Korean Dream Pop

At a club in Gangnam, pop singer Yozoh sauntered on stage wearing black pants, a white button-down shirt, a skinny black tie and a black fedora. Followed out by a violin player, she addressed a responsive crowd warmly and with a fair amount of stage presence. She let the audience sample her voice. She sounded sweet, cute, in line with much of the Korean pop music I have heard.

Initially singing with Sogyumo Acacia Band, Yozoh has released an introductory solo album titled, naturally, "My Name is Yozoh." It is nine songs of soft pop, with Yozoh front and center. The verses are in Korean, the choruses in English. There are a lot of giggles and cutesy vocal tricks thrown in to keep it light. The young, playful spirit of the songs pairs well with Korean kidults. I imagine a young adult couple wearing matching pink sweaters, sharing the ear buds on a Mickey Mouse-shaped mp3 player, walking hand in hand through a Hyundai Department store, listening to Yozoh.

Then comes the blindside. On the song "Banana Party," Yozoh sings, in her breathy, sweet voice, "Give me your banana, let me taste your banana" in a repeated refrain. The double entendre shatters whatever sense of innocence you feel when you first meet her songs. Apparently, the song is on a television advertisement for a digital camera, but it might not get past American censors.

On April 27, as part of a Pastel Records showcase billed as "Mellow Songs About You," Yozoh's label-mates Lucite Tokki joined Han Hui Jeong and Dannawhale at Club SSAM in Hongdae.

The press release for Lucite Tokki begins with "Waiting for music that makes you feel like an innocent child and a mature grown-up at the same time?" Though not as successful as Yozoh (aside from "Banana Party") in that realm, that marketing strategy does fit the generic aesthetic of Lucite Tokki.

Cho Ye-jin sings and Kim Seon-yeong plays guitar - what they don't play, they make up for with electronics. Cho sang with Humming Urban Stereo on two albums and her soft voice blends well with Kim's ethereal guitar parts. The use of electronics to expand the atmosphere of their songs gives Lucite Tokki a dream pop quality.

As far as it goes, there is a lack of singular identity in each of these albums. Both are well-produced and the singers have talent, but I am missing the distinct element that these musicians are advancing their tradition. It is as though they are trying to appeal to too many groups - kids, the young adults, and adults all in one. This might be a smart approach to land on radio and MTV.

However, I would like to see these gifted musicians taking their art form to a higher plane. If they narrow their scope, both Yozoh and Lucite Tokki should be able to carve out a niche and be an asset to the Seoul indie scene. Surely, Seoul has many talented, undiscovered independent bands. I am still looking.