Seo Taiji is a man who, within the Korean music scene at least, needs no introduction. He is one of the most influential Korean musicians and is often cited as an inspiration for young rock musicians. This review is of his 7th Issue album, which was released in 2004.
The album opens with a mellow intro track before going straight into Heffy End. The vocal styles at the beginning of this track are slightly strange, it almost sounds as if he is trying to sing backing vocals as a lead, then this follows seamlessly into his more usual vocal style with thunderous guitars backing him. While this may sound strange on the first listen, it is just one of the reasons that he is so renowned in his native Korea, he's pushing boundaries and trying new things. Most of all: it works.
After an interlude track, the album continues with Victim. This song may sound happy but don't be fooled, just one look at the lyrics shows that this could not be further from the truth. With mentions of sexual assault, terrorism and murder, this isn't a song to be taken lightly.
This is followed by yet another interlude track before returning to business with the song Live Wire. The song starts off with a powerful bass line coupled with a guitar riff before Taiji's vocals take the forefront of the track. The song is slightly emo-esque but definitely not in a bad way. Taiji's vocals flow beautifully between the guitar work, almost as if they were two voices. The song as a whole is beautifully crafted and there isn't a moment when you feel bored. Everything seems to have moved so quickly that it's difficult to believe that we are already half way through the album.
After this, the album tones down slightly with Robot. Overall, the song is not as edgy as some of the previous tracks but it is definitely one of the strongest tracks on the album. The chorus shows off Taiji's vocal work, which is more sweet than aggressive and fits the track perfectly.
10wol 4il is another laid-back song, which reminds you of a lazy summer. An acoustic guitar is used throughout rather than electric so the song has a completely different feel to the rest of the album. This is not a negative though; it shows his willingness to try something different and it adds a good dynamic to the album.
As the album draws to a close, F.M Business enters. The song is a cutting critique of the Korean music industry and, given everything he's been through during his career, it is clear that he is drawing on personal experience. The whole song gives the impression of anger and frustration, from the guitars in the introduction to Taiji' angry vocals.
The album closes with 0 (Zero) and Outro. The latter is a short song that is just over 2 minutes in length. The song seems somewhat incomplete, but what there is of it is beautiful. It is gentle and its gentleness is emphasised by the fact that the song finishes with the sounds of birds tweeting.
The verdict? The only flaw with this album is that there are so many interludes. While these can be quite nice, there is one after pretty much every song. If these were replaced by songs that were of an equal calibre to the rest of the songs on the album it would be absolutely flawless.
