LKL’s fifth unscientific selection of people and events who have made 2010. Personality of the Year No question about this: Kim Yu-na. Olympic champion, 5th-highest earning female sportsperson globally, ambassador for everything from the G20 to the Catholic Church. I’m sure if she ran for president she’d get elected. Albums of the Year Four LKL … [Read More]
Music (page 81)
Trot music as propaganda against the North
Six months ago it was girl bands. Now Trot music is supposed to be S.Korea’s best propaganda weapon against the North http://bit.ly/gsmfZf # “Pop music can be a powerful psychological weapon targeting the oppressed in the North. We should immediately resume tannoy broadcasts in response to the North’s recent provocations,” declared a South Korean lawmaker. … [Read More]
Girl bands seem to be getting younger these days
Oh Lordy. Girl Story, Korea’s youngest-ever girl group steps into spotlight – 10 yrs old. Surely this is the end of the girl-band boom. http://bit.ly/gBQXrs # [Read More]
Unsuk Chin joins LPO team
London’s Philharmonia Orchestra announces Unsuk Chin as the new Artistic Director of the Music of Today series http://bit.ly/i8FOkJ # [Read More]
In a poor year for Korean music, Broccoli You Too stands out
In an article that laments the state of the music industry and the poor standards of the K-pop audience, the Chosun Ilbo names Broccoli, You Too’s “Graduation” album of the year. Nah Youn Sun and Super Session are the best artists: http://bit.ly/fKAH9o # [Read More]
W&Whale and 3rd Line Butterfly in Monocle podcasts
Monocle, the upscale magazine edited by style guru and FT Fast Lane columnist Tyler Brulé, has long taken an interest in musicians who are off the standard beaten track of Western commercial pop and rock. From Iceland to Japan, Brulé and his team usually have some interesting recommendations, and back in 2006 some of them … [Read More]
LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: Saharial
Saharial rounds up this year’s Critics’ Choice series with her own picks. It’s not been a great year for album buying for me. I’ve been doing more film and drama watching, and the constant injection of yet anther boy or girl group into the already over-packed market is frankly quite off-putting. The longer I spend … [Read More]
LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: Philip
This is the year that Korean music has really started to appear on iTunes, making it a lot more accessible. It’s also a year which has seen a continued emphasis on girl bands, with the Wonder Girls keeping a foothold in the US and Girls Generation and Kara slugging it out in Japan. Some of … [Read More]
Sarah Chang’s Lloyd Webber collaboration
Is this one crossover too far? Actually Sarah Chang playing Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera concerto sounds good. http://amzn.to/gUcPmv. EMI has also just re-released her recording of Shostakovich and Prokofiev concertos with Simon Rattle: # [Read More]
LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: Anna Lindgren
Another year is coming to an end, and in what has become an unfortunate trend I’ve found that I’ve listened to much less music than the year before. However judging from the limited number of releases that did reach my ears, I’d like to think that 2010 (and the three months preceding it) was a … [Read More]
LKL Critics’ Choice 2010: refresh_daemon
LKL is delighted to welcome guest contributor refresh_daemon presenting his top albums of 2010. Other contributors will be joining in soon. When Philip asked me to contribute to LKL’s yearly music round-up, I was actually quite excited about writing about my favorite new releases of 2010. Then I looked through the many albums that I’d … [Read More]
KoME interviews Nah Youn Sun
KoME had a chance to interview Nah Youn Sun after a performance at the Ramada Hotel in Aalen, Germany, on 6 November. http://is.gd/iRwV1 “I hope that the Metallica fans won’t kill me!” she says, of her Enter Sandman cover. It’s a nice write-up. [Read More]
The genealogy of gayageum sanjo
Interesting article on the genealogy of kayageum sanjo in an interview with Yang Seung-hee, holder of Korea’s intangible cultural property #23. Yang is striving to pass down the legacy of Kim Chang-jo, who is considered the father of modern sanjo. http://bit.ly/gqrO5k # [Read More]
3rd Line Butterfly and W&Whale in private London gigs
They came, played a private gig, and went away again. There will be a podcast coming out of it, but otherwise 3rd Line Butterfly might as well not have been here. Same with W & Whale. Monocle completely blocked access. # [Read More]
Wakesidevision’s top music of 2010
Chris Park at @wakesidevision reveals his top music of 2010 http://bit.ly/igkE6v #. The Korean albums in the top ten are: 프렌지 (Frenzy) – Nein Songs 한희정 (Han Heejeong) – 잔혹한 여행 태양 (Taeyang) – Solar/Solar International Yellow Monsters – Self-titled 리미 (Rimi) – Rap Messiah There’s a nice overview of 2010 in Korean music there … [Read More]
Strad stolen from Korean violinist in Euston sandwich shop
London-based violinist Min-Jin Kym had her 300-year-old Stradivarius stolen as she had a sandwich at Pret-a-Manger, Euston Station. Detectives believe an opportunist gang grabbed the bag without having any idea of its value. Min-jin: I hope you get your Strad back very soon! http://bit.ly/gLG9cd # [Read More]