Kim Mokin - 4th Full-length Album [Saved Landscape]

The songs of musician Kim Mokin are special. The sharp insight hidden behind his gentle impression presents the listener with complex emotions. With a relaxed voice, he catches off guard those who treat others with prejudice, singing, "Just because we had a meal together, don't think that I am your person," and strikes a chord with those trying to hide behind the word "ordinary," singing, "There's no way I could be a fascist, I'm just an ordinary citizen; there's no way I could be a fascist, I just happen to get angry easily sometimes." Having released his debut album [The Musician's Own Song] in 2011, Kim Mokin has released music spanning folk, folk-rock, and pop, followed by two full-length albums, [A Bunch of Gazes (2013)] and [The Daily Life of Mr. Collabo (2017)], as well as numerous singles and project albums. His third album, [The Daily Life of Mr. Collabo], was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Folk Album at the 2018 Korean Music Awards. Fellow musicians have shown admiring empathy toward his music, leading him to often be called a "musician's musician." Without exaggeration, his songs—characterized by a moderate wit—have captured stories that pierce through life by treating seemingly trivial subjects from extraordinary perspectives. Released after five years, Kim Mokin's fourth full-length album [Saved Landscapes] expresses meaningful scenes witnessed while walking through the city during the period halted by the pandemic. Compared to his previous songs, which primarily expressed thoughts rather than emotions, the tracks on this album describe psychological landscapes through much of the lyrics and the music. "City Walk," which opens the album, contains images of evenings spent wandering along the Han River long ago and people out in the hot summer. This is followed by "Being Different," which sings about the preciousness of diversity, and "Digging," which overlaps the nihilism of his generation with his own collector's passion. The album continues with "Stage," a satire of reality programs as "hardcore stages" where hot rookies can be eliminated in a single night; "The Other Side of the World," a song cheering on a fictional female protagonist; and "Swollen Night," expressing a night where emotions remain unsettled, before concluding with "Winter, Window," which expresses the sensation of "living here and now." "Over the past few years, everyone experienced the great event of the pandemic simultaneously, and personally, I felt the importance of the mental health of my acquaintances and myself several times. I came to realize a bit how much the surrounding landscape is the only hope. I also came to understand the words of someone who said, 'I try to see as many beautiful things as possible.' Things I previously felt were the most bland have become the most important themes. Therefore, like a landscape painting, these songs may feel meaningful to some, while to others, they may feel like an everyday scene. However, I wrote these songs believing in the scenes that felt meaningful to me. The expression 'Saved Landscapes' is a title I attached after selecting and grouping the songs. In a positive sense, it means 'cherished landscapes,' but it also contains the meaning of 'old scenes' that are difficult to erase from the mind. I felt that these two things are both the cause and the solution for many of the things our generation experiences." Numerous fellow musicians participated in [Saved Landscapes]. Lee Dong-jun (bass), Ko Jin-soo (piano, keyboard), Hong Gap (guitar), Oh Hyung-seok (drums), Cho Yoon-jung (violin, viola), and Lee Bo-eun (oboe) handled the instrumentation, while Kim Ji-won, Do Pian, Yoon Ju-mi, Lee Ho-seok, and Hwang Pu-ha participated in the chorus. Additionally, label colleague singer-songwriter Dajeong provided vocals for "City Walk," Lee Ho-seok (who is also part of the Gypsy and Fish Orchestra) for "Day Moon," and rising singer-songwriter Do Pian for "The Other Side of the World." Discography Cabinet Sing-alongs 1st Album [Little Fanfare] (2006) Kim Mokin 1st Album [The Musician's Own Song] (2011) V.A [Seoul Seoul, Seoul] participated in "To the Designer of Passion" (2012) V.A [Electric Muse 5th Anniversary] participated in "I Mean, Poetry" (2012) Kim Mokin + Big Baby Driver [Thoughtful Night] Digital Single (2012) Kim Mokin 2nd Album [A Bunch of Gazes] (2013) Kim Mokin 3rd Album [The Daily Life of Mr. Collabo] (2017) V.A [Electric Muse 10th Anniversary] participated in "Please Do Not Look for Her" (2017) OST [Where We Were Born] participated in "Right Here" (2018) V.A [Please Tell Me – Third Songs] participated in "Grandmother's Walk" (2019) V.A [The Longed-for Sea] participated in "Beachcombing" (2019) Kim Mokin 4th Album [Saved Landscapes] (2022) Lyrics, Composition, Arrangement: Kim Mokin Producer: Kim Min-kyu Recording: Drums Chun Hak-ju @Mushroom Recordings Piano Lee Jae-myung @JM Studio Others Kim Min-kyu @Electric Muse Studio Mixing: Oh Jung-kyun Mastering: Kang Seung-hee @Sonic Korea Cover Art: Kim Yu-in Illustration: Kim Mokin Kimmokin.com www.facebook.com/kimmokin/ twitter.com/mokin_ism maily.so/kimmokin electricmuse.bandcamp.com electricmuse@naver.com