CD Reviews, May 2006

Hong — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:20:51 +0000

[Yes, yes, I am lazy... This thing was initially marked "January 2006", then "March 2006", then "April 2006", and then this. It will still be marked "May" even if this one goes into the next month. :p Maybe there is a better way.]

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.

In My Car CD Player Now…

Hong — Fri, 06 Sep 2002 20:24:29 +0000

[Well, I decided to expand the "scope" or the categories of this page. I listen to music (mostly gayo) a lot, so this is also my "world," I guess.]

These have been in there for a while now, but these are what I listen to in my car if I am not listening to an NPR station.

“Room for Squares” by John MayerI think I saw a music video for No Such Thing on MTV and it caught my ear. So, the next time I was at a CD store, I got one. I don’t have any single CD of Dave Mathews Band (I know, I know), so I didn’t know Mayer had a similar style, but I think Mayer is a bit more “catchy”.I generally liked his music writing talent, but his lyrics seem to show forced-ness or his lack of depth of experience. So, I tend to listen for his music and try to “ignore” the words for most of the songs.

I noticed that the second single was Your Body is a Wonderland, but I thought My Stupid Mouth (except for some lame lyrical phrases) or Neon would have been better. Maybe they wanted to change the tempo a bit, but I thought Wonderland was a very weak follow-up to No Such Thing.

“Absolute” by RollercoasterI think this is a combo that may someday become something of a Pizzicato Five although their musical genres are different. Since NatSeonSaRamDeul don’t seem to be releasing any more of their music, they has become my favorite band/group these days (Go Cho, Won Sun!!!).Personally, this 3rd album had relatively weaker impact than the other two when I first listened to it. But almost none of the tracks on it are duds, in my opinion. The whole CD is something that I can sing my lungs out while cruising on a freeway, which I often do.

It’s hard to pick favorites on this, but I have to start with Last Scene and RaDiOReul KeuGe KyeoGo.

“Return to Zero” by Woo, MijinnTHIS is truly a gem. Similar to one of my other obscure favorite, Lee, Ah Mi, she is relatively unknown. BUT the whole album is filled with a superb rock tracks.From the way she looks, she seems to be in her early 20s, and she plays guitar, wrote most of the music and the words, and she has a powerful voice. A marketing sticker on the packaging said “Sheryl Crow of Korea” and I was a bit skeptical, but she does seem to have a bit of resemblance. However, I think she might become Lee, Eun Mee for the current generation. :p

It’s a bit straining to my throat to sing along, but the tracks make me! I am a bit disappointed that I didn’t see any of her songs on the list the last time I was at a NoRaeBang.

I liked the first track, AJik IReun SaeByeok, her rendition of Janis Joplin‘s Move Over and Return to Zero which had classical fun rock’n roll rhythms.

Hong's Cave » Lee Eun Mee

CD Reviews, May 2006

In My Car CD Player Now…