Last-minute present shopping? Get it sorted with this handy guide for music-lovers of all ages
Only hours to Christmas - and you still haven't finished buying presents. Well, if music be the food of love, get set for a feast of last-minute gift options.
For Dad
Fathers come in all shapes, sizes, ages and musical tastes, but what dad wouldn't love a newly released three-disc super deluxe edition of the Velvet Underground's 45-year-old White Light White Heat? Probably the sort of dad who would prefer Cliff Richard's recent Fabulous Rock N Roll Songbook or the Beatles' On Air - Live at the BBC Volume 2. Or the sort of dad who would be quite happy with The Best of Nickelback.
For Mum
One word: Robbie. Have a quick chuckle at the title of Robbie Williams' album Swings Both Ways, then pick up a copy for Mum. She may well already have it - if so there's always Boyzone's BZ20 (to be fair, 20 years on they should be called Middle-Aged-Man Zone). Closer to home, Auckland opera trio Sol3 Mio have thrown a few Christmassy bonus tracks on to their self-titled debut album which will have Mum humming along.
For the tweens, teens and young at heart
Some of entertainment's biggest names have new or recent albums out: from the ever-eclectic Lady Gaga with Artpop to Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP2 and Katy Perry's Prism. Perry also appears alongside dozens of other popular artists on the compilation Dance (RED) Saves Lives 2. Each act contributed an exclusive remix with proceeds going to Bono's Aids charity. Another compilation worth a look is the Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack, with songs from chart faves The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons, Lorde and Ellie Goulding among others.
For the festival-goer in your life
'Tis the season for music festivals so the perfect present (besides tickets) would be an album or by festival performers ahead of the big day. But where to start? Rudimental's Home and Shapeshifter's Delta (both playing Rhythm & Vines, December 29-31)? Maybe Pearl Jam's Lightning Bolt, Arcade Fire's Reflektor and the Naked and Famous' In Rolling Waves? (All playing the Big Day Out, January 17). Then there's the new album from Kiwi act House of Shem - Harmony. The trio play Raggamuffin (January 31 to February 1) alongside acts like Shaggy and Damian Marley.
For the 20- to 40-year-old
For starters, there's The Killers' best-of Direct Hits. Metric's Synthetica and Placebo's Loud Like Love would suit indie rock types, while Jake Bugg's second album Shangri La is one of the year's best. As is Lorde's Pure Heroine. Believe the hype.
For those who need an injection of Christmas spirit
You can't really go wrong with The Breeze Christmas - a double album of festive faves including Snoopy's Christmas, Last Christmas and Stan Walker's take on Little Drummer Boy. (Warning: contains Mick Hucknall.) More Kiwi carols can be found on the Starship Christmas Album 2013, As New Zealand artists band together for a good cause.