DREAMCATCHER(드림캐쳐) - Nightmare(악몽): Escape the Era Album Thoughts(K-rock)

Track List:
01. INSIDE-OUTSIDE (Intro)
02. YOU AND I 
03. Mayday
04. 어느 별
05. Scar (이 더럽고도 추한…)
06. YOU AND I (Inst.)

    DreamCatcher is one of those idol girl groups that just kept reinventing themselves until they got it right. The girls had another name then they dropped that name and the record label they were signed to along with it. Happy Face Entertainment is the new home of the girls plus two new members. I guess the people there decided to do things in a new way for them. From their re-debut to this album, Dreamcatcher has capitalized on a hard rock sound. Someone producing for the group got a whiff of the anti idols that have become ever so popular in Japan and got the idea to bring this concept to Korea. Escape the Era already gained promise because of the shadow lingering lead titled track called You and I. A track like this is needed in Kpop right about "now" even though I'm late posting about them. This track has endless appeal based on the dark rock sound that aids the girls as they dance. While this might not be anything new for me or people that like Japanese music, You and I is a showing progress that Kpop could become an individual thinking genre of music again in the immediate future. The mini album that contains this attention grabbing track isn't as good though. Mayday comes on following right behind You and I acting as a sequel to the track. Its a level below You and I but good enough for you to enjoy both songs as a pair. Dreamcatcher's charm steady disappears after Mayday finishes, sadly. You're then forced to face a three more tracks of the girls singing normal Kpop songs that don't do them an ounce of justice nor do they stand out from the other sugar coated Kpop girl groups ruling the charts in Korea currently. Switching between pop and rock isn't a bad plan but there's an art to it that J-pop idol girl groups like BiSH have mastered. BiSH changes their style while keeping the intensity that they bring to all their songs(even when I don't like all their songs.). Dreamcatcher has to learn how to keep their music interesting. Otherwise it's really easy to replace them in an industry like Kpop. The best thing that these girls have going for them is their growing fanbase overseas. Korea is catching on to them too recently however, they have more growing to do in popularity. Escape the Era wasn't as good as I wish it would have been overall. Only two songs really stood out to me. 

   Their voices sound like other Korean female singers to me. Taking away the rock sound would cause them to sound like all the other groups. This bothers me a little bit. I do like their voices though. Also, there's a part in You and I where one of the girls raps using melody which I though was cool and different. They need to expand more on what they have created. 

   Escape the Era is the same as having a small appetizer before the full course meal. The mini album showed a little promise. I need a bit more. Pushing them to create music outside of the normal Kpop sound will take them far.