Sep

21

2007

Earip - Someone’s Bonfire

Posted by luna6

earip_01.jpg
Artist : Earip
Album : Someone’s Bonfire
Release Date : September 2007
Label : 12pok Byungfung
Website : http://sugarpaper.net/
Free Downloads : We Are The Universe
Rating : 9.0
Users Rating: 8.7 1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (10 votes)

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I’ve followed the career of Earip with interest from her early days with the band Sweater. Sweater would be one of the better Korean indie pop bands and for those interested they’re still around, but haven’t released material in a couple of years. Last year Earip, taking a break from Sweater, released her debut solo album named “End of Bando (Peninsula)”. The record was self-released, packaged in a charming indie way and appealing in a singular way. The sound of “End of Bando” was pure, minimal like a sketchbook of ideas. The songs were all acoustic, usually accompanied by just finger plucked acoustic guitar lines. While “End of Bando” had its compelling moments (Nameless Afternoon), as a whole the record felt like fragments of compelling ideas not quite fully realized. With Earip’s second album “Someone’s Bonfire’s”, her songs do feel like they have been given the time to develop completely and what results is an album that’s just breathtaking from start to finish.

earip-feb_.jpgThe variety of sounds on “Someone’s Bonfire” is evident from the get go. As soon as opening track “Runs of itself, even low” begins you realize this is going to be an entirely different type of journey than “End of Bando”. Synthesizers and upbeat drum machines appear from the start and it doesn’t take long before the temperature rises to a fever pitch. Earip’s voice has a tone that just does it for me and this time around you get to hear it with a slight trace of vocoder effects. Next track “My Headlight Dance” is upbeat, but this time around no synths, just funky basslines, with a similar joyous feel. The first two songs taken together does sound like the logical next step Sweater would take after “Humming Street”.

The album then settles into its finest moments with the following three tracks. “While I’m Moving” is sparse, with just acoustic guitars, bongos and Earip’s voice. Similar to what was displayed on “End of Bando” but more affective vocal phrasings are used that can easily bring you to your knees. The track is pure beauty and blissful dreaminess. Just when you think you’ve heard all that Earip has to offer there’s the following track, “A Question Mark” a piano ballad! That would be my favorite track on the album and this is coming from a person that normally runs, not walks away, from most piano ballads. Similar to the best dramatic films, the songs builds up emotions in a dignified manner and unleashes its full force in a way that you don’t notice until the song is finished. A few multi-tracked lines towards the end of the song was enough to bring the song to an overwhelming experience. I don’t think Earip has performed a song that open & exposed before and the result is simply stunning. The Joni Mitchell’esque “We Are The Universe” is heavenly, wrapped around the chorus of “You believe or not we are the universe, you believe or not we are the creators”, while verses recall Sweater’s “Spring Power Spring Daze”.

The later third of the album concludes the album nicely with upbeat “Cliche” (numo bop ba yo = so busy), “Veronica” and “Someone’s Bonfire’s”. The final track closes out the record with European flair, cinematic in a way, with Earip simply talking her way through - but I wouldn’t know what about. The song does conclude with the line “(person) are you here?”

The beauty of “Someone’s Bonfire’s” may well be with Earip displaying such a high confidence level which really hasn’t been displayed before. At times playful, at times seductive and all the time impressive, “Someone’s Bonfire’s” is an album that can simply blow you away. Best album by Earip OR Sweater and one of the best albums of the year. As icing on the cake the cd comes in a lovely foldout cover, with memo book, postcards, and poster. Indie, indie, indie. Love it!

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Tracklist:
01. Runs of itself, even low
02. My Headlight Dance
03. While I’m Moving
04. A Question Mark
05. We Are The Universe
06. Cliche
07. Veronica
08. Someone’s Bonfire


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13 Comments so far

  1. 13 Andy Says: December 19, 2007

    Oh, and did not know about it. Thanks for the information …

  2. 12 herbert Druschke Says: December 14, 2007

    i would like to know where/ how i can order that cd of “earip”.
    i didn`t find it at amazone or anywhere else.the byungfung-label info was too cryptic for me, sorry.
    so, is there any chance to get it without too much complications ;-)
    it would be very nice and helpful if anyone has an idea.
    thanx, herb

  3. 11 luna6 Says: October 18, 2007

    thanks helikoppter,
    I’m going to order that album now. nice blog you run over there in sweden as well. cheers…

  4. 10 helikoppter Says: October 18, 2007

    It sounds like Sweater :) Acoustic pop with electronic elements, nothing too slow. More like Staccato Green than Humming Street. If you like any of the other artists on the compilation (all exclusive songs as far as I can tell) it’s definitly worth getting so you can hear for yourself - I’d recommend the LE to get the soft petable extra case ^^

  5. 9 luna6 Says: October 17, 2007

    btw… how is the Sweater song on the story of cats compilation? Kind of electronic, pop, slow, acoustic? I’m very curious…

  6. 8 helikoppter Says: October 17, 2007

    Post Poetics does take international orders, just not for Earip’s album. I should just ask mrkwang for it, as usual :)
    And yes! Let’s hope the release of Sweater’s next album isn’t too far away! At least they recorded a song recently for the Story of Cats compilation ^^

  7. 7 luna6 Says: October 17, 2007

    Hey helikoppter ,
    I took out the links for ordering the album, i actually incorrectly assumed they took international orders. I don’t think its a problem between hanmail and other email accounts, my guess would be that she’s real busy (hopefully working on the next Sweater album!) and also maybe not being fluent in English as well. If I find somewhere that sells the album internationally I’ll post it here.

  8. 6 helikoppter Says: October 17, 2007

    Has anyone managed to get someone’s bonfire outside of Korea? When I contacted Post Poetics they said that they only sold the album in store and that I should contact Earip directly for an online order. Earip, on the other hand, has not replied on either of the two e-mails I sent her (1 and 3 weeks ago) regarding purchase of this album… Does hanmail still have issues with non-hanmail addresses (gmail and hotmail in this case) or is she just too busy?

  9. 5 Adrijana Says: September 27, 2007

    Thank you for this writeup and please keep up the great work. I don’t get a chance to hear music like this in Croatia but do find this so interesting. Kudos!

  10. 4 luna6 Says: September 21, 2007

    antithesis of female adoration : Years back when someone gave me Sweater’s “Staccato Green” cd, I had no idea who they were or what they looked like. Personally I don’t care what the performers look like - if so I would listen to Lee Hyo Lee or whatever’s thrown on MTV. My other favorite K indie band would be 3rd line butterfly and they don’t generally fit under the description of pin-up material or whatever. It just so happens that Earip is attractive, but that’s all gravy. Does it make her songs better or worse? Not at all. “End of Bando” would have rated a 7, while Sweater Vol. 2.5 would be like a 3 or 4 ?

    Also, interesting you say “We Are The Universe” sounds like Lisa Loeb. Generally speaking any soft female voice accompanied by an acoustic guitar could be construed that way, but I don’t hear similarities beyond that easy reference point. If you want to draw comparisons..a more apt comparison for “We Are The Universe” could be drawn with Suzanne Vega’s - “Marlene On The Wall” which probably goes back to Joni Mitchell and probably goes back to whoever preceded Mitchell. But, I think “We Are The Universe” can comfortably stand on its own footing. Also unlike Earip’s first album “End of the Bando” the sounds on “Someone’s Bonfire” is quite diverse (which makes the album even more appealing personally).

    Since the album is hard to find …I put up three songs to stream / sample. Look for the media player below the review, click one of the three tracks to hear for yourself & enjoy :

    Runs of itself, even low
    While I’m Moving
    A Question Mark

    Cheers..

  11. 3 music is subjective Says: September 21, 2007

    Is it even possible to have an unbiased album review? All you can expect is an honest opinion. ^_^

  12. 2 antithesis of female adoration Says: September 21, 2007

    We Are The Universe sounds like a Lisa lobe knock off!
    “AND YOU SAY………STAY”.
    I suspect your review is the misguided adoration of what appears to be a very beautiful woman. I guess if men can fight wars over a female, a bias album review is forgivable.

    -This comment rests on the notion that the remainder of the album shares a vein of concept with tract 05. Sadly track five offers no motivation to continue exploring.

  13. 1 panda-monium Says: September 21, 2007

    “Runs On Itself, Even Low” has an appealing synthpop, dance floor friendly sound that smiles upon OMD and Pet Shop Boys. When done tastefully, like here, it is addictive and not something inane as parodied on Saturday Night Live with Will Ferrell & Chris Kattan bopping their heads to // What is love / Baby don’t hurt me //

    “My Headlight Dance” has that distinctive quality of the best Ivy songs with a tone of voice like Dominique Durand’s nonchalant cooing.

    “While I’m Moving” is a breezily played acoustic guitar gem where her voice becomes like Sarah McLaughlin in the way that at moments it quavers and curls into itself.

    Yes, “A Question Mark” is a romantic piano song, played in a way that Barry Manilow would, only with a little more reserve and not so overtly sweet. Along with “We Are The Universe” they have the air of music that accompanies the closing credits of a Hayao Miyazaki movie.

    Beautifully recorded. You have the sense of an ant on the tip of the microphone she sings in, marching over the surface of the instruments she plays, hearing it up close and larger than life. For those who love K-pop, this one’s gonna be a dream come true.