In a change of pace, over the next few posts I’ll be reviewing three short releases (one single, two EPs) from Taiwan’s independent music scene. Surprisingly, Taiwan’s indie scene is apparently a fairly hidden secret, at least amongst the foreign community, but it can provide a refreshing change from the hip-hop and sugary pop that the mainstream market is known for. There’s a lot of crap in the scene too, but there are some real gems too, and hopefully over time I’ll be able to introduce a few to you.

First band of these three is Hai’er (亥儿), with their EP Nv Er Hong (女兒紅).

This album was released early in January 2006, so of all three of these reviews it should be most representative of the band’s current sound and level. On their Rockacola site they classify themselves as metal, but that’s not exactly accurate. They have a really uncommon mixture of classical Chinese music and styles and “soft” metal, which sort of sounds like a modernized version of old-school metal, bordering on hair metal without the cheesiness on occasions. The first song on the EP is “Spending the Night Enjoying the Moonlight” (Liangxiao Hua Nongyue - 良宵花弄月), which sets the scene quite well in terms of their sound - a nice traditional-sounding intro, followed up by some driving guitar. The quality of the vocals is a bit rough though (but still perfectly alright - they just need some work), and the track overall sounds quite generic. It’s still good, but not great. The second track, “A Beauty’s Plot” (Meiren Ji - 美人计) is a much better show of what the band is capable of. It’s a catchy, melodic fusion of traditional and modern sounds, is much more… fun, I guess, and is overall much better executed than the first track. Best of the three tracks on the EP, and strongly recommended. The last track is “Lost” (Mishi - 迷失), a fairly standard rock ballad type of song. Well played with some nice musical touches, particularly with what I think may be a guzheng (traditional zither). The vocals are pretty crap though, to be honest. The lead vocalist just doesn’t really have the sort of voice for balladry. Still a decent song, but very much one of those tracks you can just see the band playing at the end of a set with the whole crowd waving their hands slowly side to side in the air, lighters up and lit.

Overall Rating
Worth the purchase. While the guitar elements are definitely nothing new, they’re well executed, and the fusion of rock and traditional works well. Hai’er should have a good career ahead of them, although they need to polish their performance, at least in the studio.

(Note: I’m not sure of the translations in here, nor of the band and album names’ meanings, so if anyone can clarify, I’d be grateful.)