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■ Product Description
Cho Dong-hee 『Floral Sequence』,
Stepping Out on Her Own, Step by Step
Being the family of a maestro is both a blessing and a shadow. It is a clear blessing to always be welcomed without boundaries thanks to the family name being invoked, and above all, to be able to share a musical and emotional foundation as a family. Perhaps there were moments when it was good to have a place to lean on and not wander as much when walking a difficult path. However, on the other hand, even if one could avoid the immediate rain and wind under a sturdy umbrella, one might not have meticulously considered how to face, break through, and pass through inclement weather. Also, she would have faced countless invisible eyes and ears gauging what is similar and different between the worlds of Cho Dong-jin and Cho Dong-ik, and what she received and nurtured.
Cho Dong-hee, who has been walking the path of music for quite some time amidst the allure of blessing and the weight of shadow, seems to have decided not to settle for familiarity. It took her own time to get there. Unlike Cho Dong-jin and Cho Dong-ik, who have the air of hermits, Cho Dong-hee diligently sought her own nourishment with an open personality and charm that attracts various people. Sometimes it was music, sometimes books, sometimes various arts, and sometimes people. In the meantime, she relentlessly spent time planning, organizing, gathering people, and running things, exerting her own originality. And that time was gradually accumulating. As something that belongs to Cho Dong-hee, and no one else.
Cho Dong-hee's third full-length album 『Floral Sequence』 arrived after 4 years. What remains the same is that familiar and trustworthy names that resonate with her, including Cho Dong-ik and Park Yong-jun, are still inside. What's new is that Cho Dong-hee is standing and moving alone among the friendly names. The blessed environment where she can meet good helpers remains the same, but now she has decided to walk out of the shadows and move her own hands from the ground up. She is actively involved in composing and writing lyrics, as well as arranging and producing, literally overseeing the entire flow of this album. As she learns the details of things she didn't know why she liked and starts to directly touch the concrete that is easy to overlook, the music becomes more empty. The more she knows, the more the direction of help is placed in her hands. Even small things that may not be noticeable shine with the grain she wants.
Aewol is a special place for her and her precious people. The sea and sky, moon and wind of Aewol are a certain memory. It is a place where she tries to "call out forgotten names" and waits to see "how you are doing" (「In Aewol」). Stroll begins in special memories, with the sound of low cello strings warmly embracing. She has never forgotten the light within it. It couldn't have been easy for her, who has been moving at a slow pace, far from impatience, to have a different stride and speed than others. There was also a time when she stopped to have children and start a family while her fellow musicians were busy moving. Many female creators would have experienced similar pauses, and in Cho Dong-hee's previous 『Mother』 project, she gathered such colleagues and seniors/juniors to embrace each other. Not only during childcare, but there will be steps that stop or slow down due to various circumstances. She comforts herself and speaks to everyone. She says that since "we are small and complete universes," "blooming late is not falling behind," and believes that we should live "our own time" and bloom flowers (「Floral Sequence」).
A sweet story of a time is best suited to a ballad. The sweet melody of 「Love Poem」 was composed by Han Kyung-rok of the punk rock band Crying Nut. It was interesting that the world's Captain Rock composed a ballad. An incident created by Cho Dong-hee's proposal to 'make a song to regain romance for Han Kyung-rok, the representative of romance.' This time, the serene duet song was reborn as a solo voice with Park Yong-jun's arrangement. The sweet conversation exchanged in the chime of the guitar has been transformed into a monologue in the throbbing of a heavy bass line. The moment she shouts, "In this world, let's give everything and love without leaving anything behind," Captain Rock's spirit and Cho Dong-hee's lyrics harmonize like one body, using romance as a messenger.
Her cool, rustling voice suits loneliness as much as excitement. The voice that quietly says, "You were indescribably lonely, you were as hard as the edge of a cliff" (「You Are」) reminds us of 「That's Me」 in her debut album. The drum sound was removed from the track released as a single, making it even more desolate. It's a lonely voice like a gaze that meets you in a small room that has come in through the cold wind, but it warmly comforts you as if stroking your shoulder. "Everything must pass." It is the warmth conveyed by knowing the power of concentration in silence. The following calm reading 「Dictionary of Seasons」 is a list of words at first glance, but after listening to it, it is a story of a season. Meeting, confession, love, hope, farewell, pain, memory, time, and love. The one word 'love' that appears twice goes from "a sleeping face, a hand shading from the sunlight" to "wishing you shine brighter and be more comfortable," and that too, "regardless." He, who loved poems that become songs, writes and sings songs that become poems.
His comfort, which spoke of "our own time" (「Floral Sequence」), corresponds to the confident encouragement that "only time gave the answer" (「To Time」). The ticking clock sound is not an urgent pressure, but a light and steady sound of walking and running. The voice that powerfully shouts, "Hug me who was clumsy / Because all the appearances were me" becomes a cheering song for everyone who listens. In a steady walk, one must not forget the quiet time. Because there, an angel resides. "Listening to more in silence," she opens her ears and welcomes "peace that falls like a feather" (「Time When Angels Reside」). Like a traveler on a long journey, cherishing the time of silence that one suddenly has in the midst of a long walk is perhaps a similar heart that Cho Dong-jin and Cho Dong-ik, who he has in his blessing, both shared.
The time to close the album is 「Evening」 when the sun is setting. The time when "the red sun that heated the back / goes to the western sky" arrives, and the shadows lengthen and disappear into the darkness. Short words bloom in the nostalgic classical guitar melody. The sounds disappear snugly, like a lullaby sung softly to a baby, like warmth spreading beyond the smell of cooking rice. A song from guitarist Denis Sungho's album, which he produced, was included with a new mastering. Hwang Byung-joon, the mastering engineer who newly joined this album, is a prominent sound craftsman who has won two Grammy Awards for his work on classical albums while working in the United States. From the walk on the cool Aewol beach to the evening when the sun sets, returning home and finishing snugly after passing through memories and monologues, comfort and encouragement, it is maintaining a clean and comfortable balance throughout.
Cho Dong-hee's 『Floral Sequence』 contains not a sound that seduces with fancy dishes, but a bland sound like a bowl of warm rice made with sincerity. Like the flowers of infinite transformation, there is no hierarchy or direction, but there is a simple beauty that blooms when its time comes. Only when listening to this music, I hope you can relax your tense and sharp mind and become simple and comfortable.
November 2024, Shin Young-sun
1. In Aewol
Lyrics & Composing
Author: Cho Dong-hee
Publisher: Music & New
