Hello!

In my last rotation, in the comments for the song by Chi Yeol of k-pop duo Wednesday, I mentioned that Chi Yeol had released a solo album. Well, I managed to get the album on this computer, so rotation 51 features six of my favourite songs from Chi Yeol, and seven songs from assorted recent releases. I hadn't noticed when I was selecting songs, but this rotation is all Korean - I'll try to compensate for that by uploading some songs in other languages in my next rotation.

Enjoy the songs,

- Haruhi

Artist Feature: Chi Yeol (치열)



Chi Yeol's debut solo album, 오감 (Five Senses) released June 18, 2007. He's known for his distinctive, husky voice and, surprisingly, his talents as a breakdancer. He later became part of the duo Wednesday, who have only released one single to date. His ballads are lovely and his pop songs mature, so it's a shame he's released so little music.

또... (Also...)
The first track on Five Senses, this was the first song of Chi Yeol's that I heard. His rich voice caught my attention right away, coupled with a smooth, catchy melody and light harmonies and backing vocals. It remains my favourite song by him - it's a light, mid-tempo ballad that gets better with each listen.

행복한 줄 아세요
A string-based ballad, 행복한 줄 아세요 manages to be heartfelt without being overly dramatic. I think it's the contrast between the strength of the chorus and delicacy of the verses that does it, accomplished by terraced dynamics. It's hopeful and I love the way the strings soar in the chorus.

두고봐
A dark, dramatic pop song. I love the energy, and Chi Yeol shows his versatility by tackling something very different from his usual ballads.

프로포즈
Changing courses once again, 프로포즈 is an upbeat, jazz-influenced track. It has a bit of an old-fashioned sound, especially with the brass shots and jazzy piano licks, but somehow it works. Honestly, I think his voice could make anything work. A confident, bold vocal performance.

오래오래
Back to ballads, 오래오래 is a hopeful pop ballad. The accompaniment is well-rounded, I especially like the piano.

아버지
A mid-tempo track with some nice harmonies, to be honest it's not much composition-wise but I love his voice here, it's not quite as husky as in some of his other songs and seems to lighten up a bit.

Recent Releases

울고 싶단 말야 - Brave Brothers, Jay Park
Korean | Pop/R&B
I'm not an avid fan of either Brave Brothers (I find the songs they produce sound boringly similar) or Jay Park. This song was really what I expected it to be: a decent, although somewhat repetitive, R&B-influenced track. I'm not a big fan of the auto-tune on Jay's voice as it makes it seem like it was added because he can't sing rather than for effect, although I find Jay to be a decent singer. However, the hook is quite catchy (as expected) and the rapping has a nice depth to it with the occasional echoed phrase, and the looped Big Bang-esque piano melody in the background softens up the sound of the loaded R&B-style percussion. It's not perfect, but it's worth a listen.

웃음만.. - zia
Korean | Pop/Ballad
Although I'd heard a couple of zia's songs, I can't say any of them caught my attention. That is, until her EP Difference came out. All the songs were quite solid, but 웃음만.. stands out in particular. It's a driven ballad with a lot of power and richness, and a stunning vocal performance from zia. The intro is rich with strings which remain a theme, dropping away to let piano chords take over the softer verses building up to the chorus.

한별 (Implode) (ft. JW of Nell) - BoA
Korean | Ballad
I've never been a fan of BoA and none of the songs on her latest album, Hurricane Venus, have stood out to me as of yet except for this understated ballad. Something about the light acoustic guitar in the intro and the soft delicacy of her voice caught my attention. I love the way the piano and minimal percussion drops in, unexpectedly but as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It takes its fair time to develop, only building about halfway through - which is where you hear Nell's JW come in, and where the song really picks up a taste of Nell's music. I love Nell, so hearing such an instantly recognizable touch of them in a BoA song was definitely a pleasant surprise. Something about this song is just so intimate and heartfelt, it can't really be explained in words.

잊어버려 바보야 (Feat. Sad) - Snofeel
Korean | Ballad
This duet is an R&B-flavoured pop track. I don't really know anything about either of these singers but I think Snofeel is the male rapper and Sad the female singer. Sad's airy voice is refreshing, it reminds me a bit of SunnyHill's female vocalists. Snofeel's rapping isn't anything outstanding, and the piano-based accompaniment is pretty but nothing special. Luckily, Sad gets her share of sung verses which are really the highlights of the song.

서핑 웨이브 (Surfing Wave) - House Rulez
Instrumental | Electronica/House/Acid Jazz
I'm really starting to love this group. Surfing Wave is a vibrant, summery track with a youthful energy. I love the richness and depth that the jazz elements add, I think it's mostly saxophone. The bright synths and occasional backing-vocal phrases and shouts add additional layers of detail. A breath of fresh air.

..하다가 - Hwanhee
Korean | Pop
I love Fly to the Sky, and while I prefer their songs as a duo to solo material, Hwanhee's deep, husky voice is always a treat. However, his signature voice seems to be toned down a bit in this song - while it's still rich and powerful, it's a lot lighter than in most of his previous solo songs. The synths and busy R&B-style percussion aren't exactly signature Hwanhee, but it works. It sounds a lot more mainstream pop than I'd have expected, but Hwanhee's seasoned voice elevates the song beyond what your typical boyband could deliver.

Labels: BoA, Brave Brothers, Chi Yeol, House Rulez, Hwanhee, Jay Park, Snofeel, zia

With the massive amount of music I have, I don't get a chance to listen to every song very carefully, or sometimes even at all. But occasionally, on shuffle or after reading a review or something, I'll realize songs in my library I didn't even know I had, often with no idea of how they got there. Sometimes my reaction is, Oh, god, this is awful, why did I ever download this? but sometimes, it's How did I miss this? This rotation is dedicated to songs that fit with the latter - songs that I had but never really listened to, and only discovered later on.

- Haruhi

PS. Sorry for the gradual decline in the quality of my comments. I'm not used to doing rotations this large anymore!

알고 있나요 (Duet Ver.) feat.제아 (of 브라운아이드걸스/Brown Eyed Girls) - Someday
Korean | Ballad
I have this whole self-titled album by Someday and never listened to it. I'm not sure why, because after skimming through the album, I really like their soothing style of music although it does get a big bland. This is a lovely duet which was used in Boys Over Flowers, probably why it sounds so familiar ... although I heard something about different versions, and I'm not sure if this is the one used in the drama. Okay, despite the fact that it was used in BoF (if you can't tell, I'm not a fan) it's such a sweet ballad, and not being a BEG fan I never knew JeA had such a nice, airy voice. The chorus-style harmonies are a nice touch as well. Something about it just stands out.

눈 내리는 소리 - Donawhale
Korean | Alt Rock
This is such a soothing, ethereally peaceful song. Soft, rich piano and light, delicate vocals. It does build a little, breaking up what would otherwise be monotony. Recommended.

All My Stars Aligned - St. Vincent
English | Indie Pop
I downloaded this as part of a mixtape or something, and never really paid much attention to it. However, the gorgeously layered piano intro which stays on as a motif throughout the song alone is worth listening to. St. Vincent, moniker for Annie Clark, has a rich voice that's not overpowering.

No.1 (남아공 월드컵 공식 주제가) - 2AM
Korean | Pop
I usually skip past songs for CFs and the like, so I nearly skipped on this song for the FIFA World Cup as well (despite being a huge soccer fan I'm not so much a fan of songs dedicated to it) but after hearing it on TV No.1 got stuck in my head. It's a light, catchy, sweet pop song that doesn't have too much of a cheerlead-y, "Go, team!" vibe that a lot of the other World Cup songs I heard had.

Eternal Mourning - Eternal Morning
Instrumental/English | Trip-hop
A collaboration between Tablo of Epik High and Pe2ny, this song comes from the album Soundtrack to a Lost Film which I love despite not always being in the mood for it. Eternal Mourning sets the mostly instrumental and slightly experimental tone of the album quite well and the unique beat and instrumentation makes it an interesting individual track as well. More proof that Tablo can do no wrong. This wasn't so much of a hidden treasure for me, personally, but I know a lot of people didn't notice this collaboration album despite being Epik High fans, or maybe deigned to skip it because the style is quite different.

One Night Stay / In My Room - Jinbo
Instrumental/English | Trip-hop
Following in the vein of the track above, this album was labeled as hip-hop and thinking it was mostly rap and attempts to copy the success of American hip-hop, I never listened to it. I heard a recommendation for it somewhere and decided to give it a listen, which proved my initial assumptions to be quite wrong. While the album as a whole (Afterwork) is a bit hit or miss with me, I really liked the beat of the song and the way the soft synths almost merge with it.

I Saw It On Your Keyboard - Hellogoodbye
English | Pop
Apart from Here In Your Arms, I'd never really listened to Hellogoodbye's music. However, this simple, bright pop-rock number caught my attention. It's cute and energetic.

나쁜 여자 (Boom Boom) - Super Junior
Korean | Pop
After hearing the title track, Bonamama which I really disliked, I really only gave this album a skim and didn't see anything that sparked my interest until this song came up on shuffle one day. I love the beat and slightly dark atmosphere, as well as the catchiness, although I'm not sure what the Twinkle twinkle little star line is all about.

Ordinary - Tim Be Told
English | Indie Pop
If you like David Choi, give this a try. It has the same sweet, acoustic feel and interesting lyrics as well.

우리의 밤은 당신의 낮보다 아름답다 - 알렉스(Alex),호란 (Horan),이승열 (Lee Seung Yeol),박기영 (Park KiYoung),웨일(Whale),혜원 (HyeWon),나무(Namu),어반 자카파(Urban Zakapa)
Korean | Acoustic Pop
This V.A. collaboration from the label Fluxus Voices didn't really catch my attention until I spotted a couple names I recognized - namely Alex and Horan, but also W&Whale and Urban Zakapa. I romanized the rest of the names myself so if there's any inaccuracies, please let me know and I'll correct them. This song is apparently a cover, but I don't think I've ever heard the original song. It's sweet, light, and summery. Alex's voice in particular stands out, probably just because it's most familiar to me. I was expecting something along the lines of SM Town's collabs which feature so many artists it's really almost incoherent, but this is very different - in a good way.

My Everything - Nia
Korean | Pop-Rock
After hearing Nia hailed as a female F.T. Island, I had mixed feelings: it would be nice to see a female group playing their own instruments and with a more rock-based sound, but then again: can you really call F.T. Island rock? For some reason I never really listened to this, their debut single, but I'm glad I finally did. While admittedly My Everything can only be considered soft rock, this rock ballad is lovely. The vocals are strong and clear and I love the guitars and light use of strings. Not your average girl group, that's for sure.

WoNdeR WomaN × the telephones - MiChi
Japanese | Pop-Rock
I can't say I've ever heard anything of the telephones', and MiChi's spelling just really irritates me - not to mention the overall mediocrity of her music. However, this song is much more alt-rock than MiChi's music, I'm guessing that's the telephones' influence. It's energetic and catchy, but MiChi sounds a bit strained.

コインランドリー - OGRE YOU ASSHOLE
Japanese | Alt Rock
I downloaded this on a compilation album and never really noticed it as an individual track until this band's intriguing name caught my attention. I love the high, clean guitar lines alternating with darker, grungier chords. It creates some interesting transitions.

가지마 - Wednesday
Korean | Ballad
This is actually a solo song by Chi Yeol, a member of the duo Wednesday. Chi Yeol released a solo album a couple years ago about when I was starting to get into k-pop and basically downloaded everything because I had no idea what I would like and what I wouldn't. The album was filled with gorgeous, unique ballads and sophisticated pop tracks - I would be uploading songs from it, but unfortunately it's not on the computer I usually work from. After his debut album, he completely disappeared. I nearly skipped past Wednesday, assuming they were another male duo trying to copy Fly to the Sky's success, but went back once realizing Chi Yeol was a member. 가지마 is a ballad that showcases his strong, rich vocals (and what a gorgeous vibrato) - if you're a fan of Tei, Eru, Park Hyo Shin, and other such ballad vocalists, you'll like him. Compositionally, it is a bit cookie-cutter, but I'm so glad to see him releasing music again that I'm willing to forgive that. And much like other ballad kings, his voice elevates the song to new levels.

Hey Elevator - Apples in Stereo
English | Indie pop
So I kind of skimmed through this album (Travellers in Space and Time) and didn't really think much of it, but this track - probably amongst their more popular - stood out to me on a second listen. The chorus is so catchy, paired with disco influences and feel-good piano chords.

Circus - Royal Pirates
English | Rock
I didn't think anyone could cover this song and make it sound good. Korean group Royal Pirates however, manages to do just that. I love the rock twist to this song, and their confident sound.

서시 (Seo Shi/Prologue) - Shin Sung Woo
Korean | Rock Ballad
I know nothing about this singer, but I recently found this rock ballad in my iTunes library. It starts out with just acoustic guitar and you think that's what the whole song will be, but suddenly a full rock ensemble gets swept in.

Bluepeo - Mister Symbol
Instrumental
Another song that mysteriously appeared in my iTunes. It came up on shuffle and the pretty piano intro and soft, ambient beat caught my attention. It reminds me a bit of Nujabes, Epik High/Eternal Morning, etc.

Romeo N Juliet (알렉스, 신애 듀엣 원곡) (우리결혼했어요 삽입곡) - Clazziquai
Korean | Electronica/Acid Jazz
Although I'm a big Clazziquai fan, I never really noticed this song in particular. It's charming and soothing, and Alex and Horan sound fantastic together. I love their unique harmonies as well as the bright rap portion and jazzy instrumental solos.

Labels: 2AM, Apples in Stereo, Chi Yeol, Clazziquai, Donawhale, Eternal Morning, Jinbo, MiChi, Mister Symbol, Royal Pirates, Shin Sung Woo, Someday, St. Vincent, Super Junior, Tim Be Told, Wednesday

Hello!

In my last rotation, in the comments for the song by Chi Yeol of k-pop duo Wednesday, I mentioned that Chi Yeol had released a solo album. Well, I managed to get the album on this computer, so rotation 51 features six of my favourite songs from Chi Yeol, and seven songs from assorted recent releases. I hadn't noticed when I was selecting songs, but this rotation is all Korean - I'll try to compensate for that by uploading some songs in other languages in my next rotation.

Enjoy the songs,

- Haruhi

Artist Feature: Chi Yeol (치열)



Chi Yeol's debut solo album, 오감 (Five Senses) released June 18, 2007. He's known for his distinctive, husky voice and, surprisingly, his talents as a breakdancer. He later became part of the duo Wednesday, who have only released one single to date. His ballads are lovely and his pop songs mature, so it's a shame he's released so little music.

또... (Also...)
The first track on Five Senses, this was the first song of Chi Yeol's that I heard. His rich voice caught my attention right away, coupled with a smooth, catchy melody and light harmonies and backing vocals. It remains my favourite song by him - it's a light, mid-tempo ballad that gets better with each listen.

행복한 줄 아세요
A string-based ballad, 행복한 줄 아세요 manages to be heartfelt without being overly dramatic. I think it's the contrast between the strength of the chorus and delicacy of the verses that does it, accomplished by terraced dynamics. It's hopeful and I love the way the strings soar in the chorus.

두고봐
A dark, dramatic pop song. I love the energy, and Chi Yeol shows his versatility by tackling something very different from his usual ballads.

프로포즈
Changing courses once again, 프로포즈 is an upbeat, jazz-influenced track. It has a bit of an old-fashioned sound, especially with the brass shots and jazzy piano licks, but somehow it works. Honestly, I think his voice could make anything work. A confident, bold vocal performance.

오래오래
Back to ballads, 오래오래 is a hopeful pop ballad. The accompaniment is well-rounded, I especially like the piano.

아버지
A mid-tempo track with some nice harmonies, to be honest it's not much composition-wise but I love his voice here, it's not quite as husky as in some of his other songs and seems to lighten up a bit.

Recent Releases

울고 싶단 말야 - Brave Brothers, Jay Park
Korean | Pop/R&B
I'm not an avid fan of either Brave Brothers (I find the songs they produce sound boringly similar) or Jay Park. This song was really what I expected it to be: a decent, although somewhat repetitive, R&B-influenced track. I'm not a big fan of the auto-tune on Jay's voice as it makes it seem like it was added because he can't sing rather than for effect, although I find Jay to be a decent singer. However, the hook is quite catchy (as expected) and the rapping has a nice depth to it with the occasional echoed phrase, and the looped Big Bang-esque piano melody in the background softens up the sound of the loaded R&B-style percussion. It's not perfect, but it's worth a listen.

웃음만.. - zia
Korean | Pop/Ballad
Although I'd heard a couple of zia's songs, I can't say any of them caught my attention. That is, until her EP Difference came out. All the songs were quite solid, but 웃음만.. stands out in particular. It's a driven ballad with a lot of power and richness, and a stunning vocal performance from zia. The intro is rich with strings which remain a theme, dropping away to let piano chords take over the softer verses building up to the chorus.

한별 (Implode) (ft. JW of Nell) - BoA
Korean | Ballad
I've never been a fan of BoA and none of the songs on her latest album, Hurricane Venus, have stood out to me as of yet except for this understated ballad. Something about the light acoustic guitar in the intro and the soft delicacy of her voice caught my attention. I love the way the piano and minimal percussion drops in, unexpectedly but as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It takes its fair time to develop, only building about halfway through - which is where you hear Nell's JW come in, and where the song really picks up a taste of Nell's music. I love Nell, so hearing such an instantly recognizable touch of them in a BoA song was definitely a pleasant surprise. Something about this song is just so intimate and heartfelt, it can't really be explained in words.

잊어버려 바보야 (Feat. Sad) - Snofeel
Korean | Ballad
This duet is an R&B-flavoured pop track. I don't really know anything about either of these singers but I think Snofeel is the male rapper and Sad the female singer. Sad's airy voice is refreshing, it reminds me a bit of SunnyHill's female vocalists. Snofeel's rapping isn't anything outstanding, and the piano-based accompaniment is pretty but nothing special. Luckily, Sad gets her share of sung verses which are really the highlights of the song.

서핑 웨이브 (Surfing Wave) - House Rulez
Instrumental | Electronica/House/Acid Jazz
I'm really starting to love this group. Surfing Wave is a vibrant, summery track with a youthful energy. I love the richness and depth that the jazz elements add, I think it's mostly saxophone. The bright synths and occasional backing-vocal phrases and shouts add additional layers of detail. A breath of fresh air.

..하다가 - Hwanhee
Korean | Pop
I love Fly to the Sky, and while I prefer their songs as a duo to solo material, Hwanhee's deep, husky voice is always a treat. However, his signature voice seems to be toned down a bit in this song - while it's still rich and powerful, it's a lot lighter than in most of his previous solo songs. The synths and busy R&B-style percussion aren't exactly signature Hwanhee, but it works. It sounds a lot more mainstream pop than I'd have expected, but Hwanhee's seasoned voice elevates the song beyond what your typical boyband could deliver.

Labels: BoA, Brave Brothers, Chi Yeol, House Rulez, Hwanhee, Jay Park, Snofeel, zia

With the massive amount of music I have, I don't get a chance to listen to every song very carefully, or sometimes even at all. But occasionally, on shuffle or after reading a review or something, I'll realize songs in my library I didn't even know I had, often with no idea of how they got there. Sometimes my reaction is, Oh, god, this is awful, why did I ever download this? but sometimes, it's How did I miss this? This rotation is dedicated to songs that fit with the latter - songs that I had but never really listened to, and only discovered later on.

- Haruhi

PS. Sorry for the gradual decline in the quality of my comments. I'm not used to doing rotations this large anymore!

알고 있나요 (Duet Ver.) feat.제아 (of 브라운아이드걸스/Brown Eyed Girls) - Someday
Korean | Ballad
I have this whole self-titled album by Someday and never listened to it. I'm not sure why, because after skimming through the album, I really like their soothing style of music although it does get a big bland. This is a lovely duet which was used in Boys Over Flowers, probably why it sounds so familiar ... although I heard something about different versions, and I'm not sure if this is the one used in the drama. Okay, despite the fact that it was used in BoF (if you can't tell, I'm not a fan) it's such a sweet ballad, and not being a BEG fan I never knew JeA had such a nice, airy voice. The chorus-style harmonies are a nice touch as well. Something about it just stands out.

눈 내리는 소리 - Donawhale
Korean | Alt Rock
This is such a soothing, ethereally peaceful song. Soft, rich piano and light, delicate vocals. It does build a little, breaking up what would otherwise be monotony. Recommended.

All My Stars Aligned - St. Vincent
English | Indie Pop
I downloaded this as part of a mixtape or something, and never really paid much attention to it. However, the gorgeously layered piano intro which stays on as a motif throughout the song alone is worth listening to. St. Vincent, moniker for Annie Clark, has a rich voice that's not overpowering.

No.1 (남아공 월드컵 공식 주제가) - 2AM
Korean | Pop
I usually skip past songs for CFs and the like, so I nearly skipped on this song for the FIFA World Cup as well (despite being a huge soccer fan I'm not so much a fan of songs dedicated to it) but after hearing it on TV No.1 got stuck in my head. It's a light, catchy, sweet pop song that doesn't have too much of a cheerlead-y, "Go, team!" vibe that a lot of the other World Cup songs I heard had.

Eternal Mourning - Eternal Morning
Instrumental/English | Trip-hop
A collaboration between Tablo of Epik High and Pe2ny, this song comes from the album Soundtrack to a Lost Film which I love despite not always being in the mood for it. Eternal Mourning sets the mostly instrumental and slightly experimental tone of the album quite well and the unique beat and instrumentation makes it an interesting individual track as well. More proof that Tablo can do no wrong. This wasn't so much of a hidden treasure for me, personally, but I know a lot of people didn't notice this collaboration album despite being Epik High fans, or maybe deigned to skip it because the style is quite different.

One Night Stay / In My Room - Jinbo
Instrumental/English | Trip-hop
Following in the vein of the track above, this album was labeled as hip-hop and thinking it was mostly rap and attempts to copy the success of American hip-hop, I never listened to it. I heard a recommendation for it somewhere and decided to give it a listen, which proved my initial assumptions to be quite wrong. While the album as a whole (Afterwork) is a bit hit or miss with me, I really liked the beat of the song and the way the soft synths almost merge with it.

I Saw It On Your Keyboard - Hellogoodbye
English | Pop
Apart from Here In Your Arms, I'd never really listened to Hellogoodbye's music. However, this simple, bright pop-rock number caught my attention. It's cute and energetic.

나쁜 여자 (Boom Boom) - Super Junior
Korean | Pop
After hearing the title track, Bonamama which I really disliked, I really only gave this album a skim and didn't see anything that sparked my interest until this song came up on shuffle one day. I love the beat and slightly dark atmosphere, as well as the catchiness, although I'm not sure what the Twinkle twinkle little star line is all about.

Ordinary - Tim Be Told
English | Indie Pop
If you like David Choi, give this a try. It has the same sweet, acoustic feel and interesting lyrics as well.

우리의 밤은 당신의 낮보다 아름답다 - 알렉스(Alex),호란 (Horan),이승열 (Lee Seung Yeol),박기영 (Park KiYoung),웨일(Whale),혜원 (HyeWon),나무(Namu),어반 자카파(Urban Zakapa)
Korean | Acoustic Pop
This V.A. collaboration from the label Fluxus Voices didn't really catch my attention until I spotted a couple names I recognized - namely Alex and Horan, but also W&Whale and Urban Zakapa. I romanized the rest of the names myself so if there's any inaccuracies, please let me know and I'll correct them. This song is apparently a cover, but I don't think I've ever heard the original song. It's sweet, light, and summery. Alex's voice in particular stands out, probably just because it's most familiar to me. I was expecting something along the lines of SM Town's collabs which feature so many artists it's really almost incoherent, but this is very different - in a good way.

My Everything - Nia
Korean | Pop-Rock
After hearing Nia hailed as a female F.T. Island, I had mixed feelings: it would be nice to see a female group playing their own instruments and with a more rock-based sound, but then again: can you really call F.T. Island rock? For some reason I never really listened to this, their debut single, but I'm glad I finally did. While admittedly My Everything can only be considered soft rock, this rock ballad is lovely. The vocals are strong and clear and I love the guitars and light use of strings. Not your average girl group, that's for sure.

WoNdeR WomaN × the telephones - MiChi
Japanese | Pop-Rock
I can't say I've ever heard anything of the telephones', and MiChi's spelling just really irritates me - not to mention the overall mediocrity of her music. However, this song is much more alt-rock than MiChi's music, I'm guessing that's the telephones' influence. It's energetic and catchy, but MiChi sounds a bit strained.

コインランドリー - OGRE YOU ASSHOLE
Japanese | Alt Rock
I downloaded this on a compilation album and never really noticed it as an individual track until this band's intriguing name caught my attention. I love the high, clean guitar lines alternating with darker, grungier chords. It creates some interesting transitions.

가지마 - Wednesday
Korean | Ballad
This is actually a solo song by Chi Yeol, a member of the duo Wednesday. Chi Yeol released a solo album a couple years ago about when I was starting to get into k-pop and basically downloaded everything because I had no idea what I would like and what I wouldn't. The album was filled with gorgeous, unique ballads and sophisticated pop tracks - I would be uploading songs from it, but unfortunately it's not on the computer I usually work from. After his debut album, he completely disappeared. I nearly skipped past Wednesday, assuming they were another male duo trying to copy Fly to the Sky's success, but went back once realizing Chi Yeol was a member. 가지마 is a ballad that showcases his strong, rich vocals (and what a gorgeous vibrato) - if you're a fan of Tei, Eru, Park Hyo Shin, and other such ballad vocalists, you'll like him. Compositionally, it is a bit cookie-cutter, but I'm so glad to see him releasing music again that I'm willing to forgive that. And much like other ballad kings, his voice elevates the song to new levels.

Hey Elevator - Apples in Stereo
English | Indie pop
So I kind of skimmed through this album (Travellers in Space and Time) and didn't really think much of it, but this track - probably amongst their more popular - stood out to me on a second listen. The chorus is so catchy, paired with disco influences and feel-good piano chords.

Circus - Royal Pirates
English | Rock
I didn't think anyone could cover this song and make it sound good. Korean group Royal Pirates however, manages to do just that. I love the rock twist to this song, and their confident sound.

서시 (Seo Shi/Prologue) - Shin Sung Woo
Korean | Rock Ballad
I know nothing about this singer, but I recently found this rock ballad in my iTunes library. It starts out with just acoustic guitar and you think that's what the whole song will be, but suddenly a full rock ensemble gets swept in.

Bluepeo - Mister Symbol
Instrumental
Another song that mysteriously appeared in my iTunes. It came up on shuffle and the pretty piano intro and soft, ambient beat caught my attention. It reminds me a bit of Nujabes, Epik High/Eternal Morning, etc.

Romeo N Juliet (알렉스, 신애 듀엣 원곡) (우리결혼했어요 삽입곡) - Clazziquai
Korean | Electronica/Acid Jazz
Although I'm a big Clazziquai fan, I never really noticed this song in particular. It's charming and soothing, and Alex and Horan sound fantastic together. I love their unique harmonies as well as the bright rap portion and jazzy instrumental solos.

Labels: 2AM, Apples in Stereo, Chi Yeol, Clazziquai, Donawhale, Eternal Morning, Jinbo, MiChi, Mister Symbol, Royal Pirates, Shin Sung Woo, Someday, St. Vincent, Super Junior, Tim Be Told, Wednesday

Welcome to Fashion Scans, an mp3 rotation that features Korean, Japanese, and Chinese music as well as the occasional English song. Fashion Scans was created in October 2007 and is run by Haruhi with contributions from Carmi.

Please send all affiliate requests to Haruhi. Carmi is currently open to requests.

Files are for sampling purposes only, I am not responsible if you keep them for longer than the 24-48 hours permitted. Please support the artists by purchasing their CDs.

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