무너질 것이 남아 있다는 것은 얼마나 즐거운가.

오후 4시의 희망
기형도


김은 블라인드를 내린다, 무엇인가
생각해야 한다, 나는 침묵이 두렵다
침묵은 그러나 얼마나 믿음직한 수표인가
내 나이를 지나간 사람들이 내게 그걸 가르쳤다
김은 주저앉는다, 어쩔 수 없이 이곳에
한번 꽂히면 어떤 건물도 도시를 빠져나가지 못한다
김을 중얼거린다, 이곳에는 죽음도 살지 못한다
나는 오래 전부터 그것과 섞였다, 습관은 아교처럼 안전하다
김은 비스듬히 몸을 기울여 본다, 쏟아질 그 무엇이 남아 있다는 듯이
그러나 물을 끝없이 갈아주어도 저 꽃은 죽고 말 것이다, 빵 껍데기 처럼
김은 상체를 구부린다, 빵 부스러기처럼
내겐 얼마나 사건이 많았던가, 콘크리트처럼 나는 잘 참아 왔다
그러나 경험 따위는 자랑하지 말게 그가 텅텅 울린다, 여보게
놀라지 말게, 아까부터 줄곧 자네 뒤쪽에 앉아 있었네
김은 약간 몸을 부스럭거린다, 이봐, 우린 언제나
서류뭉치처럼 속에 나란히 붙어 있네, 김은 어깨를 으쓱해 보인다
아주 얌전히 명함이나 타이프 용지처럼
햇빛 한 장이 들어온다, 김은 블라인드 쪽으로 다가간다
그러나 가볍게 건드려도 모두 무너진다, 더 이상 무너지지 않으려면 모든 것을 포기해야 하네
김은 그를 바라본다, 그는 김 쪽을 향해 가볍게 손가락을
튕긴다, 무너질 것이 남아 있다는 것은 얼마나 즐거운가
줄거운가, 과장을 즐긴다는 것은 얼마나 지루한가
김은 중얼거린다, 누군가 나를 망가뜨렸으면 좋겠네, 그난 중얼거린다
나는 어디론가 나가게 될 것이다, 이 도시 어디서든
나는 당황하지 않을 것이다, 그래서 나는 당황할 것이다
그가 김을 바라본다, 김이 그를 바라본다
한 번 꽂히면 김도, 어떤 생각도, 그도 이 도시를 빠져나가지 못한다
김은, 그는 천천히 눈을 감는다, 나는 블라인드를 튼튼하게 내렸었다
또다시 어리석은 시간이 온다, 김은 갑자기 눈을 뜬다, 감자기 그가 울음을 터뜨린다, 갑자기
모든 것이 엉망이다, 예정되 모든 무너짐은 얼마나 질서 정연한가
김은 얼굴이 이그러진다

by ki hyung do.
korean poetry. grotesque realism.
some of the best stuff I've read in korean.
he passed away, after publishing one book of poems, at the age of 29.

it's a shame that people try to cover up the fact that he was gay, because it really had a huge influence on his works and his life. the moment you realize that, the poems mean something more. because he voiced his anguish, his hatred toward himself and the city - things he could not get rid of because they were who he was - in his words.

it's extremely fascinating. i can't wait until i get back home and read some more of his works.

무너질 것이 남아 있다는 것은 얼마나 즐거운가.  

how delightful it is to still have something that could be destroyed. 

[album review] all-in-one; glen check, miracle on han river and others.

I was in a "new music" phase a couple of weeks ago and basically listened to a lot of new music. I'm still going through all the music I found, I have so many albums to go through! Here are a couple I've listened in the last few weeks. I'll start off with the singles and the EPs and move onto the full-lengths. Glen Check, 한강의 기적 (Miracle on Han River), 망각화 (Manggakwha), Summer Here Kids, Monolead. 

Glen Check - Au Revoir 
I was sort of blown away when I first listened to Glen Check's Disco Elevator. It was so fresh, so young, so hip. Glen Check - a rising star in the Hongdae electronica scene - sounded like something you'd hear on one of those cool e4 shows. The digital single they released late last year, Au Revoir, contains yet again very catchy and polished beats. Compared to Disco Elevator though, it sounds bolder, even somewhat in-your-face. The songs are more aggressive and show a more house-oriented tune.  Au Revoir is a repetitive electro track that might sound just decent at first listen - but it really stays with you, and you are bound to hum the song through the day. However, the real gem out of the two tracks is the second track, 60s Cardin. This track is a super good representation of Glen Check's sound - suave English, catchy beat, danceable tune. The claps throughout the song adds a nice touch as well.
my rating: ★★★☆

Monolead - Monolead Teaser Sound 4/11 
Monolead is my newest discovery. I don't know if you follow the k-indie tumblr but someone requested Monolead and I ended up checking them out, because I've never heard of them. I'm so glad I did because they're quite excellent. A once-anticipated modern-rock band, they re-grouped recently and released a "teaser EP" called Monolead Teaser Sound 4/11. They have a very mellow sound similar to various other popular Korean modern rock bands. Different from them though, Monolead has a certain jazz sound to their music, perhaps from the more prominent usage of the bass that can be heard in a couple of their songs. The layering of the voices are very effective as it gives the songs a dreamy feel. The best track on the album is definitely Almost Blue, which masterfully incorporates the jazz influence. Another excellent track is Film 2-607, a nostalgic song layered with electronic sounds, beautiful string orchestration and keyboard that fits the more well-known Korean modern rock genre to a tee (and sound awfully like a Nell song). I wouldn't say the vocals are anything amazing, but the songs compliment them extremely well. I'm really anticipating their next release.
my rating: ★★★★

망각화 (manggakwha) - 몹시 용기를 내어 (with great courage) 
망각화 is a band that I've heard so many good things about but never had the chance to really give a listen. 몹시 용기를 내어, their first full-length album, is an album full of stylish guitar riffs, youthful vocals and modest pop rock melodies. Actually, if I could describe this album in one word, it would be modest. There's nothing grandiose about their sound or lyrics; but it's a very listenable sound, easy on the ears. I was really impressed when I first started listening to this album. The first track (and also the title track), 너는 날, was a beautiful song that instantly drew me in. However, the rest of the album   sounded quite different from that one track. I still enjoyed the album somewhat, but it's definitely not something I'll avidly seek out.
my rating: ★★☆

Summer Here Kids - Summer Here Kids 
Summer Here Kids! If you remember, I listed this album on my albums of 2011 that could have been list. Thus I was extremely excited when I finally got a proper opportunity to give this album a listen. Like I mentioned earlier, I really loved the songs Fish & Chips and 자니, the two title tracks of the self-titled debut. They were cute electro pop-rock songs that were catchy and funny, just the kind of stuff that's perfect for a sunny summer day. The rest of the album is also pretty amazing, although it's not as bright as I expected it to be. I initially anticipated an up-beat, electro pop-rock album full of cutesy lyrics and melodies. But there are some songs on this album that are quite melancholy, even slow. I love it though; I really like how they mix the electronic sounds with the guitar-heavy alt rock sounds. Other than Fish & Chips and 자니, I really like Radio Signal, an experimental electronic track, and 부럽지 않아, a nostalgic rock song.
my rating: ★★★

한강의 기적 - 한강의 기적 (miracle on han river) 
한강의 기적's self-titled debut album was also on my albums of 2011 that could have been list. Although I'd say Summer Here Kids' album might have just missed the top 10 albums of 2011 and maybe made the honorable mentions, 한강의 기적's album would have definitely made it. This brother-duo's debut album of 10 pop-rock tracks is exactly what I'd love to listen to when I'm bored: fun, light, cute. Their songs are just downright adorable - something that I really appreciate. (I love my cutesy music!) Their lyrics are refreshing and fun to listen to. The melodies of the songs just bounce, bounce, bounce - they almost make me want to run out to a playground and let my inner child roam around freely in pure gleeful innocence. The title track (track 3) with the awfully long title is my happy jam at the moment! It's so much fun. Other songs like 해파리 and 물로켓, 글라이더, 고무동력기 are also equally fun songs that have me bopping my head to the beat. They are all such feel-good songs! It's such a feel-good album! Love it.
my rating: ★★★★

Nell. coming soon.

My favourite band in the whole entire universe is coming back. Nell. Whenever someone asks me what my favourite band/musician is, I always know my answer. Because I have Nell. It's been 3-4 years since they went on a hiatus and my feelings have stayed the same all throughout. There were many other bands that I discovered, fangirled over, and supported, but in the end it was always Nell.

The teaser track is beautiful; it's exactly what I would have expected from them. The snare drum sound is perfect for the dramatic mood of the song, and I'm hoping that it's a part of a full track because the song sounds gorgeous. Gah. I basically have a lot of feelings when it comes to Nell. A lot.

I don't know when "soon" is but I'm hoping that it will actually be soon... school is hard right now, it'd be nice to have something to look forward to during the days.



I have a feeling that this album will be amazing.

korean indie in 2011; part 3

at last. the final installment of my lackluster 3-part series, korean indie in 2011. I actually enjoyed making these lists, not just because I normally enjoy making lists but because I got to talk about some albums and artists that I really enjoy. And I realized that I should probably listen to more recent korean indie music, which is good. Let's hope that I don't give up on that & the end of year lists for k-indie in 2012 would be much, much better.

this will be the post where I will talk about k-indie albums of 2011 that could have been. This topic sounds like a vague one, and it is - so I divided it into two parts: albums that were disappointing considering the talent behind them, and albums that I wish I gave a listen to because they seem to be promising. Yes, this is where I rant about albums that were less than spectacular, and lament about albums I wish I've remembered to listen to / had a chance to listen to. These lists are not in any order, unlike the previous posts. And a warning beforehand - this is perhaps the messiest jumble of nonsensical writing out of the 3. So let's move on: 8 k-indie albums of 2011 that could have been.

korean indie in 2011; part 2

oh gee.

so I originally said that I would be doing a top 5 k-indie albums of 2011 list... well, I was going over it earlier today and I ended up turning it into a top 10 k-indie albums of 2011 list. Five was just too limiting. There's still some stuff that overlaps from the previous list, since many of the songs on my top 10+3 list are from albums on this list, so bear with me if it gets a bit repetitive. I already have a feeling that it's going to be way too long, so let's move on: top 10 korean indie albums of 2011! 

korean indie in 2011; part 1

I'm a big fan of korean indie music. been so for the last 4 years. it's a really hard thing to be a fan of, because the music is just so damn difficult to come by. especially when you don't live in the country. but over the years I somehow managed to acquire really great albums, songs, and learned about so many amazing artists. of course, most of my korean indie library on my itunes or on my shelf is all probably considered the more 'popular' side of korean indie; artists that are often featured on radio shows, used in tv shows, belong under well known indie labels. I wish I could listen to more obscure stuff, budding musicians who are really really obscure, but their music is extremely hard to come by and ... it's tragic, really. (I'm still looking for Summer Here Kids' first album uguguguuu they sound great but I can't find their album anywhere)

anyway. since I got into korean indie I've been really active in promoting it, and running a k-indie comm on lj and a k-indie tumblr really helped set my image as someone who listens to a lot of korean indie music and unfortunately that's not always true. yes, I listen to it, but recently less and less of it, and last year in 2011 I really didn't listen to much of it.

in 2011 I really started to become distant from korean indie, I think. I listened to a lot more western music, or tried to at least. the little k-indie I listened to was stuff from artists I was already familiar with - Casker, Telepathy, Jang Gi Ha and the Faces - so whenever someone brought up a new artist that was hitting it big in recent times (artists like Urban Zakapa, Dalmoon, Standing Egg) - I drew a blank. I simply did not care.

So here is a very limited - and biased - summary of my k-indie listening of 2011. I'll divide it into 3 posts:  top 10 songs of 2011, top 5 albums of 2011, and the albums of 2011 that could have been. Here is the first part of the series - top 10 songs of 2011. Mind you, it's a very limited and biased list, because I didn't listen to too much new stuff, so the songs/albums on the list are from whatever I've listened and still remembered in 2011. here we go!