“Try.” “Thank You for Breathing.” “Expired.” Making a comeback after a long battle against internet accusations which alleged that he had forged his degrees from Stanford University, Lee Seon-Woong, better known as Tablo, remains to be dedicated to the art of creating beautiful and personally meaningful lyrics in an age where mainstream media pushes songs toward a generic mold. The Korean native as well as Canadian citizen launched his music career by founding the famed Korean hip-hop/rap group Epik High in 2003 and has since hosted his own radio show, collaborated with other artists, and even ventured into the world of acting.
“Fever’s End”, his new album, is as deep and thoughtful as its artist, and its composition reflects on the troubles Tablo was forced to endure during that time. He explains that its Korean title, “열꽃,” comes from the red spots which appear at the peak of a fever, and while it may be the peak, it also signals that the fever is near its end.
Indeed, his message often amounts to an inversion of Paul van Dyk’s nostalgic “Home”: “I wonder if the reason for this wandering is because there is no home, or there is nowhere to go,” he sings with a half-sigh in “Airbag.” Elsewhere, “The Tide” is the kind of slow, melodic track that induces a sense of carefree melancholy. In Part 2 of the album, Lee collaborates with Big Bang’s Taeyang in an emotional hip-hop-rap track. The song, titled “Tomorrow,” was featured during Tablo’s October 30 comeback stage performance with Taeyang on SBS’s Inkigayo.
Tablo
“Fever’s End”
(YG Entertainment)
Four stars (Out of four)
