Can I be the first to ask, where did the year go?

When this paper goes to print there'll be a month ‘til Christmas Eve. Seriously?

But let's not be alarmed. Following the straight and narrow this week I have more of the usual: new albums and upcoming gigs – get ‘em while they're hot!

Firstly, a glance at new albums released by a couple of acts heading to New Zealand's shores next year. I note that both are now very nearly sold out, so if you're unable to get in, perhaps you can regard these albums as alternatives rather than appetisers.

John Prine

John Prine's latest album, The Tree Of Forgiveness, came out earlier this year.

John Prine is about as laid-back a cat as you could possibly imagine, so he doesn't get around to releasing albums of new songs very often.

The last was 13 years ago, making this something of an occasion.

He's now 72, though the cover picture and wrecked rumble of his voice would suggest another 20 years of hard living on top of that. The music, however, is a joy from start to finish – not
a long journey, since this clocks in at under 35 minutes.

It runs the gamut from throwaway classics such as Knockin' On My Screen Door (see the video on-line) and the delightful Crazy Bones, to a couple of gorgeous love songs – Boundless Love is particularly touching – and a lot of Prine's regularly wry downhome philosophising.

Short and wonderful and instantly timeless, The Tree Of Forgiveness is a gem and, at the time of writing, there are still a few tickets for the February show at Auckland's Bruce Mason Theatre.

Arctic Monkeys

The same is true of Arctic Monkeys, who're at the Spark Arena a week later at the beginning of March. There was very heavy demand for this show, despite their new album, Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino, representing a huge departure for the Sheffield band.

It's a departure since, over the course of their five previous albums, Arctic Monkeys have built a reputation as a fiercely-innovative guitar band.

Now they've have ditched all that in favour of a keyboard dominated mid-tempo ‘soul' album.

The genre touchstones the band reference here are lounge pop, space pop, glam rock and psychedelic pop, and it really is a somewhat avant-garde mixture of those disparate parts, with singer/songwriter Alex Turner adopting a vocal style that sounds almost exactly like David Bowie circa Young Americans, complete with frequent Bowie-esque falsetto.

Lyrically, the album would appear to be a concept outing, set on the titular moonbase resort, generally exploring and satirising modern consumer culture.

Since they're known for extravagantly-designed shows, I can barely imagine what they'll do with it live, but I must confess to still struggling to enjoy the music, while simultaneously being blown away by its originality and panache.

Local gigs

Back to some local gigs as promised, and there are a couple of doozies next week.

Singer/songwriter/surfer and generally
laid-back dude Donovan Frankenreiter arrives at the Mount's Totara Street on Wednesday, November 28, just around the corner from the monthly jazz jam at The Mount Social Club.

There are – depending on your dedication – an array of tickets available; $40 for the show, $150 for a ‘meet and greet', $115 for a ‘soundcheck Q&A'. Doors open at 8pm.

The next night (November 29), Totara Street hosts a fascinating Wellington collective, The Congress of Animals - an amalgam of the capital's musicians, most of whom are involved in some way with Fly
My Pretties, The Wellington Ukulele Orchestra or Flight of The Conchords.

From that famous folk duo you have both Bret McKenzie and the man who played ‘The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra' on the Conchords' live tours, Nigel Collins - a fine singer as well as a cellist and much more.

There's also Age Pryor, Justin Firefly and Ben Lemi, all playing original songs that will probably resemble folk music in some way.

It should be a lot of fun. Doors open at 7.30pm, and tickets are $35 from Eventfinda.