Birgit
True Stories I Made Up
Zip
Was it wrong for me to assume that a singer of Chinese descent from the Netherlands would have an at least somewhat interesting take on contemporary pop music? Regardless of whether I overstepped my bounds, Birgit proves that bland pop music has the universal power to override potentially interesting arrangements.
Birgit and her songwriters fill True Stories I Made Up with Avril-esque “rockers” – like “Tsunami” and “Celebrity Trash” that limp along, far more contained than expressive – and vapid ballads such as “Guardian Angel” where Birgit plays the complete female submissive. At its relative best, on “Guniang” multi-tracked ad nauseum and sporting unusual textural accoutrements in the form of classical Asian instruments, Birgit resembles something like a sexed-up R&B version of the Pussycat Dolls crossed with Pan-Asian Geisha. Unfortunately this is one song out of 14 and more of a tease of what this release could have been if it wasn’t mired in the worst of American pop music.
Zip Records: http://www.ziprecords.com
