I totally missed the news last December about my favorite Taiwan band Wonfu's reincarnation as Wonfu Jr. (not to mention their appearance at SXSW last month). Inspired by their 2009 visit to the Rock ’n’ Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Oregon, Wonfu decided to append a "Jr." to their name and make an album geared towards children — which I think is pretty cool. They sound as bright and fabulous as ever. And I'm very much looking forward to hearing their new album. Here's the title track, guaranteed to make you hit replay!
"Flying to You, Flying to Me"
Showing posts with label indie music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie music. Show all posts
Ketchup: A Boy and His Dog and Guitar
"Carefree Loser" by Ketchup (play song)
Hong Kong folk singer Ketchup, aka Ken Tsoi, reminds me of a lone hawk quietly soaring above the glitz and schmaltz of the city's Cantopop scene.
I first became aware of Ketchup when I picked up a quirky little gem of an album called Freeplay (2004), featuring him, Chet Lam, and The Pancakes playing each other's songs in various combinations. The next time I came across Ketchup was on Rebecca Pan's My Dream My Way My Indie Music (2009), where he performed a fabulous cover of her 1967 hit "Solid Gold Rickshaw" — it was my favorite song on the album.
Two months ago in Hong Kong, I spotted his most recent CD His Master's Voice — thanks in no small part to the cool cover art, which features him and his dog in a clever reinvention of the iconic HMV logo.
Singing in English, Ketchup crafts a gently psychedelic sound that alternates between joie de vivre and melancholy like the warmth of the sun playing hide and seek on a cloudy day.
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that His Master's Voice is available online, but you can get two of Ketchup's previous albums at HMV Hong Kong: Old Fashioned Blue Sky (2003) and In Love Again (2005).
*A great big thanks to Ketchup Ken for letting me post a song from his latest CD!
Hong Kong In The 60s: My Fantoms
I can't help but feel some synchronicity in the arrival of these four new songs by Hong Kong In The 60s in the midst of the fallen stars, lost movies, old vinyl, and deteriorating photographs that have haunted Soft Film in the past few weeks.
The band's melancholy pop and meticulously crafted sonic landscapes are the perfect soundtrack for my mood of late. I'm really looking forward to the release of their nearly finished debut album, My Fantoms. In the meantime, give a listen to the fab tracks below, and go to Amazon or iTunes to download their first EP, Willow Pattern Songs.
2 x Wonfu
OK, here's some infectious bubblegum pop from my new favorite band Wonfu to cleanse your palate after yesterday's death-filled post. The following songs from their 2007 album Dance of Youth are sure to put a smile on your face. Look out for their dog (and bandleader) Ringo, who makes an appearance in both videos.
"Everyday"
"Wei Wu"
"Everyday"
"Wei Wu"
Soft Film Video Jukebox: Wonfu
One of the shopping highlights of my recent Hong Kong trip was coming across the new CD by Wonfu. I first heard about them several years ago on the sadly defunct Chinese indie music blog, My Randomness, but never got around to buying any of their albums.
However, thanks to the latest issue of Giant Robot, which I brought along to read on the plane, I was reintroduced to this wonderful Taiwanese band. Evidently, they visited the U.S. last October as part of a cultural exchange program sponsored by the government of Taiwan. Needless to say that I'm bummed about missing their shows in Berkeley and San Francisco.
So when I saw their new CD, Wonfu Loves You, at a shop in Hong Kong, I snatched it right up. Their music is pure pop delight and — as they say on their MySpace page — sounds like a smiling face.
Here's one of my favorite songs from the album: "印倫情人" (Indian Lover).
Soft Film Video Jukebox: PixelToy & at17
A musical oasis in Hong Kong's wasteland of prefab Cantopop, record label People Mountain People Sea is the home of my two favorite Hong Kong bands, PixelToy and at17. Both are featured in this charming DIY video for the song 漂亮 ("Beautiful"), which appeared on PixelToy's debut album Science of Love (2005). They are joined by PMPS founder, Hong Kong alt music pioneer, and drama queen, Anthony Wong Yiu-ming.
Rebecca Pan: My Indie Music
Wow... this is like a dream come true: all of my favorite Hong Kong indie bands covering the hits of HK pop pioneer Rebecca Pan.
The just released My Dream My Way My Indie Music was produced by Rebecca herself and is something that I *highly* recommend to anyone who follows this blog. It comes packaged with an attractively designed, 88-page book that is chock-full of photos of the artists, as well as vintage pics of the lovely Ms. Pan.
Here's the track list, along with two sample songs and links to videos by the musicians featured on the album. And let me just add that even though I'm not a fan of Cantopop king Eason Chan, his cover of "Chinese Blues" totally rocks!
"Nee Nee Wo Wo" (1961) by PixelToy
"Solid Gold Rickshaw" (1967) by Ketchup
"Essence of Love" (1966) by Chet Lam
"Mágica Luna" (1961) by the pancakes
"Bengawan Solo" (1962) by at17
"I've Seen You in My Dreams" (1974) by Rebecca Pan & Chet Lam
"The Protest" (1974) by Gayamyan
"I Wonder Why" (1968) by my little airport
"J'attendrai" (1961) by Rebecca Pan
"Chinese Blues" (1962) by Eason Chan
"My Hong Kong" (1965) by Rebecca Pan & HK Indies
"Siboney Amor" (2009) by Rebecca Pan
* YOU CAN BUY THE ALBUM HERE.
Soft Film Video Jukebox: Mavis Fan & 100%
Whenever I go to Hong Kong, I always miss something cool that's happening either the week before or after my visit. This trip was no exception. Just days before my arrival there was a two-day music festival featuring two of my favorite Taiwanese singers, Mavis Fan and Cheer Chen. Damn! :'(
Oh well... at least I was able to console myself with Mavis's new CD, Innocent, her first full-length album in nearly five years. As always, Mavis has a cool new look and sound. Here's "Zhu Ren" ("Master"), one of my favorite songs off the album.
Soft Film Video Jukebox: Cheer Chen
This week I'm featuring another one of my favorite Taiwanese singer-songwriters, Cheer Chen. While I'm not that familiar with her earlier acoustic work, two of her later rock albums that I own — Groupies (2002) and A Fabulous Adventure (2005) — are among my most frequently played CDs. For an overview of Cheer's career, listen to this webcast from China Radio International's "China Beat" program. Or just check out the following video for "Groupies", a delightful and humorous take on the starry-eyed, adrenaline-rush fantasy that comes with being a devoted fan.
Soft Film Video Jukebox: Mavis Fan
The first time I came across Taiwanese singer Mavis Fan was opposite Jacky Cheung in The Private Eye Blues (1994), where she played a hyperactive teenage girl with paranormal powers on the run in Hong Kong from mainland China's Communist government. It was only much later that I found out about Mavis's music at My Randomness (a wonderful, but sadly defunct, blog about alternative Asian pop) and instantly fell in love with her quirky personality and eclectic style.
From cute-as-a-button bubblegum pop star to tattooed indie rock diva, Mavis is in constant transformation and always full of surprises. To learn — and hear — more about her unique musical career, check out this webcast from China Radio International's "China Beat" program. And take a peek too at her super cool website.
The following song "Why? Oh! Why?" comes from her 2004 album Is There Another Way? The video — candy-colored and psychedelic-lite, featuring an all-Mavis band — pretty much captures everything I like about the enchanting Miss Fan.
From cute-as-a-button bubblegum pop star to tattooed indie rock diva, Mavis is in constant transformation and always full of surprises. To learn — and hear — more about her unique musical career, check out this webcast from China Radio International's "China Beat" program. And take a peek too at her super cool website.
The following song "Why? Oh! Why?" comes from her 2004 album Is There Another Way? The video — candy-colored and psychedelic-lite, featuring an all-Mavis band — pretty much captures everything I like about the enchanting Miss Fan.
Hong Kong In The 60s
I love the felicitous discoveries that often happen whenever I google. Earlier today I googled "Hong Kong" + "sixties"... and what do you know... there just happens to be this really cool Brit band called Hong Kong In The 60s. How could I not write about them here at Soft Film?!
While the group's music harkens back to vintage influences such as "early electronic pop, 1960s Chinese music and Italian film soundtracks", their evocative synth pop sound is totally now.
I'm going to single out their haunting, bittersweet cover of Teresa Teng's classic "Tian Mi Mi", but do check out their website and MySpace page for more of the band's wonderful songs. Their debut EP, Willow Pattern Songs is due out this June. I can't wait!
Soft Film Video Jukebox: PixelToy
Today, I suddenly had the urge to expand the parameters of my blog a bit. Inspired by Todd's weekly blog feature "Friday's best pop song ever", I've decided to do something similar and showcase some of the Chinese pop — both old and new — that I like to listen to.
First up on the Soft Film Video Jukebox is "喘一口氣" by PixelToy, one of my favorite Hong Kong pop duos. When I visited HK a year and a half ago, I had the good fortune of catching them perform in an intimate show (most of the audience was sitting on the floor) at kubrick, one of HK's coolest bookstores. The following song from their 2005 debut album, Science of Love, is typical of the delectable and surprising pop confections cooked up by band members Shan Ho and Candy Wu.
First up on the Soft Film Video Jukebox is "喘一口氣" by PixelToy, one of my favorite Hong Kong pop duos. When I visited HK a year and a half ago, I had the good fortune of catching them perform in an intimate show (most of the audience was sitting on the floor) at kubrick, one of HK's coolest bookstores. The following song from their 2005 debut album, Science of Love, is typical of the delectable and surprising pop confections cooked up by band members Shan Ho and Candy Wu.
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