I’m a big music fan, which goes without saying. I definitely enjoy my share of Japanese and Korean pop music, and my partner in crime Xxxtine runs an excellent podcast, of course, but when you think “K-Pop,” a certain genre of music immediately comes to mind, usually involving a group of girls in high voices, singing to a pop track and a drum machine. Nothing wrong with that, but you do wonder if there’s anything different out there.
Enter the Korean soundWave, a series of Korean music reviews written by Matthew Campagna, an American ESL Kindergarten teacher living in Seoul. Over the past year, Matthew has found some excellent bands, and god bless him, he’s included MP3 clips as well. Some absolute must-listens his first installment include 푸른새벽 (Bluedawn), with acoustic melodies and a haunting Sia-esque female vocal, as well as Roller Coaster, an acid jazz band in Korea. I didn’t even know they HAD acid jazz in Korea, but sign me up, pronto.
If the English teaching thing falls through, Matthew should look into being an A&R guy.
(Hat tip: milov)
