Posts tagged Carsick Cars
My Favorite Chinese Rock Bands
Nov 13th
Mainland China’s art and entertainment center is Beijing, and that includes its rock music. After seeing a fair amount of live rock in Beijing, I thought my favorite bands deserved a post. I’ve seen all of these bands live.
Life Journey – Live, this band reminds me a bit of a British rock band from the 1960s or 1970s. In recorded form, they sound more like a combination of folk and Chinese contemporary pop. They make great live entertainment, with stellar performance presence and fashion sense. I bought their six-song EP at Wudaokou’s most famous bookstore for 38 yuan.
Carsick Cars – This band experiments musically and reminds me a bit of Modest Mouse. I attended their album launch party last spring at Yugong Yishan and bought their album. They just finished touring the United States.
The Bigger Bang – This band sadly does not have any recorded material for sale, so fans have to make do with their MySpace page and live performances. You can tell the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have heavily influenced them in terms of everything from their sound to the lead singer’s current haircut. You can watch their music video on Facebook here.
Hedgehog – This is probably
Beijing’s most popular rock band, and they’re going to tour the U.S. this year. With a 3-member lineup of drummer, guitarist, and bassist, the easiest way to describe their sound and performance style is alternative rock. You can order one of their albums online with free U.S. delivery here.
Online resources for Chinese rock:
Places in Beijing to see rock concerts:
Mao Live (which has a record store nearby where you can buy Chinese rock)
Modern Sky’s semiannual music festivals
Do you like any of my favorite Chinese rock bands or rock music venues? What are your favorite Chinese bands and venues? I look forward to your comments.
Carsick Cars: Straddling the Line Between Noise and Music
Dec 17th
Carsick Cars was one of three great bands I saw Saturday night at 愚共移山Yugong YiShan, Beijing’s self-proclaimed best live music venue. I love this band because members lack the glamour of many live performers; they are simply really good musicians.
Carsick Cars plays experimental electronica, not what I typically listen to on my iPod but very respectable. Most of it has no vocals, and most of their songs lack easily identifiable choruses or verses. Their sense of pitch and rhythm when improvising live makes it hard to deny that they are excellent musiciaans. Band members also play multiple instruments each, sometimes at once.
Recent Comments