Glockenspiel
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Dalian's Wang Wen go 70 percent of the distance beyond post-rock
Over the past decade, Dalian post-rock quintet Wang Wen has slowly climbed to the top of China's post-rock pantheon by making musical scores for films still waiting to be made. Still cinematic, evocative and looking to maintain their position, the band returns to Mao Livehouse this Friday night, kicking off a 10-date tour for their sixth album, 0.7. As the title suggests, the album proved to be a bit of a math issue. Originally intending a 10 song release, due to the space restriction on vinyl, the band only pressed seven songs, or 70 percent of their original track list. However the production notes do not end there; from the simple yet evocative glockenspiel hook on opening track "2012," the most striking observation is sound quality. Mastered by Montreal-based engineer Harris Newman, whose client list boasts such acts as Arcade Fire, Cirque du Soleil and Wolf Parade, the album stands out among the band's catalog like a leaning tower built with well worn post-rock devices. The resulting album 0.7 is a work of wrist-wrenching beauty; serenity that can topple into chaos at any second. The first three songs feature glass-like arrangements that recall the band's Icelandic heroes Sigur Ros, such as "Rain Weathers," which revealed delightfully timbral combinations of cricket-like electronics and clean guitar work, a sorrowful cello and lively triangle, merged with a piano in gentle static. Field recordings of conversations on "Lonely God" drift into a warm string section, while "Angelo's Portrait" creates a distant cold. Midway, "Absent Minded Theme" stands out as a foray into fusion while a synthesizer briefly hijacks the track, recalling the soulful experimentation of Broken Social Scene. Unfortunately, the album trails off with the brooding "Dragon of the Pool" before ending with the impressionist "Seasons," an aimless piano driven finale, leaving this reviewer wishing they had just called the album 0.5. Compared to their previous albums, 0.7 shows the band is capable of creating sweeping panoramas. The interplay and arrangement is more complex than recent releases IV and L&R, entertaining both ambitious strings and subtle themes. However for all its emotion, 0.7 is impersonal. By adhering to almost every post-rock idiom to make their point, Wang Wen gives little to idiosyncrasy, leaving the listener feeling the effort is as the title suggests; overtly calculated.
The Ming and I
Colin Pine will never be mistaken for Yao Ming. Pine never will be 7'6" 310 pounds or Chinese. He never will be an international superstar. One gets the feeling, however, that Pine is comfortable existing in the background, in the shadow of giants, putting his 5'10" frame, blond hair, and typical American looks to use for other more public personalities. Yin and Yang Many may know him from the popular 2002 film Year of the Yao, a documentary that chronicled Yao's arrival in both America and the NBA. It's Pine who frantically zooms around the movie screen, a 28-year-old having assumed the immense responsibility of assimilating China's Yao into America's NBA. Acting as an interpreter from 2002-05, Pine had unparalleled access to Yao Ming, watching his maturation from a 22-year-old Shanghai Sharks player to a 26-year-old NBA powerhouse. In many ways, Pine's understated and demure approach acted as perfect yin to Yao's front-and-center physical yang. This is the story of two unlikely friends. Having graduated from James Madison University in Virginia USA (1996), Pine auspiciously took his English major to Taipei, Taiwan, to learn Mandarin. He enrolled in the International Chinese Language Program at Taiwan University after several years at a trading company. "I studied Spanish at (James Madison)," said Pine, "without ever actually learning to say anything." Mandarin, however, was a completely different beast. After only three years in Taiwan, Pine was translating Chinese newspaper articles for the US State Department. It was then, in 2001, that the name Yao Ming changed everything in Pine's life. "I was looking for personality, technical skill, and a firsthand knowledge of China," said Erik Zhang, member of Team Yao, on the selection process for an interpreter. "I was looking for someone who wouldn't melt under public scrutiny or go to a bar every night and someone whose age gap wasn't too great from Yao." Enter Colin Pine. "Initially, we had a little concern because he can be a nervous person," Zhang said. "But then we realized part of that is because of his desire to perform on the job." Ultimately, it was an over-the-phone performance by Pine that won the confidence of Zhang. Pine did an English-to-Chinese translation of an ESPN article on Yao, and then translated a non-sports Chinese newspaper article into English. Out of nearly 60 candidates, Pine was selected. That's when the adventure began. "He spoke very basic English and wasn't very comfortable," said Pine, referring to Yao's initial months in both America and the NBA. That "uncomfortable" feeling, however, could very well describe Pine's initial experience as well. A daunting experience "The first time you have to translate in front of 50 journalists, knowing that what comes out of your mouth is going to print, is a pretty daunting experience," Pine said in a recent interview with China Daily. "After a while, however, it almost becomes mundane. Almost." "I would have to say that Yao made it easier for me because of his poise," said Pine. What didn't make it easy was the very public profile of both Yao and Pine, and the great responsibility both of them carried. But as Pine has attested to in several interviews, it's one's ability to adapt that defines success or invokes failure. "I adapt to new circumstances very well," said Pine, who in 2006 still spoke like a metaphysical mouth-piece of Yao Ming's inner thoughts. For just as Pine had to adapt, so did Yao. This reality, arguably above everything else, explains the strong bond between these two men. "It's all about feeling comfortable in one's environment," said Pine, again channeling Yao. "If you can't adapt, you're not going to be a happy and successful person." Fortunately for both Yao and Pine, both soon adapted to the NBA, and both have wild success because of it. Asked if he has any regrets about his experience with Yao, or anything he would do differently, Pine responds with mellow humor. "I wish I had some time to do some other things (than NBA related business)," said Pine, "like learn to play the glockenspiel or write a novel about the underground culture of Houston." Working for Team Yao "afforded a lot of down time," said Pine, and although he did a lot of reading to pass time, he notes that he should have used his free time "more wisely". Refreshingly absent in his "Do Different List" is anything involving his direct experience interpreting for Yao. With that experience, apparently, Pine has no regrets. It is shocking, however, that Pine complains of an abundance of free time during his Team Yao employment. In addition to interpreting between Yao, the media, the Houston Rockets, and the world, Pine also was a 24/7 live-in guest of Yao's, responsible for sorting Yao's bills, teaching him to drive, running various errands, and helping Yao understand American culture, among other things. One wonders whether Pine folded Yao's boxer briefs out of the dryer as well, having seemingly assumed every other daily task. 'Not soft at all' But nearly five years after befriending Yao Ming, Pine is still very much a fan of the big man. Even in 2007, Pine defends Yao against critical nay-sayers with an earnestness that is both sincere and a bit frustrated. When questioned on the popular putdown that Yao is a "soft player", lacking the tenacity required of NBA giants, Pine is strong in his defense. "I wholly disagree with that assessment," said Pine emphatically. "He is not soft at all. One has to account that Yao was in a new environment (in 2002), and that he arrived in the middle of the season." And yet despite putting up MVP-caliber numbers of 25.9 ppg, 9.4 reb, and 2.2 blocks in this 2006-07 season, Yao's detractors still accuse him of being a "gentle giant". Most surprisingly, this accusation comes from arguably Yao's greatest fan, coach Jeff Van Gundy. "He is hyper-sensitive to the supposed 'how well we did without him'," Van Gundy said, referring to Yao's three-month injury and the Houston Rocket's improved play during his absence. "He has thought far too much about that, instead of being a more arrogant self-centered player where you only think about yourself. Because that would serve him best." If being a "hard player" means being "arrogant" and "self-centered" perhaps it's in Yao's interest to continue employing a "hip to be square" mentality. So what has allowed Yao to weather the criticism? Better performances, better language proficiency and maturity, said Pine. "His personality is coming out the more confident he is at speaking (English)," said Pine, a confidence he believes can be attributed to Yao's better play. His "great work ethic" and basketball improvement also have allowed Yao to relax, proving with his on-court numbers what critics try to disprove with their off-court criticisms. This combination of hard work and cultural assimilation undoubtedly feeds Yao's confidence, and subsequently his performance on the basketball court, said Pine. It also, naturally, lessens the sting of criticism. While Yao has grown a lot since 2002, it's only natural that Pine would mature step-in-step. "I would say the most important thing I learned was how to deal with pressure," said Pine of his experience. Being the mouthpiece of the world's most popular Chinese person is a weighty responsibility, Pine learned. The confidence and stamina acquired from 2002-05's Team Yao experience has aided Colin Pine in 2007. Pine currently lives in Beijing. He has been here for a year and a half. "The word 'permanent' has an awful finality to it," said Pine, "but yes, I'm in Beijing full time." So for the moment at least, Pine remains working in Beijing, a full 15 time-zones ahead of Houston and his friend Yao Ming. But while Pine is no longer employed by Team Yao Yao can speak English well enough now to not use an interpreter Pine nevertheless continues to advance the game of basketball here in China. He may not have Da Shan fame, but surely being the "Number Two" to China's Yao Ming experience has embedded Pine in the hearts of the Chinese. Having moved immediately to Beijing from Houston, that feeling of appreciation and respect is no doubt reciprocal in Pine's mind. Pine now works with the NBA in China as the senior manager of government and community relations. "Basically, since July 2005, I interact with relevant government organizations (Beijing Administration of Sport, for instance), and work on our community outreach projects," said Pine. "I keep in touch occasionally with Yao," said Pine. "We exchange e-mails every so often, and whenever we're in the same city we try to get together and catch up." But now it will be Yao coming home to China to meet up with Pine, as opposed to their initial United States rendezvous. "He's a pretty funny guy," said Pine of Yao Ming. He has a "dry sense of humor. He'll surprise you."
Indie multi-instrumentalist from Chicago Andrew Bird woos Beijing
Indie multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird brought his unique blend of heavenly folk to a packed crowd of 500 at Yugong Yishan on Sunday night. The performance marked the debut of a new song even as the house blew an electrical fuse mid-set. Coming off a tour of Australian (including a sold-out performance at the Sydney Opera House), Bird's three-date China jaunt landed him in the capital via Shanghai last Saturday following a sold-out Hong Kong performance last Wednesday. This was his first China tour. "Culture shock didn't hit until I got to Shanghai; it's this huge looming metropolis, and I thought Beijing was going to be the same kind of shock," said Bird. "But [Beijing] turned out to be quite tidy. You could even see the stars, something I didn't expect." Bird's conservatory-trained violin chops, blue-hued vocals and virtuosic whistling could make him a vaudevillian one-man music revue. Throw in his glockenspiel, hollow-body guitar and looping pedal multitasking and Bird is an all-enveloping orchestra. His contrapuntal magic was exhibited right from the start with opener "Why?"—a bluesy, swaggering tale of heartache that saw Bird whistling a solo into his violin pickups. Nearly half of his set came from his latest release, Noble Beast, which has enjoyed the greatest commercial success of his career, and includes the tunes "Fitz and the Dizzyspells," "Take Courage" and opening track "Oh No," a song inspired by a 3-year-old boy while on a flight to New York. "There was this 3-year-old in front of me who was crying," Bird explained from the stage. "It wasn't really that awful actually it was quite beautiful, and he was going, 'Oh no… Oh no…' And I thought it had kind of a nice phrase and cadence to it." Other highlights included "Plasticities," during which Bird bathed the audience in a shower of looped pizzicato and legato solos, and the wellloved "Nervous Tic." He also included a version of "Imitosis," performed in a merry-go-round of glockenspiel, whistling, looping and fid dling; but not before the PA gave out for about three minutes, during which Andrew spent the time mostly shaking his head, smiling and motioning to the sound technicians. Someone broke the silence and yelled out: "Made in China!" a comment that received laughter from the back but some visible scowls in the front. But all was forgiven when Bird debuted an asyet untitled song, adding to the show's intimacy. The evening ended with an encore of a fiddle rendition of Bob Dylan's "Oh Sister." Absent of weaving loops and pizzicato pulsing, the song paid pure homage to American music with Bird's bread and butter techniques: fiddling, strumming and whistling. Posted in: ARTS
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 Yuan, one and half years old, plays with a glockenspiel in the experiencing zone.
2 Recorded in their spare room, it features Afford's slightly quavering, high vocals, with frequent use of melodica, piano and glockenspiel differentiating it from the standard indie guitar rock base.
3 Mono also offer an intriguing set, not least because every member seems to play the glockenspiel.