By Anna Lindgren There’s a consensus among Korean indie music lovers that Pastel Music offers high quality music. One of the main reasons why this consensus arose is Tearliner. Thanks to orienkorean and his cousin I was able to make contact with Liner, who kindly agreed to answer my numerous questions on Tearliner and his … [Read More]
Category: Pop, rock and indie (page 42)
Park Hyun Bin #1: Gondre Mandre
Possibly my most disappointing speculative purchase ever, this is the second stop in my journey through the younger generation of artists who appear to be involved with the Trot revival. As with my first encounter, I can’t make the connection between what I’m hearing and what I’m told Trot is all about. At least with … [Read More]
Super Junior T: Rokkuko
Every now and then in my somewhat random purchases of Korean pop music I hit upon a gem. By the law of averages, every now and then I have to come across a dud. This is one of them. I’ve started investigating Trot, and perversely thought I’d start with its latest reincarnation and work backwards … [Read More]
A fantastic source for Korean rock & indie music
If you’re just starting with Korean rock, indie, alternative and punk music, you could do a lot worse than visit Orienkorean’s YouTube channel (linked below). He’s got wide-ranging tastes and (for how long he’s going to keep this up, I don’t know) he’s trying to upload one music video per day. Orienkorean was kind enough … [Read More]
The Korean breakdancing scene
The talent on display at the Peacock at the moment is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Korean B-boy scene. Korean breakdancing is getting almost to be mainstream – to the extent that corporate suits hire B-boys to provide some glitz and glamour to a new product launch; and they … [Read More]
A meeting with Omega 3
By Anna Lindgren It’s been almost two years since they released their debut album and Omega 3 are now back, holding concerts again. As Alpha Beat has become one of my all time favourite albums, I was curious to learn what was going on. The band’s drummer, Choi Jae Hyuk, was kind enough to take … [Read More]
A meeting with itta
By Anna Lindgren While I’ve come across some more or less experimental Korean music over the years, nothing had prepared me for itta (있다). I was swept away by the 11th track on her first official album, “11”, and asked her to do an interview with me. Fortunately, she accepted. At 4 years of age, … [Read More]
Park Jung-hyun #5: On & On
Lena Park (박정현) delivers a top-notch R&B album with no real weak spots. Some of the numbers could come straight from a Lee Soo-young album – big orchestral sound backing a great tune – while others are more internationally inspired. There are some almost celtic influences – shades of Enya (at the slower end) and … [Read More]
Delispice #3: Sad but True
(Released: 2000) Delispice are considered to be one of the key Korean rock groups. Formed in 1995 with an advert for people who like U2 and REM, those beginnings give a fair indication of the musical direction the band was to take. This third album is meant to be one of their darkest. Puzzlingly, the … [Read More]
Trot makes a comeback
To be perfectly accurate, I don’t think Trot ever really went away. Rather, like many trends in popular culture, its fanbase was getting older and there would come a point when no-one was listening to it any more. But when Trot compilations are selling millions through street vendors (see chapter 7 of Keith Howard’s book), … [Read More]
B-boy masterclass at the Roundhouse
The flier below tells you everything you need to know for a masterclass with some champion Korean breakdancers on 18 March. [Read More]
A meeting with Bloody Cookie
By Anna Lindgren In 2005 I came across a band making music unlike anything I had previously heard coming out of South Korea: Bloody Cookie. A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to get an interview with Bloody Cookie’s lead vocalist, Binna (right). Some years ago, Binna decided she wanted to launch a girl … [Read More]
Celebrity news round-up: January 07
Rain, LKL’s man of the year 2006 has started 2007 on a low-note with a speeding ticket in Hong Kong at the start of his gruelling tour. He also underwhelmed one reporter at a Singapore press conference who found him just a little dull. This wasn’t a reflection on his performance on-stage (and I’ve yet … [Read More]
Uhm Jung-hwa #9: Prestige
Uhm Jung-hwa: Prestige (2006) After all the high jinks required to get this album off the ground, my expectations of the music to be enjoyed therein were low. They were triumphantly met. There’s nothing terribly objectionable about anything on this album, but then there’s nothing terribly arresting either. The thing which most sticks in the … [Read More]
SoundDay in Hongdae
I’m glad no-one volunteered to chaparone me round the music clubs of the Hongdae area last night. I wouldn’t have had half so much fun. For starters, if you’re with someone else or with a group of people, you have to go at the speed of the most vocal or you probably end up staying … [Read More]
The London Korean Links Awards 2006
In the year-end spirit of reviewing the highlights and lowlights of 2006, here are the winners of the first LKL Awards – a personal and unscientific selection. The awards are in the following categories: Man of the Year Woman of the Year Best cultural promotion: Briton in Korea Best cultural promotion: Korean in Britain Best … [Read More]