ARTiST: T. Kao
ALBUM: Hundred Flowers
BiTRATE: 174kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: CD Baby
GENRE: Rock
SiZE: 33.78 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 25min 38sec total
RiP DATE: 2008-08-06
STORE DATE: 2008-06-05
Track List:
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01. Sweet Surrender 4:27
02. Every Little Thing 3:50
03. LA 4:59
04. Crowded Streets in an Empty 3:35
Town
05. 1989 4:25
06. Montgomery Road 4:22
Release Notes:
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Mixing the heartfelt angst of a singer/songwriter with sweeping arrangements
tinged in Americana and Britpop, T. Kao strongly refuses to be defined by any
genre, leaping from one spot to another stylistically as he writes about lost
love, deceit, and revenge.
A native of Springfield, OH, Kao began writing and recording his first songs at
age 16. During a five-year stint in Shanghai, China, T. Kao began sketching out
songs for his first solo effort, Hundred Flowers.
A cursory listen proves Kao's infatuation with pop music. He tears through
rock's back pages taking whatever he wants, as well as borrowing from country,
Britpop, electronica, and other musical genres. But this musical eclecticism
disguises his true cynicism. Take a listen to songs "Sweet Surrender" and "Every
Little Thing". Underneath the shiny exterior is a real contempt for cheating
hearts and religious discrimination. "1989" (a live favorite with Shanghainese
audiences) is a tribute to the victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. City
life and all its pitfalls come full circle in classic "he said, she said"
fashion in the massive "LA". All in all, Hundred Flowers is an album marked with
both bristling cynicism and soaring optimism--contradictory just like the
political movement it was named after--but nonetheless an album that is very
listen-able, heartwarming, and sincere.