| Jonas Brothers
`Lines Vines and Trying Times'
(Universal Korea)
Jonas Brothers are trying extra hard to prove that they're not just another cute boy band. Their third album shows the boys doing their best attempt at a more mature sound, without alienating their core teen audience. Songs like ``World War III'' and ``Paranoid'' do offer something edgier than their usual sweet pop songs.
Nick Jonas sings with rumored girlfriend and teen queen Miley Cyrus on the ballad ``Before the Storm.'' Joe Jonas takes a swipe at ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift, singing ``I'm done with superstars,'' on the 80s sounding ``Much Better.'' Overall, it's a decent album that teen fans will buy, but the boys will have to do better to attract adult listeners.
-Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Moby
`Wait for Me'
(Warner Music)
Moby's latest album is a literally ``do-it-yourself'' effort. He collaborated with his friends (mostly unknown), recorded it at home and even drew the album artwork himself.
``In making this record, I wanted to focus on making something that I loved, without really being concerned about how it might be received by the marketplace,'' he said, on his Web site. Moby creates an album filled with chill-out electronic music. It's more melodic and melancholic than his previous efforts. ``Wait for Me'' shows that Moby is not afraid of experimenting, and continues to evolve as a musician.
-Cathy Rose A. Garcia
| Weezer Prepares Surprise for Fans |
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American rockers Weezer will perform for the first time in Korea at Jisan Valley Rock Festival, Icheon, Friday. / Courtesy of Yellow Entertainment |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
For American rock band Weezer's first ever performance in Korea at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival this Friday, frontman Rivers Cuomo is preparing something special for Korean fans.
In an telephone interview with The Korea Times, Cuomo revealed that he's been to Korea twice but never had a chance to play here.
``I'm super-excited to play in Korea for the first time. I love Korea. I have so many Korean friends but I've never had a chance to perform there. So this is just going to be great. I'm having a special guitar made, with Korean colors and imagery on the guitar. It's a special guitar just for this show. And I want to sing a song in Korean, too. I was trying to find it online but I only know the melody. Maybe it should be a surprise,'' he said.
Cuomo, vocalist and guitarist, along with drummer Patrick Wilson, bassist Scott Shriner and guitarist Brian Bell, will be headlining the Jisan Valley Rock Festival in Icheon, Friday evening.
Weezer was formed in 1992 in Los Angeles, and they released their self-titled album in 1994. Since then, the band has released six albums that have sold more than 8 million in the United States alone. Their hits include ``Buddy Holly,'' ``Undone (The Sweater Song),'' ``Island in the Sun,'' ``Pork and Beans'' and ``Say It Ain't So.''
It's been nearly 17 years since the band was formed, and Cuomo says Weezer has continued to play the music they love, even if it is not considered very mainstream.
``We want to be just happy with our music. I think it has a very useful sound to it. Our style hasn't changed that much since we were kids. We're still doing the same thing, playing electric guitars and drums. We're not trying to be like heavy metal or macho or anything. I think we'd rather be witty and cool,'' he said.
Weezer has remained popular not just in the United States, but also overseas. Cuomo thinks the band's fun, feel-good songs translate well around the world.
``Weezer is all about uplifting and sing-along melodies that make you feel good no matter what language you speak or understand, so maybe the Weezer songs are easy to like for people in Korea even if they don't understand all the lyrics right away. I think they are good karaoke songs,'' he said.
Cuomo, who graduated from Harvard University at the age of 35 in 2006, has always cultivated Weezer's geek rock image through cool songs and memorable music videos. Who can forget the Spike Jonze-directed music video for ``Buddy Holly'' showing the band performing in Arnold's Drive-In from the popular `70s sitcom ``Happy Days''? The video won several MTV Video Music Awards, including Breakthrough Video.
Weezer has continued to work with Jonze (``Being John Malkovich'') on music videos including ``Island in the Sun.'' Cuomo says Jonze is a genius who comes up with the ideas for the videos, although ``he is just possessed when he is directing on the set.''
``For example on the video for `Island in the Sun,' we're on the set with these dangerous animals. I was supposed to be playing with a bear and it's supposed to be extremely dangerous and could kill me if it wanted to at any moment. But Spike kept on saying, 'get in its face and play with it.' But the animal trainer was right behind Spike and he was saying, `no, don't get in its face!' He's just a mad man and just really goes for it,'' Cuomo laughed.
Weezer is currently finishing its yet-untitled seventh studio album. The band is planning on performing some of the new songs in Korea.
``We're really taking our time and have written some incredible songs. We've worked with some great producers here in America. I just think it's a fantastic album. These songs are so good I can't wait for people to hear them,'' he said.
Tickets for the Jisan Valley Rock Festival are available on ticket.auction.co.kr (1566-1369) or ticket.yes24.com (1544-6399). A three-day pass is 165,000 won, for two days 132,000 won, and one day 88,000 won. Visit www.valleyrockfestival.com or call (02) 3444-9969.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr |
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| | Incubus
`Monuments & Melodies'
(SonyBMG)
Alternative rock band Incubus' greatest hits are compiled in their newest release ``Monuments & Melodies.'' It's been 10 years since Incubus made a mark with their breakout album ``Make Yourself.'' Since then, they have chalked up hits like ``Drive,'' ``Pardon Me,'' ``Megalomaniac'' and ``Wish You Were Here,'' which are all included in the album.
A second disc features rare tracks, unreleased songs, and alternate versions such as ``Neither of Us Can See,'' ``Pantomime'' and a cover of Prince's ``Let's Go Crazy.'' And if you're wondering about the cool album artwork, it's by frontman Brandon Boyd.
-Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Gossip
`Music for Men'
(SonyBMG)
American punk rock group Gossip shot to fame with the hit song ``Standing in the Way of Control.'' Gossip has just released ``Music for Me,'' which surprisingly doesn't quite go the same punk rock route. This time, the band comes up with songs that combine punk and disco music that would play better to the dance clubs than the moshpit.
``Heavy Cross'' is a strong first single, although it is quite similar to their hit song. There's a heavy electronic disco influence in tracks like ``Men In Love,'' ``Pop Goes the World'' and ``Four Letter Word.'' As much as Gossip keeps it fresh, listening to the songs make you miss their old hardcore punk riffs.
-Cathy Rose A. Garcia
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| Escala Electrifies With New Album |
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British electronic string quartet Escala has just released its debut album.
/ Courtesy of SonyBMG |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
The popular talent show ``Britain's Got Talent'' has discovered its share of musical sensations like Paul Potts, Andrew Johnston, Connie Talbot, and most recently, Susan Boyle.
The all-female electronic string quartet Escala is proving to be no exception.
Composed of cellist Tasya Hodges, violinist Izzy Johnston, violist Chantal Leverton and violinist Victoria Lyon, the group found fame when they reached the finale of ``Britain's Got Talent" last year.
In an e-mail interview with The Korea Times, Hodges talked about Escala's experience joining the hit TV show and recording their first album.
The four girls met when they worked in the string section of the orchestra on tour with band McFly in 2005. Prior to that, Leverton and Lyon were in a junior orchestra together, and Leverton also worked with Johnston in a group named Wild.
``We were all originally musicians, and the community is small, so we knew each other for a long time. … The four of us got together as a band to play at parties and weddings. We've been together for four years,'' Hodges said.
Escala performed at an after-party for British show ``X-Factor,'' which is also produced by the same people behind ``Britain's Got Talent.''
``A producer came over and asked us if we ever thought about being on the show. We talked about it and decided to be on the show. The whole thing was an amazing experience. We had great fun, and the people we met were really nice,'' Hodges said.
Escala got rave reviews from the panel of judges, including Simon Cowell, for their electrifying performances of ``Palladio'' and ``Live and Let Die.'' It could not be denied that the girls had talent, but their beautiful and glamorous looks also helped.
Despite not winning the show, Escala's talent did not go unnoticed and the group signed a record deal with Sony BMG last year. The group worked with producer Trevor Horn on their self-titled debut album, which was released last May.
``It was an amazing privilege to work with Trevor Horn. He was really detailed about his work, it once took him three weeks to get the drums right. We didn't know what to expect at first, but he was a good person. We recorded until one or two in the morning, and started recording at 10 in the morning the next day,'' Hodges said.
Escala also collaborated with former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash on a cover version of Led Zeppelin's ``Kashmir.'' The girls never got to meet Slash since they recorded it separately, but Hodges is still happy to have worked with him.
``I have two brothers, and to them, I became the world's coolest sister, because I worked with Slash,'' she said.
Amid their newfound fame and hectic work schedule, the friendship between the four girls remains strong. Hodges said they are all very opinionated, but they don't fight.
``We each have opinions about music and we can't always have the same opinion. But among all the groups I've been in, there was never a group like this. All four of us deserve a place in the group. If we bicker about something, which is rare, it's because we're tired, we're on the road, and sometimes we have a 21-hour day. But arguments are rare in this group,'' she said.
Escala is in the middle of promotions for their first album, and hope to perform around the world, including Korea. ``I can't wait to tour all over the world,'' Hodges said.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr |
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| Fall Out Boy Excited to Perform in Korea |
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Fall Out Boy gets ready to rock at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival, Icheon, June 24. / Courtesy of Yellow Entertainment
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By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
American rock band Fall Out Boy is gearing up for their first performance in Korea at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival, Icheon, June 24.
Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy's bassist and lyricist, appeared apologetic to their fans in Korea for taking such a long time to perform here.
``I got a lot of emails (from Korean fans) asking us when we're going to get there. We're really excited about our first performance in Korea. We're looking forward to go and see our fans this summer,'' Wentz said in a phone interview with The Korea Times.
Wentz will be joined at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival by the rest of Fall Out Boy: vocalist and composer Patrick Stump, guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley.
Wentz and Trohman formed a band in Wilmette, Ill. in 2001, later joined by Stump. In one of their early shows, the band asked the audience for name suggestions. One fan shouted ``Fallout Boy,'' referring to the sidekick to Radioactive Man on ``The Simpsons,'' and the name stuck.
Little did the band members know how much success they would achieve in less than a decade. From their breakout album ``From Under the Cork Tree'' in 2005 to their latest hit ``Folie a Deux,'' the Grammy-nominated band has sold millions of records around the world.
Wentz still doesn't know how all the success happened.
``I would've never imagined this when we started. We tried it out in the United States, and we ended up all around the world. To be honest, there's no secret. If I had one, probably I wouldn't tell anybody… But, there's no secret. It just happened,'' he said.
Fall Out Boy's sound has always been described as pop-punk or emo-punk, but they stand out from the crowd with their witty and relevant lyrics. Wentz explains Fall Out Boy's fun sound and lyrics come naturally.
``It's secret. I don't know how we come up with the idea or the words. It's a kind of essence. It's just spit out. Patrick just goes through it and takes the parts from relevant parts. There are a lot of parts I don't know. The truth is if you know what you're doing it's going to be fresh and fun. You don't even have to try,'' he said.
The late pop superstar Michael Jackson has always been a big influence on Fall Out Boy's music. A year ago, they even released a punk rock cover of Jackson's classic ``Beat It,'' featuring singer-guitarist John Mayer.
``We did a cover of `Beat It' a long time ago. Actually, I don't think the cover is better than the original. We were just paying tribute to Michael Jackson. It's really sad that Michael Jackson left this world,'' Wentz said.
Aside from Fall Out Boy, Jisan Valley Rock Festival will also have big names like Oasis, Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, Asian Kung-fu Generation, Patti Smith, Priscilla Ahn and dozens of Korean bands during the three-day event. It will be held at Jisan Forest Resort, Icheon, July 24-26.
Tickets are available on ticket.auction.co.kr (1566-1369) or ticket.yes24.com (1544-6399). The three-day pass is 165,000 won, two-day pass is 132,000 won, and one-day pass is 88,000 won. Visit www.valleyrockfestival.com. For bookings in English, call Yellow Entertainment at (02) 3444-9969.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr |
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Maxwell
Katy Perry
Passion Pit 
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