Album Stream: Lawrence Arabia - Lawrence Arabia (Music Month Special)

The third installment of our New Zealand Music Month special series is a bit of a departure from the nineties garage-punk offerings we have streamed so far (see King Loser and The Hasselhoff Experiment). The self-titled debut from indie artist Lawrence Arabia, real name James Milne, was co-released in 2006 with the debut record from his other act, The Reduction Agents, using Milne’s own Honorary Bedouin Records label alongside Lil’ Chief. But before striking out on his own under the pseudonym Lawrence Arabia, the Christchurch-born musician had played with whimsical pop band The Brunettes between 2002 and 2005, all the while penning his own droll musical adventures. The album Lawrence Arabia, graced by an angel-faced Milne, incorporated an intriguing blend of folk and electronica that was well-received by critics. Soon after the release of the album, he temporarily relocated to London to work on sophomore album Chant Darling, which was unveiled in 2009 and went on to win the inaugural Taite Music Prize. And he has since followed up with The Sparrow in 2012.

Later this month, Milne will be performing all three of the Lawrence Arabia albums over two nights in Auckland and three nights in Wellington. See here for more information and to buy tickets. In the meantime have a listen to the album that started it all...