▶▷ east impressions

in the last couple of years, a lot of new Chinese singers have come out of televised singing contests. having recently come out of The Voice of China, Momo is one of the many, but she’s one of the few who really stick out, particularly with her trademark over-the-top vocals. although they’ve thankfully been smoothed out a little (autotune and/or vocal training?) in her new song, which is for the movie 厨子戏子痞子, they still stay faithful to her original performances on the show, and combined with a punchy drum machine and glitch-happy sound effects, they make for something unique, especially in terms of what most Chinese pop sounds like today. she also occasionally pulls away from the polychromed sound and lapses into dreamy segments of distant violins. near the end, you get the feeling that this is the part where all the flashbacks start to blend together in a whirlwind that spins faster and faster, and meanwhile, all you can hear is Momo’s two-toned voice singing, “Love, love, love-love-love love”.

I’ve been watching Hunan TV’s 我是歌手 - the Chinese version of the Korean singing competition for veteran singers - for the past two weeks, and I was really happy to see Yu Quan stir up a lot of nostalgia in the older audience members with their great cover of The Little Tigers, an incredibly popular Taiwanese boyband in the late 80s and 90s. Love was one of their most popular songs.

a cover of a classic from the 1937 Chinese film 马路天使, 天涯歌女, or The Wandering Songstress - Zhang Le’s lyrical voice really shines in here while TSRP adds an electronic touch. (here’s the music video!)

poster notes: although I think TSRP might’ve gone just a little bit too heavy on the electronic effects, it’s still lovely.

for the first 30 seconds or so, it sounds like 24 Hours is calling everyone to attention (the whistle is apparently a live show staple) - and then the song really begins. vocalist Zhang Chen trades off with guitar riffs for a bit, building up for the clamourous chorus of “fire fire such a liar” over shouts of “fire” and “liar”. 

from a collaboration between Beijing’s Brain Failure and Boston’s Big D and the Kids Table, rollicking pop punk fun with a smashing chorus. it practically begs to be driven to, as if flooring the pedal would take your car wheels screaming all the way over the miles of ocean to Beijing.

it embodies all that pure sweetness and romance of a first date, even the small talk and the hope for a mutual good impression. the occasional glissando, the hushed brring-brring of synth, the muted brass, and the violin strings lend it a gentleness that’s simultaneously euphoric…I think I almost hear some of Ga-In’s Bloom in here.

(here’s the music video!)

extra notes: except this was released before Bloom. 

irrelevant poster notes: happy belated Lantern Festival, everyone!! sorry for being so late, but better late than never!

charged, high-octane pop rock from Kimi, who is understandably trying to breathe life back into his music career now that it’s been overshadowed by his acting career, hence his “Revival.” athough Kimi’s a rocker at heart, the song’s strong electronic undertone is pushing those boundaries; it comes off more as dance pop instead.

(here’s the music video!)

happy Valentine’s Day!! here is your obligatory dose of love song - with lyrics like “yesterday is already too late / tomorrow would be a pity / so marry me today, okay?”, you know you’re in for some sugary-sweet bubblegum pop. (here is the music video!)

extra notes: being from 2006, it’s a little old, but I’d still say it’s a fairly popular song.