of being in a young band and being lauded locally and
internationally, traveling the world and trying to survive (as both Toy Love
and The Bats have done) it appears that the members of Minisnap are happy to
rest on their laurels, leave the innovation and daring to the younger generation,
sit back and just produce warm enveloping pop songs for their own enjoyment.
Which they achieve admirably. Most of these songs are content to paddle about
safely within the chosen idiom, with one or two interesting departures. ‘Big
Blue Sky’ in particular features guitars that are almost snarling, interspersed
with beautiful weaving lead lines that intersect and compliment the vocals.
The vocals throughout are an absolute highlight; engaging and melodic, sometimes
dreamy and always inviting.
Much like certain genres such as Heavy Metal and so-called Punk Rock tend to
restrict themselves to the expression of a single, monolithic emotion, Minisnap
do pretty much the same thing within the warm familiarity of nicety. You will
not hear a voice (or even an instrument) raised in anger, no pleas of melancholy,
and not much stepping outside of their preferred genre of (for want of a better
term) folk-pop.
I suspect this album will be very well received by people of Minisnap's generation
and those already familiar with the more twee / folky sound Flying Nun was
sometimes known for, but for the casual listener after something a little less
safe this album may well pass you by, unnoticed and complacent in its comforting
warmth.
Rating: one thumb up.
Reviewed by Dave Local
MINISNAP IN THE UK - http://www.last.fm/group/Plan+B/journal
31 Mar 2008, 22:16, by stolenrecs
Connections
* Minisnap Minisnap
We are pleased to announce the UK digital release of ’New Broom’ by
New Zealand’s Minisnap, the single from their forthcoming album ’Bounce
Around’...
Minisnap features the songwriting skills of Kaye Woodward (vocals, guitar) along
with fellow members of ’The Bats’ Paul Kean (bass, guitar) and Malcolm
Grant (drums) plus Marcus Winstanley from The Undercurrents on guitar.
The Single ’New Broom’ is a perfect piece of pop, everything that’s
great about Flying Nun, full of light and air and brilliantly catchy. We love
this song, and think more people should hear it. So we’re helping out by
putting their new album ’Bounce Around’ featuring the single ’New
Broom’ in the shops… We hope you like it too.
Minisnap are paying a flying visit to the UK and will play at The Windmill on
Friday 26th April, the single is available from the 21st of April.
Minisnap
Tuesday 5 February 2008
This week Nick Bollinger reviews new CDs from New York-based gypsy-punks Gogol
Bordello and Romanian traditionalists Tarf de Haidouks ; Christchurch-based
Bats spin-off Minisnap, and British pop pioneer Ray Davies.
Music Details:
Minisnap Bounce Around (Pocket Music 004)
Leave It To You
Innocent
Coppice
Crooked Mile
In The Morning
New Broom (all Woodward)
http://fireescapetalking.blogspot.com/2008/03/minisnap.html
Rattling folk-rock, driving jangle pop and keening vocals: it’s Minisnap,
who in Bounce Around have made what masters of understatement would call “a
classic album”. It really is that good.
Minisnap are essentially The Bats without Robert Scott; while removing a songwriting
great (hey, did you hear 2005’s At The National Grid album? What a return
to form that was) from a band would normally spell disaster, Minisnap reveals
Kaye Woodward to be a songwriter of enormous talent in her own right.
Their debut ep, 2002’s In My Pocket, saw Minisnap finding their feet.
It was a promising rather than strong debut, in part due to the use of a laptop,
but proved it’s difficult to go wrong when you’ve got Paul Kean
on bass. No one in the world, I swear, can nail a bass line so distinctively.
2004’s March Hare ep was stronger still, but it’s with Bounce Around,
and the addition of an extra guitarist, that’s seen Minisnap develop
into genuine contenders.
Bounce Around is full of punchy euphoria and dreamy-eyed pop, like Neil Young
at his best, and the heart-stopping melodic charm and crisp delivery you always
think The Shins would make if they were as good as people say they are (or
as good as Minisnap in fact are).
You can hear a lot of late 80s indie in here, and not just the obvious Flying
Nun comparisons: listen to Innocent and you’ll hear a guitar solo that
J Mascis would sell his soul all over again to have written.
They’re playing the Windmill in Brixton on 25 April. I can’t find
any information about a tour, but you’d expect more dates in the UK at
least…and if they can persuade Robert Scott to come along, then The Bats
could play. What a double header that would be...
Posted by FireEscape at 3:47 PM
2 comments:
Paul Capewell said...
Agreed! Such perfect pop songs. I love this album!
2:46 PM
James said...
Ahh yeah, most certainly.
Bounce around is great: Crooked Mile is wonderful.
http://darkestkarori.blogspot.com/2008/02/mini-snap.html
I really hope they'll play it in Wellington on Saturday.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4404288a20517.html
MUSIC: Crying records (and things that make you go bounce)
By GRANT SMITHIES - Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 17 February 2008
Grant Smithies takes a look at some of the country's lesser-known lineups and
finds enough talent to grace the hippest of dinner parties.
MINISNAP
Bounce Around (Pocket/ Rhythmethod)
The Bats on happy pills
THE FIRST few songs on Bounce Around by Christchurch band Minisnap make me
want to do just that. The bright studio sound, Marcus Winstanley's joyful guitars,
Kaye Woodward's high keen of a voice, Paul Keen's busy basslines, Malcolm Grant's
crisp, unflashy drumming: these would have me flinging myself about like a
student at a university orientation gig if I didn't have my reputation as a
surly journalist to protect.
Unsurprisingly, given that Woodward, Keen and Grant are also members of The
Bats, these songs sound like Bats songs on happy pills. And much as I'm a sucker
for this kind of upbeat pop, the songs that hit hardest here are, ironically,
the slower, sadder ones.
--------------------
http://www.daghouse.com
Joined: 20 Apr 2004
Posts: 4445
Location: Drug Free Zone
PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:13 am Post subject: Re: Hey xxxHunterxxx Reply
with quote
crus wrote:
I noticed you listen to a lot of Flying Nun stuff. I'm going to see The Bats
in less than 24 hours.Excellent. Please post a full review of the show. And
tell them to come play in the US. Aside from The Clean reunion shows, we've
had a serious Flying Nun drought over here. Somebody (Scanny perhaps) told
me The Verlaines were going to tour the states but, thus far, I've seen no
confirmation.
_________________
Joined: 19 May 2005
Posts: 157
PostPosted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:01 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
First band up were Minisnap. Minisnap are one guy with three of The Bats featuring
Kay Woodward on vocals. Like the band 75 percent of their members are from
they play perfect indie guitar pop that should be getting commercial radio
play but likely isn't. They played a lot of songs from their Bounce Around
album but as I'm useless I don't own the album and don't have a setlist. However
I do have a Youtube clip from the show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMJ2VyFeyrM
Next up were Wellington band, Holiday With Friends who I knew absolutely nothing
about. Theywere apparently an indie type pop band who used to filter The Velvet
Underground, The Strokes, Patti Smith, Jonathan Richman and The Ramones . The
band feature three females and two males, this ratio is important because there
are four singing band members. There were some lovely keyboards, glockenspiels,
and handclaps utilized throoughout their set. Their sound to my ears was like
Lloyd Cole meeting Nina Hagen while UK Squeeze played in Dr Who's tardis. They
managed to get a lot of the audience up and dancing.
Then The Bats came on and played a lot of new songs mixed with old songs. I
really enjoyed hearing Boogey Man live and thanks to the wonders of Youtube
you can enjoy it at a differing level of enjoyment from mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvjIZ5d3V-8
Then they left and came back with an encore which featured Knock on Wood and
North by North. As I was walking home I heard one young Asian guy who can't
have been much more than 20 say to another; "I especially enjoyed those
last two songs."
Just thinking that those songs by The Bats are over 20 years old amazes me.
The band's audience were a mixture of young and old. I saw people old enough
to be my parents and I'm no spring chicken at the wrong side of thirty.
I didn't talk to them so have no idea if they're touring outside New Zealand
soon. Although I'd guess there are plans to tour the new album once it's out.
--------------------
http://alex-loves.blogspot.com
Saturday, January 19, 2008
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!
Posted by alex at 9:40 PM 1 comments
http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=297613
MINISNAP
bounce around
Release Date: 21/04/2008
imported exclusively into england for rough trade shop by stolen recordings.
the return of the classic flying nun pop sound. 'bounce around' is a sparkling,
jangly and infectious summertime indie-pop album from the pen, plectrum and
voice of kaye woodward along with fellow bats members, paul kean and malcolm
grant plus marcus winstanley on guitar. the pure melodic female vocals are
accompanied by layers of guitars and occasional keyboards, resulting in a rich,
bright production. each of the 12 tracks could be a single and the album thrills
on initial listens and gets even better on repeated listens. it takes all the
best parts of flying nun records in their heyday and mixes it with mid 80's
english indie-pop scene - a la the siddleys. 'bounce around' was mostly recorded,
mixed and mastered by paul kean at pocket music's little home studio. the artwork
for 'bounce around' is from a print by michael morley (the dead c).
Cassiel
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1592
http://thetriffids.com/forum/index.php?topic=1706.msg31801;topicseen
Re: The Triffhead Jukebox
« Reply #211 on: April 23, 2008, 07:53:41 PM »
A few albums got under my skin on various travels and travails over the past
few weeks
The Breeders new one is great, as Babs suggests. Pete Molinari, A Virtual
Landslide, is a beguiling blend of Nashville Skyline era Dylan, Jimmy Webb
and Carl Perkins made by a funny-looking fella from Kent. Still undecided
whether it's a work of genius or shameless musical magpie-ry. Maybe both.
The Robert Forster album is great but gutwrenching, heart-squeezing sad.
It will go down as one of the best albums about loss, I'm sure. The last
song, From Ghost Town, is fantastic but virtually unlistenable.
Finally, and far more upbeat, Bounce Around by Minisnap is a classic album
in the Flying Nun tradition. An offshoot of The Bats, it's packed full of
shimmering, hazy pop songs that will take a few of you back but also places
new. Get on it if The Bats, The Clean, Look Blue Go Purple and the like ever
did it for you.
«
Last Edit: April 23, 2008, 08:07:35 PM by Cassiel » Logged
I wish that I knew better than to think that I knew better
Monday, 28 April 2008
Minisnap
I, naturally, prefer not to seem too predictable. However, I think anyone who
knows me could have seen Minisnap on Friday and known I would have loved them.
This, of course, has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Minisnap.
They're a great band. I just couldn't escape the notion that it was quintessential
'Chris Music'; dreamy pop with yearning vocals and punchy free guitars with
a touch of fuzz. Kaye Woodward's vocals are delivered with a cool feminine
passion which reminds me of Pam Berry, yet does copy or even really sound like
her or anyone else. I guess that's an aspect that's common with a lot of the
components of their music and why I felt such an instant connection to them.
They remind me of so many bands I know and love, without necessarily sounding
like them. It sounds cliche but they make these perfect pop songs seem impossibly
easy, but then they've all been doing so for longer than I've been alive.
My friend Ben felt it essential I mention something regarding Kaye Woodward
attractiveness. Though I can't exactly remember what it was he said, also I
am concerned about effects of developing a 'hot indie babes' thread and would,
of course, never dream of objectifying woman in such a way.
Posted by Chris at 14:29
Labels: Minisnap