Final thoughts, meaningless stats, new year resolutions, venue shoutouts and a compilation of what the rest of the town is getting their panties in a bunch. It’s the final chapter of LBM’s Big Ass 2013 Roundup – so let’s get right into it.

Stats

Sorry no graphs but here’s a quick rundown of where my camera made it’s way this year

Mao Livehouse 15

Yugong Yishan 15

Temple 13

School 10

XP 10

Dos Kolegas 4

 Blue Stream Bar 4

Jianghu Bar 3

Old What? 3

Others 10

School simply killed it this year – best crowds, best series, best lineups, and consistent output – you know when the odds of a fight breaking out is 10 to 1 you’re at the right place

Temple is still debauchery central and the fact that they’re still offering shows for free is righteous; hoping they can work better lineups this year (even if it means paying 20 RMB) and perhaps some new sound equipment

XP still holding strong, refining everything that made it so appealing in the first place – good folks and good music – even if XP audiences have yet to master expressing emotion

Mao Livehouse and Yugong Yishan top the list, though gotta give the edge to Mao as it’s simply draws in more enthusiastic music goers and doesn’t as easily turn into a sweaty bloodbath like Yugong Yishan

Underrated venue of the year continues to go to the good Old What? – never a bad time at the Forbidden City dive bar

Shit, when did I stop going to Dos Kolegas? Shame shame

New Year Resolutions

–      Film less; film better

–      Get a record player

–      avoid the black hole that is Temple/Dada

–      bring back the Dos Kolegas love

–      run a tighter ship

–      don’t give in to buying a 5D

–      get a 5D

–      throw a show

–      sabotage a show

–      build a permanent camera hold in various venues

(thanks to Yuyintang for that idea)

–      go pro a metal mosh pit

–      shoot some MVs

–      get new Tevas

The Other Lists

It’s only appropriate I throw some love over to the countless others who compiled their favorite musical moments, as well point out the diversity of tastes among audiences, from yaogun scholars, to MIDI representatives, to promoters, to magazine and website writers. A great starting off point for checking out some new tunes.

Smart Beijing

–   retrospective

–   epic compilation of everyones’ two cents

MIDI Awards

–   winners highlighted

TimeOut

–   2013’s best moments, albums, etc.

China Music Radar

–   notable albums and shows

BeijingDaze

–   albums of the year

Jonathan Campbell (author of Red Rock)

–   top five yaogun albums

That’s Beijing

–   notable albums of the year

And that’s it – check back next week for my final CNY gift to you all (hint: it’s not a red envelope)

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Part Four of LBM’s Big Ass 2013 Roundup – after much refining, polishing, and last minute hijacking, LBM is proud to present the top 100 songs of the year – songs that stuck with me the instant I heard them, that lingered in my empty hutong long after I’d played them, songs I would constantly track down on douban – for whatever reason – these are the songs I’m glad to pimp out — enjoy!! And because I’m too cheap to purchase a soundcloud account (or kickstart one hundred and thirty bucks), this bad boy will only be up and running for the next 30 days, so get it while you can. Check out the entire list below or head over here.

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My bookshelves are littered with CDs purchased through the past 12 months – piles upon piles collecting dust. My wallet has yet to forgive me. It\’s Part Three of LBM\’s Big Ass 2013 Roundup. This year saw some of the scene’s most prolific artists put out their best work yet, as well as a slew of albums sporting great production value. Oh, and a ton of EPs. Here’s my top albums, EPs, and spilt 7’’s of the year in no particular order. Click on the links to give them a listen.

Perpetual Motion Machine – Imperial City Dairy

Probably the most consistent album this year, one that touches upon everything Perpetual Motion Machine does best – swift melodies, kick ass riffs, and sincere lyrics.

P.K.14 – 1984

This was Yang Haisong’s year by far and P.K.14’s latest post punk opus was the swift kick to the nuts that the music scene needed. Beautifully orchestrated album

Residence A – For The Love of This Era

Residence A can do no wrong – these five songs will take you for a spin and leave you wanting more

Second Hand Rose – Stealing The Show

A very appropriate title for the ‘larger-than-life’ Beijing rockers’ latest where nothing is scared;probably the closest Chinese rock will have to finding its own identity

The Fuzz – Running Horse

Another album chalk full of foot tapping goodness, soaked in 80s Manchester rock vibes but so madly in love with itself you could give a rat’s ass

Zhaoze – Yond

Post rock album of the year – conjures up some truly epic soundscapes

CNdY – Hi-Fi

Great pre-game party music that holds many surprises

Streets Kill Strange Animals – Through  7’’

Proof that SKSA are jumping leaps and bounds.

Baby Formula – Baby Formula

An album to get lost in – intoxicating levels of shoegazing noise that seeps into the membrane

Muted Rainbow – Future Wake

Stunning mix of classical and experimental, the strange and ethereal, that rewards repeated listens

Hao Yun – It\’s Life

I pretended to buy this for my girlfriend to hide my true intentions – why can’t all folk artists be as charismatic and personable as Hao Yun

Nine Treasures – Nine Treasures

A rambunctious blend of Mongolian sounds and pagan metal righteousness that shows a shocking amount of restraint for a metal album

Arrows Made of Desire – Fate

Unpretentious, genuine indie pop that feels like a modern day expat take on Billy Joel

Casino Demon – Do You Still Love? EP

It ain’t going to make history, but damn, these are four of the years catchiest tunes

Buyi – Departures

Buyi have made the greatest country record this year – full of life and warmth

Lantern Festival – Lantern Festival

A blast of Technicolor-pop that seamlessly blends Oriental elements with Pet Sounds-era psychedelic sun-drenched pop with an electronic bent

The Dyne – Swim  7’’

The Dyne, kicking ass and taking names. Have a bottle of whiskey on hand.

Low Bow – Burn

A DIY whirlwind of fast and furious garage rock that simply doesn’t give a fuck

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Part Two of LBM\’s Big Ass 2013 Roundup, it\’s time to take a look at which bands have been perking my interest year round. Going to do this a little different from last year as not too much has changed – pretty much every band I mentioned last year still gets love from me – Residence A, Perpetual Motion Machine, WHAI, Buyi, Skip Skip Ben Ben – they’re still taking it to the bank (well except The Planets who bailed on us early this year) and I’ll be sure to mention them below. Instead, this year I\’m going to spread the love to some new bands. Take a look below.

3 Best Newcomers

The Dyne

The surf rock cowboys hooked me hard in Shanghai, and haven’t let up a bit since – these two are straight up titillating – wrapped up in steamy dirty motel sex with an unshakeable badassness, it’s straight up hypnotizing. Serious moves, even if their third member is a second generation iPod.

The Big Wave

A band fully committed to their sound, to their aesthetic; aware of what they’re riffing but completely repackaging it in ways that make me what to hit up prom circa 1987. Heck, these guys even have music videos to accompany each of their shows. When was the last time you saw that? Again, commitment – it goes a long way, and The Big Wave know what they going for, and simply get at it.

 The Diders

I’ve only filmed new age punks The Diders once, but they packed such a wallop, that I knew I had witnessed a band ready to rocket to the top. Or go out in a blaze of glory. Either way, the scrappy trio will go down in history as one of the bands who gave it their all, and one of the few who understood how to interact with the audience. Fireworks people.

3 Band To Keep A Eye Out For

CNdY

I’m not quite sure Beijing is ready for CNdY – their party rock house-infused electronic music is all adrenaline with no real comedown. And though this doesn’t exactly translate well to most of the city’s concert-going public, there’s something there. And after listening to their most recent release Hi-Fi, I expect big things out of these three in the future.

Dr. Liu

Yes, the full name is Dr. Liu & The Human Centipede and yes, that’s a terrible name. And yes, I’m not really not sure how serious these guys take themselves but heck, they were a welcome shot of tequila to the face – hardcore punk that holds back nothing and most importantly, is loads of fun. No half-assing here, just volatile, energetic, melodic, dare I say clever music whose sharp edges carry a playfulness about them.

Cassette

A band that barely played the past year – in what way do they deserve any recognition? Well, hear me out. While Cassette hasn’t been impressing on stage, they’ve been steadily working behind the scenes on their upcoming album – and so far it’s sounding pretty incredible – like a funkier version of WHAI, with shit tons more sex appeal. They released four trippy concept videos this year, all shot on a decked out soundstage with visuals plastered over everything. Whether or not Cassette can transfer their ‘big’ sound to a live setting remains to be seen, but I have high hope for these guys.

Three Bands I Came Around To

Snapline

There’s something dangerous about Snapline’s music that one can’t shake off some easily – it digs its way under your skin. It’s a geek’s post-punk-dream, a punk’s geek-nightmare, whatever it is, it ain’t safe. It’s subtle, strange, and at times, completely off-putting. They’re on their own wavelength and that, my friends, is a huge step for any band in China.

Streets Kill Strange Animals

Streets Kill Strange Animals has been scurrying under the radar of just about everyone for some time mainly because they’re a hard band to pin down – post punk, indie rock, ‘future shock’ as others have noted – one thing is for sure – they dig into their songs with relish, injecting a playfulness that’s not afraid to up the tension, change course, or cut loose – they’re like a Xanaxed angrier version of the Talking Heads.

Bedstars 

As I mentioned before, some bands have no idea how to interact with the audience – well, Bedstars know a thing or two about what we audiences want. No holds barrel rock and roll that spits, snarls, and falls flat on its face if need be. While a band could easily come across as lazy for that, Bedstars have taken command of their sound this year, churning out some of the most righteous fun tunes.

Updates on Last Year’s Top Dogs 

–      Residence A continues to expand their sound into rave rock territory and while it doesn’t have that firecracker appeal of their earlier work, it certainly captures the emotional highs of ‘Farewell To Spring’ – these guys are gonna be huge

–      Perpetual Motion Machine released a stellar album early this year but haven’t been playing the circuit too much – someone get these kids back at it

–      Deadly Cradle Death blew me away when I caught them again in September but have been pretty much MIA since then – a shame, as their sound is really what is all the rage is back West and believe me, if they hit up SXSW this year they will murder

–      Buyi lost a member, yet prospered forward, releasing a pretty solid album – really they can’t do wrong

–      white + is reaching for the sky musically and it’s been glorious

–       WHAI have pretty much cemented themselves as one the city’s best live acts (the silk screen was a inspired touch) – love them even more this year

–      Alpine Decline had a kid – nough’ said

–      Birdstriking came teasing their return, and if they stick together this time, then 2014 will indeed be a good year

–      Low Bow has probably more chemistry on stage than any other band – it’s like two uncles yelling at each other

–      Skip Skip Ben Ben had a release that was acclaimed yet lost in the year-end shuffle, and this year saw them getting louder and louder – bring it!

–      Li Dong – miss you guys! More please!

–      Hanggai – unstoppable; two EPs releases in the past couple months so expect big things this year

–      Rolling Bowling – I binged hard on them this year and they deserve all the love they can get

–      Hedgehog are being smart and not playing too often – I didn’t even catch them this year, damn

–      Tengger Cavalry has a ton of releases under their belt but unfortunately had their thunder somewhat stolen by the other pagan metal band Nine Treasures who went on to Wacken Festival in Germany (ow!)

–      Glow Curve released an well received album and are only getting better live

–      Nova Heart has given up on China I’m suspecting and is winning over hearts on the Europe circuit; expecting good things out of them this year (better late than never)

–      thruoutin is getting shit done left and right and is slowly becoming quite the songwriter

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After filming over one hundred shows this year, you’d might be shocked to know that I had difficulty this year picking my favorite shows and performances. What it finally boiled down to was that these were the moments, big and small, personal and collective, that slapped a shit-eating grin on my face, and stood out above the rest. Check it out below.

The Big Five

Nova Heart at Yugong Yishan

This was the moment where there was no turning back – the multi-cam edit. Looking back at it, it really is a shoddily put together video. But damn, did it feel good working with a group of people who wanted to push this baby forward – filming electro disco renegades Nova Heart nevertheless, whose shows are hypnotically sensual, vivid, and ‘big’ in every aspect. So kudos to all the people who lit a fire under my ass this year.

Summer Heat Punk Weekend

Yeah I’m slamming these two together – sue me – it was a one two knockout of punk back in August which left me reeling for days – no way I got keep them apart. First up was Dr. Liu and The Diders at School – a gloriously unhinged show that completely caught me off guard – an atmosphere bordering on psychotic – from The Diders ‘leave nothing on the table’ set to Dr. Liu & The Human Centipede’s volatile hardcore ramblings with a twist – this was madness contaminating an audiences consciousness, and perhaps the moment that School took home venue of the year for me. Chaos reigned supreme the very next day at the DMC Opening Party, punk’s newest punk haven, and its was a shitstorm of epic proportions, where birthday cakes, burnt popcorn, ripped out earrings, shoddy equipment, and even the boys in blue couldn’t put a lid on the madhouse fun that transpired. A beautiful collection of moments.

Shanghai Binge 

Last April I finally decided to get off my ass and get the 411 on the music scene down in Shanghai and I could not of had a more fulfilling experience – between catching local favorites at the legendary Yuyintang, to discovering my new favorite band The Dyne at Uptown Records, seeing The Gar pack the house, and even digging the eccentric aesthetics of 390, there wasn’t a dull moment in sight. 2014 is will definitely find me spending more time down south.

Jingweir Volume 2 Launch Party

Seeing the roots of the resurgence of the Jingweir zine, from the emails, to the meetings, to the packaging, all leading up to the launch party was simply a ball, an eye-opening experience, and a honor to be apart of. By the time Hang on the Box, I mean Girl Kill Girlss, were singing ‘Down By The Water’, I was getting goosebumps. Surrounded by the best group of friends this side of the world, there couldn’t been a more perfect aligning of stars.

Shanren, WHAI, The Junglemico Project, Longshendao at Yugong Yishan

Just an amazing lineup that solidified WHAI as one of the best acts in town, had me marveling at Mico’s insanely good drumming skills, and dancing in reggae bliss to LSD, all made the better since I had my parents in tow who (even at seventy-seven years old) were having a grand ol’ time. Now that’s how you show the rents a good time.

10 Other Grin-Inducing Moments

Askar, Second Hand Rose at Yugong Yishan

Proof that rock stars still exist in China – larger-than-life songs made true by some of the most furiously talented people in the business who deserve to pack out stadiums at this stage in the game – yaogun lives on!

Gang of Four w/ Lu Di, Hua Dong at Yugong Yishan

When post punk pioneers Gang of Four invited Lu Di of AV Okubo and Hua Dong of Re-Tros, two righteous bands who have been seeing a lot of exposure outside of China, to come on stage for a new track the three wrote together – ‘Broken Talk’ – it was a pretty geek-heavy moment. An awesome reminder of the cross-pollution that the music scene will likely be swimming in in the near future.

Dos Kolegas 8th Anniversary Bash

Dos Kolegas still reigns supreme when it feels the need to; a snowballing of awesome sets, most notably from Buyi, who remain a unstoppable crowd pleaser, Steely Heart, whose new wave rock n roll ignited for once, Subs\’s manic energy, and Nine Treasures unique twist to the pagan metal genre. 2K + summer sun = good times.

Yemen Blues at Mako Livehouse

You know when your throwing your girl in the air and conga-lining though the crowd as if you heard music for the first time, it’s a good show. And Yemen Blues blew the roof off of the joint – jaw-dropping performance.

Queen Sea Big Shark – ‘Mammoth’

QSBS have fallen further down the glossy world of pop and I couldn’t be happier. So when she performed her latest single ‘Mammoth’ with the help of Li Fan (of Bedstars) and Wang Yu (of The Gar) on additional drum duties, Fu Han and company turned Yugong Yishan into a sauna. This is how an audience should react. Great song.

Mii, Guiguisuisu at the Old What Bar?

Watching Mii was one of those moments where everything clicks – every beat, chord, outburst just comes together in a symphony of jamtastic bliss, which literally put me in a trance of childlike wonder. Or maybe it was just an acid flashback.This was also my first run in with Shanghai shit rock Pairs getting the cover treatment – Guiguisuisui’s snarky Cheshire-Cat take on ‘Eighteen Shakes’ simply rules and reminds a testament to Xiao Zhong\’s songwriter abilities.

Daikaiju at XP, School, Temple

Why can’t more bands be like Daikaiju, who relish at any opportunity to play and while they’re at it, put on some of the most electrifying shows ever in Beijing – can we have an annual Daikaiju tour?!

Skip Skip Ben Ben – ‘These Boots Were Made For Walking\’ 

Though 2013 wasn’t as big a year for Skip Skip Ben Ben as I had hoped, the band managed in sneak in a few surprises, including this noisy rendition of the ‘girl power’ hit. Ben Ben can walk all over me any day of the week.

Buyi at Blue Stream Bar

One of the few times where I almost cried during a set, when Buyi isn’t busy taking names and kicking ass, they can really throw you through some emotional hoops.

The Bennies at School 

Sweetest group of Aussies I’ve met, and seeing they unleash their hyperactive manchild power punk onto School was an unexpected delight. And plus, this was the first and only time I’ve ever been paid to film – so yeah, getting paid to do something you love is like George Constanza eating and having sex at the same time.

Check back tomorrow for my bands and artists of the year.

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