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Seo Taiji's Newest

Seo Taiji has made another solo comeback, this time with a collection of hardcore rock songs. While Seo Taiji's career was founded upon his introduction of rap into Korean pop, his solo albums have left the familiar "Seo Taiji and Boys" sound behind. Seo Taiji's first solo album was an appropriate foreshadowing of this latest work. While he was trying new things musically, I missed his early work with "the boys."

It is with these same mixed feelings that I approached the newest solo CD. Seo Taiji Solo 2 seems like a short album since there are only nine tracks. However, we should keep in mind that most pop albums are padded with intros, outros and remixes to the point of absurdity. Thus, the fact that Seo Taiji gets right to the point with his music is a blessing. This isn't an easy album--it takes a few listening sessions before you can even start to differentiate the songs from one another.

Most people will hold the album up as exemplary just because it bears Seo Taiji's name. However, if you're not a fan of hard rock, you might as well give this one a pass. Right away, the first track on the CD, Item [ASF sample], demonstrates that Seo Taiji has been working on his guitar skills. This song, like the rest of the CD, is about lead and rhythm guitar, all played at top volume.

The second cut on the CD, Tank [MP3], is characterized by the rhythm guitar. The lyrics are almost lost beneath the instrumental layers. At about the 2:00 mark, there's a funky little techno interlude that eventually builds back into a rock rhythm. This song is pretty typical of the album, so it would be safe to use it as a guidepost when making your purchasing decisions.

The next track, Orange [MP3], has led to some unflattering rumors of plagiarism on the internet. I have to admit, the introduction does sound an awful lot like Crazy Town's Toxic [RealAudio sample]. However, most pop songs sound like each other; I'm willing to believe it's coincidence. Seo Taiji has enough creativity in him not to have to go ripping off some small song from an American group. A timely addition to the album is the sixth track, Plagiarism [ASF sample]. Unfortunately, the sample doesn't tell the listener much about the song, but I hope it laughs at all the people who spend their time running around trying to prove all these pop singers are thieves.

Mixing in modem and computer sounds is no longer an original concept, but still, track four, Internet War [RealAudio], has some appeal. While the screaming is a little over the top, it does a nice job matching the scratching track. This song is perhaps the closest to old-style Taiji rap as any on the CD. After listening to it 5-6 times, it really began to grow on me.

At times, Dae Kyung Sung [MP3] seems like a reprise of Tank, with slightly more emphatic lyrics. This is sort of a grunge rock, definitely harder than anything else going on the gayo charts today. I really don't see how the "is H.O.T. better than Seo Taiji" can really continue, because what would we be comparing? By this point in the album, it is clear that this is a totally different genre of music; it's not pop, and it's not even visual rock (although that's a lot closer than any other defined style).

Ultramania [RealAudio] is reminiscent in tone to Internet War in that there is a lot of rhythmic screaming and hollering. Seo Taiji is giving the rock sound his all, and ending up with something that could not only compete with the likes of Metallica, but leave the oh-so-popular Limp Bizkit gasping for breath.

And finally, Do You Remember [MP3 sample] is being held up as the best track on the album. It is a groovy song, but it is also practically pop. Nothing wrong with that, and it helps keep the album from being overwhelmingly LOUD. I will be sad, though, if this is the song that makes the charts while the rest of his work is ignored because it isn't close enough to bubblegum rap.

By Denise Ahn

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