With the double album The Year Of The Two, A Fish Called Piranha has created a concept album that transcends both time and geography. Meticulously produced by Kwong and several producers including Daniel Elmes (Dan Mangan, Sweatshop Union), Sam Ryan & Dave Badiuk (Krome, Miss Mercury), Mike Plotnikoff (KISS, The Cranberries) and John Shepp (Matthew Good Band, GOB), The Year Of The Two emerges as an extremely potent concoction of Kurt Cobain-esque poetry, 90's grunge, hip-hop and ethereal cinematic pieces. The concept album is about a computer named Bill Gates who later finds out he is the Antichrist. He 'mates' with Charlotte's Website to spawn super-computers and two 'megabots' named Betty and Carrie. The theme of 'TWO' permeates throughout the entire album to symbolize their contrast.
"... The Year of the Two is a truly fascinating mess, kind of like an autopsy... this thing is f**king nuts. Two crazy thumbs up..." -THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT
"...as might be expected of a band named after a piranha, this is voracious, insatiable rock. In less than 15 minutes, A Fish Called Piranha plays with a biting edge, a little drama and hint of a sense of humour in the last song on, "Swimming With Piranhas." It's sharp and leaves the listener wanting more.”-
– Tom Harrison, THE PROVINCE
The double album oscillates between aggressive density and heavenly spaciousness. The first CD, Act 1: Hard Into Hell (And Back) – War, introduces the characters of the album reminiscent of The Wall by Pink Floyd, The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie, or Tommy by The Who. AFCP mixes in music's more aggressive sounds of hard rock, grunge and hip-hop to accentuate the mood of war and hell. Bill Gates, the opening track, beckons the listener into this space continued by the punk grunge of 2 and Graveyard Sale. The first CD winds down to push and pull the listener through an array of emotions for the second part of the album.
In contrast, the second CD, Act 2: Softly Into Heaven (Eternity) – Peace, continues with major keys and sad ballads to uplift the listener in a heavenly direction. Indie-rock and folk elements are the essence of this second act. The atmospheric warmth and lushness of Sunday Driver and Carrie envelop us in heavenly comfort, while the poetic lines of Mercury (a tribute to the late Terry Fox) and Sunday Best paint the emotions of longing and yearning from the death of a loved one.
Vancouver-based A Fish Called Piranha began as a project to perform live in front of 200,000 people at a summer event in 2007. It then evolved into a martial arts modern rock opera concept designed by brainchild & Asian multi-talent, Kwong Kok Heung (U-Turn, A Forever Sunday), with Forrest Rosenthal, Emil Stefan, Shawn Brown & various friends joining to perform it live.
After years in the indie 'underground' & a few solo releases (including the Skyjuice EP hitting #1 on HMV's Alternative Indie Charts), Kwong teamed up with co-producer Sam Ryan (Krome, Destino) to record the long-awaited, “The Year Of The Fish”. And it was magical. As Kwong explains, “I've worked with a lot of producers in the past including Mike Plotnikoff (KISS, Cranberries), John Shepp (Matthew Good Band, GOB), and John MacLean (Limblifter) but there was a major vibe steaming from the sessions with Sam. The first day we met at a MusicBC Schmooze night, it was kismet. He called me up after & we were then in the studio together for almost 2 years! Also, I decided to record my personal favorite songs (not management's) that I had written over the years that were never recorded. So, it's sort of like a greatest hits package. I always wondered why I had never recorded Rome or Two if By Sky which the fans at our shows always went nuts over! I think I had pressure from management at the time to record pop, instead of the music which I love. After laying down the screams in Rome, I remembered Sam turning around immediately with inspiration & madness in his eyes! And he said that there was something special with this and that we should keep going in this direction. We also got my good friend, celebrity chef Tojo Hidekazu to do a funny cameo, Eric Davis (The Left) to sing backup on Payday, and the incredible Shawn Meehan (Krome) to add some guitar textures. So, the whole recording process was insanely awesome!” The 1st single, Rome, currently broke the Top 100 in alternative & active rock charts nationwide in Canada.
Whether performing solo acoustically or as a band, A Fish Called Piranha has taken this EP to a new level; a high water mark in what has already been a great career, marked by recognition from the CBC, Muchmusic & CTV. The time is now for A Fish Called Piranha!