Love + Addiction = Loveholic

Loveholic

L-R: Jae-hak Lee, Ji-seon, Hyeon-min Kang

Who are they?

     In April of 2002, guitarist Hyeon-min Kang and bassist Jae-hak Lee joined together to form the Korean indie-rock band Loveholic.  The duo later held an audition for a lead vocalist and eventually recruited Ji-seon as their front woman.

     Unfortunately, there isn’t much information on each single member, unless you have a solid comprehension of Hangul (which I don’t).  From what I could find, guitarist Hyeon-min Kang is the composer for the band and is also the ‘second’ vocalist.  He used to part of a, now defunct, male duo called Ilgiyebo (which means weather forecast).  Back in 2001, he attempted a solo album.  Outside of Loveholic, Hyeon-min Kang has produced music for various K-pop artists.  He has also lent his musical expertise for many film scores. 

     And it seems like writing film scores is a popular pastime in Loveholic.  Bassist Jae-hak Lee is the main songwriter and used to be part of a band called The Elephant.  He has also composed many songs for movie soundtracks such as the 2009 film "National Team" aka "Take-Off". 

     Regrettably, I could not find much information on Ji-seon.  She had been singing at clubs in Hongdae, Seoul before joining Loveholic.

     Since then, Loveholic has come to produce four full lengths albums.  Many of their songs have been included in the “official soundtracks of many popular dramas and movies, including Boys Over Flowers, 200 Pounds of Beauty, Coffee Prince, My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, and Spring Waltz with the song ”One Love”.  Lead singer, Ji-seon, has also been featured in the songs of many other artists including Epik High.

     Unfortunately, Loveholic came to an end in 2007 when the lead singer, Ji-seon, parted ways with the band.  Since then, Ji-seon has pursued her own solo career while the guitar duo has decided to keep the Loveholic project alive.  The band has since remained a duo and has been renamed to Loveholics.  They released their first full length album, In the Air, under the Loveholics name in September 2009.

The Music

Loveholic’s music covers a wide range of styles "from the fun and easy going to the serious, and lyrically emotional". It's not hard to see why Loveholic was a popular band, despite being in the indie scene. Hyun-min and Jae-hak are exceptional guitarists with a great talent for music composition and Ji Sun’s voice is "well toned and powerful at times–her vocals compliment the smooth musical compositions of the much of Loveholic’s work". 

     This song is called Superstar.  It's a very mellow yet cheery song.  The harmonious timbre of the guitars compliments nicely with Ji Sun's airy voice.  The song was actually used for the movie, 200 Pound Beauty. It's a pretty interesting Korean comedy about "an overweight girl who undergoes extreme plastic surgeries to become a pop sensation".

    This next song is my favourite one by Loveholic; it's called Shinkirou (meaning Mirage).  In contrast with the first song, it's much slower and very melancholic.  But it exemplifies Loveholic's ability to craft beautiful and emotional songs without any need for extravagance.

Sources

http://seoulbeats.com/2012/01/k-pop-indie-gem-loveholic/

http://blogminor.blogspot.ca/2012/03/loveholic-band-albums-skorea.html

http://asianwiki.com/Loveholic_%28South_Korea%29

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

Indie's Still Going Strong

Busker Busker

L-R: Hyung Tae Kim, Beom Jun Jang, Brad Moore

Who are they? 

     Busker Busker is living the dream.  They are a trio of guys that used to busk on the streets of Korea.  The group consists of Hyung Tae Kim, Beom Jun Jang, and Brad Moore.  If you’re wondering, yes, Brad Moore is actually a Caucasian guy.  This is very rare since there aren’t many foreign artists in the Korean music industry.

     Busker Busker was founded by Beom Jun, the guitarist and lead singer.  With this band, he wanted to showcase the talents of local artists and “bring an artistic cultural presence” to the streets, not only through music but all forms of art.  Beom-Jun’s fellow band mates that joined him on this quest are Hyung-Tae, a fellow university student, and Brad, an English Professor.  Together they performed in parks and streets around Korea.  Gradually their fame started to escalate.

     It wasn’t until Busker Busker compete in the Superstar K3 did their fame kick off.   For those of you that don’t know, Superstar K is pretty much like those singing audition shows such as American Idol, The Voice, and The X-Factor.  Even though they didn’t win, they were runner-ups on the show.  This is quite amazing seeing that they were originally eliminated after reaching the Top 48.  In a stroke of chance, a band in the top 10 dropped out and Busker Busker eventually won the right to compete again, where they won second place.  From the show, the band received great publicity.

     Almost a year after the show, Busker Busker released their first studio album simply title Busker Busker 1st Album. Completely written and composed by Jang Beom, the record was a “national sensation” having sold over 50,000 copies in the first three weeks alone and each song from the album debuting high on the charts.  And just 2 months after the album’s release, “accrued a grand total of 13,055,149 downloads”.

 

Considering that they’ve only debuted with one album, the band has achieved many amazing feats.

The Music

     "Cherry Blossom Ending" is Busker Busker's title track from their album.  It's a very simple song, but that's what makes it soothing.  With Beom Jun's soft voice and the hum of a harmonica, it's a very catchy tune.  The song tells the story of a boy confessing to a girl under cherry blossom trees in the spring. 

 In contrast, "It's Too Hard to Face You" is more up-tempo.  In the song Beom Jun "pleads with his ex to not run into him again [because] the ,memories of her are too painful, and seeing her again would only reopen old wounds".  To further illustrate this, the chorus is a frantic and speed up which " gives voice to his anxiety".

     So, what do you think of Busker Busker? 

Sources

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

http://www.allkpop.com/2012/05/busker-buskers-1st-album-breaks-13-million-downloads

http://www.allkpop.com/2012/02/superstar-k3s-busker-busker-oolala-session-to-debut-soon
http://seoulbeats.com/2012/04/busker-busker-the-saviors-of-k-indie/
http://seoulbeats.com/2013/01/side-b-busking-busking-to-the-top/

Epik High is Epik

Epik High

Left to right: Mithra Jin, Tablo, DJ Tukutz

Who are they?

     Epik high are a hip-hop trio from South Korea.  Formed in 2001, they consist of Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz.  On an interesting note, the group currently hails from the same record label as Psy, YG Entertainment.  They're pretty good friends, too.

It's Psy and Tablo!

     As I mentioned before, Epik High is a hip-hop group.  With all three members having the ability to “sing, write lyrics, and compose and arrange music”, Epik High have established themselves as a successful group.  What makes Epik High uniqe though are their lyrics, which are known are lyrical pieces of urban poetry.  Much of their music is “soulful and often witty while [also] addressing serious social issues such as identity, discrimination, community, unity and change as a whole”.  As well, each member has many notable accomplishments themselves. 

     Tablo is a graduate from Stanford University.  He has a Master’s Degree in English and Creative Writing.  As well, Mithra Jin was included on eleven major albums in Korea before he even joined Epik High.  And finally, DJ Tuktz is known as “the boy with the magic fingers”.  He started DJing in 1995 and has performed at radio shows, live events and clubs in not only Korea, but Japan, Boston and New York.

     They originally formed as a group in the underground hip-hop scene.  At the time hip-hop music wasn't as popular as it is now in South Korea.  Eventually, after releasing a couple of albums Epik High eventually gained commercial success through their third album, Swan Songs.  

     With this success, they gradually helped bring hip-hop music to the mainstream audience in South Korea.  After almost a decade in the music industry, Epik High has faced many challenges.  The group has faced long hiatuses, censorship, label changes and controversy.  Despite this, Epik High is still going strong.  They just released their seventh studio album, 99.  

     South Korean music is quite similar to North American music.  The music industries of both are pretty much saturated with pop acts, but that can probably apply to anywhere in the world.  But Epik High offers an alternative.  They make real music with a message.

The Music

     This first song is from their third album, Swan Songs, and is called "Let It Rain".  It's a very melancholic song about a lost love.  The song contains a sad and soft melody that accents the rap beautifully.  Even if you didn't know the lyrics, you can still feel the agonizing pain of the song.  Fortunately I found a video with English subs.  So, check it out:

     This other song is called "Don't Hate Me", which is off their newest album 99.  In contrast to the first song, it's a bit more poppy and happier in tone.  It's a laid-back tune that is extremely catchy.  Even if you don't like the song, the music video is pretty interesting.  Nothing you would find in America.  Anyways, the English lyrics are here, if you want to check them out.  Enjoy the song!

     So, I hope you liked learning about Epik High.  They're personally one of my favourite groups and I don't think this post does much justice for them.  So, what are your thoughts on Epik High?

Sources

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

http://www.ygfamily.com/artist/Main.asp?LANGDIV=E&ATYPE=2&ARTIDX=50
http://www.last.fm/music/Epik+High