LEENALCHI
“Leenalchi has changed the way I think about music and Korea. I have never heard anything quite like this.” – Brian Eno
“Leenalchi has changed the way I think about music and Korea. I have never heard anything quite like this.” – Brian Eno
Leenalchi (EEE-nal-chi) is a seven-piece band from Seoul that draws on the folk storytelling tradition of pansori, and will remind you of Talking Heads. They have just announced their new album, Sugungga, a revival of an 18th century Korean epic, out October 2nd via Luaka Bop, along with lead single/video, “Crying Softshell Turtle”
Leenalchi is breathing new life into pansori, one of the nationʼs oldest forms of music, giving this surreal legend an equally psychedelic musical makeover. Their line-up, as singular as their sound, features two bassists, drums, keys, no guitar, and four pansori singers. The two bassists — Jang and his artistic collaborator Ejae — lay down bass riffs so fat and funky, George Clinton would shed a tear of joy. Over steady infectious rhythms and a synthesizer, traditional pansori vocalists sing in the genreʼs distinctive, ethereal, technically precise, guttural warble. Jang approaches the music of Leenalchi with a collaborative spirit. In addition to Ejae, he works with drummer Oh Hyung Suk to set the foundation for a song, then, master pansori singers Park Soo Bum, Ahn Yi Ho, Ra Seo Jin, and Choi Su In draw from the repertoire of pansori songs to discover the most distinctive and fitting sounds.
Jang, a major presence in South Koreaʼs indie music scene, has been working with pansori since 2007. An NPR Tiny Desk concert of one of his former bands, SsingSsing, racked up 9.9 million views on YouTube and was praised by Tiny Desk founder Bob Boilen as “one of my most memorable Tiny Desk Concerts of all time.” Told in an ancient form of the language, even most Korean speakers have a hard time understanding whatʼs happening in these songs. But like all great music, when pansori is performed correctly, meaning transcends the confines of language, time, space. “Up until very recently, most Koreans thought of pansori as old fashioned and stale; I want to see if it can be appreciated and enjoyed in the same way as pop music,” says Mr. Jang. “Will Koreans sing along to pansori?”
Jang is also known for his work as a prestigious film composer, having scored soundtracks for some of South Koreaʼs most celebrated films like Train to Busan, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Wailing, and more. These aforementioned films will receive special
screenings accompanied by Q&As with Jang, as part of the bandʼs latest tour.
In July, Leenalchi wrapped up their first-ever North American tour, making stops in Canada and the West coast, including Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco where they supported Japanese Breakfast, and played a free show at The Getty in Los Angeles presented by KCRW.
In October, they will embark on a fall North American tour which begins with opening for Geese at Forest Hills in New York, on the day Sugungga is released, and an appearance at Sylvan Essoʼs Good Moon Festival in Durham. After North America, the band will head to Europe and the UK to play Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Manchester and more.