Like Saturn, the music of Doe Jaemyoung (도재명) delivers vast loneliness and quiet sorrow.
If you’re heavy enthusiasts of post-rock, or have read about Korean music in Beehype, you might have noticed Loro’s, a post-rock sextet who constructed dreamy and emotional soundscape. They have been on hiatus since 2015, but individual members keep making music in the Korean indie scene. Doe Jaemyoung, keyboard player and singer of Loro’s, is also one of them.
“Under The Sign of Saturn” (“토성의 영향 아래”) is the first solo work of Doe Jaemyoung. The title comes from Walter Benjamin’s essay, which suggest depression and solitude. Like Saturn implies – the star of the slowest revolution, the planet of detours and delays – his music delivers vast loneliness and quiet sorrow. Piano resonates in empty space, and orchestration forms emptiness rather than catharsis.
You can easily notice traces of Loro’s in his album, like serene piano melodies or calm vocals of Do Jaemyeong. But at the same time, “Under The Sign of Saturn” diversifies the style of this humble musician, like tango-like intensity in “Diaspora” or dramatic development of “Pas De Deux”. The contribution of experienced Korean indie musicians also adds to the divergence of his style, like Nam Sang-Ah (3rd Line Butterfly), Jeong Cha Shik and Lee Jaram.
It was not the closed curve we drew
A certain loneliness drained into sewer in that summer
Today, in the morning, I washed my body with it
All people possess their own loneliness, no matter how many friends they have. Do Jaemyung sensitively discovers the desolation with the language of music. You who are in solitude can only withdraw into this calm sound, because it is so beautiful in lonesome way.
Stream “Under the sign of Saturn” LP on Spotify.
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