Half a Million and Counting

by javabeans

Woot woot! I marked my 100,000th hit (well, I was lazy so it got pushed to 150,000) with some House Rulez. Speaking of whom, have you checked them out yet? They’re awesome. I still have them on heavy daily rotation.

Now this blog has seen 500,000 hits (I can’t even really wrap my head around that number; I feel like I’m blogging for about thirty people, lol) — and what better way to mark the event than with lots and lots of songs? Thanks everyone for reading along! It’s all thanks to you guys that I got sucked so readily into blogging. It’s an addiction, I tell you.

Whoever says Korean music is worse these days than it used to be isn’t looking hard enough. Sure, mainstream pop acts might be as trite and uninspired as expected, but I think Korean music is undergoing rapid diversification these days, splintering off into many previously unexplored genres and subgenres. It’s an exciting time to be experimental, I think. So here are some artists who are a little left of center —

Let’s kick off this shindig with relatively unknown band V.E.I.L.

.
Vocals: Kim Wonjun
Guitars: Kang Sunwoo
Rap/DJ: Kim Wongee
Bass: Chung Hanjong
Drums & Programming: Lee Changhyun
V.E.I.L.’s club cyworld page

Buy the album “Lesson 01.”

I’ve just started listening to Younha, but I like her voice and her style. Maybe it’s because she got her start in jpop (despite being Korean), but her songs aren’t typical mainstream kpop, which is usually more R&B-influenced like American pop acts. But Younha can sing, and her style and clear strong voice reminds me a bit of Kelly Clarkson.

Buy Younha’s debut Korean album “The Perfect Day To Say I Love You.”

If you haven’t heard of F.T. Island yet, you probably will very soon. Just like I don’t really like mainstream American music, I don’t really love mainstream kpop either, and this super-young boy band seems poised to launch into that market. But their music actually sounds different, and if I can believe my eyes, it would appear that these boys play their own instruments. Gold star for actual musical competence. And an extra point for infectious music that ain’t called “Cheerful Sensibility” (album title) for nuthin’.

Buy F.T. Island’s debut album, “Cheerful Sensibility.”

If you haven’t heard of Clazziquai yet, you’ve been deprived. As Korea’s premier electronic group, their members, particularly Alex, keep busy in between albums with collaborations between other artists. To date, they’ve worked with groups like Epik High and Loveholic as well as new artists Rhyme Bus (see below), and for soundtracks such as MBC drama Que Sera Sera (both Alex and Horan had tracks on the OST), sleeper romantic comedy hit 200 Pound Beauty, and rom-com movie Seducing Mr. Perfect.

Their latest album just came out and it’s been a long wait, wearing out my previous albums. Clazziquai is cool like whoa.

Buy Clazziquai’s latest album, “Love Child of the Century.”

Buy the album, Rhyme Bus’ Vol. 1.

A somewhat new band working in upbeat electronic music, Blue Sorbet is relatively on the downlow, with one album, a digital single, and two tracks on an OST (that are included on their full album). Their website’s incomplete and there’s a serious dearth of info on them. Let’s hope it’s just because they’re still pretty new.

Buy Blue Sorbet’s first album, “Melodical Sounds of the Taste.”

BAY is a new group whose songs are mostly mellow, melodic rock:

BAY – “Family” [ Download ] Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. BAY – “Saturday Night” (repost) [ Download ] Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Buy Bay’s debut album, “Open the Road.”

My Aunt Mary is one of my favorite Korean-music groups:

My Aunt Mary – “S.E.O.U.L.” [ Download ] Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. My Aunt Mary – “랑겔한스” (repost) [ Download ] Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Buy My Aunt Mary’s “Drift” album (also recommend the previous album, “Just Pop”).