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From the burgeoning underground music scene of Shanghai, China comes the downer pop of 汤姆克鲁斯和凯蒂赫尔姆斯 (translation: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes). Featuring vocalist/keyboardist Cee-Q from Marquee VII and Pairs drummer Xiao Zhong on guitar, the duo delivers eight haunting tracks of dreamy sadness that’s as engaging as it is depressive.
Sung mostly in Mandarin, 汤姆克鲁斯和凯蒂赫尔姆斯 weaves a mysterious tale of lost love and eternal yearning. Immediately, “献给你” draws us in with Cee-Q’s aching vocals, which exude confidence betrayed by an overwhelming desperation, wafting over Xiao Zhong’s contemplative, yet scratchy guitar. This isn’t your typical indie folk pop drivel, this is pure emotion with all cards laid out on the table. By the time “再见,亲爱的” rolls around and Cee-Q so beautifully sings “Goodbye, dear, goodbye to you,” it feels like your heart is about to be ripped from your chest. Fortunately, the final two tracks, “Wander” and “Laura’s Doom” delve more into psychedelic territory, with effects and loops driving the songs, though the emotional catharsis still comes through. It’s a harrowing experience, for sure, but one that lets you down gently so you don’t feel completely broken in the end.
It makes sense that an album of such mystery and emotional release would come out of China. Here in the West, where we’re constantly assaulted by phony celebrity weddings and their inevitable divorces, it’s easy to become jaded and take such feelings for granted. Listening to 汤姆克鲁斯和凯蒂赫尔姆斯 reminds us those feelings exist, despite the cynicism of pop culture. It may not feel good, but it feels so very real.
