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LP
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EUROPA7E 045LP
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A vinyl issue of The Prophet Hens debut album, Popular People Do Popular People, originally released on CD in 2013. Hatched from Dunedin's dreamy but dark 21st century pop underground, The Prophet Hens bring a ghostly reminder of the decaying southern city's musical past, when bands crafted melodic, chiming jangle-pop in seedy bars. The band, and the songs on the album, started when songwriter and guitarist Karl Bray was laid up at home recovering from major surgery to repair an ankle he'd smashed up while escaping a night-time mugging in downtown Dunedin. He jumped over a wall to get away, and, in the darkness, fell twelve feet. The album was recorded with Penelope Esplin (keyboards & vocals), John White (of Mestar, The Blueness, on bass) and Sefton Holmes (Black Yoghurt, on drums). The current line-up of the band sees Karl and Penelope joined by Robin Cederman on bass and Darren Stedman (The Verlaines) on drums. The Prophet Hens music is marinated in the melodic sounds of that mostly fictional "Dunedin Sound" - think The Chills, The Bats, Magick Heads plus a little bit of The Clean and The Orange. But the combination of Karl's and Penelope's voices adds extra magic. US music blog The Finest Kiss, after making it their #2 album of 2013, described their popular debut: "New Zealand's Prophet Hens sort of came out of nowhere and swept me off of my feet with their Chills meets Belle and Sebastian pop alchemy. Both of those bands are highly regarded and the Prophet Hens may be better than both. Granted they haven't written a Pink Frost yet, but many of the songs here are nearly as memorable and lead me to believe that they just might have something of the Pink Frost caliber in them." More praise from Did Not Chart (UK): "Perfectly encapsulates the big bold ambition of Dunedin music with the quiet drama of isolation on a South Pacific island: part Chills organ-drenched pop, part bedroom angst".
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CD
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EUROPA7E 044CD
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The Prophet Hens return for their second album, The Wonderful Shapes Of Back Door Keys. The Wonderful Shapes Of Back Door Keys delivers on the tuneful jangly promise of their debut album, Popular People Do Popular People (EUROPA7E 045LP, 2013). US music blog The Finest Kiss described their popular debut as "Chills meets Belle And Sebastian pop alchemy" before saying, "The Prophet Hens may be better than both" and making it their #2 album of 2013. Ringing the changes on this latest effort is the addition of bassist Robin Cederman's adventurous songwriting, on which keyboard player Penelope Esplin takes lead vocals. Her voice, the strong melodies, and richly detailed, dramatic story-lines are sometimes reminiscent of an Antipodean Neko Case. Robin's songs complement Karl Bray's minor-key pop numbers, which manage to be both melancholic and exuberant at the same time.
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LP
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EUROPA7E 044LP
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LP version. The Prophet Hens return for their second album, The Wonderful Shapes Of Back Door Keys. The Wonderful Shapes Of Back Door Keys delivers on the tuneful jangly promise of their debut album, Popular People Do Popular People (EUROPA7E 045LP, 2013). US music blog The Finest Kiss described their popular debut as "Chills meets Belle And Sebastian pop alchemy" before saying, "The Prophet Hens may be better than both" and making it their #2 album of 2013. Ringing the changes on this latest effort is the addition of bassist Robin Cederman's adventurous songwriting, on which keyboard player Penelope Esplin takes lead vocals. Her voice, the strong melodies, and richly detailed, dramatic story-lines are sometimes reminiscent of an Antipodean Neko Case. Robin's songs complement Karl Bray's minor-key pop numbers, which manage to be both melancholic and exuberant at the same time.
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