Customer Reviews

Chinese Album

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Spacehog have affirmed a reputation for being one of the most innovative and exciting live acts to cross the stage. With this record, they have managed to capture the unique and explosive energy spurring at the live shows. Tamed and polished in the studio, the resulting tracks are a collective expedience of rock anthems.

Spacehog have gone a step beyond by forming epic tracks "carry on" and "beautiful girl" - a romantic aggression which is unseen in today's era of one-hit guitar bands. What is most notable about this record is the wide range of vocals and instrumentation consummated by "Goodbye Violet Race" "2nd Avenue" and "Anonymous." It seems the lads from Leeds have had their fair share of influence and experimentation. Who could forget "Mungo City," a tune so attractive and inspiring that the listener can't help but sing along. As one spacehog fan put it: "no two spacehog songs are alike, y! et the spacehog sound is unmistakable."

Whether it be an intense jam, clever ostinato, or romantic overture, it is all to be found in The Chinese Album. Above all else, spacehog have risen from within the depths of catchy pop-mania onto the pillars of confidence and creativity. This is glam-rock at its finest.

O. Asensio

There are a million genres out there today, some of them so odd or experimental that if you manage to release an album at all, you're an instant hit. Then, on the other side of things, there's good, old-fashioned, bubble-gum beautiful pop music, which seems to be one of the most difficult genres of music to perform because absolutely nobody these days is getting it even close to right except for a very, very choice few.

Spacehog is one of them. This is simply pop done right, pure and simple and loud. Unfortunately, pop is so utterly common these days that people tend to forget about it, even when it's done very, very well, or to complain about it if it shows any depth or variety at all... Hence you've got some saying that Spacehog is utterly forgettable (perhaps it is), or way too derivative and giddy (of course it is) or perhaps too odd or diverse to be pop (maybe also true)...

But such people should stop analyzing Spacehog and simply listen, because there's no denying that while it spins, you are smiling very large...

This is their best album so far. Get it, skip around a little, you're sure find _something_ you absolutely love.

This is by far one of my favorite albums of all time. Spacehog amazed me with their first album-- this one made me love them more. The lyrics are gold, especially on the track "Lucy's Shoe". There's also an homage to 70's glam rock, with the track "Mungo City" (the first single). "Almond Kisses", featuring guest vocalist Michael Stipe, is my favorite. It has a beautiful ring to it that hooks you-- along with the rest of the album's songs.

I'd reccomend this album if you like Bowie, Blur, or Pulp. If you're still unsure, take a listen to "Violet Race"-- it's your best sneak peek at the album.

I've been hooked since their '96 Irving Plaza gig in New York (cost me $7 to see them) . This is different but just as good as their first CD. These guys still know how to rock. May their be many more CD's to come!

Spacehog has done in The Chinese Album what most bands never achieve. This album is among the most balanced I have ever heard. From the saultry cries of "Lucy lost her shoe" to the upbeat blasts of "2nd Ave" this album has it all! If you are an appreciator of good music, someone who searches for artists who have a true sense of composition... this album is for you. I scowl for talented bands... I loved Radiohead when they were just Pablo Honeys, I loved Ben Folds Five before Brick, and I love Spacehog now. This is definitely a band to watch.

I baught Spacehogs first album on the strength of their first single, In The Meantime, alone. I wasn't overly impressed. With the Chinese Album, however, Spacehog proved to me what a grand band they can be! With diverse music ability, catchy hooks and intresting, if not obscure, lyrics, this album should be their breakthrough. If you're looking for a Beatlesque album sung by David Bowie, Prick Up Your Ears in the direction of The Chinese Album!

This album will get its due...hopefully...as one of the best albums made in the 90's. Like Faith No More's "Angel Dust" is considered now this album is a landmark in craftsmanship. Some music puts you in a mood, and some puts you in a place. This is one of those albums. The first track "One of these days". Do not listen to it if it is snowing out...it will forever embed that vision and feeling in your head whenever you hear it again. It's that encrypting of an album. The songs latch on the things in a bizaar ways, they carry their our mystique. They bring you back but not to times to places and visions. Its a powerful thing to be able to create. Only albums like The Wall, Tommy, etc have been known to do that. For one to come out of a 90's band is bizaar. Spacehog in this CD is like no band you have ever heard. Its very individual.

Honestly, I bought this album just because I really liked the uneven, though still decent, Resident Alien and I wanted to know what the band had done since then. I mean, "In the Meantime" is probably the greatest single ever released, so I had to know...

Anyway, the Chinese Album has quickly made its way onto one of the hardest-to-crack lists ever. My top five albums of all time list. It's so hard to crack it used to contain only three albums. Now there are four. It's that good. I keep listening, thinking there has to be a throwaway track in there, but there absolutely isn't. No band outside of the Rolling Stones has had this amount of swagger. Just phenomenal.

The Hogs have put together a decent second coming. Most of the tracks are excellent and serve to expand their Bowie meets XTC sound. But the album is a study in duality. The darker, mesmerizing tracks like One Of These Days (courtesy of Talking Heads) and Sand In Your Eyes are next to hyperpop tracks like Captain Freeman and Goodbye Violet Race. And the very weak tracks like "Anonymous", "Skylark", and "Lucy's Shoes" further split the CD. Still, the few catchy pop songs like "Carry On" and "Second Avenue" help balance the disc. Hopefully their next recording will be more daring and consistent.

[DW]

This disc is fun and creative. A genuine attempt to explore other aspects of rock. A fun trip from beginning to end. I picked this disc up on a whim when it first came out, and though I was surprised at first becuase I didn't know what to expect, it grew on me. A quick pointer: try and listen to a disc more than once. We all just need to be put in the groove. Music has a magic, just different types :)