A lovely collaboration album
By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter
Album Review
AAA
HYUKOH & Sunset Rollercoaster
THE SOUNDS of South Korea and Taiwan have come together in a joint album by two of those countries best indie rock bands.
Seoul-based HYUKOH and Taipei-based Sunset Rollercoaster have long been collaborating. The latter remade the former’s track “Help,” and Korean vocalist Oh Hyuk featured on the Taiwanese band’s track “Candlelight.”
This time, an album of eight songs marks their full collaboration. The title, AAA, refers to an overwhelmingly positive rating as the two groups blur cultural borders to merge their sounds.
HYUKOH, composed of singer-songwriter Oh Hyuk, guitarist Lim Hyun-Jae, drummer Lee In-Woo, and bassist Im Dong-Gun, is known for an eclectic, melancholy indie rock style with references to Korean youth culture.
Sunset Rollercoaster, formed by singer-guitarist Tseng Kuo-Heng, bassist Chen Hung-Li, drummer Lo Tsun-Lung, keyboardist Wang Shao-Hsuan, and saxophonist Huang Hao Ting, rose to fame for their jazz-funk-synth pop sound.
When they collide, it results in an awesome blend of genres.
“Kite War,” the first track, comes out swinging with their voices all singing in chorus, backed by a magnificently rich soundscape of synth keyboards, smooth saxophone, and an explosion of guitar melodies towards the end.
Clocking in at under six minutes, it’s clearly the product of a jam session that led to an amazing stack of vocals and instrumental harmonization.
The second track starts off more subdued. “Y” centers on Oh Hyuk’s vocals as they work with the synth tones that build in intensity.
As the rhythm crescendos, bass beats and guitars join the fray, turning the song into a groovy bop. The sax enters, providing an added layer of instrumentation that pushes up the track to a well-earned spot among other all-time indie rock favorites.
After this, the album mellows out, with Mandarin-language “Antenna” settling into a dreamy ambience. “Glue” follows with an easygoing guitar sound blending with calm vocals and saxophone melodies.
“Young Man” is the fourth track and lead single. Ahead of the album’s release on July 18, it made a strong impression with its upbeat tune, once again sung in chorus. It’s a perfect example of a happy-sounding melody hiding hard-hitting lyrics that echo the youth’s anxiety (a common HYUKOH theme).
Following that is “Do Nothing,” a fun Bossa nova track that showcases the best of both bands. As Oh Hyuk sings of “doing nothing at all,” the instrumentation’s light guitar notes and soft percussion bring to mind a cool summer day out, the sub-tropical vibe that Sunset Rollercoaster is known for.
The last two tracks are fillers, which may disappoint many, but it’s a testament to how the two bands went in with a mindset to explore and enjoy.
“Aaaannnnteeeeennnaaaaaa,” as the title says, is simply the third track “Antenna” drawn out. Mixed down to a ridiculously slow speed, it’s a contemplative piece of music to meditate or fall asleep to. Meanwhile, “2F ” is an extra tidbit that sounds like a raw rehearsal of “Young Man.”
Perhaps the biggest itch the final track scratches is getting to hear how the band members occasionally communicate with each other in English as they tweak the song’s arrangement and tempo, a quick glimpse of their process.
AAA is a fascinating rundown of South Korean and Taiwanese indie rock sensibilities. The first two songs have amazing rock and jazz arrangements while the rest are calmer and more easygoing, with melancholy themes.
All are lovely products of what sounds like a very natural collaboration between two strong players in the East Asian indie rock scene.