Got so much catching up to do, especially with the release updates, so I’ll just start with something that caught my interest just now: “electro-trip-hop duo” Kafka is back with a new EP!
Kafka’s self-titled trip-hoppy debut from 2004 ranks as one of the most interesting Korean indie albums I can think of, and I’ve been keeping the duo in high regard since. This EP, The Most Beautiful Thing, is their 2.5 and it has been out since July 1.
Three songs from the EP can be sampled via MySpace and through YouTube: The Most Beautiful Thing is an electronic affair; for When You Wake Up they’ve incorporated a generous amount of rock elements; and Silence shows Kafka just the way I like them best.
And in other news, thanks to Widhi, we can learn that traditional Irish music project Bard will return to Europe this month. The group will play at the An Spailpin Fanac pub in Cork, Ireland, on July 10.
If you’d like to learn more on the band, I’d like to recommend checking out a recent post over at Widhi’s own blog. That post also includes a lengthy review of Bard’s first full-length album, released May 6: [Wiz Players] Bard: A Journey to the Eire.
And if you’re in the mood for something a little more summery to celebrate the season, there’s Ukulele Picnic, which is the subject of much buzz. Today I finally took the time to find out more, and realized that it’s a trio gathering former Broccoli, you too?/current Autumn Vacation member Gyepy, TJ of Hachi & TJ, soundtrack composer Lee Byung Hun, and a bunch of ukuleles.
A first self-titled album was released on June 17 and while it appears to contain a few original songs, most of the material is made up of summery covers. The main track, 작은고양이, is an updated version of the song with the same name from Lee Byung Hun’s former band Voy whereas 우리두리 was originally a Hachi & TJ song.
Also found on the album are new takes on familiar songs Sleigh Ride (featuring YouTube celebrity David Choi),Sugar, Sugar (supported with vocals and instruments from IS), A Lover’s Concerto, Fly Me To The Moon, New York, New York (with Taoka Miki from the Indigo), and Mexican guitar tune Maria Elena.
