Chang Fei (張菲)
When I Fall in Love.
Love him or loath him, you have to hand it to TV host and master of the natty one-liner, Chang Fei (張菲) for having the chutzpah to attempt to pass himself off as Taiwan's answer to Vic Damone last year. And although When I Fall in Love shouldn't be taken too seriously it does warrant a round of applause. Chang's somewhat dubious command of the English language meant that at times he sounded like an inebriated bloke at a Karaoke bar rather than a respected and talented all-round entertainer, but this didn't spoil the fun. The backing musicians were spot-on and Chang's renditions of Percy Faith's Theme from A Summer Place and the Frankie Valli hit, Can't Take My Eyes off You were possibly two of the greatest sing-a-longs from a Taiwanese artist ever to go on
record.
Won Fu (旺福)
Won Fu (旺福)
The maestros of comedic jangle pop, Won Fu (旺福) returned to record store shelves last year with a self-titled and long awaited follow-up to 2003's excellent debut, Same Name, Same Sex (同同姓). Full of typical Won Fu happy-go-lucky sounds and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the album was a harmoniously riotous listen from start to finish. The four-piece's ability to switch and swap musical techniques, speeds and styles once again came into play and the tune's simple hooks and riffs were all so addictive that the melodies remained buzzing around inside your head long after the album had finished.
Monkey Insane (潑猴)
Our Generation (我們的世代)
Monkey Insane successfully merged trappings of old-school hip-hop with nu-metal and electronica and become Taiwan's answer to Linkin Park-cum-Limp Bizkit overnight on the release of its debut longplayer last year. Gnarly guitar, thumping bass lines and electronics-tinged vibes meant that Our Generation (我們的世代) took no prisoners from the off and Monkey Insane went straight for the jugular and numbers such as the sterling piece of hardcore hybrid hip hop/nu-metal Come On. All of which made Monkey Insane pretty hard to ignore even with the use of industrial strength earplugs in 2004.
Tripoets (參劈)
Mixtape (聽說)
Local rap trio the Tripoets (參劈) independently released debut, Mixtape (聽說) was without doubt one of the best underground rap albums to come out of Taiwan last year. It was so good in fact, that even if you had no particular fondness for rap it remained almost impossible to find fault with the Tripoets nonvolatile style of the genre. The trio rapped lyrical about education, youth culture and life over a backdrop of vibrant, well-produced and agreeable backing tracks that ranged from acid jazz to soul, reggae and, of course, more traditional hip-hop vibes. Mixtape (聽說) was a great listen and a fine example of local underground rap at its mellowest and rhythmical best.
RSS