A Musical Kalediscope

Guckkasten

L-R: Lee Jung-gil, Ha Hyun-woo, Kim Ki-bum, Jeon Kyu-ho

 

Who are they?

     Guckkasten is a Korean rock band of five members with lead vocalist Ha Hyun-woo, guitarist Jeon Kyu-ho, drummer Lee Jung-gil, and bassist Kim Ki-bum.  Although they are a Korean band, their name Guckkasten is actually a German word.  It means Chinese-style kaleidoscope, which is quite befitting of the bands musical style. 

     Similar to how a kaleidoscope creates abstract patterns with light and perception, their “music and message seem to put pieces of dreams and nightmares together [to create] unexplained feelings and experiences”.   Hyun-woo also stated that “Even though I’m just a band making music, the fact that I can express such psychedelic sounds from analog, basic sounds would be better articulated through this name. “

     Much of their music has a surrealist feel to it, with many song including lyrics (written by Hyun-woo himself) about the reflections on human nature.  Hence, Guckkasten’s music is often described as psychedelic.  Many of them have been inspired by overseas musicians such as Arcade Fire, Joe Satriani, Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers.  These influences have had a major impact on the sound of their music.  It tends to be very experimental with hints of “metal, Latin sounds, crazy synths, a slightly jazzy feel and small doses of pop”.

     Here is an unfortunate incident the band experienced.  After releasing their self-titled debut album, Guckkasten finally received a fair amount of money.  However, they actually lost the hard disk drive containing the original album.  But after being appointed Korean culture ambassadors to Japan, they were forced to re-record the album.  This time around though, they decided to record at a better facility.  Sound-wise all the instruments were record much more clearly, but in return renting the studio left a huge dent in their wallets.  Like it was massive.  They were “speechless for about three seconds when [they] got the bill”.  Guckkasten’s passion for music literally emptied their wallets.

     Representing a highly understated genre in Korean music, Guckkasten has helped greatly in the growth of indie music.  They have become a critically acclaimed band and are considered one of Korea’s greatest rock bands.

The Music

     This song by Guckkasten is called Manicure.  The lyrics are here if you want to check them out.  The subject of the song is "an impure love story about his condition".  Although there are seldom lyrics, the singer sings them with a very powerful voice.  There is a slight rasp to his voice and the control of his vocals is evidence of his opera training.  As well, the instrumentals of the song are very multilayered, with a catchy bridge of guitar and bass harmonizations, "with the drums being the final touch".  

     This second song is quite interesting.  Called Red Field, it is about humanity's "
insatiable desire to have it all, from sinful pleasure to pure redemption".  To make this point more clearer, they actually included piece of Hitler's speech.  It sounds really bizarre, but it represents that "an uncompromising power-achiever can fall due to the ideology that got him there in the first place".

      So that was Guckkasten.   Hopefully, you'll check out more from this band.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guckkasten

http://seoulbeats.com/2012/09/k-pop-indie-gem-guckkasten/
http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?sec=ent9&idxno=2010081811551829571