By Tim Binnall
Residents of a New Zealand city are fed up with a strange fad wherein people outfit their cars with an array of sizeable speakers and blast Celine Dion songs to prove that they have the most powerful sound system. The strange trend, dubbed 'siren battles,' reportedly started earlier this year in the community of Porirua and has caught fire over the last few weeks in particular. With residents being disturbed at all hours of the night by the Canadian singer's classics being belted out by cars, Mayor Anita Baker acknowledged that the situation has gotten out of control and declared that "we need to find somewhere alternative for these people to go or they need to stop."
As for why, exactly, Celine Dion has proven to be the most popular artist among the so-called 'siren kings,' who compete with each other for sound supremacy, it is apparently due to her songs having high treble and low base, while also being particularly clear. While one might think that some fans of the iconic Canadian singer might enjoy being serenaded with selections from her much-celebrated catalog, it would appear that those playing the tunes exercise a certain artistic license that isn't exactly appreciated. "They play half a song and tweak it on their things and make a screeching noise so it is not like you’re even listening to good music," the mayor lamented, "I don't mean to be awful but it's not even a complete song."
Beyond the bastardization of the beloved singer's music, residents are understandably more irritated by the sheer volume at which it is being played. Having reached their proverbial boiling point and with the mayor seemingly powerless to stop the 'siren kings,' people in the community have launched an online petition wherein they call upon the Porirua City Council to step in and more strictly enforce the law regarding disturbing the peace. To that end, local police say that they are aware of the issue and intend to increase patrols with an aim towards putting an end to the 'siren battles' so that residents can finally be free from the ballads being blasted in the wee hours of the morning.