Misha are Ashley Yao and John Chao. The two have
crossed paths since their childhood days in Taipei, but
each time, circumstances caused them to move,
wandering the world (here in Hong Kong, there in Paris)
until they met again after college in New York. Two
years after their debut on the highly respected Alphabet-
Singles-Series on Tomlab, the Asian/American duo now
presents their first longplayer Teardrop Sweetheart: a
cycle of happy/sad love songs with a new take on an old
pleasure: the classic pop album. Walking the line
between traditional songwriting and modern
musicmaking, settings of grandeur and intimate doubts,
Ash and John make little big things, imagining a
dimestore Joseph Cornell, Buster Keaton with holes in
his shoes.

Revolving around seemingly light-hearted lyrics,
bittersweet melodies, and analog circuitry, the opener
„Scars“ sets the tone of the album, combining the
"anything goes" sound and structure of contemporary
pop with the glamor-filled, nostalgic optimism of the
modern era, when everything burned brightly and
anything was possible. Of course there is no way back to
innocence (but cynicism is not the only way out). Below
the bright and colorful side of Teardrop Sweetheart lurks
something darkly. Misha compare this feeling of
dislocation to an empty city. Imagine Neon-Shanghai or
Tokyo in a movie by Wong Kar-Wai. A place
overwhelmed by new ideas replacing old traditions. But

the city’s core feels hollow. Something is missing.
This is Misha’s attempt to fill this void, not only by
giving some comfort but also raising questions about this
failure of belonging a lot of people nowadays can relate
to.

Misha sets these ruins of love on top of their disparate
influences and childhood sounds, here Bollywood and
Brill Buildings manifest, and there Tropicalia and Sino-
pop ebb away. Van Dyke Parks and Burt Bacharach have
clearly left their marks in Misha’s quirky songwriting as
well as Billy Strayhorn, RD Burman, Kraftwerk, the duo
of Froom and Blake, and Os Mutantes in the skillfully
crafted arrangements. (Just don't mention the little group
from Liverpool.) Broadway-sized strings, and horn
sections are brought into strange environments built from
rather ready-at-hand ingredients. Held together by the
sense of nostalgia and dislocation, the album ranges from
the Troplicaliaesque „Anaconda“ and secret anthems like
„Summersend“ to the weird electro/Quasimoto-tribute
tune „Cruelist Heart“ and the quirky ballad „Delovedly“
(ok, it's a bit more John than Paul).

The songs came into being in Misha’s bedroom near
Union Square, in what used to be The Strokes' old
apartment - such are the vagaries of New York rent-
controlled living. Emerging from a set of trans-atlantic
valentines, these songs were produced, mixed, and
mastered all over the world. Both members move around
a bit – Ash works as a model (in the same agency as
R’n’B up-and-comer Cassie) and John pays off his
school debt with a suit-and-tie day job. Feel for Tomlab
and producer Mense Reents (Ego Express, Die Goldenen

Zitronen, Stella) who deconstructed the songs-in-the-
rough with his canny approach from techno, punk, and
pop music, dragging in good friends and Hamburg’s
finest musicians like DJ Koze (for sanity checking), DJ
Phono from Deichkind (for mastering,) and Ted Gaier
and Melissa Logan from Die Goldenen Zitronen and
Chicks on Speed (who lent a place to stay), before
mixing the techni-colour miniatures of „Teardrop
Sweetheart“ with a touch of fancy seduction.

01 Scars
02 Losing
03 Anaconda
04 Wheaterbees
05 Summersend
06 Crystal In Love
07 Delovedly
08 The Book (Of Glaciers)
09 Cruelish Heart
10 Shake A Little Closer
11 Trying
Total Running Time

39:17 min

PRESS
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RADIO:
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TOMLAB US OFFICE
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• Nationwide servicing to press and radio

• Retail posters, promotional CDs and

press kits are available upon request

• First album from Misha after their

contribution to the Tomlab Alphabet
Single series

• A classic pop record between

traditional songwriting and modern
musicmaking

Catalog:

TOM102CD / TOM102LP

Release:

JUNE 19, 2007

Formats:

CD / VINYL LP (vinyl non returnable)

CD Packaging:

STANDARD JEWELCASE

Box Lot:

30 (CD) / 10 (LP)

Genre:

ELECTRONIC / DANCE / POP

No Export.:

EU, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA

Key Markets:

NYC, CHICAGO, LA, SAN FRANCISCO,

PORTLAND, TORONTO (CA), MONTREAL (CA)

CD – UPC 656605670225

LP – UPC 656605670218