Album title: Winter
Artist: Akdong Musician
Genre: K-pop, Folk pop
Nationality: Korean
Release date: January 3
Position in Discography: Second
Familiar with this artist? No
Familiar with the genre or subgenre? No
Check out more from this artist? No
Check out more from this genre or subgenre? Yes
Wow, Korea, amirite? Seems like I'll never get back west. This is apparently a brother and sister, and there's some really nice laidback piano to start the opener; both seem to take a turn at the singing, whether this is a good move or not is something I haven't yet decided on. Second track is, how can I put this? Oh yeah: ****. Third makes up for it, but it's nothing terribly special, not that I expected it to be. I guess your expectations have to be set fairly low in the world of K-pop? Some nice violin there. Hmm. Is a pattern developing here? First track, good, second track ****. Third track good, fourth track ****. Let's see if this continues. I do admit I have not high hopes for a song called “Chocolady”, but surely it can't be as bad as this ****ing dross? This is painful. It's called, oddly, “Play ugly”. How appropriate: it sounds ugly, and very annoying. Now it's over, thank the Great Pixie.
Ah yes, a bog standard ballad that most soul bands would shy from, the kind of thing that perhaps Sade might find buried at the very bottom of her rejects drawer but not have the heart to throw out, though she should cos it's **** with a capital S. And so the pattern is broken. Oh dear. Will it reverse? Is it possible that “You Know Me” will actually be good, or are we just now diving deeper into a pit of garbage from which this album will never emerge? Oh dear they're attempting reggae. Yeah. Down we go! Okay well, “Way back home” was not bad, and the closer seems to make a decent attempt to recover after all the rubbish they've put out up to then. Still, easily the worst K-pop album I've heard so far (I know; I've only heard three including this) – at least it's very short.
Meh.
