2011년 5월 29일 일요일

Kim Kwang-Seok / Kim Kwang-Seok Forth (1994)


Kim Kwang-Seok 김광석

Kim Kwang-Seok Fourth 김광석 네번째
1994. 06. 25




Side A
1. 일어나 / Stand Up
2. 바람이 불어오는 곳 / Where Wind Comes from
3. 너무 깊이 생각하지 마 / Don't Think Too Deeply
4. 회귀 / Recurrence
5. 너무 아픈 사랑은 사랑이 아니었음을 / Too Painful Love Is Not a Love

Side B
1. 서른 즈음에 / Near Thirties
2. 혼자 남은 밤 / The Night Alone
3. 끊어진 길 / Broken Road
4. 맑고 향기롭게 / Purely and Fragrantly
5. 자유롭게 / Freely








Kim Kwang-Seok was a folk singer-songwriter who was born in Daegu, Korea. Kim Kwang-Seok started his first music career with participating in recording for a musical album called "개똥이"by Mingi Kim (We'll talk about him later). Soon, he became much more famous as he became a member of "노래를 찾는 사람들" (Song-seekers) singing protest songs, and later he found a band called "동물원" (Zoo) which is also regarded as an important figurine in the Korean pop music history.


This album, Kim Kwang-Seok Forth, was his last solo studio album. Even though this album was published quite a long time ago, still many people claim that his works are some of the best folk songs that represent Korean songs. That is mainly because it is still believed that this album contains pure messages about our lives, not mannerist techniques. Different from his prior works, he tried to talk about life issues rather than social problems through his songs in this album. This made his album embrace much more figurines of our lives. As a result, compared to other albums, his songs could contain lots of discussions about our daily lives, rather than throwing sharp messages or biting sarcasms. 


Another thing that makes his album much more special is that he tried to compromise pessimistic attitudes towards our society and our free will. Most of his songs acknowledge our cruel reality; however, he did not end his songs with despair. Instead, he tried to show our hopes and free wills which would change our lives. Especially, through probably one of his best songs, "일어나" (Stand Up), he claims that even though "[he is] standing alone in darkness," he would "Stand up, stand up, like a sprout in spring." These messages of hopes are represented in much more dramatic ways through a contrast with our cruel realities.


Unfortunately, his journey of music ended in 1996 as he was found in a small apartment committed suicide. However, his songs are still alive in millions of people with hopes for our lives, and the fact that still many people visit his memorial stone with Soju in 대학로 (Daehangno) proves it.


  
(김광석 - Stand Up / 일어나)




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2011년 5월 14일 토요일

No Brain / Strenuous Marching Songs of Youth Rebels (2000)


No Brain 노브레인

Strenuous Marching Songs of Youth Rebels 청년폭도맹진가
2000. 07. 07



Disc A (난투편 / Scuffle Series)
1. 날이 저문다 / Getting Dark
2. 애국가 / The National Anthem 
3. 청년폭도맹진가 / Strenuous Marching Songs of Youth Rebels
4. 티브이파티 / T.V. Party 
5. 호로 자식들 / Assholes
6. 십대 정치 / Teenaged Politics
7. VIVA 대한민국 / VIVA the Republic of Korea
8. 잡놈 패거리 / Be the Ills
9. 98년 서울 / 98 Seoul
10. 정열의 펑크 라이더 / Punk Rider of Passion


Disk B (청춘예찬편 / Ode to Youth Series)
1. 성난 젊음 / Raged Youth
2. 제발나를 / Please Let me
3. 생기없는 모습 / Lifeless
4. 너 자신을 알라 / Know Yourself
5. 이땅 어디엔들 / Nowhere
6. 바다 사나이 / Man of Sea
7. 청춘은 불꽃이어라 / Youth is Aflame
8. 전자 펑크 리믹스 메들리 / Electro Punk Remix Medley





The late 90s was the dark age of Korean history due to the financial crisis in 1997. The exchange rates of Won (Korean currency) to dollar dropped from around 800 to 2000. As a result, GDP of the Republic of Korea continued to shrink quarterly at an average rate of -6.65% throughout 1998. Rampant inflation, high unemployment rates seemed to be too devastating for "youths" to find their futures. No Brain, who started their music career as an underground punk band in clubs near Hongik University, confronted these problems with their punk music armed with furies.


Thus, regarding the historical background, their punk music, aka "Joseon Punk" (Joseon is the name of the medieval Korean dynasty), was not just derived from the western punk genres. Started from 1997 with their collaboration album with Crying Nut, they have continuously kept producing their own Joseon punk music. In 1999, with other punk artists such as Tearbomb99(지랄탄99), Punk Killer, No Brain established the album label called "Cultural Deceptive Assembly" (문화사기단) to confront the Korean pop music which had become too commercial because of Seo Tae ji, according to them.


This album, Strenuous Marching Songs of Youth Rebels was perhaps the most influential punk album in the history of Korean pop music. With their 'rage' towards powerless youth (98 Seoul) and stupid politics (Be the Ills), No Brain represented their own true punk styles through this album successfully. One of the most interesting things featured in this album was the variety of genres. Punk, ska, rock-and-roll, even reggae, No Brain did not limit themselves as punk rockers. Beyond that, they have shown their own music styles which were not only creative but also experimental. In fact, this album signaled the boom of underground music, which has been passed by these days.




  
(노브레인 - Strenuous Marching Songs of Youth Rebels / 청년폭도맹진가)




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2011년 4월 25일 월요일

Cho Yong-pil / Cho Yong-pil 1st Album (1980)

Cho Yong-pil 조용필
趙容弼 대표곡 모음 : 창밖의 여자 / 단발머리 Cho Yong-pil Compilation : Woman Outside the Window / Short Hair
1980. 03. 20



Side A
1. 창밖의 여자 / Woman Outside the Window
2. 돌아와요 부산항에 / Come Back to Busan Port
3. 잊혀진 사랑 / Forgotten Love
4. 돌아오지 않는 강 / The River of No Return
5. 정 / Affection
6. 사랑은 아직도 끝나지 않았네 / Love Did Not End Yet

Side B
1. 단발 머리 / Short Hair
2. 한오백년 / Resentment of Five Hundred Years
3. 대전 블루스 / Daejeon Blues
4. 너무 짧아요 / Too Short
5. 슬픈 미소 / Sad Smile
6. 너와 나* / You and Me*
* This music was recorded as a 'wholesome song', which was mandatory for musicians to feature in their every albums in 60-80s. 







We have already taken a look at the "Godfather of Korean Rock" before here. However, one might probably ask another question, "then who is the 'legendary of Korean music?'" With certainty, everyone would say that he is Cho Yong-pil. Born in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do in 1950, he started to grow his dream as a musician when he was seven years old inspired by Ray Charles and The Ventures. Even though his family opposed his dream, he finally left his home with his friends and founded the band called Atkins(애트킨즈). Soon, in 1959, he made a band called Five Fingers (화이브 핑거스), and played various songs made by the greatest black artists such as James Brown in the US Forces Korea. In spite of his success in the U.S army, nevertheless, he paused his music career as his brother found him out. Of course, he didn't give up. Instead, he moved to Busan and started his music career again and made a huge success with numerous hit songs such as "Come Back to Busan Port" (돌아와요 부산항에)

Thus, even though this album is his first regular studio album, actually it is a compilation album featuring his numerous hit songs and few new ones. However, this fact doesn't degrade the true value of this album. He showed various music styles such as trot, folk, rock n roll, ballad, Korean traditional music, and even disco. Especially, one of the greatest hit songs included in this album, "Short Hair" (단발 머리) features disco-style synthesizer sounds which were regarded as innovative at that time. Not only that, the huge success from this album made a huge influence on Korean pop music industry. Such as, this album made pop music widespread to the mass public. With various genres of music featured in this album, regardless of age or sex, it successfully granted a huge popularity from people.

With the huge success from the album not only for the mass public but also for critics, Cho Yong-pil started to endeavor much harder for music creation. Eventually, he has become a 'national artist' who has published 18 regular studio albums and made a enormous contribution on Korean pop music industry.



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