[Album review] V.O.S’s reunion album is too repetitive

V.O.S has always been a group with a very clear musical style. Since its debut in 2004, the vocalist trio has built its reputation on the members’ perfect-pitch three-part harmonies and their soaring emotional choruses. On their reunion album, with member Park Ji-hun returning to the group after six years of performing as a soloist, the three singers clearly wanted to evoke a sense of familiarity by bringing back that style.  V.O.S “Re:union, The Real” (Universal Music)　Unfortunately, they stuck

Jan. 15, 2016

[Album review] Jung Joon-il broods fantastically in ‘Underwater’

On his new four-track EP “Underwater,” singer Jung Joon-il is a man on a mission: to create an album that is destined to be unpopular. It’s not for lack of quality. “Underwater” is one of the most interesting records to be released of late.  Jung Joon-il “Underwater” (Loen Entertainment)　On the lead track “Plastic” featuring rapper BewhY Jung’s pained, at times husky voice pairs excellently with BewhY’s staccato-style rap. Between Jung’s singing, BewhY’s unusual use of syncopation in his rap, an

Jan. 15, 2016

[Album review] David Bowie’s last album fitting epitaph

Two days before his death, David Bowie released “Blackstar,” his 25th album, which serves as a fitting musical epitaph.　On “Blackstar,” he transforms himself once again, proving that at 69, he still had plenty of surprises up his musical sleeve. Recording primarily with an avant-garde jazz quartet and with a longtime collaborator, coproducer Tony Visconti, Bowie crafted a haunting, seven-song collection that deals thematically with death and despair -- and now will be endlessly parsed for clues

Jan. 15, 2016

EXO wins third consecutive Grand Prize at Seoul Music Awards

EXO, a boy band divided into two subgroups “EXO-K” and “EXO-M,” promoting the same music simultaneously in Korean and Mandarin, respectively, won the Grand Prize for the third consecutive year at the High 1 Seoul Music Awards on Thursday.　EXO’s three-year winning streak broke several past records: Seo Tai-ji and Boys won the Grand Prize in 1992 and 1993, H.O.T. in 1997 and 1998, Jo Sung-mo in 1999 and 2000, and Girls’ Generation in 2010 and 2011. EXO poses at the 25th High 1 Seoul Music Awards h

Jan. 15, 2016

[Herald Interview] Sir James Galway talks upcoming ‘On the Couch’ performance

Dubbed the “man with the golden flute,” flutist Sir James Galway has made his way to Seoul to launch the inaugural “Galway Flute Festival in Korea,” slated to be the country’s largest ever flute festival from Jan. 18 to 24. 　A man from humble beginnings, the 76-year-old virtuoso from Belfast took his flute playing to unforeseen heights and is known as one of the world’s foremost flutists. In 1979 he was awarded with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire honor, and subsequently a Knighth

Jan. 14, 2016

iKON tops Oricon chart with ‘Welcome Back’

“Welcome Back,” the first full-length album from one of the hottest rookie groups in the country, iKON, was released in Japan on Wednesday, topping the Oricon daily album chart and selling 53,000 copies on the same day, according to YG Entertainment, the group’s agency.　IKON, selected among Billboard’s Top 5 K-Pop acts, has shown great potential for growth since its debut in Korea in October last year. The latest Japanese record confirms the group’s global popularity, added YG Entertainment. iKO

Jan. 14, 2016

Jazz singer Nah to perform at global performing arts conference

Korean jazz singer Nah Youn-sun will be performing Jan. 15 at the Florence Gould Hall in New York, according to Korean Cultural Service New York. 　Nah will be performing with Ulf Karl Erik Wakenius, a Swedish jazz guitarist, at the hall run by New York-based French Institute Alliance Francaise. Nah Youn-sun (Korean Cultural Service New York)　Nah is one of the performers selected by the Korea Arts Management Service to attend the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference, which will be

Jan. 14, 2016

V.O.S reunites as trio after 6 years apart

Vocal group V.O.S has released its first EP as a trio in six years, bringing back member Park Ji-hun to join Choi Hyun-joon and Kim Kyung-rok for the first time since his departure from the group in 2010.　According to Park, they owed their reunion to Lee Joo-won, the CEO of their agency HappyFace Entertainment. 　“We had been apart for so long that it became uncomfortable to tell each other how we felt (about the reunion),” he told reporters at a media showcase at the Art Hall on Wednesday.　“He a

Jan. 14, 2016

Bowie finale soars on charts after death shock

NEW YORK (AFP) - David Bowie’s final album soared toward the top of the charts Tuesday after the music legend’s death from cancer stunned the world, with the details still shrouded in mystery two days on.　“Blackstar,” released on Bowie’s 69th birthday Friday, was on course to be the first number-one album in the United States for the quintessentially avant-garde artist who lived his last two decades in New York but enjoyed greater mainstream success in his native Britain. Christopher Schwartz lo

Jan. 13, 2016

Pop artist Mari Kim explores alien life

Artist Mari Kim, known for the big-eyed, cartoon-like female characters in her pop art paintings, explores the eccentric concept of intelligent aliens in her solo exhibition. One of the leading figures in the Korean pop art scene, Kim transforms her “eyedolls” into aliens disguised as human beings, revealing her long-held belief in intelligent alien beings. Her solo exhibition at Hakgojae Gallery showcases 189 paintings, installations, sculptures and video works -- her visual exploration of extr

Jan. 13, 2016

Local indie rock band to release debut album in U.K.

Up-and-coming local indie duo Dead Buttons has signed on with U.K. record label Baltic Records to release its first full-studio album, “Some Kind of Youth,” in both Korea and the U.K., the Love Rock Company announced Tuesday.The upcoming debut album, which was produced by iconic rocker Kim In-su of Crying Nut, will drop in Korea Thursday, while its U.K. release date is scheduled for some time later this May.  Dead Buttons (Love Rock Company)The young Korean rockers Hong Ji-hyun (guitar and lead

Jan. 13, 2016

London’s Saatchi gallery opens landmark women-only show

LONDON (AFP) - For the first time in its 30-year history, London’s influential Saatchi Gallery is holding a female-only exhibition, showcasing 14 of the brightest stars in the art world.　Exhibits at the “Champagne Life” show include stuffed animals, giant portraits, abstract sculptures and a giant wall of saucepans. A visitor views works on display during a preview of Champagne Life, the first Saatchi show entirely devoted to female artists, being held at Saatchi Gallery on Jan. 13-March 9. (Saa

Jan. 13, 2016

Feel warm ‘energy of life’

Spring seems to have arrived early at 313 Art Project gallery in Seoul, despite the subzero temperatures outside. A warm yellow vibe fills the cold gallery space, created with bright LED lights emitted through thin layers of vinyl sheets in different shades of yellow. The installation by artist Park Ki-won invites visitors to experience the warmth of spring that makes seeds sprout and flowers bloom. The air, carrying a winter chill, makes one feel like being out on a cold spring day. “Temperatur

Jan. 12, 2016

Kakao stands to dominate K-pop market with Loen acquisition

A seismic shift may be in store for the local entertainment industry after tech giant Kakao’s entrance to the market, upon its acquisition of Loen Entertainment, the operator of MelOn, Korea’s top music-streaming service.　The big buy, which gives the maker of mobile messenger KakaoTalk a 76.4 percent stake in Loen worth 1.87 trillion won ($1.55 billion) later this month, could open a greater platform for the company to create new music services, on top of access to Loen’s plethora of entertainme

Jan. 12, 2016

KARA nears disbandment

The disbandment of girl group KARA is imminent with the Feb. 2 termination of the three members’ contracts with DSP Media, the group’s agency. KARA (DSP Media)　Park Gyu-ri, Han Seung-yeon, and Goo Ha-ra, the oldest members of KARA, have not declared their intention to renew the contracts, which implies the termination of their contracts. The standard practice is to renew a contract months before its expiration, according to industry insiders.　DSP Media has yet to officially announce the group’s

Jan. 12, 2016