One Man Bannister Birds & Bees

"Birds and Bees" is One Man Bannister's third release, following 2013's "Evolver" (a re-interpretation of the Beatles' "Revolver" album) and 2007's "Moth". One Man Bannister is Matthew Bannister, who has played in many NZ groups including Sneaky Feelings, Dribbling Darts of Love, The Weather, The Mutton Birds and most recently The Changing Same.

Matthew's solo albums have all been recorded at home, and over the years he has accumulated hundreds of tracks. Some end up being performed live, but many only exist as recordings, because sometimes the magic moment isn't replicable. You can get sounds in the studio that you can't get live. This album compiles some of those moments, interpersing a number of never-before-heard songs with reflective instrumental interludes. The general theme is summer in sunny Aotearoa/New Zealand - quite often you can hear birds singing in the background of the recordings, so the album opens and finishes with some ornithological observations! The oldest song ("Scared") dates from the early 1990s, the most recent "Summer Showdown" from early 2014. An apt comparison would be Paul McCartney's early solo albums, such as "Ram", or post-"Smile" Beach Boys, modest, home-made, wholesome fare, but packed with melodic invention and domestic quirkiness.