[CD REVIEWS: TAIWAN]

With these tunes, Fire Ex displays some of the scrappiness that characterizes the Taiwanese rock spirit. They sing mostly in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), which further adds a down-to-earth flavor to the music. The EP ends with the acoustic-tinged ballad Good Night! Formosa!, a sad but consoling ode to Taiwan, with its refrain “When the sun comes out again, there will still be good weather.” The song is laced with tasteful synthesizer sounds played by American musician Andy Backer, who recorded and mixed all four tracks. The post-production leaves the EP with a professional-sounding sheen and enhances already-strong songs from this confident band.— David Chen

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