Word: straights
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...compilation albums give a taster of what's on offer. The latest, The Underground #2: Straight Ahead ... Back to Roots, is like its predecessor, a two-CD box set highlighting 11 local bands. And all of it - from the irrepressibly upbeat indie pop of Poubelle International to the zestful testosterone-fueled rock of the David Bowie Knives and the visceral emo stylings of all-girl band the Ember - is a laudable testament to the city's musical diversity. Granted, some of the listening experience lacks polish, not least because, in their zeal to forward the cause of Hong Kong music...
...K.A.Z's full-time bands (L'Arc-en-Ciel and Oblivion Dust, respectively) have always had strong presences in the J-rock scene, each shifting tons of albums to a shared fan base. But there's no escaping the fact that their day jobs were never this straight-up. Like a well-deserved summer break, the album sees them do what they do best, showcasing screeching vocals and guitar against the unobtrusive, workmanlike backing of a rhythm section of keyboards, bass and drums. Almost all experimental fat is trimmed...
...being foreign-born in 1970s Britain. Their sons weren't Pakistanis but "Pakis," who snorted coke, fornicated and embraced the Thatcherite dream of making money fast. "When I was in school, the long-standing stereotype of the South Asian male was of the studious nerd, who was going straight to an enviable university to make his parents proud," novelist Zadie Smith tells TIME in an e-mail. "But a lot of the second-generation kids ... we weren't planning on becoming accountants. We wanted to get stoned, get laid and be cool, like everyone else. When I was 15, Kureishi...
...hope of some is that these disinterested senators (mostly from rural Western states) can craft a bill that is both effective and bipartisan. But it won’t happen. The Gang of Six is the gang that couldn’t shoot straight. The members are financially compromised, too far to the right of public opinion, and uncommitted to civil debate...
...Japan's unemployment rate for July at a record 5.7%, up from the six-year high in June of 5.4% and well on its way to the 6% figure analysts expect by year's end. Japan's July exports dipped to 36.5% over last year, falling for a tenth straight month. Exports to China and the U.S., Japan's top two trade partners, fell 26.5% and 39.5%, respectively, over last year. And consumer prices in June also fell an unprecedented 2.2% from a year...