A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

YIM WARS

It is a time of musical unrest in the galaxy. Chiakii (who at this time is not going under that name, because at this point she has zero interest in most music in general) is wasting away her summer at home, talking to her friend M. Because you see, Chiakii-who-is-not-Chiakii-yet is quite popular, amassing many friends…oh who is she kidding, M is one of her very few friends.

Anyway. Where was I? Oh, right. Opening narration. M is going on about Chinese music and Chiakii-who-is-not-Chiakii-yet is mildly interested. M links to Chiakii to this video, and Chiakii-who-is-not-Chiakii-yet falls in love…well, kind of. It’s more of a mild like at this point, really.

I was immediately taken in by “I Wanna Rock”, a catchy, not-quite-rock-but-still-more-than-pop tune. (And their outfits. Oh, their outfits. The twelve-year-old me wanted nothing more than to own Gua’s skirt.) And they weren’t just standing there singing, they were jumping and smiling, like “Really! There’s nothing we’d rather be doing!”

If you don’t know: Cherry Boom is a four-member all-girl band from Taiwan, consisting of vocalist Cha-cha (also written as Cha Cha, Zha-zha, or Zha Zha), guitarist Gua, bassist Xiao Qian, and drummer Da Tian. They attended the same school as each other, as well as Faye from F.I.R. and Jolin Tsai. Oooh, prestigious. Though they’re promoted as being pure rock, they have lots of different elements in their music and have plenty of upbeat, poppy songs as well - of course, when you take a closer look, said poppy songs often have lyrics about pain and sorrow. Cherry Boom throws plenty of curveballs in their music and leaves you either pleasantly surprised or totally freaked out.

I haven’t really been able to get hooked on their second album, Goody Goody, yet, but their first one, Dear Prince, is still one of my favorite albums to this day and I listen to the songs on it quite often. I’ve never really looked back and reviewed those first songs and artists that got me into Asian music, so I want to start on that and see how my opinion of them might’ve changed with more exposure to Asian music. This is the first time I’ve done a review on something that I have a personal attachment to, so bear with me here.

So let’s get this show on the road!

The album kicks off with A New Morning, which begins with the lines, “If you really understand me / you should not fool me / even dump me.” Okay, that’s not creepy at all. The chorus is interspersed with the line “How about the final kiss?” which should give you your next clue. Don’t let Cha-cha’s sweet, youthful voice fool you: she’s singing about poisoning an ex-boyfriend. The song’s opening lines are sang slowly and sweetly before it launches into a few seconds of angry guitar and drums before returning to the calm, innocent-sounding verses. Only a few snatches of quick, ranting-type singing suggest what this song is about. For the most part, it’s steady and deceptively sweet. It’s a tricky song, but it bounces between a sharp, bitter sound and a innocent, cute one with disturbing ease considering the lyrics. Much love for this one.

Dear Prince is one of those ethereal, music box songs that creep you out endlessly no matter how much you like them. It starts off with a tinkly, Harry-Potteresque sound. The girls start whisper-singing and are joined by the guitar and the song moves away from the music box to more traditional instruments. The song doesn’t lose its elements of creepiness, though. It’s hard to tell what exactly gives this song its eerie, little-girl-lost sound. Everything from the vocals to the slower but precise beat contributes. You can hear strains of the other girls in the background - there, but not. Creepeh.

Though there’s no video for this song, Secret Garden is absolutely one of my favorite songs. It’s not quite as original as the other two - no faux-sweetness or extreme creepiness (I’ve been listening to this album for a good year and a half, and “Dear Prince” still scares me), but there’s something about opening sounds, then the drum countoff before Cha-cha comes in with just the guitar before the whole song gets into swing. It’s a calm, only slightly emotional song. And the ending. The ending! “It’s the place that we start / it always waits for us / no matter summer or winter / the sun and stars forever shine for love” is just the kind of thing that makes me smile before the song ends. Though more of a filler between the more exciting tracks, “Secret Garden” is pretty in its own way.