[album review] the koxx - bon voyage

The Koxx - Bon Voyage
released: June 26, 2012

1. 사랑춤
2. Take Me Far From Home
3. 소음 속에 사라진
4. Truth or Dare


★★★☆

It took five full listens for me to realize exactly what was bothering me so much about this EP. It wasn't because it was bad (it's not). It wasn't because of the wrong English (should be used to that by now). It was because I realized that The Koxx has grown. The band that I always thought would make danceable, electronic garage rock party tunes that were never too serious has matured and released an EP that seemed to say "we're done fooling around now, this is for real". You pay more attention to it and it's almost scary, as if the band has been planning this all along.

there are sunny days ahead, don't worry about it  - 사랑춤 (love dance)

The Koxx has been enjoying immense popularity for a band that's only been around for two years. They've developed a huge following in the Korean indie scene in no time, with extremely dedicated fans. Their popularity abroad has been incredible too, with many k-pop fans becoming interested in their music. So as someone who has listened to them since their first EP Enter and was used to their head-bopping, guitar-heavy electronic rock songs with sometimes questionable English lyrics, this release came as a surprise. There was a sense of calm to it; the title track sounded nothing like their previous hits Trouble Maker and 12:00. The whole album, with the exception of the last track Truth or Dare, was actually really... quiet. It was nice to listen to, but it was not something I was expecting from them. So I was sort of disappointed after the initial listen. I decided that Truth or Dare was my favourite track, because it was the only track that showed the side of The Koxx that I've been looking for...

Many people agreed with me as well. People over at Naver Music and on DC indie gallery seemed to be disappointed with the album. Certain after seeing other people's reactions, I was going to write a negative review of the album, although there was still something there that irked me.

And then here's what happened. I wasn't too confident in my opinion on this album. So I listened to it again. And again. And after the fourth listen, I decided that I needed to revisit their previous albums, to find out exactly what was bothering me so much. It was only after I listened to their whole discography, watched all their music videos in order, that I realized that this album wasn't bad or "unlike" The Koxx I was used to... They've just matured. I was witnessing The Koxx grow into a greater band. 

It all makes sense when you go back to the very, very beginning. The Koxx's first album, Enter was almost too bold in its execution, with songs that sounded unpolished and sort of experimental. It was still a good release though, because the album was still hip in a rough, untouched way, and the sound was something that we haven't heard much in the Korean music scene. Then came Access OK. It was a fantastic album; it cemented their image and made clear what kind of sound the band was pursuing at the time. It was filled with fun songs with crazy guitar riffs that got me me on my feet.

But now that's done and done. And The Koxx's new ep, Bon Voyage, is a great way to say goodbye to the old, childish Koxx and say hello to the new, much more mature Koxx. In their previous albums, it was definitely Sooryun's guitar that shined and carried the songs. Sooryun is a phenomenal guitarist. The guitars in Access OK were so incredibly complex (and loud), at times it seemed even disharmonious with the rest of the instruments. I didn't realize that until I went back to Access OK after listening to Bon Voyage. I even found it difficult to listen to some songs on Access OK because the guitar was so overbearing. In Bon Voyage though, the band is more in tune with each other. Sooryun still plays a huge role, there's still the catchy guitar riffs, but here he's toned it down when necessary, as can be heard in 사랑춤. Even in the more upbeat song, Truth or Dare, it's not too in-your-face. And especially in the song that Sooryun wrote, 소음 속에 사라진, it's only prominent when it needs be, and the result is a full, pleasant electro rock sound that really shows the band's maturity. The second track, Take Me Far From Home has impressive beats and takes great advantage of the percussions (you go Saron, you go!). Different from their previous albums, which sounded like something I'd play during a party, this album is more of an album I'd play in the car after the party, driving home.

Their sound in general is more developed in this EP. And a lot of it is thanks to the vocal Hyunsong's improvement. He sounds a lot better on this album, somehow. He sounds absolutely fantastic in 사랑춤 and 소음 속에 사라진. He still retains his energy in songs like Truth or Dare as well. He still has that twisted annunciation thing going on, but it isn't as annoying as it was in Access OK. ("열둥시강됭명응 문을 당능당" never forget.)

Another thing that really shows improvement is the lyrics. There's definitely more Korean on this album. Something that really turned me off from The Koxx sometimes was their English lyrics. Too often there were grammar mistakes, and compared to the impressive Korean lyrics of songs like 술래잡기, Fire Fox, and 얼음땡, the English lyrics seemed too superficial, just there to sound 'cool'. When's the last time they a full song in Korean?! 소음 속에 사라진 is sung entirely in Korean and its lyrics are beautiful. It's quickly becoming my favourite. (Not just because I have a Sooryun bias and Sooryun wrote the song) Even more, their English has really improved. There are still the occasional mistakes but not as frequent as in Access OK.

Now, with Bon Voyage, it almost feels like the band is telling a story of sorts with their whole discography. I've been trying to express that in this overly long post, but it might not make any sense with my incoherent writing. If you watch their music videos though, it might make more sense. Let's take a look at three main singles (excluding Oriental Girl, as it was the 2nd single of their 1st album after the first single) from them and look at their overarching themes. Trouble Maker from Enter show the band getting ready and heading out to a gig / a night of drinking. It boldly shouts "we are the trouble makers". Then, 12:00 from Access OK shows them at the pinnacle of the night (which I assume is midnight, from the song title), enjoying themselves at a bar, picking up girls - "the door closes at 12:00". Then there's 사랑춤 from Bon Voyage which depicts the band returning home from a crazy night, ending with the band catching a breath beside a river (Han River, I think)... "there are sunny days ahead, don't worry about it". 

Bon Voyage is a significant turning point for The Koxx. I almost feel as if I shouldn't take it as a standalone album; it's a conclusion to its predecessors, and the introduction to the music that is to come. If Enter was the band's loud entrance to the party, Access OK was their way of enjoying the party and having some fun. And now the party's over, and the band is saying Bon Voyage as they take on a new "journey". We don't know what that "journey" will be; it might be another party, somewhere else, not too different from the one we were just at. Or it might be a whole different thing. Nobody knows yet. We will though, with the next release from The Koxx. We will know then what kind of journey it will be from there.

[album review] bye bye badman - light beside you

Bye Bye Badman - Light Beside You
Released: November 3, 2011

1. Purify My Love
2. 테칼코마니
3. 노랑불빛
4. W.O.S
5. 인공눈물
6. Golden Nightmare
7. Bee
8. Low
9. About You Now
10. 5500-2

★★★





Bye Bye Badman is a rising starlet in the Korean indie scene at the moment, winning Hello Rookie of the Year last year and appearing at various music festivals. I only came around to checking out their 1st album this week, and I am thoroughly impressed by this album. With a Brit-pop inspired sound that's polished and rough at the same time, Bye Bye Badman is a band that shows maturity and professionalism that's surprising for their age. (The band consists of high school friends who are 21-22 years old) A lot of their lyrics are in English, and the lyrics in English are quite lovely as well.

There are some songs on the album that are upbeat and fun, like Purify My Love, 데칼코마니, 인공눈물 and Golden Nightmare that sound a lot like Brit pop, reminiscent of bands like Oasis and maybe even Blur. And there are some songs that are just plain light rock-n-roll, like 노랑불빛, and Low, that are quite fun. These songs are good and I'm sure they're fantastic live, but I found them a bit too generic. The Brit-pop songs, especially, come off as trite at times with obvious patterns in their development.

What really got me were the band's calmer songs. The ballad track W.O.S. is impressive with its string arrangement, while the last track 5500-2 is fascinating and not boring at all despite the length. However, the definite highlight of the album for me were Bee and About You Now. These songs are long. Bee is almost at 7 minutes while About You Now is six minutes long. But I found these two songs especially noteworthy: these songs have a sense of maturity that sets them apart from the rest of the album. Bee develops beautifully during the 7 minutes, with dreamlike sounds and great lyrics ("should have seen all the stars in your garden / I'm out of time"). All the layers of sound in this song, paired with the vocal Jung Bong Gil's singing, are beautiful, and when the song ends it's almost sad to see it go. It definitely left a strong impression on me.
About You Now is the other song that I really liked. The song is sung completely in English, and its lyrics are wonderful. "About you now, I was wrong, I'll let you in my hole", "I tried to be your star", "there's nowhere to go / it's all about you now". Simple but lovely lyrics. I really appreciate the lack of breaks between the verses, It was nice to hear something different after the generic patterns of the more upbeat songs. My bias for the slower songs is obviously because of personal tastes, though - I guess I'm in the mood for more emotional, grand songs at the moment.  

The album has an underlying theme of "light" (hence the album title, Light Beside You), which I found very interesting. In certain instances, the voice of the songs yearns to be "your light", and at times, it is your light. And in other moments, you are the light that he sings to. I think that's why Bee and About You Now are my favourite tracks. Because he "tried to be your star", but he's "out of time" with "nowhere to go" - and now "it's all about you". These songs aren't even consecutive, but they work so well together! (Although I might be pushing it too far, haha)

I see a great future ahead for Bye Bye Badman. Obviously there's room for improvement, but this is a solid start-up for the rookie group and I'm excited to see what they do next. 

[album review] romantic punch - it's yummy

Romantic Punch - It's Yummy
released: august 16, 2011

1. RP Addiction
2. 야미볼
3. 커튼을 닫아요, 에이미
4. 치명적 치료
5. Appointment
6. 야미볼 (inst.)

★★★☆








Romantic Punch, like Black Bag whose EP I reviewed few posts ago, is another band I discovered through watching Top Band 2. And boy, I was so wrong to not check them out sooner! I knew they existed, I just never really bothered - and they're really great. They have a pop rock sound that's fun, fun, fun. Their songs seem to bounce, and coupled with the vocal Bae In Hyuk's voice, they are a hell of a ride to listen to.

I've only checked out their latest EP, It's Yummy so far, but I could really get a clear sense of their style with the 5 original songs. RP Addiction is a great opening song. It's upbeat, and its anthem-like lyrics ("Romantic Punch! Romantic Punch! We will rock them all!") get you really pumped up for the rest of the album. And the rest of the album doesn't disappoint at all. The second track, 야미볼 (Yummy Ball), is a kickass song that's just a lot of fun. Bae In Hyuk is an amazing vocalist; the song is good, but his vocals make the song so, so, so much better. His ad-libbing is simply fantastic, and even from just listening to this track alone you can feel his high energy oozing through. The next track, 커튼을 닫아요, 에이미 (Close the Curtains Amie), is a mellow song that's slower than most songs on the EP, and seems to be heavily inspired by gospel music. Bae In Hyuk's voice shines again in this song, as he shows off his amazing range while sounding very confident with each note he sings. 치명적인 치료 is a song that just emits sexiness. It's very jazzy in its execution, and the vocals are low and at times whispery, which adds to the attraction of the song. Appointment is a more traditional pop rock song. The melodies are actually quite generic and this is probably my least favourite song on this EP, but it sounds like a song that'd be much better live.

Bae In Hyuk really makes this band what it is. His singing mixes different styles like gospel, rock and even jazz, and it works extremely well with the rest of the band. And oh god, he is just so charismatic on stage. And he has such a personality, and a crazy fashion sense. Basically he's already up there high on my bias list.

Romantic Punch is the band I am rooting for the most on Top Band 2 at the moment. They're not too popular like The Koxx, Pia, Super Kidd, Transfixion or Daybreak (seriously, if one of them ends up winning, I won't be too pleased...), and I really feel like Romantic Punch have what it takes to become huge, as their sound is quite easy on the ears. And because Bae In Hyuk is such a cutie, haha.

[album review] mongoose - girlfriend

Mongoose - Girlfriend
released: june 8, 2012

1. 그대여
2. 일곱 시간차 연애
3. 보헤미안 걸프렌드
4. 그래 넌 하지만 난
5. 비밀 키스
6. Together Forever

★★★☆
(how lovely is Bae Donna on the cover by the way? Mongoose really knows how to win me over, damn.)





우주는 사랑! Universe is love! And Mongoose is love. Mongoose is a band that I've grown to... love over time, and I even included their 4th album, Cosmic Dancer, on my top 10 korean indie albums of 2012 list, at number 6. So when I heard that they will be releasing an EP last week (it was so sudden too!) I was beyond myself. And this EP delivers. It's everything you'd expect from a Mongoose album. The cute, danceable beats with the oh-so-adorable voice of Mongu... and lyrics that seem to just stick. More on the melancholy side than Cosmic Dancer, this album is perfect for dancing by yourself in your bedroom, late at night. I loved all six tracks, but especially 일곱 시간차 연애 (because I really dig when Mongu just talks in their songs, it's so cute), Together Forever (it sounds like a perfect song for a crazy summer night with friends!), and the title track, Bohemian Girlfriend.

There's something about Mongoose that I really like. Their youthful enthusiasm, perhaps. Or it could be their boyish naivety. Or maybe because whenever I listen to Mongoose's music, I feel as though I don't need romance right at this moment... Because I got my friends, and because Mongoose is here. And because yes, the universe is love.

[album review] epitone project - 낯선 도시에서의 하루

Epitone Project - 낯선 도시에서의 하루
released: june 7, 2012

1. 5122
2. 이제, 여기에서
3. 시차
4. 다음날 아침 (duet with 한희정)
5. 새벽녘
6. 초보비행
7. 국경을 넘는 기차
8. 떠나자
9. 우리의 음악
10. 믿을게
11. 터미널
12. 미뉴에트

★★☆


Cha Se Jung, more commonly known as Epitone Project, released his 2nd full-length studio album 낯선 도시에서의 하루 (One Day in a Foreign City) last week, and I think I have listened to it enough to say a bit about how I feel about it. I really enjoyed the album he released with Lucia, 자기만의 방, and there were a couple of songs that I really liked from his previous albums as well. However, this album was a bit of a disappointment for me. What I liked a lot about his sound was his usage of piano and there wasn't much of that on this album. Perhaps he's going through a guitar phase, because there was definitely more acoustic guitar than in the previous albums. I will still agree that this is a 'well-made pop album'; he is a decent enough producer and the songs are produced quite well. However, I never got that "feeling of walking in a foreign city far away", as the album title alludes to and Cha Se Jung himself expressed. I did get that the album tried to express feelings of nostalgia, longing and sadness, but most of the songs failed to fully convey those emotions to me. And I'm speaking as someone who was deeply touched by the album with Lucia and his 1st album. There were two songs in particular that really got me though - 우리의 음악 and 믿을게. These two songs were the most effective in their emotional delivery. The lyrics of these two songs are gorgeous, and I almost shed a tear during 우리의 음악. But the rest of the album failed to impress me, other than 5122 and 다음날 아침 (duet with Han Hee Jung) which were memorable enough. And I can't stop thinking about how great 믿을게 could have been if it was sung with someone who could emote better with his voice.

I think the main reason that this album didn't impress me as much as I expected it to was because of the lack of instrumentals and unfortunately, Cha Se Jung's singing. I'm not saying that he is a terrible singer; his songs just work infinitely better with different vocals, preferably female voices. I looked back to some of my favourite songs with him and majority of them were either instrumentals (mainly piano) and duets or songs that featured female artists. This album was mostly sung by Cha Se Jung and I think his voice hindered the experience a bit... which is an awful thing to say, I know.

Another thing that really disappointed me is how similar his music is to Toy (Yoo Hee Yeol)'s. I know that Cha Se Jung has often expressed how much he likes Toy and perhaps... he needs to stop listening to him for a while? Because I see too much of Yoo Hee Yeol in these songs. I've gotten that feeling from his previous albums, but this album just confirmed that Cha Se Jung's music is a bit too similar to Yoo Hee Yeol's music for me to fully appreciate it. It's not a bad thing, I love Yoo Hee Yeol/Toy with a burning passion, but at this rate, Epitone Project will always be the Toy-wannabe in my mind. And I feel like he is capable of more than that.

I know that he experimented a lot with this album because it certainly shows with the variety of instruments and the (slight variation in the) sound. I just hope that he continues experimenting and finds a sound that is uniquely his.

[album review] black bag - beyond the sky

Black Bag - Beyond the Sky

release date: january 11, 2012 

1. White One

2. Free

3. Beyond the Sky

4. Beautiful Morning

5. Blue Sky

6. Bright Light 

★★★★

So I finally gave up and starting watching Top Band 2. There were a lot of bands that I was familiar with, but a lot of bands I didn't know as well. Black Bag was a band that I have never heard of before, but their performance of White One definitely caught my attention. It was heavily edited out and was probably a minute long, but I had a feeling that this might be good (I just get those feels, you know? It's like a sixth sense). It's been ages since I tried out new bands, and I was craving something new, so this was a perfect place to start.

After the first listen of Black Bag's EP Beyond the Sky, I was hooked. I really like this album. There's something really refreshing about their sound. It's nothing new, it's your run-of-the-hill alternative rock but I really liked their emphasis on guitar riffs, and how they experimented with their sounds a lot.

First track of the album, White One is an amazing song; it's the song that got me to check them out, and it's probably their catchiest track. Love the vocals in this one, how it's layered and how he almost seems to shout the words. 

Free, the second track that is also sung completely in English, is a notable song. It's highly experimental, and there's a side that's reminiscent of some of the classic rock songs, but it doesn't sound outdated or old. The instrumental part of the song is  fascinating to say the least; it's heavily layered with different guitar tracks, and although at times they seem to be doing their own thing, at other times they come together and sound really nice. 

Beyond the Sky is a beautifully extensive song that starts off quite slow, but progressively come together quite well. Again, I loved the guitars in this track. The vocals really stand out in this track. It's gorgeous, in a comforting, almost soothing way. Beyond the Sky is long though, not just in length but also in its development - it seems to build up and up and up, and there are multiple moments where it explodes into beautiful sounds and it's quite lovely, but also a bit tiring (in a nice way, though). 

Beautiful Morning is more upbeat, and probably the least experimental track on the EP. It's a typical rock song. It sounds like a fun song to hear live and rock to, though.

Blue Sky is the track that made me realize that I really, really like the vocal Jang Min Woo's voice. His voice has variety, which I find very refreshing. One thing I realized with the album - and and few live performances I have watched - is that he really knows his voice well, and knows how to work it. 

Bright Light is a pretty song. The guitar at the beginning is pretty (have I talked about Black Bag's guitar enough already or?), and I really enjoyed the lyrics! Pretty lyrics. And weird thing to say perhaps, but I really like how the vocal enunciates. 

With Beyond the Sky, it's difficult to pinpoint what Black Bag actually sounds like. All the songs are quite different from each other - experimental in their own little ways. Perhaps a bit too much variety for some? I like it though, it's nice to see a band that's willing to try out different things, and the songs are all fairly good separately. I would be fine if Black Bag decided to stick with one sound for their next release, or perhaps for their performances in the future on Top Band 2 (really hoping that they last long!), because I see potential in all the different shades of their music. 

edit: wow so I'm listening to the album again and I think a word I would use to describe this EP would be unexpected. Listening to White One, I had no idea that the song was going to develop melodies like that. Other songs are similar too.... What the!