From origins as a teenage punk in the late-70’s in Dunedin, NZ, Shayne Carter progressed through numerous bands, including one of the most legendary alternative guitar bands in New Zealand music history, Straitjacket Fits. They were admired by publications like the NME and Melody Maker in the UK and Rolling Stone and The New York Times in the US. It’s said that Thurston Moore was spotted wearing a Straitjacket Fits t-shirt at one point in the 90’s.

I was lucky enough to see Shayne play a solo set, recently. There, I picked up a copy of an album he just released along with the NZ Symphony Orchestra that has this song on it. The whole album sounds great. Crystalator was first released by Carter’s band, Dimmer in 1995.