Look Directly Into The Sun: China Pop 2007 features 18 Beijing pop, punk and rock bands. Members of Snapline, China MC Brothers and Carsick Cars are heavily featured on Made in China, Martin Atkin's China Dub Soundsystem album as well. Carsick Cars have just gone to Europe to play Vienna, Prague and London opening for Sonic Youth. The Scoff, PK-14 and Joyside are opening for Nine Inch Nails at the Beijing Pop Festival this year. This compilation features the bands that will be front and center in the emergence of the Beijing underground beyond China.

"Look Directly Into the Sun makes me wonder if a Chinese Invasion is imminent." Chicago Reader

"Rocking." Wired

"Four Stars" MOJO

"On one stunning disc, post-punk polymath Martin Atkins compiles 18 Beijing pop, punk and rock bands he discovered in China last year." Newsweek

“Venture into a city to record unsigned bands, and what you get is a whole lot of nothing in no particular order. Don't assume this one is different because the talent scout is PiL drummer Martin Atkins — who is also, after all, Pigface major-domo Martin Atkins. The reason is the city: Beijing, 15 million strong, a hub of the kind of thrilling, contradictory upward mobility that gets kids rocking. Most of the songs are by English-singing guys with guitars whom we'll call garage punk because that can mean almost anything cheap and catchy. Lament the three-song dip toward gothy sludge near the end. But get off on Hang on the Box's kiddie-femme "Shanghai," TooKoo's pushy "Take Me Home," Demerit's bish-bashing "Fight Your Apathy," even Snapline's pop-goth opener, "Close Your Cold Eyes." These eighteen bands are too excited to explore their contradictions yet. But that too will come. Robert Christgau, Rolling Stone (three stars)