Miss November

The Girl And The Robots

Effervescent electronica, brassy accents, playful vocals - it’s all there on the opening track Hello Girl, Hello Robots!.
It is the perfect introduction to Taiwanese trio The Girl And The Robots, comprising female vocalist Riin and programmers Jungle and Chuck.
But the group also show that there is more to their brand of electronica, packing into the album the sinuous synth lines of 2½-inch Dance Tune, the pop-rock-edged Regrets, You Don’t Know and the mid-tempo languor of Do As You Please and Yesterday.
The lyrics, mostly by Riin, don’t stray far from affairs of the heart and the dance floor. On Robot Lover, she purrs for you to push her buttons.

Pairing kittenish female vocals with electronica is nothing new in Western pop – think Nina Persson in Swedish band The Cardigans, or Inara George in Los Angeles-based duo The Bird And The Bee – but it is still something of a novelty where Mandopop is concerned.

While Riin’s voice is not quite as distinctive as Persson’s or George’s, this remains a debut to groove to.

After an unrelenting diet of ballads and K-pop-wannabes, the attempt by the group to break the mould is itself laudable – even if these Robots could still do with an upgrade.

Face

Benjamin Lin

Behind this debut album is an inspiring tale.

Once upon a time, Taiwanese Benjamin Lin was a rebellious teen who got himself involved in gangs. But his interest in music was kindled when he came across an old piano in a church – paving the road to his salvation. Encouraged by a fellow Christian, who later became his agent, Lin spent two years writing, arranging and even producing the tracks on offer here.

While one hardly expects a gangsta rap album from the 23-year-old, it is disappointing that there is practically no trace of his colourful past in his music.

Instead, he seems content to sing about love and sexy girls. Lyrics, however, are not his strong suit, and they sometimes come across as generic and bland. On the ballad Sorry, he warbles: “Sorry, I love you, I hurt you/Sorry, I’m too careless and don’t know your heart.”

Good thing, then, that he is a better composer than he is a lyricist. The musical arrangement is interesting, with its blend of stringed instruments such as violins and cellos and more contemporary touches such as R&B rhythms, best exemplified on the title track which even throws in some vocoder effects.

Still, Lin, how about facing up to the past the next time around?

(ST)