Calm Down Man

Oh Minji: Daily streaming, vlog posts, game streams, mukbang, cooking, movie reviews, discussions, lectures from experts … As AKMU member LEE CHANHYUK says, Calm Down Man is a YouTube channel that covers such a variety of topics that it’s hard to pin down exactly what it is, other than the sort of channel the YouTube algorithm will guide you to based on your past viewing habits. The time AKMU stopped by to be on the stream (a stream which later split into “Akdong Musician and Akjil Musician” and a follow-up episode “Sibling Episodes Tournament Feat. AKMU”) is no exception, bouncing around different subject matter so much that the artist never needs to stick to any one topic or a theme. This one stream covered topics surrounding AKMU’s comeback—what they’ve been up to lately, their new songs, reactions to and stories about their music video, learning their latest dance challenge —but the host and the artist also discuss why the musical duo went on KPOP STAR, who they want to collaborate with, the challenge of working together as a sibling duo, and an elimination ladder of the one thing that all siblings can relate to.

What does it mean for siblings to have chemistry together? You can’t help but wonder when you see how SUHYUN introduces herself as “LEE CHANHYUK’s forever little sister,” but then goes onto pull a disgusted face when she goes to drink from her brother’s cup by accident; or in part two, when LEE CHANHYUK says his whole reason for living is to tease his sister and the little bit (or quite a bit?) of happiness he receives from it. In any case, it’s their sibling chemistry that takes what could’ve been an unfocused discussion and ties it all together under one theme, as when LEE CHANHYUK mulls over the idea of fostering a new image as a duo with a friendlier relationship and the host sympathetically notes how difficult that would be, or how the duo explains that they cut out points of friction like driving or eating together so that they can sustain their joint musical career for a long time. The little displays of affection (that actually require a great deal of effort), like when they shake hands before getting down to work and hyping themselves up by telling themselves they’re the best sibling duo ever, are unusual but fun and somewhat endearing to watch. Calm Down Man’s show may jump around sporadically from topic to topic, but it’s a proof of the show’s ability to extract  what it needs out of the guests and tie it all together. Check out this talk show—its “calm” fun is sure to exceed your expectations.

Wedance - “Thin Line”
Na Wonyoung (Music Critic): One of the many reasons Wedance can be called both dance-pop and an indie rock group at the same time is the way their sound is constructed. They learned over time how to produce and distribute their own albums in the way they “Just Want To,” which they make apparent in their album Dance Pop, where they combine electronic drum and bass beats with heavily filtered electric guitar. In their new song “Thin Line,” they inflate those two sounds to yield impressive results. On the ground level, the heavy bassline builds to a head over a throbbing rhythm keeping perfect time, giving the song that indescribable quality of dance that makes you want to move your body. Wegui’s electric guitar gives the song a rougher, more radical tone, lending it a rock flavor. In some of their tracks, these two aspects of their music are inextricably intertwined, but here, each element of the music trades off taking the lead to create textured shapes in the soundscape. As for the pop side of things, that’s left to Wevo’s singing and the melody. The vocals, so wild as to give those of Yun Joung Lee of Pippi, EE, and numnum fame a run for their money, enrich verses with lyrics like, “dance just comes out,” which, as simple and honest as they are, form a unique harmony with the melody thanks to their deep-seated truth. “Thin Line” shares similarities with previous albums thanks to its dance/rock sound, but the whole album, SUM, also explores itself through calm, ever-deepening lyricism, while simultaneously remaining in perfect balance. The music is unquestionably danceable (as Wevo sings: “hectic waddling, mind shook”), but the manic, carefree dancing is always underpinned by a sense of melancholy. There’s a line in the song that goes, “It was a very thin line / My foot is on it.” And that really makes it as indie as it is “City Punk.” But, despite a certain amount of tightrope walking (“my cheap climbing shoes are crying”), Wedance has been going strong in their own unrestrained direction for more than a decade. Like their name says: “We dance, it’s alive.”