It’s time for some feel-good music.
The warmth of eating together
몽글 mong_gle “식탁 Table”
“Let’s sit at the table and eat together.” mong_gle shares the warmth of sharing a meal together, sitting and talking over food, sharing how the day was and how the day has passed. What seems like an ordinary activity has, particularly during these unprecedented times, become something to treasure, and the singer-songwriter records her emotions longing for the joy of being together.
The simplicity of her delicate voice and acoustic guitar with percussions slowly filling the melody for a jazzy twist, turns the meal into a feast under the bright spring sunshine. mong_gle describes herself as a musician who records moments (찰나), while her name “mong” refers to “dream” and “gle” to “meaning,” coming together to say “there’s meaning where dreams are.” From the album cover to the lyrics, I think this song encompasses the moment that flees and remains as dreams in our minds.
Song: Apple Music / Spotify
따뜻한 밥 먹고
잠시 나가 산책도 하자
창문너머 부는 바람이
발을 간질이며 어서 나오라잖아
바쁜하루에
숨쉴만한 창을 내어줘
그 창 너머에서 내가
너의 쉼이 될께
밥 해먹기 귀찮다고 또
끼니 거르지 말고 먹자
앞으로도 종종 올래
나랑 밥 먹자
let’s eat something warm
and take a walk outside
the wind blowing through the window
is tinkling our feet and telling us to come out
on a busy day
give me a window that i can breathe
through that window i will
become your rest
let’s not miss a meal
because we are lazy
do you want to come over once in awhile
let’s eat together
The sound of spring
최창순 choichangsoon “Polaroid Love”
Polaroid cameras capture moments of that time and space, mood and emotions. The analog feature of a polaroid camera makes that captured moment much more special as we wait minutes in the unknown of what the camera has seen. choichangsoon uses this as a metaphor for love at first sight. Enamoured within minutes, then moments later, deeply in love, as one believes, and not knowing what response you’ll get the moment you tell the person, I like you.
The harmony of synth, trombone, and trumpet was unexpected from the album cover and felt refreshing. Similarly with mong_gle’s song, I love a song that mixes acoustic with jazz sounds, creating a rhythmic melody that glistens your heart with happiness. If an ideal spring was to be turned into a song, I would say “Polaroid Love” is the epitome of fluttering hearts and flowers, cool breezes and warm sunshine.
Song: Apple Music / Spotify
어린아이처럼 순수한 미소가
날 설레게 하고 가슴 떨리게 해
따뜻한 손길 내 몸을 감싸면
나는 얼어붙어서 아무 말도 못 해
Hey 11월 첫눈보다 설레이는
Oh oh hey 5월 봄꽃보다 향기로운
Hey 8월 밤하늘의 반짝이는
Oh oh hey 별들보다 더 반짝이는
the pure smile like a young child’s
flutters me and flutters my heart
when warm hands wrap around me
i freeze and can’t say anything
hey, you excite me more than november’s first snow
oh oh hey, you’re more fragrant than may spring flowers
hey, you sparkle more than the stars
oh oh hey, sparkling in the august night sky
Twirling through everyday stresses
잭킹콩 Jackingcong “곱슬머리 curly hair”
Even from the name of the band and the song, you will get a sense that this will be a fun sound. But underneath the liveliness is the weight of their unique neo-soul sounds and experimental jazz with a dash of hip hop. The humour overlaid in “curly hair” is what caught my attention, narrating an ordinary moment in any people relationship with a finger twirling hair.
The five-member band — 심강훈 Shim Kang-hoon (vocal/trumpet), 이범호 Lee Beom-ho (guitar), 고서원 Ko Seo-won (keyboard/synthesizer), 신유동 Shin Yu-dong (bass), and 장세훈 Jang Sae-hoon (drum) — is certainly the one to look out for.
Song: Apple Music / Spotify
뻔한 이야기에 고개를 끄떡일 때
알 수 없는 표정에 날 쳐다볼 때
기분 나빠하지 말고 들어라 할 때
When I feel stressful 습관처럼 머리를 꽈
이런 말 해도 되는지 모르겠으면 안 해도 돼
뜨거운 태양 아래 곧게 뻗은 내 머리는 어느새
Curly hair Curly hair Curly hair
when you nod to obvious stories
when you look at me with a pokerface
when you tell me to listen without getting mad
when i feel stressful, i twirl my hair like a habit
if you don’t know if you should say it, you don’t have to say
my straight hair under the hot sun is now
curly hair curly hair curly hair
Our JxMs 