In Season

Here is the album that I've made over the summer.

When I decided to make an album and not an EP, there had to be a sense of continuity within it. I didn't want to just record a bunch of songs so I had to think of a theme. After a week, I've decided to adopt a seasonal component. There are certain moods I associate with different seasons. For example, I associate spring with hope and enthusiasm. I associate summer with exuberance and hedonism. I then tried to translate those moods into musical genres and write songs using reference points.

I remember it getting pretty intense when making it. There were days when I thought nothing but making that album. Whenever I was done for a particular day, I typically felt a kind of acedia over me. To put it another way, it was very therapeutic to make.

It's not meant to be listened on shuffle. Some songs flow into other songs in a natural way. It starts at spring and ends after winter. So please, listen to the album from start to finish.

For felicitations, I'm grateful to my parents for support and allowing me to record in their home and their workplace. I'm grateful to Ross Robertson for providing encouragement and feedback. I'm grateful to John Kim who graciously loaned me equipment and sound engineering expertise.

Spring:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GRTF1GS1
Summer:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TSZREW9E
Autumn:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PUJDE588
Winter:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FUGRDPT7

Album out next week

Hello,

It's been a long time since I written anything on this blog. I have finished mixing everything for my debut In Season, which took me roughly 3 months to make (Write, Record, Mix, and Master). Right now, I just need to master it and design the inlay notes. I should have it all done by the end of next week.

In Season was a lot of fun but it got pretty grueling sometimes. There were days when my mind was completely occupied on making it. Wake up, eat, work, eat, sleep etc. But overall, it wasn't particularly stressful because it was a bedroom project. It does feel rushed at times but I'm satisfied with the result.

I guess I made the album in order to accept the mistakes I made in the last few years. 2009 has been a particularly troublesome year for me despite all its positives (Like discovering a love of music, for example). I sorta hoped that during the process it would trigger a catharsis of sorts. And it did but not as often as I'd hoped.

If you're familiar with Myopia Fan Club, I would certainly say In Season is an improvement. For one thing, Myopia Fan Club was made with FL studio without much knowledge about compression, click tracks, sound editing etc.

Anyway, it's done. There are moments when I thought Man I didn't know anything about equalizing because the saxophone sounds like it's farting most of the time, but it's done. I'm sure I would make more albums in my life. If you want to order a physical copy of the album (With the proper inlay notes with my handwriting and everything) give me an email: jhyang549 AT gmail DOT com.

Otherwise, you can download a digital copy of the album all encoded in VBR V0 mp3 here for free.

- Joon Yang

P.S. I would like to thank my parents for being supportive; Ross Robertson for being a consultant (of sorts) and a dear friend during the process; my cousin John Kim for giving me audio production advice and lending me equipment, and everyone else who has given me their support.

P.P.S Here's to a sparkling new decade.

Radiance

Another song from me. This was fun to do but excruciating to mix down and master due to the number of overdubs. In some places the tracks are a bit out of sync with each other. But that's okay because I'm lo-fi! Reverb solves everything and I made it as loud as possible!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MJI6WM0M

A Room with White Painted Walls

This is the first mixed track of the album I plan to make over the summer. There's nothing like a good brood after a hard day's work I guess.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RZLZ9JWC