Artist profile and free giveaway: OLDFISH
All right, new Dramabeans game! Based on several suggestions made in my recent song repost thread, I’m trying out the idea of profiling some indie/underrated Korean musicians outside the sphere of general kpop music, with songs and background information and such as. I don’t know how often I’ll do these, but hopefully I can manage a semi-regular system.
But how to make it more fun? Add FREE STUFF, of course.
So today I’m picking one of my favorite indie artists, Oldfish, and throwing in a FREE GIVEAWAY. I’m giving away FOUR FREE CDs of the Acoustic Movement album. You can listen to a few tracks below the cut.
The rules?
Leave a comment. Be sure to leave your email address (won’t be visible to the public) so I can contact winners. You can comment as many times as you like, but you’ll only be entered once to win.
I’ll post up the winners next Friday (is a week too long?), and keep an easy-peasy link/notice up at the right sidebar.
SONG OF THE DAY
Oldfish - “뚜뚜뚜” (Dot dot dot) [ Download ]
WHO IS OLDFISH?
Oldfish is the name of a one-man band, at whose helm is Soda, the man behind the vocals, keyboards, producing, lyrics, mixing, and pretty much everything else.
Currently signed with indie label Pastel Music, Oldfish got his start on the Seoul music scene by performing live regularly. He gained notice starting in 2003 from his live club shows in the Hongdae neighborhood, and released four mini-albums before his first full-length was released.
Website: www.oldfish.net
Fan café: http://cafe.daum.net/oldfish
Oldfish - “A Day” [ Download ]
Oldfish - “Movement” [ Download ] (repost)
SOUNDS LIKE
The music spans several different genres, self-described as similar to Shibuya-kei and electronic lounge music, but also incorporating elements of modern rock and folk. Call it indietronica, folktronica, folk rock — what it amounts to is warm, soothing melodies mixed with a hint of fancy.
Soda explains his musical tastes and appreciates the comparison he receives to Norwegian band Kings of Convenience, of whom he is a fan: “I listen to a variety of music genres. Shoegazer, guitar pop, folk, world, everything except heavy metal. In the early days of Oldfish I wanted to create a new kind of music with folk and electronic sounds. Personally, I really enjoy Kings of Convenience a lot.”
Also sounds like: The Postal Service, The Notwist, Fortune Cookie, Roller Coaster.
Several images that Oldfish has adopted as its icons are the paper robot, sheep, and clouds, as seen on the album covers, as well as a flashing lightbulb. One could say that the whimsy in the imagery associated with the band translates into the gentle, comfortable sounds of the music — not particularly provocative, perhaps, yet showcasing its own brand of diversity: Its placid indie-folk surface belies its energetic undercurrent. The sound is anchored by light electronic beats that keep the pace lively without dragging down the atmospheric, spare quality of the music.
Oldfish - “같이가자” (let’s go together) [ Download ] (repost)
Oldfish - “산들바람을 타고” (Riding on the wind) [ Download ]
DISCOGRAPHY:
March 2003: The Oldfish mini-album
August 2003: 귀를 기울이는건 달님입니다 [The Moon Listens Intently] mini-album
February 2004: Fairy Tale mini-album
December 2004: 1-3 mini-album
September 2005: room.ing, first full-length album, 2-CD
January 2007: Acoustic Movement, second full album
The mini-albums were sold throughout 2003 and 2004 mainly at live shows and over the internet. Unavailable now, Soda would like to re-release them at some point. There’s apparently also an omnibus album with an English band released in England in 2006.
Oldfish - “Way to Home” [ Download ] (repost)
ORIGIN OF OLDFISH
The name: “Consider evolution, which is described as the advancement of new things due to curiosity and scientific progress. However, can you call it true evolution when humans give in to their own desires and become cruel? Rather than heading in that direction, could we consider a fish with the mere memory capacity of three seconds who’d given up on that kind of evolution to be a more evolved organism than a human? It was out of those kinds of musings that the name arose.”
Soda initially got his start in music in a school band during his high school days, acting as its vocalist. He’d cultivated his musical sensibilities in a “small but pretty town” in Gyeongsangnam-do called Jinju. Though smaller than Seoul or Busan, the area was host to many fans of rock music — they even held a Rock and Roll Korea festival — and he’d had many musician friends there. After he began performing as Oldfish in 2003, his main stomping grounds became the Hongdae area.
THE FUTURE
Soda: “I don’t want to stay only in Korea, but would love to perform all over the world. I think it would be a shame if Korea didn’t produce the kinds of bands that can perform and sell albums in many other countries.”
Music video for “Dot dot dot”:
And there you have it: Oldfish. Stay tuned for the announcement of the winners — or if you don’t want to wait, go ahead and buy Oldfish’s second album “Acoustic Movement” at YesAsia.
OTHER MUSIC POSTS
May 9th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Love Kings of Convenience. (erlend oye is the best., hmm OldFish’s Way to Home sounds JUST like a song that erlend oye would sing)
I feel like Old Fish is a cross between Humming Urban Stereo and LoveHolic (minus the female vocals)
May 9th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I’d love to get one of those Cds!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Hmm, I’m quite curious! I like Kings of Convenience a lot so this should be ok, right?!
I’d like to listen to songs but I don’t have any volume left. (I’m living in an university campus and we don’t get so much internet volume here *(-__-’ )* I only have 1% left so…) Guess I have to wait a couple a days then.
Enjoy your weekend!
giao
May 9th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
=] sounds giddy and happy!
May 9th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I want to win!! i love this new thing javabeans!!
May 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
i just listened to “A day” and it sounds pretty good and i really like the instrumentals. is this what indie music sounds like?
May 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Oldfish really does sound a bit like The NoTwist ^0^ (whom I love)!
I like the little beeps and boops he puts in….interesting…. This is the kind of music I’d expect to hear in those quirky indie flicks like the Science of Sleep….
May 9th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
sounds great! =)
May 9th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Oh man, what a great contest to have =D
May 9th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
What a good idea for a contest, count me in =D
May 9th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
love the music…love all the background instruments/sounds. =]
May 9th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
i love all the artists from pastel music :]
May 9th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Sarah,
Thank you for introducing me to “Oldfish”, which is new to me. (hee, hee.) I love their sound. It puts me into a French Riveria/Mediterranean mood. (I’m smiling as I write this.)
Don’t include me in the contest. I’ll get my own copy. I’m sure someone else is more deserving.
Thanks, again.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Ah! It’s really hard to get these kinds of items in America and other places (unless you live close to a store that specializes) So it’s pretty cool that you are doing this! ^_^
May 9th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Oh I really like this idea! I always like listening to the music you upload with your posts and download here and there. Free CDs are nice too
May 9th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I love your taste in music. I always enjoy reading your new posts because of the “song of the day”. That’s one of the reasons why I keep coming back to this site to read your new posts. =). Oldfish definitely a great pick for a giveaway.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Can you please upload 2Love by god?
I’ve been wanting that song for a while… stupid itunes should have a kpop sections.. lol
May 9th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
A giveaway? And four CDs? It would be so awesome to get my first Korean music CD.
Their music video is so cutee. And the music… is stuck in my head, now! hehehe
May 9th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
yea count me in for the contest
the music sounds good
i really like your choice in music i LOVE the links you post
May 9th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
i
May 9th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
ooh! they sound really neat. yes definitely a lil like postal service who i absolutely adore!!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Reasons why I should get a free copy of the oldfish CD:
1) I just celebrated my 50th b-day. Now isn’t that a good reason to get a gift?
2) Even though my youngest daughter & I discovered Coffee Prince at the same time but since she had to go back to school, I had to continue doing more research on Kdramas w/c eventually led me to your website & I have been providing her & my eldest daughter all updates on Kdramas. Also, thru your site, I discovered a lot of great musicians (I love music, btw) & I have saved them on my ipod (Hmmm! Is this legal?) for them to listen to later on. Now, doesn’t that make me a good mother? (Happy Mother’s Day to all caring & nurturing women!!!) Isn’t this another reason to get a gift?
3) I visit your site not only once but twice or more just in case something new comes up. Doesn’t this deserve a gift, too?
4) A day without dramabeans is like a day without my cup of java. I shudder at the thought of caffeine (or Kdrama) withdrawal….. :-0
But anyways, win or lose…. drama beans is still the best source for our Korean drama and entertainment obsessions…… Woohooo!!!!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I don’t know much of OldFish but i like the songs that i heard here!
and i really love the album art cover , it’s cute!! that reminds me of that littlle piggie in the Clazziquai’s cover album lol
anyways thanks for the free giveaway!! i can’t wait to the next friday^^
May 9th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I was actually really excited when somebody recommended this a while ago because they likened Oldfish to The Postal Service, but he’s not exactly like The Postal Service and I’m glad. The music from Acoustic Movement really reminds me of music used in pixel games, for some reason. My fave track is Movement
May 9th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
That is really sweet that you’re even giving away free stuff now =D My musical tastes had been really influenced by you since I started reading your blog.
thank you.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
sounds fun and very nice of you
i love korean indie/pop right now
May 9th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
i’m not korean, but i find a lot of new korean music through your site. thanks! i’m currently watching “who are you”, soooo good! i love your recaps, too. i can’t wait for subs for eps 16 and 17 to be available. totally addicted.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Since watching Coffee Prince on AZNTV before the network disappeared, I feel as though I have fallen down the rabbit hole with Alice. There is a whole world I never knew existed. Now I too am an addict. But I want to thank you anyway for helping feed the addiction. Your music links are really the icing on the cake.
Thanks
May 9th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
this is such a cool idea. i love discovering bands i havnt heard of on your site
May 9th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I like how they put Blythe in the music video. Reminds me of the old days….
May 9th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
cool stuff.
k-indie is really making it.
soda is so fun
love this site. lol
oldfish is so calming
love this music.
thaaaanks!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Great music artist: OLDFISH!
And great song sample choices too. I always approve of your music tastes, it matches mine so well!
May 9th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Oh my gosh! I would love to get a chance at winning this CD!! I love Korean indie music and am excited for this drawing.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Hello. I love the idea!!!!!!!! I would love to know more about some indie bands XD
May 9th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Who’s excited? ME! ME! ME!
I’d love to have their CD.
Can’t wait till FRIDAY
May 9th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I would lOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE TO get one of these cds. Hopefully I will be one of the lucky winners.
I think this is a pretty cool idea Javabeans:)
May 9th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Hmm, I don’t know much about Oldfish, but they sound pretty good! I love their style! ^^
May 9th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
“IDM folk”-era (is that a genre yet Pitchfork musos?) Notwist (i.e. Golden Neon) is teh awesome. Plus their long, long, long awaited new album “came out” a few months ago.
The Oldfish cut is great. And this is exactly what I was hoping you could do, Sarah. Thanks!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Me ! Me ! Pick me *raising hands* Love give-away stuff. LoL
May 9th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
…. nice band very soothing…. the song ‘a day’ reminds me of a song of the mexican band cafe tacuba ‘mediodia’ dont know why its not even the same rhythm!!! ^-^….. thanks javabeans for sharing all these songs…i mean ALL the ones you’ve posted until now … if it werent for you i would have missed a lot in music …..