Posted on: January 2, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Chinese Stars – Listen To Your Left Brain / 2007 Three One G / 9 Tracks / http://www.thechinesestars.com / http://www.threeoneg.com /

This Rhode Island band was formed from the ashes of Arab on Radar and Six Finger Satellite. I was not familiar with the band before receiving “Listen To Your Left Brain”, even though this is their second full length and fifth release in total since the band’s founding in 2003. The 9 tracks on “Listen To Your Left Brain” provide individuals with an interesting look to how individuals in 2007 would create the music that was all the rage in 1985. This brand of rock mixed with an ample amount of electronic music and dance rhythms plays well with Big Country, Duran Duran, and some tracks (“Cold Cold Cold”) even work well with Suicide and Bauhaus. The only thing that distinguishes the tracks on “Listen To Your Left Brain” from those that were created around a generation ago is the angularity present on a number of the guitar tracks on the disc.

This angularity was first brought back into prominence by acts like Franz Ferdinand in their retro-rock stylings, but The Chinese Stars so successfully emulate an earlier style that it becomes hard at points to realize that these were tracks made for this year. “All My Friends Are Getting High” is a track that would even work with the Devo crowds. It is during this track that The Chinese Stars’ own style is shown, and this style is only furthered with the inclusion of “Left Brain”. The stop-start, herky-jerky style of the band during these track allow the act to create a style that has a solid tie to the present while still having a tremendous love for the past. The Chinese Stars, if they played their cards right, should go on tour with Devo or The Network, get a reformed Atom and His Package, and pack clubs throughout the United States with their interesting takes on electro-pop and eighties rock music.

Top Track: Left Brain

Rating: 7.0/10

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