Needles and plastic (The DoubleHappys) (LP 4973- 4974)

Jed Parsons  Brunch (Vinyl, ? Records, 2021) ****  

The DoubleHappys  Nerves  (Vinyl, Flying Nun Records, 2021) *** 

Genre: Pop, NZ music, punk, alt-rock 

Places I remember: JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: She's the One (Jed Parsons)

Gear costume: Movie Knight (Jed)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: While buying the re-released, buffed up Rubber Soul, I cruised through the sale bins and found these two Kiwi albums.

Jed Parsons hails from Christchurch where there is a thriving folk rock scene (his cousin Mel Parsons is one of my favs). Jed's album, Brunch, is great - full of bright pop songs with variety of pace, Kiwi humour (he starts one song, muffs it, says 'Fah', counts it in again). One for Album of the Week status with WTWMC. High praise.

The second album is a compilation of The DoubleHappys' singles - this Flying Nun trio (Wayne Elsey and Shayne Carter guitars, John Collie drums) never made an album. Instead, they flamed on for some singles and then flamed out when Wayne tragically died in 1985.  

They have a punk snarl, but this is NZ punk nearly 10 years after UK punk started. So instead, it's lo-fi Flying Nun guitar alt rock and damn fine it is too for the most part - the early stuff with a drum machine isn't as good as the trio songs.  

Where do they all belong? Lately, I'm struggling to get through the W's after a rich vein of record purchasing - back on track with Stevie Wonder next, I think.