Ooh. Interesting.

This may only interest a handful of you out there who also happen to love Roller Coaster, but this is for us fans of the laid-back, acid-jazz/lounge/groovetronica group: the voice of the band, Jo Won-sun, is finally coming out with her own solo album 17 years after her debut.

I’d been wondering when they’d come out with another album, and since I effing LOVE their music — melodically intricate, groovy, mellow, diverse — I am more than happy to hear about this. And if you don’t know them but enjoy Clazziquai, Humming Urban Stereo, Casker, and/or Fortune Cookie, you should really give them a whirl.

I also realized most of my previously posted Roller Coaster song links are now dead, so I’ve reupped and reposted them here:

SONG (REPOSTS) OF THE DAY

Roller Coaster – “숨길 수 없어요” (Can’t Hide It) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Roller Coaster vocalist goes solo (280 words)

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Post tags: kpop, musicians, singers, stuff I dig

I knew Love & Marriage would end on a happy note, and that nothing totally unexpected would come in the last hour. But I was still pleasantly surprised with how well the drama wrapped up its romance — even managing to pull out a bit of cleverness to keep the inevitable from being totally predictable.

I’ll be the first to admit that Love & Marriage isn’t a perfect drama, or even a particularly noteworthy one. But what it did, it did well: happy romance that endeared its characters to those of us who don’t necessarily like our dramas traumatic. Also, I always want to give extra points to dramas whose finales manage to satisfy AND add a little something extra to the series, rather than ending on a disappointing note — or even just an adequate (but unexciting) one.

SONG OF THE DAY

Love & Marriage OST – “Come to Me” by J [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Love & Marriage: Episode 16 (Final) (3,309 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Kim Ji-hoon, Kim Min-hee, Love & Marriage, Park Ki-woong, stuff I dig

Episode 4 is SO ADORABLE it’s silly. No, really, I think I had a grin on my face all episode.

(I just hope this drama stays funny. Four solidly amusing episodes is a good start, but until a series is halfway through, I’m wary that it’ll downturn. Actually, I’m usually nervous that a good series will sour right up until it ends.)

What I think Love & Marriage does well is in the way it unfolds its plot, how it structures jokes to pay off more than once. The plot itself isn’t groundbreaking, but the show is filled with quirky, cute little moments that build on each other and keep the momentum moving throughout.

SONG OF THE DAY

Howl – “소년, 소녀를 만나다” (Boy meets girl) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Love & Marriage: Episode 4 (2,638 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Kim Ji-hoon, Kim Min-hee, Love & Marriage, stuff I dig

I know this post is off-topic, but DongA.com brings us this lovely image of a newfangled device being called a “scissor bike.” I don’t know about you, but those are two words that, when put together, conjure up some pretty unfortunate images, but oddly it’s very apt (the bicycle folds upon itself for ease of carrying). I don’t bike much, but I’d actually get me one of these — more useful than a razor scooter, less bulky than an actual bike.

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 13 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: off topic, stuff I dig

Omg. Strongest Chil Woo is AWESOME (-ly bad). But still, awesome!

It is SO corny, and that makes it so, so good.

I never thought I’d say this, but one of its best assets right now is its terrible acting. I don’t know if they’re being bad on purpose, or if they’re just not naturally suited to the material, but in any case I’d like to tell them: Thank you. A show that is not meant to be good is best being very, very bad. It couldn’t’a happened without you.

SONG OF THE DAY

Hooligan – “상상웃음” (Imaginary laugh) [ Download ]

 
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Read the rest of Strongest Chil Woo: Episode 4 (2,565 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Eric, Gu Hye-sun, sageuk dramas, so bad it's good, Strongest Chil Woo, stuff I dig

I was thinking how I’ve been watching lots of first episodes of dramas these days, but haven’t found anything to dive into since the end of Who Are You? It’s starting to feel like going on a string of disappointing first dates — measuring up expectations versus performance, anticipation versus letdown, etc.

You know, there’s that date you’re really looking forward to, so you get dressed up and put on your heels and makeup and count down the hours, and he turns out to be a total dud. Or the date you agreed to because it was easier to give the guy your number than to try to invent an excuse not to because those excuses always come out embarrassingly half-assed — like you say you don’t have a phone and then it rings, or something — but then you end up having a good time.

I didn’t exactly intend to go off on an extended metaphor, but when I thought about all the recent dramas I’ve caught, they all seemed to fit (more or less).

SONG OF THE DAY

G.O.D. – “Falling” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of First-date dramas (1,378 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2008. | Permalink | 106 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Bulhandang/Robbers, Coffee Prince, Hong Gil Dong, I Love You, Iljimae, La Dolce Vita, On Air, ranty/ravey, Rivals, Spotlight, stuff I dig, The Last Scandal of My Life, Tokyo Showers, Who Are You?, Why Did You Come To Our House, Yi San

Before I launch into my many-word description of the finale, I have a one-word description: catharsis.

There’s something really cathartic about the way this story resolves, and I’m so pleased to report that I found the finale to be all things a finale should be — and above all, satisfying.

SONG OF THE DAY

The The Band – “우는 날” (The day I cry) [ Download ]

 
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Read the rest of Who Are You: Episode 17 (Final) (2,484 words)

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Post tags: episode recaps, Go Ara, stuff I dig, Who Are You?, Yoon Kye-sang