Chinese punk rock makes it to our shores
After reading that singer Xiao Rong sings in English and Mandarin, I approached 'American Dreamer' with trepidation, and it's still hard to know what to make of it all. For the record, these guys were pretty much trendsetters in China where they were the first people to play the more dissonant sounds of punk, and also played the renowned festival South by SouthWest. And you've got to give them credit - it takes a certain sort of band to write 16 songs and still come in under 45 minutes even if it could do with being a bit shorter.
The first track, 'That's What I know', gives me doubts as it sounds like so many other punk songs. It's fast, furious, and raucous - and so funny with the heavily Chinese-accented singing. You get so used to hearing American and English accents on punk records, that it's something of a shock to hear the accent but you soon get used to it.
Influences are cited at being the Clash and Sex Pistols, and you can definitely hear it - fast and furious is definitely a theme. Ironically, it's the laid back songs that really stand out. The ska punk of 'Second Hand Logo' and 'Give me the Cash' is a highlight, and suits the band's carefree attitude. As cultural rants go, 'Second Hand Logo' is a variation on a theme of everyone wearing the Alternative fashion because it is that, but the off-key tune is so catchy you'll like it. Likewise with 'Give me the Cash', it's so upbeat but the lyrics are not so positive - you work all day and night, you're still skint, and then people call you second class. It's things like this that make Brain Failure worth a listen.
The start of '8899' sounds like it belongs on Pulp Fiction but then descends into punk rock madness a la The Thermals. It's amusing to hear Rong singing 'Oh my darling/ I don't know where I can take you to', it feels rather old fashioned. The feel good factor returns on 'Come Together', the ultimate feel good song. It's standard punk rock but it's so happy and you feel so included in it - I highly recommend this song if you've had a bad day. And the vibe continues on 'New York City', a song that channels the spirit of Bob Dylan before launching into all out punk rock chaos.
But, as you might expect from a punk album of 16 songs, there are some songs that shouldn't have made the cut. 'Holy Bullshit' and 'Summer Afternoon' are two of these songs. It's not that they're bad songs, but after the quality of the others, they seem lacking and ordinary by comparison. Still, Brain Failure have done a damn good job - give it a listen, it'll make you laugh.