O.WHEN(오왠) - ROOM O Album Thoughts

Track List:
01. 스물아홉
02. Oh My!
03. 찢어주세요 (Please Tear Up) 

04. Call Me Now
05. 않길 
06. 밤이 돼줄게요
07. 할말
08. 미지근한 밤
09. 영화배우
10. Good Night (Remastered)
11. 늦은저녁 이른새벽 (Remastered)

   Korean indie singer O.When released a full length album during the earlier part of the summer. I enjoy some of this guy's music but I also so readily look for his new releases. This being because my favorite release from O.When is still his older songs before he tried to go mainstream pop ballad on me. You don't get too much variation to O.When's music after that, even though I still listen to what he brings to the table every now and then. His music's best quality is it's ability to be bilingual in a catchy way no matter what genre of music it is.. However, the magic comes out full power during his jazzy acoustic mid temp numbers. Room O has some moments showcasing these qualities when you have the energy to find them. One good example would be Call Me Now, which should have been the album opener. Instead we get tracks that I know good and well were rejected from Korean drama soundtrack admissions. These tracks are as moody as you can get dealing out the heartache of a broken heart in music or just down right boring for listeners who know how Koreans like their ballads. O.When could just sit down and write another stripped acoustic album as long as they are a mix of English/Korean lyrics. Sometimes I think he misses out on the true art of the Korean indie scene that other artists such as 10cm and Moon Moon capitalize on. We call certain artist Indie based on the SOLE FACT that an indie's artist's music sounds nothing like the mainstream while being good enough to be in the mainstream under said artist's own terms. O.When only tapped into this idea when he first came out. Then he slowly started becoming one of those singers who inspires to be on Kpop Star itching to sell his soul for fame. At least Room O isn't a bad album depending on what you came for.

  O.When's vocals are similar to the music he writes. Two different sounds come out of his mouth in separate registers: Very low and very high. His lower range has a raspy to it that could grace the rhythm of soul music and I love the tonality. He uses his high range more often during the choruses of his songs. 

   I'll continue to have my personal gripes about O.When's music. What I do say though, is that he has something as a singer that makes me not want to quit his music cold turkey. A part of me still gets excited to listen to what slice of the South Korean indie music scene he will try to bring.