A Primer on Current Asian American Music?
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A great article on the state of Asian American music from Rowena Aquina of Asia Pacific Arts:
A Primer on Current Asian American Music?
By Rowena Aquino
Asian American rockers find solidarity on Eugene Song’s collection, Compilasian. APA breaks it down.
As an APA contributing writer whose obsession apart from cinema is music, it’s always a bit discouraging that few articles on Asian/Asian American music grace the online pages of the journal. That is to say, pop or contemporary music as opposed to classical music, for which coverage and a more streamlined recognition can be safely said to exist, here and elsewhere. Is it simply because there are just not a handful of Asian American music communities worth writing about, let alone to listen to? Maybe, but perhaps we’re (I mean me) not looking — and listening — hard enough between the cracks of the Billboard charts and mainstream concert circuits to realize that there are indeed developing, talented Asian American musicians out there that are making, if not highly original, at least interesting and promising music.
This is where solo musician Eugene Song comes in, as well as his newly found label, Born In Chinese. To break in both the label and the label’s name (which refers to a personal experience by Song that he describes as someone’s “fit of ignorance” about his ethnicity), he brought together his musical colleagues to produce and present Compilasian: A Collection of Asian American Music. Compilasian can be considered a quiet, musical — paradox intended — watershed all its own as it seeks to fill in those cracks by locating the goings-on of at least one Asian American music community these days. In this case, it’s the New York City scene, where most of the musicians, if not all, are based. Despite the shared city base, though, what’s great about this collection of artists is the diversity of their (musical) backgrounds, including how they came to be in New York. You have Filipina Alfa Garcia set alongside the Francis Kim Band, next to which are Taiwanese American Johnny Hi-Fi and Korean Americans Song and Big Phony. Asian American music is definitely happening and playing as we speak — at least on the east coast. Future Compilasian number II: west coast musicians/groups? In the meantime, one can only applaud Song’s efforts in compiling and putting out a compilation that begins and ends with “Asian (American).”
Here are breakdowns of some of the cuts included in Compilasian for your potential listening pleasure:
Johnny Hi-Fi: I admit that the first time I listened to the compilation’s opening track, “This is the Song,” I wasn’t too impressed. Granted, Johnny Hi-Fi’s vocals are superb, but the song was too poppy, too neat, too… The second listen around proved to be the trick, as the clear, melodic riffs twisting around JHF’s vocals completed the recipe for an undeniably catchy, solid pop song. Much time has passed since APA reviewed Johnny Hi-Fi’s first album and interviewed Johnny Hi-Fi himself (the group has changed its line-up such that it now joins JHF and drummer Asif Khan with Kim Henry on guitar and Justin Matsubara on bass), and it’s a pleasing re-acquaintance.
Big Phony: In contrast to the opening track, “Dying Unaware” is as somber as the title entails. But don’t take this as a negativism: solo musician Robert Choy as Big Phony presents a delicate, slightly raspy acoustic tale. The frailty of Choy’s vocals doesn’t take away from but rather adds to the song’s melody, which has that subtle quality of a Sunday morning creeping up on you. Really thoughtful, subtle songwriting. Can’t say more.
Isul Kim: With the first guitar strains of “This Fever,” the listener is instantly hooked and finds him/herself suddenly transported to a smoky bar photographed in black-and-white. But it’s Kim’s smoky and bluesy vocals that carry the song’s appeal and propel the song’s I-don’t-give-a-damn-but-let-me-tell-you-what-I-think attitude in the face of male attitude, as she sings lines like “When you look into my eyes, do you see a slant or do you really look inside?” Among the four female artists in the compilation, Kim is definitely the edgiest and she stomps jazzily on any waif-like posturing.
Blip Blip Bleep: “A Little While Longer” is by the far the most rocked-out of the songs on the compilation — tied with “This is the Song” — and it’s a refreshingly wise inclusion on the CD. Don’t be too alarmed though if, at the beginning of the song, it feels as if you’ve heard it before on a car commercial. This just means it’s got that much of a hook — think of a bit more amped Material Issue circa the Destination Universe album. Unlike Material Issue, though, BBB isn’t a band: it consists of Sean Han. He has an EP under his belt (Wireless), and it’ll be interesting to see how he fills out a full-length album.
Cynthia Lin: If there’s ever a title that can describe a song, it’s Lin’s “Skipping in NYC.” It’s a jaunty little tune that may have you skipping yourself by the end of the track. By far, Lin possesses the strongest and most controlled vocals on the compilation. Her declaration of being in love with just the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar is so sincere, yet there’s just enough attitude à la Isul Kim and French pop je ne sais quoi simplicity that prevents the song from becoming cutesy.
Annie Lin: She has a voice that’s ever so slightly reminiscent of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, which is not to say that Lin is only as good as the comparison holds. Her contribution to the compilation, “Path of Least Resistance,” slows down the tempo to narrate the tug-of-war aspect of a relationship in an almost detached way, backed by guitars and strings. The song starts out a bit lacking in color but by the end of the track, she’s got you more or less convinced.
Eugene Song: Yes, as founder of the label and the one who compiled the CD, he’s got a right to include a song of his own. Preceded by a majority of songs accompanied mainly or primarily by acoustic guitar, “Valerie” continues the thread and ends the compilation on a really strong note. Lyrically and musically, Song continues to grow. “Valerie” picks up the half-sardonic, half-affectionate vocal delivery found in “Drunk Man” off of his first album and adds that good ol’ melancholy tinge.
Tracklist:
1. Johnny Hi-Fi — This is the Song
2. Big Phony — Dying Unaware
3.Isul Kim — This Fever
4. Blip Blip Bleep — A Little While Longer
5. The Ideas — Two Separate Pictures
6. Koo Chung — Photo Love
7. Alfa — The Lament
8. Cynthia Lin — Skipping in NYC
9. The Francis Kim Band — Abraham
10. Annie Lin — Path of Least Resistance
11. Jay Legaspi — Try.Wait
12. Eugene Song — Valerie
For more information on Compilasian, Born In Chinese and/or the individual artists, visit:
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