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Wintermotifs was originally a series of blog entries written in 2010-11 as an account of the Japanese winter as experienced during my studies in Tokyo. The intention of adapting the content into musical form came in mid-January 2011, with no particular reason except for creating new material for a reunion show with my band members in Hong Kong.
With the songs written during a short time span of three weeks, I made demos with simple arrangements of the songs in February and March while moving from Tokyo to Manila for my research. With demos completed, I invited a good friend Jeremy Cheng to lend his valuable skill of mixing and to co-produce this album with me. Studio work started in April during a trip home to Hong Kong, with much of the drums and guitars recorded over my arrangements in Jon Lee’s (Drums) This Music Studio. Much of the vocals and acoustic guitars, however, were recorded in my very own bedroom.
Although I very much stuck to a simple acoustic rock style since Hardwood, my previous release in 2003, I tried intertwining it with other styles like R&B grooves, electronica, Chinese or even classical in Wintermotifs, just like how we put on an extra layer of clothing in winter. I also introduced retro elements reminiscent of the 1980s here and there to create a slight nostalgic feel to the songs.
There is a light (#1, MP3) and Wait! (#2, MP3) are the songs first written for the album. These two songs depict the late autumn, early winter night in their own different ways. Soul music influences are evident in the song -There is a light has a slight R&B feel to it, featuring electronic drum loops, while Wait! has a much greater on live sounds, featuring brass instruments by US-based Eric Bolvin for the first time in my repertoire. Collaboration for this song thus took place primarily over the Internet.
Tokyo Fine Day (#3, MP3) and Under the Overpass (#4, MP3) bring out the contrasts between the day and night of leisurely Tokyo. The light-hearted melody of Tokyo Fine Day was written during a bike ride in the outskirts of Shinjuku, with more personal lyrics focusing on love and relationship. This song also features Wai, the bassist of Hong Kong mainstream act RubberBand. Slowing down for a moment, the more grave and solemn Under the Overpass has more of a social dimension by reflecting upon urban renewal and homelessness in Tokyo. The song was created while lying in bed at 4am, and I am still unsure of its musical influences.
Les memoirs du vin chaud (#5, MP3) does not only celebrate the European festive beverage of mulled wine, but is also a tribute to Izumi Sakai of Zard, one of my favorite Japanese vocalists who passed away in 2007. The song was based on an upbeat Zard-like melody created back in the late 1990s, but with the chorus and the intro completely rewritten at the suggestion of Jeremy. The balance between the stronger (i.e. drums and electric guitar), and softer elements (i.e. piano and tubular bells) has been a challenge during the recording, mixing and mastering processes. This song is followed by The Tree (#6, MP3), which is another short piece reminding the audience of Christmas, and also the first-ever a cappella work in my repertoire.
Moving onto the second half, the set changes from a glittery urban scene to a snow-covered landscape. First Snow Fight (#7, MP3) opens the act with a straightforward energy, featuring guitar riffs by guitarist Johan Lam over electronic dance loops. The sound, intended to recreate the joyful scene of a snowball fight contrasts, with the more-subtle Snow and Stream (#8, MP3), which features nylon guitar by Ken Lam and female vocals by Matina Leung. The song draws its lyrical content from two different states of water: the lazy snow and the energetic stream, which serve to symbolize two types of human character.
Sentiments of missing home are presented in the bitter-sweet Soup searching (#9, MP3), a somewhat-typical Cantopop ballad by design. To spice up the tune with a traditional flavor, I added a part for the Chinese woodwind instrument Dizi, played by King-ho Tang. In sharp contrast, the aggressive but illness-stricken Cold Spell (#10, MP3) then rolls out with a sampled strings session playing over hip hop beats and heavy guitars. The strings arrangement makes use of the counterpoint technique in Western classical music at various points.
The album finally closes with the quiet Hibernating (#11, MP3 – Japanese Version), a tune originally written in Japanese. For the Wintermotifs album version, however, I translated the lyrics into Mandarin Chinese. The oriental instrument at the beginning is an electronic imitation of the Okinawa San-shin, which involved an almost-laughable series of trial and error during mixing due to miscommunication between Jeremy and myself.
Before I end, I would like to add a note on the artwork. My friend Ngai Wing Hong has gracefully contributed his creativity in helping visualize the essays and the songs, creating an illustration for every song in the album. Another long time friend, Kion Chan, has also designed a logo for Wintermotifs. Together with the essays an the lyrics, we will release our collaborated works in print form, to be available for purchase at the Wintermotifs live show on December 21, 2011.
This would conclude my rather verbose but already simplified introduction of Wintermotifs. The music and lyrics are now up to your own interpretation, which officially completes our communication process. Hope these tunes will be a welcome addition to your winter this year, and many more winters to come.
