“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” – Andre Gide
Cat #: 118TZM
Bamodi’s 19‐track second LP Smell Heaven (tenzenmen) is just under half an hour of throat‐banging punk rock that flirts occasionally with power violence, pop and greyhound racing. There are some slow songs, fast songs, and an unlikely cover version of Beat Happening’s Ponytail.
Recorded by Wil Hooper and Matt Bairstow at Stable Sound. Mastered at Chicago Mastering Services.
Pairs, Xiao Zhong, F, Time Out, Bob Blunt, Carsick Cars, The Gar, Beijing Daze, David O’Dell, China Daily, Lolly Fan, Maybe Mars, The Beijinger, Nevin Domer, Anarchy Jerks, Jonathan Campbell, Yaogun, Streets Kill Strange Animals, Andy Best, YuYinTang, Forests, Skip Skip Ben Ben, Taipei Times, MTVIggy, Taiwan, China Music Radar
Cat #: 123TZM
Sydney based math, indie, twinkle rock featuring Dave Drayton.
Tracks 1-4 from Demo 2007, tracks 5-12 from Blue EP 2008.
Painkiller Magazine, Genjing, Nevin Domer, Aweh.TV, Josh Feola, Tiny Mix Tapes, Cui Jian, 100 Flowers, Yan Jun, Duck Fight Goose, Battle Cattle, Chris B, HK Underground, Jon Campbell, Jake Newby, Xiao Zhong, Next Year’s Love, Time Out, Uptown Records, Andy Best, Top Floor Circus, Kungfuology, Pangbianr, Inseparable, David O’Dell, Jerry Chan, Rainbow Danger Club, Shanghaiist, Shanghai 24/7, 2Kolegas, Beijing Daze, Miserable Faith, Zhangbei, Pilot Records, China Music Radar, Inner City Music Festival, Torturing Nurse, lllllllllllHH, NOIShanghai, Arrebato, World of Chinese, Liz Tung
Cat #: 113TZM
Brisbane based math indie rock.
Cat #: 099TZM
Dear Eloise is the side project of P.K.14 frontman Yang Haisong together with his wife Sun Xia.
Connoisseurs of DIY and lo-fi bedroom recordings the pair create beautiful melodies amongst layers of distortion. Playing all the parts themselves while recording and editing in their home studio they experiment with song structures and recording techniques their songs are interesting and layered while still maintaining a simple innocence.
Even though they do not perform live and have released their recordings rather inconspicuously, Dear Eloise has still managed to gain a loyal following in the Chinese scene.
Cat #: 064TZM
Give and Take is a compilation project initiated by us because we (Nervhous Records) think local Malaysian bands deserve the attention and exposure. We asked our friends’ bands to record a song for this compilation and this is the result. So, the bands on this disc represent just a small slice of the ever-growing local DIY music scene. As the title suggests, we need to have tolerance and respect towards each other and at the same time be opened to others, not only our little hc/punk friends circle.
This is a co-operative release between Nervhous Records, Red Ink Entertainment, Pissart Records and tenzenmen
Cat #: 098TZM
The cliché goes that some geographical areas are synonymous with certain sounds: Merseybeat from Liverpool, for example, or grunge from Seattle. But it’s also the case that certain bands define their locales. Here, one tends to think of such acts as Arcade Fire, who did just that for Montreal with Funeral and The Suburbs. Such is the case with Low Wormwood, whose latest album, Lanzhou Lanzhou (their second licensed to tenzenmen) is perhaps a defining moment for both the band and the city of the title.
Unlike many bands from Lanzhou, this quartet don’t practise harmony- driven guitar folk. The metrics of this album depart from their early grunge and shoot for a less fiery but more coherent structure, coupling string-soaked flourishes of folk-rock with mundane lyrics about day-to-day living in Lanzhou. It borders on being a concept album, but the catchy rhythms manage to dilute the anthropological solemnity and make this something special.
‘Recording this album is almost like being in a relationship,’ explains lead singer Liu Kun. ‘When you love each other, it really burns. When you hate each other… well, it also burns.’
Cat #: 096TZM
This four-piece shoegaze outfit quickly raced to the forefront of Taipei’s fast growing independent music scene – and for good reason. The completion of their warmly received eponymous freshman album has cemented their place in the hearts of an ever-growing fan base.
Though Shoegaze is hardly a new phenomenon, Boyz & Girl has found a contemporary home in the genre, due largely in part to their fresh sounds and mature songwriting. The raucous yet dreamy guitars of Jon, pieced masterfully with Sonoko’s artistic drumming and Guo Guo’s steady basslines, creates an impeccable balance with the juvenile youth and innocence discovered through BenBen’s vocals.
Cat #: 106TZM
‘Gold & Red’ is an album characterised as much by its melodic grace as by its pervasive sense of doom – recorded in the cavernous orchestral hall of Brisbane’s historic Old Museum with Cameron Smith (Velociraptor, No Anchor), mixed by Aaron Cupples (The Drones, Paul & Dan Kelly, SNOWMAN) and mastered by Nao Anzai (Laura, Because Of Ghosts, These Hands). The nine songs here recognise a growing maturity and depth that has been brought to life by the considered approach to the compositions.
NIKKO:
Ryan Potter – vocals, electric & acoustic guitars
Sam Whiting – bass
Jackson Briggs – electric guitar, slide
Blair Westbrook – drums, percussion
Piano by Daniel Kassulke
Violin by Adam Cadell
Cello by Elanor Khan
Recorded by Cameron Smith at The Old Museum & Browning Street Studios in Brisbane, June/July 2011
Mixed by Aaron Cupples
Mastered by Naomune Anzai at Reel 2 Real Mix Master
Photography by Archie Moore
Layout & Design by Sam Whiting & Bronte Coates, with thanks to Trent Evans
Special thanks to Daniel Kassulke, Cam Smith, Nao Anzai, Adam Cadell, Elanor Khan, Jacinta Walker, Trent “Big Dog” Evans, Shaun Tenzenmen, Bronte Coates, Luke Smith, Tom Noakes & all of our wonderful friends & family, anyone who’s ever bought a recording, come to a show or let us sleep on their floor, and the Brisbane & Australian independent music community. Cheers!
1994ever 