Snapper - The Gentle Hour The Gentle Hour was released as a B-side to the 1993 single Vader and

was part of the incredibly sporadic nineties output of Snapper that eventually culminated in the seminal 1996 release 'adm'. The constant architect of their sound was frontman and only real long term member, Peter Gutteridge born in 1961. Gutteridge has been involved in some way with the Chills, the Clean and the Great Unwashed and was a stalwart of the Dunedin music scene. His release record with Snapper was limited and this single comes at a period where there was not a great deal of output coming from him. Band members came and went at when this track was released it was just a duo. It has appeared in a number of different forms notably being covered by the Clean, Yo La Tengo and appearing on the Flying Nun rarities album 'Where in the World is Wendy Broccoli?'. I first came into contact with the song through hearing the Yo La Tengo cover and then the Clean cover and then finally Snapper. I don't recall why it happened that way, but each time I listened to another version I felt like the song was being distilled till finally I understood it's almost visceral power. I have never seen the band live, but a friend described them as needing to play so ear blisteringly loud almost in an effort to stand up and stay conscious. I have tried to imagine how this song would translate in that way. Certainly the song feels almost waif-like at times, just drifting and is not confrontational. Describing why I enjoy, or even why I chose this song is difficult for me. It feels like every time I commit something it never fully realises my love for it. My gut feeling is to say that it has a sense of universalism on sharing a moment with someone, where you just forget everything. If only just for a few seconds. I was also tempted to talk about it having a sense of emotional complexity that, that in spite of affirming his love he weaves a songwriting sensibility that belies Gutteridge's claim that everything will be ok. This contrast of hurt and comfort is exciting but could easily have been only casually affecting, instead it it permeates deeply. I think this is evidenced by the covers that Yo La Tengo and the Clean have done where they pick so many strands of the song and yet still find new ways to express it's core message. Snapper never really gained as much attention as they deserved but to me that becomes like a treasure. It's something rare and fine. It enriches my life, my movement and to me is a perfect moment in New Zealand song-writing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MTIzG_2pw Extra Flying Nun bit: The very first Flying Nun song I ever liked was not by the Chills or the Clean but the Headless Chickens. I was not born here but when we got here in 1994 'George' was already big hit and really one of the first New Zealand songs I really really liked to a 12 year that song was really dangerous sounding, I remember being a little scared to watch the video. How times change. Then I discovered 'Cruise Control' and that was a major revelation. It was rock with samplers, something I had never heard. Later as a teen industrial music was big for me and I doubt it would have been as being without Headless Chickens opening that little door.

As an aside I also thought Fiona McDonald was major hottie and still is. Another little fact, Headless Chickens provided Flying Nun with their first number single. Not the Clean, Straitjacket Fits or the 3D's. People often forget that.