Here are three new homegrown albums from China on our radar this month.
1. Astrology by Truetrue
The latest release from Beijing’s electro-future label Babel is this R&B-inflected synthpop album by a duo named Truetrue. The record begins with a harsh, creaking noise intro that makes you think the rest of the songs will be far more experimental and less melodic than they are – the second track, ‘Meteor,’ sets the record straight with its spare beat and beautifully spooky vocals. “Tell me another story before I fall asleep,” she croons, going on to ask a lover to spin a yarn about how they met. Some of the tracks have an almost folk sensibility, others an ambient electronic atmosphere, but most are cut through with the brooding, sensuality of R&B with inflected with a bit of jazz and twinkling synth. The lovely female vocals on every track, reminiscent of the best of 90s R&B, keep the album cohesive and catchy.Astrology achieves the ethos of Babel Records in general, in that it is both nostalgic and forward-thinking.
Listen here: https://babelrecords.bandcamp.com/album/astrology
2. 四部复仇曲 by Scorpion Prisoner 69
This album is a four-track EP from Scorpion Prisoner 69, a Shanghai-based trio comprised of longstanding musicians from other bands, including Goushen and Nonplus of Color/Mirrors. The title can be translated to “Four Revenge Songs” and it manages to be an interesting study on revenge as a concept in 17 minutes. The first two tracks ‘Sasori I’ and ‘Sasori II’ are an ode to Meiko Kaji, a Japanese actress known for her roles as outlaws and assassins, who famously told Quentin Tarentino to “go fuck himself” when he asked to collaborate with her on Kill Bill, according to guitarist Lao Bi. The tracks are more melodic than many of Scorpion Prisoner 69’s other songs, with samples from Kaji’s films and an almost languid bent, revealing songwriter Lao Bi’s affection for the actress and her ethos. ‘Telling Lies and Making Friends I’ is a much more frenetic speed metal track about the relatable subject of hanging out with people you don’t actually like, including the gleefully cynical refrain, “Right on time, come inside, start telling lies and making friends.”
Listen here: http://i.xiami.com/nq69
3. The Poem of the Night by Anti Dogs
Anti Dogs is the post-rock reincarnation of veteran Shanghainese punk band Top Floor Circus, who called it quits last February after 15 years together. The band is comprised of all the members of Top Floor Circus minus vocalist and frontman Lu Chen. The seven songs on their debut, The Poem of the Night, are understandably a far cry from the witty pop-punk Top Floor Circus was known for, with melancholic strains and delicate, brooding melodies. Subtle vocals are woven into a few of the tracks as more of an instrument than a purveyor of meaning. Most of the tracks clock in between seven and nine minutes, as post-rock songs are wont to do, and all are enjoyable and complex, revealing that the musicians’ decades of experience carried through to aid them in songwriting for a completely different genre.
Listen here: https://antidogs.bandcamp.com/album/the-poem-of-the-night
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