Take a look at the "Bright Lights" with Dear Cloud...

The members of Dear Cloud (Clockwise from Bottom):  Nine, Kim Young Rin,
Elang, Kwang Seok and Jung Ah

It’s rare that you get to discover something new that amazes and takes your attention away from the trends in music that you have gotten used to; and when you do, the experience lets your mind fly away into a wonderland of auditory delight. I’m not easy to please, and I’m picky with the music I review… I only review stuff that I like. If I don’t like what I hear, I just keep mum about it. I’d rather not say anything hurtful that could take away one’s love for an artist… all artists deserve to be loved. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I don’t stick to one artist with my reviews. I want to discover more beautiful music to love.

I discovered that same indescribable, flighty feeling when I heard the music of the group “Dear Cloud”. This indie rock quintet based in Seoul has been rocking the scene in Korea for the past 4 years (since they debuted as a group in 2007 with their self-titled album). Their music is a revelation of how connected the music industry is across the continental divide. While most Korean rock groups (such as CN BLUE and FT Island) are highly influenced by Japanese rock / J-Rock, Dear Cloud sets itself apart with an alternative rock groove that is reminiscent of British alternative groups like Coldplay and The Killers. I was taken aback by how un-K-pop they sounded, but it was amazing that everything was being sung in Korean.

Dear Cloud is composed of 5 members --- Jang Jee Yeon / Nine (main vocalist and guitarist), Kim Young Rin (guitarist), Im E Lang / Elang (bassist), Jung Ah (keyboardist), and Kwang Seok (Drum). Trying to research about this group was like looking for another needle in a huge haystack (which was my experience with the indie artists article I did a few weeks back). It’s sad that not a lot of written about this group considering the work they’ve done since 2007. Based on fan sites / blogs and forums, they’ve released a total of 2 albums --- a self titled album for their debut album, and another album titled “Grey”; apart from those, they’ve been releasing digital singles and/or mini-albums. The group is well-known for their sentimental and melancholic sound. Although they are generally known as a rock band, they also branch out to acoustic jazz and ballads.

I did a review of their past work, and I have a couple of favorites from their last mini-album in 2010, "Take The Air" --- "Collapse" and "Do Not Go Away". Both songs are very good examples of the smooth and sophisticated edge that they provide in the rock scene in Korea.

"Collapse" by Dear Cloud (MV Only)

"Do Not Go Away" by Dear Cloud (MV Only)

Last June 16, Dear Cloud released their 3^rd studio album titled “Bright Lights”.  It was the first time I’ve heard of this band when I saw their album online when it was released a couple of weeks ago… I guess the title of the album drew me in; both the band name and the album title were interesting. I couldn’t really help but want to listen to their music.

I was amazed by their first track, “You’re Never Gonna Know”, for the basic fact that they were the first Korean “rock” band that actually sounded like a rock band from our point of view.  From the strums of the electric guitar in combination with drum work in the first few seconds of the song, to the first phrases of Nine’s breathy and mellow lines, to the emotion built in the bridge of the song, and the awesome drum solo at the end of the track… the song took my breath away (and all of this without even understanding a single darn word of the song, right? Hahaha!).

"You're Never Gonna Know" by Dear Cloud (Audio Only)

“It’s For You”, which is the title track of Dear Cloud’s new album, starts off as a mid-tempo track with keyboard accompaniment , but it builds slowly in pace and emotion as drums and guitar join in the fray of the song. The song jumps between those segments between Nine singing the song with her accompaniment in the background, and then when the music builds, you can't seem to deny how much energy and emotion surges from the song. It makes sense too since the song is all about deep sense of longing for a person that one loves --- it's the kind of feeling that bursts forth, and evidently communicated in the song. 

"It's For You" by Dear Cloud (MV with English Subtitles)

NOTE: I tried out the CC / caption data, but it didn't seem to work for me. I checked,

luckily enough there is an interactive transcript; but that function only works when

the video in played in YouTube.

As much as Dear Cloud's music is praiseworthy, you'd have to think why such a great band remains fairly obscure and barely recognizable in the limelight in the Korean music industry. It maybe the fact that they have too much of a Western flair, or that their simply just not signed up with a major talent agency and lack their machinery (which is I highly doubt, since their fairly popular in Korea)... it doesn't take away from the fact that this group is definitely something to watch out for.