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Kim Jae-wook’s band releases single

Actor Kim Jae-wook, who’s recently come off his stint on the disappointing drama Mary Stayed Out All Night, has turned his attention back to music, with his band WALRUS (formerly I Am Walrus). They’re releasing their first single album with music videos (below). From faux indie rock to real indie rock? I say the real Kim Jae-wook is pretty much cooler than any character he could ever play.

WALRUS is: Kim Jae-wook on vocals and guitar, Kim Tae-hyun on drums, Yoo Seung-bum on lead guitar (blonde hair and teacup, below), and Yang Shi-on on bass (with pomegranate, below). They’re college friends and classmates from the Seoul Institute of the Arts, and have been performing on and off together for upwards of nine years, and performed at 2009’s Grand Mint Festival.

They produced the album themselves, with three songs: “To Be,” “Mozaic,” and “Seoul Witch” [서울마녀]. “Seoul Witch” is their title track, about the loneliness of living in a cold city. The video below is for “To Be,” and the teaser for “Seoul Witch” is below.

It was sad to see him go from such a great turn in Bad Guy to the dull character he had to play in Mary, but hell, that drama was a waste of everybody’s talents, not just his. Clearly he should get his own drama…playing himself.

Via Osen

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The instrumental music is good, but the voice is...eh. His time would be better spent on acting.

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Yay! I'm actually the first one to comment for the first time ever! Sorry, had to put that in there.

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HAHAHA. Congrats on being first without meaning too. I don't see why you have to apologize for it. XD

I think they're actually pretty good, my only problem is that I didn't understand the lyrics because it wasn't clear (except for the "I want to be" part). It would've been cooler in Korean. His voice sounds good/ok (hey, loads of rockers have to have that kind of rough sound to it), but I think he would be more comfortable singing in a language he is comfortable with... Hey, even Japanese wouldn't be bad for him.

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Oh shoot, I should have watched the second video before I commented. I don't think he sounds bad at all. I really do think it's the language of choice, not particularly his voice. X)

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congrats on being first :D
fail to enjoy the first song,
but can't help smmmiiilinggg hearing the second song
^___________________________________^

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=) Thanks for the congrats. Made me happy.

I think his songs, both the 1st and 2nd ones have been influenced by Japanese music a lot. The vocal fluctuations sounded similar as well.

Just my preference, but I enjoy the Korean style of music over many, but not all, of the Japanese style of music. Overall, he IS certainly talented AND good-looking.

*DROOLS*

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His voice is not bad, it's the songs that count.
Indie music industry have a lot of not powerful voices but they're nice to listen to because the melody compliments their voice.
But i don't think he can go mainstream though(and a), this kind of hard rock is not something what korea likes.

I like his Seoul witch though, it showcases his voice better.

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"But i don’t think he can go mainstream though(and a), this kind of hard rock is not something what korea likes."

Hard rock is popular in Korea, but it's just not promoted in the West like the idol or even the hip hop stuff.

Garage rock has a niche in Korea, and recently the stuff has been making into bubblegum (CNBlue) and soundtracks (Every Single Day.)

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AAh~! I reckognize the location. That's in Perth, Pinncales and Lancelin. Kim Jae wook came to Australia??? I so missed out >__< would've been cool to bump into him playing guitar on the street haha XD

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Really?Perth.
Damn we never have igcognito buskers.He's HAWT even hotter than in a drama :-)

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Yep. if you notice the first part of the clip, it was in northbridge in front of grapeskin bar ...

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holy!!! when was this and how could i have possibly missed him???!!!

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he's so cool!
wish that the MVs included more footage of the rest of the band, not just him though.
can u tell me when he releases the full MV for Seoul Witch?
Walrus is kinda a weird name for a band though. reminds me of the beatle's "I am the Walrus.

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Actually, unless I remember wrong, they're called Walrus *because* of "I am the Walrus" :)

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yes...that beatle song.

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He is so unbelievebly, undaniably, cool. He has such amazing bone structure and Is a great actor. He's not really a flowery pretty boy, cause he looks so mature and aristocratic.

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i love this comment.. i love kim jae wook..

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love the fourth and fifth photos. Fierce.

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The video was cool (I really like the black and white), but when he started smashing the guitar, I choked back a lot of laughter. How 1990's rock bad of you, Kim Jae Wook.

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I love the 90's! It was the best era for rock music. Getting nostalgic now..

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Ugh. The cigarette in the guitar fret is the ugliest thing I've seen in a long while. Tcha... such a way to treat an instrument.

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I like it! To Be, combined with his vocals, reminds me of the Japanese rock band the pillows...and a little like Nirvana. The part when Kim Jae-wook breaks his guitar makes me sad though. Badass as it may be, when people destroy their instruments I feel sad for that wasted instrument.

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Haha this is so true.. it was cool when joe strummer did it, but now it just seems a little complacent and wasteful =[

BUT, i still quite like the sound - I'm not sold, but I'm interested to hear more. Idk how much of that is my undying love for KJW though =\

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It was cool when "Pete Townshend" did it first at the Monterrey Pop Festival (June 16 to June 18, 1967 ), only to be follow by Jimi Hendrix smashing his guitar and setting it on fire, after the Who destroy their drum-set and guitar, joe strummer smashing his guitar in the cover album of "London Calling was done in 1979, ten years after the original bad boys the Who and Jimi Hendrix made that an artistic statement!!!!!!

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The Pillows! I was trying to put my finger on who they reminded me of. They're not quite as jazzy, nor as rich in the production, and their sound is a bit more raw than the Pillows... so maybe more like if Nirvana were covering the Pillows.

(Hunh, I just tried to visualize that, and I think my brain broke.)

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Clearly he should get his own drama…playing himself.

I totally agree!

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Have you seen him in other documentary/diary style videos of him and his band? He rocks. He's even cooler than the characters he's played just being himself.

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I'd love to see that. Where did you watch?

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Me too!!!

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where can we watch? like too!!!

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I would watch, they should give him a reality show.

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There's something both ironic and horribly wrong (about Mary Stayed Out) that the real-life versions of JGS and KJW are... pretty much perfect for the roles they didn't play. As in, KJW is everything we were supposed to believe Mu-gyul was.

As someone mentioned above, it's hard to top just how aristocratic KJW can be (not to mention his skills with Japanese played into the storyline), so I can't see JGS pulling off the rich boy act if they had flipped parts (not to mention it'd be almost impossible to top the Guen-squared cute factor)... but it's particularly ironic given that JGS finished this series and is now presenting himself and his music with a lot of the very polish the Mu-gyul character disdained. Meanwhile, over that the KJW ranch...

Y'know, I just wonder whether KJW was cracking up on the inside, having to play the role of impressed rich boy when visiting the staged (and oh so totally sanitized and user-friendly) graffiti'd garage some set designer thought was a "hip pad". I'm even more amazed at KJW's acting skills than I had been. It'd be far above my grade to keep a straight face in that situation.

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Yea, in retrospect it makes Mu-Gyul JKS look like some teenage rocker wannabe while KJW Jung-In is the real badass indie musician who walks, talks breathes rock music.. They should have flipped roles in MSOAN...

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It certainly adds that special touch of je-ne-sais-quoi (or, "how the hell did he say that with a straight face") in the scene where KJW is visiting the hip pad for the first time and says, "this is just how I imagined it."

Yeah, I'm sure, baby. *snerk*

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Totally agree..that's what i want to say!

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i had no idea he was a musician as well....but, hey, the music is most certainly NOT bad ...uhu not bad at all
:)

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OhMyKDramaGods, i think I hyperventilated when I saw Kim Jae Wook singing.

And he's good at singing/playing guitar. *And he looks HOT doing it.*

I LOVE YOU!

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I love Kim Jae-wook and all but is anyone else disturbed by the pic where he is leaning forward and you can see his rib cage protuding out of his chest?!? I love the lean hipster look but let's not go exoskeletal!!! >_<

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what a great phrase! thanks for that. didn't you know all real rockers are supposed to look scarily thin? ^^

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but i hope he's still healthy enough. i don't want to see bones too =(, specially on Jae wook

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I love him for his acting and music! Yay for Walrus!

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Oh my gawd Kim Jae-wook....

I know it is better that the 1st MV is dark & simple, but my fangirl wishful thinking wants the MV looks brighter and the scene with KJW shirtless is longer >.<

Glad, he never went K idoling, so much sexier this way....

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The guy and his buddies are living out there dreams. There is a time and place for every thing. Good luck to Walrus!

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KJW..now that's the real Mu-GYUL!!!! I love his voice and what a sexy musician!

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wow these songs are great! i like how dark the first one was and how mellower the second one was. it was interesting to see kjw leash out in anger because he usually played calmer characters...looking forward to his album^^

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I laughed at the exoskeletal comment :D
If the band went to university looking like that, it's a wonder that any of their class mates were able to concentrate.

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That boy is definitively interesting , way more than JGS !
I like his music too , a sense of back old days .
Thanks for your post .

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I noticed ciggie on the guitar... can I say that is legit cool... cancer stick ain't cool I know... but to put it there... just I dunno the whole feel of the pix just blew me away...

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I like their sound.

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woaahh. i'm shocked at how fast/loud it is.
definitely not a vanity project (he's like the korean michael pitt!
except probably a bit nicer/more welcoming haha.)
guhhh, this guy is out for my heart.
and not just like aw, how cute; but like, hold on a minute let me get the scalpel. :P

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kind of reminds me of scott pilgrim (the movie). lol.

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I think MSOAN would have been MORE interesting if KJW was cast as MU Gyul than JGS.Boy! He is talented. KJW is living as an indie band persona. Maybe that's why MSAON was utter dullsville and a wasted opportunity.
KJW needs to be in more lead roles and hopefully in the future he will get a chance to act in one with a better script. KJW rocks!

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this is awesome

i love the stark lighting + b/w

impressive drumming

i wanna see what they do next

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I can't reconcile this Kim Jae-wook with the Waffle guy of Coffee Prince or with any of the characters he played!

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His band kind of rocks, considering how pretty he is, this is a bit unexpected. I liked it a lot!

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any tips on how to buy this?

i spent the past hour or so trying to hunt this down

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OMG..KJW oppa you Beat JGS!How Cool... Love you ....

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that drummer guy has lovely tress wonder whats his secret

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love it too! i wonder if it's really curly or he had it curled. but whatever, they are lovely =)

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I take Kim Jae Wook's transition to a musician than I ever will for Jang Geun Seok. For some reason, I view JGS as a poser, whereas Kim Jae Wook feels like he really understands music, the rock vibes (not only how to DRESS like one...psh)

KJW FTW

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A walrus meets another Walurs and says "hey buddy you got somethin' on your chest there" and the other Walrus looks down and stabs himself in the heart.

... ):

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sound reminds me of the korean indie rock group huckleberry finn. i like it. :)

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Sexy bastard needs a drama of his OWN!

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am stunned and dead from the first photo alone. =p
i care less about the voice anymore haha

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GF you are so right, he needs a role where he plays himself because he's as hot as hell! and i'm just melting.
i think i need a drink!

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Oh wtp... I...like...his music. Wow, I haven't really been able to say that for much of the new music coming out lately. They ALL sound the same. Well, it would be insulting to the artists, composers, and producers to say they all sound the same, but I don't really care when they've given up music quality for the cash cow. D;

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God, what is it about guys playing guitars? *faints from the sexy*

Also, whoever thought pomegranates could be badass?

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i wonder how Rock Rock Rock would have been if he played the lead. It would have been like playing himself. Maybe he can do the stage play instead

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That's an interesting scenario! Anyhoo I want to see KJW and Noh Min-Woo in a drama together!!!

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omg! I was just thinking that! Noh Min Woo did a great job though; a bit too quirky but it was nice. Kim Jae-wook (me thinks) might have totally sold it though

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He's soo hot! now if he could gain a little more pounds he would be perfect ;)

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Seoul witch is great, and has an energy alot of groups lack. The vocals are kinda sultry and raw, wich fits there image. I don't know Why, but Kim jae wook reminds me of hyun bin in that cosmopolitan shoot. Anyone remember? Anyway love them <3. :D

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i didn't think i could FALL IN LOVE WITH KJW EVEN MORE!!!!!

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I'm not sure how to explain this in coherent language but let's just say Kim Jae-wook's awesomeness quotient just shot up to 1000000000000000000000000x higher than before.

A rocker AND someone that showers. CAN WE SAY YEAH?

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Seriously.....KJW was in Perth?.....I am an Aussie living in the States, so not fair!
I first saw KJW in the movie "Antique", and thought....wow....he is so beautiful, and surprisingly enough, he can act. I have followed him ever since, his modeling, acting and singing. I haven't seen him in "Bad Guy" yet, just random episodes, same with "MSOAN", would have loved to seen the period drama he was in. I would definitely want to see him in his own drama......with a happy ending....of course.
KJW always goes back to his music, it seems to ground him, I think.
What is it about Korean and Japanese male actors that they think they have to be as thin as a reed to look good???? Personally, KJW with 10-15 more lbs...would look AMAZING! The smoking thing, I can do without....to me, its just not cool.
Well, it looks as though it won't be only his dramas I will be buying, but his music as well....can't wait.....I am one happy little Vegemite :)

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KJW is always cast as the wrong character. Like in bad guy, he's the true bad guy. This may be irrelevant, but in bad guy Kim Nam Gil sometimes would be sucking on a lolipop, giving the effect that he is smoking, and I'm pretty sure KJW actualey smokes. Same with MSOAN.

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i always believe that he is always being hippies than mu gyul..

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