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by Dan Shapiro – original here

A complex and sophisticated effort, Reprieve: The Auspicious Occurrences of Dr. Chen’s Past Lives (Maybe Mars), the latest release from Chengdu heavy psychedelic quartet Proximity Butterfly, is a 58-minute odyssey through a fictionalized account of the very real Wenchuan Earthquake that sent shockwaves throughout China in 2008.

Beginning with the Sichuan-opera influenced “The Thousand Faces,” Reprieve travels from one sonic landscape to the next, crafting a fine line between beauty and violence to tell the sobering tale of a man stuck beneath the rubble, hallucinating and fantasizing while helping victims of the natural disaster.

Mixed and mastered by Proximity Butterfly frontman Joshua C. Love, the album, the band’s fifth studio release and first since 2008’s The Antikythera Mechanism, is a definite victory for a band that’s been at the forefront of the Chengdu rock scene for the better part of a decade, a complete concept piece that strikes listeners with its aural maturity, crafty songwriting and skillful studio production.

Of note are the industrial tinged “Aggress,” eerie funk rocker “Tiptoes of Shiva” and jazzy space-jam “Vanity,” songs that exemplify Proximity Butterfly’s mix of hard and progressive rock and use of time signature changes and tempo shifts.

While Reprieve sees Proximity Butterfly further carving their niche as China’s top flag-bearers of psychedelia, the band, at times, too closely references their influences, best heard on the ethereal acoustic-driven “Sacrifice,” which has a striking resemblance to The Mars Volta’s “Televators.”

original post here

‘Daze Review:

I’ve been keeping both eyes on this band for a while now as one of the most exciting bands in China that is not based in Beijing. I’ve quite enjoyed their previous records, especially Arcana! The latest one, from 2008, failed to grab me as much despite some interesting sounds. How would the new release measure up?
Much was made about this record’s connection to the Sichuan Earthquake and it’s evident in the dark edges that surround pretty much every song. The introkicks things off with an dreamy instrumental that reminds me of the Tibetain song of the dead, and even if it’s not, it sets up the field for what’s to come.
Tiptoes of Shiva, the following number, is haunting! I have had the song stuck in my head for a few days already. It’s easily the strongest number as far as i’m concerned with great vocals, interesting progressions and tempo changes. I can’t wait to check it out live.
Aggress is the other song that stands out! Extremely heavy with unmistakable influences from early 70s hard rock and metal, akin to Sabath and Maiden… It’s freaking heavy, violent with extremely distinctive vocals. The other songs, while all good, fail to stand out as much in my opinion. That’s to be attributed to how good the other songs above are.
The song Earthquake is a bit baffling when you just get the audio. It’s a weird cacophony of unrelated sounds, heavy beats, humming and more…. I’m assuming this one will stand out live as well.
Overall, one hell of a good record, befitting my expectations of the band and probably the best non-Beijing release of the year so far.

Ruby Review:

Two new CDs arrived in my hands this week and both are distinctly related, yet sound so different. The first “The Harbour Union” a blues/country collection Christchurch musicians put together to support rebuilding the city after it’smultiple devastating earthquakes over the last 9 months. The second “Reprieve: The Auspicious Occurrences of Dr. Chen’s Past Lives” a concept album by Chengdu psychedelic rockers Proximity Butterfly based around theWenchuan earthquake of 2008.

To say I’ve been waiting for this album and the China tour that goes along with it could be a slight understatement! I discovered Proximity Butterfly at Midi in May 2010 and since I stumbled across their 2008 album ‘The Antikythera Mechanism‘ in C-Rock, It’s become one of my most listened to Chinese albums. This show has been marked in my calendar as unmissable for months now, I hope my parents understand my ditching them for one night (yes, I did offer to take them!)

How to describe Proximity Butterfly’s sound to those who’ve never heard them?Passionate, ethereal, hard rock, I’ve heard them compared to Pink Floyd andThe Mars Volta, but I think also they sound a little like Wolfmother, especially the song ‘Tiptoes of Shiva‘. ‘Reprieve‘ is a psychdelic journey through the eyes of those in Sichuan during the earthquake, from eerie rumblings of ‘Ruin‘, to the soulful wailing of ‘Sickness‘, and the thunderous riffs of ‘Agress‘. Lead singer Joshua’s soaring vocals and clever lyrics lead the listener though the story. I like how this album includes Chinese lyrics as well as English, and also traditional Chinese instruments begin the journey before the quake on ‘The Thousand Faces‘. The band produced and mixed the album themselves in true indie fashion and have created an exceptional follow up to ‘The Antikythera Mechanism‘. I’m looking forward to seeing them live on Saturday!