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53 y b The eclectic YB, signed under the label Dee Company, has come as far as any Korean rock band in their efforts to break into Amer- ica. The five-piece, fronted by Yoon Do-hyun, has predicated the arrival of Korean rock to the mainstream festival. YB plays a zeitgeist-tinged arena brand of rock that, if not genre-defining, certainly elicits a smile and foot tapping. Yoon Do-hyun is a cult of personality as the face of rock in Korea. Interestingly, YB were award- ed the first ever World Music Peace Award in 2003 for their humanitarian work. L o v e X S T e R e o A counterpoint to the arena rock comes in the very modern form of Love X Stereo, whose re- cent four-track EP “GLOW” delivers polished- to-a-sheen electronic pop. Lead singer Annie Ko’s vocals echo the wispy traces of Debbie Harry, all while married to Pulp-esque disco re- frains. The band is an example of Korea’s strik- ing ability to do the things developed by other cultures and do them with professional guile. n e L L The Woolim-signed band Nell, another mem- ber of Korean rock’s old guard, burst onto the Korean scene with two independently released albums in 2001 and 2002. Their music is key- board driven and heavy on the dripping-wet emotions, capturing the hearts of teenage girls throughout the peninsula. Korean sentimental- ism may not breach the U.S. markets in the same way it permeates at home, but Nell has a niche and has crafted a sound that appeals to many. I d I o T a p e Like a vocal-less Hot Chip, Idiotape com- bines live drums with synths and guitar to craft delicate, punchy and hugely danceable sound- scapes. Their 2011 release “11111101” is a relentless blat of dance-pop in the pioneering mold of Scattle or Perturbator — a slight dark- ness underlying the puzzle of rhythms and mel- odies. y b n e L L L o v e X S T e R e o