CHUDAHYE CHAGIS- Underneath the Dangsan Tree Tonight
(June 19, 2020. Eastern Standard Sounds)
After making an international splash as a lead member of Korean Folk-inspired Ssing Ssing , CHUDAHYE has delivered a fierce followup, leading the dancy, sublime, psychedelic, sometimes-brash-sometimes-ethereal CHUDAHYE CHAGIS. Their debut album, Underneath the Dangsan Tree Tonight, is an aurally beautiful tapestry of genres, traditions and talent.
Dear reader, my advice is that you prepare for your very first listen to Underneath the Dangsan Tree. You’ll need a comfy spot and the best pair of headphones you can borrow. The production, mixed by Naoyuki Uchida of Japanese reggae band Dry & Heavy, is rich, subtle and should be enjoyed on something other than airpods.
The album opens with, what seems like, CHUDAHYE conjuring the elements: first, Earth and Fire in undo and then Wind and Water in Binasoo+. The former, a violent incantation with crunchy unison metal riffs while the latter contrasts as a peaceful, floating-down-the-river dub, driven by bassist Jaeho Kim.
While the groove runs deep through the whole record, things stay ethereal, if not smooth for the first half. Soul Birds kicks with a jazzy guitar on top of an extra-slow funk. As the song progresses, the band jams under and in between aerial vocals and descends into a frantic honking madness.
The thread that connects all tracks is a sense of harmony through opposites; a musical demonstration of the same yin and yang which adorns the Korean national flag. Just as the first two tracks contrasted demonic fire with ethereal water, the first half of the album is airy and full of ambiance while the latter half drops the beat and implores the listener to tap their toe.
Aptly named, Ritual Dance, kicks off the dancy half with funky bass and a fresh hip-hop backbeat. Simun’s rhythmic noodling on guitar grooves hard... but is delivered without any pretense or flash. It’s a quality that each album collaborator demonstrates time and again. The instruments literally cradle CHUDAHYE’s unique vocals in a satisfying blend.
The band teases jamaican rhythms on many songs, but Eheori-Ssunggeoya is a full-fledged reggae jam with flavors of Slightly Stoopid in the reverb-laden guitar fills. Davin Kim keeps the drums tight, as he does, while Naoyuki Uchida peppers echo here and there. The mix-monster is finally let loose on the last track, in a dubbed out version.
But before Bok Dub closes the album, there is one last taste of dualism for the listener. Chagi’s Chagi begins as a start/stop rhythm with pleasant, but sparse, instrumentation behind CHUDAHYE’s sweet, melancholic voice. A few minutes in, it quickly transitions to a latin rhythm punctuated by victorious whooping and hollering. The percussion is thick (as it should be) and the lyrical call-and-response is just pure joy. The song is one last delicious twist for CHUDAHYE CHAGIS’s genre bending debut album.
Contact
easternstandardsounds@gmail.com
www.easternstandardsounds.com
released June 19, 2020
[CHUDAHYE CHAGIS]
Vocal Chu Da Hye
Guitar Lee Simun
Bass Kim Jaeho
Drums Kim Davin
[Additional]
Percussion Kang Teckhyun
Saxophone Kim Oki
Vocal harmony Chu Da Hye(3, 6, 7, 8, 9), Ji Seo Hweon(6, 7, 8, 9), Kang Teckhyun (7, 8, 9), Kim Jaeho, Kim Davin, Lee Simun (3, 7, 8, 9)
[Credit]
Executive Producer: Chu Da Hye
Producer Lee Simun, Chu Da Hye
Co-Producer: Kang Teckhyun, Kim Jaeho
Recording Engineer: Min Sangyong at Studio Log
Mix Engineer: Naoyuki Uchida at Makisato-Lab, Fusion, Kanagawa, Japan
Mastering Engineer: Choi Hyoyong at SUONO Mastering
Visual Director & Stylist: Kim Nara
Photographer: lee Wongul
Hair & Makeup: Han Youjin
Album Design: Seo Kyongsu
Digital Distribute (Korea): Poclanos
Digital Distribute (Int'l): Eastern Standard Sounds
International Booking
easternstandardsounds@gmail.com
www.easternstandardsounds.com