Korean Rock Recall: Galaxy Express Prove The Best Rock 'N' Roll Is Primitive On Their 2013 Track 'Horongbul' [VIDEO]

Many of the rock groups coming out of Korea in recent years temper their hard edges with soft synths, attempting to cozy up to the worldwide EDM monolith.

For the popular rock trio Galaxy Express, this isn't an option worth exploring.

Perhaps this is because by adding electronics, these groups add a layer of complexity. It's that very complexity that Galaxy Express seem to go out of their way to avoid.

On their 2013 single "Horongbul," Galaxy Express explore life's pleasures that come with brutal simplicity. In nearly every way possible, this song shows how a lot can be done with very little.

Since 2006, Galaxy Express have marched forward with a singleminded kind of aggression. Even when they were participating in the "Band Generation" television show or livestreaming the blitzkrieg recording of their 2010 album "Wild Days," the group has always relied on the tightly coiled power inherent in their frenzied sound.

In their unrelenting energy and unyielding ferocity, Galaxy Express are very much working in the tradition of Detroit's proto-punk pioneers. In fact, they can be seen on YouTube covering the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams."

However, it's "Raw Power"-era Stooges that the band calls to mind on "Horongbul."

If you like the opening few seconds of "Horongbul," you're in luck; that two-chord riff makes up the meat of the song's nearly five-minute long duration. Once that first riff has revved up, it sticks around for a good long while, bulldozing everything in its path and pausing, only briefly, for the chorus.

So how does Galaxy Express stretch such a small amount of material to such anti-pop lengths?

For starters, they do it by avoiding messy ornamentation. The repetitive nature of the band's music is easy on the ears. That's the benefit of using simple ingredients. The purity of a simple, stupid riff can go for miles without overloading the listener.

The band's attitude is a factor as well.

The twin vocal attack of bassist Lee Ju Hyun and Park Jong Hyun offer alternating sneers and Axl Rose-style screams, keeping things interesting. The well-placed bridge doesn't hurt, either.

This three-piece outfit's energy never falters on "Horongbul," guided along by Kim Hee Kwon's rapid-fire rolls on the drums.

"Honestly, the three of us don't know how to compose or edit anything using the computer and none of us can actually read music," Park said in a 2014 interview with the Korea Herald. "We are quite primitive in that sense."

This primitive approach doesn't appear to have hobbled Galaxy Express's musical ambitions in any way, quite the contrary. Perhaps evolution, at least in music, is a thing worth avoiding.

Watch the music video for Galaxy Express' s 2013 track "Horongbul" RIGHT HERE

 

Jeff Tobias is a composer, musician and writer currently living in Brooklyn, New York. As of late, he has been researching the history of British free improvisation and fine-tuning his chili recipe.

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Galaxy Express
Horongbul
Band Generation
Korean Rock Recall
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