The main article of the night goes to another great girl group as I was thinking about posting the Bangles' first album All Over the Place, which I recently acquired. I decided it better not to do two consecutive Paisley Underground posts, so that will have to wait. Tonight it's New Zealand's (yes, I know almsot everything I post is either from L.A. or New Zealand) Look Blue Go Purple. In a scene where many major artists, e.g. The Bats, the Verlaines, the Chills, and the Sneaky Feelings, had female members Look Blue Go Purple was the only all-female group. Their sound fits in quite well with the classic Flying Nun roster, yet they are as unique as any of the other groups. Their music is a well-layered swirl of psychedelic pop that could only come from Dunedin. While it's clear what side of the kiwi-pop scene they veer towards they are airier than the Bats, earthier than the Chills, and and stronger than 90s-era Clean. On top of that many of their songs have an eerily psychedelic flute that puts them in a place as otherworldly as any of their contemporaries. Though their name sites blue and purple, colors that come to mind more are the green of the hills in their Tolkein-esque homeland and the sea at its blackest raging against the cliffs of South Island. That in mind they could write some great pop songs like "I Don't Want You Anyway" and the New Zealand Top 20 Hit "Cactus Cat." However, I like their more distinctive flowing sound more in tracks like "Safety in Crosswords," "Winged Rumour," and "Hiawatha." Included in this compilation is, I believe everything they released. It is essentail for any fan of kiwi-pop.
The thing to wonder is if the vocals are mixed low out of some kind of insecurity/unsureness, or because someone just knew they sounded best that way...
Look Blue Go Purple - Look Blue Go Purple Compilation
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