It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. (Past profiles: folk-indie artist Jang Kiha and the Faces, rock singer-songwriter Yi Sung-yol, and indietronica artist Oldfish.)

Now it’s Korea’s foremost and possibly only mainstream jazz group Winterplay, which is out with a new album and poised to enjoy even greater success than it did with its debut in 2008.

SONG OF THE DAY

Winterplay – “Billie Jean.” I love covers when they’re done well and offer an artist’s own spin on the original song. I’m sure we all know where this one comes from, right? (If someone doesn’t, me and my creaky old bones will be very, very sad.) [ Download ]

[Read more →]

Filed under: Kpop News by javabeans - 36 Comments →

If you’re into Korean indie or rock music, you may already know about Jang Kiha and the Faces — and if not, you should be hearing about them very soon.

Jang Kiha has all but exploded onto the scene recently, and is being called the “indie Seo Taiji,” accruing enough acclaim and buzz in the previous half-year to be drawing massive mainstream attention as well.

What is the appeal of this guy? Well, the lo-fi simplicity of his alt-folky music has its definite appeal, as do his playful lyrics and flippant vibe. But it’s also his cool, laid-back attitude and the curious case of his incidental fame.

SONG OF THE DAY

Jang Kiha and the Faces – “싸구려 커피” (Cheap Coffee). His sound can be likened to 1970s-esque folk rock inflected with a dash of whimsy, but it is also described as blank of emotion. By that, it means that the songs aren’t particularly heartfelt or emo — but that’s its charm. For instance “Cheap Coffee” — I particularly like the syncopated talk-singing part — is a cool shrug of a song. [ Download ]

[Read more →]

Filed under: Kpop News by javabeans - 29 Comments →

First, I’d like to say that I know having lots of ads can be distracting on blogs. I’ve deliberated a lot on which ad blocks to use or not, and I’m never perfectly satisfied. But the ads are also why I’m able to give away free stuff like this, so there’s that silver lining.

Since the last free CD giveaway (and artist profile) went over pretty well — hey, what free stuff doesn’t, right? — I thought I’d continue with another great but overlooked artist, singer-songwriter Yi Sung Yol. (Also spelled Lee Seung Yeol/이승열.)

The Rules: Like last time, leave a comment with your email address so I can contact winners. I’ll give away FOUR CDs — winner gets his/her choice of CD, either Yi’s first album “이날, 이때, 이즈음에…” or his second, “In Exchange.”

Giveaway closes: A week from today, noon PST on Friday, June 20 27. I’ll close entries then and post winners later that day.

SONG OF THE DAY

Yi Sung Yol – “우리는” (Us) from the soundtrack of Que Sera Sera (reposted from an earlier post).
[ Download ]

 
More about YI SUNG YOL >>

Filed under: Giveaways by javabeans - 150 Comments →

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 ]

 
OLDFISH profile, songs, other miscellany >>

Filed under: Giveaways by javabeans - 186 Comments →

 
Seo Taiji’s back in the news, and as far as Korean pop music is concerned, it’s a pretty big fucking deal. If you aren’t familiar with Seo Taiji, you might not get why he’s considered important, but the guy’s practically a legend. He had a strong, lasting effect on Korean pop music; he wasn’t just popular, he was influential.

And now he’s back. This time it’s something of an event, with an album to commemorate the 15th year since his debut. The album has already sold out in preorders, within four days of the November 2 announcement of its sale, and will need to go into additional pressings.

The frenzy of preordering was set off by the announcement that the album would be a limited edition — a monster 7-disc CD set with an additional two DVDs containing every song from his seven-album discography, all his music videos, unreleased footage, live clips, etc. Demand continues unabated even in the face of the rather high price, which is a bit over $100 (close to 100,000 won). The production company had wanted to only print 15,000 copies (15 being a special number as it’s the 15th anniversary), although a representative from Yedang Entertainment admits that it might prove difficult.

What I find cool about these copies is the care being taken to make it a special item — each copy from 1 to 15,000 will come with its own number, and the first 15 have been reserved for people at Seo Taiji’s company. The copies for sale will begin with #16, and — get this — even some of the other numbers are considered extra-special, i.e. 221 because February 21 is Seo Taiji’s birthday.

 
So what’s the big fuss? Hear some of Seo Taiji’s old-school hits >>

Filed under: Kpop News by javabeans - 34 Comments →