Review - Stroke: Songs For Chris Knox

I think most people have a Chris Knox story or two tucked away in the back of their minds – whether it be his duet with Neutral Milk Hotel recluse Jeff Mangum at the Kings Arms, or awakening to a whole ‘new’ New Zealand music at your first listen of Tall Dwarfs’ Hello Cruel World, or seeing him at the conclusion of a live show by some folk seamstress who had just sewn a rich tapestry of earnest music to which Chris, afterwards outside the show, would respond to with a smile that was seven parts genuine admiration, two parts cheekily mordant and one part just taking the piss.

The sheer scale of the contribution that Chris Knox has made to music both in New Zealand and offshore cannot be underestimated. A stalwart of the Flying Nun years, his discography contributes an impressive percentage of the label’s back catalogue – one that has reverberated around the globe without diminishing in relevance, to the point where the recent cacophony of lo-fi buzz bands in the United States (Wavves, Vivian Girls, etc) have been referencing Chris and his peers with unadulterated adulation. Click HERE to continue reading this review.

This has been a huge success with the initial run of CDs selling out in no time at all - a second release is available now - visit www.chrisknox.co.nz for more info.