Word: rocks
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...heights, but the exotic musical hybrid that is Bic Runga. In 2002, a year before Westenra hit her high notes, this Maori-Chinese singer-songwriter took the simple guitar hooks of Drive to a new level with Beautiful Collision, an album in which she exploded genres - from folk to rock to country - with the glassy resonance of her voice. So it's strange to find her latest release, Birds, darker and scuzzier sounding, as if it were an original '60s session tape rediscovered in an old suitcase...
...Animals, the Prodigy and Bloc Party to remind themselves that the Brits routinely mistake mediocrity for greatness. Here's the thing, though: this time there's no mistake. Whatever People Say I Am, due out in the U.S. on Feb. 21, isn't perfect, but it's a great rock album that spotlights a new lyricist who is whip smart, funny and appealingly dangerous. He does a lot to restore faith in rock's future...
...more to offer than drinking and hooking up. Perhaps the best thing about it is that it has no interest in speaking to anyone over 30. It's great for family dynamics that parents and kids can listen to Coldplay together, but it's a terrible thing for rock 'n' roll, which needs rebellion to survive. (Ever wonder why hip-hop is doing so well?) Parents will be freaked by Turner's wry narration of a life that could go either way, but kids will hear someone speaking their language, if not their dialect...
...rock-'n'-roll type that lives in dark sunglasses, you'll probably hail the Oakley Thump 2 (oakley.com) as the best thing since blue jeans. Weighing just 60 grams, the Thump 2 is a pair of shades with a difference: it features a built-in MP3 player with enough capacity for about 240 songs. Style-wise, the latest Thump is a sleeker version of its predecessor: it takes inspiration from Oakley's Gascan range of sunglasses, and features a graphics-free, black iridium finish that will look as good on the street as it does on the ski slope...
...Feel like a cleansing ale? Try the Kona Brewing Company, tel: (1-808) 334 2739, which offers a range of delicious beers brewed on site. The Big Wave Golden Ale is popular, but if you like a stronger hop flavor ask for Fire Rock Pale Ale. The brewery also helps to organize an annual Brewers Festival (the next is on March 11). This event may not put Kona on the world map the way Ironman does, but in terms of conviviality we know which one we prefer...