The Terminals ‎- Disease (1991)

The Terminals' second album, released on Xpressway on cassette.

ttde

Chris Heazlewood - Hellmouth 666 (1991)

This I think was the last release on Xpressway and may even be the reason the label was halted. There is a sound to twisted music-it's a sound that is bent, wild, and wrecked and it's usually the work of a deranged and comically brilliant amalgam of musicians. Flipper had it early on, but the band who epitomized that "sensibility" was New Zealand's Axemen. Ironically, bands who practice such unrestrained mania fused with such a sparkling sense of humor are often seemingly fit with an aggressive desire to be taken deadly seriously. I've seen exchanges in the NZ monthly Rip It Up whose The Axemen fought tooth and nail with those who challenged their "seriousness," all the while releasing gloriously biting and deranged bits of mind shatter. I have to assume that was all part of the fun. Heazlewood seems almost too angry and selfconsciously hip at times to carry this muse, but early solo projects like Hellmouth 666 are very much in Axernen's territory. Robert Cardy (one of the mighty Axemnen) even wrote the one cover song here. Unlike The Axemen, though, Heazlewood's style is much denser, with guitars drenched in a thick and fuzzy overdrive. Heazlewood's songs don't always have the shambolic humor of the Axemen, but songs like "Who's Dead-essentially a dialogue of "you're dead" "No you're dead"-is a scream. I'd call Hellmouth 666 winning, I'd call it. what's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah.. . supergood!

chw

Alastair Galbraith ‎- Hurry On Down (1988)

First up was the "solo" Hurry On Down cassette made of live recordings and a bunch of studio material differing based on which of the two versions of the cassette you happen to hear. A lot of this material has been reprised on later releases and while I must admit to not being one of the lucky few who heard this particular cassette (don't ask why, it's a long story) all reports say the music herein is as beautiful and powerful as anything Galbraith was to later release.

nrhq

Sferic Experiment - Bunny Liver (1989)

Now here's something you should really start screaming over. The first Sferic Experiment release on Expressway. A cassette only release which has not less than twenty tracks under its belt. Seven or eight tracks are from the CD entitled 'Eight Miles' (which was put out by Drunken Fish Records) but possibly even some of those are different versions as the lengths seem vastly different on some.

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Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos - A Child's Guide to... (1988)

Preceded by collections showcasing the live power of the Dead C and This Kind of Punishment, 'A Child's Guide to Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos' was the third assortment of material released on Bruce Russell's Xpressway imprint. A duo comprised of the Dead C's Michael Morley and Richard Ram, Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos released an EP on Flying Nun in 1986 entitled 'River Falling Love,' but the pair were independently prodigious, recording a number of self-released cassettes from 1983 to 1986. 'A Child's Guide to...' is an archival release, gathering material from these obscurities in addition to live recordings. The band pursued their various musical diversions to varied success, from the techno-pop meanderings of "Together We Sense" to the delicately beautiful "Rain," which features an ethereal vocal contribution from Denise Roughan (Look Blue Go Purple/3Ds.).

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The Dead C - The Live Dead See (1988)

A collection of mostly audience recordings made throughout 1987, released as a cassette on the legendary Xpressway label (run by the band's own Bruce Russell) in 1988.

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Scorched Earth Policy - Keep Away From The Wires (2000)

Never has a name been so apt. A cauldron of prairie fire and brimstone, the sweltering beauty of Peter Stapleton's Scorched Earth Policy lies in their ability to conjure visions of austere desolation, sun-drenched despair, and loves lost and buried with a raucous, tumbling fury not found in the subdued murmurings of the Victor Dimisich Band. While those were delivered in the hushed tones of quiet desperation, these are the tortured cries of a soul slowly succumbing to the hypnotizing lull of insanity. It is the creeping, lingering shadow of the mid-afternoon sun as it tantalizes and mocks, an intangible harbinger of the darkness to come. Rising from the ashes of Victor Dimisich, Scorched Earth Policy was active from 1982 to 1986; during that time they released two EPs on Flying Nun, 1984's 'Dust to Dust' and 1985's 'Going thru' a Hole in the Back of Your Head.' Two live cassettes followed, one a posthumous Xpressway release. 'Keep Away from the Wires,' a collection released on Stapleton's Medication label in 2000, compiles the two EPs in their entirety along with outtakes and live selections. The main separating factor between Victor Dimisich and Scorched Earth--aside from Stephen Cogle's imitable baritone--was undoubtedly the contributions of guitarist Brian Crook to the latter. A spine-tingling blend of poetic menace and bite defines Crook's playing; it is impossible to imagine either Scorched Earth Policy or the Renderers without it.

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Victor Dimisich Band ‎– Mekong Delta Blues (1988)

The Victor Dimisich Band was without a doubt a Christchurch band. 1980 and 1981 were the years of greatest activity. They played a number of 'gigs' at a pub called "The Gladstone", often over a three-night stint, with two other bands on the bill. The 'headlining' spot being rotated each night. Steven Cogle, Allen Meek, Tony O'Grady and Peter Stapleton would generally set up on the stage unassumingly, but once in gear the sound was like a runaway rollercoaster - rushing dips and fragile peaks, but somehow following a chosen direction on the night. Their sole studio legacy was a 5-track EP which came out in 1982 on Flying Nun. This recording demonstrates (with rare aural clarity) the genuine songwriting prowess of Steven Cogle and Peter Stapleton. The Victor Dimisich Band’s recordings (an original Flying Nun EP and the extremely lo-fi live document Mekong Delta Blues – a cassette only Xpressway release) are highly collectable and very hard to find (despite being reissued with bonus tracks in 1997 on the Medication label), and show Cogle and Stapleton just developing their dark and morbid style (after spending time with Bill Direen‘s many bands).

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Peter Gutteridge - Pure (1989)

1989 saw the release of Peter Gutteridge's Pure, the New Zealand resident's only solo LP recorded between 1986 and '87 to Fostex 4-track. Spanning more than twenty tracks, many of the songs are primitive/raw and created on the spot, though a few of these tracks even reappeared on a future Snapper 12". The former member of the Clean, the Chills and many other notable.

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Plagal Grind - Live at the Tavern, Christchurch (1988)

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Plagal Grind - Plagal Grind EP (1990)

A short lived super group consisting of Peter Jefferies, Robbie Muir, David Mitchell and Alaistair Galbraith. This is their one and only release.

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Various ‎– XPRESSWAY PILE=UP (A Compilation Of NZ Music) (1988)

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Various - The Kiwi Tapes Anthology (2007)

After months of thinking of putting this thing together, here it finally is: The Kiwi Tapes Anthology! Now before you start asking "Where's Tally Ho?" and "Why did you leave out (blank)?" allow me to explain my intentions with this compilation. My goal with this compilation was to create something that would showcase all of the various facets of Kiwi Rock while remaining as concise as possible. This is for the newcomer, someone who has heard very little or no kiwi rock at all. I picked songs that I felt were most representative of the artists and the various New Zealand scenes that they were from. This is why you find "Getting Older" and no "Tally Ho!", I felt that the former song was much more representative of the sound of The Clean than the latter. So if you are looking to convert someone into the magic of kiwi rock, and you want to show them everything (not just the poppy, jangly stuff) then do it with this disc! I've already tried it on a few people and believe me it works! Thanks to all of the contributors to this site who made this disc possible and lended their expertise. Enjoy!

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Sandra Bell - Dreams of Falling (1991)

Bell's first album is almost a collaboration with fellow Kiwi cult figure Peter Jefferies, who plays on half of the album's tracks (his piano on "Black Into Blue" practically gives away the identity of the performer) and also assumes engineering and mixing duties. At times, Bell comes very close to being his musical fraternal twin, as the gloomy, piano-led "Inner State" shows especially. While there's the same sense of what is at times delicate and other times rampaging electric claustrophobia throughout Dreams that often crops up in Jefferies' work sonically, Bell is still the central figure, and quite a figure she cuts. Playing a solid range of instruments, from guitar to didgeridoo, and singing in a low, sometimes intentionally mixed-down tone, her abilities and sharp poetry make the occasional comparisons to Patti Smith understandable without being obvious. Bell is her own person, and her words of urban alienation and strange, mystic images find good company with the music, a fair chunk of which she composed on her own as well. Sometimes she keeps things simpler, as on "Manai," with driving, dark guitar tones supporting her mantra-like tale of a mystic wanderer. Elsewhere, she's not afraid of a little bit of noise; the wittily titled "Sunday Nihilism" features a wonderfully snarling central riff, with her vocals all but buried under shifting washes of fuzz, rhythm, and sound. Besides Jefferies, a strong set of fellow New Zealand artists contributes to the proceedings, including violin legend Alastair Galbraith, 3Ds guitarist David Mitchell, and Look Blue Go Purple veteran Kathy Bull. For all the various, often striking guest performances, one of Bell's most effective moments on the disc is "Lost Train"; completely on her own in this track, she plays guitar and various kinds of piano. The song has an ominous, almost industrial start, with dark currents of sound weaving through the mix as Bell delivers her equally unsettling lyric.

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Various ‎– I Hear The Devil Calling Me (1991)

Long out-of-print 7"EP compilation, released in 1991 on Drag City label, as an Xpressway sampler. Along with the "Making Losers Happy" and "Killing Capitalism with Kindness" compilations, this contains the leaders of the so-called "NZ-noise" scene (although I'd call them "the second NZ wave"). It's sub-titled "an XpressWay sampler" and has 12 short tracks (about 1:00' each) from 12 artists/bands. Recorded in Dunedin, Christchurch and Auckland 1990-91, it's an amazing compilation, showing to the rest of the world that the hidden side of NZ music scene had many treasures, and was more adventurous than the better known acts.

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Various - Making Losers Happy (Xpressway NZ Singles 1988-91) (1992)

This comp collects several very limited-pressed singles from XpressWay, literally unavailable, but the value of its compilation is not this: it contains music from some amazing NZ artists, maybe the best, written in their most creative years. Alastair Galbraith, Peter Jefferies, The Dead C, Terminals, everyone that matters. XPressway was perhaps New Zealand's first truly underground music label, Xpressway was formed by Bruce Russell in 1985 to release his then-fledgling Christchurch band "The Dead C", live archival recordings from this kind of punishment and the debut solo material from Alistair Galbraith. Over the course of the next 23 (mostly cassette-only) releases, xpressway, Russell and his comrades themselves formed an ever-growing niche-market of dark, brooding releases, mostly in lo-fidelity form, but full of character.

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Peter Jefferies & Jono Lonie - At Swim 2 Birds (1987)

Originally released on Flying Nun Records and then xpressway – at swim 2 birds saw Peter Jefferies team up with Dunedin folk musician Jono Lonie on this instrumental release, one that is at times both pastoral and experimental. Peter Jefferies is truly an unsung hero of New Zealand music, having formed nocturnal projections with brother Graeme in the 1980s they went on to record as this kind of punishment. they were a band ahead of their time – and one that still sounds as fresh as when it was released. following this he embarked on a string of solo records – tracks of which have been covered by the likes of cat power and Amanda Palmer. This collaboration with Jono Lonie was another inspired creative turn. titled after the surreal Flann O’Biren novel, this album is a varied affair from piano-scapes, ambient noise, minimalism to experimental moods and homemade instruments.

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Killing Capitalism With Kindness (1991)

The New Zealand rock scene, despite producing an unprecedented number of worthwhile projects, hasn't received the recognition is probably deserves in the international sense. For those not familiar with the scene, Killing Capitalism with Kindness might be a decent overview -- the record collects otherwise unreleased tracks from New Zealand mainstays like Alistair Galbraith, Alf Danielson, David Mitchell, Trash, Kathy Bull, Sandra Bell, David Kilgour, Stephen Kilroy, This Kind of Punshiment, and many others. The work is of the same high quality that's made the New Zealand scene so solid, and it's always fascinating to hear what this cadre of musicians can produce. A great collection, surveying the New Zealand experimental indie scene circa 1990. Largely Dunedin based bands, XPressway, etc. Peter Jeffries of This Kind of Punishment put together a small-edition box set of LPs; I got the reissue on disc during college, when a friend and I spent way too much time tracking down obscure New Zealand bands.

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Alastair Galbraith & Graeme Jefferies ‎– Timebomb (1989)

This is a pinnacle of Xpressway’s brilliance, tremendously spare and beautiful songs…while they never lose control they do teeter now and then - only adding to the magic. Galbraith and Jeffries throw themselves at these moments with a glorious sense of spontaneity.

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This Kind Of Punishment ‎- Live '85 (1988)

A chilling live document of This Kind of Punishment's 1985 tour. This was only released on cassette and is the second release ever put out by Xpressway. The line up of this band features Peter & Graeme Jefferies, Chris Matthews & Johnny Pierce.  This is not the best place to start with this band, but if you already have the albums and want more, definitely pick this up!

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