Yonglee & the Doltang - 2025 - Invisible Worker

(39:32; Unit Records)

Track list:
1. S50und P61ant7 1:05
2. Pay Day 5:22
3. Shell 4:53
4. Fluorescent Light 4:33
5. Drops 4:05
6. Do Plastic Bags Dream  About Sunset 5:59
7. Dopamine Rush 3:15
8. March of the Invisibles 4:35
9. Chit-Kong 5:45

Line-up:
Yonglee - piano
Yechan Jo - guitars
Youngwoo Lee - synthesizers, electronics
Hwansu Kang - bass
Dayeon Seok - drums
with:
Song Yi Jeon - vocals


Prolusion.
The Doltang is a band instigated and formed by band leader Yonglee. The latter is a young South Korean composer and musician that recorded material for his first solo album back in 2019, and that currently has two solo albums to his name. "Invisible Worker" is the first album to be issued under the Yonglee & the Doltang moniker, and was released in the spring of 2025 through the label Unit Records.

Analysis.
In terms of the progressive rock universe, jazzrock is the only appropriate placement for the landscapes explored on this mainly instrumental production. This is a most expressive creation through and through, and all of the compositions come with one or more trademark features from the jazz tradition as well as key elements brought in from rock music. The former is rather more defining than the latter in this case though.

A solid rhythm foundation is a bit of a staple in many of the compositions here, with some enthralling and compelling bass motifs being a vital ingredient in many cases. The drummer also knows his way around delivering a steady and solid support. As jazzrock is the style here, both of these musicians are given space and room to be expressive too of course, that is a bit of a given, but the rhythm section in general carry more of the foundation role in these creations than the other instrumentalists.

As far as keyboards and guitars go, they are mainly given the possibilities to roam and soar here, and with the keyboards having the most free role throughout here and then in particular the piano handled by band leader Younglee. With the guitar perhaps being the most restricted instrument in terms of providing some additional foundation elements from time to time.

What we get here are compositions that come with a great deal of variation in terms of general orientation, from low key and elegant creations with a focus on flowing and compelling patterns on one end of the extreme and to borderline free form excursions with a more challenging and difficult arrangement to decode on the other, but where the majority of the compositions combine features of both of these in some form or other. With some even, at least to my ears, kind of brief micro-bursts between one and the other used to create a very distinct start, flow and stop ebb and flow motion. In most cases we get landscapes that combine what appears to be subtly planned and improvised features of some kind or other though, where the expressive details alternate between being subtle features in flowing landscapes and being more overt expressive parts given a flowing instrument support. Engaging landscapes to explore and experience for harmony oriented and technical oriented listeners alike. With the piano, keyboards and guitars combining, intertwining and separating in a number of different manners. More often than not with the end result being rather entrancing  and transfixing, at least from my subjective point of view and according to my personal taste in music.

Everything is wrapped up and inside of a high quality mix and production, with a fine tuned balance and clarity, enough for the avid and intent listener to find all the details unraveled and revealed.

Conclusion.
If a mainly instrumental variety of jazzrock is music you tend to enjoy, and you find yourself attracted to bands of this kind that balance expressive features with elegant and compelling arrangements while also exploring challenging and presumably technical instrument details, then this is an album that most likely will fascinate you a great deal. In particular if flowing landscapes combined with more overt expressive and improvised instrument lead sections is a specif take on this type of music that you find attractive. I find that "Invisible Worker" is a most solid entry into the jazzrock part of the progressive rock universe, and an album that should end up high on the list of album of the year for 2025 among people who tend to enjoy this specific variety of progressive rock.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, May 2025

Links:
https://www.yongleemusic.com/
https://unitrecords.com/