More new bands as we follow up yesterday’s post with batch fifteen with bands that made it through the first round of auditions for KBS band survival show Top Band 2. Today I’m sharing my opinions together with Lightinthemind of Korean rock is real and Dahee of Dahee’s Plastic Castle. Make sure to use the comments to share what you think!
Tacopy
Pop punk band Tacopy formed in 1998 and released first single Underground in 1999. The first full-length album came out in 2002 and by 2009 the band’s fifth full-length album was released. Last week Tacopy released the 2012 version of “치고 달려라”–a song they first recorded for KBS N’Sports 2008 Pro Baseball.
Tacopy – “Super Star”
Anna: I used to listen to Tacopy during their Super Star days, but the audition video still falls flat with me. Their music has remained catchy since so I can definitely imagine them doing well on the show and gaining plenty new fans in the process, but like so many other bands auditioning for these season I would’ve rather they’d stayed out of it instead trying their luck on something like Immortal Song 2 where it seems viewers are now asking for more participants similar to No Brain.
Lightinthemind: When I just started discovering the world of Korean indie/rock Tacopy were as high shining for me as other bands with over 10 years of history. And sorry, but I don’t have any will to describe my attitude neither to this band nor to their participation in this show.
Dahee: I tend to stay away from punk, so Tacopy was never really on my radar, which I’m grateful for now. I don’t even have the energy to grumble over a band like this participating in Top Band anymore (or rather, today). I’ve now entered the depression stage of grief, and just feel sad that they felt the need to participate in this show at all. Surely there is some other way for bands to gain more recognition in Korea, without stooping this low…?
Gostwind
Metal band Gostwind have been fusing traditional Korean music with rock since 2004. They released their first album in 2005, their second album a year later and have since primarily been playing various festivals all over Korea. After a short hiatus Gostwind are back with a new lineup, currently preparing for a third full-length album.
Gostwind – “Escape”
Anna: In the mid-00s there were quite a few traditional Korean music and rock fusion bands and though not my personal favorites (I was all about Gaia at the time) I’d still argue Gostwind were among the better ones. I was surprised to learn they had remained active since, albeit with lower activity in the last few years. If they’re really working on a new album I don’t understand why they’re auditioning with an old song, because frankly it sounds a bit dated.
Lightinthemind: I’m hearing them for the first time and can definitely say this way of mixing traditional instruments and everything else in one pot makes for a quite good result. They really need to step outside Korea to some European festival, not sure about Wacken but anyway^^ Sad thata band of their level (wanted to tape ‘age’) had to do this audition thing. My heart is crying out each time when I see proficient musicians with a basis far from college parties going to one scene with amateurs.
Dahee: Oooh, interesting. Now this is the kind of mixing of traditional music with new sounds that I wanted from Coreyah. I could definitely listen to this for a while. I hope they bring something new and different to the table in this competition – because looking at all the bands we’ve covered so far, it seems like it might need it.
Cretem
From 2009 to 2011 pop punk band Cretem were active in Toronto, Canada, but as of March 2012 the trio are trying to launch a career in Korea through Top Band.
Cretem – “Rainbow Comes”
Anna: I listened to Cretem on Bandcamp and liked what I heard, but when I instead turned to their YouTube channel I wasn’t quite as impressed. Though I must give them cred for covering Korean bands while still in Canada. Hopefully what we’ll get to hear on Top Band resembles the music video they used for audition more in which case I’ll be happy to lend them my support.
Lightinthemind: Though they remind me of United93 and plenty of other bands I’m quite positive about the outcome. If not surviving in this round they have many ways of going further. If they’d be strong enough to struggle in the fields of indie music for the audience. Or at least go to Japan and try there^^ Ah, after checking their Youtube I found a song which is promising, at least worth watching at the contest (if it is not any cover) – “Reunited“.
Dahee: Their audition song is catchy. But yes, they sound similar to a lot of other bands. They have potential, and I also liked “Reunited,” but I’m a little bored. They’ll need to do something really amazing for me to really pay that much attention to them. Or rather, to pay attention to something other than their hair and their Konglish.
Thizt
Trio Thizt call themselves a super rock’n’roll band and formed as recently as February 2012. The name is short for ‘This is Jetzt’, ‘Jetzt’ meaning ‘now’ in German. Nothing released from Thizt yet, but the audition song is their own.
Thizt – “We are All the Freedom Oh! Freedom”
Anna: I couldn’t find any additional way to sample Thizt, but from this audition video I suppose they’re a decent enough band even though the sound quality makes it a bit hard to tell for sure. Not something I’ll be listening to a lot and I suspect they won’t make it far in the competition this season, but they’re definitely the kind of band that I think Top Band was originally intended for.
Lightinthemind: Rrr, don’t like to say anything with only one video. The sound is messy and I can’t hear the vocals right, but this is just having teasing effect, when you want to listen more. Rock’n’roll is taking over Korea? Not the first band in the row going this way, but I’m still hoping to discover any rockabilly here.
Dahee: Another very new band. At least they aren’t veterans. But seriously, that is some bad sound quality in the audition video. From what I can hear, I think I like the song, but that’s all I can say, really. Also, the drummer’s pretty hot. I want to pet his hair. (I sound like I have a hair fetish, don’t I?)