Playboyz
Various Artists
Led by Taiwanese singer Alien Huang, the 12-member Playboyz comprise several male acts – including 2moro and Wei Kuo-yuan – and they have all come together to sing a festive track Happy New Year.
Calling this a compilation album feels like something of a disservice to the band, FUN4, which are part of the group: The band wrote three of the seven tracks here, composed the music for another three, and also sing on one titled Let Me Go Wild.
The feel here is hence fairly cohesive and reminiscent of Huang’s hip and youthful Love Hero (2009). No surprise, really, considering that FUN4 also contributed songs to that record.
Huang sings another FUN4 composition here, Replicant, a disc highlight with its contemplative lyrics: “Lonely people replicate even lonelier people/No one can claim to be a hero and withstand love’s vanity.”
Tracks such as Love Has To Be Quick by SK8 and Enough Or Not by The Gentlemen are more straightforward, chirpy pop-rock confections.
With this effort and two EPs under their belts, it is time for FUN4 to quit playing around as boys and release their full-fledged debut.
Once upon a time, when Victor came across Jimmy...
Victor Wong
The works of Taiwanese illustrator Jimmy Liao are colourful and filled with whimsy.
Disappointing, then, that the musical palette inspired by his illustrations is, overwhelmingly, one of greys.
Malaysian singer Victor Wong had starred in the stage musical based on Liao’s graphic novel, A Chance Of Sunshine, and this was the commemorative album sold during the tour.
The titles of the songs already give the game away: Down And Lonely, Thoroughly Hurt By The Rain and Anyway, We’ve All Loved And Nobody Owes Anything. Wong’s bland voice does not help the ballad-heavy proceedings and it is a relief when Waa Wei joins in on Love In Bohemia and Valen Hsu on Occasional Love.
Unfortunately, when Victor met Jimmy, nothing much happened.
Phantasm
Zhang Zuo En
I Don’t Wanna Be A CEO
Snow Ng
Indie label Playground Music gives us two noteworthy singles from two Singapore-based female singer-songwriters.
Phantasm is moodily atmospheric with its piano and accordion accompaniment, as Zhang Zuo En fantasises about a beautiful encounter in Paris. The truth is crueller though: “I have no expectations of you/I don’t wish to wake from the excitement of Paris’ gorgeousness.”
Snow Ng’s I Don’t Wanna Be A CEO is a totally different proposition. In it, she tackles with a humorous touch, society’s obsession with getting ahead: “I have my own brilliance, you say I’m the rarest of fools.” Bonus points for coming up with a set of Cantonese lyrics for I Don’t Wanna Be The Emperor.
(ST)