Music Review: '3'

The Beijing indie rock heavyweights Carsick Cars, most well-known for their song "Zhongnanhai," have just released their first album in five years. As Carsick Cars' third album, it is simply titled "3," and was produced under the guise of their long-time collaboration with record label Maybe Mars. The band is sporting a slightly different line-up from earlier works, with Li Weisi and Li Qing, who left in late 2010 to focus on other projects, having now been replaced with He Fan and Houzi. Nevertheless, the Carsick Cars have continued their penchant for quirky song titles, like "The Best VPN So Far," and more importantly, their ability to produce infectiously upbeat rock music. Highlights of "3" are "Fifteen Minutes Older" and "Wei Cheng."