Now that we’ve all got a bit of downtime, how about we sit back and tune in to some of our favourites from 2013? Radar followers suggested the following highlights:
Pretty much goes without saying. After 5 years of waiting P.K.14 deliver unto us “1984”. Nothing more to add here…just listen already.
With the reissue of their self-titled album Unrest In Shadow (倦鸟唱片 / Weary Bird Records) back in November, these Changsha post-rockers are rising stars at the independent level. The quality of their production and arrangements is outstanding. Ones to watch for 2014.
How can we put this…one to “pique your interests”. Definitely developed from a more traditional strain of influences, this very experimental album evokes a distinct, “haunted house on the hill” aura. I think the contributor was having a bit of fun here – you’ll love it or hate it. You can find the album on Baidu music:
Down HK way we’ve got post-math-rock band TFVSJS on the radar. They just played Clockenflap and independently released their debut “Equal Unequals to Equal” over the summer (which probably justifies the choice of genre…what happens when all the genres become “post”? We’ll need a new prefix, ‘neo’ perhaps).
Neemah (尼玛乐队) put out their first album this year called 流浪佛 (translating to something like Roaming Buddha) and busied themselves with an accompanying “Love Songs” China Tour.
We first caught Spice at Wood+Wires festival (SH) back in November. They played tunes from their latest EP “Useless Organs”, which were backed by some amazingly trippy visuals. Each of the 3 band members brings a distinctive skillset to the table. Chen ChenChen (陈陈陈) an experimental electronic musician and guitar virtuoso creates the musical motives, Little Drummer (鼓手小 aka 王沉飞) shapes the musical framework of the music by drawing on his sound engineering expertise, and Eli – a professional studio musician – rounds the trio off.
The Rainbow Danger Club’s farewell do is definitely one event that’s cropped up in the 2013 reviews. It was a sad occasion but ultimately marked a happy ending. We wrote about this back in June, with Dennis Ming Nichols giving us the inside story. Their release “Souvenirs” wrapped everything up nicely.
Any other suggestions? Feel free to contribute in the comments!