When I was first studying Korean I used to listen to nothing but Korean pop songs to try to learn some extra words while travelling to and from university on the London Underground and walking to my part time job after class. Back then I didn’t know anything about Korean popular music, and K-pop wasn’t all that well known yet outside of Asia, and anyway I was a fan of more alternative music, so I don’t think I would have liked it.

I asked my Korean friends to recommend music for me to listen to and one day one of them gave me a massive pile of songs, all mixed up and many of them without the names of the artists or the song titles. It was a pretty eclectic mix, so along with Lee Juck (이적) and Sung Si-kyung (성시경) who were big at the time I was listening to Boohwal (부활), Younha (윤하), Moonlight Pixie Turnaround Grand Slam (달빛요정역전만루홈런) and Typhoon (타이푼), all while walking the streets of London and not really knowing what the songs were about! I’m pretty sure that this strategy really helped my Korean pronunciation, but it means that if I end up going to a noraebang and having to sing, people are pretty surprised by my choice of songs. I’m not proud of it but I know all the words to Younha’s ‘Secret Code 486’ and it’s pretty easy to sing, especially when everyone else there with you is shaking tambourines and jumping around.



While I’ve been living in Korea it seems like K-pop has been on a glittery and high-heeled path to world domination, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Everyone is welcome to their own taste in music, and some of the songs are actually great, I just find myself wishing that the artists had a bit more freedom and individuality to be creative and express themselves. For me then, the perfect antidote to my worries about K-pop was finding the indie-rock, alternative band 3rd Line Butterfly (3호선 버터플라이) a couple of years ago. Their music is creative, their lyrics are mesmerizing, the band members are all amazing musicians and they are a really awesome band to see live. The lead singer, Nam SangAh is someone who I would use to define the phrase ‘awesome female.’ She is just so awesome. Her vocals are amazing, going from strong and powerful melodic singing to whispering, barely audible notes that make you tune right in. For me it also helps that when there are bits of English in their songs she delivers them in a perfect British accent. SangAh has a really captivating presence on stage, and off stage she is down to earth and humble, but still just as awesome, the kind of character you cannot help but be drawn to. The guitarist Sung Kiwan adds in some exciting flavor to the vocals too, and is actually a prize winning poet as well as being a rock star. The bassist Kim NamYoon also takes care of electric effects, which the band uses quite a lot, adding texture and interest to their songs. If you see the band playing live you can see NamYoon really getting into the songs which are led by a strong, heavy baseline hook. Then there is Seo HyunJung the drummer who is full of power and energy but incredibly matter of fact with it. For someone used to British rock bands, where you used to struggle to name a female in the industry who wasn’t a singer, let alone a drummer, it is pretty striking to see HyunJung just taking everything in her stride and holding the band together with her percussion.



3rd Line Butterfly’s most famous song to date is actually a tear jerker, ‘Today, the Day of Separation’ from their fourth album, Dream Talk, released in 2012. It’s kind of a shame because there’s a lot more to their music, and personally I prefer songs to jump up and down to, but actually, it is a wonderful, haunting and atmospheric song. Just one listen and you can see why it has become so popular, from the very opening bars it shoots right to the heart of anyone who has ever had to say goodbye to someone, which is pretty much all of us! Two songs from the same album that I love even more are the incredibly melodic opening track ‘Smoke Hot Coffee Refill’ and ‘Hello,’ where the energy and tempo gradually mounts until you find yourself wanting to dance. The opening song really captures the atmosphere of wandering around this crazy busy city of Seoul and makes me imagine a late-nigh walk through the empty streets with someone I care about, talking over everything and putting the world to rights.

Since getting into 3rd Line Butterfly I have found other alternative artists in Korea who are making creative and exciting music too. Danpyunsun and the Sailors (단편선과 선원들) take old songs and make them new, but I enjoy their original tracks more. I think it’s safe to say that the drummer of the band, Jang DoHyeok, is the best percussionist I have ever seen. Then there is Nabi:mat (나비맛), a singer songwriter who makes me smile with just a guitar and his amazing lyrics. His song ‘I’m Looking for You’ (당신을 찾습니다) is actually one of my favorite songs of all time. For something with more of a rocky beat, good to listen to when running or pacing the city streets, I like Life and Time (라이프 앤 타임) and their album The Great Deep. These are just some of my favorites so far, but really I am just getting started on this voyage of discovery into Korean alternative music. I have a funny feeling though that for me, no one is going to beat 3rd Line Butterfly; they really have earned a special place in my heart. (Sophie Bowman, translator of Korean literature)

Photos: Chili Music Korea, Jeon Han Korea.net Staff Writer