Misty Blue

  In the mood for a little indie? This is your gateway to the Korean music scene and everything it has to offer, which includes artists who may not get as much screen time, but are every bit as talented and worth a listen as those in the almost-visible-from-outerspace K-pop idol scene. We’ve already had a brief look at a few awesome bands in the Seoulsonic tour but make no mistake — not every everyone is a Crying Nut. Let’s take the volume down a notch and check out a band sporting a soft alternative rock sound with airy vocals. Misty Blue, you’ve been Indie ID’d.

Photo Credit: Pastel Music

   Vocalist Jung Woonsoo, guitarist Lee Jungwoo and bassist Choi Kyunghoon make up the trio named Misty Blue. Their first album, Your Star Name is SiriusB, features 14 tracks that range from indie-pop to jazzy to acoustic to ethereal.  They are signed to Pastel Music and since 2005 have released 5 EPs, 1 full album, appeared on  2 OSTs and contributed to a compilation album featuring Pastel artists. And in case you were wondering, all of Misty Blue’s album artwork were created by illustrator Kim Jiyoon.
   “Comfort,” from Your Star Name, was featured in the original soundtrack of the 2007 megahit drama, The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (more commonly known as just Coffee Prince).

The Pros and Cons of English in K-Pop

   We’ve all heard it, and maybe even made fun of it, but the fantastic elastic fact of the matter is English in K-pop has had its ups and downs. And while it’s safe to say that my perspective is somewhat biased given that I’m a native English speaking person, it’s clear that using English to spread the Hallyu wave is not without its difficulties.

   English in K-pop is a chiefly commendable nod towards K-Pop’s unparalleled global mindset. Not just with English, K-Pop explores many foreign languages, thanks to and as its supporting industry spreads its influence into the international music marketplace. (There aren’t too many music companies that offer more than one language on their homepage, much less four like YG Family does….) Whether it be debuts in Japan or other ventures in surrounding parts of Asia, in just a few short years K-Pop has has been cropping up all over the world. At the very least, the K-pop industry should be commended for its commitment to its heaps of international fans, while most other artists/industries don’t seem to care as much. But as the waves topple over the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans simultaneously, will having to speak and sing English clearly hinder the mega pop machine?