On 3rd of August Arch Hill Recordings is pleased to be releasing the soundtrack to the film Separation City - composed and compiled by Samuel Scott and Luke Buda. Aside from compositions by Sam & Luke the album features tracks by The Phoenix Foundation, SJD, The Black Seeds, Cassette, The NZSO, Wild Bill Ricketts and Mike Fabulous.

Watch the Separation City film movie preview

Samuel Scott and Luke Buda are both also known for their band The Phoenix Foundation, two respective solo albums each and the soundtrack (with the Phoenix Foundation) to the movie Eagle Vs Shark. In fact, it was that latter soundtrack – along with a determination to include The Phoenix Foundation track Bright Grey in the movie – that let to director Paul Middleditch and producer Mark Overitt to request the inclusion of the Sam and Luke duo.

It was also an interesting and unique project for Sam and Luke to make music for as the film drifts between hilarious comedy and something much darker and painfully real. According to Sam, director Paul had to reign in some of their more “oblique approached to sound”, but in the end it was a great challenge for them as it produced music that doesn't sound like anything they have ever made before. Also, apparently, the help of fellow Phoenix guitar man Conrad Wedde was required to add a little magic to some of the ‘love scenes’.

Sam says of the other tracks the selected for the movie “There are a few scenes that really called for some NZ roots music kind of stuff and I like the fact that it means we have a sound track that pairs up The Black Seeds next to an SJD track, that sort of thing. It’s not genre specific but its all contemporary New Zealand music that we like and somehow fits together. Paul is very into classical music so he chose the NZSO Vaughan Williams piece, which is a hugely important piece of music for the film.”

Written & produced by Tom Scott the film Separation City is a bittersweet comedy drama about falling out of love for the very first time. A painful lesson about how unrequited love lasts forever and while requited love comes with a use-by date. A story about courtship, mateship and jumping ship. A film for anyone who has ever been in a relationship and woken up beside someone they once adored beyond measure and thought even fleetingly, is this it?

The Separation City film is written & produced by Tom Scott, directed by Paul Middleditch, produced by Angela Littlejohn, Mark Overett and stars Joel Edgerton, Danielle Cormack, Rhona Mitra, Les Hill and Thomas Kretschmann.

“In 2006 Buda released his first full-length solo album, Special Surprise. The album was extremely well received and described as follows: “Perfectly formed pop artefacts crystallise out of prog-rock overtures; bombastic instrumentals dissolve into heart-melting ballads” (Nick Bollinger – The NZ Listener)

Following Special Surprise, Buda has been busy with his band The Phoenix Foundation: they released third album Happy Ending, recorded the soundtrack to the movie Eagle Versus Shark, and toured the USA a couple of times. On the domestic front there has been a home and a family.

However, out of this whirlwind something exceptional has emerged. Buda has called it Vesuvius.

Harbouring an unfortunate and perhaps unfair suspicion of anything too new (they don’t make music like they used to!)… at the time of writing the album Buda was most inspired by the supreme ultra studio sounds of 70’s super FM pop. Namely; Electric Light Orchestra. So blame it on Jeff Lynne!

Vesuvius was recorded by award winning Lee Prebble at his renowned Wellington studio, The Surgery. Featuring Craig Terris and Tom Watson (of Cassette), Andrew Bain (Fur Patrol), David Long (The Mutton Birds), Tim Prebble, Stephen Gallagher, Kezia Nell Hinchey, Sophie Burbery, and fellow Phoenicians Conrad Wedde, Samuel Flynn Scott and Will Ricketts, Vesuvius has, at its heart, well-written songs that are somehow both sorrowful and jovial.

Three further points of interest:

RESN’s award winning (FWA Site of the Day no less!) website for Luke specialsurprise.co.nz is finally online! Check it out… maybe a little creepy but certainly cool.

The video for the first single, the cheery “My Imminent Demise” was made by Oscar nominated Taika Waititi (Eagle Versus Shark). The video was shot in three hours of madness and cost but a couple of beers and a sensual massage.

We would also like to point your attention to the album art - featuring Buda reaching out to the icy melodic expanse. Created by Amelia Handscomb and Myriam Catrim.

Born in Wroclaw, Poland, 26th February 1979. Luke Buda came to New Zealand in 1987 - a year he remembers because it’s when the All Blacks last won the Rugby World Cup!

“Special Surprise” is actually Luke’s second solo outing, his first was a 2002 mini album called “The C- Sides” (recently re-released by Slow Boat Records! - described by Grant Smithies in the Sunday Star Times as “distressingly addictive” – 4/5 stars).

Many people will also know Luke from his other band The Phoenix Foundation. They have released an EP (“China Cove”, 2001) and 2 albums (“Horsepower” 2003 and “Pegasus” 2005 - the latter having just gone gold, both albums were nominated for album of the year at the Tui Music Awards). Luke is responsible for many great Phoenix Foundation songs, such as “Going Fishing” from Horsepower and “Sea World” from Pegasus.

Most of the songs on ‘Special Surprise’ were written and recorded in early 2005 during an especially productive time, following the recording of “Pegasus” and prior to the birth of Luke’s son Moses Knowles Theodore Buda. Luke says “It was my version of the 'nesting' associated with the coming of a new human (in antenatal classes 'twas said that many husbands and partners renovate the house or build the extra room or shed during pregnancy as a way of CONTRIBUTING, I guess my way was to record an album). Also, I was going through a confidence low during Pegasus and didn’t believe in my own songs, and Special Surprise is like the healing balm” As can be seen in the photographs above, The Buda is back and ready to take on the world!

The album was recorded at Luke’s home perched up on high of an Aro valley cliff, the Car Club and Lee Prebble’s the Surgery. The mixing of “Special Surprise” was done with Lee Prebble [Trinity Roots, Phoenix Foundation, Dave Dobbyn and more] at the controls. The album features a generous selection of Wellington’s finest musicians, including Craig Terris (Cassette) on drums/backing vocals; most of the Phoenix Foundation (Sam Scott, Conrad Wedde, Will Ricketts, Richie Singleton) on vocals, keyboards, guitars, percussion, hand claps and more); Rio Hemopo (Trinity Roots) on bass; Luke Benge (The Inkling) on keys; Sarah Jane Pardon (Moses’s mum) on vocals, Mike Fab (The Black Seeds) and Tom Callwood (Little Bushmen) on bass.

Luke has a unique melodic aptitude, a soft spot for lush synthy excess and a lolloping rhythmic charm; we think he has come up trumps with some absurdly good future pop. It’s a “Special Surprise”.

(ARCH HILL PRICES IN US$ - CURRENCY CONVERTER)


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In 2006 Buda released his first full-length solo album, Special Surprise. The album was extremely well received and described as follows: “Perfectly formed pop artefacts crystallise out of prog-rock overtures; bombastic instrumentals dissolve into heart-melting ballads” (Nick Bollinger – The NZ Listener)

Following Special Surprise, Buda has been busy with his band The Phoenix Foundation: they released third album Happy Ending, recorded the soundtrack to the movie Eagle vs Shark, and toured the USA a couple of times. On the domestic front there has been a home and a family.

However, out of this whirlwind something exceptional has emerged. Buda has called it Vesuvius...

Harbouring an unfortunate and perhaps unfair suspicion of anything too new (they don’t make music like they used to!)… at the time of writing the album Buda was most inspired by the supreme ultra studio sounds of 70’s super FM pop. Namely; Electric Light Orchestra. So blame it on Jeff Lynne!

Vesuvius was recorded by award winning Lee Prebble at his renowned Wellington studio, The Surgery. Featuring Craig Terris and Tom Watson (of Cassette), Andrew Bain (Fur Patrol), David Long (The Mutton Birds), Tim Prebble, Stephen Gallagher, Kezia Nell Hinchey, Sophie Burbery, and fellow Phoenicians Conrad Wedde, Samuel Flynn Scott and Will Ricketts, Vesuvius has, at its heart, well-written songs that are somehow both sorrowful and jovial.

We would also like to point your attention to the album art - featuring Buda reaching out to the icy melodic expanse. Created by Amelia Handscomb and Myriam Catrim....and Taika Waititi made the video for My Imminent Demise

John Campbell of Campbell Live says 2 of his top 5 favorite albums of 2008 were ...

	David Kilgour - The Far Now John says: "One of the greatest albums ever to come out of New Zealand. So stunningly brilliant that I'm completely ignoring the fact it came out last year in order to make it one of my albums of the year for 2008 too."
	The Bats - The Guilty Office John says: "Twenty-six years after they were formed, to make music as fresh and joyful as this is almost miraculous. Everything I want music to be. And Kaye Woodward is one of the two sexiest women in music."

Samantha Hayes Nightline Presenter says...

Now we say thats reeealy lovely of them

Ok so we’ll tell you more about the album when it is released – next week on Tuesday 28th of October…but in the meantime we advise you to:

1. Check out the video for the first single, the cheery “My Imminent Demise” (currently number one on the Radioscope ALT charts)…made by Oscar nominated Taika Waititi (Eagle Versus Shark). The video was shot in three hours of madness and cost a couple of beers and a sensual massage

2. Visit RESN’s award winning (FWA Site of the Day no less!) website for Luke, which is finally online! Check it out… maybe a little creepy but certainly cool…see if you can take out the Pterodactyls.