Music Love from Seoul
A friend over here asked me to do a music write up for a little 'zine he hands out in Hongdae. I put together a little review of my favorite albums of this past year. If you don't own any of these albums, get them now.
Ever since I moved to Seoul I have been downloading with impunity. This has given me an opportunity to listen to albums I may not have had the opportunity to hear if I was living back home. Some of these albums get deleted the day after they arrive, but others have found their way into a special place in my heart. They contain the songs that fill my head as a roam the streets of this city and they have the songs that I sing in the shower. In my humble opinion, here are the top five albums of 2007:
5. “The Reminder” – Feist
Leslie Feist created one of the most genuine albums of the year. When I listen to her sing, I feel as if I am listening to her diary entries set in front of beautiful, layered melodies. I think she is experiencing some over-exposure in other parts of the world, but here in Korea where we are not inundated with her iPod commercials ad nauseum she remains a delightful treat. If you haven’t seen the video for “one two three four,” head to youtube and check it. It is like looking into cinematic kaleidoscope for three minutes. There is a vast variety of styles put forth in Feist’s sophomore effort and yet the whole album flows exceptionally well.
4. “Version” – Mark Ronson
At first I felt like this album was a guilty pleasure, but as it began to grow on me, I became aware of its brilliance. With the help of the funkiest horn section and backing band on the planet (the Dap-Tones,) Mark Ronson has produced a wide variety of interesting covers and homages to contemporary music. Covering the likes of bands spanning from The Zutons all the way to Britney Spears (that’s right,) he finds ways to re-imagine the tracks and make them sound hip. If you doubt this album, you will be convinced by the instrumental intro “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face” – he even makes Coldplay sound cool.
3.”We All Belong” – Dr. Dog
Although this album was released this year, I have a theory that it may have been recorded around 1974 - there aren’t very many bands on the scene in 2007 that sound like Dr. Dog. I hear hints of The Band, The Guess Who and The Beatles throughout, but it still manages to be original. With a church basement piano and some delicious vocal harmonies, they produce a brand of folky psychedelia that makes me yearn for the drugs of the old country. The band sounds like they are enjoying themselves during every track.
Even with a song titled “Die, Die, Die” on the album, it is oozing with optimism, spreading the message that this could be a great world if we could begin to understand that we all belong.
2. “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” – Spoon
I was convinced that this Austin band had hit a peak with “Gimme Fiction” but they proved me wrong with their newest release. It is short, but what it lacks in length it makes up for with substance. Their production has improved and with that comes a more mature sound. I also feel that their songwriting has improved and they, as a band, understand to a higher degree who Spoon is. Considering how long they have been around as a band, I am impressed with their ability to continue to make cutting-edge, quality rock music. To me, this is what an indie rock band should sound like.
1. “Sound of Silver” – LCD Soundsystem
A friend visited from Onyang and brought this with him when it first came out and I instantly fell in love with it. Amazingly, it has gotten better with each and every listen. Lyrically, it is full of witty nuggets of introspection and observation, but the album is driven by a killer band and some sweet cowbell solos. This is one of those rare albums that I find impossible to stop once I have started it – it plays as one long track in my head. I dare you to spin this album and not dance. After Daft Punk played at their house, LCD Soundsystem found a way to keep the party going – and I’m glad they did.
One thing I will definitely miss about Seoul is my ability to download anything I want - quite often before it is even available to the American public. Being an internet pirate is fun and I will miss it. Maybe to help myself adjust to the real world I will wear an eye patch for a couple weeks after I return.
Special thanks goes out to my International Editor, Andrew Foertsch Esq. for his assistance with this.
Much Love from Seoul
Ever since I moved to Seoul I have been downloading with impunity. This has given me an opportunity to listen to albums I may not have had the opportunity to hear if I was living back home. Some of these albums get deleted the day after they arrive, but others have found their way into a special place in my heart. They contain the songs that fill my head as a roam the streets of this city and they have the songs that I sing in the shower. In my humble opinion, here are the top five albums of 2007:
5. “The Reminder” – Feist
Leslie Feist created one of the most genuine albums of the year. When I listen to her sing, I feel as if I am listening to her diary entries set in front of beautiful, layered melodies. I think she is experiencing some over-exposure in other parts of the world, but here in Korea where we are not inundated with her iPod commercials ad nauseum she remains a delightful treat. If you haven’t seen the video for “one two three four,” head to youtube and check it. It is like looking into cinematic kaleidoscope for three minutes. There is a vast variety of styles put forth in Feist’s sophomore effort and yet the whole album flows exceptionally well.
4. “Version” – Mark Ronson
At first I felt like this album was a guilty pleasure, but as it began to grow on me, I became aware of its brilliance. With the help of the funkiest horn section and backing band on the planet (the Dap-Tones,) Mark Ronson has produced a wide variety of interesting covers and homages to contemporary music. Covering the likes of bands spanning from The Zutons all the way to Britney Spears (that’s right,) he finds ways to re-imagine the tracks and make them sound hip. If you doubt this album, you will be convinced by the instrumental intro “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face” – he even makes Coldplay sound cool.
3.”We All Belong” – Dr. Dog
Although this album was released this year, I have a theory that it may have been recorded around 1974 - there aren’t very many bands on the scene in 2007 that sound like Dr. Dog. I hear hints of The Band, The Guess Who and The Beatles throughout, but it still manages to be original. With a church basement piano and some delicious vocal harmonies, they produce a brand of folky psychedelia that makes me yearn for the drugs of the old country. The band sounds like they are enjoying themselves during every track.
Even with a song titled “Die, Die, Die” on the album, it is oozing with optimism, spreading the message that this could be a great world if we could begin to understand that we all belong.
2. “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” – Spoon
I was convinced that this Austin band had hit a peak with “Gimme Fiction” but they proved me wrong with their newest release. It is short, but what it lacks in length it makes up for with substance. Their production has improved and with that comes a more mature sound. I also feel that their songwriting has improved and they, as a band, understand to a higher degree who Spoon is. Considering how long they have been around as a band, I am impressed with their ability to continue to make cutting-edge, quality rock music. To me, this is what an indie rock band should sound like.
1. “Sound of Silver” – LCD Soundsystem
A friend visited from Onyang and brought this with him when it first came out and I instantly fell in love with it. Amazingly, it has gotten better with each and every listen. Lyrically, it is full of witty nuggets of introspection and observation, but the album is driven by a killer band and some sweet cowbell solos. This is one of those rare albums that I find impossible to stop once I have started it – it plays as one long track in my head. I dare you to spin this album and not dance. After Daft Punk played at their house, LCD Soundsystem found a way to keep the party going – and I’m glad they did.
One thing I will definitely miss about Seoul is my ability to download anything I want - quite often before it is even available to the American public. Being an internet pirate is fun and I will miss it. Maybe to help myself adjust to the real world I will wear an eye patch for a couple weeks after I return.
Special thanks goes out to my International Editor, Andrew Foertsch Esq. for his assistance with this.
Much Love from Seoul
posted by Kyle at 10:24 PM
1 Comments:
don't worry friend we got the internets here in the u-s of a
nice reviews, I'll have to check out a couple that I haven't heard
my friend mike (of ghosty) toured with Dr. Dog doing sound. they really do have a unique thing going, and i'm with you on the conspiracy theory. you might be on to something there.
take care
LDHW
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