INSIDE THE CABLE TEMPLE

Despite hosting the largest population on the entire planet, China has not exactly been prolific in producing legions of stellar art rock and more progressive leaning groups although a scant few have emerged as China continues its fast-paced development into the brave new world. One of the most interesting bands to have emerged from the city of Schijiazhuang in Hebei province was the OMNIPOTENT YOUTH SOCIETY aka 万能青年旅店 in its Chinese character form. This collective began all the way back in 1996 under the moniker The Nico before changing it to the current one in 2002.

As OMNIPOTENT YOUTH SOCIETY, the band headlined major festivals in China after its self-titled debut was finally completed and released in 2010 which made the band an national sensation. That album told the tale of life in a huge industrial city and the trials and tribulations that ensued. The band's sound incorporated rock guitar riffs that added the jazzy extras of trumpet and sax parts. Rather than focusing on rushing out a sophomore effort, OMNIPOTENT YOUTH SOCIETY opted to attract a larger fanbase through incessant touring and after all was said and done it took an entire decade to bring the followup to fruition.

At long last in 2020 the second album INSIDE THE CABLE TEMPLE 冀西南林路行 has emerged. SInce Mandarin Chinese is so very very different than Western languages, the English title INSIDE THE CABLE TEMPLE is not a direct translation which would be more something like "A Walk In The Woods Of Southwestern Hebei" which also hints more upon what the actual theme of the album is, namely by taking a 180 from the focus on city life and instead celebrating the natural wonders that can be found in Hebei province. All lyrics are in Mandarin Chinese so the concept of the album will be completely lost to all but those who speak the language but despite the language barrier, China has finally entered the prog scene.

INSIDE THE CABLE TEMPLE 冀西南林路行 is an art rock album that incorporates elements of progressive rock, jazz-rock, chamber folk and jazz-fusion and appears as a single 44 minute track as well as eight separated tracks but so far as only been released as a digital file. While clearly inspired by Western acts such as Pink Floyd's space rock, the 90s pop folk of Blind Melon as well as violin and cello led chamber rock bands with sprinklings of other bands, the album mostly breezes by in acoustic guitar mode with a few traditional Chinese sounds added. While the focus is clearly on the storyline and lyrics, this album may not appeal to non-Chinese speakers but nevertheless features some beautiful melodic hooks and clearly displays how even a tonal language such as Mandarin Chinese can be adapted to Western musical styles and still sound beautiful. Only occasional outbursts of rock and jazz occur making this a rather mellow album.

While the idea and concept are good ones, i can't say the execution of INSIDE THE CABLE TEMPLE 冀西 南林路行 is as satisfying as i'd like it to be. Basically the album seems unbalanced with too much folk rock and only scatterings of other styles. I really wanted the more rocking parts to stick around longer as well as the jazzier motifs but the default setting always ventures towards dreamy acoustic guitar led strumming sessions with light safe as milk vocal utterances. Considering i have no idea of the sensibilities of popular music in China i can only go by my own preferences as to how i relate to this music and in the end i find it an interesting and even entertaining listening experience but i can't seem to shake off the fact that it needs a bit more compositional fortitude to really compete with the Western art rock scene which has a half century head start. Still though China is emerging quickly so i'm confident that better things are to come.

3.5 stars

The Americas and Europe are kind of the big stars in the whole prog camp. I mean, with acts like King Crimson or Kansas it is pretty easy to see why, but I think stuff over in Asia, particularly Eastern Asia should get some fair amount, or even equal love too. Obviously Japan is the most popular Asian country that specializes in prog, with groups like Sigh, Koenjihyakkei, Ruins, and Far East Family Band giving the world some tasty prog. Aside from Japan though, you really do not hear many prog groups from places like Korea, or Mongolia. In fact, a lot of Asian countries in general do not quite have a lot of huge prog namesakes, unlike Japan, America, and Europe, which is honestly disappointing to hear, because prog over in Asia sounds fantastic, at least from the stuff I have heard so far. However, I think eventually those bands over across the pacific will get their due, as shown from the promisingly rated Omnipotent Youth Society's Inside The Cable Temple.

Omnipotent Youth Society, or OYS is a Chinese contemporary prog band that formed in 1996 in Shijiazhuang, led by Dong Yaqian. The band would release their first single in 2006, but wouldn't release their first full length album until 2010, where they made their self titled record. While over in the west their LP flew over people's heads, in China it became a smash hit, with the band winning 'band of the year' in China's Music Media Awards. 10 years later they would release another smash hit in the form of Inside The Cable Temple, which, while not winning them a 'band of the year' status, did win them huge amounts of recognition, which culminated in being the musical representation of the Dongbei renaissance, and a grant of recognition, particularly to their bassist Ji Geng.

All this too say, they've also become quite popular over in the west recently, at least to some extent. In RYM, this album places #21 for 2020, which, while not particularly super high, is quite great, especially next to highly rated albums like Anthem Of The Dead, The Normal Album, and Lianne La Havas. To be frank here, I believe this album should get all the credit it deserves, because it really is a great tour de force.

First off, I am quite amazed by the vibrancy of this record. Like, wow, they really put out a sound that really is THEM. The music has a chamber jazzy folk sound, kinda like iamthemorning's Lighthouse, but with a more rock output, and a vibe that reminds me particularly of King Crimson's Islands. That's probably the best way to describe their sound, and even then they really craft things into their own foot works. From the second track alone, 泥河 (Ni He), I get swept off my feet with seriously amazing prog rock. Each song, not accounting for the two 1 minute tracks, are just extremely good, and overtime, with each listen, I find myself not knowing which track is their best on here. Sometimes I think it is 河北墨麒麟 (He Bei Mo Qi Lin), and other times it feels like I might prefer 采石 (Cai Shi). Each song has their own flavors, but still keeps up with that brilliantly executed sound that gets me rolling.

I think each player here has some level of magic in their musical output. Dong Yaquin's vocals and acoustic are extremely good, with an almost Greg Lake-like falsetto and progression to his singing and playing styles. Ji Geng's bass, as well as Shit Lee's trumpet & flute, Feng Jiang's drums, and Sule's guitar skills are also all very great, and they honestly hold a strong knack to my ears, crafting these wonderful soundscapes.

Now, I would mention stuff relating to the album's concepts, however I do not know Chinese, in fact I do not know any Asian languages, but from what I could gather from this album's wiki page, it is about the mountains that surround the band's home city, the Taihang Mountains, and the results of heavy amounts of pollution within the area. It's funny how this is the third album I have reviewed that is based on mountains, first Sorni Nai, then Alturas de Machu Pichu, and now this. Guess something about concept records about mountains really gets my gears rolling. Discretions aside, and comprehension aside, I can tell from Yaquin's singing that the lyrics are a treat to behold, and I can see why a lot of people in China ranked this record very highly due to such a poignant concept.

Again, my favorite track on this record changes a lot, but right now I think it's 河北墨麒麟 (He Bei Mo Qi Lin). The track goes through a series of brilliantly executed stylings, some of which give off energies from more Crimson- esque math rock and fusiony jazz rock, but again, presented in a way that is very distinctly OYS. I absolutely love the ending of this song too, just how it builds up into a wall of chaos and noise, almost like the mountains this record is based on are crumbling down, with the band giving them a final eulogy in the form of an 11 minute express. It works extremely well to me, and in tandem with the final track of 郊眠寺 (Jiao Mian Si), creates for a stunning climax and eulogy for this mountain of a record.

I think this record fills a similar niche that albums like Dark Side Of The Moon, Mew And The Glass Handed Kites, and Night fill, being this one long track split into multiple, extraordinary songs. I am honestly surprised this album isn't as popular within the prog crowd, it's really good! I really do recommend this one, it holds some of the best Eastern Asian prog you can ask for, and it's a great treat for those who adore acts like Islands era King Crimson, iamthemorning, and Phideaux. Can't wait to see what they make next in another 10 years. I will be patient.