One thing I like about collecting those indi charts from Bugs is how it makes me aware of music I would’ve missed otherwise. Back in September I learned of the existence of Image and I didn’t have to spend long on YouTube before I took a liking to her and wanted to find out more. And so, a little while ago Image kindly answered a few questions for Indieful ROK:

Who is Image?
A singer song writer who sings a song of silent outcry in an uncanny reality. Sings a song sometimes pleasantly and sometimes dolefully on and off the stage to communicate with people and to question the life. (currently running www.imagemeetssound.com and reviewing and planning concerts as well)

I spontaneously decided to communicate by means of art while thinking of what I could do in this uncanny reality, and the means of communication were more about metaphor, not the indicative. Music was what I had longed for since I learned how to “metaphoricalize” by writing and drawing instead. However, I met a chance to have the music to be more than just a object of craving, by winning the “Yoo Jaeha (Korean singer songwriter) music scholarship contest” 2002, in my age of twenty. By experiencing many trial and errors, I could assure that the music will act as the main means of communication in my life. I try to give accent on the lyrics and also visualize the image of my songs to encompass the means other than the music. This is how the story of “Image meets sound” begins.

How would you describe your music?
The first concert I had with my band was 1999, already been more than ten years. Where am I standing? Why am I singing?

I could have sung a song more likely to be loved by majority of public. But what I think to be more important is the reality we are facing with, and singing sharply by fiercely thinking of current reality on the basis of historical context.

Unignorable time has passed until the release of my digital single under my real name. I didn’t want to be considered as a clown without any philosophy. So in most of the time, I studied Korean literature, visual design and movie as well as experiencing the social life to be matured out of boundary of music. I recognized that my behavior was retrogressive to the musical carrier, I intentionally took the detour, ceasing the band activities, concerning the social role of music, and finally determined to do a “music of veracity” seeking for Folk’s ethos and lyric’s aesthetics. This EP Metaphoricalizing would be my personal beginning point to get to that veracity.

What can you say about 은유화?
The first story solely by myself, conveying sometimes sweet joy of composition, sometimes my bitter internal solitude, Metaphoricalizing (은유화)

“Everyone needs a being which helps to sustain the harshness of reality. That could be something that is good to be called as love, dream or just a hallucination. That hallucination is sung in Metaphoricalizing Begins with dream (Lucid dream/루시드드림), craves for communion and loving with others (Lie of heart/마음의 거짓말), feels hollow when loses it (The empty universe/텅 빈 우주) and sees the double sided pleasure comprising lusciousness and vulnerability (Cookie/쿠키), this album is arranged to feel these with metaphor, like having a dream.

The main title is The empty universe, delivers the feeling when one’s central being to depend and lean on, has been eradicated or collapsed, comparing it as the feeling of the emptiness of his universe. It figures the sense of emptiness, has elegant but little bit twisted melody, combines acoustic and electronic sound, culminates in scenery of placid and bright but filled with strong tears at the same time.

Metaphoricalizing opens its introductory by climax having mysterious feeling, undergoes first track Lucid dream which helps listeners to get into their dreams, meets Lie of heart softly and curiously sings about the possibility of communication with the others, passes The empty universe where everything goes into nothing, finally returns to reality by Cookie, comparing the double sided pleasure comprising lusciousness and vulnerability to a cookie.

So far your music has only been released online – when can we expect something on CD?
This journey, the journey of Metaphoricalizing waking up after having a bite of bittersweet dream, will continue on regular album comprising enhanced band sound and reinforced lyrics pungently staring the reality.

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Looking forward to that album already! Especially since there’ll be a bit of English lyrics on there as well, for those that like myself can’t really grasp all of those intriguing lyrics when expressed in Korean.

In addition to official site Image Meets Sound, you can check Image out on the official YouTube channel and follow her on Twitter. Check back here in little more than a week for more!