Looking back on 2020, do you remember how you came here? An unexpected epidemic of the century has completely rewritten the way of life of mankind. For example, the Hong Kong music interface has impacted social isolation, temporary closures of venues, performances and events or postponements or cancellations, which have been severely affected in terms of creation, production and operation, and there is inevitably a sense of melancholy in the industry. But this epidemic has reminded us of what is really important in life. Many musicians took advantage of the epidemic prevention time to sort out complex thoughts, examine the original intention of dreams, study precipitation and enrichment, and then produced many good albums, recording the extraordinary period of Yoshimitsu Kataba with moving lyrics. The KKBOX editor carefully selected ten albums of the year (ranked in the order of the strokes of the album names), and I will look back at the bits and pieces of the year and think about how to face the test of the new normal.
Humanized Mind: Li Xiaoyang “Before I Forget”
During the epidemic, people may tend to use the Internet or digital platforms to communicate, but some people think that physical and human contacts between people are more precious.
For example, singer Li Xiaoyang’s album “Before I Forget” is not only musically emotional, it records his growth in the past few years, caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease, or accompanying music fans in different situations. Feeling the fragments of life from the soft singing, even the art design is full of thought. Michael thought of using his works to promote the importance of caring for the environment, and made a special trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, with his colleagues in record companies, the art design and image guidance of the record, to shoot the album cover Everyone is also a “factory girl”, and all of them are torn by hand to collect the “not forgotten” seeds in a record jacket torn into the shape of a wave, so that music fans can grow them while listening to the song. Flowers decorate the small space of life and warm the atrium, making the double connection of audiovisual.
The Lost Practice: Gin Lee “Dear Secret”
Losing and cherishing are symbiotic. Haven’t experienced the pain of passing away, and will never know how valuable it is to own. I believe it is also your experience in recent years?Last year was the year that Gin Lee Li Xingni cried the most. She was separated from her family for epidemic prevention, and her love cat died of an illness, making her cry every day. However, knowing that life has to continue, Gin Lee is determined to learn to adapt to the lesson of “lost”, and converted the complex sentiments of staying with the cats at home that day into the lyrics and music, and created “Dear Secret” with the theme of “home”. , With “Happy Door”, “Beautiful Man and Cigarette”, “Turn on the Light.” Turn off the lights> (light on version), , , , and (Lights Out Version), and the “Disqualified Tourist” trilogy movie feeling MV, expresses personal thoughts and encourages fans who encounter similar situations to bravely step out of their respective difficulties.
Happiness without purpose: Feng Yunqian “Detour”
Every year at the end of the year, people love to look back and look forward, but after the two years of 2019 and 2020, people neither dare to think about the past nor are afraid to think about the future. Because of the absurdity and emptiness of the world, many people feel about the prospects. Pessimistic and at a loss.
However, Feng Yunqian told everyone with his album “Detour” that he can actually “find the most possible possibility in a destination without a purpose.” In a year without flying and traveling, Jay Fung used the metaphor of the album title “Detour” to “take a detour”, and started an imaginary journey guided by his voice with music fans. Through “Sound Navigation” and “Search for Platinum” “Chinese”, “Full Moon Party”, “Shanyao”, “Eskimo Kiss” and “Looking for Buckingham-Chorus Version” many songs that talk about love on the surface and actually talk about life, let everyone feel the gathering and appreciation of life The surrounding people, things and scenery bring out that even though life is occasionally aimless, knowing how to enjoy the process is also the value.
Total growth requirements change: Lin Yikuang “Finding Charlie”
Time goes by. In addition to remembering the good things we have had, how to face it and add value to ourselves is actually something we must think about every day. After ten years in the industry, Phil Lin Yikuang, who started to rise from “High Mountain and Low Valley”, was not complacent because of his gradual popularity, and he didn’t want to be “fixed” by music fans. He believed that he could only do a certain type of creation, so he kept thinking about it. Ways to improve yourself and find new possibilities. The year before last, Phil made a special trip to the Berkeley Conservatory of Music in Boston, USA, and included eight newly composed songs in the album “Finding Charlie”.
The name of “Finding Charlie” was inspired by Charlie Parker, one of Phil’s musical enlightenments when he was young. He was inspired by the master’s music and understood that music can be played freely, so the whole album The music styles in Chinese are trying to adopt multiple but unified genres that are full of rhythm and rhythm. In the lyrics, they continue to be good at reflecting the issues of modern social life as elements, challenging the syllable changes and possibilities of Cantonese lyrics . The whole album wants to break the usual impression of “stability” and create new ideas.
A music experiment: RubberBand “i”
In the face of impermanence, have you ever felt small? Especially after experiencing the turbulent times and the blow of the epidemic of the century, many people have lost confidence and direction in the future, and the social atmosphere can be said to be quite depressed. RubberBand’s four sons, Azheng, No. 6, Nisha, and Awei are all people in the world. Naturally, they have been discouraged or frustrated. However, more music allows them to change their perspective to examine the overall situation in a macroscopic manner and care about human nature in a microscopic manner . Adhering to the agreement with fans over the years, starting from the first album “Apollo 18”, following each album named after the 26 English letters “AZ”, we regularly record the band’s growth. In this changing year, they concocted their ninth new album “i” in response to the chaos of various flavors.
The imagery is diverse. From a visual point of view, the “i” modestly indicates that everyone is an independent individual, but when everyone gathers together, they can strengthen their strength; the “!” viewed upside down is like an exclamation mark, representing self-expression, and it is also called the world marvel. Musically, the album uses the idiom “blind man to touch the elephant” as the main concept to set the tune of the song, and invites the “Big Band” that can best integrate with pop music to participate in one of them, and try to make a walking pop song A musical experiment with art, seeking a breakthrough in a difficult situation.
Don’t have any intentional love song: Dear Jane “Limerence”
Seeing that Hong Kong is undergoing drastic changes, countless people want to do their best to see if they can bring a little hope and a little light to this homeland.
The band Dear Jane’s album “Limerence” is one of the intentional works. Dear Jane’s impression is inseparable from the “love song”, but the four sons hope to do more for the Cantonese song in addition to the love story. Therefore, each of the 11 songs has its intentions. The lyrics written by Wyman (Huang Weiwen) not only describe the love between lovers who have gone through fire and water, but also a metaphor for the mutual support of generations of Hong Kong people. “The last record shop” not only shows the value of finding a like-minded partner, but also It entrusts the four sons’ love and support for physical records; as for other songs, even if they are about love, the themes, stories, and the band’s most popular MV shooting are all made with great care. It makes people feel that Cantonese love songs are also made with heart. It can be of quality and flavor.
Everything that is small but important: Lin Jiaqian “MAJOR IN MINOR”
2020 is like a “year of precipitation.” Everyone has more time to spend time on their own, paying attention to details that have been overlooked in the past, and their sensitivity to life, the environment, and themselves seems to have improved.
Lin Jiaqian’s album “MAJOR IN MINOR” more or less echoes the emotional state under this epidemic. Lin Jiaqian, who was originally the composer behind the scenes, began to formally show up as a singer the year before. Seeing that people now mainly listen to songs through streaming platforms and do not buy albums, he has hesitated to release physical discs.
After a few thoughts, Lin Jiaqian finally changed his mind and released “MAJOR IN MINOR” in a limited edition, which collected five solo works and four pure music, and carefully named the album “MAJOR IN MINOR”, with the intention of “in the music Under the magnifying glass of ”, I found the slight loss and touch. Under the microscope of the lyrics, the neglected details are magnified one by one, and we sort out the lines of our own emotions through other people’s songs.” “Major and minor” reflect our own existence The position of the music scene also contrasts with the story of everyone striving for survival in the big era, small but important.
Let’s be negative and positive: Xu Tingkeng “Negative”
Everything has two sides, and even though some bitter fruit is uncomfortable, it may also be a catalyst for change, or it can make people evolve into a better person.
After completing the “Goodbye Wisdom Teeth” concert in 2019, Alfred Xu Tingkeng has been thinking about how to move forward to a new stage of music and growth. At this time, he encountered the chaos of the “post-epidemic” that triggered him to go. Ask about the meaning of all kinds of mutations, and understand that by rejecting illusions and looking directly at fear firmly, can life turn to maturity. Alfred also conceived the album “Negative” from this, starting from various abstract but imaginative emotional images, such as “powerlessness”, “panic”, “hate”, etc., to inspire fans to face and deal with worrying problems, and Accompany you to resolve your anxiety with a good voice.
Miraculous Gathering: Collection of “Buying Classes for Music” 2019-2020
The social isolation for almost a whole year has made the “physical distance” between people farther, but it cannot prevent everyone from getting closer to the “spiritual distance”. The more difficult it is to get together, the more people want to cherish and do everything possible to maintain expression and communication.
The music project “Buried in Class” (2019-2020) led by singer-songwriter Feng Yingqi and lyricist Zhou Yaohui can be said to be a “miracle light” in the epidemic. The two have always believed that “everyone has a song”. After “Every Life Is A Song” in 2018, they relaunched the “Buried Class Music” music creation and production talent training program to win resources to cultivate young musicians .
Unexpectedly, when the plan was underway, the sudden outbreak of the epidemic made it even more difficult for the 36 new behind-the-scenes music producers of “Music, Lyrics, Arrangement” to have meetings, recordings, and practice sessions. Fortunately, everyone worked together and had the same goal. In the end, they overcame difficulties and recorded 12 original songs. They even had a rare grasp of the “opening schedule under the epidemic”. The completion of MacPherson’s concert and the launch of the album of the same name are definitely 2020. One of unforgettable musical memories.
One person’s wonderful: SoulJase “Aizome”
In the past year, with more time alone, is it lonely or at ease for you? If a person’s time can be used wisely and played well, he can also create a wonderful story.
The members of C AllStar who have developed in recent years have their own new trends. Among them, SoulJase (He Jianxi)’s first solo album “Blue Dye” reflects his persistence and love for music. Starting from the perspective of “pure literary creation”, the album not only uses love to wrap the songs, but also talks about the themes of desire, lies, and sorrow through the lyrics, and visualizes the image of the story through the MV. It also includes seven Thousands of words love prose interpret the deep meaning of the album. Because SoulJase believes that each medium is closely linked, and can complement each other to show their own characteristics, increasing the integrity and shock of the work.
In 2020 under the gloom of the epidemic, local singers are trying their best to adapt to changes in the environment, breaking the old model, and releasing one after another impressive albums, making music fans still find fun in the depression. In 2021, the environment may not get better, but I believe that singers will continue to bring more good albums to music fans, so that music fans will face all kinds of songs together.
Listen to the playlist and listen to the top ten annual albums carefully selected by the editor
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