- -- Release information ----------------------------------------------- -- -
Artist : Karin Park
Album : Apocalypse Pop
Genre : Electronic
Year : 2015
Label : State of the Eye Recordings
Cat# : 33436571
Source : CDDA
Bitrate : avg. 257kbps
Size : 87,11 MB
Runtime : 47:22
URL : http://www.karinpark.com/
- -- Tracklist -------------------------------------------------------- -- -
01. Look What You've Done 03:43
02. Shine 04:56
03. Life is Just a Dream 03:28
04. Stick to the Lie 03:53
05. Whipped Cream, Silver And Pearls 03:53
06. Opium 04:00
07. Human Beings 03:28
08. Daemons 04:11
09. Hard Liquor Man 04:32
10. Walls are Gonna Fall 04:09
11. Shake With the Devil 03:56
12. Hurricane 03:13
- -- Release notes ---------------------------------------------------- -- -
A new definition of 'Pop'
Opening her fifth album with a powerful beat and heavy
distortion, KARIN PARK asserts her authority over this latest
accomplishment. Look What You Have Done, released as a single
last November, ironically acknowledges in its title the return
of the elusive artist. Her work is slowly building an audience
and, after this latest release, it's unlikely that she'll stay
pop's best-kept secret for long. The entire album is steeped
in intense feeling which, rather than detracting from her
sound, contributes to it. While it has been created during a
tumultuous period in PARK's life and, as a result, includes
some deeply personal works, KARIN PARK still lets her listener
into these moments of reflection.
Authority in Artistry
PARK's beat choices, with the contributions of her drummer
(and brother) David Park, are consistent, authoritative and
the perfect guide for her lyrics that refuse such attempts at
certainty. Her harmonious vocals in Shine are laid over a
superbly synthed melody in a way that harks to her fourth
album, Highwire Poetry. Placing Shine immediately after her
decisive opening track, PARK demonstrates not only her diverse
accomplishments but also the diverse ideas within her album.
It is a mellow, romantic tune situated within the distorted
parentheses of Look What You've Done and the despondent Life
Is Just a Dream. As the album continues, KARIN PARK
continuously defies expectation from track to track. The synth
that opens Daemons might anticipate hallucinatory, abstract
lyrics but, instead, develops into a raw beat that exposes
equally raw feeling. The self-deprecatory claim, 'I really
wanted to fuck up, like bored people do', guides the listener
through assumptions of synth-pop into a new intensity.
Straight after the complexity of Daemons comes the severity of
Hard Liquor Man. Here, PARK's voice transforms into angry
chants, empowering the track's animalistic appeal. This album
is meticulously thought out; while Apocalypse Pop never offers
a clear intention to its listener, it is in this uncertainty,
in this experimentation, that KARIN PARK exposes her diverse
abilities.
A Concluding Crescendo
Just as its title may suggest, her album is full to the brim
with juxtaposition that, somehow, provides cohesion
throughout. Apocalypse Pop may be two ridiculously contrasting
concepts but, when placed side-by-side, they roll off the
tongue with ease. This clever linking of contrasts finds its
place within every track on the album. She structures her
album in such a way that it is a rollercoaster of altering
melodies and emotions. Peaks of power in both beat and
sentiment, subsequently, followed by pensive troughs; but the
quality is sustained across her range of sounds. As the album
draws to a close, Walls Are Gonna Fall provides these
contrasts within a single track. PARK draws the listener in
with her isolated vocals that build to a crescendo alongside
the synth; but this building crescendo denies the listener any
resolution. PARK, once again, ignores and expands the rules of
the 'pop' genre within which she has chosen to define her
music. In a recent interview with NOTHING BUT HOPE AND
PASSION, KARIN PARK described Apocalypse Pop as the concluding
part of a trilogy of albums. In this sense, it deserves all
the accolades that are typically awaiting the final part of a
series, but should have, in fact, been awarded throughout (I'm
looking at you, Lord of the Rings!). In all seriousness, from
operatic passion to fearless instrumental decisions,
Apocalypse Pop is outstanding from start to finish. We can
only hope that KARIN PARK's popularity grows and grows along
with her musical achievements.
'Apocalypse Pop', KARIN PARK's impressive concluding album to
a trilogy is a truly great rollercoaster of melody and
emotions, fully deserving its title.
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