A Pleasure To Be Here EP (Boys Climbing Ropes)

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Cover

General Information

Artist:	Boys Climbing Ropes
Title:	A Pleasure To Be Here EP
Release Date:	2008, May 9
Label:	n/a
Type:	CDDA
Catalog No.:
Language:	English

Track Listing

The One Trouble
Dirty Bots
A Pleasure To Be Here
The Night Boy
Calculate!
Polar Bears
A Pleasure To Be Here (Lo-Fi Remix)

Reviews

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine, Aelred Doyle, July 1, 2008

We have to admit we immediately warmed to these guys when we found out they list the Oriental Pearl Tower as their one and only influence on their MySpace page. Entering the burgeoning Shanghai indie-rock scene is local band Boys Climbing Ropes, a trio of Canadian dudes from Ottawa and a Chinese poetess. Their seven-song EP talks about everything from rich kids partying to, well, actually the forcefully delivered lyrics are hard to get a hold of at times. This is not a bad thing: BCR jam like the Strokes and sing like a cross between the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Modest Mouse; "A Pleasure to Be Here" opens with a riff that sounds like it marched straight off a Franz Ferdinand song. The EP's best song is probably "Dirty Bots", featuring a more toned-down sound than most of the other fare, and some heartfelt singing from lead singer Xiao "Punk" Pengke and guitarist Jordan Smalls. While vocal quality on the record can be a little weak and lacks the polished sound of expensive production, Xiao Pengke's voice has a gently compelling depth, and the guitars hold up extremely well under pressure. All told, this is a band to look out for. Perhaps one day they'll be a defining feature of the Shanghai music skyline.

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