My Music Fix

Anyone who knows me, should know I'm a television fiend.  It goes hand in hand with my field of study (that's the excuse I give), but I also like seeing how pop culture and society change through the years with the intelligence, creativity and sometimes the severe banality of television shows.  Recently, I've become tired of seeing the same old English movies/shows on the five English channels.  As I've posted before, I have fallen in love with KPop and Variety shows.  These are both Korean favourites in the popular culture, and where I believed I would never publicly declare any kind of affinity towards pop music, I do have quite a bit of it towards Korean pop.  I don't know if its because you hear it everywhere- commercials, in stores, playing on the streets and on ring tones, but its something I can listen and watch over and over and over again.

These are my favourite K Pop bands/songs:

DBSK (동방신기 or Dong Bang Shin Ki)
At first I couldn't stand this song, but its slowly started growing on me as I continuously hear it everyday.

GD & TOP
TOP is ridiculously good-looking, but only with his platinum blond hair.
G-Dragon is an awesome performer with his over the top, awesome style, but he's also quite the singer/rapper, and he claims that Wu-Tang is his inspiration.


Miss A - Breathe
This song came back with a vengeance when I was sitting at a restaurant and noticed the cute waiter trying to dance to this song.  Then when he couldn't handle it anymore, he went into the kitchen and busted out some moves- all I could see where the jerking movements from the corner.


Wonder Girls
Quite arguably, they are the most popular K Pop band.  Their single for "Nobody" was the first one to gain international praise.


2ne1
Nowadays, I'd say they are the most popular band.  Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas is working with them on their next album.

Supreme Team (is really up with tha scene!)
I just finished watching these guys perform at the Seoul Music Awards as they won the Hip Hop award, but they rocked the place out.

Piggy Dolls
I don't quite understand this.  I know Koreans have a fascination with being skinny and always looking perfect, but these girls are not that overweight and to call themselves the Piggy Dolls, baffles me.  I know Koreans are also very blunt and say it like it is (like when they tell us we look tired, or are fat, or express what they think when they see anything other than what they deem normal), but I don't know if this is pushing it.


Ok, enough with the pop, onto the rock or KRock.
Its not that easy to get the rock scene because of the high prevalence of pop.  However, in October I was fortunate enough to see the Rock Festival in Daejeon.  Here are my favourites so far

Kickscotch
I fell in love with this band the minute I saw that the lead singer was a chick.  She's awesome and reminds me of a group I know back home called Die-monds led by Priya Panda. 
I could listen to this garage punk band all the time and I think its due to how badass they are.  Its extremely unfortunate that I can't find out much more about them.


Sugar Donut (슈가 도넛)
As I was looking up rock music, I came across these guys and instantly thought of an early Blink 182.  So enjoy.

Skasucks (스카썩스)
One of the best parts of the night at the Rock Festival was ska-ing out to these guys on the stage, and then having the stage almost fall apart!




One Drop East
These guys hail from Busan and I heard many things about them, but watching them play, especially in a smaller, more intimate bar was a good time indeed!  
I wanted to showcase their original music, but I also wanted to show how awesome the female singer is.  Although they are not Korean, they have quickly grown on the Korean music scene.



Apparently Koreans are big into ska (whodathunkit?).  At least, I keep hearing about new and different ska bands everyday here (while I could barely find anything out about it back home).  The only thing that makes me upset is that I have to venture up to Seoul to see these acts as none of them will ever come to Daegu (although my fingers are always crossed).


No. 1 Korean
They're three albums in and seem to be popular all over Korea.  Playing a show that I can't see in Seoul makes me a bit pissy, but here's the video of their new album.




Funkafric & Boostdah (펑카프릭&부슷다)
I like their style.  Enough said, it just doesn't help that its not the easiest to find English information about them.  I like this video because its just wacky.




Blank Famous
DIY Daegu Live put on shows roughly every month in Club That or Urban.  I went to Happy Hiccups pt. 2 and fell in love with this DJ-drummer duo.  The concept is simple.  The DJ spins the music and the drummer drums along.  With a mixture of electronic and dance, it was hard for anyone to stay still.


Lhasa
I heard of these guys and listen to their tracks on the internet often.  I never thought they were in Korea.  So when Happy Hiccups 4 came around boasting Lhasa in their lineup, I had to check them out.  There is always something different from hearing a music act as opposed to seeing them.  Sometimes there is something even more magical about the music they create when you're watching them perform at their best.  Its very trance-like.


http://lhasa.bandcamp.com/


Levine
These guys are my friends.  They're wicked awesome, and I think in the almost 8 months I've been here, I've seen them perform four times and I can never grow tired of them (maybe knowing them plays a big factor).  Regardless, they play Electric Six's Gay Bar, are a laugh-a-minute, and can make people take their shirts off mid-performance!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyF5cqhVpdk


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