Zayin are a step above much of the opposition and the material on the boys' latest album is expertly executed and works well.
The music is tight and well produced and the tunes all feature the trappings of US alt-power-pop combo American Hi-Fi, as well more ballad-like oriented moments in the vein of Third Eye Blind.
Saying that, Love Tank actually gets off to a pretty unoriginal start. Instead of grabbing the listener with a nice slice of originality, Zayin has resorted to ripping off the opening bars of a well known Green Day number. (We should be grateful it was not the Kirin theme tune).
Thankfully this is the only blooper on what is for the most part a fine piece of vinyl. Highlights include the jerky, prog-rock-like First Light (曙光), the gritty pop- oriented Street Dog (流浪狗) and Paradise Party (天堂派 ), which features kitsch lyrics with a kick-ass, early-1980s Inxs-like sound.
Oki
Here Comes the Bear
TCM
A long with being a beacon for local non-genre specific local acts, Taiwan Colors Music has also released several albums by a handful of talented, yet far from mainstream Japanese musicians over the years. The latest in this interesting and insightful collection is Here Comes the Bear, by master of contemporary tonkori music, Oki.
Oki may be new to Taiwan audiences, but with half a dozen albums and appearances at several world music festivals, including Womad, under his belt, the Hokkaido-based musician is a force to be reckoned with and one of the few to dare to dabble with a form of music that was until as recently as 1990 close to disappearing.
Resembling the neck of a guitar, the tonkori was developed by Japan's Ainu tribe. The long, flat and fretless instrument can produce a myriad of haunting tones due to the narrow area in which the sounds are forced to reverberate.
While styles of Ainu music have traditionally revolved around the yukar, which is a form of epic poetry and the upopo, which is a vocalized form of contrapuntal, or polyphonic music based around chanting, Oki has taken Ainu musical forms to new and exciting levels.
His revamped and hybrid tonkori-driven music combines a whole heap of traditional sounds with elements of world music as well jazz, blues and reggae. The contrasting combinations may sound like a musical accident waiting to happen, but Oki's tunes are all faultless and worthy of high praise.
The album meanders in with a lounge-meets-dub combination on the tune Yaikatekara Dub, on which Oki's tonkori plays second fiddle to a fusion of Valium-laced laid back jazz. The material might take some getting used to, but it is incredibly soothing and after few minutes and you will be hooked.
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