K-pop Corner #1: Akdong Musician

I know I've been neglecting this blog (for reasons) but I'm going to try and ease into blogging once more. I find that after a long hiatus, I come back to my blogs with renewed enthusiasm. And with that in mind, I'm presenting this new series on my blog called "K-pop Corner" where, bi-monthly, I will introduce some (hopefully) interesting piece of k-pop to all your inquiring minds. It may be something as simple as a song, a short video from a variety show, a trailer for an upcoming movie, or something of the kind. There is just so much to k-pop besides Psy & "Gangnam Style" and the aim of this series is just to broaden the horizons a bit on what else K-pop has to offer. Think of me as your K-pop ambassador, if you will.

 For this inaugural post of "K-pop Corner" I decided, after much a long debate with myself, to go with something a little more accessible and familiar, but not lacking in punch. I give you the talented sister-brother, singer-songwriter teenage duo, Akdong Musician.

 
The siblings (Lee Soo-hyun + Lee Chan-hyuk) first came to the public's attention when they competed in the second season of a talent survival program (similar to American Idol) called K-Pop Star in 2012-2013. They were a favorite to win, capturing judges and audience votes with their combination of clever lyrics, skillful composition, unique voices, and just over all adorableness. After winning the competition, Akdong Musician signed with one of the "Big 3" entertainment agencies in South Korea, YG Entertainment, and have recently released their debut album entitled "Play."

The album is fresh with a whimsical youthful sound that seems to embody all that Akdong Musician is. But don't be fooled; behind those child-like smiles and serious musicians are singers with talent and skill in excess. "Play" consists of 11 songs, all of which were produced, composed, and written by Chan-hyuk, who is a mere 18 years of age, by the way. Just because Akdong Musician are young and want to capitalize on the essence of being young, doesn't mean there is anything juvenile or childish in the music they are producing. And while the entire album is A+ in my book, I narrowed my selection to 2 of their songs (I couldn't pick just one) that just so happen to be their title tracks.

The first, the up-beat, incredibly delightful "200%" that perfectly captures the flush of feeling for a young love:


And to prove that young doesn't necessarily mean unperceptive, "Melted" demonstrates a more serious turn for the duo and seems to express that pivotal moment between adolescence and adulthood, where one questions why the world of adults is so cold compared to the warmth of youth. When Soo-hyun asks, "Why is ice so cold?" (a play on the words for "ice" and "adults"), it is a question that lingers with you as much as her hauntingly beautiful voices does:


What I love so much about Akdong Musician is that they occupy such a unique niche in mainstream k-pop. They're almost indie, but not quite. They're mainstream, but they're not an idol group. They have a ridiculous amount of autonomy when it comes to their music production, but they have the backing of a major record company. The result of all of that is presence of otherness in mainstream k-pop--a slightly different sound, a slightly different look--than what is pumped out of the k-pop factories. But all of that aside, I just really enjoy Akdong Musician's music. "Play" is their first musical offering, and if it is any indication of what we can expect from the Lee siblings in the future, they'll be around of a long time yet.

As an added bonus, here is the duo performing their original song, "Don't Cross Your Legs" (다리꼬지마) from their days on K-pop Star:


[ROM/HANGUL/ENG] 악동뮤지션 (AKDONG Musician) - 다리꼬지마 (Don't cross your legs) Live from Joel Ramirez on Vimeo.
Their album is available on iTunes for purchase.