Our Nation Vol. 5 - Viva Soul / Pastel
Rating: 6.5
Label: Drug Records
Release Date: October 22, 2002
Relevant Links: Buy it here.
Up until this point, I was under the impression that Drug was a punk label, and that the Our Nation series were punk albums. Apparently that is not the case, as there is very little punk involved in this album. What we do get are an indie hip-hop group, and a female-front disco-pop outfit.
Viva Soul, a hip-hop group, make up the front end of the album. I’m not going to pretend like I know a lot about rap and hip-hop, because in all honesty I don’t. What I do know is that Viva Soul are really awesome. They play some really upbeat, old-school sounding hip-hop. Additionally, they play actual instruments (at least according to the liner notes where the various members are credited with instruments). “Green Hill Ground,” for example, is all about the wah guitar in addition to the record scratching. In a sad testament to how little I know about hip-hop, the only other group I could compare them to is another Korean hip-hop outfit, Epik High.
Like I have already said, I really enjoyed Viva Soul. The one complaint I have is out of their six tunes, one was an 18 second skit, and one was a remix (though in all fairness, the remix has very little in common with the original musically).
I’m a tad enraged I purchased this in the dead of winter, because the Viva Soul tracks are decidedly summer jams, like Fresh Prince’s (Will Smith’s) “Summer Time.” God I’m lame!
Pastel are two women with a guitar and a bass, and a drum machine / studio drummers that can do disco beats…oh and keyboards that do K.C. & The Sunshine Band sounds (fake trumpets and the like). The play really upbeat pop rock, and come across kind of like a less rockin’, more disco version of the goofy Japanese pop rock outfit, Shonen Knife. This is not to say Pastel doesn’t rock out at all. On the tracks “말해,” “Movie Star,” and “날씨흐림,” the ladies of Pastel indulge in some rock, but somehow come out sounding like a cross between Shania Twain and Huey Lewis and the News. The tracks that fair better are “푸른 눈동자,” and “Day dream,” both of which, incidently feature members of Viva Soul.
While past Our Nation installments are tailor made to be listened to prior to heading out to a rock show, or while driving 90 miles an hour and the way to said same rock show, Our Nation 5 is perfect for a dance party. And inspite of my inability to dance (ask about my drunken trip to a goth dance club) I have to give this album 3 thumbs up…er a rating of 6.5.
