the seven-piece Seoul-based band LEENALCHI RELEASE NEW ALBUM
Leenalchi (EEE-nal-chi) — the seven-piece Seoul-based band led by composer Jang Young Gyu (occasionally written Youngkyu Jang)— release their new album, Sugungga, a revival of an 18th century Korean epic, today via Luaka Bop, The already released lead single/video, “Crying Softshell Turtle.” Leenalchi is breathing new life into pansori, one of the nation’s oldest forms of music, giving this surreal legend an equally psychedelic musical makeover. Their line-up, as singular as their sound, features two bassists, drums, keys, no guitar, and four pansori singers. The two bassists — Jang and his artistic collaborator Ejae — lay down bass riffs so fat and funky, George Clinton would shed a tear of joy. Over steady infectious rhythms and a synthesizer, traditional pansori vocalists sing in the genre’s distinctive, ethereal, technically precise, guttural warble.
PHOTO CREDIT: Robert Macaisa
Jang approaches the music of Leenalchi with a collaborative spirit. In addition to Ejae, he works with drummer Oh Hyung Suk to set the foundation for a song, then, master pansori singers Park Soo Bum, Ahn Yi Ho, Ra Seo Jin, and Choi Su In draw from the repertoire of pansori songs to discover the most distinctive and fitting sounds.
The already released single, “Crying Softshell Turtle,” tells the story of an enterprising turtle on a quest to cure the dragon king by bringing him a sacrificial rabbit, whose liver is the greatest medicine. Assuming the role of the turtle, they sing “I beg you to open his belly, and I pray to god there is a liver in there. But if there isn’t a liver, you can execute my whole family and tear me to pieces, and I won’t have any regrets. I beseech you, open his belly.”
Watch “Crying Softshell Turtle” Video (preview)
Watch Leenalchi Perform “Crying Softshell Turtle” Live at The Getty
Jang, a major presence in South Korea’s indie music scene, has been working with pansori since 2007. An NPR Tiny Desk concert of one of his former bands, SsingSsing, racked up 9.9 million views on YouTube and was praised by Tiny Desk founder Bob Boilen as "one of my most memorable Tiny Desk Concerts of all time." Told in an ancient form of the language, even most Korean speakers have a hard time understanding what’s happening in these songs. But like all great music, when pansori is performed correctly, meaning transcends the confines of language, time, space. “Up until very recently, most Koreans thought of pansori as old fashioned and stale; I want to see if it can be appreciated and enjoyed in the same way as pop music,” says Mr. Jang. “Will Koreans sing along to pansori?”
Jang is also known for his work as a prestigious film composer, having scored soundtracks for some of South Korea’s most celebrated films like Train to Busan, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Wailing, and more. These aforementioned films will receive special screenings accompanied by Q&As with Jang, as part of the band’s tour. And this coming September, a highly anticipated Korean adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, featuring Jang’s music and sound design, will premier in New York at the Park Avenue Armory
