Cut Off (Dig)

Rebuilding the Rights of Statues | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 24, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tag Team Records
• ASIN: B000RY00YK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,622 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Internet piracy has some benefits ..., April 4, 2008

By 

Alec Gardner (Santiago, Chile) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cut Off (Dig) (Audio CD)

Brief Band Synopsis:
Rebuilding the Rights of Statues (aka Re-TROS) is a Post-Punk band, heavily influenced by the 70's/early 80s sounds of Bauhaus, Gang of Four, Joy Division, and The B-52's. Hua Dong, the lead singer and guitarist (previous drummer for PK-14) met Liu Min (female bass-player) in the Nanjing punk-scene. After moving to Beijing they met drummer Ma Hui in 2003, and started playing the Beijing punk circuit. After years of growing popularity they went to the recording studios in 2005. While recording the Cut Off! EP, Brian Eno (visiting Beijing to record Afternoon Ambient Works) stumbled upon the band and offered his synthesizer for three tracks (namely "A Death-Bed Song").

Album Review:
The indie punk-rock community in Beijing is small enough that all of the bands know each other. Thanks to the absence of copyright laws, the abundance of internet piracy and black market CDs, post-punk, avant-garde, and experimental music has been heard by all in this community and passed around from friend to friend, influencing all of the bands in Beijing in arguably the same fashion. The issue that presents itself then, is how each band will separate itself from the rest and what piece of the post-punk pie will each band take. While the sounds of Sonic Youth were taken and reinterpreted by Carsick Cars, Bauhaus and Joy Division remained for Re-TROS.
I have seen this band play live twice, and the energy, cohesion, and skill is well reflected in their debut EP. Despite the frequent grammatical errors and Hua Dong's often strange accent, Re-TROS provide an authentic representation of 70s post-punk. The telecaster's twang and edgy rhythms combine perfectly with Hua Dong's voice and fill the high end of this mix with pulsing excitement. The reverb on the drums and Liu Min's back-up vocals, combined with her Gang of Four bass lines, provide a lush and full sound for the listener. I count the days until their proper LP.