Flying Without Wings asianpop Samuel Lee Fairly of unfairly, bands which have attained super-stardom are often accused of selling out. With success comes bloated budgets from record labels for every aspect, from production to promotion. Regardless of merit, the ensuing product, if perceived as too slick, elicits talk of whether the band's integritiy has been compromised. Take the case of Taiwanese band Mayday, which recently released its fifth studio album. Now, Mayday is big. How big? Well, two movies about the band have been made - 2002's The Wings of Dream and Love of May earlier this year. It is a feat which invites comparisons to the fab Four (a.k.a Beatles), whose celluloid excursions include 1964's A Hard Day's Night. Suffice to say, too, that every Mayday release these days is marked by multi- media fanfare in Taiwan, complete with merchandise. The new album was recorded in a studio in Kawaguchiko at Mount Fuki - where Mayday's second album Viva Love was also wrapped up in 2000. Costs were hiked by a hiring a top Japanese stylist and mastering the album in LA. But is the new album any good? Fortunately, it is - brimming with energy, intensity and infectious tunes. Wacky titles (for instance, Sun Wu Kong, Xiao Hu Shi, Le Se Che and Wan An Di Qiu Ren) hint at way-out musical explorations that bear evidence of closer collaborations between frontman AShin and his compatriouts. In short, Falling Angels silences any detractors who say Mayday is now too big for its own good. ASIAN ALBUM OF THE WEEK Falling angels with a flying Soul - Mayday ****1/2 out of ***** Source:http://maydaysg.suddenlaunch2.com/ -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 218.186.198.219