Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling (2018)

 

Here's a record that was, from what I understand, fairly huge in South Korea but is much less ubiquitous in the US. 

This is an electronic pop album, or folktronica as their Wiki page states but that's a word that makes me want to barf. Showing my age, I guess. If the blending of acoustic instruments with electronic instruments makes something folktronica, the description is apt, however reductive. 

The gorgeous melodies of this album, in the exchange between girl/boy vocals, and the playfulness of the dynamics.. the parts of the album that whisper and then swell into a prism of sound.. these are the things that earned this record Best Dance and Electronic Album of the Year at the 2019 Korean Music Awards (there's really no element of dance here, however). 

The acoustic bits, and the rhythms in part, are actually quite Brazilian. I'm not well versed in the genres of Brazil but I think I'm correct in saying this album is part electronica and part bossa nova. Maybe not throughout the entirety of Crumbling but it's definitely there. 

I stumbled on this album exactly one year ago and over the year, it's been my happy place. It got me through a bout with Covid, through hot summer road trips, and eased my anxious mind to a restful place. 

11/10.

Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling

Fancy Man - Fancy Man (2015)

A new project involving that Korea-bound American singer-songwriter, Tim Cushing. You might recall his solo album from a couple years ago or perhaps the collaborative effort known as the Red Rogue. If you do then you might have an idea of what to expect from Cushing's particular approach to folk music which indeed carries over into this new band, Fancy Man.

A trans-Pacific undertaking, recorded in both South Korea and Los Angles, Fancy Man shows off what can be done by pulling in more instrumentalists to work with Cushing's quirky, whimsical lyrics and unique vocal delivery. As far as musical genre the tracks fall into an experimental ground between folk, lo-fi indie pop and even honky tonk country. It all feels intensely familiar from the very first listen. Perhaps it is just in the space created in the competency of musicianship and the lighthearted approach to the songwriting throughout the album. Whatever is the case it is hard to not desire hearing it again and again.

To be had here:
Fancy Man - Fancy Man

GENIUS - Beaches (2014)

Odds are, when you read about Korea images of a pudgy dictator in the north come to mind, and not the music scene. South Korea has an influential pop industry that is big throughout Asia (for better or for worse), but sounds from the underground are hard to come by, even among those of us who have lived in the country for an extended period of time. You'd imagine that with the stress involved in their education system and the intense societal expectations placed on young people, you would have a greater degree of angst and frustration in the nation's rock acts. Who is speaking for the reality young Koreans face?

Well, GENIUS is.

This three piece punk act plays competent rock ditties, but where they stand out is the snarling vocals exposing the cynical modern world many young Koreans find themselves. In Shit City, they sing:

"We see you. We hear you. 
The click of heels and the smack of spit. 
We clean you. We have to. 
Until the day that you take our place."

The pressure to get the right job is intense in Korea. Being left out of the professional career path surely makes many feel left out of the social compact. On Catch a Job, the band writes:

"Mother, do we have some sweet potatoes? 

I’m so hungry. 
I cannot be patient about it anymore. 
My lovely boy, listen. 
We don’t have any food. 
If you wanna eat, catch a job. 
If you wanna drink, catch a job. 
If you wanna meet girls, catch a job. 

No job, no truth in this fucking world."

True words that can apply to the youth across the globe. I only wish the band had more songs in their native Korean, but overall, this is a strong release for anyone interested in te pissed-off side of Korean music.

Get it here:
GENIUS - Beaches (2014)