VendingMachineProject
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 My theory of pop music is this: if you sound half-way decent with just a synthesizer, you're going to really rock when you can afford real instruments. VendingMachineProject is almost there. They've got the Ibanez guitar, they've got the bass. Now all they need is a live drum kit, and they'll hit the charts. The group is composed of four young men: Park Doyoung is responsible for the programming and composing, Kim Kisuk plays the bass guitar and sings supporting vocals, Shin Garam raps and lays down the scratching, and Lee Juwhang is the lead singer and plays the lead guitar.
VendingMachineProject plays pop and rock out of Namyangju, Kyounggi-do. Exemplary of their rock beat is thyself [MP3]. The bass and guitar provide the drive in this song. The rapper, Shin Garam, teams up with lead vocalist Lee Juwhang to provide the lyrics. The instrumental passages are a bit murky, but otherwise it's a good effort.
Op8 [MP3] is a love song that shows off the beautiful voices of Lee Juwhang and Kim Kisuk. The lead vocal has life and and strength. This song has a robust bass line that really balances the song and the segues highlighted by the electric guitar are sweet.
This is quite a different song than the funky one [MP3]. The bass starts the funk line, and Park Doyoung samples in the drums. Shin Garam does most of the vocal work in this piece, but the glory goes to Kim Kisuk on the bass. The group describes this as a "hardcore, rap only" number.
Similar in style is warning [MP3]. The funky bass line is still an essential part of the song, but warning has a little more depth than one. Lee Juwhang rounds out the rap sounds with some scratching and Park Doyoung does an excellent job with his computerized rhythms and keyboard.
I think VendingMachineProject's particular strength is the love ballad, and goodbye [MP3] is a second good example of this. Park Doyoung really does understand his synthesizers, and I almost didn't miss the live drum set in this one. I would have no objection to listening to Lee Juwhang on a six-hour car trip.
By Denise Ahn
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