TIME listed out their five best Asian bands to watch in 2008 including the following:
The Analog Girl
If Tricky's Dark and Brooding Maxinquaye album was launched into outer space on a rocket ship commanded by Björk, it might sound something like the Analog Girl. A 34-year-old Singaporean, Mei Wong has come far since she recorded her first melody on a cassette tape at age 7.Cornelius
His current Sensuous Synchronized Show is a hypnotic, hallucinogenic synthesis of sound and light, with lavish visuals created by friend and video artist Koichiro Tsujikawa. The seamless combination of music, color, avant-garde projections and live sound sampling tends to leave audiences grasping for adjectives.P.K. 14
P.K. 14's thrashing chords, dark bass lines and frenetic beats resonate with echoes of Sonic Youth, the Pixies, Fugazi and the New York Dolls. But the Beijing band's charismatic vocalist, Yang Haisong, 34, says he takes his lead from songwriters such as "Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs and a whole generation of protest musicians."The Out of Body Special
Those are sentiments that have been expressed countless times in an industry where practically every new entrant claims to be offering something new, but with OBS' compelling fusion of genres (rock, deep funk, soul, R&B, jazz and latin) to back him up, it appears Magno's boast might have a ring of truth — at least in the otherwise predictable world of Asian hip-hop.Goodnight Electric
Taking their cue from '80s synth-pop acts like Devo and the Human League, Goodnight Electric aim to make "danceable music," explains Henry Foundation, 30. He started the band as a solo project in 2003 before enlisting the help of his art-school friends Oomleo, 29, and Bondi Goodboy, 30. By all accounts, their aim is being fulfilled.Read the TIME article for more info and to learn about some cool new bands if you haven't heard about them already, or even if you have, to get TIME's take on your favorites.
