#10. Review: Hardboiled (W&Whale)

I received three CDs for my birthday present; first one is <I'm With You> (Red Hot Chili Peppers), second is self-made album with the giver's fourteen favorite tracks, and the last one is <Hardboiled> (W&Whale). To love every single track in one album is a hard task; actually, in my whole seventeen years of life, there had been only one. And after I heard <Hardboiled>, it became my second.

W (Where the Story Ends), electronic band composed of three members (배영준, 한재원, 김상훈), was formed in 2001, and its first two albums – <안내섬광> (2001) and <Where the Story Ends> (2005) – received attention from music maniacs and critics. But as W recruited a new female vocal, Whale, their music raised a bigger hit. There is an episode about scouting Whale; W had received approximately 400 applications and sample CD, and they already chose one male vocal. But on the last lap, as soon as W turned on Whale's CD, they immediately contacted Whale.

This episode shows how important role Whale plays in this album. It is evident from the CD cover; other three male members are putting dummy masks on their face, to emphasize Whale. And as soon as the CD starts to be played, Whale's voice hit the listener's ear.

Some critics say her voice resembles Horan of Clazziquai, or 김윤아 in Jaurim; maybe it's due to androgynous tone. I remind of "peppermint candy" when hearing her voice.

Pale blue-green sea, wave directed exactly to the listener. This feeling is applied in all genres of songs; not only in strong tracks such as "R.P.G. (Rocket Punch Generation) Shine" – the title track, which once was used as background music for SK advertisement – or "Too Young To Die", the strongest track that used the electronic sounds most in this CD, but also in calm, lyrical musics ("Stardust”, "Whale Song”). Actually, I believe it is the latter that reveals Whale's clear voice better. Whale's voice, accommodating with two totally different genres without the smallest strain, makes listeners to nod their head at why this vocal named herself as "Whale". (Her real name is 박은경, but she named herself “Whale” as a stage name to imply that she is ready to try on all kinds of music, wide-ranging.)

It is not only Whale's voice that makes this album appealing. To summarize this album in one word, it would be “storytelling”. Some songs, such as “아가사 크리스티의 이중생활” or “오빠가 돌아왔다”, are directly influenced by real novels (respectively Agatha Christie, and 김영하). Singing along these songs, I felt like reading synopsis of a short film. I attached lyrics of “오빠가 돌아왔다” (the most storytelling track in the whole album, in my view) both in Korean version, and my interpretation to English.

늘 한 마리 고독한 늑대처럼 세상과 화해하지 못한 채

매섭게 치켜 뜬 눈빛 속에 화려한 슬픔을 간직한 채

학교 앞 큰 길, 그 사거리의 미소년

이렇게 다시 오빠가 돌아왔다

태양을 등지고 돌아 선 모습, 모든 게 멈춘 듯한 한 순간

생각보다 작은 그의 어깨로 가만히 내려앉는 나비 한 마리

또 어딘가 먼 곳을 바라보며 오빠는 가만히 노래했지

현실에 타협할 수 없었던 위대한 패배자들의 Blues

질 수밖에 없는 게임의 법칙, 하지만 후회 따윈 하지 않아

그는 어느새 또 웃고 있었지, 한 번도 본 적 없는 고운 웃음

Always like one solitary wolf, not reconciling with the world

Holding flamboyant grief in his fierce glare

School main street, Adonis of that crossroads

Like this – Older Brother came back.

His back toward the Sun, a moment everything is stopped

Older Brother gently sings, gazing somewhere far away

Blues of Great Defeated, those who could not compromise the world

Rule of this game is, one never win; though one never regrets

He was smiling again, warm laugh I’ve never seen before

But storytelling is not limited to individual tracks; the whole album itself is a “metafiction”. Tracks combined together create a bigger story. There are three MacGuffins in <Hardboiled> that plays the role of intermission in musical. Usually, peaceful, relaxing melodies are introduced right after the MacGuffin, then extended into high-spirited and lively music. Repeating this organization three times (since there are three MacGuffins) makes listeners to think the album as a novel with three chapters, or a grand musical with three acts.

After <Hardboiled>, W&Whale released mini album <Random Tasks> (2009), digital single <Born To Rock> (2009), and EP <CIRCUSSSS> (2011). W&Whale was also selected as “the most original artists of 2010” by Monocle, the cultural magazine of UK. Now W&Whale is acknowledged as Korea’s leading band of electronic music.

Actually, when Whale first joined the team in 2006, she said she hesitated a lot because she thought electronic sounds of machines could not convey emotions. However, as she continues to work with W for more than five years, Whale now admits electronic sounds combined together can deliver even more delicate impressions than acoustic jazz she previously purused. W&Whale says, in chorus, what they seek in their music is “diversity”, by using various electronic sounds and creating extensive sensibility. And this is why I expect forward their next fresh step.

RATINGS

VOCAL ★★★★★

INSTRUMENTS ★★★★☆

LYRICS ★★★★★

ORGANIZATION ★★★★★

FUTURE EXPECTATION ★★★★★

OVERALL 4.8