o. “Go Your Own Way” by Cool Age [쿨에이지]

First album. They are An JeongHun [안정훈] (guitar, vocal), Jeon HongJun [전홍준] (bass, vocal) and Shin NanDa [신난다] (drums, vocal).

Punk rock. Not bad.

o. “Radio Dayz” by E Z Hyoung / Lee Ji Hyung [이지형]

First solo album. I think he used to be with an indie band Weeper [위퍼]. Unlike some of the recent solo projects, he did not play everything (although he wrote all the songs). Unless you are doing all electronica work, I think it really helps to have creative collaboration to broaden and enrich the music.

Pop/rock. Not bad.

o. “Starbow” by Starbow [스타보우]

First album. They are Jeong JongHyeok [정종혁] (vocal, keyboards), Kim DaeU [김대우] (guitar), Kim YeongSeok [김영석] (bass) and Yun YeongJu [윤영주] (drums).

Rock (Brit-ish, retro-ish). Actually a bit difficult to define the genre. Not bad.

o. “HaengBok [행복]“ by Hachi & TJ [하찌와 TJ]

First album together. Hachi [하찌] (a.k.a. HIROHUMI Kasuga [春日 博文]) is a Japanese musician/producer (he is kind of old, in his late 50s) who got interested in Korea in the 80s. TJ [티제이] (a.k.a. Cho TaeJun [조태준]) is a Korean in his 20s. Hachi wrote most of the music and played a lot of the instruments. The singing is done by TJ. He also played some instruments and wrote a couple of the songs. An interesting combination.

Acoustic/folk. Somewhat reminded me of the 80s J-POP… Or it could have been my imagination because of Hachi, but still TJ‘s style also seems to fit that style.

o. “Little Fanfare” by Cabinet Singalongs [캐비넷 싱얼롱스]

First album. They are Cha JiEun [차지은] (a.k.a. PiMang [피망] (accordion, vocal), Kim MokIn [김목인] (a.k.a. Wood [우드]) (acoustic guitar, vocal, piano) and Lee DongRyeol [이동렬] (a.k.a. HaengRyeol [행렬]) (trumpet, ukulele, vocal).

Folk. Okay.

o. “Fight Against the World” by Schizo [스키조]

Second album. They are Hur Jae Hun [허재훈] (vocal), Ju Sung Min [주성민] (guitar, programming), Lee Hae Lim [이해림] (bass), Bok Nam Kyu [복남규] (drums) and Hayashi Hidehiro (sampling).

Industrial. Okay.

o. “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Cloud Cuckoo Land [클라우드쿠쿠랜드]

First album. They are Choi JongHun [최종훈] (vocal, guitar), Shim HyeonSeok [심현석] (guitar), Kim JiHun [김지훈] (bass) and Kim ChangHyeon [김창현] (drums).

Modern rock. Okay

o. “GgumEui IlBu [꿈의 일부]“ by JaeJuSoNyeon [재주소년]

Third album. They are Park GyeongHwan [박경환] (a.k.a. afternoon) (vocal, guitar) and Yu SangBong [유상봉] (a.k.a. sabo) (guitar, vocal).

Folk/pop/rock. Okay.

o. “Seba” by Seba [세바]

First album. They are Kim Moo Gwon [김무권] (violin), Kim Yeong Hyun [김영헌] (bass), Han Jeung Hee [한정희] (piano), Choi Jung Wook [최정욱] (cello), Heo Hyeon Ju [허현주] (flute), Hahn Woong Won [한웅원] (drums, percussions) and Ma DoWon [마도원] (composition, arrangement, directing).

Jazz, I think. Okay.

o. “Say Hello to Every Summer” by Elena [엘레나]

First album. Her name seems to be Jeong WuMin [정우민] (a bit boy-ish name :p). The album was had a great participation by Espionne (a.k.a. DJ Soulscape, Park MinJun [박민준]). It seems she used to play keyboards for many indie bands (Cosmos, Julia Hart, etc.).

Pop. Okay.

o. “Frankly” by Voy [보이]

This is their first album. Voy are Lee ByeongHun [이병훈], a.k.a., Vanilla Voy (vocal, piano, acoustic guitar), Lee CheolHui [이철희] (drums) and Lee DongJun [이동준] (bass). Almost all the songs were written by Lee ByeongHun.

Pretty plain old-style acoustic (?) pop. The CD case design is very well-done, though.

o. “Phantom Pain” by Sugardonut [슈가도넛]

This is their first. Sugardonut are Changs [창스] (vocal, guitar), CheolU [철우] (guitar), Kim Tak [김탁] (bass) and DiAl [디알] (DR?) (drums).

I don’t know what they did with the recording or the mixing (using recording devices that record in MP3, maybe?), but all the tracks contain plenty of MP3 aliasing artifacts. It is an CD album, but it’s like listening to very low-bitrate MP3s. This is NOT the noise they sometimes put in artificially for an “artistic” purpose. This IS “MP3″ aliasing noise when the quantizer does not have enough bits (I’ve developed audio codecs before, believe me). Very very V-E-R-Y annoying.

It’s very regrettable because their music itself isn’t too bad (although they do remind me of many other musicians, later Seotaiji for one).

o. “Purple Drop” by Humming Urban Stereo [허밍 어반 스테레오]

This is their second album. Humming Urban Stereo is a one-man project work by Lee Jeereen [이지린], a.k.a. Brown Bunny with many other guest musicians.

Jeereen is definitely talented, but I am not sure if this kind of music is to my taste. I liked “Scully Doesn’t Know” from the previous album but I don’t know about “Mulder Does Know”.

o. “JuSaekManChan [주색만찬]“ by GoGuRyeo Band [고구려밴드]

This is their first album. JuSaekManChan are Lee GilYeong [이길영] (vocal), Yang AnBok [양안복] (guitar), Seo MinSeok [서민석] (bass) and Jeon SeongJin [전성진] (drums). Lee GilYeong wrote all the music and the words.

Although the basic musical style is rock, for sure, but as the name of the band suggests, they are somewhat influenced by Korean tradition music/singing. Especially noticeable is the singer’s vocalization along with the lyrics.

Yeah, this has been attempted before, and I don’t think this band will sudden change the past trend as time soon. But they are interesting still. They tend to sound a bit “old”, though. Maybe some day, it will become “new” again.

o. “Pinch Your Soul” by Clazziquai Project [클래지콰이 프로젝트]

This is their remix album (damn, I did not read the description carefully). Clazziquai Project is a one-man band by Kim Sunghoon [김성훈], a.k.a. Clazziquai.

Damn, I should be more careful when picking up a CD. I really didn’t know it was a remix album. Most of the new orchestration seems to be trying to move away away from R&B to pop.

o. “I Worry, Too” by Yoonkee [윤키]

This is his first album, I guess. I understand the effort, but I am kind of curious how one “releases” demo-tape-quality album this widely with such an effort for album designs and stuff.

o. “triangle” by Rollercoaster [롤러코스터]

This is their fifth album. They are Cho WonSeon [조원선] (vocal, keyboards), Jinu [지누] (bass, programming) and Lee SangSun [이상순] (guitars).

They seem to have mellowed down a bit. I still like CHO WonSeon‘s voice or music writings in general, but their work is not that upbeat anymore. Both lyrically and musically, they (she?) sound “tired”, not having the usual “carefree” feel. Too bad.

o. “Moida Band” by Moida Band [모이다밴드]

First album. They are Lee In Kwan [이인관] (sax), Choi Hoon [최훈] (bass), Park Kyung Ho [박경호] (guitars), Kim Jong Ik [김종익] (keyboards) and An Byung Bum [안병범] (drums).

I can’t really define their style since I don’t think they are playing just one style. But I thought they have a potentially interesting mix of instruments. I have to say that their music is based on “smooth jazz” with a lot of other influence (pop, rap, etc.), basically whatever fits their musical composition, instrument-wise.

I think their live performance would sound much better.

o. “The Vane” by Mellowyear [멜로이어]

This is the first solo project album by Shin SeCheol [신세철] of Sweater [스웨터]. In some way, this is a similar effort by Lucid Fall [루시드폴], but I think Mr. Shin’s solo project has a much “brighter” atmosphere. I like it.

o. “bombom” by Deli Spice [델리스파이스]

Their 6th album. They are Sweetpea [스위트피] a.k.a. Kim MinGyu [김민규] (guitars, piano, vocal), Yun Junho [윤준호] (bass, keyboards, vocal) and Choi Jaehyuk [최재혁] (drums, percussions, chorus).

Nothing special, I felt.

o. “Colorful Express” by Peppertones [페퍼톤즈]

Their first album. I think the main conspirators are Noshel [노쉘] (bass, sound effects) and Sayo [사요] (guitar, sequencing). They have a guest vocal, Deb [뎁] / Kim MinGyeong [김민경] and several other guest musicians.

Their music can be characterized as Japanese anime-pop, very upbeat, dancy pop. Frankly, I thought in some parts, the vocal wasn’t really that strong. But overall, not bad.

o. “Merry Maker” by Earls [얼스]

Their first album. They are Al jamix / Shin SeungHun [신승훈] (vocal), Xavier / Im SeungBeom [임승범] (keyboards), JjabJabz / Wu GyeongJe [우경제] (guitar), Hyungbass / Kim HyeongBae [김형배] (bass) and Y.P.Groove / Choi GyeongMin [최경민] (drums).

I was kind of expecting a punk band from the cover design, but they are actually playing funk/groove. They have a pretty good guest brass part (Im GwangTaek [임광택] (trumpet), Lee HanJin [이한진] (trombone) and Cho JaeJin [조재진] (saxophone)).

Very well executed overall albeit sounding too 70s…

o. “Boys, Be Ambitious” by No Brain [노브레인]

Their 4th album. They are Lee SeongWu [이성우] / BulDaeGal [불대갈] (vocal), Jeong MinJun [정민준] / VOVO (guitar), Jeong JaeHwan [정재환] / Jany (bass) and Hwang HyeonSeong [황현성] / HyungGa [흉가] (drums).

Although they’ve been around for a while, I really think there are no other punk rock band in Korea that can come close (yet?). The very fact that they play very straight forward, upbeat, fast rock is what’s attractive about them (at least to me). No gimmick, no pretense of sophistication. Just plain, simple, fast rock. They know how to carry their energy over to my ears.

o. “Calligram” by Calligram [캘리그램]

Their first album. They are Lee Geun Jik [이근직] (guitar), Yoon Gae Hwan [윤계환] (bass), Kang Mi Young [강미영] (piano), Lim Eun Kyung [임은경] (accordion) and Shin Dong Jin [신동진] (drums).

Five piece Jazz ensemble. Because of the addition of the accordion, I guess, the overall sounds has that old (or classical if you will) “French”/”European” color. Pretty standard Jazz stuff, otherwise.

o. “RomanTopia” by Lee Sang Eun [이상은]

This is her twelfth album. I got the impression that the music has lighten up a bit. She’s still marching to her own beat, but following the current trend a bit (electronica) in orchestration. Still collaborating with Hajimu Takeda.

I thought it was okay.

o. “Color Your Soul” by Clazziquai Project

This is their second album. Clazziquai Project is a one-man project work by Kim Sunghoon [김성훈] with many guest (some recurring) musicians. Not sure why their full names aren’t listed.

Anyway, he is continuing his electronica-based R&B (+ some Latin beats). I think I am getting a bit more comfortable with his approach.

o. “CheongChunYeChan” [청춘예찬] by Jaurim [자우림]

This is a cover/tribute album (I really should be more careful about researching these things). Jaurim are Kim YunA [김윤아] (vocals, keyboard, piano), Lee SeonGyu [이선규] (guitars, programming, vocals), Kim JinMan [김진만] (bass, programming, vocals) and Gu TaeHun [구태훈] (drums, percussions, vocals).

Not recommended.

o. “Nah Youn Sun with Refractory” by Refractory with Nah Youn Sun [나윤선]

To me, this is actually an album by Refractory featuring Nah Youn Sun. Refractory are Jean François Blanco (programming, keyboards, guitar, base) and Louis Beaudoin (sax, arrangements).

Interesting, but I am still unsure whether this type of acid jazz (?) / electronica isn’t really my thing.

o. “Ma Non Tanto” by Lee Eun Mee [이은미]

This is her sixth album and the title translates to “but not so much”, usually a tempo notation in a musical score.

The album is a collection of mostly sentimental numbers. Too sentimental for me, actually. A change of pace for her, I am sure, but I don’t think I am into it much.

o. “Love Record” by Windy City [윈디시티]

This is their first album. Windy City are Kim BanJang [김반장] (drums, lead vocal, timbale), Yun GabYeol [윤갑열] (guitar, vocal), Kim TaeGuk [김태국] (bass, vocal), Cho MyeongJin [조명진] (keyboards, vocal) and Jeong SangGwon [정상권] (gonga, bongo, vocal, percussions).

Kim BanJang used to lead Asoto Union, but it seems this now became his main interests. The band plays, I guess, reggae / groovy / funk (or “world music”).

An interesting try. Maybe, I am getting old and I’ve been away from Korea too long, but to me, it sounds too alienated from Korea, temporarily and spatially. As much as I like having diversity in the Korean music scene, I don’t know how much his effort will connect with the Korean crowd compared to Asoto Union.

o. “ginagram” by Gina [지나]

This is her first album. Gina is also known as Seo HyeonA [서현아].

I think this could have been a collection of her graduation works at Berklee, mostly funk / light jazz, I think. Pretty solid, I thought.

o. “Old Fashioned” by Common Ground [커먼 그라운드]

This is their second album. Common Ground are G-Jey (vocal), Cho DaeYeon [조대연] (vocal), RBS (rap), Choi HuiCheol [최희철] (bass), JANE (guitar), Park SeungMin [박승민] (guitar), Hwang JeongGwan [황정관] (drums), Park MinU [박민우] (keyboards), Cho JaeBeom [조재범] (percussions), Eo YongSu [어용수] (trombone), Kim SeongMin [김성민] (trumpet), Kim JongU [김종우] (sax) and Seo DaeGwang [서대광] (trumpet).

I always found them interesting because this type of big funk band is quite unusual. The only thing is I really hate their faker English rappers. Overall, not a bad concept, but their albums are just okay. I am sure their live performance is much more enjoyable.

o. “everyday trouble” by HaePaRiSoNyeon [해파리소년]

This is his first album. Just a one-man electronica pop/rock “band”. A bit rough sounding (noise, I guess), but I kind of like most of his non-vocal numbers. I am not sure about his vocal, though. Even his female guest vocal doesn’t seem to be that appealing.

o. “Noomas” by Yoonchan Kwak [곽윤찬] with John Patitucci and Nasheet Waits

This is his third album. Pretty standard Jazz trio album. Solid, but nothing exceptional, I thought.

o. “Blue in Green” by Lazybone [레이지본]

This is their third album. They are RO Jinu [노진우] (vocals and guitar), Jundoy a.k.a. LEE Jun Won [이준원] (vocals and rap), IM Jun Kyu [임준규] (guitar), AVAIL a.k.a. AHN Kyoung Soon [안경순] (bass), KIM Seok Nyun [김석년] (drums) and KIM Mun Yong [김문용] (keyboards), with RYU Hae Won [류해원] (drums). Other musicians participated include RYU Bok Seong [류복성] (percussions), BAEK Jeong Hwa [백정화] (flute), KIM Ji Yeong [김지영] (cello), and Common Ground (KIM Sung Min [김성민] and AEO Young Soo [어용수]) (brass).

They are a reggae rock band with some other modern musical elements mixed in. Sometimes closed to punk. Not bad. Personally I am not that big of a fan of reggae rock/college bands, but I thought they were quite good with the tempo and the consistent underlying reggae themes.

o. “Skylab” by Casker [캐스커]

It’s his second album, but I’ve never had the chance to listen to his first (solo project, I heard). But I’ve seen his name mentioned a lot in other bands’ works. Casker is LEE Juno [이준오] (programming, synths, samples, dsp) with LEE Yoongjin [이융진] (vocals) and LEE Jinwook [이진욱] (acoustic and electric pianos).

As with most one-person project, this one is uses a lot of elements of electronica (mostly sampling and rhythm programming). However, I’d categorize it more as a pop album. You know the light and cute kind whose many tracks are based on Latin rhythms. I was not particularly fond of his slower numbers, but overall, I thought this is a good compilation.

o. “closedtrace [페곡선]“ by dyE [다이]

I think it’s her first single album. Dye is LEE JiSeon [이지선].

I usually try not to buy single albums (not enough returns per medium/cost). I don’t know why I bought this. I can’t think of this as a pop album especially with a couple of tracks by Jang, YeongGyu [장영규] (of EoEoBu Band [어어부밴드]). Those give this album an experimental feel.

o. “first story” by KWON Sung Min [권성민]

This is his first album. Besides Mr. Kwon on piano, there are other musicians: OH Jong Dae [오종대] (drums), JEONG Jung Ha [정중화] (bass) and SON Sung Jae [손성제] (sax).

This is a jazz trio (with a sax on some tracks) album by a pretty young and unknown fellow from an obscure label (SpinWorks). I thought this whole thing was interesting. But I am glad that even with the downfall of the Korean CD industry, diversity in music is growing.

Eight of 11 tracks were written by Mr. Kwon (the rest was traditional themes), and the orchestration is pretty standard, nothing fancy or anything avant-garde. Actually, I thought it was pretty good for Korean domestic jazz album, much closer to common U.S. jazz trio albums. But as I stated before, it isn’t anything really fancy, but pretty solid.

o. “_illusion” by moodstone [무드스톤]

I think it’s her first album. Moodstone is LEE YeongJeong [이연정] with LEE Sang Hyeon [이상현] (a.k.a. Backtrip). Actually, LEE Sang Hyeon wrote all the words and music and performed most of the instruments (except for one track by Moon5150).

I don’t know how to categorize the album. I am inclined to say it’s a rock album, but it’s more atmospheric than anything else, I guess. Not really my cup of tea.

o. “Instant Romantic Floor” by Instant Romantic Floor [인스턴트 로맨틱 플로어]

This is a single (project?) album among three musicians, Sugar Flow, YeSLow and Brown Bunny (a.k.a. Jeereen, a.k.a., LEE Jeereen [이지린]). I think most of the music was written by Jeereen.

Another “cute music” (incidentally, I really wish my all-time favorite “cute music” artist Pizzicato 5 would make a come-back) album with some flavors of R&B and rap, which seems to be exactly the style of Jeereen. This is true of all Korean songs that may contain raps, but it had too many instances of these that I irritates me to much: “yo”, “y’know what i’m sayiiin’” with faux ghetto accents. Besides that, the music wasn’t too bad.

o. “Seoul Electric Band” by Seoul Electric Band [서울전자음악단]

This is their first album. They are SHIN Yun Cheol [신윤철] (vocal, electric & acoustic guitars, keyboards, programming), KIM JeongWuk [김정욱] (vocal, bass, keyboards), and LEE GiTae [이기태] (vocal, drums).

With such a groovy lettering and the name, I have to say I was expecting something different. They are a pretty traditional rock/pop band, actually a bit old-stylish (70s psychedelic rock-ish?), and musically pretty solid. But yeah, I am a bit disappointed.

o. “Tree Bicycle” by NaMuJaJeonGeo [나무자전거]

This is their first album. They are KIM Hyong Seob [김형섭] and KANG In Bong [강인봉].

They are both acoustic guitar players. I think they are continuing the folk pop/rock tradition of KIM GwangSeok [김광석] and DongMulWon [동물원]. Actually, one of the guys sings just like Kim GwangSeok. Very nice guitar playing and good melodies. Not really my thing now, but still makes me very nostalgic.

o. “Alpha Beat” by Omega 3 [오메가 쓰리]

This is their first album. They are YUN Junho [윤준호] (bass, vocal>, KO Kyungchun [고경천] (piano, keyboards, vocal), and CHOI Jaehyuk [최재혁] (drums, percussions, vocal).

The marketing sticker on the CD presented them as a “piano rock” band, which made me think that maybe they are similar to Ben Folds Five. Well, one or two tracks do have passages that just sound like early Ben Folds Five, but that’s about it. They are more of a keyboard rock band.

For me, the best thing about BFF was not only about Ben’s awesome acoustic piano, Darren’s amazing drums, and Robert’s lyrical electric bass, but about the amazing vocal harmony of three. I don’t see anything in Omega 3. Very disappointed.

o. “Very Very Nice! and Short Cake” by Humming Urban Stereo [허밍 어반 스테레오]

I think this is a one person project. This double-CD package includes a previously released (?) single album, “Short Cake” along with the new album, “Very Very Nice!”. I think the person behind the project is Jeereen (a.k.a. LEE Jeereen [이지린]).

As I’ve mentioned before, his music is very “cute” (and groovy) with a lot of them based on Latin rhythms (I guess one could say “lounge”). Among many of Jeereen‘s projects that I’ve heard so far, I like this one the best. I think “Very Very Nice!” is indeed nicer than “Short Cake”.

o. “Where the Story Ends” by W

This is their second album. They were also known as WTSE, but this time they shortened it even more. They are BAE YeongJun [배영준] (guitars), HAN JaeWon [한재원] (keyboards, programming, vocals), and KIM SangHun [김상훈] (vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, programming).

I can’t be sure (it’s been a while since I’ve listened to their first album), but I think their musical identities have changed in this album. Their music sounds, at least to me, very Japanese pop-ish (including “Everybody wants you”). It has that, just-cannot-exactly-explain, Japanese pop feel. :p Otherwise, it’s a pretty good album, very catchy.

o. “Furious Five” by BulSsaJo [불싸조]

This is their first album. They are CHO YunSeok [조윤석] (a.k.a., CHO SeongSik [조성식]) (bass), HAN SangCheol [한상철] (guitars), and JEONG JuHyeon [정주현] (drums).

I don’t know what they were thinking. At least, they could have mixed it better (it could have been intentional, though). Do not get this unless you have heard the tracks before. If Mr. Cho is the same guy as Lucid Fall, I am quite disappointed.

o. “O, SaRang [오, 사랑]“ by Lucid Fall [루시드폴]

This is his second album. Lucid Fall is CHO YunSeok [조윤석]. I think he is the same guy from above. He was also in HwangSinHye Band [황신혜밴드] and MiSeonI [미선이].

Mostly acoustic guitar-based folk-ish pop. As usual with his previous work, pretty good melodic lines. Much subdued (is that why he made the rubbish above?) and nostalgic. I think I liked his work on the movie “Bus Stop” the best, though.

This was the first time Hyun and I have been to Mountain Winery. It is on the top of the mountain (or high hills) in Saratoga. It had a wonderful view of the South Bay. It seemed the place hosts many concerts during the summer season. It is an outdoor venue, so it got chilly after the sun set. Personally, I didn’t like this type of seatings for Ben‘s music because you were supposed to dance to the music and get close to the stage (like at Warfield). But the place had pretty much fixed seatings throughout.

The show started at 7 p.m. with the Ben Lee‘s 30-minute set. I guess it was a bit too early for most people because almost half the seats were empty. And people were still coming in as Ben jokingly said “Please enjoy the filing-in music.”

Anyway, surprisingly (maybe it should not be) the crowd was much older than the usual Folds/Wainwright/Lee fans. It must be the location. I am sure the previous night’s at San Francisco had a completely different make-up of the crowds.

After a break (for the stage set-up), Rufus Wainwright had his one-hour set. I think I’ve seen/heard him before. I liked some of his numbers (loved his stage personality!), but overall I thought it was okay. His set lasted about an hour. I noticed that some actually came just for Wainwright because they left after the set.

Then the main show (for me). Ben Folds started solo for a couple of songs and then brought a drummer (Lindsay Jamieson) and a bass player (Jared Reynolds) out for the rest of the set. I really liked this trio set-up. I hope he releases another album with this set-up. He played about half of songs from his new album, “Songs for Silverman” and the rest from his enormous collection. He did play “Army” and the usual crowd-participating numbers (well, it is getting old, but some seem to expect this). He also played a new one (at least for me), a ballade on a Dr. Dre‘s rap. That was hilarious.

I wish Ben‘s set was longer. It seemed he was rushed to finish the set in time because he did not even do an encore. The whole show ended about 10:30 p.m.

Maybe I should have gone up to San Francisco… It just wasn’t as satisfying as before. Oh, well…

[There's more if you click below. ]

——
I brought my handy and tiny MP3 player, Cowon iAudio U2 to the concert to try to record the show. I recorded it by just placing it on an empty seat next to us (we were sitting pretty far from the stage). It did actually work quite well using its internal microphone. The recording was done at 96-kbps mono, but I reduced it (as well as toning down the base) to 20-kbps for the web distribution.

As for the Ben Lee set, I messed up the recording. Sorry about that.

Anyway, the recordings contain a lot of noise from the crowd around us and constant cricket sounds under the stars.

• Rufus Wainwright at Mountain Winery, August 24, 2005 (20-kbps mono, Windows Media Audio)
• Ben Folds at Mountain Winery, August 24, 2005 (20-kbps mono, Windows Media Audio)

Enjoy.

They are as usual, KIM YunA (vocals, keyboards, programming), LEE SeonGyu (guitars, programming, vocals), KIM JinMan (bass, vocals) and GU TaeHun (drums, percussions, vocals).

This is their fifth album. Unlike some of the members’ solo projects, this group effort seems to try to be a lighter (or “popular”) collection.

Not that the music is bad, and I am sure their live acts must be fun, but I am not sure what the purpose of them staying together as far as their artistic ambitions are concerned.

Or maybe I have grown out of their styles and directions.

o. “Sound Renovates a Structure” by Asoto Union

It’s a bit old (released in 2003), but I was “recently” referred to them by “Russell”.

They are KimBanJang (drums), KIM MunHeui (bass), YUN GabYeol (guitars) and IM JiHun (keyboards).

This seems to be their first album. They are playing, I think, groove/funk, a bit retro. However, it seems it’s coming through the elements of hip-hop (e.g., looking at featured artists).

Not bad, I’d say. I wished it was more funk than hip-hop, though.

o. “Romantic English Woman” by Jeppet

Jeppet is YUN SeokJung.

This type of solo at-home studio work based on MIDI and computers seems to carry its own limitation. On one side, you think that the creator has such talent and tenacity. On the other hand, you think after all it does not amount to anything more than an “ear candy”.

I wish it was more of a pure electronica. I think his work would be better suited for that.

o. “Invisible Things” by loveholic

They are KANG Hyun Min (guitars), LEE Jae Hak (bass) and Jisun (vocals).

This is their second album.

As usual, their music isn’t bad. However, I am not sure what distinguishes them from the rest of the modern rock bands du jour.

Another thing is Mr. Kang who wrote most of the music may be trying a bit too much. Maybe he’s trying to alter something to make them sound distinct, but often it seems to break the natural flows of the music. I don’t know… I just felt that there were too many discontinuity.

o. “YeopJip AJumMa” by SuPeoTeukGongDae

They are Miro (vocals), Tazz (drums), RickyP (guitars) and June Lee (bass).

This is their first album, but I did recognize RickyP‘s voice and music style. He was one (the creative part) of Street Poet (or GeoRiEui SiInDeul).

Their rock music is much more straight-forward and upbeat and usually carries lighter messages. I like it. However, I don’t necessary care for some of the “social commentary” stuff. It just does not seem to go along with their image, but at least they keep it light.

I just can’t help, but think they (more like Ricky, actually) is a DJ D.O.C evolved.

o. “So I am…” by Youn Sun Nah Quintet

They are Youn Sun Nah (vocals), David Neerman (vibraphone), Benjamin Moussay (piano), Joni Zelnik (double bass), and David Georgelet (drums).

All the music seems to be original (by the quintet) for this album.

I think I’ll keep an eye on her, not because I dig her style (her voice is “too clean”, and not her vibrato) but she’s a rarity (and I may come around some day, who knows :p).

o. “SoGyuMo Acacia Band” by SoGyuMo Acacia Band

They are KIM Min-Hong (programming, guitars, vocals) and SONG EunJie (vocals, chorus, eggshake). Yes, they are “small scale” (that’s what “so-gyu-mo” means).

Most of the songs are “dreamy” (or drearily) slow. I actually was expecting something (quite) different. Their “orchestra”-tion is actually quite simple. I was expecting the name to be sarcastic, but…

Anyway, everything about this album says “home-recording” (not necessarily a bad thing, though).

o. “A Kiss at the End of Rainbow” by Modern Juice

They are Minuki (programming, keyboards), Down (guitars, bass) and Zio (vocals).

Even though the name seems to suggest otherwise, I think they are just a pop band. Not bad. Nothing special. I think Ms. Zio’s voice is just too soft and plain. I think her voice is suited more for a solo work. It would not have been any stranger if this album was a solo album.

o. “Nouveau Deux” by Nouveau Deux

They are SUNG Kimoon (piano, organ, e. piano), PARK Guenhyuk (drums), SEO Youngdo (a. and e. bass), CHANG Keeho (e. bass), MURAYAMA Yoshimitsu (guitars) and SUZUKI Hisatsugu (tenor sax).

It is basically a jazz orchestration album for some of the well-known Korean pop songs from the 80s and 90s.

I understand this is an interesting exercise. But I am not sure if the English lyrics ever make much sense. Usually with translations, it’s hard to keep the rhythm of the words and the music the same, and this is no exception. I think if anything, they could have just done it without words.

Even some of the tracks without words, the orchestration is just / damn / plain. I think the musicians involved are talented. I wish they did their original works instead of this type of “what can sell” stuff.

o. “NunSseop Dal” by LEE Sora

Her sixth album (the budgets for the album jackets are continuing to go up!). Somehow I wonder if she’ll ever get over her broken-heart.

However, this time her sorrow (or is it an anger) seems to be more restrained (maybe she’s moved into the acceptance stage from the anger stage). I still love her voice (even though she ditched jazz). And the music is good.

Sometimes, I am curious what her music would sound like if she became happy again.

o. “Every Single Day” by Every Single Day

They are MUN SeongNam (vocals, bass), JEONG JaeWu (guitars, programming) and CHOE SeungWon (drums).

The intro was very misleading. I thought it was another electronica album. However, it is more of a straight-forward rock album.

Sonically very rich, but I am not sure if the lead vocal’s voice quality matches with the rest of the instrumental orchestration. I felt that something was a bit off because of it.

Other than that, not a bad album for a rock album. Still, I don’t know what’s up with the album jacket design and the intro.

They are Lee Eon (vocals, etc.) and Z.EE. (guitars, etc.). This seems to their first album.

Their slow-paced (well, a couple of them were faster) music carries somewhat somber, dreamy ambiance. Musically, I like what they are doing although I am not sure if they did too much with the gritty feel using electronica techniques.

It’s just that often I got annoyed by the singer’s voice which I felt was trying too much (?) a la Rainy Sun (maybe not that much).

o. “First Aid Kit” by Sidérique

Seems to be the first solo project album by Sidérique with AK. Another heavily electronica-inspired pop album, I think.

Some parts of the first track reminded me a bit of Seotaiji in his vocalizing and melodies initially, but the rest seems different. Not that memorable, I thought. The style is so light that even his “heavier” effort (track #5) sounds quite light.

I guess this type of MIDI/drum-machine based solo projects are bound to appear more.

o. “OLaengPiOEui Byeol” by Huckleberry Finn

They are Lee GiYong (guitars, vocals), Lee SoYeong (vocals, guitars), Kim YunTae (drums), and Jang HyeokJo (bass). This is their third album.

I think they are continuing with the direction they went with the previous album with the new lead vocal. Less grunge, grunt. More like folk-rock.

I can’t say I really like their music. It’s not bad and the band seems to be quite solid, but I really couldn’t get excited about it.

On a side note, I thought Ms. Lee sounded sometimes amazingly like the former lead vocal, Ms. Nam.

o. “The Beginning of Fortune” by Fortune Cookie

They are Hong Boram (vocals) and Yoo Heejong (instruments). It seems to be their first album.

Another electronica-inspired pop album (well, mostly) that reminded somewhat of one of Lee YunJeong‘s old efforts, but much “cuter” (?). :p

Anyway, some of the tracks have pretty catchy tunes (e.g., Moonwalker almost like Roller Coaster). But the rest, I thought, was combination of sound fragments from other familiar sources.

Personally, I liked this one better than that of Sidérique. I guess I like female vocals. :p

o. “instant pig” by Clazziquai Project

This is a solo work by Kim Sunghoon with guests (main singers are Horan, Christina and Alex, no last names, whatever :p). It seems to be his first solo album.

I’d say electronica-inspired R&B (probably that’s where “-quai” derives from :p)…

Anyway, I thought it’s a pretty good compilation. I have not seen much, if any, good R&B efforts from Korea, so I was a bit cautious approaching this album. But some of more groove/funk/electronica-oriented tracks (e.g., “Stepping Out”) sound pretty good. But still, the rest, I am not too comfortable. :p

o. “Am I Blue?” by Nam Ye Ji.

This seems to be a rare attempt at producing a solo album for who wants to pass as a blues vocalist. I am not sure it worked that well. I am not saying that Ms. Nam can’t sing, but neither her vocal quality nor the arrangements inspired me in any way about the blues.

o. “SunGanEul MiDeoYo” by EonNiNe IBalGwan

They are Lee SeokWon (vocals, guitars), Lee NeungRyong (guitars), Jeong MuJin (bass, programming) and Jeon DaeSeong (drums). This is their fourth album.

I consider Lee SeokWon‘s voice the fingerprint of the band. That’s why although the music seems to have leaned more toward rock, the album belongs to the band.

And I think that’s the great thing. I thought the last couple of albums were a bit disappointing, but this one has enough of acoustic/sonic (not much of musical) changes that made it dynamic and interesting.

This is one of the bands that lead the Korean indie band movement. I hope this is the album that they can reborn.

o. “Just Pop” by My Aunt Mary

They are Jung Soon Yong (a.k.a. Thomas Cook) (guitars, vocals), Han Jin Young (bass, vocals) and Park Jung Jun (drums, vocals). This is their second album.

I actually was looking forward to their amazing first album. As the title suggest, this is more “pop”, which was a bit disappointing. They are pretty good, but almost all the tracks remind me of some other U.S. pop/rock band in one phrasing or another.

This is definitely good, but maybe, they will try more “Just My Aunt Mary” next time…

o. “Salon de Música” by Bulldog Mansion

They are Cho Jung-Bum (drums), Lee Han-Ju (bass), Seo Chang-Seok (guitars) and Lee Han-Choul (vocals).

I guess they are trying a bit of Latin American flavors in this second album, as the album title suggests. However, as with many of this type of “themed” efforts, I can’t help but feel how superficial their end results come out to be as far as the “theme” goes. For non-themed tracks, they are pretty good.

Anyway, it is a well-produced album as expected from Lee Han-Choul, but, to me, this type of artificial “lightness” is what prevents him from going to the next level. But what do I know…

o. “Details” by frou frou

They are Imogen Heap (vocals, instruments) and Guy Sigsworth (instruments).

I’ve first heard their first title song, “Let Go”, from the previews for the movie, “Garden State”. It was so catchy that I had to buy the album.

Well, the rest was not exactly what I expected, but they are still catchy ambient electronica pop…

o. “Super D” by Ben Folds

This is the last of the trio SPs. Then he went on to work on the album below with William Shatner and, probably, his next album.

I thought this one sounded sonically heavier and maybe a bit rougher than before. I think he might be going back to the roots of his garage/college band years. Not bad, I thought.

o. “Has Been” by William Shatner with Ben Folds

Previously, Mr. Shatner did some tracks for Mr. Folds on “Fear of Pop: Vol. 1″. I guess they liked it so much that they would try a whole album.

Mr. Shatner does not sing that much (maybe in one track). He wrote most of the words and recites them dramatically with the musical accompaniments.

Some of my friends look at me funny when they see “Captain Kirk” on the cover, but it is actually a pretty good collaboration work.

o. “Another world…” by Happyband Well

They are Lee ChangHyeon (vocal), Neo (guitar), Kim SangJin (bass), and Lee YunMan (drums). A soft rock band (reminds a bit of BuHwal). Not too keen about the vocal. Well-made, but NMCoT.

o. “Prana” by NaeGwiE DoCheongJangChi

They are Lee Hyeok (vocal), Lee JuWon (guitar), Hwang UiJun (bass), and Jeong JaeHun (drums). A rock/hard-rock band (with some electronica thrown in sometimes). Well-made, but NMCoT.

o. “Mozosonyon” by Dalpalan & Byungjun

Both former members of Pipiband. Electronica/pop, I think. I think their musical sensibility and ability are top quality, but I am not sure about their “pop” sensibility (or I am not getting it).

o. “YuRiGaMyeon” by Kim YunA

Not too sure about her solo projects. This time, her musical focus was on Tango, but I am not sure it suits her voice overall. I just can’t get “excited” about her moodiness (I think it’s worse than that of Lee Sora).

o. “Songs in Air” by Sweater

They are Im YeJin (keyboards), Lee ARip (vocal), Shin JiHyeon (bass), and Shin SeCheol (drums). Made up of songs they wrote to the words that their fans sent in for some radio shows. I think their second album is still their best.

o. “Sunsick” by Roller Coaster

They are Cho WonSeon (vocal, keyboards), Lee SangSun (guitar), Jinu (bass, programming), and Son GyeongHo (drums). I think the group might be on their last life. They may need some other infusion of ideas and/or energy (especially energy), or split up do something else on their own.

o. “Dorothy in Wonderland” by Dorothy

They are Dorothy (vocal, guitar), Andi (guitar), Jonathan (guitar), and Isaac (drums). An interesting pop/rock work. Their single, “SoPung”, surely has very good feel. I don’t think there is enough marketing “push”, though. Maybe, this was just a project work.

o. First Album by Daylight

They are Kang YeonGyeong (vocal), Im SeongO (guitar, bass), and Shin DongWu (acoustic guitar, keyboards). I think this is also one of many bands that formed around a female vocal (is this a trend in Korean pop bands?). Not bad overall, but I thought the second track, “Angel Song”, sounded familiar and it turns out this seems to be a remake of a The Brilliant Green song. And why do they still put “instrument version” tracks (just without the vocal track) on the CDs? Having nine tracks aren’t that bad.

o. “Infield Fly” by DalBitYoJeongYeokJeonManLuHomReon (or just DalBitYoJeong)

One man project. I’d say folk/rock. Not bad, but really, he is too obsessed with baseball.

o. “HaNeulE PiNeun Ggot” and “DalESeoUi 9 Nyeon” by Sweetpea

They are solo project albums by Kim MinGyu from DeliSpice. Although it is a re-issue, I liked the songs on “Nine Years on Moon” better. More raw, lively and energetic.

o. Self-titled by Rockstone

They are Park GyeongHun (vocal, bass, programming) and Seok WonYong (vocal, guitar). I guess, it’s rock/hard-rock stuff. Musically, it sounds a bit passé, although recording seems to be done fairly well. NMCoT.

o. “Speed Graphic” and “Sunny 16″ by Ben Folds

These are two of the three EPs that Ben Folds are planning (actually the last one, “Super D” is almost out and on order). The only complaint is that each only has 5 tracks. Each ends too soon. Maybe, I should burn all of them in a single CD…

o. Self-titled by The Bens (Ben Folds, Ben Lee, and Ben Kweller)

Three singers with the first name “Ben”. I don’t know about Ben Lee or Ben Kweller. And it didn’t turn out the way I imagined. Wasn’t too impressed.

Although I knew that the music would be somewhat lighter, being summer and at an outdoor venue, I thought it would be nice for my parents and us to attend together.

The orchestra was led by Carlos Ponti, Jr. (he was an associate conductor for them). The orchestra was wonderful and all three encores (Mr. Ponti quickly went through them) was quite amazing although the outdoor setting tended to make the overall sound a bit muted.

The only gripe about the concert was that they had a soloist for “Carmen Fantasy”, but his name was neither mentioned in the program nor announced during the concert. I mean he wasn’t that great (good, but maybe not being able handle the number fully), but we all thought at least his name should have been mentioned.

Another thing unrelated to the concert… We opted to have dinner there before the concert (catered by PSRT and served by volunteers) because it was only $10 more on top of the ticket. They said it was $30/$35 if purchased separately. We thought it definitely wasn’t worth $30, but not a bad deal for $10 more.

Emanuel Ax and Kronos Quartet are coming later this year, so those should be nice to attend.

The quartet was, if I remember correctly, Dave Brubeck on piano, Randy Jones on drums, Michael Moore (no, not that one) on bass, and Bobby Militello on saxophone and flute.

I don’t remember all the numbers played that evening, but they began with “On the Sunny Side of the Street” and finished with “Take Five” (I think “Blue Rondo a la Turk” was in there too). Mr. Brubeck was amazing at any age. And Mr. Militello’s “Dancing Santa Clause Doll” (that’s what we are calling it), when not playing, was funny and his music was also very good.

It was quite amazing to listen to a legend, a legend who can play his title.