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The Tokey Tones' 'Caterpillar & Butterfly' is the first set in series
of albums that have been planned by Auckland Songwriter/Engineer/Producer,
Scott Mannion. Confusingly, and to the frustration of Lil Chief,
each album will be recorded under a different band name, though
all will be labelled as 'Plasticene Recording Projects.'
Mannion began his musical career as lead songwriter
for b-net chart toppers Polaar. The group went on to win best new
act at the b-net music awards and one of their songs ('I've got
a crush on you') is currently featured on the short film 'Harry
and Peter in Love' which screened at the International Film Festival.
After the demise of Polaar, Mannion moved on to perform and record
under the band name 'Plasticene', with fellow ex-Polaarist Li-Ming
Hu. One of their songs was featured on the 'Crawlspace Records Kiwi
Sampler' and two were on the Arch Hill records compilation 'Introducing
Arch Hill Recordings'.
The concept behind Caterpillar/Butterfly is loose,
but basically Caterpillar is more laid-back, organic, reflective,
and less produced, whereas Butterfly tends to be more upbeat, poppy,
and full. Each CD runs for about 30mins, which Mannion attributes
to his short attention span, and the fact that the records he enjoys
most hail from an era when that length was standard. While Caterpillar/Butterfly
is primarily Mannion's baby, there was a fair bit of collaboration.
Hu shares a few writing credits, while most of the ex-members of
Polaar had something to contribute. The help of friends and label-mates
Jonathan and Heather of the Brunettes was invaluable, as is obvious
in Heather's (uncredited!) duet with Scott, 'Love Done Me No Good'.
The stunning artwork on each album was created
by Misery, a rising talent in the local art scene. Misery's first
exhibition proper was in Feb 04, where every piece she had on offer
was sold! She has also had a solo-show in the US and regularly creates
designs for the clothing label, Illicit.
Scott Mannion's next 'project' is underway and
will be a single CD of songs - recorded very quickly to 8-track
tape. Half the tracks will be sung acappella, while the others will
incorporate only a small number of instruments. In the future you
can look forward to an entirely electronic record, followed by an
entirely orchestral record. Sheesh. |
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