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The debut album of Y2K, entitled After Separation, saw instant success in Korea upon its release. This three-person group includes a Korean (Jae Keun) and two Japanese musicians (Yuichi and Koji). They are loved for their live performances, and are currently looking toward a concert tour in Japan.
The first song released from the album, Bi Ryun (Sorrow) [RealAudio], is a delicate yet dramatic ballad, indicating that someone in this new group has a sensitive soul. The electric guitar riffs are a nice part of this piece. Track two, Botagiya, is another strong ballad with a good lead guitar marking the central section of the song. In addition Bi Ryun and Botagiya, Kiphun Sulphum adds romance to the CD with its straightforward lyricism. This ballad relies more on the piano than the guitar for color and heart.
Romance aside, the group's success on the charts comes from the title cut off the CD, Haeuhjin Hooeh (After Separation), a song with much more of a rock sound. This track starts with a ripping guitar and segues into a clear vocal line. Overall, it has a lighter beat than the rock intro might indicate, but it still has a more obvious debt to rock than pop.
The final cut on the CD, Independence [MP3], is hit material. No rock guitar or heavy drums on this one--instead, it sounds a great deal more like the work being released by the hot all-boy groups lately.
I admit, I prefer it when Jae Keun, Yuichi and Koji are seriously driving their beats with a pure rock sound. The beginning of Don't Worry [MP3] caught me for just this reason, but then the song turned into something similar to Independence. The passages between verses contained some good music, but again, this is pop all the way.
Kyonggo has a very subtle hip-hop sound in its voicing. The electric guitar is muted until almost two minutes into the song, and then it appears only for a few measures. This song is fairly successful in its fusion of hip-hop, soul, pop and rock.
The seventh track, Gopaen, is another experiment within the ballad tradition. This is a slightly R&B tune. Instead of an electric guitar, transitions are played through with an acoustic guitar and saxophone. Track eight, Soheon, demonstrates the importance of the slower songs to the group. Although they are cast as a pop-rock group, more than half the songs on the album are made for slow dancing in the dark.
By Denise Ahn
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