52 Hertz
The Verse

Parallel Universe
The Girl And The Robots

There is plenty of dance music in the Asian pop scene, thanks to the Koreans. But thoughtful explorations of electronica are few and far between.
On 52 Hertz, indie singer- songwriter Cheer Chen teams up with her producer boyfriend Tiger Chung and noted composer Chen Chien-chi for a fruitful expedition.
The Verse prove to be a most flexible outfit as they sing in English and Mandarin over a diverse range of music.
Only Love Can is dreamily romantic with English lyrics to match: “We’re swimming in the moonlight/ We go to another side of world/In the wave moved by the star”.
The title track works in EKG- machine-like beeps, underscoring the fragility of life as Chen croons delicately in Mandarin: “Because I love, because I live, because I’m lonely, I search”.
There is playfulness here as well, as the arrangement for Six sounds like a tinny video-game soundtrack while Rapid Eye Movement edges into dance-rock territory.
The world of electronica is definitely a big one, big enough for Taiwanese trio The Girl And The Robots to venture to a Parallel Universe on their second album.
They sweep you up in the title track as female vocalist Riin sings: “Take me away/Take me away to another universe/A universe with you”.
There is a strong dance vibe here but the group want to engage your head as well as your feet. Fish, for example, explores an unusual point of view: “Fish/Says he wants silence/ Says you don’t understand/Spits out a mouthful of froth.”
And for those who associate Minnan with old-school ballads and getai techno, Waiting comes as a classy surprise. It might change your view of Minnan pop just as these albums might get you to rethink what you know about electronica.
(ST)