Able Tasmans were an

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

band from

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, New Zealand, initially formed as a duo in 1983. They released four albums and two EPs on

Flying Nun Records Flying Nun Records is a New Zealand independent record label formed in Christchurch in 1981 by music store manager Roger Shepherd. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "one of the world's great independent labels", Flying Nun is notable for bringing ...

before splitting up in 1996.

History

The band formed in 1983, named after the Dutch explorer

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New ...

.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 191Lukas, Paul
Able Tasmans
, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' (archived). Retrieved 1 December 2018 via

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and s ...

The initial lineup was Graeme Humphreys (vocals/keyboards) and Craig Baxter (drums). Humphreys and Baxter had previous played together in the Whangarei band Sister Ray.Browm, Russell
Able Tasmans
, audioculture.co.nz. Retrieved 1 December 2018 David Beniston (bass guitar) and Peter Keen (vocals/guitar, formerly of Raucous Laughter) soon joined, with Keen taking a lead on vocals. Anthony Nevison (later of

Headless Chickens The Headless Chickens was a New Zealand band. Going against the grain of the Dunedin sound that dominated the Flying Nun Records roster at the time, the Headless Chickens made extensive use of electronic instruments in their music. History T ...

) played on a few songs on the band's first release, '' The Tired Sun'' EP, released in 1985 by

. Organist Leslie Jonkers joined before the band recorded their debut album ('' A Cuppa Tea and a Lie Down'' (1987)), with Stuart Greenway replacing Baxter on drums. The album was described by ''

'' as "one of the finest records ever to emerge from New Zealand", and by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

as "a great album filled with sweet and crafty pop songs". Humphreys, Keen, and Jonkers became the core of the band, and for the second album ('' Hey Spinner!'' (1990)) were joined by former

Verlaines The Verlaines are a New Zealand rock band from Dunedin. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups. History The band was named after French poet Paul V ...

and

Chills Chills is a feeling of coldness occurring during a high fever, but sometimes is also a common symptom which occurs alone in specific people. It occurs during fever due to the release of cytokines and prostaglandins as part of the inflammatory ...

bassist

Jane Dodd Jane Dodd (born 1962) is a New Zealand musician and contemporary jeweller. From 1982 to 1984 she studied for a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Otago, majoring in Phenomenology of Religion with additional papers in Anthropology, History, ...

, synth player Ronald Young, and drummer Craig Mason (another former Chills member). This lineup continued for '' Somebody Ate My Planet'' (1992) and '' The Shape of Dolls'' (1993). After a spell with no new releases, the band returned in 1996 with '' Store in a Cool Place'' (1996), now without Young, splitting up prior to its release.Flying Nun band history
A 'best of' compilation, ''Songs from the Departure Lounge'', was released in 2000.

Post-split activities

Ten years after the band split up, Humphreys and Keen regrouped to record an album, ''The Overflow'', under the name of Humphreys & Keen, although the album also featured Dodd, Young, Jonkers and Mason.''Radio New Zealand'': National Radio, Sept 15, 2006.
Graeme Humphreys is now better known in New Zealand for his role as a radio talkback host (under the name Graeme Hill). David Beniston died in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

on 7 May 2011, due to an

aneurism An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus ( ...

Musical style

The band's style of music could be considered as somewhat similar to the prevalent

Dunedin sound The Dunedin sound was a style of indie pop music created in the southern New Zealand university city of Dunedin in the early 1980s. Characteristics According to Matthew Bannister, Dunedin sound "was typically marked by the use of droning or j ...

, as recorded by Flying Nun during the 1980s and most effective when keyboards (not normally prominent in the Dunedin sound) were to the fore, as on their early student radio hit "Snow White Chook". Their music has been described as

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk music, folk and rock music, rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the American fo ...

chamber pop Chamber pop (or Chamber rock; also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other compon ...

, and

baroque pop Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid 1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropri ...

.McFarlane, Dean
''Somebody Ate My Planet'' Review
,

. Retrieved 1 December 2018

writer Jason Ankeny described the band as having "a tongue-in-cheek, '60s-influenced aesthetic" in their early years.Ankeny, Jason
Able Tasmans Biography
,

. Retrieved 1 December 2018

Discography

Featured appearances

The group have appeared on a few CD and DVD compilations since 1991 in New Zealand. The following is a list of these albums that have featured tracks by the Able Tasmans. * (1990) - '' In Love With These Times'' (

) - "What Was That Thing?" * (1991) - ''Roger Sings the Hits'' (

) - "Getting Older" * (1991) - ''Getting Older 1981–1991'' (

) - "Sour Queen" * (1995) - ''

Abbasalutely ''Abbasalutely'' is a compilation album released in 1995 by New Zealand recording label Flying Nun Records as a tribute album to ABBA. Track listing Versions *''Abbasalutely'' (Cass, Comp) Flying Nun Records, Festival Records, New Zeala ...

'' (

) - " S.O.S." (

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...

cover) * (2004) - ''Second Season Flying Nun DVD II'' (

) - "Big Bang Theory" * (2004) - ''Very Short Films'' (

) - "Hold Me 1"

References

{{Authority control New Zealand indie rock groups Flying Nun Records artists