Album Review - Jang Sa Ik - Vol. 6 Flower Watching

Jang Sa Ik – Vol. 6 Flower Watching

01 This Is Not It
02 Flower Watching
03 Traveling Marketeer
04 High and Low
05 I Really Didn’t Know
06 Revolving Triangle
07 Eye
08 Sundrops
09 Stupid Angel

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Jang Sa Ik, known for classical Korean music, has been in the industry for over a decade. He is known for hits such as “Father” from his fourth album and “Dusk Road”, included in his fifth. It’s been two years and Jang has returned with “Flower Watching” for his comeback. Through this album, one can appreciate the beauty of traditional Korean music in the midst of the present globalized Korean music industry.

The title song, as mentioned earlier, is “Flower Watching” (track 2). Right from the start, one can hear the traditional instruments, which I’m guessing is the hageum or some other sort of string instrument. I personally am a fan of these types of instruments, so the introduction was worth listening. The song then continues with Jang’s narration-type singing where he talks about taking his mother to look at a field of beautiful flowers on the mountaintop. Unlike modern songs, this track focuses on “out of the ordinary” topics such as these. The song is basically composed of narration, instruments, a brief melody, and yells of expression all separated, showing listeners another type of musical genre.

A song I want to mention is “Revolving Triangle” (track 6). This medium-tempo number has a straight-forward melody unlike the title track. The minimal usage of instruments shows a mixture of jazz one may hear in a old-fashioned café. The last song I wanted to talk about is “Stupid Angel” (track 9) which goes a bit astray from his other works as it has a hint of rock to it. However, the melody and vocals of Jang remains the same, keeping true to his style.

Initially, I didn’t think much of the album because it was not really my type of music. However, after listening through the songs, I grew to appreciate classical Korean music. I think my love for Korean traditional instruments helped me appreciate some of the songs and their styles. However, I think people may actually enjoy some of the recommended tracks as they mix a bit of modern instruments.

3/5

5/5 – Even if you’re not a fan of this artist/group this album is a must buy.
4/5 – If you’re a fan of this artist/group, you must buy this album.
3/5 – If you’re a fan of this artist/group, you might want to add this one to your collection.
2/5 – I don’t think a fan would even buy this.
1/5 – You might as well just flush your money down the toilet