Eason Chan was never cut in the same mold as other Canto- and Mandopop stars who churn out anodyne, over-produced songs with mass appeal. He wasn't exactly a rebel, but part of his popularity lie in the fact that he was unique, with songs that at least hinted at deeper meaning. Time called his album U87, released in 2005, "a bridge between past and future, showing off a rawness rarely found in Chinese pop."
I can't wait for Chinese people to overreact to this shitty movie full of Hollywood cliches about "freedom" and for everyone else to talk about it like it isn't a classic piece of Western propaganda.
What's that? The invaders in the movie are North Koreans, not Chinese? Every soldier I see better look skinny and malnourished then, because I've been to Pyongyang, and that military is far from invading anyone.
I wonder how many Americans who watch this will find the irony in a bunch of civilians fighting for their turf against an invading military.
The first time I saw Helen Feng (冯海宁) on stage, she delivered, bar none, the most convincing impression of a coked up rock star I'd seen in Beijing. Spotting her after the show -- this is when she was still with Pet Conspiracy -- it was clear she was not, in fact, under the influence of hard drugs, but the performance was part of her charm and her skill, her ability to fully inhabit the stage and make it impossible for you to take your eyes off her.
Allow me to categorize, in an admittedly clumsy manner, the options expats have for international music in Beijing:
* Foreign bands, usually rather amateurish, that live in China.
* Past-their-prime bands or solo acts that have little more than nostalgia on their side (think Ian Brown or any individual Ramone).
* Super big-pop acts that no one really likes (Lil' John, Akon).
* Up-and-coming bands that may eventually make it big, or may suck rather hard (Common, Owl City).
For music lovers, that's not much to look forward to, so it's incumbent upon us to take chances.
I hit the jackpot last night at Yugong Yishan.
Formed in Beijing, Residence A (A公馆乐队) released its first LP earlier this year, Please Use Body to Pulverize the Desire to Flee for One's Life《请用身体砸碎欲望逃生》(translation mine). Described by Josh Feola of the music promotion Pangbianr as playing "tight, melodic indie pop, often with a syncopated disco beat reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand or The Killers," here they are with the music video Wo Jiu Zai (我就在), which translates to something like "I'm Just Here."
Beijing’s very own Second Hand Rose (二手玫瑰乐队), formed in 2000, was featured on this site in March for a Traffic Light post. The song used was Train Will Start Soon 《火车快开》, which deserves to be heard in full. Here it is, from a live performance on July 1, 2010. By the way, these guys will be performing at MAO Live House... Read more »
BJC contributor Alicia found this just now, and it's one of those stunning works of art that makes you want to hug the Internet. It's a man atop a cow singing Justin Bieber's "Baby."
The original video, titled "I am legendary, art dream," is the only work that appears under Youku user w451119777’s page. Apparently it was published two months ago and viewed 1,830 times, a relatively small amount for such a heroic effort.
