The Turning Gate

The Korean soundWave IX

3rd Line Butterfly, Earip, The The, Nell and more

Spring is coming! Spring is coming! Spring is coming! Weather’s gettin’ nice! Bust out the iPod, take it for a walk! Whatcha gonna listen to?! Whatcha … Gonna … Listen … To?! I’ve got a few good ideas, and a few bad ones too. Read on!

3rd Line Butterfly

3rd Line Butterfly is a Korean indie rock band having released three albums from 2000-2003. Singer Nam Sang Ah seems to have had the hot-indie-chick thing down cold. The band’s name allegedly came about due to the fact that all of the members happened to live on the 3rd line of the Seoul subway system. The “butterfly” portion of the name, was supposedly taken from Iron Butterfly.

But forget Iron Butterfly. The band has much more in common with The Breeders, early Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth and other flanneled, ripped jeans wearing luminaries from north-western parts of the U.S. circa 1994.

Despite their short life-span and small catalog, the band managed to cover quite a bit of ground in three albums, each distinct and something different from its predecessors.

The first album, Self-titled Obsession is the one that most reminds me of bands like Sonic Youth, the Pixies or The Breeders, and blends genres from that era – grunge rock, shoegazer rock, alternative rock – into a compelling sonic stew, an onslaught of melodic noise.

Oh! Silence, 3rd Line Butterfly’s second album, opens with 광합성 (Storehouse Synthesis), a truly killer song, and a fitting introduction to their sophomore effort. Listening to the song makes me think of sunshine. Clear from the get-go, Oh! Silence is a more laid-back record, smoother around the edges, less in-your-face than Self-Titled Obsession. It’s not without it’s balls-out rockers, though, quickly evidenced by the second track, 식민지 (Colony). Overall, the record amps up melody, tones down the volume and displays a great deal of diversity. In my opinion, it’s Oh! Silence that catapults 3rd Line Butterfly from being a good indie rock band, to being a fantastic indie rock band. The album’s quieter moments are beautiful, sometimes mesmerizing; its louder moments shit-kicking, invigorating. And the album is riddled with interesting sounds. Some, like the percussion on 맥주 (Pulse Week, according to the Mac OS X translation widget) seem to draw influence from world music. The sixth track, the appropriately titled 엄마 우린 왜 어지러워요 (Mom, Why are we dizzy?), stirs music boxes, 해금 (haegeum) and guitars into a magnificent ethereal fog. The song is ambitious, unique and bizarre, and shows 3rd Line Butterfly to be much more an ambitious outfit than most of their indie brethren.

Time Table, the band’s third and final album, amps the polish yet again. The album is well produced and arranged, and offers up its fair share of keyboards, strings and horns. The second track, 스물아홉, 문득 (29, Suddenly), is stunning, a pure delight to listen to. Like Oh! Silence before it, Time Table brings a diverse collection of songs to the table. Each stands out from the others in some way, and the album at times reminds me of some of the Architecture in Helsinki I’ve heard.

I can’t heap enough praise on 3rd Line Butterfly. I heard of them some time ago, but have only recently made the effort to seek them out. Waiting was foolish. Now that I’ve finally gotten hold of their records, they’ve quickly become one of my favorite Korean indie bands. Aside from taking so long to find them, my only other regret is that they’re seemingly no longer around. Time Table was released in 2003, and the only more recent reference I’ve managed to find is two photographs, one of Nam Sang Ah, the other of drummer Son Gyeong Ho, dated September 2006.

Their records are out-of-print. I managed to snag mrkwang‘s last copy of Self-Titled Obsession; they’re still listing copies of Oh! Silence. Time Table was released by Pastel Music; I asked them whether they had copies. They don’t. Nor does anyone else. I finally managed to pull the MP3s from Bugs, but that requires a Korean. To wit, finding 3rd Line Butterfly’s records this late in the game has been a headache – a worth-while headache, but a headache all the same. Because their records are no longer out, and because I suspect the band is no longer pulling in any income from them, I’m going to do something I normally don’t do.

Right-click to download Self-Titled Obsession, Oh! Silence and Time Table in their entirety.

Earip 이아립

Earip‘s second solo EP, Someone’s Bonfire (누군가 피워놓은 모닥불), is one you’re not likely to find on store shelves. Not in Korea, and certainly not outside. I got my copy from the only place I’ve managed to find it, mrkwang.com, a shop I’ve found to be very helpful in digging up obscure Korean records.

Being only eight tracks, and priced at an outrageous $32.99, you’re bound to wonder what you’re paying for. And what you’d be paying for is an array of disappointing paper products – a mostly blank notepad, some postcards. Earip’s not even on the postcards; just some guy, and I’m not sure who he is or whether he’s at all related to the music. The CD is tied into a folded paper slip by a piece of purple thread, and the slip goes into a folder made of heavier stock paper. All of this comes together in a zip-lock bag. The first thing I did when I received the package was fetch a proper sleeve for the disc before it could become scratched and ruined.

One nice thing to note about the packaging is that Earip supplies us with both English and Hangul song titles. Otherwise, it’s ridiculous to spend so much and get so little. Or, rather, to spend so much to get so much crap. I only wanted the CD, and that’s only eight tracks!

But how about those eight tracks? If you’re already familiar with Earip’s first solo EP, you’ll find them quite a departure. End of Bando was lo-fi, mostly guitars and tape hiss, extremely quiet. Someone’s Bonfire‘s contains a few songs of that mold, and others a far cry apart.

The album opener, Runs Of Itself, Even Low, is an onslaught of synthesizers from the moment it begins, more akin to Old Fish than to what we’ve come to expect from Earip or her band, Sweater. My Headlight Dance wraps sampling and funky bits around an acoustic spinal column, making all kinds of cool. Track four, A Question Mark, is a rainy day piano ballad, complete with its own rainy day sound effects. We Are The Universe is quiet and sounds almost like something Yozoh or Sogyumo Acacia Band might have written, melodica and all. It and While I’m Moving would have fit in well on End of Bando. Cliche is an up-beat, acoustic pop number. Veronica plays out in lo-fi fasion on an acoustic guitar backed by plodding drums. The album closes with Someone’s Bonfire, a spoken word piece, with music that, again, would feel right at home with Sogyumo Acacia Band.

Overall, Someone’s Bonfire is more of everything than End of Bando was. It’s more ambitious, more interesting and more diverse. Still, are a measly eight tracks worth the steep price of admission? I’m not likely to regret the purchase, but I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t feel a bit ripped off. It’s a good record and I’m going to enjoy it. I could certainly have done with fewer worthless paper products and a deflated price-tag, though. C’est la vie.

If nothing else, Someone’s Bonfire should serve to be a fine appetizer to the new Sweater album reputed to be forthcoming in 2008.

But don’t waffle too long. The record’s not easy to find, and if you don’t get hold of it soon, you probably never will. Like End of Bando, now impossible to get hold of, Someone’s Bonfire seems to be a limited and secretive release. Hot Tracks, one of Seoul’s largest record store chains, doesn’t even have it in their database.

Right-click to download My Headlight Dance.

You can score an in depth review, another MP3 download and some streaming tracks for your sampling pleasure at LunaPark6.

The The

Not to be confused with the English band of the same name, The The is a Korean pop-rock band debuted in 1997. English language information on the band has been difficult to pin down, but I’ve managed to pull a few threads together.

The The have released five albums with three different female vocalists. Park Hye Kyung appeared on the first (1997) and second (1998) albums, Han Hee Jeong on the third (2001) and fourth (2003) albums, and Myung In Hwi on the recent fifth (2007) album.

By far, my favorite period of the band was that featuring Han Hee Jeong … the very same Han Hee Jeong who went on to form Bluedawn; the very same Han Hee Jeong with whom I am enamored to my core; that very Han Hee Jeong whom I hold in highest esteem as Korea’s most angelic vocalist; the very Han Hee Jeong whom I’ve been known to rave about on this very blog. That Han Hee Jeong.

It could be argued that I’m coming at the band from the wrong angle, but so be it. I love Han Hee Jeong and I’m not ashamed. Furthermore, Park Hye Kyung era The The really sucks, and the new Myung In Hwi fronted The The sucks too.

Getting back to Han Hee Jeong now … At this early point in her musical career, Han Hee Jeong had not yet reached the height of her powers. She’s good, but sounds like your garden variety, decent, chick rock singer. Neither do the instrumental members of The The provide as elegant a soundscape for her as has since been seen. Humble origins for a singer who would later rise to such beatific heights.

The The plays straight-forward, radio-friendly rock music. There are moments I’m reminded of early-to-mid-career Texas – a fine complement in my book – but there’s little else I have to say about them. Mostly, they remind me of Loveholic. They’re pleasant enough, but neither inspired nor inspiring. Had Han Hee Jeong not gone on to achieve much greater things on her own, I’d probably not have paid The The the slightest mind. That said, they’re worth checking out, especially by those, like me, enamored with aforementioned gorgeous singer.

Most interesting, songs like 작은 새 (Little Bird) show listeners a very different Han Hee Jeong than they’ll be used to, having listened to Bluedawn or her solo material.

In addition to The The’s third and fourth albums, Han Hee Jeong appears with the band on two tracks from the 2003 original soundtrack album for the Korean film Singles.

To see The The at their best, fronted by the incomparable Han Hee Jeong, watch the music videos for Saranghyeyo (I Love You) and Tomorrow (live) on YouTube.

From the third album, The Man In The Street, right-click to download 사랑해요 (I Love You) and Because.

From the fourth album, The The Band, right-click to download 그대 날 잊어줘 [Radio Edit] and 작은 새 (Little Bird).

From the Singles O.S.T., right-click to download Love (Ending Credit Song) and Sweetheart.

Nell (넬)

Nell is very much what you’d expect from a commercially successful, Korean, male-fronted, mainstream rock band. They perform straight-forward rock songs with a heavy dose of Korean balladry.

Formed in 1999, the band takes its name from the Academy Award nominated film, Nell (warning sign #1). While performing at live clubs in Hongdae, they were picked up by Seo Tai-ji, and soon became the first band of Goesoo Indigene record label in 2002. In 2006, the band finished their contract with Goesoo Indigene and are currently signed with WOOLLIM Entertainment (warning sign #2).

The band appeared at the Pentaport Rock Festival in both 2006 and 2007. The band is heavily influenced by number of British bands such as Radiohead, Placebo, Travis, and Muse. They’ve also performed covers of Muse, Coldplay, Sting, and Bob Dylan during their gigs. Unfortunately, they’re original material isn’t nearly as interesting as any of these other bands. Except maybe Travis, but Travis isn’t really very interesting at all, now are they. Hm.

According to Wikipedia, the band is known for their gloomy and psychedelic sound (though I find that description misleading; nothing psychelic about them, and I’d think “sappy” more appropriate than “gloomy”). Their 2006 album, Healing Process, was chosen as one of five best recordings of the year among critics of South Korea (warning sign #3, because Korean music critics know dick about music). Nell released an acoustic album, Let’s Take A Walk, along with two new tracks in 2007.

To be honest with you, I feel kind of like I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel presenting Nell. They’re not a bad band, but you could certainly find better. They’re thoroughly unoriginal, totally predictable and fairly boring. Mainstream. Commercial. Bland.

The only reason I’m bothering to share them with you at all is that I’m fairly keen on this one song – just one song – and I’d like to share it with you.

From Healing Process, right-click to download Counting Pulses.

Should you want more, their video, Good Night, opens with an incredibly hot dancing girl, well worth having a gander at. Following her performance, Nell takes the stage. During the course of the song, everyone in the club walks out on said performance. I’d probably walk out too. But I’d have stayed long enough to finish watching the dancer. I am male, afterall, and hot damn, the dancer!

Epik High – Love, Love, Love

Epik High, another mainstream, commercially successful band that I’m none too fond of. They’re not bad, just not my style. Overproduced KPop, the way Korean radio and teen-aged Korean girls like it.

Anyway, they’re receiving an honorable mention here for their song Love, Love, Love featuring Lee Yoong Jin from Casker (because theturninggate [heart] Lee Yoong Jin). Watch the video. And no, the girl in the video is not Lee Yoong Jin; just an actress.

Alternatively, see the video for Love, Love, Love and other Epik High videos on Epik High’s website.

Coda

Pastel Music celebrated their fifth anniversary in January and a good time was had. Swan Dive jetted over from Nashville, TN and put on some excellent shows. Swinging Popsicle came over from Japan, put on a mediocre show the first night, but more than made up for it on the second night. Taru performed as a solo artist, singing new material as well as a few covers, including The Cardigans’ Carnival. She also made guest appearances with Sweetpea and Swinging Popsicle, but surprisingly did not perform with Humming Urban Stereo. Odd, because she appeared on the latest Humming song, found on Pastel’s anniversary boxed set.

The Humming Urban Stereo set was a real treat. He performed with a stripped down band, no pre-recorded music (except on Hawaiian Couple) and no female vocalist. He sang all of the lead vocal parts, and for the performance of Hawaiian Couple pulled a girl at random from the office to sing the duet – and she did a great job!

The fifth anniversary boxed set comprises five discs of material spanning Pastel’s five years, including local Korean artists as well as licensed foreign artists. Discs 1-4 are retrospective, while the fifth disc is a compilation of all new material from local Korean artists. It’s the fifth disc that really makes the box worth owning. Highlights include new music from Belle Epoque (a side-project of Misty Blue’s bass player), Humming Urban Stereo featuring Taru, Misty Blue, Donawhale, Yozoh, Casker and Fanny Fink. The Donawhale is particularly beautiful, and the disc also features music from a handful of as yet unheard of artists. Jiteun is one I’m looking forward to hearing more from.

Right-click to download Humming Urban Stereo’s “Sweater” (featuring Taru).

Score the boxed set from YesAsia. It’s a limited edition release, so dally not.

In February, Sweetpea, formerly of Deli Spice, performed three big shows in Samseong-dong. I went to one of them, but was not impressed. He performed with an eleven-piece string section and a horn, in addition to his regular band. String sections are often a major ingredient leading to fantastic performances, but it just wasn’t the case this time around. Despite his many strings, Sweetpea is one of the most boring performers I’ve seen, and talks too damn much to boot. His songs are no good. One song was six power chords – two alternating chords in the verse (thump, thump, thump, pound, pound, pound, thump, thump, thump, pound, pound, pound), two different alternating chords in the chorus (chung, chung, chung, dang, dang, dang, chung, chung, chung, dang, dang, dang), and then two more chords and a neck slide for a short bridge back into the verse – and strings playing those six chords atop it all. Bleh.

Lucite Tokki, Yozoh and Han Hee Jeong performed a beautiful, low-key, sold-out show at SSAM at the end of February, and will be doing it again at the end of March. The upcoming show is also sold-out. We’re getting ever closer to the inevitable Han Hee Jeong solo record, but still no hard date.

Loveholic has recently released a double-CD compiling their songs from television drama and film soundtracks. I’m going to skip it, but you can get it here if you’re interested.

Until next time, enjoy the tunes.

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