Melancholic tunes with a piano are usually a hit with me, and so I quite liked singer/songwriter Go-yo‘s self-titled EP released last year. For a few months I was thinking I ought to give it some attention beyond the simple release update, but as happens far too often I never got around to it. So when Go-yo suggested I’d pay some attention to his new album I figured I definitely should and decided to ask him a few questions while I was at it:
Who is Go-yo?
Go-yo is a singer-songwriter who have started solo from year 2008. Before that I was in couple of bands. In early 2000s, I was the guitarist and songwriter of band Greenish Yellow, a shoe-gazing/grunge band. At that time, we were so into the gorgeous noise of My Bloody Valentine. After I left the band, Ji-Hye Ham (the present vocalist of band Vidulgi OoyoO) replaced my place. Six years later, I played guitar and keyboard in the band Wavelet, a British pop/rock band. However, there was disharmony among members about the view of music. Then I left the band to start solo singer-songwriter. Go-yo, in Korean 고요, means calmness or silence and have released self-titled single album in Mar. 2009. and main album in Aug. 2010. Go-yo sings for human life (especially, dark aspect) and give an effort to gain the sympathy.
Where do you find inspiration for song writing?
As you can find easily, most of my songs are about loneliness, solitude and confusions which anyone can feel through their own life.
Usually I find inspirations from my life and the environment. I think song writing should be inspired from the deep heart of writer, if not there would be no sympathy between writer and listeners. This is my sort of philosophy to write songs.
Here’s my personal story, I left my family from the late teens and have been living alone ca. 10 yrs. I guess last 10yrs of my life, itself was the inspiration for my song writing.
Your sound appears to have changed a bit since the EP last year. How would you describe it?
In terms of subject, main album is on the same way to talk about cynical self-consolation, however, in terms of tools, more diverse tools were used to express the subject.
Piano was main instrument for the last EP, and I tried to make it lo-fi style with the piano mainly, let’s say “piano lo-fi” (this wouldn’t be a correct term but i just made it to represent my last EP).
Since last EP had been released, I adopted few aspects of electronica, trip-hop, etc. I do not want to confine my sound, I just want to utilize several tools, digest them and express on my own way.
What would you like to say about 혼자 왔습니다?
Since I self-release my first single album on 2009, there was a good chance to work with indie label Digitalrecord, so that we worked to make full-length album together.
My first main album 혼자 왔습니다, meaning “I Came Alone” is about the life. And I think anyone who lives alone would feel similar things that I’ve been sung on the album. The album contains 10 songs as follows;
01. 아침햇살의 따스한 기억 조차 없는 이 좁은 방안의 오후; The afternoon in a small room without the memory of warm morning light
02. 작은새를 날게해; Let the little bird fly
03. 그리다; Missing
04. 오늘은 유난히 춥다; Today is exceptionally cold
05. 관계의 진실; The truth of relationship
06. 쵸콜릿 나비; Chocolate butterfly
07. Untitled
08. The blue devil
09. 회전목마, 나른한 질주; Merry-go-round
10. 기억하나요; Do you remember
The atmosphere of early part the album is calm and drowsy and the it gets excited from song #5 쵸콜릿나비; Chocolate butterfly to song #8 The blue devil. Then, it gets relaxed again.
The main theme of the album, in one word, is cynical self-consolation.
I hope this album satisfies the listener’s heart, gives comfort to the listeners and helps to communicate with their own ego.
Please check out my YouTube channel to watch music video of the title song and clips. I’ll upload them more over and over again.
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I have yet to hear more than what’s on Myspace from the new album myself, but with 작은새를 날게해 it’s evident that the melancholy I appreciated last year is still there. To make it even more interesting, particularly in The Blue Devil the additional electronica/trip-hop elements help construct a sound that at times reminisces pieces of Radiohead‘s OK Computer with a hint of Mot. I’ll be expecting more good music from Go-yo in the future.