Wednesday 15 September 2010

Get on board the Seoul Train: a guide to the music of an expat in Korea

DAVE Candler (right), a great Merseyside/ Cheshire journalist has gone on a remarkable journey in the last 10 years. The journey has seen him swap the strip lighting of the night shifts of Liverpool ECHO and Daily Post for first, Manhattan and the New York Daily News, and then the bright lights of South Korea.
Along the way he has met Paul Simon and Lou Reed, taken people to Johnny Thunders' grave and guided a local journalist around New York during the days after September 11, 2001. And then he and his wife upped sticks and headed for Wonju in South Korea.
He's a difficult man to keep track of, jaysus, Lord alone knows where he is right now, but at least he is making podcasts of the things he holds most dear. It appears he is back in the Far East and turning an ear to some of the music of his adopted homeland.
See, at heart he is still a punk rocker and in this, the first of hopefully a series of shows, he guides us through some of the music he is listening to now. It's a selection of flinty guitar pop with the kind of lo-fi atmosphere sadly lacking on BBC's 6Music and which would fit Late Junction on BBC Radio 3 perfectly.
Better than tha, the so and so has the greatest voice for radio ever. Mr Thompson, I think you have found the new Peel, but, he'll have to work out of the Seoul bureau.
 
A track listing, biogs and links have been requested from Dave.
I really think this is what the internet may have been invented for.

3 comments:

  1. Fantastic podcast there from Dave, I've been writing down the track listing so that I can download the songs although I've only managed to find a live version of We Need Surgery's City on iTunes.
    If you and any other GMers want to sample some more Korean indie/punk/rock music then K League (South Korea's footy league) have just released a football inspired album available to download for free from their website http://www.kleague.com its called Into The K-League its the second link on the events section on the front page.

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  2. Paddy, thanks for the very kind words. I'm not worthy. No, really I'm not. Really chuffed you like my 'cast.
    Track listing is:
    1. Fall - We Need Surgery
    2. Monument - Animal Dads
    3. 42 on a Towel - Arne von Brill
    4. Bicep the Eunuch - Arne von Brill
    5. Birthday - Justin Patrick
    6. Simon Says - We Need Surgery
    7. The City She Knows - We Need Surgery

    Another KHB already under way!

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  3. Dave, it was a great podcast do you know of any websites where I could get a hold of songs from these bands by any chance?

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