After a long hiatus since their release of Separation Anxiety, the indie band giant Nell made a triumphant return, their years in military service hardly numbing their musical talent. With a brand new 5th album Slip Away, which was released last April, Nell's sound is now deeper, and as experimental as it ever was, incorporating many musical elements together to create this album that now possibly stands at the very frontline of Korean indie music.
From the surface, it's reminiscent of Separation Anxiety. And Nell certainly have retained that calm, yet heartfelt sound they often evoke in their more dramatic songs. Even the swearing in their song, Losing Control, sounds so beautiful with Kim Jong-Wan's soothing vocal.
But there's surely more. In this Album, there's a more extensive instrumental line. Shown here in Hopeless Valentine, with a string section arranged by Kim Jong-Wan. It's always a bit tricky to work strings into modern rock music, but Nell does this with uncanny harmony, even incorporating traces of what they had back in their 3rd album, Walk Through Me.
And then there's some new sounds appearing. Personally, the following song sounds more upbeat and folksy than their usual sound.
So there you have it. Nell's new album, and by god it's a dynamite album. When Nell was gone back in 2008, which was when I was just starting to discover the band, I was struck with disappointment, knowing that they wouldn't be back for many years.
Now, with this amazing return they've made, I would say the wait has been worth it. Don't ever leave us now Nell, and just keep on making music like this.
After four months, all I can say about writing on this blog again is that, damn, it's good to be back. These past several months that I haven't wrote anything on the Dreaming Jukebox have seen very eventful. Almost to a degree that it has changed me drastically, and to say that I've become a different person would not be an overstatement.
But then again, I'm still Alex.
Anyways, so I've been contemplating life after university. Yes, it's a great enigma that plagues the mind of every college student. The mysterious beyond. So I was grabbing everything I could get at, spinning the engines of head as fast as possible as my stress level shot through the ceiling, until when I couldn't take it anymore, and began to talk to some friends for some advice on this.
And among the advices I've gotten, this was probably the one that had the fastest effect on my mood:
Rocket Punch Generation.
I present to you, W & Whale: a K-indie band with a electronic rock sound. Originally the band's name was W, with three members, Young Joon Bae (Guitar, Lead), Jae Won Han (Keyboard), Sang Hoon Kim (Bass, Drums), founded in 2001. They released two albums by 2005. Then in 2006, they brought in Whale as the Lead vocal, and the band's name was changed to W & Whale.
Another thing is that they're under Fluxus Music, a label that manages some of the finest K-indie bands in Korea, including Clazziquai, Loveholics, and once before, My Aunt Mary. All of them my favorites.
Rarely does an electronic rock band has such rich vocals as Whale's, and that's what I love about this band. They have the sound, they have the musicians, and to top it off, they have Whale, whose strong, ringing voice is an unexpected, yet harmonious mix to W's unique electronic sound. Try this next song, Moon Madness
But that's not all. Turns out W is quite flexible as a band, not only capable of playing out the pop rock sound, but also ringing out something like this.
Seriously. Everyone should check this band out. This band's sound can appeal to almost anyone, and I haven't met a person yet who doesn't like this band. W & Whale. Keep your eyes on them. They are bound to be a force to reckon with in the future of Korean music.
Sometimes, I wish that I could have stayed as a kid for all my life. When you're little, all you need to do is just run around, laugh aloud, eat well, play with your friends, do your homework, and be a kid, unless you're Asian. Fortunately, my childhood was less oppressive than the typical Oriental household. I'm kidding, obviously. It's not that bad.
What's really not that bad, is today's band. Actually saying 'not that bad' would be an understatement. They're a great band. I give you, Mr. Children.
Mr. Children is a Japanese rock band that was formed back in 1988 by Kazutoki Sakurai, Kenichi Tahara, Keisuke Nakagawa, and Hideya Suzuki.With over 50 million album sales, they are one of the most successful Japanese rock artists.
At a first glance, I can see why Mr. Children is such a successful band. Their songs are simply very likable. It's comfortable to listen to, and enjoyable by almost everyone.
Like this song, Hanabi.
This next song is another staple Mr. Children, called Replay.
Again, I have no idea what they're saying. Actually I do have and idea here an there. One word understandings mostly. So I won't say anything about the lyrics for the fear of butchering their original meaning.
However, what I can say about the band, is that they're an all-around solid band, that one can listen to on many occasions. It's like one of those bands that you always keep in your iPod or mp3 player, because you know you will go back to them again and again.
Here's several more good songs to fill your playlist. Hero,Crossroad, and Youthful Days.
In continuation of Remioromen, their vocalist is plain sounding, yet very unique in a particular way. I feel as if Japanese vocalists have a way to really convey their honest feelings in their songs, and make their voice truly represent their souls. That's what I feel about Mr. Children's vocalist, Kazutoshi Sakurai at least.
So I leave you today with this one last song, that has a very special video with a great message. Can you guess it? I'll let you decide. Cheers!
Although infinitely infused with salt and calories, no one can deny the overwhelming savoriness of ramen. Even though they may be a simple meal replacement packaged in plastic wrapping, if done right, ramen could be a nutritious, and delicious dish. So says my friend. Anyways, I do like ramen, and I always try to twist it around by adding various external ingredients into the pot.
Aside from all that, here's a great band from Japan. Their name, is Remioromen.
Remioromen is a Japanese rock band formed by Ryota Fujimaki, Keisuke Maeda and Osamu Jinguji back in 2000. Since then they've released 5 studio albums, along with a compilation album and a live album.
The band's melody is one of the simpler ones out there, and my not understanding the lyrics is not helping me appreciate this band better. However, there's something captivating about their songs, albeit they are relatively plain.
Here's a famous song from them, called March 9th.
According to my friend, apparently March 9th is the graduation day for high schools in Japan, and this song is played commonly on the day.
For me, the best part of this band is the vocal. His voice is of no particular rarity, but the way he conveys his lyrics, is of much genuine emotion. To me, he's one of those people, that really mean what they say. Whatever he sings, although I can't understand a syllable, I can see that he truly feels that way.
To introduce you more to the band, this next song, is called Sakura. The ones after that is beyond my scope of knowledge. If someone who knows the language would translate the title, you have my gratitude.
I am currently attempting to dive into the language, to decipher this artful tongue and understand what these lyrics are conveying. I've in fact started with learning Yamazaki Masayoshi's One More Time, One More Chance, and certainly Remioromen's songs will be my next covers.
I'll sign off for now, since schoolwork is calling to me. So here's me leaving you with my favorite from Remioromen, Kona Yuki.
So today I'm not going to introduce you to an artist, but an original soundtrack of a movie. The movie itself was heart-wrenching, and a big part of it was due to the soundtrack. Many times, the original score of the movie can significantly alter the audience's reception of the movie, like what Hanz Zimmer did with The Dark Knight.
The name of the movie, is 5 Centimeters Per Second: an animation movie directed by Shinkai Makoto. It chronicles the story of a boy and a girl, whom are best friends, and also are in love, ever since from elementary school. Throughout the movie, they drift apart, entering a long distance relationship where their feelings for each other are tested. To avoid spoiling the movie, I shall now shift my focus onto the music.
The movie's title comes from the speed of a cherry blossom falling, and Tenmon, the composer of the soundtrack, certainly had captured the image of cherry blossoms gently floating in subtle breeze. This one, is called Cherry Blossom Extract.
The piano melody, is simple and subtle, yet searingly poignant, and penetrates deep into the emotions. It makes one remember certain things, tugs at their soul to bring certain moments back, and quietly contemplate them to the point where it begins to hurt, like someone is gripping one's heart.
That's the kind of soundtrack this movie has, and it makes the atmosphere of the movie so much more touching. This next one, is called The Feeling That Doesn't Reach.
This one somehow always reminds me of my first love. That first time, when I truly looked at someone, and said to myself, 'I would give anything to be with that person.' It's a rare feeling, and it has visited me very few times after the first, that I can count the moments of its coming in my one hand. What really makes my appreciation for this piece truly heartfelt, is that my first love never came out to be anything. It comes back time to time to haunt me, to remind me of how happy I would've been, had I been something else than what I was back then, and was able to be with her. That's the sort of feeling I get, when I listen to this.
This piece, is another gem in the soundtrack as well, if not the best one out of all the gems in the score. It's the one that gives me the shivers every time. The melody is very uncomplicated, yet it's deeper than how most piano compositions can be, and combined with the visual experience of the movie, the sense of longing the characters harbor in their chests, their desperate hope to see each other, can be felt through the screen.
So before I further shove myself into the well of depression and sadness, I'm going to call it a day, with this one last song. It's called, One More Time, One More Chance, by Yamazaki Masayoshi. He is a Japanese singer-song writer, and this song was written for his girlfriend, who passed away in an earthquake of 1995. The lyrics depict how he constantly searches for her, even though he knows he will never find her.
Meanwhile, I strongly recommend this movie if you haven't watched it yet. It is by far one of the best anime movies out there, and among the non-Miyazaki films, possibly the best. No matter how strong, how sturdy your heart is, this movie is certain to move you from the base of your soul, and make you think about it for days after it, bringing out your memories of past moments, when you fell in love at 5 centimeters per second.
So I've been away from the Dreaming Jukebox for quite a while now, for a good reason however. I've been writing a short story to submit to a writing contest, and it's been taking quite a toll on my time. However, I'm quite enjoying this as of now. Writing, playing music, reading, and hanging out with friends. Now there's a life written just for me.
To be honest, I've been kind of lazy with this blog, but I'm going to break that today, because I've been listening to a band that has instigated me to haul my flattening bottom out of the cushion. This band, is so musically colorful, and rich in its sound, that I cannot bear not to share them with everyone else. Their name, is Busker Busker.
Busker Busker is a three-man band comprising of Bum Joon Jang, the vocal and the guitarist; Hyung Tae Kim, the bassist; and Bradley Ray Moore, the drummer. An interesting fact is that, Brad the drummer, is a professor at the university that the other two are attending as students.
They garnered much attention when they entered the television audition show, Superstar K, in its third season in 2011. In the competition, Busker Busker performed quite well, gaining second place overall.
In the course of the show, the band did a number of covers, which all turned out to be quite impressive compared to the originals. Now I'm certainly a fan of cover bands, as a cover band member myself that is.
Here's my favorite from Busker Busker, called Makolina, originally written by Jong Shin Yoon.
To give you a brief summary, Makoli is a traditional drink of Korean origin, distinguished by its white color and milky texture. In this song, the drink is personified as Makolina, which reflects the singer's love for Makoli.
The original song is quite a bit more easy-going and laid-back than this version, but I like this version much better, because the song became so much more fun in this cover. It's something I would listen to brighten the day with, and goddamn, does it do its job.
There are other covers that Busker Busker did over the duration of their survival throughout the competition, such as this next one, called You're Different, which is a song from back in 2006. I can't remember who sang this, but it was composed by Jong Shin Yoon.
And also this next one called The Bus Stop, originally by a Korean band called Panic.
These are all great songs, and looking at those two above after Makolina, it certainly shows that Busker Busker can be flexible with their musicality, all the while maintaining their unique tonal hue. Still, we've looked at enough covers I think. How about some originals. This one is called, That Person You Are With Is Not Normal.
Here's another one from them, called Perfume.
A lot of their songs are like this: chill, relaxed, with well written lyrics, and the vocal's rare voice quality certainly adds to the band's distinctively pleasant sound. I actually quite like his voice, because when he sings, it really sounds like he simply puts his emotions into the song, and lets it out. No fancy techniques, no artificial retouching. An everyday guy like you and me, singing everyday things. Now here's a band for the people.
Busker Busker is still a young band, but they've proven so much in their little time, that I'll be keeping my ears tuned to their frequency for the future, and I recommend you certainly do the same. In the meantime, here's another one to keep you company, called Seoul People.
It's been a rush these past two weeks, trying to do this, do that, do whatever that had to be done. Midterm exams, fundraising, and a show to plan. They all just came at once, swamping my time. So there's my excuse for leaving this blog empty for nearly two weeks.
Days like this I really feel like I'm simply falling through life. Like how Alice entered the Wonderland, just endlessly falling through events, places, and people. They all drift past me, and I simply have no time to appreciate them one by one. They all just zoom behind me as soon as I'm finished with it. I have no opportunity to simply sit back and gaze at my accomplishments, like when I used to assemble lego parts when I was little.
Therefore, I'm declaring myself, on break. I'm going to relax, and let the days pass me by, instead of me passing by them. Just for a week. I'm going to study, read, and eat, not straining myself at all.
So I was looking for some good music to relax this, and I came across an especially ear-catching singer-songwriter. His name, is Lucid Fall.
Lucid Fall is of course his stage name. His real name is Yoon Suk Cho. He debuted back in 1997, with a band named Misunny. They disbanded in 2001 when the members entered military service, so Lucid Fall then debuted with his own album from then on. Besides being a musician, he is also a scholar with a doctorate degree in chemical engineering under his belt.
Now here's an artist to listen to when you really need to lie down and relax. Soothing instrumentals, and his calm serenading voice all come together to create Lucid Fall's unique, and dreamlike lucidity in his music.
Take a listen to this one. It's called, Oh Love.
Here's another one from the same album, called, Can You See It?
For someone with a heavy background in scientific academics, I'd say Lucid Fall is full of artistic expression. One thing I can definitely notice about his singing is that, it's full of emotion. He is one of those few that really feel the very essence of his music when he plays. In these next two, Calling You From Here, and Softly You Say, try to feel what he feels. Even though some of you may not understand what he is saying, you may be able to take in what sort of emotion he is trying to convey.
It's music like this, that really enables one to stop the rushing speed of life, and look back on the road one came. At least that's how I feel about his music. Certainly needed for one of those slower days of life.
Anyways, I'm going to go back to listening to more of this goodness. I'll give you my favorite one from him before saying goodbye for now. It's called Let's Walk. Enjoy!
