I always loved korean pop music (k-pop in short) regardless of how "manufactured" they are. I mostly listen to music while I am driving and they make a good driving music. However, I always thought one genre was lacking in k-pop: a rock/punk. Most of the k-pops nowadays are either R&B or Hip Hop (or really really sad ballad that makes you cry). From the breadth of musics I listen to (which is pretty small selection), Seo Taiji is only korean rock/punk artist who I like and succeeded playing rock/punk genre.
On the other hands, Japan seems to have an abundance of rock/punk bands. There are plenty of people who likes J-rock bands and some are really getting noticed even at overseas market. One of them is ELLEGARDEN and I got their CD "Riot on the Grill" last week and hasn't stopped listening to it since.
It is truly impressive compilation of songs that features both English and Japanese lyrics but honestly I wouldn't have cared if it was sang in Martian. I liked the song "Missing" before I bought this CD and it is still my favorite. But there are many other songs that surpassed my expectations and provide very upbeat punk sound. For some reason, my head feels clearer and I gain concentration when I listen to busy background music and shouting. It might be because their music is very bright and youthful too. Anyway, I highly recommend their CD to anyone who are curious on what rock/punk sounds like in the hands of Japanese musician.
I hope more artists from Korea would experiment with rock/punk instead of playing "manufactured" music.
1 comment:
I whole heartedly agree on K-Music scene lacking in rock music scene. A huge disappointment as I'm korean - I turn to J-Rock scene to get taste of the music i like.
STJ is one of the greatest musician to be respected - He brought the era of pop and hip hop music but it doesn't look like the same's happening with rock music...
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