The Slants
It takes a solid group of hardworking musicians to push past racial stereotypes and legal battles about their name and still put out solid music. Since 2006, The Slants—the all-Asian American dance-rock band—have been blending the soul of modern rock with the experimentation of ‘80s’ electronic music.
The Slants
The band’s last album, Something Slanted This Way Comes (2016), re-imaged and re-recorded parts of their previous full-length albums to deliver a smoother record that emphasizes the vocals and lyrics. The album’s second track, “Capture Me Burning,” leaps right into electropop, with drummer Tyler Chen setting a catchy beat. Soon after, vocalist Ken Shima joins in singing, “Capture me burning through the midnight downtown,” while bassist Simon Tam adds a beefy tone and some warmth to the track.
The carefully chosen beats of the drums helps accent moments of Shima’s voice, rather than simply follow the synthesized beat. Guitarist Joe X. Jiang follows a similar approach, providing about one chord per line of lyrics, with short flourishes in between.
With “Heartbeat is Heaven,” the band shows that their music can be just as emotional as catchy. Gone are the electronic elements, in favor of a rawer, rock style. The agony in Shima’s voice is clear when he cries out “I wanna see you smile” in the chorus.
Gone are the electronic elements, in favor of a rawer, rock style.
That’s not to say they chose to shove their electronic and dance elements to the side. “Kokoro (I Fall to Pieces)” begins with an ‘80s’ Depeche Mode-esque beat accented by bass and drums, which carries throughout the song. Unlike most of the album, Shima’s vocals take a backseat to the rhythm of the song. When the vocals do join the song, even lyrics like “Do you want to blow me up and sell my guts?” don’t stop hips from shaking to the catchy beat.
What makes the song so intricate, and different than its original version, is how the band chooses to layer each instrument at their disposal. The rock elements, such as Jiang’s guitar riffs, are also brought to the forefront, makes it easier for the listener to pick up on the different ways they incorporate rock into this song. It’s also representative of the album’s overall effort to allow band members to shine brighter in their respective roles.
Overall, the band shows a strong knack for pushing the boundaries of what it means to be in an electronic rock band. With enough diversity, Something Slanted This Way Comes is just as interesting as it is innovative, distinguishing the Slants from other bands in their genre.
8,650 out of 10,000 Rawckus Kung Fu Throwing Stars
