Psycho Creates the Future - Interview with Queen Sea Big Shark & Album Review

It has been three years since Queen Sea Big Shark released their self-titled debut album. And they finally had their new album Wave land in Beijing in October, spaceship style. (Check out the pictures of their album launch in our gallery.)

Their first album had only English songs; maybe they got tired of answering "why do you sing in English?" Because three and half Chinese songs (2nd Track Glow in Dark is half English half Chinese) are included in this new album. Lead singer Fu Han's extended voice singing in Chinese glows with the electronic effects, especially in the titled track Wave.

The whole album is like a science fiction movie in black and white. Song names like Back to the Future, Comxxpuda and Neo! Man set up the style of the album. Sharp keyboard notes hop with Fu Han's scream, the use of guitar amps and synthesizers are maximized, but the guitar chords reminds you '70s experimental bands or old school punks. A brilliant assembly of a various range of sounds makes the album splendid.

We had an interview with the band, and it should get you close to the future rockers minds. Here's how it goes:

What's the first thing you remember doing with the band?
Cao Pu (guitar): Practicing, Xiao Wu just joined us; we weren't called Queen Sea Big Shark back then. We had this name in our minds but thought it was too dull.
Wang Jinghan (bass): I don't remember that, I remember the first thing was deciding who plays guitar and who plays bass.

Tell us about your first gig?
Fu Han (vocal): it was at a place called Violet near Beijing Normal University. We didn't make an appointment, just called the bar when we found out there would be a few bands playing that night. Then we asked them if we could join in and we didn't ask for any money. But when we got there the show was already finished and everybody was leaving. We run to the stage and asked them to stay to see one more band. (Did they stay?) They all stayed I remember, people didn’t have much to do those days, wouldn't bother to stay and see one more.

Tell us about the strangest fans you've had?
Cao Pu: There was one dentist we've met when we were touring in the US, he was not quite strange but memorable. We just finished our gig in Portland, this Chinese American in his forties came to talk to us, he said that it's amazing that they can still hear us over there.
Xiao Wu (drums): What about the old Hippie in Detroit? Who goes to the bar everyday nagging about whom he has seen when he was young.
Cao Pu: That Hippie was everybody's fans. He's quite well known on Facebook over there, who gets high no matter who’s playing. He said to us: "There's no rock music in the US anymore, you are here to help us rock."

What kind of music inspired you originally?
Cao Pu: Some old music. We like grunge and surf music.
Fu Han: We have also listened to some new bands, like Le Tigre, a feminist band.
Cao Pu: We wanted to have a vigorous and rough band and didn't care much. We felt that rock music was too pretentious and too artistic.

Who's your favorite band?
YMO (Yellow Magic Orchestra), and electronic band from Japan in the '70s, they broke up long time ago.

If your house is on fire and you can save only one CD, which one will it be?
Xiao Wu: Our own album, Wave.
Cao Pu: Naked City by John Zorn. That one is marvelous. It can actually not been called classic. But every time I listen to it, I feel inspired. I don't like other John Zorn's album so much though.
Fu Han: All the music I like are in my computer, I don't have CD that I like at home.
Wang Jinghan: Take the iPod.
(What if you can not take the iPod?)
Cao Pu: WJh has many cassettes at home, he would save the cassettes.
Wang Jinghan: As I see, save nothing, let them burn.

Who will cover your songs the best out of Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, and Katy Parry?
Xiao Wu: Gaga I think.
Cao Pu: I think someone like Portishead or PJ Harvey would do a good job.

You defined yourself as dance rock, are you less rock than before?
Fu Han: I don't think so. We are presenting our attitude towards rock music. Rock music has many aspects, why limit yourself in only one?
Cao Pu: There's probably more and more rock in our music. Because of the communication, something you see on the surface is probably not what we have on the roots. We hope rock & roll is not only something under weak lights at one particular venue, like a sample product being appreciated by a certain group of people. And we persist in what we do.

Cao Pu has said in one interview that even though you have used modern music tech but you are fighting against it. Why do you fight it? Have you thought about that maybe this technology can be a part of rock & roll?
Cao Pu: It already is. What I meant about fighting against it is that we need to find a balance and use it as a tool. Many people have lost themselves while using it. We cannot let our music be programmed. And we never use programs in our live shows.

Describe your new album in three words.
Fu Han: Future.
Xiao Wu: Psycho.
Fu Han: Create.
Xiao Wu: Psycho Creates the Future

If you have to cut one song from your album, which one will that be?
Fu Han: Cut CBD and make it a single.

Is there any brilliant idea in your music that people have overlooked?
Cao Pu: Some people might notice only our forms. Or just want to see if we bring anything new. They might overlooked the core of our music. Xiao Wu has just said this yesterday that we don't simply say "I love yo" in our music when we want to say that. We use many methods to express.

Where's your favorite venue in Beijing to play?
Fu Han: We are still exploring. There are not many choices yet.

Where's your favorite venue in Beijing to see a gig?
Cao Pu: We used to go to D-22 a lot when it first opened. But we live too far away from there now.

Any weird things you saw a foreigner doing?
Cao Pu: What the band Christmas is doing. Rock music has been put too much into it all this time. But rock & roll should be spontaneous but not vessel or a tool.
Wang Jinghan: Music should be simple, happy, natural and spontaneous.

What style will you try in the future?
Cai Pu: I think we will be more and more strange.
Fu Han: We want to make an album that sounds like from 50 years later.

Do you have any plans to tour?
Fu Han: We will have a national tour in March of 2011.