Busker Busker

It's been such a long time... Sorry about the delay, to those of you who might've been waiting for a new review. Sometimes, life just happens...

Anyway, I'm excited to introduce you to an artist that is completely new to me. This will be my first time reviewing a real indie rock band. Although I've always had a particular liking to indie rock, I've never really embraced it as a whole genre, especially not tin the K-Pop/Korean music world. I thereby introduce you to Busker Busker, currently one of the most popular indie bands in Korea.

Busker Busker is a 3-member band that consists of vocalist/guitarist Jang Bum Joon, bassist Kim Hyung Tae, and drummer Brad Moore. The band was founded by Jang Bum Joon, who was a college student at Sang Myung University. He sought to create a "busking" performance group of all art mediums that would bring a cultural and artistic presence to the streets of Korea. At first, the band was just a vast group of college students pursuing their individual interests in music and art. Jang Bum Joon was a part of a subset band called "Pinky Pinky." When the band's drummer had to quit, he met Kim Hyung Tae, a fellow college student, and Brad Moore, an English teacher at the university. They formed a band together, renaming it "Busker Busker." For a while, the band was still a loose formation, where the members rotated in and out of performances. In 2011, they participated in the auditions for Superstar K3, the Korean equivalent of American Idol, where the trio finally became a real band.

(left to right) Moore, Kim, and Jang.

On Superstar K3, Busker Busker was eliminated after having made it to the Top 48. However, the band was given another chance when one of the Top 10 contestants dropped out, leaving a spot open for them on the show. Busker Busker went on to do fairly well on Superstar K3, where they were able to make it to the final round, against rival group Ulala Session. Despite not winning the show, the band was able to gain a great amount of popularity. After a short hiatus, Busker Busker released their first album in March of 2012, simply titled "Busker Busker 1st Album." The album quickly became a national hit, selling over 50,000 copies during its first three weeks. All of its songs topped the music charts, all written by leader Jang Bum Joon.  They later released a final part of the album, which was cut out because it didn't fit with the overall theme of spring. All five songs, again written by Jang, were able to chart within the top five on various online music charts.

First of all, wow. Such an impressive resume for an indie band, especially in Korea, where the K-Pop industry rules all. It goes to show that the audience in Korea is changing, at least in their taste in music, where small and lesser-known bands like Busker Busker can be really successful in the music industry. It seems like there's a "Busker Busker" wave going on in Korea, at least when I was there this summer, where so many of the commercials were using their music, and I was like "who is this?" Now, I know. And I'm glad that I got to know about such a great band. As you've seen, I'm slowly getting exposed to a broader range of music in the Korean industry, and with that has come Busker Busker.

To be honest, I didn't fall in love with their songs right away, as I am still getting used to the indie rock sound.  But as I got to listening to them nonstop, I got used to the sound, and was able to appreciate the instrumental sounds. Not only was I recognizing the actual lyrics of the songs, but I could feel the guitar strumming into my ears, the drums and bass in the background. A lot of K-Pop songs, I realize, are really catchy and while you get into the sound of the song, you ignore what they're saying and the instruments that are playing (at least that's what I usually do). With Busker Busker's music, they're not as catchy, and as you try to get used to it, you get to appreciate the most important aspects: the lyrics and instruments making the music. I've been introduced to a whole new way of listening to music, all thanks to Busker Busker!

Out of all of their songs, "Yeosu Night Sea" is the song that stayed with me most. It was probably the second most popular song of Busker Busker, behind "Cherry Blossom Ending." For some reason I can't explain, the melody is really addicting. Here, check it out:

"Yeosu Night Sea"


Here's the full tracklist of Busker Busker's first album:

1. Spring Breeze
2. First Love
3. Yeosu Night Sea
4. Cherry Blossom Ending
5. Ideal Type
6. Loneliness Amplifier
7. Alley
8. At The Entrance of The Alley
9. Calling You
10. The Flowers
11. Perfume