[CD REVIEW] 麥浚龍 (Juno Mak) – 天生地夢 (2009)

麥浚龍 (Juno Mak) –– son of Hong Kong stock tycoon 麥紹棠 (Mak Shiu Tong), is back with a new EP that boasts collaboration between famed lyricist 林夕 (Albert Leung) and 周耀輝 (Chow Yiu Fai).  Leung helms lyrics for the first 3 songs while Chow is responsible for the second half. This is not the first time this dream partnership has teamed up –– as they had previously worked together on HK pop king 陳奕迅 (Eason Chan’s) hit album The Line Up.

After the previous ballad oriented Words of Silence and playful/lightweight Why, Juno makes a much welcomed return to darker territory that feels like a continuation of the critically acclaimed Chapel of Dawn –– well, sort of.

Following the more adventurous sound established on the aforementioned album – The first 3 tracks off 天生地夢 (Innate Dreams) are some of the strongest material Juno has presented to date.  Greatly assisted by longtime collaborator 馮穎琪 (Vicky Fung), 王雙駿 (Carl Wong) and Jerald, these 3 songs layered with haunting piano lines, dabs in Industrial and Electronica are effective in transposing Leung’s poetic muses into music.  His lyrics which deal with big themes such as the unexamined life “生死疲勞” (“Tires of Life and Death”) to transcendence in “弱水三千” (“Weak Water 3 Thousand”), shows a progressive lyrical depth that works these 3 tracks into bold statement on the human condition.  This is apparent on the track “顛倒夢想” (“Inverted Dreams”), which fit between the aforementioned tracks and gives a lesson on the twisting of dreams and hopes in modern society.  By embodying these ideas through the use of figurative such as flowers, vases and water, Leung is able to make his abstract ideas palatable.  Clearly the message is made even stronger when paired with the appropriate distorted rock electronic arrangements.  Also effective is “弱水三千”, which opens with a sparse water drip like beat that lays the groundwork for Juno’s voice to float atop the restrained musical composition. This minimal arrangement aptly accompanies the lyric that reflects life through the forever changing forms of water.

Sadly, upon listening to Chow’s second act, the previously established ambiances by the first 3 tracks are ruined by the next 2 songs. “True Romance” is a nice romantic ballad, while sounding refreshing, completely cuts off any mood or connection that had been established earlier. The underwhelming “Dancing with the Devil” is a Karaoke power ballad disguised as being something more than just that.  By the time the darker “Never Say Goodbye” comes along –– it feels like too little, too late.

It can be argued that this EP should be viewed as 2 separate musical entities – this is a valid point of view. But the disjointedness of the 2 parts is confusing at best; with the last track “Never Say Goodbye” feeling more related to the first side than second.  Innate Dreams is a strong release, but I just cannot help but feel disappointed that the far more interesting musical mood of the first 3 tracks were not pursued further.

Here’s hoping for an extension on the well hinted Chapel of Dawn II.

顛倒夢想 | 麥浚龍

Recommended tracks: 01 – 03

Track Listing:
01. 生死疲勞 (Tires of Life and Death)
02. 顛倒夢想 (Inverted Dreams)
03. 弱水三千 (Weak Water 3 Thousand)
04. True Romance
05. Walking with Devil
06. Never Say Goodbye

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lojun

I like to spend my time on the internet searching for the meaning of life. When I am not doing this you can find me listening to music or playing the bass…or stuffing myself silly on Burritos.

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