For sEODo Band, 'Joseon pop' is feeling before formula
Before sEODo BAND had much of an audience, it had a problem familiar to every new act — it needed 30 minutes of music to play at performances. The solution came from a source most rock bands would not think to raid. The band took the highlight passages of the traditional pansori "Chunhyangga," strung five of them together and found that the half-hour set told the whole story of the 18th-century…
Before sEODo Band had a sizable fanbase, they faced a common issue for emerging acts — needing 30 minutes of music for performances. Their solution came from an unlikely source: traditional pansori music. Specifically, they incorporated the highlight passages of the 18th-century Korean love epic, Chunhyangga. By stringing five of these passages together, they created a half-hour set that encompassed the entire story from start to finish.
This set ultimately evolved into the band's first full-length album, ONE, set for release on Friday. The vocalist of sEODo Band expressed during an interview at The Korea Times headquarters in central Seoul on August 3 that the album turned out to be more fully realized than anticipated. The band had long desired to create a full-length album in this format.
The album's title, ONE or won in Korean, holds deeper meaning. It symbolizes a circle and also represents resentment and longing, the two forces driving the lovers throughout the Chunhyangga narrative. The plot itself is cyclical, mirroring the timeless love story's journey.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- For sEODo Band, 'Joseon pop' is feeling before formula koreatimes.co.kr
