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Riverside
(Subtitle: People Who Keep Living, and a Heart Leaning on Nature)
<Riverside> : People Who Keep Living, and a Heart Leaning on Nature
Jeong Mirae's fourth full-length album, <Riverside>, began with a scene he encountered during a walk. He took a slight detour from his usual walking path and crossed the Mapo Bridge, where something was hanging on the railing. Upon closer inspection, it was a bouquet of chrysanthemums, located directly beneath the 'Helpline for Life'. His mind went blank for a moment, and he stood there for a long time, alternately looking at the Han River, the bouquet of chrysanthemums, and the 'Helpline for Life'. The next day, when he returned to the same spot, the flowers were gone.
Jeong Mirae tells stories of herself and the world with a delicate gaze and deep contemplation. She walks, listens, observes, senses, and questions the gaps and boundaries. She internalizes these synesthetic experiences and expresses them through the language of music. Through this process, ten newly born songs, accompanied by the subtitle 'People Who Keep Living, and a Heart Leaning on Nature', are contained in <Riverside>.
The first track, [Jangma] (Monsoon), begins with the sound of July rain, personally recorded by Jeong Mirae. As the continuous rain evokes old memories, his heart grows heavy with the unsettling news he hears. Looking at the rain-submerged neighborhood and riverside scenery, he also inquires about a friend far away. He hopes that even if much is washed away, beautiful things will not be carried downstream. As dawn breaks, the sky clears, making yesterday's rain seem insignificant. The previous 3rd album ended with 'Early Summer'. Following that season, the monsoon is placed as the first track.
[Seosul] (Narration) is a song that, true to its title, narrates his current self. He has come to live in a new place, remains a person who sings consistently, and meticulously cultivates his daily life. His thoughts expand from love to conviction, and he hopes his songs gently settle into someone's heart. He understands that his life as an individual is simultaneously connected to countless universes. This song continues the theme of tracks like 'My Room is a Palace' from his 1st album and 'Adult' from his 3rd album.
[Riverside] The idea of writing a song about the Han River, which he has visited countless times for various reasons, began during the creation of his 2nd album. The song's gaze follows the riverbank, then stops on a bridge. Looking at the mirage-like city, old jokes he once heard and phrases he read somewhere come to mind. On the railing where people lean to watch the beautiful sunset, a 'Helpline for Life' is installed. All of these things are simply desolate, and he gazes only at the distant horizon. The instrumental outro that expresses this gaze is deeply impressive. The lyric 'Even if I cross the bridge, there is no brilliant world' is borrowed from 'Wander' on his 1st album. The train sound that overlaps at the end of the song was recorded beneath the Han River railway bridge.
[Geurim] (Picture) While walking under the trees in his favorite section of the Han River, he pondered nature and wilderness areas. He wondered if, to restore damaged and collapsing nature, we shouldn't cultivate wild zones where nature is simply left as it is. Since its feasibility is unknown, for now, it remains something he can only envision in his imagination.
[Gugu] (Doves/Sound of murmuring) is a study on words, following the track 'Understanding Words' from his 2nd album. It's a world overflowing with words and writings. People speak, but do not listen. Nevertheless, let us please speak of love with transparent, truthful, golden lips.
[Unda] (Crying) Watching people cry is painful and difficult. But at some point, he found the courage to believe that one must witness their tears, understand why they cry, and remember their weeping. As the plague subsided, war began. The roars of battlefields, the screams on refugee boats, the cries for rights and survival, the wails of those who survived—and must continue to live—and amidst it all, the clear and bright laughter of children emerges. The ambience and performance, starting mid-vocal, gradually amplify, then finally howl and explode. It is a track like a mighty river flowing through the center of the album.
[Mulgyeol] (Waves) is a monologue sung while gazing at the river. Looking at the dark, slowly flowing river, he sees his own heart, and there have been many days when the riverside trees, wildflowers, wind, sunset, and stars offered comfort, upon which he leaned his heart. Long ago, in a drama, he heard the line, 'Live freely, freely.' Those six syllables became a great comfort, and he held them in his heart for a long time. He had always thought he would weave them into a song someday, and finally, he has sung those words.
[Sarangeun] (Love Is) is the song that uses the word 'love' the most among all his released tracks. Suddenly, he wonders what love is. There are loves of all colors and shapes. There are so many good things in the world that can only be called love. Love is far wider and deeper than can be contained and sung in just a few songs. We need love, and we continue to live by its power. So, let us just love.
[Good Morning Badminton Club] Early in the morning, he went out to the riverside after the rain had stopped. Seeing people walking and running amidst the faint sunlight and clear air, he thought of his precious ones. For those of us who live through the night, the brightness of morning is a rare thing. Even if exercise is just an excuse, it would be nice if we could meet casually once or twice between seasons, ask about each other's well-being, and all remain healthy and well for a long time.
[Hangang Elegy] (Han River Elegy) The final track of the album is an instrumental piece. One evening in September 2022, on a Han River bridge, he saw a bouquet of chrysanthemums someone had hung on the wire mesh installed to prevent falls. As explained earlier, this was the decisive scene that led to the creation of this album. Several months later, while traveling, he happened to enter a cathedral and observed a mass, and that scene came back to him. He felt it was late, but he needed to offer his condolences. After returning from his trip, he composed this song in one breath on a day in April. He started writing lyrics but eventually decided against it. Sometimes, silence is more necessary than elaborate words. The album ends with the lingering echo from the Han River bridge where he witnessed that scene.
His previous work, <Cheongpa Sonata>, received acclaim such as 'an album that proves that the very personal can be the most universal / a flawlessly beautiful album that reawakens the value of folk music' and won Album of the Year, Folk Album of the Year, and Folk Song of the Year at the 18th Korean Music Awards. Compared to his previous works, <Riverside> has a broader scope of thought and greater weight. However, Jeong Mirae absorbs and converges all this confusion and upheaval, exercising her unique sense of balance to transform it into simple words and beautiful melodies. The entire album is led by literary lyrics, a clear vocal, and acoustic guitar, and upon this solid structure, she actively uses personally collected ambient sounds to enhance the realism and three-dimensionality of the sound. The sequence, considered from the lyric-writing stage, improves structural completeness. When listening to this album, it is recommended to listen to it sequentially from the first track to the last in one sitting, as if starting a book or a movie. Above all, changes throughout the recording, mixing, and mastering processes result in a powerful and dense sound that stands out across the entire album. The synergy with musicians who have collaborated for a long time is excellent.
Jeong Mirae releases full-length albums on a three-year cycle. The covers of all albums, except for the 1st, feature her face, which can be seen as a kind of 'ritual' to record her expression at the time of creating the songs, as a face conveys so much. Like the faces on her previous works, on this 4th album, she still doesn't smile. Nor does she cry. Is she simply gazing calmly at a world full of unknowns? And will there ever be a day when she releases songs with a smiling face? As with her previous works, the 24-page booklet within the physical album is richly filled with Jeong Mirae's photographs and drawings.
While life and death coexist, we currently witness too much death. Jeong Mirae stands by the river, gazing at its quietly flowing waters. The dark, seemingly still river at night, the river curving along with the cruise ships, the daytime river shimmering with what looks like spilled stars. And looking at the trees, the wind, the green earth, the wildflowers, and a single star, she sings, sending forth the brimming sadness she felt in her heart throughout the production period. Nevertheless, she implores us to simply flow, to meet again in the next song, and until then, to all be well.
Author: Jeong Mirae
Publisher: Biscuit Sound
