Indieful ROK

Gaon Digital Sales Chart week 3, 2012

2012-01-27T20:14:00.000+01:00

More climbing than falling for the k-indie names spotted on the latest Korean digital chart from Gaon. And a few newcomers to that.

k-indie @ Gaon Digital Chart - January 21, 2012
3. 10cm - 애상 [MV]
60. Kim Ji Soo & Taru - 더 좋아 [Bugs Interview]
61. Chang Kiha & The Faces - 풍문으로 들었소 [MV]
91. Clazzi - Love & Hate (with Yi Sung Yol, MYK) [MV]
106. Verbal Jint - 좋아보여 (feat. The Black Skirts)
115. Eye To Eye - 창문 너머 어렴풋이 옛 생각이 나겠지요
163. Acoustic Collabo - 그대와 나, 설레임 [MV]
165. Jaurim - 하루
183. Leessang - TV를 껐네... (feat. Yoon Mirae, Kwon Jung Yeol of 10cm) [MV]
197. OK Punk! - Ugly

Indieful ROK Music Chart week 3, 2012

2012-01-26T23:13:00.000+01:00

Going through Indieful ROK's last.fm group artist chart the 10th indie entry could be found on spot 39. Not as good as the first week of the year, but much better than last! This is a day late, but only because my ISP had some issues yesterday forcing all of their customers in my area to find other entertinament offline half the afternoon and all evening (I finally arranged all the recipes I'd written down/cut out of papers during the past seven years, or so so in the end I didn't mind as much as I did initially).

Indieful ROK TOP10 - week 3, 2012

1. Clazziquai Project (-) [Tell Yourself MV]
2. Nell (-) [Comeback Trailer]
3. Clazzi (new) [Love&Hate MV]
4. 10cm (+1) [오늘밤은 어둠이 무서워요 MV]
5. The Black Skirts (+5) [International Love Song MV]
6. Loveholic (new) [Loveholic MV]
7. W&Whale (+1) [C'mon Yo TV live]
8. Taru (new) [Night Flying TV live]
9. Humming Urban Stereo (new) [Rainbow YT audio]
10. Han Hee Jung (re) [Acoustic Breath live]

Don't feel like the chart reflects your taste in music well enough? Join Indieful ROK's last.fm group and maybe next week it'll look a little better!

Bugs Indie Music Chart week 3, 2012

2012-01-24T21:10:00.000+01:00

Bugs has a new indie chart, and while I was surprised by the many old entries last time now I'm even more so. Most of the new tracks were released on Pastel Music though, so I suspect they've been somehow involved in reviving these old songs.

Bugs Indie TOP10 - January 21, 2012
1. Lee Younghoon - 비 내리던 날 [MV]
2. Lucid Fall - 어디인지 몰라요
3. 10cm - 사랑은 은하수 다방에서 [@ Sketchbook]
4. 10cm - 죽겠네 (Album ver.) [@ Space 공감]
5. Jaeju Boys - Peace!
6 10cm - 안아줘요 [MV]
7. VOY - 바람의 노래 (feat. Oh Ji Eun) [sample video]
8. Jung Joonil - 안아줘 [@ Sketchbook]
9. Lucite Tokki - In My Tin Case
10. Autumn Vacation - 속아도 꿈결 [@ Space 공감]

The new additions to the TOP100 list are the following:
34. Dear Cloud - 아침
38. VOY - 마지막 부탁 (feat. Ahn Sinae) [MV]
43. Bimilie - 비가와요 [live]
44. Su Jeong Sun - 내가 바라는 내 모습 [live]
62. Acoustic Collabo - Sweet Love (Jazz ver.)
72. Lucid Fall - 걸어가자
74. Nangman Band - 무릎베개 [live]
77. 3rd Story - The Star
91. Taru - 여기서 끝내자 (Solo ver.) [live]

See the full top 100 list here.

"I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream, Part 6: Reader's Choice Vote

2012-01-24T06:57:00.003+01:00

Now that we're seen what the panelists had to say, it's time to debut who you, the readers, want to see representing the Korean indie scene on "I Am a Singer", following Jaurim's winning performances on the show!

But first, I have to provide a disclaimer about the results below. Due to a limited response to our call for your suggestions, we ended up with a large tie for your Reader's Choice Vote. Consequently, I'm going to weigh in the panelists picks as well, although greater weight will be given to your suggestions. Finally, the result still led to multiple ties, meaning that we will debut nine artists for the Reader Choice Vote.

Indie Daydream Reader's Choice Vote

Once we debut the nine artists, we'll open the comments section to this post for your voting. Please choose your top three of the nine artists and write them in the comments section of this post by midnight of 25 January, Pacific Standard Time. We will then count the votes and determine the top seven artists in order of most votes and also reveal the two artists who were eliminated from our "I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream. For a refresher on the listed artists, check out our panelists' picks for our thoughts and a video of their performances.

Your Reader's Choice Suggestions

With no further ado, here are the singers and bands suggested for the Reader's Choice Vote, in alphabetical order (Latin script):

3rd Line Butterfly
Cherry Filter
Han Heejung
Huckleberry Finn
Kim Sarang
MOT
Nell
Thomas Cook
Yi Sung Yol

Okay, everyone! You have until 25 January, midnight Pacific Standard Time to vote for your top three in the comments. (Panelists will also be permitted to vote here too, for their top three.) We will debut the final results on 27 January!

Series Index:

Part 1: Intro, Rules, and Reader's Choice Suggestions
Part 2: Widhi's Picks
Part 3: The Korean's Picks
Part 4: Anna's Picks
Part 5: refresh_daemon's Picks
Part 6: Reader's Choice Vote
Top 7 Voting Closes (Jan 25)
Part 7: Reader's Choice Results and Conclusion (Jan 27)

Tei brought Fluxus label mates on stage for I Am A Singer

2012-01-22T18:15:00.000+01:00

In spite of the lunar new year holiday a fresh episode of I Am A Singer (나는 가수다) aired today, January 22. The theme was soundtracks and Tei had opted for Can's 내 생에 봄날은, used in 2001/2002 SBS drama Piano (피아노). In the mid-round performance he offered a bossa nova version, that didn't suit the tastes of his comedian manager or co-competitors so for the actual performance the arrangement had been reworked into more of a rock/synth number.

The arrangement was done by Tei's fellow Handsome People member Choi Youngho, who also played keyboard on stage. Backing him further were Bae Youngjoon and Han Jaewon of Whale alongside Funky Brown's Uhm Joo Hyuk.

"I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream, Part 5: refresh_daemon's Picks

2012-01-22T04:24:00.004+01:00

Providing the final set of picks for Indieful ROK’s “I Am a Singer” Indie Daydream is refresh_daemon, who frequently writes Korean music reviews on his blog: Init_Music.

Having the final pick has proved quick difficult as Widhi, The Korean and Anna all selected all but one of the singers I’d originally planned picking and wanting to add some diversity of choices, I’m going to highlight a few alternatives. I generally picked my singers by what I thought they would provide to the show in terms of interesting or powerful vocal performances.

Pick #1: Baik Hyunjin (백현진)

UhUhBoo Project’s wily frontman is no stranger to the show, having previously performed a duet with Jaurim on the show to audience applause. His vocal style is particularly unique and powerful, capable of performing manic fast paced angular indie rock as well as handling slow songs with immense power, and at times can come across as what a drunken Tom Waits might sound like. He will no doubt impress the audience with his prowess and will challenge them with his atypical vocal and musical style.

Pick #2: Huckleberry Finn

Huckleberry Finn has been rocking the Korean indie club circuit for over a decade and is one of Korea’s finest harder edged alternative rock units around. Part of this is due to the ferocity of lead singer Lee Soyoung’s vocals, whose husky rock howl matches pound-for-pound ever other rock singer in the scene. And while Huckleberry Finn won’t have the broadness of Jaurim’s appeal, being quite tied to their specific alternative rock sound, Lee Soyoung will provide the kind of powerhouse female rock vocals that will rattle the audience, especially when tied up with the band’s potent arrangements.

Pick #3: Han Heejung (한희정)

If all you know Han Heejung by is her current folk-pop solo career sound, you don’t know the breadth of vocal performance that Han Heejung is capable of, having previously sang for dream pop/indie folk duo, Bluedawn and even before that, for the long-running modern rockers, The The Band. Her more low-key style as of late is unlikely to electrify any audience, but, especially during her time in Bluedawn, she was able to pull out some moving vocal performances and so with careful song choices, her range should alternatively delight and move audiences. And to show she's got chops for pop covers, click here to see her take on 2NE1's "아파".

Pick #4: Jungin (정인)

Jungin might best be known for being the woman that sings the catchy chorus on a number of popular Leessang songs, but what’s immediately striking about her vocal style is that, especially early on, she had a deep neo-soul style of singing, clearly influenced by Erykah Badu and Macy Gray. But Jungin was able to put her chops to use not only in hip hop choruses, but in R&B, funk, and soul as the vocalist for the short lived band, G.Fla and should prove a good female counterpoint for Bobby Kim. While she mostly trades in more traditional pop ballads as of late, she should be capable of reaching into her past as well as her present to deliver some audience moving performances. She may face some similar challenges as Bobby, her style tending towards coolness, which doesn’t seem to work well with the Korean audience, but her capacity for straighter pop ballads should help buoy her.

Pick #5: Bang Joonsuk (방준석)

Bang Joonsuk is one of the biggest reasons why I developed an interest in Korean indie music and not just because had a hand in crafting two major Korean indie filled soundtracks, but because of his own original songs he wrote for them (under the moniker Blue in Green). While he might be quite busy with his soundtrack work, he’s not so busy that he doesn’t perform with his many musician friends, either on guitar or handling vocal duties and while he might have never released a solo album and doesn’t quite have the name recognition of his U&Me Blue partner, Yi Sung Yol, he’s still a strong rock singer himself and a shot on “I Am a Singer” might be what he needs to perhaps produce a solo album. Incidentally, he has already been on the “I Am a Singer” stage before, assisting Park Junghyun on guitar.

+1’s

As previously mentioned by Widhi and Anna, I think 3rd Line Butterfly/Nam Sangah would be a stunning add to the show because Nam Sangah’s a fantastic singer and will provide some out of the box melodic style. I also have to say that Yoon Mirae would be a powerful add to the show because she’s a heavily talented rapper and R&B singer and would provide a different element to the show with her confident rapping style. And I’m most on the same wavelength as Anna because I think itta’s vocal creativity would be an asset, Youjeen of Cherry Filter would provide the pop end of enormous range badass rock vocals, and Kim Banjang, well, he’d bring a rich palette of funk, soul, and reggae that’s gone missing post-Bobby Kim.

Ineligible But Interesting

Guckkasten

They haven’t been around long enough, but Ha Hyunwoo’s vocals are simply awesome to behold and would likely bring a strong dramatic presence to the show.

Janggoon (장군)

This one is a bit of a wild suggestion, since Janggoon is a pansori singer (traditional Korean music), but she’s been involved at the forefront of fusing it with modern music like dub with I&I Djangdan and electronica with Ninano Nanda and I’m kind of curious to see how her traditional style will work in a pop music setting and especially curious as to how the audience will react. Another choice in the same vein would Gogooryuh Band and their mix of traditional singing and rock.

Agree with a pick? Feel like we're missing somebody? Leave a comment on our Reader's Choice page with your top three indie choices for "I Am a Singer"!

Series Index:

Part 1: Intro, Rules, and Reader's Choice Suggestions
Part 2: Widhi's Picks
Part 3: The Korean's Picks
Part 4: Anna's Picks
Part 5: refresh_daemon's Picks
Part 6: Reader's Choice Vote
Top 7 Voting Closes (Jan 25)
Part 7: Reader's Choice Results and Conclusion (Jan 27)

Star Audition 2 contestant sings Mad Soul Child

2012-01-21T11:34:00.000+01:00

With the most recent episode of Star Audition 2 (위대한탄생2) aired on January 20 it was once again opportunity to do some indie spotting (via proxy). This time Jung Seo Kyung (정서경) could be seen singing Dear--a Mad Soul Child song featured in popular movie The Man From Nowhere (아저씨).

Hyang Music Album Chart week 1, 2012

2012-01-21T11:25:00.001+01:00

The first album sales chart of the year from Hyang Music was published this week.

Hyang Chart - 1st week of January, 2012
1. Lucid Fall - 아름다운 날들
2. IU - Last Fantasy
3. Idiotape - 11111101
4. Zitten - 백야
5. Apollo 18 - The Black Album
6. Number Nine - TV를 끄면 좋겠어
7. Lim Ji Hoon - Organ Orgasm
8. Siwa - Down To Earth
9 Dynamic Duo - Digilog 2/2
10. Kim Mokin - 음악가 자신의 노래

The new k-indie oriented additions to the TOP100 list were the following:
72. Story Seller - XX
82. VOY - VOY meet girl
83. Hermin - Melody
85. Blue Near Mother - Mexico
89. Shin Hye Sung - Embrace

See the full top 100 list here.

"I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream, Part 4: Anna's Picks

2012-01-20T09:58:00.006+01:00

In Part 4 of our "I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream, Indieful ROK and Korean Indie founder, Anna, provides her top five picks for "I Am a Singer".

Sitting down trying to pick good names for this exercise I realized that most of my favorite artists do not possess the kind of vocal skills that would warrant a chance to compete on "I Am A Singer", something which is part of the charm that made them my favorites to begin with. As such, much like The Korean's suggestions, my picks are not intended to reflect the best Korean indie music have to offer, but rather my own expectations as to which artists would be more interesting to see on the show also considering that they should be able to stay on for more than one round.

Pick #1: Cherry Filter (체리 필터)

I learned about Cherry Filter at the very same time I first learned of Jaurim, both being successful enough to at least have been heard of in the mainstream already a decade back. Because of this I've always considered the two bands to be at the same level. Perhaps they would not be able to provide the same diversity as Jaurim, but the band can put on a good show and Youjeen has the powerful vocals to boost. The band also has a cover album behind them that seemed to go over fairly well among fans.

Pick #2: Nahm Sang Ah (남상아)

She may primarily be active in 3rd Line Butterfly now, but it was thanks to Huckleberry Finn that I first came to know and respect the deep vocals of Nahm Sang Ah. She's recorded a few solo songs for various soundtracks and I'd like to hear what more she's capable of when not constrained by a band.

Pick #3: itta (있다)

Never have I been more amazed by a voice than when itta made a small room in the cellar of Duriban seem like it had the acoustics of a cathedral. Not only does her vocal skills impress, but she's also got a very diverse reportoir. From beautiful piano compositions to avant-garde experimentation to some of the best hiphop albums Korea has ever seen. A few years back she talked about doing something in the pop realm and I'm confident she'd be able to wow a mainstream audience as well, should she feel like it.

Pick #4: Yeongene (연진)

I don't think I've ever heard Yeongene use the full capacity of her voice, but it's so sweet and lovely that with her musical abilities she should be able to charm any audience. Before she became known for the cheerful twee pop and light jazz tunes of Linus' Blanket she crafted plenty of melancholic, somewhat rock oriented songs of great quality. I'd be very curious to see her bring out some of those qualities again and try another few styles while at it.

Pick #5: Kim Ban Jang (김반장)

Both in music and vocal style he could be described as a more extreme version of Bobby Kim. He's got the reggae, he's got the soul, and to top it off he's got some dub. He also knows how to put good energy into a live performance, at least one that doesn't go on for hours.

Honorable Mentions

Like both Widhi and The Korean I'd be happy to see Nell on the show, if nothing else to force Nell to finally try something new. And like The Korean I would love to see Lee Sangeun on there for pretty much the same reasons. I would absolutely love to see eAeon on "I Am a Singer" considering how much I've liked his/Mot's covers in the past but fear it wouldn't be varied enough to keep the audience entertained for long. Outside of the indie realm Shin Haechul would be my top choice--he may come off as a bit too full of himself sometimes, but he's both written and sung so many fantastic songs throughout the years in multiple genres that he can be excused.

Agree with a pick? Feel like we're missing somebody? Leave a comment on our Reader's Choice page with your top three indie choices for "I Am a Singer"!

Series Index:

Part 1: Intro, Rules, and Reader's Choice Suggestions
Part 2: Widhi's Picks
Part 3: The Korean's Picks
Part 4: Anna's Picks
Part 5: refresh_daemon's Picks
Part 6: Reader's Choice Vote
Top 7 Voting Closes (Jan 25)
Part 7: Reader's Choice Results and Conclusion (Jan 27)

Gaon Digital Sales Chart week 2, 2012

2012-01-19T20:51:00.001+01:00

It may not look like much, but out of the k-indie acts on the latest Korean digital chart from Gaon half are newcomers.

k-indie @ Gaon Digital Chart - January 14, 2012
4. 10cm - 애상 [MV]
97. Chang Kiha & The Faces - 풍문으로 들었소 [MV]
118. Verbal Jint - 좋아보여 (feat. The Black Skirts)
121. Jaurim - 하루
169. Acoustic Collabo - 그대와 나, 설레임 [MV]
174. Goodmorning Heaven - Goodmorning Heaven (feat. Hareem) [MV]

Indieful ROK Music Chart week 2, 2012

2012-01-18T22:54:00.001+01:00

Here is the second Indieful ROK chart of the year! This time I had to look all the way down to spot 61 to find the 10 Korean indie band on Indieful ROK's last.fm group artist chart compared to just 27 last week. The samples for each artist is the song ranked highest on the group's song chart.

Indieful ROK TOP10 - week 2, 2012

1. Clazziquai (+3) [Love Again MV]
2. Nell (-1) [Empty YT audio]
3. Dear Cloud (+2) [널 위해서라고 MV]
4. Casker (-2) [야간비행 random video]
5. 10cm (+1) [Hey Billy live]
6. Lucid Fall (new) [불 YT audio]
7. Standing Egg (new) [사랑한다는말 MV]
8. W&Whale (new) [소녀 곡예사 MV]
9. Sentimental Scenery (new) [True Romance YT audio]
10. The Black Skirts (-) [아침식사 live]

Don't feel like the chart reflects your taste in music well enough? Join Indieful ROK's last.fm group and maybe next week it'll look a little better!

"I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream, Part 3: The Korean's Picks

2012-01-17T23:00:00.005+01:00

In Part 3 of our "I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream, The Korean of Ask a Korean!, who has been writing a series on the 50 most influential K-Pop artists, provides his top five indie picks for "I Am a Singer".

With my picks, I tried to make the most compelling show possible. That is to say: this is not a list of whom I consider to be the five best indie artists. Rather, this is a group of artists who would create the same kind of excitement and buzz that "I Am a Singer" created when the show first launched, not only through their talents but also through their personalities and diversity of styles.

Having said that, here are some of the people who did not make the list for some reason or another:

Jang Kiha (장기하)

Jang is omitted because he debuted in 2005. This omission kills me, because in terms of pure talent few can match up with Jang Kiha.

Deli Spice

Omitted because it has two vocalists instead of one. Another tough one, because the importance of Deli Spice in Korean indie rock history cannot be overstated.

Jeju Boys (재주소년)

Also omitted because the band has two vocalists. Is this rule really necessary?

Nell

I love Nell, but Widhi already picked Nell. There is nothing that prevents me from picking Nell, but why repeat picks when there is an ocean of talent to choose from? Let’s just enjoy a good song from Nell and move on.

Alrighty then, let’s get right to the picks.

Pick #1: Lucid Fall

Jo Yoonseok may be the most interesting man in Korean indie scene. Not only is he a gifted singer/songwriter, he has a doctorate in chemistry. Although Lucid Fall’s style may be a little too calm for TV, Jo’s former band Misoni (미선이) had plenty of interesting and dynamic numbers. It will also be an interesting test for the show itself: can the audience tolerate a string of very calm and sensitive songs?

Pick #2: Kim Sarang (김사랑)

For a good TV, the show has got to have high-energy performers. Kim Sarang is a solid choice to provide that high energy, hopefully coupled with interesting electronica tones from his first album.

Pick #3: No Brain

Here is another high-energy band, with semi-legend status to boot. Along with Crying Nut (whom I considered to be too big to be included in this list), No Brain revolutionized punk rock in Korea since their debut in 1998. If nothing else, they sure know how to play with the crowd.

Pick #4: Yoon Mirae (윤미래)

Yes, I know this is pushing the meaning of the term “indie.” But "I Am a Singer" has been sparse with rappers, with Bobby Kim being the sole representative of the hip hop community. Putting up a legit rapper and a talented singer like Yoon Mirae would serve the show well.

Pick #5: Lee Sangeun (이상은)

Here is our “hyper-legend” pick, without which "I Am a Singer" is no more than your regular old battle of the bands. It is difficult to overstate just how far ahead of the field Lee Sangeun was when she abandoned her fairly successful idol-like career and instead dedicated herself to making incredibly avant-garde music of the kind never seen in Korea before. Because of the range of crazy that Lee can bring with her music, the range of possible things that could happen is infinite. She might become the most celebrated indie singer of Korea, she might be pelted with rotten tomatoes on the stage, she might have a series of forgettable songs before getting eliminated around third round. No matter what happens, it will be riveting.

Agree with a pick? Feel like we're missing somebody? Leave a comment on our Reader's Choice page with your top three indie choices for "I Am a Singer"!

Series Index:

Part 1: Intro, Rules, and Reader's Choice Suggestions
Part 2: Widhi's Picks
Part 3: The Korean's Picks
Part 4: Anna's Picks
Part 5: refresh_daemon's Picks
Part 6: Reader's Choice Vote
Top 7 Voting Closes (Jan 25)
Part 7: Reader's Choice Results and Conclusion (Jan 27)

Bugs Indie Music Chart week 2, 2012

2012-01-16T22:29:00.000+01:00

It's the second week of the new year and there's plenty of newcomers on the chart since last week. Some of them quite old, for some reason.

Bugs Indie TOP10 - January 14, 2012
1. Goodmorning Heaven - Goodmorning Heaven (feat. Hareem) [@ Love Shake Radio]
2. Lucid Fall - 어디인지 몰라요
3. Lee Younghoon - 비 내리던 날 [MV]
4. VOY - 바람의 노래 (feat. Oh Ji Eun)
5. Zitten - 백야 [MV]
6. 10cm - 사랑은 은하수 다방에서 [@ Sketchbook]
7. Lucid Fall - 그리고 눈이 내린다 [@ Sketchbook]
8. 10cm - 안아줘요 [MV]
9. Lucid Fall - 어부가(漁父歌) [@ Sketchbook]
10. 10cm - Good Night [@ Space 공감]

The new additions to the TOP100 list are the following:
30. eAeon - 슬픈 마네킹 [live]
40. Goodmorning Heaven - 아프고 아팠던
50. Lucid Fall - 레미제라블 Part 2
55. Chang Kiha & The Faces - 마냥 걷는다 [@ Space 공감]
60. Eniac - 눈사람
67. Bluedawn - 빵
68. Lee Younghoon - 나를 기억할까 (feat. Cho Yejin of Lucite Tokki)
78. Lee Younghoon - 봄이 오면 (feat. Kim Yoon Ju of Dalmoon)
93. Kangil Leehyung Band - 내복그녀 [MV]

See the full top 100 list here.

"I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream, Part 2: Widhi's Picks

2012-01-15T23:10:00.009+01:00

Providing her top five picks first for "I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream series is Widhi, guest contributor both on Indieful ROK and with the Indieful ROK Spot on Indie Afternoon. She also has a blog at widhiarini.blogspot.com.

Having the opportunity to be the first picking the list was not very easy for me when I realized that my favorite indie musicians mostly debuted after 2004. However, I managed to come up with those who also became my favorite in the past years.

Pick #1: 3rd Line Butterfly

I discovered 3rd Line Butterfly for the first time after I watched their live show when I met Anna for the first time in Korea back in 2009. Almost instantly, I fell in love with the band. The husky voice of the vocalist became the main reason why I took interest at first. However, as I learned more about the band, I found that I like their musical style as well. Somehow, the vocalist voice reminds me of Juckwoo these days.

Pick #2: Jo Wonsun (조원선)

This was the first song that I knew of hers back in 2009 and actually it was later on that I found out that she was the vocalist of Roller Coaster. Her strong and unique voice along with her somehow witty style in the video took me by surprise when I found out about her.

Pick #3: Thomas Cook

Thankfully, I knew about My Aunt Mary first before I knew him as the main vocalist of the trio back in 2008. I really like his soft and clear voice.

Pick #4: Yi Sung Yol (이승열)

I found him quite later than the others from a friend of mine who is a very big fan. I really like his deep and husky voice. As for the musical style, maybe he is not really my type. However, this song was my favorite among all of his song. I found that he has quite a similar tone with Lee Juck, which a little bit confusing somehow.

Pick #5: Nell

I have to say I am a very BIG fan of Nell. I am also a very big fan of Kim Jongwan’s whispering type of voice. With a somehow similar feeling like when you listen to Lee Sora, Kim Jongwan will leave a very strong impression every time people listen to his voice.

Honorable Mentions

Dear Cloud

Nine’s husky and deep voice is the main reason, but too bad that they debuted after 2004, which made them disqualified for the picks.

Biuret

Another band with a strong female vocal disqualified for the same reason as above. I somehow feel that the vocalist has the same vibe as Kim Yuna of Jaurim.

Agree with a pick? Feel like we're missing somebody? Leave a comment on our Reader's Choice page with your top three indie choices for "I Am a Singer"!

Series Index:

Part 1: Intro, Rules, and Reader's Choice Suggestions
Part 2: Widhi's Picks
Part 3: The Korean's Picks
Part 4: Anna's Picks
Part 5: refresh_daemon's Picks
Part 6: Reader's Choice Vote
Top 7 Voting Closes (Jan 25)
Part 7: Reader's Choice Results and Conclusion (Jan 27)

Star Audition 2 contestants sing Kim Yuna and 10cm

2012-01-15T14:29:00.000+01:00

Save for I Am A Singer I don't follow any Korean TV shows myself, but it is definitely so that there is an increasing interest in Korean indie music which can be traced through--and perhaps even more so thanks to--all of the audition/survival shows out there. Since the idea of "indie spotting" was suggested as a new feature of this blog I figured I'd finally get started with a little something I've had planned since first coming across brand essential special albums compiled by Bugs Music.

The most recent episode of the second season of Star Audition (위대한탄생2) was aired on January 13 and focused on the contestants mentored by Lee Sun Hee. Bae Su Jung (배수정) performed a rendition of 봄날은 간다--originally a Japanese song composed by Matsutoya Yumi to which Kim Yuna wrote Korean lyrics for the movie with the same name, One Fine Spring Day. Also on the show was Jang Yi Jung (장이정) who sang 10cm's 죽겠네.

Music Alliance Pact - January 2012

2012-01-15T10:00:00.001+01:00

This month for the first time Music Alliance Pact a member introducing the best music Austria has to offer in Walzerkönig. Another change is that Indieful ROK has transferred the Music Alliance Pact membership to Korean Indie. For now I'll still be posting my selections here too, so without further ado, here's the first MAP edition of the year including one of my favorite recordings of last year, 지나고 나면 언제나 좋았어.

Right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a .zip file of the whole 36-track compilation here.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Galaxy Express - As Time Passes, Always Been Good
Galaxy Express is one of the best rock bands in Korea and have been for quite some time. During their Wild 30 project in 2010, a 30-day quest during which they recorded a piece of music for their Wild Days album every day, they showed that they put on the best of performances, even just going to karaoke. In late 2011, Galaxy Express released split EP Naughty Boy with Korean punk pioneers Crying Nut, which contained a re-recording of the somewhat atypical but gorgeous and engaging As Time Passes, Always Been Good from those wild days. Look out for more from Galaxy Express in 2012 as they're heading for a US tour in March and playing SXSW for the second time.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Nubes En Mi Casa - Aceleremos
Nubes En Mi Casa is an indie-pop band led by singer Josefina Mac Loughlin. Aceleremos is a preview from their upcoming second studio album, Me Suelto y Vuelvo. The song sounds like an instant hit and we're sure it will become one of our favorite tracks of 2012, so we can't wait to hear the rest of it.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Sures - The Sun
The Sun is a short burst of sunshine from Sydney duo Sures. It sounds like a Beach Boys outtake, which might sound boring given the number of bands out there paying homage to Wilson and Co. Fortunately, The Sun is just two minutes of harmonising over a dull melody - it's a catchy tune that will have those of us in the southern hemisphere pressing repeat throughout summer.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Diver - Illusions
Quiet is the new loud. Diver, a folky trio from various places in Austria and Germany and now based in Vienna, play beautifully melancholic songs with three acoustic guitars and lyrics that go "everyday reality is an illusion of possibilities". Illusions is the opener of their first full-length album Kites, which will be out later this month. In the meantime you can listen to their self-titled debut EP on Bandcamp.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Bixiga 70 - Balboa Da Silva
Bixiga 70 is what happens when you combine African beats, jazz and Brazilian swing in a city as hectic as São Paulo, where they're from. Their first CD was released last year and is available to download at the band's website.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Honheehonhee - We Only Go
There's more than a hint of early Arcade Fire to We Only Go but, as someone who misses early Arcade Fire, I don't see why that's a strike against Honheehonhee. Besides, this song (not to mention the rest of their debut, Shouts) is exuberant, unhinged fun, and the world can always use more music like that.

CHILE: Super 45
Los Embajadores - Peso
From all the tips made in the Chilean music scene for this year, Los Embajadores is one of the most interesting. Romantic goth-pop songs reminiscent of Cocteau Twins as well as the darkest hours of Miguel Bosé. Faisanes is the name of their soon-to-come new album, and Peso ("Weight") is its first single.

CHINA: Wooozy
Elenore - Psycho Man
Beijing-based Elenore formed in late 2009 and have developed a sound influenced by bands such as Oasis, Kasabian and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The single Psycho Man fuses 60s swing drum loops, fuzzy guitar riffs and a Middle Eastern instrumental chorus which became a hit on China's popular site Douban. In February, Elenore will release their first EP both on CD and the band's own digital distribution site.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Nelson Can - Apple Pie
Danish girl-trio Nelson Can release their eponymous debut EP this month as part of a triple EP release with The Freudian Slip and Echo Me. Punk aesthetics spoon with pop flair and hipster cool on their first single Apple Pie, which reaffirms that apples are indeed a good thing. Like the girls on Facebook and check out the video for Apple Pie on YouTube.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
Money - Who's Going To Love You Now
A four-piece based in Manchester, Money are part of that city's tradition of earnest young men, "the weight on their shoulder", as Ian Curtis once sang. They quote Austrian poet Rilke, while their Facebook features a "eulogy for the death of everything". A recent Guardian New Band of the Day article contended that they "have a similar air of mystery and cerebral intensity to Wu Lyf, with a vocalist who can do enigmatically gruff as well as fervid and angelic", positing them as the Mancunian Manic Street Preachers, with a shared sense of the sacred and intense.

ESTONIA: Popop
Zebra Island - Falling Through
Mysterious Zebra Island rocketed into blogs and social networks at the very end of 2011 and everyone in Estonia seems to love them, although no-one knows much about the band. Zebra Island is led by Rasmus Lill from Kosmofon (featured in the March 2011 edition of MAP) and beautiful vocals are provided by Helina Risti. Falling Through, their first and only song so far, is a lovely, pulsating electro-pop masterpiece that keeps you wanting for much more Zebra Island.

FINLAND: Glue
Greymouth - The Boy
Singer and songwriter Elisa Husu founded Greymouth in the summer of 2011 to recreate her folky songs with a full band. The Boy is the first taster of this project and highlights Elisa's beautiful voice on top of epic acoustic sounds with a marked Fleet Foxes influence.

FRANCE: Yet You're Fired
Concrete Knives - Brand New Start
A perfect title for the first song of the year, Brand New Start is a highly enjoyable pop song, so good it's featured in a commercial, and so fresh with its choir and upbeat sound, I would name it song of the year. Very good proof that the French indie scene is better than ever.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
Apparat - Ash/Black Veil
This month we've got one of the most discussed German artists of last year. Apparat's 2011 album The Devil's Walk took the concept of Sascha Ring, the man behind the moniker, further. The soundscapes created feels like a cairn, carefully layered and poised, yet built to last; but Ring has decided to use his falsetto, which has caused controversy with reviewers. Decide for yourself if this concept works well on Ash/Black Veil. I think it does!

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Hristos Lainas - H Thlipsi To Brady
Hristos Lainas' first solo album, I Agapi Tha Lampsi ("Love Will Shine") is stuffed to the brim with alluring pop melodies, drenched in skittering 12-bit samplers, filtered vocals, warm and luscious analog synths and infused with a pleasant aura of drowsiness. Lainas assembles an array of sounds and textures, adds sporadic splashes of static atmosphere and in the process creates a magnificent listening environment of rose-tinted optimism and disenchantment. H Thlipsi To Brady ("Sadness In The Night") submerges a sense of intense feeling within its 80s fantasy electronic ether and instantly takes hold of your ears.

ICELAND: Rjóminn
Toggi - Let Them Bleed
This catchy little song, taken from the Iceland king of pop's second album Wonderful Secrets, should be the anthem for any self-respecting Occupy movement. Feeling a need to protest? Then let Toggi's tune occupy your mind and fire you up.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Belkastrelka - Pujian Ekspatriat
Belkastrelka are an eccentric electronic duo who sample sounds from various sources - windows, the library, television, nature and everything else. Combined with the tiny but wild vocals of Asa Rahmana, they create feral dance music.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Collie Collins & Monto - How Does?!?
A collaboration indicative of Ireland's growing insurgency against genre borders, Keep Her Lit is an EP which was released last year from Dublin rapper Collie Collins. Teaming up with producer Monto for four tracks of electronic-infused rap, the result is something wholly Irish yet globally progressive. It's a free download too.

ITALY: Polaroid
Esperanza - Aliante Giallo
Three skilled musicians and DJs put together a project devoted to an idea of music with no barriers. The sound ranges from chillwave to house, from trip-hop to psychedelia, and becomes a wide landscape. Featuring a collaboration with Banjo Or Freakout and released on the prestigious German label Gomma, this album works magic when the bpms slow down and the electronics becomes warmer and warmer.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Praha Depart - Portrait Man
Praha Depart demand attention, the Tokyo band mixing constantly morphing guitar with drum smashes to create mesmerizing tracks that reveal new sonic details with each new listen. All of those elements appear on Portrait Man, but the highlight of the song is lead singer Mai and her jittery voice. Over the course of Portrait Man, her vocals bring to mind Lydia Lunch before zigging towards a style reminiscent of Sue Tompkins of Life Without Buildings.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Dolls For Idols - Run
Dolls For Idols are an electronic band underpinned by indie and pop sensibilities. Their music embraces 80s-inspired synthesised sounds and the 90s rave generation, all served up with an attitude that is very much rooted in the here and now.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Los Mundos - Ni Un Segundo Más Sin Música
Los Mundos is a long-distance collaboration that perfectly speaks about musical memory and desertic solitude. The title of this lush pop-shoegaze song means "Not a second more without music". Indeed, it's the urgent need of a music lover: to spend all their time in a record store (how nostalgic), living their days wearing headphones with an obsession for everything that spins - very accurate for a band whose name in Spanish translates as "The Worlds".

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Hospital Bombers - Traditional Maori Fight Song #9
This self-proclaimed stadium-folk outfit have been in hiding for too long, sitting on a wealth of new material that they've struggled to shape into that 'difficult second album'. Thankfully, this month they'll finally release the sequel to 2008's Footnotes - the grandly titled At Budokan. Their lovingly lo-fi folk-pop is always rougher and rawer in the live setting, but this new collection again shows them up to be masters of careful songcraft, albeit unashamedly quirky songcraft that's emblazoned with handclaps and violins.

NORWAY: Birds Sometimes Dance
Billie Van - On My Knees
Billie Van's music makes me reminisce back to the 50s and the 60s, when country music was good and Nancy Sinatra was the one; when rock 'n' roll meant four chords and terrific songs; when guitar solos were mandatory and slapback echo came from the amps. Her music is all of this - great pop songs, tearful country ballads and hip-shaking rock 'n' roll, but it's also new and done in a refreshing way.

PERU: SoTB
Chico Unicornio - Triángulo
Once again, it is the independent scene that gives us another interesting musical proposal. Chico Unicornio is a one-man project that combines acoustic folk sounds with a nice Andean instrument called a charango. The music that this young man makes is new to our local sound, giving it a freshness and novelty.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
We Trust - Time (Better Not Stop)
We Trust is André Tentugal's one-man band. In 2011, Time (Better Not Stop) was one of the most-played tracks by a new independent artist on Portuguese radio. We are proud to have it here, exclusively, for download for MAP readers. You can also find it on We Trust's debut album, These New Countries, which was released in November.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Coughy - Precambrian
Coughy are an experimental duo residing in Bucharest, featuring former and current band members of The Amsterdams. Therefore it is regarded as a creative playground where everything is accepted as a form of expression without the self-censorship required when playing in a regular and quite popular indie-rock band.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
M A Y ? L E Y - Farfour
M A Y ? L E Y are getting ready to strike Russia's cruel winter with an ancient God's spell, drowned in a wall of sound. Religion, symbolism, adrenaline, isolated genres and the naked language of post-Stalin 60s influence this psychedelic shoegaze project, who have made a great record.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Make Sparks - Your Heart's On Fire
Scotland's rock scene is firmly in the spotlight thanks to the wildly successful exploits of Biffy Clyro and young pretenders Twin Atlantic. For those looking for the next band to follow in their footsteps, two contenders stand out: Make Sparks and LightGuides (featured in the July 2010 edition of MAP). Catchy choruses are fitted as standard on Make Sparks, who are making all the right noises with their relentless touring and recording ethic, slick promo videos and a vivacious pop sensibility.

SINGAPORE: I'm Waking Up To...
Riot !n Magenta - CTRL
Do androids dream of electric sheep? One thinks of such things when the contrast between the organic and inorganic meld together into a primordial blur of passion. Riot !n Magenta gently slip into the stream of your thoughts with Hayashida Ken's dark, pulsing rhythms and Eugenia Yip's wispful and forlorn vocal delivery. There's tension in every stem as the words haze through: "I try to take it slow, you go faster...You need control...". Definitely hoping to hear more from this special duo.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Jeremy Loops - The Gypsy Opera
Jeremy Loops is not a traditional band. He creates music on the spot with his gamut of loop pedals and impromptu collaborations. With The Gypsy Opera, he brings together his delicate mix of folk, hip-hop, bluegrass funk and blues all by using his guitar, ukelele, harmonica and beatboxing skills. It is something rather magical to behold.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Dolores - Volcán
Dolores are four, they're from Madrid and they are certainly one of the best hopes for noise-rock made in Spain. Post-punk and shoegaze are two of the genres Dolores mix for achieving their sound (which is also spiced up with a touch of good ol' pop and loads of energy). A good bit of that power can be heard on Volcán ("Volcano"), whose stunning rhythm will invite you to dance the hell out of yourself. And you won't be able to refuse.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
Blanket - Hailey Fought The Law
Want to watch a video starring the runner-up of the figure roller-skating world championships dressed as a rabbit? Here you go. Given that Blanket's accompanying song is a fragile and psychedelic piece of awesomeness, we obviously have a win-win situation.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Haossaa - Holgar Godoni
Last year, Ozan Aktuna, Enis Özbek and Tolga Güldalli, three-pieced avant garde noise band Haossaa, became legends in the indie scene of Istanbul, mostly for their extraordinary live performances. And when their debut LP came out last September, their reputation finally got crowned.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I'm Floating
Fantasy Island - Avenue
One of 2012's more promising American groups is Fantasy Island, a Los Angeles duo responsible for a pair of intriguing, soulful jams since their formation in late 2011. They've got a new single out on UK label Stroll On Records and a debut album on the horizon. With a song like Avenue (and the equally fantastic Breaking A Heart) it's hard to keep wild expectations in check... guess we'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the year cooks up.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Okills - Nube
Okills is a band that started in mid-2010 and fuses alternative indie-rock with other genres, resulting in some fun music. In September 2011, they released their Iniciando Transmisión EP for free via the web in a pack that includes six songs, illustrations and photos of the band.

"I Am a Singer" Indie Daydream, Part 1: Intro, Rules, and Reader's Choice Suggestions

2012-01-14T02:32:00.016+01:00

Hello everyone! refresh_daemon here! It was a lot of fun watching indie representative Jaurim on “I Am a Singer” and while we might be done recapping the show for now, in the absence of indie presence on the show now, we thought it would be fun to put forward our suggestions for which indie artist or band we’d like to see on the show next. Joined again by Widhi, The Korean, and Anna, in the coming installments, each commentator will provide five indie artists or bands they would like to see on the show and explain why they made their selections.

But that's not all!

Reader’s Choice Poll!

We'd like to hear from you too!

During this series, we will ask you to submit your top choices from the indie world and tally your votes for a reader’s choice vote, where the top seven indie singers or bands voted on will compete to see who you want to represent the Korean indie scene next on “I Am a Singer”. Once the voting is complete, we will debut the rankings for the top seven artists, just like the show!

All you need to do to participate in the poll is to leave a comment on this post with your top three choices (order doesn't matter). The initial vote will close on the 22nd of January, midnight Pacific Standard Time and we will debut the seven Reader's Choice singers and bands on the 23rd for your vote.

Ground Rules

Since this is for “I Am a Singer”, we are going to establish some limits to who is eligible for our picks based on the precedents set by the show. The commentators should keep these basic rules in mind when selecting their artists for the show. Likewise, for your votes and suggestions, you should also keep these rules in mind.

Click behind the jump to see the rules:

Rule #1: Indie or Underground Only

Since this is a list of indie performers we’d like to see on the show, we will only select from indie or underground artists, although we are being a little flexible on what we consider indie/underground. Likewise, we will be open to performers from all genres, provided that they are indie or underground, so rappers, rockers, electronica singers, folk singers, etc. are all permitted.

Examples:

Tablo (signed with YGE) is not a valid choice.
Lucid Fall (signed with Antenna Music) is a valid choice.

Rule #2: No Currently Popular Acts

“I Am a Singer” has focused on artists and performers who are not currently enjoying a great amount of mainstream popularity, so our choices must exclude massively popular acts. The singers or bands may have once been popular in the past and we are being a little flexible with what we consider popular. Since this is indie/underground we're talking about, few singers and bands will fail this test.

Examples:

10cm (currently popular in mainstream) is not a valid choice.
Itta (not known in mainstream) is a valid choice.

Rule #3: Must Have Debuted No Later than 2004

Every contestant on “I Am a Singer” has debuted by 2004 with some legends, like Insooni, having debuted in the 1970’s. Juckwoo and Tei, having debuted in 2004, currently hold the shortest careers on the show. Since “I Am a Singer” celebrates veteran performers, we will stick with indie artists who have had careers of at least the same length.

A finer point: The performer in question may have been part of a group that debuted before 2004 and only later went solo. Also, a singer must have debuted as a vocalist by 2004 and does not qualify if they debuted as an instrumentalist in a band and only began singing lead vocals after 2004.

Examples:

The Koxx are not a valid choice because neither the band nor their vocalist debuted by 2004.
Alex (of Clazziquai Project) is a valid choice, because he debuted as a singer in Clazziquai in 2001 before his first solo album in 2008.
Sorri is not a valid choice because, even thought she debuted with 99 before 2004, she did not debut as a vocalist until her solo work in 2006.

Rule #4: There Can Only Be One Vocalist

This is a subtle rule, but both bands on "I Am a Singer", YB and Jaurim featured only one main vocalist. Likewise, both Jungyup and Yoon Minsoo appeared as solo artists and not part of their more famous vocal groups, Brown Eyed Soul and Vibe. Therefore groups that feature multiple lead vocalists are not permitted, although the individual vocalists are permitted as solo artists, even if they have not had notable solo careers yet.

Note: It is okay if another band member occasionally gets a song that they sing lead on (as Lee Sungyu did for Jaurim now and again), as long as there is distinctly one vocalist you could call the main vocalist for the group.

Examples:

Deli Spice is not a valid choice, because both Yoon Junho and Sweetpea were band vocalists.
However, Sweetpea is a valid choice, because he is a solo artist that sang for the band.
Nell is also a valid choice as Kim Jongwan is the only main vocalist for the band.

Rule #5: Bands Qualify with Their Vocalist

Because “I Am a Singer” is about singing, the vocalist is the main qualifier. If a singer was previously part of a band, but is no longer part of the band, they must be picked as a solo singer, instead of with their past band: Im Jaebum (formerly of Sinawe) and Park Wangyu (formerly of Boohwal) are examples from the show. Likewise, if an older band has a current singer that debuted with the band after 2004, the band is not eligible.

Examples:

Han Heejung is a valid choice, but not as part of The The Band as the band has a new vocalist and Han Heejung is operating solo now.
The The Band is also not eligible because their current vocalist, Lee Hyejoo was only the main vocalist of the band since 2008, even though she debuted in 2003 with the group Mary M.
However, Lee Hyejoo as a solo artist is eligible since she has been performing as a vocalist since 2003.

Series Index:

Part 1: Intro, Rules, and Reader's Choice Suggestions
Part 2: Widhi's Picks
Part 3: The Korean's Picks
Part 4: Anna's Picks
Part 5: refresh_daemon's Picks
Part 6: Reader's Choice Vote
Top 7 Voting Closes (Jan 25)
Part 7: Reader's Choice Results and Conclusion (Jan 27)

Gaon Digital Sales Chart week 1, 2012

2012-01-12T23:07:00.000+01:00

Thursday means chart update day for Gaon. Here are the k-indie picks found on the latest Korean digital chart:

k-indie @ Gaon Digital Chart - January 7, 2011
9. 10cm - 애상 [MV]
32. Jaurim - 하루
111. Verbal Jint - 좋아보여 (feat. The Black Skirts)
145. Acoustic Collabo - 그대와 나, 설레임 [MV]
151. Lucid Fall - 어디인지 몰라요
195. Jaurim - 정신차려

A lot thinner than half a year ago, but still a few names up there.

Superstar K3 contestants were not included this time since I haven't really figured them out myself yet. What do you think? Do you want to see Busker Busker included? Two Months? Ulala Session?

Indieful ROK Music Chart week 1, 2012

2012-01-11T23:47:00.002+01:00

Not just the Bugs Indie Chart, but the Indieful ROK last.fm group chart too makes a return this year. However, in the interest of continuity, seeing as the unique chart wouldn't always be updated weekly, unlike last year I've decided to just go through the group's artist chart and single out the indie names. The samples for each artist is the song ranked highest on the group's song chart. Here we go!

Indieful ROK TOP10 - week 1, 2012

1. Nell [Thank You MV]
2. Casker [야간비행 random video]
3. Monni [망설이지 마요 TV live]
4. Clazziquai [핑 MV]
5. Dear Cloud [너에겐 위로가 되지 않을 live]
6. 10cm [그게아니고 TV live]
7. Han Hee Jung [솜사탕 손에 핀 아이 TV live]
8. Zitten [곁에 MV]
9. adultchild [Make Up YT audio]
10. The Black Skirts [Love Shine TV live]

Don't feel like the chart reflects your taste in music well enough? Join Indieful ROK's last.fm group and maybe next week it'll look a little better!

Indieful ROK's 4th Anniversary

2012-01-10T23:40:00.000+01:00

The date is currently January 10, 2012 and that means it's Indieful ROK's 4th anniversary! It's been another great year for the blog - it's been fantastic to see the number of readers, subscribers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers and last.fm group members grow and I cannot thank you enough for your support.

Since February Indieful ROK has also gotten on the radio with regular segment Indieful ROK Spot on tbs eFM's Indie Afternoon where Widhi has done a fabulous job helping me out. I'm more than a little grateful to refresh_daemon for all his work with the I Am A Singer commentary series, also inviting Widhi and The Korean to share their opinions, keeping the blog from complete silence when I was otherwise occupied.

Speaking of which, it's been another great year for me personally as well. I got married to the most awesome guy I ever met, not just once but twice (photos!). After the second time there was also the glorious wedding show and fantastic after party, with friends and family from Sweden and US making it all the more special. And a honeymoon to the little known but very friendly island of Nauru, where my husband and I suddenly ended up on national TV, being celebrity spotted the next day while swimming.

Another milestone of the year was getting my master's degree, which meant I could finally allow myself to move on with the plans for a full site dedicated to Korean indie music. Korea Gig Guide was launched approximately at the same time as Indieful ROK, and Mark Russell and I have vaguely discussed a joint project since. As those last few pages of my thesis that had remained unwritten for the last three years got some worthwhile contents I happened to mention the idea of a Korean indie music portal to Chris Park of wakesidevision. He pushed us to actually made something out of all of those ideas and early October Korean Indie saw the light of the day.

And Korean Indie is where I'll be focusing most of my efforts from now on. You'll be able to find the usual mini interviews and the occasional feature post from me on the main site alongside reviews and more provided by Mark and Chris. For the more news related contents, there's Korean Indie News that I'll be updating whenever I have the time - make sure not to miss the continuously updated page with upcoming releases! For the outgoing links that were always meant to be the core contents of this blog, we now have Pinterest. Oh, and we're on Facebook and Twitter too. It may seem a bit shattered, but I'm confident this will lead to higher quality contents throughout. And to top it off we've got the best trick up our sleeve yet to be revealed!

This does not mean that I'll let go of Indieful ROK. It's been some truly remarkable years, with the last one in particular bringing plenty of unexpected but much appreciated attention from random sources - one of my proudest moments being Indieful ROK named blog of the month by 10 Magazine in December. What I'll do is I'll keep posting the charts regularly, albeit without the new release information that'll instead be posted on the news blog when applicable. I'll also turn the blog more personal, offering regular posts summarizing what's going elsewhere and offering a bit of commentary.

Again, thank you so much for your support during the years that have passed. As Indieful ROK now readies itself to transition into a new format I hope you will still want to drop by every now and then to see what's happening here, all the while not being shy to turn to Korean Indie for an even more dedicated coverage of the Korean indie music scene.

Bugs Indie Music Chart week 1, 2012

2012-01-09T22:02:00.001+01:00

A new year is a good time to start fresh. Here's the first indie music chart of the year from Bugs!

Bugs Indie TOP10 - January 7, 2012
1. Lucid Fall - 어디인지 몰라요
2. VOY - 바람의 노래 (feat. Oh Ji Eun)
3. Zitten - 백야 [MV]
4. Lucid Fall - 그리고 눈이 내린다 [@ Sketchbook]
5. Lucid Fall - 어부가(漁父歌) [@ Sketchbook]
6. 10cm - 사랑은 은하수 다방에서 [@ Sketchbook]
7. 10cm - 안아줘요 [live]
8. Acoustic Collabo - 그대와 나, 설레임 (feat. Soulman) [MV]
9. 10cm - 아메리카노 [recandplay.net]
10. Moonlight Nymph - 어디서 어떻게 언제쯤 얼마나

See the full top 100 list here.

Newcomers will be tracked starting next week and any album information on the respective new releases is likely to end up on news.koreanindie.com this week or so if it's not already there.

Anyone curious as to why 10cm isn't topping the chart with their 애상 cover should know that it has been classified as classic music by Bugs and consequently tops Bugs' classic music chart instead.

Crow vocalist on stage for latest I Am A Singer

2012-01-09T06:00:00.002+01:00

As Jaurim did not have a graduation stage to celebrate graduating from I Am A Singer (나는 가수다) we've run out of excuses to offer commentary on the show on this blog for now. At least for me, however, that does not mean I'll stop watching the show which means there is still the opportunity for some indie spotting while watching.

Just like in the previous round, Park Wan Gyu saw fit to bring Jo Pilsung of Christian power metal band Jeremy on stage for extra guitar effects while performing Shin Sung Woo's 내일을 향해. Surprising all the more was Yoon Min Soo who in his performance of Lee Chi Hyun & But Nim Dul's 집시여인 brought in Jang Hak, vocalist of alternative metal band Crow, for a bit of screaming. Anybody finding either of these reason enough to purchase a digital single should seek out <나는 가수다> 경연 14-1, release on January 8.

I Am a Singer 나는 가수다 1 January 2012

2012-01-08T08:22:00.002+01:00

What a way to start a New Year... with Jaurim’s final episode on “I Am a Singer”, barring a special stage on the following show. It's a dramatic episode for the singers as not only will Jaurim be leaving the show, but another singer might as well and now the new singers are introduced as well!

This is also a significant moment for this recap series on Indieful ROK as it started to cover Jaurim's performances on the show, being a Korean indie representative. Now that Jaurim will be departing the show, this will be our final recap here at Indieful ROK, unless Jaurim performs a special stage on the next episode or a new Korean indie performer joins the program. Joining us for this final recap commentary are Anna, The Korean, and Widhi.

Click behind the jump to see what we have to say about the show and leave your thoughts and picks in the comments!

All performances can be watched from Bugs Music's special 나는 가수다 site. Click the tab saying "1월 1일 방송" to find the performances discussed below.

Before the Show

The singers note that most of the songs are all ballads and that their band lineups are similar too.

Determining Performance Order

As before, all the balls that determine order are picked together.

Juckwoo
Bobby Kim
Kim Kyungho
Gummy (originally picked 3, but used Kim Shinyoung’s earned re-pick card)
Park Wangyu
Jaurim
Yoon Minsoo

New Singer: Shin Hyobum

One new singer is revealed at this point: Shin Hyobum.

rd: All I know Shin for is for being a classic Korean pop balladeer who was active at least since the early ‘90’s. As such, I feel like she’ll occupy a similar musical space as Jang Hyejin on the show and with the heavy R&B edge on the show (Yoon Minsoo, Gummy, Bobby Kim), I think it’s a good choice to add a more classic Korean pop balladeer, although it’s too bad that no one really fits that rather unique and unpredictable space that Jaurim filled on the show. I also think it’s a good decision on the part of the show to pick a veteran performer like Shin with three performers (Yoon Minsoo, Gummy, and Juckwoo) have had comparatively shorter careers and another younger performer would balance the show to the less experienced too much with the departure of the veteran band, Jaurim.

TK: I would put Shin at a “legend” level, but just barely. She was huge in mid 1990s, and she does have awesome pipes. It will be interesting to see if she has the kind of showmanship as Insooni (the previous “legend”) does. But here is the problem: is the show running out of hyper-legends (at the level of Insooni) to cast? (It would be understandable -- if you are already an established musician, why risk embarrassment on the show?) If that’s the case, the show is really in trouble.

Anna: I’m somewhat ashamed to admit I have no clue who she is. Like her dimples though.

Widhi: It is too bad that I do not know who she is. I wonder, whether this addition will be good for the show or the other way around.

Juckwoo’s “처음 느낌 그대로”

A lovely flute opens the piece with orchestra as Juckwoo starts with a quiet husky voice in the voice. She opens up for the chorus with vibrato and a band backing. The orchestra takes a instrumental break and she continues with the chorus and verse through the end.

rd: I think Juckwoo manages to clean up her singing a bit from the mid-round and manages to inject her style especially noticeably in the chorus. I think it’s a lot better than I was fearing although her delivery is still just a touch muddy, although at this point, I’m thinking it’s a deliberate part of her style. Overall, a modest performance, I feel, but I really like the flute and orchestra arrangement.

TK: Juckwoo finally figured out that she should do what she is good at doing. Problem is that “not bad” is not good enough on this show. I liked the performance, but it did not stay with me. Also -- this is totally unfair but I have to say it -- I really hate the face she makes when she is belting her strong notes. It kills the mood. I might have to listen to her with eyes closed from now on.

Anna: Her vocals are sounding a bit forced as usual. I’m beginning to think maybe I’ve just gotten it all wrong and it’s just me that can’t appreciate her style of singing right and this being what she’s supposed to sound like. Or this could be another case of me expecting a song to sound a particular way so I can’t accept anything else, although it’s the voice rather than arrangement that bothers me. Still, that bit towards the end was very pretty.

Widhi: Even until now, I still feel that she still looked pressurized a lot. She really needed to work on her confidence while singing because so far this mood did not help her. However, her song’s choice was getting better somehow. Though I still love the original better, she could pull it off and give the song a different vibe than the Lee Sora’s version. The flute at the opening was beautiful and so was the arrangement of the song.

Bobby Kim’s “Double”

A dramatic piano is immediately joined by Bobby’s soulful vocals to open before a smokey bossa nova section starts. The arrangement switches to tango for the chorus, an orchestra and accordion joining in, before switching back to bossa nova for the verse, accented with horns. There’s another switch for an almost Buga Kingz-like Latin bridge before continuing into the chorus in the Latin style. There’s a little build up before the song closes on a hit.

rd: Bobby Kim has been the epitome of cool on the show since he showed up and this is a wonderfully mellow piece, full of style and confident performance. I really love that Bobby did what he wanted to and managed to find a solid Bobby Kim-style interpretation of the song with a great arrangment. It didn’t blow me away, but I thought it was a fine work of cool on the show. Bobby’s come a long way since his rough start on the show. Unfortunately, Bobby Kim usually does quite poorly with the audience when he’s not uptempo and exciting, so I don’t see this turning out well for him in the voting.

Anna: I actually prefer this arrangement to the original! Nonetheless it is a bit boring. After he picked this song I had been hoping for a lot more energy. The rap turned out well, but it came too late and unfortunately didn’t do enough to rescue the performance.

TK: I really like Bobby Kim’s chill side, but I really don’t know why he insists on sticking with it show after show. Give people what they want, Bobby! You made your point already! We know you are good at this! At least the rap part was a lot of fun.

Widhi: I became more and more aware of his unique voice as time goes by. Yet, I felt that this song was not that strong for him. I was not a fan of the arrangement. It was too flat for me, except the voice.

Kim Kyungho’s “사랑 안 해”

Pop sweet piano and orchestra open the track. Kim comes in with an unusually sweet almost Michael Jackson-like vocals on the verse, continuing through the chorus, hitting some really high notes and sometimes in a breathy whisper. There’s an orchestral build following the chorus and Kim returns with a march drum, opening up his vocals to rock ballad style on the second verse, complete with greater band integration and background vocalists. He closes out the song as it builds with a rock ballad wail.

rd: I really didn’t have much hope for this song and at first, it wasn’t convincing me because Kim was a bit whispery at the top of the song, but once he opened up his rock-style vocals, it became quite stronger. I’m not fully certain that he really captured the lyrics of the song however by going so hard, so I’m not really feeling this.

Anna: It’s a lovely opening. I’m surprised it took him so long to get into his usual rock style, though he did seem to struggle a bit with holding back. I like it and hope the audience does too. Even though he did bring out his rock ballad vocals towards the end it was great to see him manage so long and so well without them.

TK: I did not feel this one. Felt like a mismatched song selection for Kim Kyungho here. There was a severe disconnect between the lyrics and the singer. Although the show jokes about Kim Kyungho being girly, his rock style is anything but. But the lyrics were just. too. feminine. All I could think of was Baek Jiyoung singing this song in her wedding dress-like skirt.

Widhi: Not a fan of the whispering style opening. It was not the type of him that I like. Yet, I like the arrangement of this song. I should agree with TK that this song was a mismatched song for him. The original version was still quite too strong for me and suited Baek Jiyoung better.

Gummy’s “P.S. I Love You”

Warm piano and strings open this song as Gummy opens the verse in her usual quiet opening style, cleanly building towards pre-chorus. Her first take on the chorus stays within this style, increasing in dynamics. After an instrumental break, the band comes in and joins Gummy in opening up for the second chorus run. Once at the bridge, a background chorus helps back her as he ad-libs before going quiet for a verse refrain and then builds right back into the pre-chorus for the classic emotional spill final chorus. She closes the song again quiet.

rd: Gummy’s performance has improved since the mid-round, being stronger and cleaner. Her ability to find graduations in dynamics has improved with a gradual build towards the end. This is as straight a K-pop ballad performance as I’ve seen on the show performed as straight as you could. There were points where her performance faltered a little, but she got well absorbed into the song, so it was covered. Still, I’m actually not much of a fan of this particular style of K-ballad so it admittedly left me cold, despite the improvement in performance.

Anna: I’m glad she finally got back to the ballads, this is where she’s got her strength. There’s something about her voice that doesn’t really appeal to me, but I’d say this is the best she’s performed on the show so far.

TK: Gummy finally figured out the same advice that I gave to Juckwoo -- do what you do well. She is good at this type of song, so she should stick with it. Anna is right -- this was her best performance so far.

Widhi: As I mentioned last week, Gummy really needed to work hard. She finally showed some improvements here. The song pick was great, the voice was quite stable and she looked stunning. I could also feel the emotion well in this song.

Park Wangyu’s “고해”

A quiet piano leads directly into Park’s rock timbre vocals. Park confidently continues the verse as a band and orchestra hold a standard rock ballad arrangement. When the pre-chorus arrives, Park blows up and goes deep into the chorus as the band and orchestra power up to match him. A guitar solo follows the chorus with a shout and then a gospel choir starts funking up the bridge with Park playing off them before going back into the chorus. A scream leads into a chorus reprise complete with build and ad-libs before park falls on his knees for the cool down close.

rd: With Insooni gone, Park takes the space of having the most swagger on the show. Park blows up the vocals well and reminds me of listening to Boohwal in a strong performance. However, I still felt a slight lack of emotional connection with the lyrics and song, which also left me a little cold, despite the technically strong performance.

Anna: This sounds very inspired by Im Jaebum’s style of singing, which isn’t quite the point. The “oh my love Jesus” gospel part, perhaps a consequence of Jeremy’s Jo Pilsung again not only playing the guitar on stage but also having part in the arrangement, ruins the arrangement completely. If it wasn’t for Park Wangyu’s strong performance in the chorus this would’ve been a clear bottom performance for me.

TK: I thought the chorus was the best part! It was a great idea to bring to fore the religious undertones that Im Jaebum discussed with Park. A moving performance for me.

Widhi: I actually did not like it when he sang way too much like Im Jaebum. I felt that the performance was nice and the song was moving but I could not feel the emotion, as much as I got from the original. However, the chorus part was the strongest in the song. The guitar was a little bit too excessive.

Jaurim’s “하루”

A Spanish guitar by Park Joowon and horns opens up the song before claps by Kim Yuna incite the band to start up. Once the intro closes, Kim Yuna sings it out with minimal backing in a vocal intro before going into a dramatic by quiet verse, joined by accordion. She provides her characteristic vocal swells through the verse and into the chorus. The guitar returns for a solo following the chorus and then a swell and fade vocal and instrumental rise before Kim Yuna stands up and the band joins in rock style as she blasts the chorus, followed by a key change repeat. Another from Kim Yuna and the band goes back into the Spanish style arrangement, before a quieter final repeat.

rd: This also turned out a lot better than I was fearing, with the Spanish style arrangements being quite potent and exciting and Kim Yuna’s vocals exploding. The musical focus really helps give the song some bite, but I thought that it was almost too dramatic at times, distracting a little from the actual song.

Anna: Kim Bumsoo was an odd choice of artist for Jaurim, so I trust they have some grand idea to realize during this last stage of theirs. It’s interesting to see Park Joowon on the show again, especially as he was playing for Kim Bumsoo last time. Monni’s Gong Taewoo is up there playing the guitar as well! In the beginning it sounds a lot more like Kim Yuna than Jaurim, but that changes midway. And here we get to see fellow Soundholic artist Chung Heejoo sing with Jaurim again.

TK: Finally! I have been exhorting Jaurim to finish strong, and stop with the “Transformer” music for the last few shows, and they finally got back to playing a more coherent song from the beginning to the end. It’s a fantastic finish to the show.

Widhi: I was actually quite worried how Jaurim would sing this song. Yet, they blew me away with their interpretation of the song. Not to mention that they brought my favorite guitarist too. Kim Yuna said that she tried to incorporate her style as a soloist and Jaurim in this song and I agreed that it was very successful. When it came to variation and ideas, Jaurim was so good.

New Singer Teased

Another new singer (male) is hinted at before, during, and after Jaurim’s performance. This singer would also join the next round if Jaurim were to graduate.

Yoon Minsoo’s “꽃피는 봄이 오면”

A gliding piano intro with orchestra and bells leads into Yoon’s quiet opening with a noticeable oboe driving into Yoon’s louder repeat backed by a classical soprano. Yoon continues with the verse in his standard quiet style building into the chorus, which is emotionally delivered, but not fully explosive. The music quiets down before going back into the verse and building again towards the chorus and Yoon blowing up this time backed by a full classical style backing choir. Another moment of quiet into the bridge as Yoon slowly crescendos back into the chorus, backed by the sorpranos. A long note at the end of the chorus leads to an extended silence before Yoon returns with a quiet close.

rd: I think nuance really helps Yoon like it did Gummy. The gradations in dynamics over just being quiet and blowing up really improve Yoon’s overall performance and having a wonderful classically affected arrangement really boosts it too (although I felt like the oboe was a bit too loud). I might not normally appreciate Yoon’s style, but I think he really did this song justice and it fit him perfectly.

Anna: There’s a grandiose soundtrack feeling to this arrangement. It sounds over the top and with Yoon Minsoo back to his usual ballad vocal style it’s really not something I can enjoy.

TK: At least he got back to playing music instead of putting on performance art. But the sopranos were quite distracting.

Widhi: This was one of my favorite songs from BMK and to be honest I was worried about this performance. Although I was not a very big fan of his vocal in this performance but the arrangement saved this song. It was also quite emotional, so it consoled me a lot.

Personal Picks

rd: 1) Yoon Minsoo, 2) Bobby Kim, 3) Jaurim, 4) Juckwoo, 5) Gummy, 6) Park Wangyu, 7) Kim Kyungho
I never thought I would give Yoon Minsoo the first place spot, especially for doing his ballad thing, but his cover was the most spot on in capturing the song and presenting it honestly, showing Yoon at his most nuanced on the show so far. Likewise, I felt like Bobby Kim also really found the core of his song well and presented in it the kind of way that only Bobby Kim could. The rest of the singers had differing levels of emotional disconnect from their songs, the worst of which was Kim Kyungho’s rock vocals clashing with the lyrics and emotion of the song. Likewise, I felt like Park was simply just trying too hard and forcing out his interpretation of “고해” and it wasn’t convincing, especially since his swagger kind of conflicted with the song. Jaurim had the most exciting performance on the show and while I felt they didn’t fully connect with the song, they came close and really arranged their music well around the song. Even though Juckwoo’s performance was at times a bit shaky, I do think she managed to hit the point of the song, beating Gummy simply because I’m just not fond of “P.S. I Love You” and Gummy wasn’t able to convince me otherwise, but her performance didn’t leave me as cold as the rockers did.

Anna: 1) Jaurim, 2) Gummy, 3) Kim Kyungho, 4) Park Wangyu, 5) Bobby Kim, 6) Yoon Minsoo, 7) Juckwoo
This was an unusually bad episode in terms of quality. Jaurim were clearly the best. Though I hadn’t expected it Gummy managed well to move me, but that may also have been the song which I actually kinda like. As usual Kim Kyungho did fine, this even though he held back most of the time. As for the rest, there’s not much to say. That was really a horrible arrangement for Park Wangyu, but unlike the other three at least he was convincing during some point of the song. Bobby Kim albeit nice just didn’t come through this time. And for the bottom two, I disliked them equally but in the end at least Yoon Minsoo sounds like he knows what he’s doing.

TK: 1) Park Wangyu, 2) Gummy, 3) Jaurim, 4) Bobby Kim, 5) Yoon Minsoo, 6) Kim Kyungho, 7) Juckwoo
Agreed with Anna that this was not the strongest episode -- there was no true “wow” moment in this episode, and usually this show is good for at least one or two. My top tier was Park Wangyu, Gummy and Jaurim, mid-tier with Bobby Kim and Yoon Minsoo, and bottom tier with Kim Kyungho and Juckwoo.

Widhi: 1) Jaurim, 2) Park Wangyu, 3) Yoon Minsoo, 4) Gummy, 5) Bobby Kim, 6) Juckwoo, 7) Kim Kyungho
Just like TK and Anna, I have to say that this episode was not the strongest one. Now I wonder, will I continue watching after Jaurim left?

The Results

1st Place (with 20.4% of the vote)
Park Wangyu

rd: This was my prediction due to his technically powerful and charismatic performance. This was his first time getting first place in anything, so he says a word to his son. The audience loves their powered out performances.

Anna: Wow, did the audience really fall for that? Maybe without that religious outbreak it would’ve appealed to me more, but it really had no place in the song.

TK: Wah? So much hate for religious people! I thought he deserved it.

Anna: No hate intended for religious people. I’m actually something of a Jeremy fan so have been happy to see Jo Pilsung on stage, it’s just that I tend to prefer songs without overt display of any religion remaining as such ^^

Widhi: Quite expected, no surprise.

2nd Place
Jaurim

rd: What a wonderful way to finish on the show. This guarantees that the band will graduate.

Anna: Very well deserved! Both the position today and the graduation.

TK: I am very happy to see them rank high.

Widhi: I was happy they got 2nd for this performance, so good!

3rd Place
Yoon Minsoo

rd: I thought this was predictable too, based on his again powerhouse performance. The audience loves it when Yoon goes out like this on a ballad. Apparently, I can like it too.

Anna: I disagree, but have learned that as much as I hate those vocals they’re popular among the audience members.

TK: This is somewhat weird, but not as much as the next one.

Widhi: Maybe it is because he got 7th?

4th Place
Kim Kyungho

rd: Again, I think the powerhouse vocals convinced the audience yet again.

TK: Ugh, just ugh. Is Kim Kyungho the new Park Junghyun, being bullet-proof no matter what he does at this point?

Widhi: Why do I think that he should actually rank lower? His vocal was not that great in this episode.

5th Place
Gummy

Anna: Any lower than this would’ve been a complete failure on the part of the audience.

TK: This makes no sense.

Widhi: Gummy should really work harder. Yet, this is somehow not good.

rd: Despite ranking her lower myself (mostly because I don't like the song), I actually expected a higher rank for her.

6th Place
Juckwoo

7th Place
Bobby Kim

rd: As I predicted, the local audience simply does not at all respond to Bobby Kim doing anything that isn’t upbeat and energetic and so, despite what I thought was a good performance by Bobby Kim, I also believed he would come in last place again.

Widhi: So sad for him but the performance was not the strongest.

Eliminated: Bobby Kim

rd: This a real shame because the show is losing both of its most unique musical voices at the same time. Neither of the newly revealed singers are unlikely to fill that space. I thought Bobby was overappreciated when he was showboating the energetic songs and underappreciated for his nuanced ballad performances (at least once he got past his rough first couple episodes), but I thought he generally performed much better than the audience appreciated. There is pretty much no one like Bobby Kim in the Korean music industry, which was a dual edged sword for him.

Anna: It’s sad to see him leave. He did bring something unique to the show and I fear it’ll be long before somebody else with the same diversity comes along.

TK: It is a real shame. It took so long for the show to bring in a rapper, and Bobby Kim represented the hiphop community quite well. Hopefully the show will bring in another rapper, and quickly.

Widhi: Bobby should have stayed longer but his last performances were not the audience’ favorite, so it was hard for him.

Graduated: Jaurim

rd: As with Bobby Kim, Jaurim is definitely a highly unique voice in the Korean music industry, and like Bobby Kim, they too struggled at first to find themselves on the show, but they also happen to have at least two of my favorite performances of all time on the show: “고래사냥” and “가시나무” and mostly managed to use their uniqueness as a strength in capturing the audiences attention. Rather than Bobby’s cool, Jaurim brought a touch of the outside onto the show, with the most unique and colorful arrangements and style and inasmuch as I’m disappointed with the Korean audience for simply not getting Bobby Kim, I’m also surprised and pleased that they could appreciate Jaurim’s independent streak in crafting their arrangements and so it’s with joy that I can see this indie band graduate from what is perhaps now the biggest music show in Korea, joining the ranks of now superstars Park Junghyun and Kim Bumsoo.

Anna: Anything but graduation after so many high rankings would’ve been wrong. Not only did they bring fresh and intriguing arrangements to the show, but they also gave the viewers a glimpse (admittedly a very small one, but nevertheless) of the indie scene otherwise hidden to most.

TK: Time to stand up and cheer! In some ways, Jaurim is a mirror image of Bobby Kim on this show -- both are talented people who can cover a lot of different things, but Jaurim did their things in a way that did not lose the audience. The fact that Jaurim became a little too formulaic toward the later part of their stint was slightly annoying, but overall they had a great run.

Widhi: Jaurim was the only artist that made me so curious about what they would bring to the table every week. They were able to set the bar higher for each and every single performance. They never gave up to surprise the audience with their witty ideas and arrangement. So happy to watch the performance until the very end.

New Singer Revealed: Tei

As soon as it was revealed that Jaurim would graduate, the new singer, Tei, was revealed.

rd: Newcomers to Korean music might recognize Tei as the voice of the Fluxus pop band Handsome People, but Tei was a pop balladeer before he seemed to take a break from the limelight. He has a broad open voice that will put him in a close space to Yoon Minsoo (whose final round is next round) and he also happens to tie with Gummy and Juckwoo in length of career, having debuted in 2004 as well. As a result, the show is getting a bit younger, but I’m going to hope that Tei’s learned a thing or two working in the band format of Handsome People and that he brings that onto the show.

Anna: I recall being quite fond of some of Tei’s early songs, but don’t really care much for Handsome People. Perhaps they thought with the Fluxus connection he’d be a decent enough substitute for somebody with real ties to the indie scene, assuming there is an interest in diversity from the show’s producers. It’ll be nice to hear more of Tei after so many years, but I’m concerned of the show getting younger as well.

TK: I like Tei, but this is a mistake by the show. Why put in another balladeer? Why not another rapper to replace Bobby Kim? Why not a far-out indie pick like, say, Galaxy Express? Or heaven forbid, why not a trot singer?

rd: I'd have to agree, with the show now comprised of five balladeers and two rockers (who are also ballad friendly), there's not a lot of diversity on the show. A even a trot singer would have done that. I'd advocate for a popular folk singer, but I'm afraid with how Bobby's chill songs performed a folk singer wouldn't last long at all.

Widhi: I am not sure about this. I have to say, I become more worried about the show. Tei is young and maybe the show wants to attract younger viewers more. Yet, no variation will be boring, otherwise he tries to give a try to experiment like Jaurim did, maybe?

Final Thoughts

rd: As this recap series was conceived to follow indie band Jaurim’s foray onto the show, I’m really pleased to have seen Jaurim perform on and graduate from the show. I think that the show is like magic for many of the singers that compete on the show and while Jaurim might be a more well known indie band, I’m still pleased to see their stock rise even more after being on the show. Furthermore, I think the show is doing great things for public awareness of Korean music outside of the idol scene, especially in emphasizing performance prowess, but also in reintroducing so many classic Korean songs to the public yet again as well as showing the possibility for resurgence of Korean rock (YB, Kim Kyungho, Park Wangyu). I think this show should sport a fairly long life and I hope that more unique talents like Jaurim and Bobby Kim and less currently popular sounds will make their way mainstream and help diversify the greater music appreciation of the Korean public. And I eagerly look forward to see if any other Korean indie heroes will show up on the show in the future.

Anna: Five months pass by so quickly! It’s been a pleasure following Jaurim on the show and like rd I think it’s doing all sorts of good for the Korean music scene. There’s a number of well established indie bands that could take there place, though few if any capable of bringing the unique variety offered by Kim Yuna and her crew.

TK: "I Am a Singer" is a historic show, and the historicity of that show is helped by the fact that Korea has an excellent tradition of pop music since the 1960s, and there are all these great pop musicians who can bring that tradition and make it shine again. We knew the tradition and those musicians existed, but not the world, and not even the mainstream Korea to some extent. But even among those musicians, Jaurim stands out because it pushed the envelope farther and more successfully than any other participant of the show. A healthy round of applause for a great run.

Widhi: After YB, I was worried that there would be no attraction for me to watch another band in the show. However, I was very much in love with the addition of Jaurim to the show and it made me know more about their performance style. It was a great run for Jaurim and they were able to motivate other artist to experiment more on their performance too, since the other artists were also curious about what they would bring on the stage every week. Kim Yuna also proved that as the frontwomen of the band, she was able to show strength and softness well at the same time.

Conclusion

rd: Thank you everyone for reading this recap series. I was pleased to have the opportunity and even the cause to write it. I also want to thank Anna and Indieful ROK for hosting the series, The Korean and Widhi for joining us in commenting on the episodes, MBC for creating and supporting the show, and all the performers that dared to place themselves in competition to share their talents and beloved songs with us.

Anna: Of course also a big thank you to rd for suggesting this recap series to begin with. And even more so for all the time, effort and dedication he put into it, week after week. Now I’m hoping the workload created by it hasn’t been too overwhelming so that we may all be able to bring you a recap series anew next time we find a good enough excuse in a contestant.

TK: Thank you so much for having me on here! It was tons and tons of fun.

Widhi: Props to all who have been involved in the recap. It was a joyful ride and I was so happy to share my thoughts about one of my favorite shows. This show was able to make me become more familiar with a lot of good old songs. Lots of great performances and vocals were shown throughout the show. I hope that this show in the long run will keep the quality and maybe add another name from the indie scene.

I Am a Singer 나는 가수다 25 December 2011

2012-01-02T00:07:00.003+01:00

The mid-round episode is a congratulatory one as the show celebrates its success with its theme for the episode's song assignments. As it's not a critical episode, I will be quickly recapping and commenting on this episode. But it's a noteworthy episode, because we will discover what Jaurim's final performance will be!

Click behind the jump to see what we have to say about the show and leave your thoughts and picks in the comments!

All performances can be watched from Bugs Music's special 나는 가수다 site. Click the tab saying "12월 15일 방송" to find the performances discussed below.

Song Assignments

This week’s song assignments will come from past singers of “I Am a Singer”. Singers will walk around the wheel and drop a marker on the artist they would like to perform a song from.

Gummy selects Park Junghyun

rd: This is fairly safe pick for R&B singer Gummy as Park Junghyun has many songs of a similar style.

Yoon Minsoo selects BMK

rd: Yoon Minsoo already had in mind her “꽃피는 봄이 오면” when he picked her (which she previously performed on the show), so it sounds like he’s got a desire for this one. I hope that translates into a good performance.

Park Wangyu selects Im Jaebum

rd: An obvious pick, one that Park should be able to pull off.

Jaurim selects Kim Bumsoo

rd: I don’t think that any of the past artists really have that kind of level of uniqueness to their music that Jaurim does, so it’s a rather broad field that they’ll have to inject music into. I was actually hoping they’d pick Lee Sora and try adapting one of her folksier songs into their own style. Not being exceptionally familiar with KBS’ music (except for his biggest hits), I’m curious as to what song they’ll select and how they’ll Jaurim it up.

Juckwoo selects Lee Sora

rd: Juckwoo’s deeper voice obviously makes it a good idea to go for a male singer, but Lee Sora’s reedy timbre might not be a terrible match. I would have thought BMK would have been a good pick for her as well, although JK Kim Dongwook might have been another possibility. On the other hand, Juckwoo hasn’t shown a great amount of vocal capacity yet, so I worry she’ll just botch up her Lee Sora cover by trying too hard.

Kim Kyungho selects Baek Jiyoung

rd: This is a bit of an outside the field choice as well as I expected Kim Kyungho to go for another past rock-capable singer like Im Jaebum or YB, but then again, Kim Kyungho is quite ballad capable and Baek Jiyoung’s also got some dance music that Kim should be able to turn into another audience pleaser.

Bobby Kim selects Kim Gunmo

rd: Even as I’m not that keen on Kim Gunmo’s music, I think his diverse and broad styles matches well with Bobby Kim’s own diversity, giving him many many options to choose from as Kim Gunmo has a huge career to choose from.

The singers are allowed to choose any song they like from their chosen artist.

Song Selections

Yoon Minsoo selects BMK’s “꽃피는 봄이 오면”

rd: After seeing him sing bits of it with BMK, I think he’ll be fine. I just hope he picks up some dynamic subtlety along the way.

Bobby Kim selects Kim Gunmo’s “Double”

rd: A throbbing dance-pop track means that Bobby Kim might be coming out with another energetic crowd pleaser, although I’m quite curious as to how he’s going to adapt the song, since it will probably require a large makeover to fit his own style.

Gummy selects Park Junghyun’s “P.S. I Love You”

rd: A pretty pop ballad which I imagine Gummy will throw in some power behind. I fear a loss of subtlety coming from Gummy, but then again, the pop ballad isn’t quite as complex so perhaps it won’t be a worry.

Jaurim selects Kim Bumsoo’s “하루”

rd: A straight ballad. I’m mostly curious how they’re going to twist it and which Jaurim we’re going to see.

Juckwoo selects Lee Sora’s “처음 느낌 그대로”

rd: I think it will be very difficult to Juckwoo to emulate Lee Sora’s first album hit, even if her deeper voice gives her some depth, so I think it would be best for Juckwoo to approach the music a bit more obliquely.

Kim Kyungho selects Baek Jiyoung’s “사랑 안 해”

rd: I was actually hoping he’d pick the “총 맞은 것처럼” for his acoustic interpretation, along the lines of how rock bands in the 80’s and early 90’s would pull off their acoustic ballads as I thought it would translate better. I don’t hold much hope for this, but perhaps Kim will surprise me.

Park Wangyu selects “고해”

rd: A good fit for the former Boohwal singer.

Manager Performances

Again, the managers will face off in performances for a singer-helping prize. They will be performing any of the previous songs from the show. The previous graduates (and Park Myungsoo) arrive to help judge the manager performances and share their thoughts.

Park Hwisoon performs Kim Bumsoo’s “제발”

rd: A NRB (NoRaeBang) performance if I’ve ever heard one, complete with missing a song cue.

Ji Sangryul performs Jang Hyejin’s “멀어져간 사람아”

rd: Ji adds quite a bit of grit to his NRB vocals.

Kim Shinyoung performs Bobby Kim’s “골목길”

rd: She takes a synthpop version complete with dance and dialect narration. She can’t sing a lick, but she’s got more energy than all three previous managers combined. And she explains it, apparently having give it a lot of thought.

Kim Taehyun performs Ock Juhyun’s “서시”

rd: Another NRB performance with some wonderfully flat notes and breaking voice.

Song Eunee and Kim Sook perform Kim Dohyang’s “바보처럼 살았군요”

rd: The duo are back together for a gag-filled folksy performance as they turn each other into clowns while performing.

The Result: Kim Shinyoung is given the win yet again.

Jaurim’s “하루”

An acoustic, accordian arrangement accompanies Kim Yuna vocals.

rd: Kim Yuna sings straight into her style, but I’m afraid that, for the first time for Jaurim, I’m rather unconvinced by this preview. I do think that they’re going to amp up the European influences for the second half, but I’m still not convinced as of yet.

Gummy’s “P.S. I Love You”

An emotive adaptation, noticeably different from Park Junghyun’s smoother style of singing.

rd: Still not impressed. Gummy’s staying in the quiet end of her voice, which means, like Yoon Minsoo, she’s going to blow up in the full performance for the end performance.

Kim Kyungho’s “사랑 안 해”

Not quite an acoustic performance, with electric guitar prominent in the arrangement. Kim Kyungho sings it pretty straight to his style adding some of his signature vibrato here and there.

rd: I don’t know. It was an okay performance and he did manage to add a little rock to it, but I’m not expecting much at this point.

Park Wangyu’s “고해”

Park performs within his husky rock style and hits the song pretty straight.

rd: I think Park is still missing a little something in his performance, but this is probably the most promising preview so far. I don’t really expect Park to pull out anything more from a bag of tricks next episode, but I do hope he finds the emotional core of the song, because his chops are fine.

Yoon Minsoo’s “꽃피는 봄이 오면”

Yoon opens a bit stronger than his usual quiet openings, but returning to his usual approach to ballads.

rd: When it comes to ballads, I feel that Yoon Minsoo and Gummy are very similar, lacking subtle gradations in dynamics and either being quiet or explosive, which Yoon does here, from quiet to explosive and back again. Nothing I haven’t seen before, but I think a bit more polished than some of the previews.

Juckwoo’s “처음 느낌 그대료”

Not a noticeable difference in arrangement from the original, although Juckwoo’s deep register is noticeable.

rd: There’s something a bit messy about Juckwoo’s style that works for her at times, but she’s really straining at points during her performance. The ballad nature of the original song does work for her, but I feel like she needs to work on voice control more. I think she shows more promise here than in previous rounds though.

Bobby Kim’s “Double”

Bobby Kim rearranges the song into a bossa nova style, a complete transformation of the song into a slow, jazzy piece.

rd: This works very well for Bobby Kim and I imagine that there’s room for a musical transformation after the first chorus, which should give him plenty of space to energize into the crowd pleasing music the audience likes. And I think he needs to, because if he stays in this mellow space, Bobby’s done for next round. Plus, I don’t think a straight bossa nova piece will be able to keep the audience’s attention, no matter how nice the performance.

Personal Picks

rd: 1) Bobby Kim, 2) Yoon Minsoo, 3) Juckwoo, 4) Park Wangyu, 5) Gummy, 6) Kim Kyungho, 7) Jaurim
I have never given Jaurim this low a score before, but I was just simply unimpressed with what I heard today--it just didn’t come together well--but I still hold a lot of hope that they’ll come through in the end and impress me. Gummy and Kim Kyungho played their songs pretty straight and didn’t really manage to impart much life into them, but I have Gummy the nod over Kim Kyungho simply for having a little more weight to her song. Both Yoon Minsoo and Park Wangyu perform their songs fairly straight, but Yoon Minsoo managed to stick some intensity in his, so I gave it the bump. Juckwoo had one of the most interesting performances of the episode, which is enough to put her past Park, but her vocals are still a touch messy and strained, so she can’t overcome Yoon’s polish. Bobby was wonderful. I loved the adaptation. I worry that because I did, he’ll get seventh again and get eliminated.

The Results

Bobby Kim
Yoon Minsoo
Jaurim
Juckwoo
Gummy
Park Wangyu
Kim Kyungho

I Am a Singer 나는 가수다 18 December 2011

2011-12-25T07:13:00.002+01:00

The eleventh round will be the last set of episodes that Jaurim will be in, so we watch wondering if they will be able to graduate from the show like Kim Bumsoo and Park Junghyun or if they will just barely make it, like YB and Jang Hyejin. Plus, we get to see the first performance from former Boohwal singer, now contestant on the show Park Wangyu. On the commentary panel this week are: myself, Anna, and Widhi.

Click behind the jump to see what we have to say about the show and leave your thoughts and picks in the comments!

All performances can be watched from Bugs Music's special 나는 가수다 site. Click the tab saying "12월 18일 방송" to find the performances discussed below.

New Singer, Park Wangyu

Park Wangyu, once of Korean rock band Boohwal, explains how he disliked the show at first but slowly came to appreciate its potential and explains a bit more about his position on the show. The producers note his rock vocalizing and that he’ll strike a contrast with Kim Kyungho. He also talks a little about becoming a father and a little about Korean rock.

Park Wangyu gets Ji Sangryul for a manager.

rd: Personally, I kind of like it when it’s a surprise as to who the new singer will be, but I’m willing to see if losing the surprise works for the show.

widhi: He looks tough and arrogant. Not a type which can be liked easily. Anyhow, let’s see his performance.

The Setlist

Jaurim will perform Kim Soochul’s “정신 차려” (Get a Hold of Yourself)

rd: This is a piece of 80’s Korean dance pop, so it looks like we’re going to get the fun side of Jaurim again for this performance. I have no doubt that they’ll adapt it to their style, but I find that their “fun” songs tend to survive on transformations and prefer their more focused (and stronger) interpretations, so I’m of mixed feelings on this selection.

Anna: 80’s Kim Soochul is so much fun. With Kim Yuna’s styling my anticipations are high.

Juckwoo will perform 봄 여름 가을 겨울 (Spring Summer Fall Winter)’s “어떤 이의 꿈” (Some Dream of This)

rd: A funky 80’s Korean pop selection for Juckwoo. I’m wondering if she just wants to bomb out on this show, since this is outside of the ballad style that she succeeded with on her debut performance. I do like singers trying different but for such an unknown to keep trying to change things up before she establishes herself might drive away what little fan support she has.

Gummy will perform Park Jinyoung’s “날 떠나지 마”

rd: Gummy too will take on a dance pop song, this time one from the 90’s (and JYP nonetheless). She proved the last round that she’s not only an R&B balladeer, so I think she might be able to pull this off since it’s not exactly a demanding song.

Anna: It’s another fun choice, but I do wonder if she can make it.

Bobby Kim will perform Patty Kim’s “가을을 남기고 간 사랑” (The Love that Left Behind Autumn)

rd: Bobby Kim seems to have this dilemma where he only wins the audience when he does more upbeat songs, whereas he’s really also part balladeer. In this case, he decided to give yet another ballad a shot. I don’t think it bodes well for his ranking, but he’s proven himself to be a capable interpreter of ballads, so I still look forward to it.

Anna: Patty Kim! This will be interesting.

Yoon Minsoo will perform g.o.d.’s “어머님께” (For My Mother)

rd: Yoon Minsoo taps a 90’s kpop rap/pop classic, which I think aligns with his strengths, so I think this will be a fine performance for him, although that means that I’m not likely appreciate it as well.

Anna: I love this song! Hope he can do it justice.

Kim Kyungho will perform Jeon Youngrok’s “아직도 어두운 밤인가 봐” (It Seems Like It’s Still a Dark Night)

rd: Kim Kyungho goes for an 80’s dance pop song, which after seeing his last adaptation of a dance pop song, means he’s going to rock it up. And I’m sure the audience will eat it up, because they always seem to love it when it rocks out.

Anna: There’s talk about a rock and heavy metal version. Seems like fun.

Park Wangyu will perform Kim Hyunshik’s “사랑했어요” (I Loved)

rd: A 90’s rock ballad. Well, Park is a rock singer, so it’s probably playing to his strengths, but I don’t know Park that well, so I’ll just have to watch and see.

Anna: I like the song, but wonder how he can pull it off without using that “dated” style of singing he criticised my favorite audition show competitor of in the beginning of the year...

widhi: As a summary for all because, again, I did not know all the songs quite well. I am quite a fan of Kim Hyunsik, so I looked forward to it the most. The one that Jaurim picked sounds so cute; I was more excited to see what kind of concept they would bring. Oh, the g.o.d one was also quite famous. Bring it on!

Yim Jaebum Visits

He drops by to give some encouragement and advice to Park Wangyu and Juckwoo, whom he knows.

Order Selection

A little change of course for set order selection. The singers will all pick together and the new singer will no longer automatically be given the last performance in new round. They just get first pick of the balls.

Park Wangyu
Juckwoo
Gummy
Bobby Kim
Kim Kyungho
Jaurim
Yoon Minsoo

Park Wangyu’s “사랑했어요”

The song opens with a quiet piano intro. Park steps in channeling Kim Hyunshik’s vocal style into his own with a classic rock ballad backing. He puts a lot of power in the chorus and returns to the quieter verses. He puts in a power howl and vocalizing in the bridge.

rd: Park walks out with rocker swagger, a good start. I’m not sure if I’m seeing the real Park Wangyu though, since he plays it so close to the original. He does manage to belt it out in the chorus which shows he’s got a lot of vocal capacity and his voice is rather unique now in the show, since only Yim Jaebum previously occupied a similar timbre. I thought this was a good performance overall and definitely suggests that he should be able to contribute some good performances to the show, especially with his thick wail to contrast with Kim Kyungho’s vocal range.

widhi: I liked it! I fell in love with his voice. It was like Yim Jaebum’s lighter version, since Yim Jaebum was a little too hard for me. The emotion was there and he gave the impact to the song. It was a strong opening indeed.

Anna: He’s got a very strong voice and he’s using it well. The whole arrangement is classic power ballad, especially the guitar solo from Jeremy guitarist Jo Pilsung that also had helped out with the arrangement. Park Wangyu may be arrogant and annoying to watch, but he most definitely knows how to sing.

Juckwoo’s “어떤 이의 꿈”

There’s a slow funk build to the song with a chorus before Juckwoo drops in her husky voice. There are some rock guitar solos and the song builds up towards the end and does give her a chance to drop in some power moments with her voice.

rd: I take it back, since this is rather paced song and Juckwoo’s definitely able to reach into a more masculine range with her deep husky voice, it wasn’t a terrible pick. But it does sound like she’s reaching a bit, occasionally off pitch, and her stage presence is rather flat for such a funky song. She does much better than her last performance and Juckwoo does establish her unique singing style here, but I don’t think it’s enough for her to keep up with the other singers.

widhi: It surprisingly fit her well. What I liked the most from her performance is that now she tried to show the stronger side of her. It was weaker compared to the previous performance but what I liked the most from the performance was when she sang "나는 누굴까" part, it was like she was singing that part from the bottom of her heart.

Anna: I don’t like the funk arrangement. It is a considerably better match for her voice than last time, but it’s still far from good. After having listened to and loved the deep and beautiful voice of Nahm Sangah for many years, it’s easy to think that Juckwoo could’ve done better. She’s got a great voice, but made another poor song pick.

Gummy’s “날 떠나지 마”

It’s a 80’s funk style arrangement for the song led by chants from Gummy and back and forth to the chorus. The live instrumentation gives the song a warm color and she raps on the bridge. She dances throughout the piece and closes with a coy tease.

rd: I think Gummy does well as a performer, even if her singing isn’t quite as solid, getting shaky as she reaches higher volumes and when she moves a lot. The song is fun and I think Gummy does a decent job of engaging the audience. Her rap was unspectacular, but she didn’t bomb it either. A fun performance and certainly more engaging than Juckwoo, but I think it’s limited by the original song’s cheerful and non-dynamic writing.

widhi: Gummy keeps disappointing me. It was fun but it didn’t impress me at all. I even thought that the original sounds better. The rap part was boring and rather useless. She really needs to work on her vocal because the performance will not help her again next time.

Anna: It’s a pretty straightforward performance, until the rap part that is. The rap does more to disrupt than support. The butt touching at the end was unnecessary.

Bobby Kim’s “가을을 남기고 간 사랑”

Bobby plays this ballad out on the chair again, although it starts with a cool harmonic-touched guitar, building in a folk-soul hybrid sound. There’s a little bit of a build halfway into the song where it picks up in tempo, adding in percussion.

rd: I have to say that I love this arrangement, especially the woodwind flourishes. Bobby sings as per his usual ballad style, with good expressiveness. Honestly, this is the kind of soul singing Bobby Kim that I’m fond of, although the tempo/volume up in the second half seemed unnecessary. Unfortunately, I think this kind of easy cool song will simply not go over well audience in comparison to the more energetic performances.

widhi: What I like from Bobby Kim is that he can really make a song sounds like his original song. The arrangement of this song was also lovely. He could really make a song which can be enjoyed by the song itself. The flute sound blown me away along with the percussion sound. This one might not be strong from the performance department but it is very ear-pleasing song.

Anna: Not my style of arrangement, but it’s not a bad performance. At the end of it however my feelings are indifferent.

Kim Kyungho’s “아직도 어두운 밤인가 봐”

An orchestral opening to the song changes the pace a little and establishes drama. Kim starts quiet, but the beat quickly establishes itself and the song rocks out immediately. In the middle, Kim gets the audience chanting “rock” before returning to the song.

rd: I actually really like what Kim Kyungho does with his singing on this song, which goes from quiet, to wailing, to gruff and varies in tempo as well. But I am sensing a kind of repeat of his previous dance pop adaptation, although I appreciate that this arrangement wasn’t as chaotic, but I feel like this original song doesn’t quite have a climax and thought that would’ve been the bump to take it to the next level.

widhi: Kim Kyungho got the formula and he just kept repeating it again and again. It is no longer fun for me. I even thought he was kind of burdened to compete with Park Wangyu. It also sounded shaky a little or maybe it was just his style. But I knew for sure that the crowd would like it. The merrier, the happier the audience. Nevertheless, I still liked the violin sound combined with the guitar, it gave me chill.

Anna: I’ve always been a sucker for strings in a rock setting. Kim Kyungho get’s it going fast and headbangs more during this one song than we’ve seen him do so far all shows together. Almost feels like he overdid it, and like Widhi I suspect this comes from Park Wangyu entering the show. I like the arrangement of the song more than Kim Kyungho’s performance.

Jaurim’s “정신 차려”

Kim Yuna opens with a kazoo alongside keyboards and moves into a cute, jazzy singsong. Once Lee Sungyu’s guitar comes in, it’s with a playful rockabilly sound, complete with horns, giving the piece a bit of swing and Kim Yuna’s voice, even when it goes up in volume, stays playful. The transformation mid-song brings in SIDE-B for some rapping to a ska-fueled background, which the song retains until its conclusion, with a break and energetic coda.

rd: If there’s anything that Jaurim’s good at, it’s unique dynamic theatrical performances. They really adapt the song into their own style. It’s a really fun arrangement and the band doesn’t overdo the transformations. This is perhaps the most naturally playful performance that the band has done on the show and while I prefer their power performances, I have to say that I liked this one too. It is simply different, so I’m not sure how the audience will take it in comparison, but I have faith that this fun performance will win them over.

widhi: I loved it! Jaurim is always knew how to please me with their concept. A very fun and cute arrangement but we all know that Kim Yuna surely got the strengh with her voice. They can even made this song sound like their own song. I just love you guys! The opening and the "정신차려" part were the best.

Anna: The opening is simple but very effectual. And not only do we get to see SIDE-B, but Super Kidd is on the stage! It’s a fun performance, but not the blast I had been expecting.

Yoon Minsoo’s “어머님께”

Yoon Minsoo’s dropped the dreadlocks again. The usual quiet opening accompanied by piano keeps this in line with Yoon’s typical style. The rapper comes in for a quiet performance. In some ways this mirrors last week’s performance with the rapper handling a kind of narrative to contrast against Yoon’s singing, which stays in the quiet range, brimming with emotion. In the half, the rap becomes more intensified and so does Yoon.

rd: I think this would have won me over had this not been sort of a repeat of last week’s performance, with the rapper taking over the female narrator’s place. It does work on the same level, so I can’t ignore it entirely, but it’s hard not to see the parallels and find that Yoon Minsoo keeps reaching into the same box of tricks for his music, so this left me colder than it should have.

widhi: I couldn’t help to compare the performance to the last week’s one. The style was kind of similar, or maybe way to similar. However, what I liked from this performance was Yoon Minsoo was able to make this song even sound sadder. It almost brought me into tears when I listened to his voice. He is really good at delivering emotional song like this.

Anna: It does feel like a repetition of last week. Nevertheless I think it was a good choice for him to keep some actual rap but featuring somebody else for it. The beginning is too weak, so it feels good when he finally puts some power behind it. It almost lifts to the same level as the original.

Personal Picks

rd: 1) Jaurim, 2) Park Wangyu, 3) Kim Kyungho, 4) Bobby Kim, 5) Yoon Minsoo, 6) Gummy, 7) Juckwoo
Some parts of this order were difficult to choose between, but the rockers hold the top tier this round for me, with Jaurim’s playful performance winning me over the most. Park and Kim were really close for me, but perhaps I’ve seen too much of Kim Kyungho doing the same thing and the echoing his previous performance, put him under Park, who won second since I had no expectations and he performed well. Juckwoo was better than last week, but that’s still not quite up to anyone else’s performance. Bobby Kim holds the middle for me, since the mid-song change in the arrangement didn’t quite work for me, but Bobby’s flavor was still unique. Yoon Minsoo and Gummy were in the same range for me, but I gave it to Yoon because of his more polished vocal performance.

widhi: 1) Jaurim, 2) Yoon Minsoo, 3) Park Wangyu, 4) Bobby Kim, 5) Juck Woo, 6) Kim Kyungho, 7) Gummy
It was really hard to pick the top 4 for me. Park Wangyu won over Bobby Kim because of the emotion of the song that I could feel better. Gummy was definitely the last for me. I hope Juck Woo will be able to gain her strength again. If she keeps being emotional, it will not help him at all.

Anna: 1) Park Wangyu, 2) Jaurim, 3) Kim Kyungho, 4) Yoon Minsoo, 5) Gummy, 6) Bobby Kim, 7) Juckwoo
Another week with Juckwoo clearly in the bottom. The top three all did a good job, but Park Wangyu surprised me the most and even I’m beginning to have a bit too much of the usual Kim Kyungho. The next three while at a much lower level also did a very similar job. I had big difficulties picking between the three, but looking at the end result it seems as though I ranked them according to my preference for the original songs.

The Results

1st Place
Kim Kyungho

rd: This is not surprising, since it’s a repeat of his last high energy performance and I liked it better than that one, but it’s hard seeing that Kim is just running the same tricks time and time again. I guess the audience likes those tricks because they keep giving him high marks for it.

widhi: No surprise here. same trick, same result.

Anna: Although I think he overdid it a bit, it did seem to resonate very well with the audience.

2nd Place
Park Wangyu

rd: The rockers hold the top two tiers! And Yoon Dohyun was so concerned at the start of the show that no one listened to rock. Well, these two proved that he has no reason for concern.

widhi: Yes, rock will never die! 1st performer getting in the top tier is good, right?

Anna: I’m enjoying the impromptu “Rock Will Never Die” act from the two rockers.

3rd Place
Yoon Minsoo

rd: Another mirror to his last similar performance just the past week. I’m really getting cynical about this audience.

widhi: This is actually nice but if he give the same performance again next time, it can’t be helped but to say bye bye to him.

4th Place
Jaurim

rd: Jaurim holds the middle, so I guess their uniqueness won over enough of the audience. With only one more performance left, I hope they blow us away next time!

widhi: Guys, you need to graduate! Hope for the best. To beat the rockers was hard.

Anna: I had expected them to place higher, but then the Korean audience has proven much more fond than me of Yoon Minsoo's vocal style before.

5th Place
Juckwoo

rd: Ooh, a surprise for me. I though the hate would continue. I guess the audience liked her funky performance, even if her vocals were a touch shaky.

widhi: If she keeps her strength like this, she will definitely gain more support.

Anna: This is unbelieavable! Except for her very first performance on the show she's done nothing to show that she actually is a singer.

6th Place
Gummy

rd: Gummy wasn’t quite as peppy as the other more energetic performers, but I imagine it was actually a close call between her and Juckwoo and both suffered from inconsistent vocals. Of course, that doesn’t matter when it comes to who got seventh.

widhi: It was probably because of the performance. Only because of it.

Anna: I'd like to imagine this is because of her rap. Singingwise her vocals were much stronger than Juckwoo.

7th Place
Bobby Kim

rd: This was expected. I absolutely believe that the audience will never reward Bobby Kim for making his cool laid back soul. I like this performance. It wasn’t my favorite of Bobby Kim’s, but I liked it all the same and am glad that he chose to disregard audience taste and do what he likes. Of course, that might mean we see the end of him on the show after next round, letting Jaurim graduate, but I’d rather see more genuine performances from him than pandering to the audience.

widhi: Ballad and soul are not good combination to get the audience’s support. Anyhow, Bobby... fighting!

Anna: He better get back to his fun and energetic performances till next time.