“周先生”《梦里舞蹈的人》碟评(摘自《City weekend》)

CD
Dancing Puppet
By Tora Mi, June 18, 2003

Dancing Puppet by Mr Zhou A melancholic debut from a band of veterans on China's rock scene that hopefully will be the prelude to more great music

Zhou xiansheng, 周先生, 梦里舞蹈的人

　　Although the band Mr. Zhou was only formed in 2001, front man Zhou Fengling is a stalwart of the Chinese music scene with an impressive 14-year pedigree. Following his first band, The Face (Miankong, 面孔), he gained fame during the good old days of Chinese rock with the band Hearts 5 (Hongtaowu, 红桃五) behind the legendary compilation album Rock Beijing II (Yaogun beijing er, 摇滚北京2). In 1994, he was invited by Dou Wei to play as his guitarist, playing on stage as support band for Radiohead's Hong Kong concert. Later that year, he participated in the historic Chinese Rock 'n' Roll Force concert (Zhongguo yaogunyue shili, 中国摇滚乐势力), also in Hong Kong, alongside Dou Wei, He Yong, and other veterans of the Chinese mainland rock scene.

　　In recent years, he has withdrawn behind the rock curtain, until he met another musician surnamed Zhou - Zhou Guangbin - to form his latest band, Mr. Zhou.

　　Unlike most new bands under the Badhead brand, this Mr. Zhou debut album Dancing Puppet is an introspective album, and for those languishing in the SARS-quiet, the melancholic chords run the risk of kicking you past summer and straight into a lonely autumn. Zhou Fengling says that his music is largely influenced by British rock of the late-1980s, and certainly bands such as The Cure and Pulp are echoed in the deep bass and keyboards.

　　Dancing Puppet is in fact a series of songs about dreams, love, and faded glory. Beside some cliche expressions, the album on the whole is quite affecting. Departure (Chufa, 出发), Standing at the Origin (Zhuli zai yuandi, 伫立在原地), and Walk in Time (Suiyue li manbu, 岁月里漫步) are songs of loss and regret in a minor key that is suffused with jangling guitars and rhythmic shifts.

　　That Autumn (Na nian qiutian, 那年秋天) sounds very similar to Dou Wei's early works, and with lyrics like "Day and night, my darling/Who can forecast when the heart will grow old?" reflects Mr. Zhou's resignation that love will never be eternal.

　　Although Dancing Puppet is Mr. Zhou's debut, it is also an epitaph, with the untimely death of bass player Sun Shu just three days after he supported Hopscotch at Suede's February concert in Beijing. The knowledge of this adds to the sense of loss that permeates the album, and the song Wonderful World (Qiyi kongjian, 奇异空间) has become Sun's requiem: "Ashes fell to the ground, and the body and soul stayed in the wonderful world".

　　Music fans can, however, rest assured that there are also more optimistic notes struck, meaning this is unlikely to be the first and last call from Mr. Zhou.

Dancing Puppet, by Mr. Zhou, Modern Sky Records/Badhead, 2003