Off the Grid (EP, 2012)
About Album
Since the release of debut demo album [Buzzin’] in December 2011, Love X Stereo has played a number of major concerts. Highlights included opening for Asobi Seksu’s May 2012 Korean gig, Jisan Valley Rock festival in July, RockDo Festival in September and opening for The KDMS Korea concert in October.
Love X Stereo aims to create a mysterious but forceful sound, demonstrating outstanding talent in lyric writing, composition, arrangement, recording, mixing and producing.
At live gigs in particular, Love X Stereo’s drive to fill venues to bursting point borders on obsession. The band is currently enjoying a hotter reaction from expatriate foreigners in Korea than from Koreans themselves – based on this international potential, it is planning its debut on the world stage.
Love X Stereo’s music is an extraordinary fusion of 1990s alternative, pop and punk rock sentiment with electronic elements, aimed at creating totally new and original sounds. This is the result of the band’s ongoing efforts to produce a seemingly familiar yet novel, seemingly simple yet complex, fuller-than-full sound.
If Love X Stereo’s earlier demo album, [Buzzin’], was something approaching an attempt at new dance music with shades of the 1980s and 90s, new EP [Off the Grid] goes a step further, showing far greater depth not only in melody lines but also instrumental composition.
As its title suggests, the first track on the album, “Soul City (Seoul City),” is a gloves-off expression of the band’s true feelings about its native city. The song is an attempt to melt contemporary Seoul, with all its ambivalent charm, into the lyrics and melody of the song. “Soul City (Seoul City)” ends on a majestic, psychedelic note, as if reflecting the complex civilizational world of this ancient capital.
Track 2, “Chain Reaction,” is the most recent on the EP and sounds every bit as fresh as it is new. A mysterious but rhythmical mood is sustained from beginning to end, based on the message that all things – you and I, life and death, humans and the universe – affect each other.
The third and final track, “Storm,” has been around relatively longer than others on the EP. Created in response to the shock of the tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, it has been repeatedly edited and re-edited to achieve solid composition and a forceful sound. Tinged with a whiff of nostalgia for 1990s electronica, “Storm” delivers the most powerful sound among the three tracks on the album.
As the album’s title, [Off the Grid], suggests, this is EP is a must-have for all fans wanting a taste of Love X Stereo’s unique, future-oriented sound that pushes its way out of all conventional orbits and heads off on a trajectory all of its own, into the depths of space.
Available Lyrics
Soul City (Seoul City)
I was weaving all the wasteful energies
I see million different faces in my dreams
Can’t tell if it’s fake or reality
I was driving my old bike along the stream
I got river veins right up to the sea
I see lovers being shy of kissing deep
Can’t take out the girl inside of me
Gotta take it slow this time (oh, no, no)
You don’t know where you are, cause you’re in my city
Gotta take it slow this time (oh, no, no)
You don’t know where you are, cause you’re in my city
I was climbing up the hills of industries
It seems no one speaking up unanimously
Get all dizzy in this town that never sleeps
Keep up with your drinks and then you’re free
Gotta take it slow this time (oh, no, no)
You don’t know where you are, cause you’re in my city
Gotta take it slow this time (oh, no, no)
You don’t really know where you are, you don’t know
Traffic jams, coffee burst, reveries
Order in almost anything with
Credit cards recommended to another
Plastic dream achieved to be an impersonator
Love the love and love the hate altogether
You won’t believe this town, cause you’re in my city
I was walking down the streets of mysteries
I’m still counting on hopeful energies
I’m in heaven or in hell or in between
Can’t tell if it’s fake or reality
Gotta take it slow this time (oh, no, no)
You don’t really know where you are, you don’t know
Blue sky, gray churches and fast jeans
Hurry up, you can’t be lazy
This is probably the most safest place to be
Cause we got no guns, no anarchies
Fashion grows before the culture scene
You can’t leave this town, cause you’re in my city
Chain Reaction
I'll meet you by the dawn.
I feel a sudden sense of healing.
Another life has come.
You took my hand with no hesitation.
Your kindness spreads in all.
A kiss, a touch, with a heart of wonder,
Our tale has just begun.
Hello.
Release the night. Let go, twilight.
I’ll be here by the glow.
You see the signs, and you hear the whispers.
Another life has gone.
Hold me tight. You don’t have to worry,
Cause death won’t tear us apart.
High glow up there with all your possibilities,
And spread my love to all.
Hello.
Everything is a chain reaction.
Storm
She wanted me to leave nothing
Storm went deep through my mind
She wanted me to leave nothing
You gotta get away now
Oh, she's coming your way
Before you lose sunlight
Before it's too late
You couldn't take your eyes off
her beautiful face
She started with a thunder
Now you're goin' insane
Album Reviews
After Buzzin’, Love X Stereo released a 3 song single in 2012. The recording of Off the Gird is more polished than their first EP and slightly changes the sound that was present. The songs pull back some of the electronica and allow the instruments to take a front seat to the music.
The heavy drums and driving guitar are still present, however, the mixing is tighter and more intertwined than in their first EP. The song has the feel of fast movement, pulling the listener through Seoul, which is represented in the music video as well. All three tracks on Off the Grid express more refined electronic sound, and we start to hear an inkling of the mysterious mood that becomes prominent in their next EP.
In October 2012, they released their 2nd EP, Off the Grid, with their main track, Soul City (Seoul City). This was the very first song that I was introduced by a friend. When I listened to this song, I immediately started to like Love X Stereo so much. The meaning behind the song is their experiences and thoughts in the city of Seoul. It is a great song to listen to while you are on a trip especially when you are going to or travelling in Seoul. The mix of drumming and guitaring sound makes the song more fast and upbeat. I think most of the listeners heard Love X Stereo for the first time is Soul City (Seoul City). Definitely a recommendation song to share with friends.
Love X Stereo’s sound mixes electronic music with ‘90s-inspired alternative and punk and is incredibly danceable. Their song, “Soul City (Seoul City)”, from their Off the Grid album, is a soundtrack for Seoul. For me “Soul City” captures the essence of the hustle and uniqueness found in the city.
Seoul: a soundtrack to the city - Seoul electro rock band Love X Stereo's singer and synth player Annie Ko selects her perfect playlist for her home city. It's also a great introduction to South Korean music