Workers-rights combo, Black Hand Nakasi (
Formed in the early 1990s by members of the Informational Center of Labor Education (
PHOTO COURTESY OF BHN
Along with impromptu performances at protest marches the group also performs at labor-union meetings and works closely with organizations such as the Collective of Sex Workers and Supporters (
Making its long-player debut in 1998 with Lucky as Shit (
Hitting record store shelves late last month, the album -- the cover art for which shows the Taiwan Buffalo giving the WTO (in the guise of Uncle Sam) a good whooping -- sees the combo crooning in its folk/rock guitar driven style about the unemployment, industrial accidents and workers' rights.
As the title suggests, much of the melodic angst that appears on Taiwan Buffalo vs. WTO is aimed at the WTO. A blend of mild rock and folk, the album sees the combo in fine form throughout. Blending raucous rabble rousing anthems such as WTO What a Bad Thing (WTO 怨歎喔!) and Taiwan Buffalo (台灣牛) with musically melancholy moments like Wandering in the Street(流浪台北的停車管理員) -- a slow meandering ode to the traffic warden -- it also features traditional Taiwanese folksy numbers like Sacrifice (伴隨一生的傷痕), a tune with a poignant message about industrial accidents.
As always, Black Hand Nakasi's performance will be more than simply a gig. With nine members and numerous guests expected to take to the stage this Sunday, extreme political rhetoric will, no doubt, loom large.
Black Hand Nakasi (
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