Nov 22, 2016 Cool new records from China: Alpine Decline, Bedstars, Demerit, Fanzui Xiangfa, Hu Jia Hu Wei, Snapline
Crap! When Alpine Decline played our Imprint Presents: Underground Bands from Beijing last month, they didn’t have merch with them. And then at the next day’s Save Music in Chinatown benefit, they sold out of their latest record. Oh well. I had to purchase it online–along with some other new noise from Beijing to make the order worth my while.
Here’s what was unpacked:
You could stream Alpine Decline’s new double album online and enjoy it very much. The Los Angeles transplants played a lot of these songs at Imprint Presents: Underground Bands from China, and the music is as deep and fuzzy as it is gorgeous and dark–not only produced by but featuring bass from China’s godfather of punk rock and noisy music, P.K. 14’s Yang Haisong. However, the vinyl is the way to go with its unbeatable analog sound, lenticular cover, and songs physically divided between lyrics in English and Chinese. The lush, multi-layered songs range from fuzzy to noisy but never lack warmth or humanity–perhaps because the songs document the couple’s life-changing move to Beijing. An epic and lengthy release like Life’s a Gasp needs to be heard in doses, conveniently divided by sides of wax.
The Bedstars depict life in Beijing with the same sloppy-but-poetic, alcohol-soaked guitar strokes used by Keith Richards, Johnny Thunders, Paul Westerberg, Shane Macgowan, and Pete Doherty. And if you don’t get the title of the newest record, Wet Hearts & Dry Vomit, song titles like “Rock ‘n’ Roll Dehydrated Me” and “Booze Hound” will spell it out for you. I especially like the staggered vocals on the latter song, where the backups don’t add texture as much as each provides a shoulder for the other to lean on and make it though the rough evening. What a great record to listen to loud and late at night, and I hope the band’s livers function long enough for a followup.
Bastards of the Nation is a repress, and the photos of Demerit show Chinese guys with vintage Mohawks, studded jackets, Motörhead shirts, and Discharge patches. But how cool is it that Brian Hardgroove from Public Enemy produced the record and gave it a bulletproof sheen? The 2008 record actually starts off with a Bomb Squad-inspired noise montage cut with a speech by MLK before the crushing street punk guitar riffs (as well as some soaring metal ones) and thunderous drums kick in on Oi! singalongs like “Fight Your Apathy,” “The World Has Become a Battlefield,” and “Fuck The Schemers.” Universal, timeless, and top-shelf fuel for the slam pit.
Fanzui Xiangfa ‘s Discography 2006-2014 might have been the record that I was most excited to drop a needle on. Although the band features members from China, Sweden, and the U.S., its sound isn’t like “It’s a Small World” but DIY hardcore punk that follows the footsteps of Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, and Gorilla Biscuits! It’s especially cool that the members sings in their native tongues (mostly Chinese) and naturally this compilation is pieced together from 7″ singles, split 7″ singles, and a self released EP. The songs are arranged from newest to oldest, so you’d think the sound would get more raw as you go on, but it’s a steady stream of fast, load, and pissed off: “Fuck Your Flag!” “Fuck Your Rules!” “Fuck You!” Fuck yes.
My Way or the Hu Jia Hu Wei is a pretty funny title for this dead-serious live recording from 2013 that seems inspired by the deconstructed riffs of Chicago post rock and angular sounds of post hardcore DC bands like Rites of Spring and Faith. Hu Jia Hu Wei has the chops for extended jams and freakouts, as well as a killer rhythm section. The “Interrogation with my back against the wall/There was no number I could call/I didn’t get my free phone call/Then out came the clubs/Some scary shit right there/They went through all my stuff/Every last bit/They didn’t find shit” spiel reminded of the Minutemen. Respect!
Snapline is most famous for recording with Martin Atkins but this brand-new 7″ single sounds more like old Devo than Public Image Ltd. “Paper General” starts off with a haze of analog tones and barely audible vocals and goes on to achieve occasional clarity–although you strangely end up craving the fuzz. The flip side, “Wasteland,” channels assembly line and uniform-wearing vibes in its disaffected vocals, humming keyboard, drum machine beats, and laser beam solos. Transparency and infinity, indeed, at for least seven minutes of droned out bliss.
Find out more about Alpine Decline and the Beijing underground music scene in the video above, browse records at faroutdistantsounds.com, and follow Imprint on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, too.