Sunday, 30 January 2011
Trampauline Bouncing Around Seoul
Trampauline's performance at The New Romance Party at SSAM'S (see gig reviews) makes them ones to watch in Seoul. They are signed to Pastel Records but where to next? SONY? I doubt it but they are a cool band, with a cool fashion sense too!
New Romance Party, Club SSAM '30/1/11'
Tonight was my first visit to Club SSAM. Four bands were scheduled to play at the ‘New Romance Party’. There was certainly nothing romantic about the door fee, 18,000 won.
First up were Korean band ‘Gullivers’. They were not that bad at all. They reminded me of bands like Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Pavement. That is, they were shoegazers. There were some interesting vocal melodies, which were complemented by creative basslines. The guitars worked well together and I liked the guitar distortion. Gullivers were a nice introduction to the evening.
Pika was next up. This performance got my attention. She used a synth and loop pedal to create looped noise patterns, and sang creative, penetrating lyrics over the top. Her style was almost theatrical. At times I felt like I was watching a play or musical, as she almost 'acted' in a Cinderella, fairytale type way. The music was well complemented by Jittery dancing and a background movie. I admired her ability to create interesting melodies.
Trampauline were the third act. Quickly into the performance I realized that Trampauline are very inspired by 80’s music. Infact, the room lit up with an 80’s vibe as they played. In my head I thought of Top Gun, ET, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Dirty Dancing, Gloria Estefan, Whitney Houston and 80’s pop. It was kind of cool.
The singer wore a bright colorful jacket with sneakers which added to the 80s feel. Infact the colorful nature of her jacket reminded me of UK TV presenter 'Timmy Mallet'. The singer would bounce around her Roland keyboard, waving her arms, in a way that would make ‘Molly Ringwald’ feel proud. Trampauline’s blend of electro-pop is a unique feature of the Seoul music scene.
No disrespect to the last band Starry Eyed, but I didn’t remain for the duration of their performance. It was not my thing that evening. Sorry guys.
On the night, for me, Trampauline stole the show, with Pika in second, Gullivers in third.
Oliver Philpott
First up were Korean band ‘Gullivers’. They were not that bad at all. They reminded me of bands like Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Pavement. That is, they were shoegazers. There were some interesting vocal melodies, which were complemented by creative basslines. The guitars worked well together and I liked the guitar distortion. Gullivers were a nice introduction to the evening.
Pika was next up. This performance got my attention. She used a synth and loop pedal to create looped noise patterns, and sang creative, penetrating lyrics over the top. Her style was almost theatrical. At times I felt like I was watching a play or musical, as she almost 'acted' in a Cinderella, fairytale type way. The music was well complemented by Jittery dancing and a background movie. I admired her ability to create interesting melodies.
Trampauline were the third act. Quickly into the performance I realized that Trampauline are very inspired by 80’s music. Infact, the room lit up with an 80’s vibe as they played. In my head I thought of Top Gun, ET, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Dirty Dancing, Gloria Estefan, Whitney Houston and 80’s pop. It was kind of cool.
The singer wore a bright colorful jacket with sneakers which added to the 80s feel. Infact the colorful nature of her jacket reminded me of UK TV presenter 'Timmy Mallet'. The singer would bounce around her Roland keyboard, waving her arms, in a way that would make ‘Molly Ringwald’ feel proud. Trampauline’s blend of electro-pop is a unique feature of the Seoul music scene.
No disrespect to the last band Starry Eyed, but I didn’t remain for the duration of their performance. It was not my thing that evening. Sorry guys.
On the night, for me, Trampauline stole the show, with Pika in second, Gullivers in third.
Oliver Philpott
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Big Phony: More to Come
I saw Big Phony as the opening act for the Seoulsonic gig at Welcomm Theater, in Seoul. His music reminded me of Elliot Smith, Red House Painters and Jonah Matranga's 'One Line Drawing'. He's a subtle artist and definetely someone who I will be keeping tabs on. His songs are beautiful.
BigPhony
Big Phony, Idiotape and Apollo 18 at Seoulsonic: Friday, January 21st 2011
This was a gig that I was looking forward to but I went to with no expectations. Armed with an open mind and intrigue I hopped on subway line three and headed for Seoul’s ‘Welcomm Theater’. It was to be an interesting night, full of surprises.
The first surprise was the venue itself. I realized before hand, after looking at the website, that it was going to be a kind of art gallery or art space. What I hadn’t accounted for was that the gig would be all seating. It was also full and deathly quiet upon entrance. Packed with people who were respectfully waiting for the bands all I could think was, ‘where is the beer?’ ‘Hell, I’ll even settle for Vodka’, I thought. Alas, I quickly realized that this gig, or perhaps ‘artistic showcase’ is a better word, yes this ‘artistic’ ‘showcase’ was to be alcohol free. Great. I decided to try and find a ‘pew’ in this strange ‘pristine’ environment. I decided to stop worrying about the surroundings and focus on the music.
First up was a deviation from the advertised gig. Singer-guitarist ‘Big Phony’ took to the stage. Admittedly, it wasn’t a great environment for any performer so I could understand any discomfort with playing here. However, Big Phony was clearly nervous which showed in his performance. He never really got settled into any kind of ‘groove’.
He opened with some beautiful and admirable guitar and vocal work. Generally he had a good voice, some interesting melodic ideas and a beautiful guitar sound. The song ‘Short Intermission’ was a highlight. But, for whatever reason, his songs really never ‘took off’. The verses were great but I was waiting for a defining chorus, or a bridge, or anything to take me to the next step. I was waiting in vain. Big Phony’s potential never came to fruition at this gig. However, I sense that there is more to come from this artist.
Next up were electro-rockers ‘Idiotape’. With a mixture of solid syncopated beats, intelligent synth playing and sampling, layering and changes in rhythm they created a sense of ‘orchestrated madness’. The set grew into something which sounded really professional. It was the co-ordination of the instruments, intelligent synth lines and loudness of the live drums which helped create feelings of emotion and intensity. Each song was better than the last. However, there was a point where the sound seemed directionless.
Around halfway through the set, from a spectacular peak, the performance dipped dramatically. The music felt repetitive, unoriginal and ‘wanting’ to be emotional. However, as quickly as they fell, Idiotape picked themselves up again. Overall there was some genius synth work. The songs peaked into something totally original. I considered that Idiotapes performance would be hard to beat. I was about to be proved wrong.
When heavy rockers Apollo 18 stepped on stage they had an appearance which said ‘I am going to kill you’, which I loved! They were the tightest sounding band of the night and were very energetic, making full use of the stage. Indeed, at one point the singer proceeded off stage, ending up somewhere in the crowd. The singer was successful in charming his audience with passionate guitar work and charming conversation.
Apollo 18 were ‘gentlemen and killers’, creating beauty in noise. There were some great reverberating vocals, followed by massiveness, screaming and self depravity. ‘Kill me I want to die, kill me I want to die’, I kept muttering to myself as I listened. At times it also felt quite ‘Mogwaiesque’ and the post-rock influences shone though during intricate, beautiful and masterful guitar work. The pounding bass fitted well with the heavy hitting drums and heavily distorted guitar. Overall this performance was beautiful.
After Apollo 18 had left the stage the crowd was left visibly shaking. My head couldn’t physically handle anymore noise and I was forced to make an early exit from the venue. Apollo 18 had killed me. This was no disrespect to the other talented artists. Apollo 18 were just leagues apart.
I arrived at Seoulsonic with few expectations and I left in a state of shock and awe.
Oliver Philpott
The first surprise was the venue itself. I realized before hand, after looking at the website, that it was going to be a kind of art gallery or art space. What I hadn’t accounted for was that the gig would be all seating. It was also full and deathly quiet upon entrance. Packed with people who were respectfully waiting for the bands all I could think was, ‘where is the beer?’ ‘Hell, I’ll even settle for Vodka’, I thought. Alas, I quickly realized that this gig, or perhaps ‘artistic showcase’ is a better word, yes this ‘artistic’ ‘showcase’ was to be alcohol free. Great. I decided to try and find a ‘pew’ in this strange ‘pristine’ environment. I decided to stop worrying about the surroundings and focus on the music.
First up was a deviation from the advertised gig. Singer-guitarist ‘Big Phony’ took to the stage. Admittedly, it wasn’t a great environment for any performer so I could understand any discomfort with playing here. However, Big Phony was clearly nervous which showed in his performance. He never really got settled into any kind of ‘groove’.
He opened with some beautiful and admirable guitar and vocal work. Generally he had a good voice, some interesting melodic ideas and a beautiful guitar sound. The song ‘Short Intermission’ was a highlight. But, for whatever reason, his songs really never ‘took off’. The verses were great but I was waiting for a defining chorus, or a bridge, or anything to take me to the next step. I was waiting in vain. Big Phony’s potential never came to fruition at this gig. However, I sense that there is more to come from this artist.
Next up were electro-rockers ‘Idiotape’. With a mixture of solid syncopated beats, intelligent synth playing and sampling, layering and changes in rhythm they created a sense of ‘orchestrated madness’. The set grew into something which sounded really professional. It was the co-ordination of the instruments, intelligent synth lines and loudness of the live drums which helped create feelings of emotion and intensity. Each song was better than the last. However, there was a point where the sound seemed directionless.
Around halfway through the set, from a spectacular peak, the performance dipped dramatically. The music felt repetitive, unoriginal and ‘wanting’ to be emotional. However, as quickly as they fell, Idiotape picked themselves up again. Overall there was some genius synth work. The songs peaked into something totally original. I considered that Idiotapes performance would be hard to beat. I was about to be proved wrong.
When heavy rockers Apollo 18 stepped on stage they had an appearance which said ‘I am going to kill you’, which I loved! They were the tightest sounding band of the night and were very energetic, making full use of the stage. Indeed, at one point the singer proceeded off stage, ending up somewhere in the crowd. The singer was successful in charming his audience with passionate guitar work and charming conversation.
Apollo 18 were ‘gentlemen and killers’, creating beauty in noise. There were some great reverberating vocals, followed by massiveness, screaming and self depravity. ‘Kill me I want to die, kill me I want to die’, I kept muttering to myself as I listened. At times it also felt quite ‘Mogwaiesque’ and the post-rock influences shone though during intricate, beautiful and masterful guitar work. The pounding bass fitted well with the heavy hitting drums and heavily distorted guitar. Overall this performance was beautiful.
After Apollo 18 had left the stage the crowd was left visibly shaking. My head couldn’t physically handle anymore noise and I was forced to make an early exit from the venue. Apollo 18 had killed me. This was no disrespect to the other talented artists. Apollo 18 were just leagues apart.
I arrived at Seoulsonic with few expectations and I left in a state of shock and awe.
Oliver Philpott
Friday, 21 January 2011
Apollo 18 has Landed!
They are a three piece rock act from Seoul in South Korea. Live they are impeccable. From the very first moment they walk on stage they make you think ‘HOLY GOD OF HELL CHRIST’. I don’t really know what else to say except from check them out live. They will completely blow you away.
Apollo 18 - Iridescent Clouds
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Podcast
Our friend Dave Candler, over at Korean Homesick Blues, produces some amazing podcasts, featuring the best indie bands in Korea.
Check it out here (opens in new window): HomesickBlues
Check it out here (opens in new window): HomesickBlues
Latest News
The guys over at IndiefulROK do a great job keeping us updated with the latest Seoul music news. They have an encyclopedic knowledge of Seoul music:
Check them out here (opens in new window): IndiefulROK
Check them out here (opens in new window): IndiefulROK
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
A Little Bit of Heaven
Ever since I parted company with my old band, Electric Fan Death, I feel that I have moved in a better direction musically. I was keen to follow the underground indie scene in Korea. One band that I am fascinated by and who I have been following since my Fan Death days is Trampauline www.myspace.com/trampauline.
Trampauline are an excellent electro-synth-guitar act fronted by the most beautiful, subtle vocals. This is the kind of music that fascinates me about Korea, and the Korean indie scene. Rarely do you find such beauty in underground scenes. Yet, it seems that the Korean indie scene is awash with similar ‘subtle’ musical acts.
I can’t remember when it was that I stumbled upon recandplay.net but I’m glad I did. It’s a kind of video/diary blog of Korean based indie bands performing in urban spaces around Seoul, and Korea. One of the first videos I saw on there was a video of Korean performers 'Baik Hyun Jhin' and 'Jung Jae Il' at Cafe, 'Anthracite'. I was blown away by the combination of heart hitting vocals and intelligent piano playing. It was scary stuff. Have a look below.
Since then I’ve kept up with the website and I am in awe every time I watch one of the videos there. The Korean indie scene is up there with the best.
RECANDPLAY.NET captures the sound of a movement that will be new and beautiful to you.
Have a listen - http://www.recandplay.net/
Oliver
Spotlight Indie
Those with their ears close to the ground will undoubtedly be aware of the abundance of good independent music here in Korea. Both Koreans and expats alike are producing tunes that are on a par with any other music scene on the planet. Indeed, there is a mini indie revolution taking place in Korea and the world’s DJ’s are beginning to take notice.
One such DJ, David Candler, has been showcasing Korean based indie talent on his ‘Korean Homesick Blues’ podcast. In his weekly show David plays some of his favorite acts that he has discovered since arriving in this fair old land. Upon first listen one is struck by the varied nature of Korean Homesick Blues. The listener is introduced to many different styles of music in the same show. This makes it interesting and unique. Indeed, it is very reminiscent of the late great, John Peel. One minute you’ll be listening to a hard and fast punk rock act, the next you’ll be feeling relaxed as you are surrounded by melodic indie rock. It’s a formula that works well as the unpredictable nature of the playlist creates a sense of anticipation.
Fundamentally, Korean Homesick Blues is a music lover’s show. It’s a show produced and presented by a music lover designed to cater for those who have music in their heart. True music lovers recognize that good music is good music and is not necessarily genre specific.
Korean Homesick Blues' varied, ‘Peelesque’ nature, warrants global appeal. This is because there are few out there who do not feel obliged to stick to industry convention. It could be argued that the modern DJ waits for music to come to them, rather than getting their hands dirty, so to speak, by listening to the mass of indie talent out there. David Candler is one man who is not afraid to get ‘out there’. In that regard he does not follow convention.
I met him by chance one evening when attending a gig in Seoul. The gig itself showcased a wide variety of indie talent. David, a tall figure of man, was quietly observing at the back, no doubt taking notes for his indie podcast. It’s a form of dedication which is admirable and to be encouraged for any up and coming DJ.
It may seem as if this is a Dave Candler appreciation story but it shouldn’t be taken that way. The point of the story is this: if you are an indie band in Korea there are people here who will take notice. Dave isn’t leading the revolution, we all are. Keep doing what you are doing. Make good music. Tune into the Korean Homesick Blues Podcast and send your music there. You never know who might be listening.
http://koreanhomesickblues.podbean.com/
Oliver Philpott
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)