Peppermint
Taxi Room
White Wabbit
A couple of years ago I wouldn't have had a whole lot to say about the folk rock four-piece Peppermint (
Three years on, however, and the band this reviewer was once ready to write off is back with a vengeance and a second album that is far cleaner and a whole lot meaner. Peppermint's once tired jangle sound has gotten tighter and its once lackluster folksy riffs are edgier and much more fluid.
Sure, the band still boasts a quirky college sound, but any fan of well-thought out and expertly executed indie rock will be find it hard not to be impressed with any of the material on Taxi Room (
The band might have taken a new musical route, but lyrically it has remained in tune with its past and still packs its tunes with plenty of sardonic and comedic moments. The album begins with pretty standard piece of mild folk rock that sees the combo mimicking their melancholy days of yore, but come track two, the gritty heavy percussive Documentary (
There's not a blooper on the entire album, but the two tracks that really stand out and prove that the band has matured tenfold over the past three years are the jerky and hard hitting buzzsaw guitar loaded Apple Crime (
Although Peppermint throws in a couple more down-to-earth and sedate folksy moments for good measure, even these don't distract from the harder hitting tunes that make up the crux of what is undeniably a fine piece of local indie pop.
Chicken Rice
Lucky 7
Vegetarian Fish
If you've never heard of or seen Chicken Rice (
Not only is Chicken Rice the nation's only genuine pyschobilly band, but it's also one of only a handful with the musical oomph and the lyrical chutzpah to inspire Taiwan's traditionally passive youth into dancing.
Starting life as a standard college punk band almost eight years ago, Chicken Rice morphed into a kick ass swing act four years ago. Since then it has proven a crowd pleaser when and wherever it has performed. Be it at any one of the nation's numerous outdoor festivals or at a gig in a smoky bar, the three-piece combo has enthralled audiences up and down the country with its energy and fresh approach.
You might not like rockabilly and you might not know what a pyschobilly band is, but if you're open mined enough and looking for something entertaining then the band's aptly titled seven track debut, Lucky 7 is a great place to begin. It might have been released on a new label but don't let this put you off. The production is excellent and the band on fire.
Sound and stylewise the trio has copied from masters. It has taken the chaotic sound of the first generation pyschobilly acts such as The Meteors, blended this with Brian Setzer-styled rockabilly riffs and added heap of contemporary hooks not far removed from those employed by Aussie ska/pyschobilly punksters, The Living End.
The result of these influences is obvious throughout the album and while critics and some post-rock purists will, no doubt, lambaste the trio for being unoriginal it's hard to find fault with any of the album's seven tunes.
From the Setzer rockabilly standards of Cute Old Train (
BB Bomb
Three
Gamaa Music
"Punx not dead" scream Taichung-based, female punksters BB Bomb on their recently released mini-album, Three, and listening to them you'd be hard pressed not to believe it.
It might sound inane, especially when you consider that these kids probably weren't even born when The Exploited bombarded UK youth with the original version of this tune in 1981, but BB Bomb still somehow manages to ooze the anarchy and spirit of early punk rock bands, albeit it in a more middle class type of Taiwanese way.
The BB Bomb "punk rock grrrls," as they refer to themselves and their ilk, might not be the most politically motivated of punk bands and they might not be the best, but if it's an interesting insight into the development of Taiwanese cutesy punk you're after then BB Bomb's second mini album is a pretty good place to begin.
The material isn't pompous, doesn't throw any surprises or curve balls and is all very basic 4-4-2 stuff. It is, however, good enough for the combo to have been invited to perform in Japan earlier this year, where it shared the stage with some of the top Nipponese punk acts.
BB Bomb's NT$199 six-track mini-album kicks in with a gnarly, buzzsaw guitar laden work entitled Sing Along Together. At three minutes in length it's the album's longest tune and it does drag a bit. In contrast to this rather long-winded and repetitive opener BB Bomb's two-minute tunes really shine. Don't Go is reminiscent of The Dickies and Goodbye (
Grass Music
Various Artists
Silent Agreement
Released to coincide with the upcoming Grass Festival in Taipei, the latest compilation album to be released by local downbeat label Silent Agreement features a selection of tunes by five pretty much melancholy and middle-of-the-road overseas folk-rock/downbeat acts.
The album begins with a slow dream-like number entitled My Dear Giant by The Marshmallow Kisses. It's not the most attention getting of the album's 12 tunes, but with its bubble gum vocals and bossa-nova-like beat it ably sets listeners up for what is to follow.
Along with the bubble gum pop of The Marshmallow Kisses Grass Music (
Sadly, with the exception of the bouncy happy-go-lucky Sunday Driver by Majestic, none of the tracks really stand out on the first listen. To get into and understand much of the material on Grass Music listeners need to give it one or two spins on the CD player before it really sinks in.
Whether the material on the CD is a sign of the type of music that will be offered at the festival is anybody's guess. If this is set to be the style of music on offer, however, then the Grass Fest should give audiences the chance to take in some very mellow vibes in deed while laying around on the grass at the National Taiwan University campus next weekend.
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