Byul : Secret Stories Heard From a Girl in an Opium Den

Byul.org‘s new release, Secret Stories Heard From a Girl in an Opium Den (released on Burnt Toast Vinyl in the United States) is mostly a compilation of their best stuff from over the past decade, along with a new track just for the vinyl version. It passes over much of their odder and more experimental songs, emphasizing the more poppy and melodic, making it by far their most accessible release and a very good place to start if you wanted to get to know the band better.

I first heard of Byul from the soundtrack to the great Korean movie Take Care of My Cat. Their song “2″ had a wistful nostalgia that fit nicely with the mood of the movie and was one of the best songs from that era of Korean indie music. Over the years, I caught their shows a few times, but back then it was mostly a two-man show was tended to be a little slow for my tastes.

But Byul (and, later, Byul.org) was more than just a music group. It represented a whole slew of artists and designers who added to the mix over the years, and Byul.org began to grow and change. Periodically, they would release a little publication called Monthly Vampire, which was usually full of odd designs and photos, along with a new CD.

After a burst of creativity 10 years ago, the band began to get a little self-absorbed for a few years (in my humble opinion), but as they changed and added new members, their songwriting grew stronger again, and the past few years have seen some of their best work.

2010 was a very good year for the band, as they recorded two of their best songs and had two videos — the poppy, retro “Pacific” and the mysterious, slow-build instrumental “Secret Stories Heard From a Girl in an Opium Den” — both of which are on this CD.

“6″, with vocals by indie great Baik Hyunjhin and Lee Hyewon, is a fun song from 2003, featuring an uptempo beat with the vocalists speaking their lyrics in a hypnotic overlap. “Secret Police”, also from 2003, is one of the best songs here — I’m not sure how I missed it before, but I’m glad I know it now. It’s another dancy song, with a simple percussion sequence and pop hooks that could have come from something by Phoenix or Robyn.

One Byul.org project not on this release, sadly, is the Boa cover project. Byul inspired 10 of Korea’s most interesting indie artists to tackle the music of pop queen Boa earlier this year. Some turned her music into indecipherable noise, while others, like Byul, kept the original melody basically in place and just transformed her songs into something totally different. But I guess it is not surprising that Byul’s contribution to that project is not here, as clearing the rights to Boa’s songs would have been a nightmare (and expensive). You can listen to those songs, though, at the link I provided.

Anyhow, Opium Den has been released on vinyl, on a 2-LP set, in the United States by Burnt Toast Vinyl. If I hear about an iTunes or other digital release, I’ll be sure to add it to my post.

You can check out the artwork and all their lyrics to Opium Den (in Korean and English). There’s also some good information in the Creators Project profile of Byul.org and the Dark Night Film Festival (for videos and other information).