As I wrap up my first
attempt at commemorating Asian Pacific American Heritage month, I realize that
I have been doing it wrong, locating musicians from Asia but not Asian-American musicians. (Except for
Lampano Alley, they have all been Japanese.)
That is something to
think about for next year. One difficulty is that there aren't a lot of
Asian-American bands. In fact, today's band, The Slants, are commonly
considered to be the first and only all-Asian American dance-rock band. At
least I am getting them in today.
It was always going to
happen, sooner or later. They are a Portland band, and have been on my radar since the
Oregonian ran an article about their difficulties in trademarking their name.
The case was resolved in early 2015, and I think the article I read happened
just prior to final arguments. I can't find it now, but here is an interesting
short video on the topic:
Of course I would want to
check them out. Subverting the language of the oppressor is a thing that I
often see the value of, and would like to defend, but I don't have good words
for expressing it because I have never had to do it. They put it in a song!
They have a song about their court case and it is fantastic!
I admit I was expecting
them to be more punk, based on the case alone. They are more dance-rock. There
are times when they remind me of Depeche Mode, but there are also echoes of
that time when Interpol was big and The Killers put out Hot Fuss. You may especially notice this on the
enticing "Love Within My Sins".
A great introduction to
the band would be their 2017 EP, The Band Who Must Not Be Named.
It starts out with
"From the Heart". That's the song about the court case and I love it
- not just for the message but also musically. The third track is my second
favorite, "Endlessly Falling".
"Level Up" is a
nice tribute to their fandom. The Slants are popular with cosplayers and
convention goers and geeks. (This also comes up in some videos.) "Fight Back"
could be an anthem for any of the put upon, including geeks, but the keyboards
kind of give some video game shout-outs as well.
Finally, "Sutures"
is deeply personal and thoughtful. The acoustic version here (it has been
performed with Dez Cadena of Black Flag, so that's another way of doing it)
shows another side of the band.
I think after going
through the EP, there is good reason to continue checking out other music, and
find additional treats there. They are very much worth checking out.
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