In October 2006, a TV Drama titled Hyena was broadcast on TvN. The story was about four single men in their 30s and how they live their daily lives. But what makes a movie or drama stand out? Of course it's the storyline, the settings and the actors, but people will also always remember the songs that are played in a certain scene. Without music, a drama would only be half as entertaining. For the Hyena soundtrack, various artists came together to create an atmospheric compilation.
Most of the songs could be described as old-fashioned; a mixture of ballad, blues, jazz and pop, but Super Junior, The Trax, Hyun Jin and Lee Yoon Jae manage to make their songs appeal to a younger generation. They take us on a journey back to the 60s and 70s, and even carry us off into an imaginary nightclub.
The album starts off with The Night Chicago Died by Super Junior K.R.Y, a subgroup of Super Junior consisting of Kyu Hyun, Ryeowook and Yesung, who have already contributed songs to various soundtracks. Older people might think they know this song, as it's a cover of the Paper Lace song with the same title. In 1974, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week, but Super Junior K.R.Y's version doesn't rely on that success. The song begins with drums, bass and a shrill sound before the characteristic guitar starts and the oldies sound is complete. Whispering, Yehsung starts singing before Kyunhyun continues with clear vocals. Throughout the entirety of the track, the upbeat rhythm is kept and the listener finds himself nodding his head along to it. It is a cheery entrance that sets the mood.
Go! Go! is the next song and is performed by The Trax. This time it reminds us more of the 60s, light pop-rock with a catchy, upbeat melody and solid vocals, like something from The Monkees or The Beatles. The guitar stands out, with a solo in the last third but the constant bass line is crucial for carrying the atmosphere of the song.
Han Sarammaneul slows down the tempo that was built up by Go! Go!. It can be described as a standard pop ballad but it definitely carries the feeling of a song made for a soundtrack. Soft chimes, piano and guitar begin the song before the strings start. The smooth vocals performed by the three members of Super Junior K.R.Y start off calmly and reach their climax at the end with an emotional and powerful chorus, bringing images of a sad or romantic scene to the listeners mind.
The only song by a female singer is 0 by Hyun Jin. The song is a jazzy ballad, slow and mostly consisting of piano, drums and guitar that make her fragile voice stand out. But, as slow as the beginning is, the song builds up during the chorus, creating a sense of desperation. It is easy to imagine this song being played at a dramatic point in a drama.
Smile is a solo by Super Junior's Kyu Hyun. The image of a smoky nightclub is created - a jazz band playing on the stage, the vocals, breathing his lyrics soulfully into the microphone - that's the best way to describe this song. It's a typical blues song and Kyu Hyun manages to create the atmosphere perfectly with his smooth vocals.
We remain in our nightclub but go to a more upbeat song. As the title Bossa Cha Cha suggests, the rhythm of bossa nova and cha-cha is mixed, but what attracts the listeners attention is that Lee Yoon Jae emphasises the ends of some words in a special way, stretching it and making an 'o' sound more like an 'ou'. But this just adds more charisma to the song; it's nice to listen to and even makes you want to dance.
My Tears is opened by drums with the rhythm of a marching band, yet really soft and calm. Quite quickly Trax's vocalist Jay Kim (Typhoon) builds up the emotion of the song with his deep but clear vocals and a feeling of hope fills the track. Especially during the chorus, it feels as if you're flying and able to let yourself go. As a mid-tempo ballad it changes between intense parts and slower ones where the strings in the background come out clearly. At the end, the instruments suddenly stop in the middle of the chorus, just to letting the song fade out with the words 'my tears' and smooth strings.
Geudae Tteonaganeun Gire is an acoustic guitar track by Chu Ga Yeoul, accompanied by a hand drum and soft vocals. It has a somewhat melancholy feeling, that is emphasised by the longing vocals and a harmonica during the last half of the song.
The album is wrapped up by Drive an instrumental song, that feels like a nice sunset. It is something that one can imagine listening to while driving in the car on a sunny day. The simple guitar melody and drums in the background make it a relaxing song and it's a nice way to let the album fade out.
Lastly, there's the instrumental version of Han Sarammaneul, but without the vocals something is definitely missing and it sounds like an average instrumental track.
Like the drama itself this soundtrack has it's ups and downs, happy and the sad moments, and there is a song for every occasion. The strongest tracks are The Night Chicago Died, Go! Go! and 0, but the rest are also special in themselves. This soundtrack is a good mix of songs for young and old, and maybe even brings those two closer.
