Xiao He
One of the quirkiest and memorable bands to come out of the Beijing folk-rock scene was Glorious Pharmacy, an almost too-arty-for-their-own-good avant-jazz acoustic band that were notorious for impromptu puppet shows and ten-minute saxophone freak outs. Frontman Xiao He is the nucleus of the band, and his solo stuff is often much more grounded and accessible, with a distinctive, off-kilter catchiness, He’s voice wavering between a folky croon and an operatic wail. Though he hasn’t released a solo record since his debut, Birds That Can Fly High Don’t Land on the Backs of Oxen that Can’t Run Fast, he’s been busy collaborating with playwrights and underground filmmakers, as well as continuing his work with Glorious Pharmacy.
Tagged: Chinese bands
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Beijing’s thriving music scene has no shortage of good bands, but few are as unabashedly innocent and giddy as Carsick Cars. Inspired by the blazing post-punk of Swell Maps, the aloof experimentalism of 90s shoegaze bands, and occasionally the discordance of Glenn Branca, Carsick Cars are equally influenced by the bands around them — PK-14, Joyside, Gar – singing in Mandarin and transcending the derivative unoriginality that marked the Chinese rock scene just a few years ago. Catch them this month on their US tour with PK-14 and Xiao He.
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Buddhist temples all over China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong sell or give away small plastic boxes that play a loop of prayer and chanting. A few years ago, Chinese electronic act FM3 hacked into some of these boxes and programmed their own music into them. The band had their own Buddha Machines manufactured in a wide range of colors, and people went nuts over them. Now, the Beijing-based duo is back with Buddha Machine 2.0 with all new music. As with the first box, the haunting, meditative tracks on the new machine play in a constant loop when it is switched on. Users can adjust the volume, bend the pitch of the music, and plug in headphones. The new machines come in new colors — burgundy, grey, brown, and even a limited edition one made out of real Pu’er tea.
Beijing-based band Hanggai write original songs in the traditional folk styles of their Mongolian ancestors — throat-singing, horsehair fiddles, lutes — spearheading an Asian version of the old-time revival. Though it’s only through the digital age that the rest of the world can access this beautiful music, it makes you want to slow down and reflect on what we’ve lost as a species. This stuff makes every flavor of the month indie band seem vapid and meaningless.
Also by GERRY MAK
Corkers are little animal appendages that you can affix to wine corks to make them into little cork creatures. They come in monkey, deer, buffalo, bear, bunny, and crow.
Gundam Front Tokyon theme park in Tokyo
A couple years ago, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Gundam anime series, Sunrise Studios built a life-sized, 60-foot-tall Mobile Suit Gundam in Tokyo. Now, a small museum/theme park has been announced devoted to the giant robots, slated to open in April of this year. My inner child is peeing himself.
$44,750 MWE Emperor 200 Ergonomic Workstation
If supervillains don’t actually exist, then who the hell is buying these $44,750 ergonomic work stations complete with LED-backlit 24-inch touchscreen displays and built-in air-filtration systems?
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