I don't really get your point. Presumably, editors hire reviewers. Are you saying that magazines don't have any editorial control over the opinions expressed in reviews? Possibly with RIPITUP, but MOJO, I don't think so.

As I said, not really sure how the whole "reviewer" thing goes - not really trying to make a point, just thought that there would be some independance between reviewer of a CD and the editor. Otherwise the editor would end up doing all the reviewing? Same deal goes for things like the Herald, I'm sure the editor(s) doesn't tell Grant Smithies to give certain CDs 0 out of 5 - or do they :) ?

I always reckon that reviews and allocation of 'stars" and suchlike is often more an indication of the reviewer's (and magazine readership's) taste in music than the true merits of the item being reviewed. Most music will have a loving admirer somewhere, but I suspect that mags like RIU are populated by contributors/ reviewers who are not generally great fans of "classic pop" and prefer harder edges over the alternative whimsy of The Ruby Suns and Phoenix Foundation. There is also maybe a "coolness" factor about being hard on local stuff as a kind of (over)reaction to the perception that NZ reviewers "soft" on local produce.

On the other hand, any regular reader of Mojo knows that the contributors to that mag are besotted with "classic" sounds of any era and are more likely to enjoy The Ruby Suns. And likewise Uncut who also rated it highly (and panned Fat Freddy's Drop). I know who's reviews I'd go with any day (and it ain't RIU or RG or GG for a start).

For what its worth, I regard the Ruby Suns release as one of the stand-out NZ releases of the last couple of years.

nail in the coffin for all the losers, halfwits, and all round fuckups who proclaimed that the Prince is dead.
3121 steps up and knocks down all comers, with the return of Badass Bland and Terminator Thompson in the Rhythm Section this blistering groover could of walked off "Come " or "Gold Experience". 'cept they where 10 years ago, right?
Class is permanent chumps, Long Live the Prince.

Music taste is completely subjective, so maybe the people you've talked aren't in their niche. But either way you look at it, people are talking about them, and they're getting free publicity.

The Mojo review is pretty positive. Also their record company websites: Lilchief, Memphis Industries, Sub-pop and V2 all have pretty positive things to say about them.

Yep, Groove Guide actually.

No. White Rhino.

Yep he's a champ.

I might be wrong (if I am I'm sorry) but did an administrator wipe my car magazine analogy post? Maybe I didn't hit add comment - it wasn't that great or anything, I just wondered how/why it disappeared.

Please own up if you did, and I'd like to know why.

When I first heard that album, I thought it was a total Brian Wilson rip-off. But there were a couple of songs with really good tunes and I kept listening. Later I saw them live and recently i overheard a track off their next album, which is the album that the overseas majors were after. That was my conversion, that second album track I heard (which incidentally sounds nothing like The Beach Boys) is fucking incredible.

Ryan is a Brian Wilson obsessive, and according to their press, the first album's similarity to Pet Sounds was pointed out to him a million times before it was released. I guess being a Brian Wilson obsessive isn't a particularly cool thing to be anymore, but who gives a fuck - I can think of heaps worse things to be emulating.

Hey weren't you the guy that said some Journey song was 'absolutely great'. I don't know dude, I'd have to find out more about your favourite music before I made some horrible judgement about your taste in music, but so far (to me anyway) you're really into Journey and Brian Wilson, and you're not into rural high school renderings of Pet Sounds. Fuck, if that album actually did sound like Wanganui High remaking Pet Sounds, YOU KNOW you would love it.

Ummm, thank heavens for that?