[Album] Voision Xi - Queen and Elf [FLAC / 24bit Lossless / WEB] [2024.11.22]

“How do you keep a wave upon a sand.
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?” With kindness and a hint of resignation, the nuns describe the optimistic, playful and trouble-making character of the heroine Maria in the classic musical-film “The Sound of Music”. Despite always being contrary to the expectations she carried, Maria embarked on a life path that belonged only to her because of her enthusiasm and kindness, and became an “impossible” answer to felicity.

The rhyme in the end of ‘Maria’ goes directly to a new clue in the singer-songwriter Voision Xi’s second solo album ‘Queen and Elf’. To let go is to have, and leaving means coming back. In our growing up, we gradually realize that those so-called “gray areas” not only accommodate the opposition of black and white, but contain more dimensions; and in all our understandings of “diversity”, we can only grasp the personal feelings and judgments. She answers clearly in ‘How Do You Hold A Moonbeam?’, and the slowly unfolding soundscape at the end leads to more. Songwriter Wen-Hui Tsai’s voice seems to be another side of Voision Xi’s spirit, creating a deep and wide space along with the iconic tone and ambience from guitarist Xiao Jun; at the same time, “Moonbeam”, as a guideat the beginning of ‘Kagi 鍵’: Inspired by the multiple meanings of the word “kagi” in Japanese, the image of the key and the lock overlaps, which also reflects the trajectory of thoughts throughout the whole process of creation.

Such clues are mixed everywhere in this album; “Queen” and “Elf” are not opposites, but more like two flowing images among all sentient beings, two characters guarding each other, like two footholds. In the nearly three years since the release of her debut album ‘Lost for Words’, Voision Xi has never stopped creating: in addition to casually collecting inspirational ideas in life, she’s been experimenting more from outside the music to sliding in the main theme of each project, assigning emotions and scenes with characters, and building her own narrative with the language of music.

Originating from jazz, Voision Xi weaved her inspiration into notes and phrases. The single ‘Birdling’ paints a picture of the growth of life, ‘Muse (for Joyce)’ pays tribute to the Brazilian jazz singer Joyce Moreno; ‘Truly (after)’ and ‘Truly (before)’ are either complicated or simplified musical expansions of the poetry of the contemporary Spanish female poet Leticia Sala; ‘No. 8 Signal’ develops associations from the typhoon alarm encountered on the tour, she responds positively with a Hip-Hopish groove at the end of the tune. ‘Leaf Sheep’ captures the wonders of the world from a magical creature in a vibration of electronic Bossa Nova; Actress, and multi-resident artist Tianyuan brings a dramatic tension with spoken words in ‘We Could Be Shy’, and the instrumental performance hovering up at the end of the song, as if it reflects the storm in the hearts of introverts. Surprisingly, the mother’s voice in ‘Prelude To A Fortune’ adds a new color to the magnificence and tenderness of the summer evening skyline, constituting a harmonious exchange between the voices of mother and daughter.

Similar to the previous album, ‘Queen and Elf’ was produced by and other featured musicians/producers together. There are jazz seniors such as Lawrence Ku, Yongheng Wu, Alec Haavik, Nathaniel Gao, close music partners who’s been working together with her many times as Ryan An, Jun Xiao, Wen-Hui Tsai, Sdewdent, Xiongguan Zhang, Shihai Li, Zack Zeng, Guojun Yu, Fred Grenade, as well as Aflou, Efajemue, zuho, Xinlu Chen, D-Ray, Ruilin Pan and other talents. Under the production of Voision Xi, the tone and musical expression of the whole work are unified and rich in a staggered connection between fourteen tracks. From the introduction of ‘My Elf’ to the fading out of ‘The Last Sleeper’, the sequence of songs in the album is filled up with ups and downs of the natural breathing. And this “building up” creative process is also imprinted with the process of seeking truth and knowledge: in addition to pointing to the confession of the heart, you also need to cast your eyesights to the far distance; it is not difficult to get the answer, but the trajectory of seeking verification seems more valuable. Only by loosening your curled hand can you hold onto the whole night sky. After a complete cycle of the four seasons, ‘Queen and Elf’ was decided to be released in early winter of 2024, hoping to provide the listeners with a special journey at the right time, in the right space.

——–

“How do you keep a wave upon a sand.
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?”

“就像那海滩留不住浪花.
捉不住月光更捉不住她。”

在经典影片《音乐之声》中，修道院的修女们带着慈爱与无奈，用这样的修辞形容主人公玛利亚那乐天、活泼却闯祸不断的性格。然而，尽管总与背负的期望相违背，玛利亚却因为热情与善良，走上了只属于自己的人生路途，也成为了一个本”不可能”的幸福答案。

《玛利亚》颇有禅意的尾韵，化作了唱作人喜辰晨第二张个人专辑《Queen and Elf》中的一条线索。放手即是拥有、离开意味着回来，在长大的过程中我们逐渐体会到，那些所谓的”灰色地带”不止容纳黑与白的对立，还蕴藏了世界的多元；而对”多面性”的所有理解里，我们能抓住的只有切身的感受与判断。在《如何握住月光？》中，喜辰晨给出了肯定的答案，但结尾徐徐展开的丰富声响还意味着更多，曲作者蔡雯慧的献声仿佛小喜的另一重灵魂，与吉他手肖骏标志性的氛围音色共同营造出悠长的想象空间；同时，”月光”又作为指引，出现在《Kagi 鍵》的开篇段落：受日语中”鍵（kagi）”这个字多重含义的启发，钥匙与锁的意象重叠，同样折射出创作中贯穿始终的思辨轨迹。

在喜辰晨的笔下，这样的线索交融比比皆是；”皇后”与”精灵”也并非对立，而更像是芸芸众生中两个流动的意象，两个彼此守护的角色、两片立足之地。首张专辑《欲言又止》发行后近三年的时间里，喜辰晨从未曾停下创作的脚步：除了随手采撷灵感的生活散记，她更多地尝试从主旨切入，将情与景赋予角色，以音乐为语言，构建只属于自己的叙事。

以爵士乐为原点，喜辰晨将灵感如织锦般编入音符之中。先行单曲《小小鸟》想象小生命的成长，《缪斯》向巴西爵士女歌手 Joyce Moreno 隔空致敬，两个版本的《（关于）真相》则将西班牙当代女诗人 Leticia Sala 的诗歌进行或繁复、或质朴的音乐性拓展；《八号风球》从巡演偶遇的台风警报展开联想，在歌曲的结尾活用嘻哈律动给出了自信的回应，《叶羊》则借电子味 Bossa Nova 之灵韵，从神奇动物身上捕捉世界之奇妙；《内向的人》更有演员、多栖艺人田原带来戏剧张力十足的念白，而歌曲结尾盘旋上升的器乐演奏段落，仿佛也折射出内向的人内心中的风暴。而请到妈妈惊喜献声的《夕阳映在云朵》里面，夏日傍晚的壮丽与温柔，也和母女二人的声音构成了亲切的互文。

与前作相似，《Queen and Elf》由喜辰晨邀请诸多音乐人好友协力录制完成。这其中有顾忠山、武勇恒、Alec Haavik、高太行等爵士乐前辈，安雨、肖骏、蔡雯慧、Sdewdent、张雄关、李世海、曾皓、俞国俊、Fred Grenade 等合作多次的亲密搭档，也有阿弗娄、Efajemue、zuho、陈辛璐、丁睿、潘瑞林等才华横溢的新伙伴。在喜辰晨的制作统筹下，整部作品的音乐表达统一而丰富。十四首曲目篇幅长短不一，衔接错落有致，从”精灵”引入到”睡着的人”淡出，顺序收听颇能感受到几分自然呼吸的起伏。而这聚沙成塔的创作过程，也和求知的过程相印：除了指向内心的剖白，还要把视线投至远方；获得答案不难，更加宝贵的是求证的轨迹，松开蜷缩的手，才能拥有整片夜空。经过完整的四季轮转，《Queen and Elf》选择在 2024 年初冬时节面世，也正是希望能为听者带来一份穿越时空的、恰到好处的暖意。

（注：篇首引用《玛利亚》的歌词由程何译配。）

credits
released November 22, 2024 ·Producer: 喜辰晨 Voision Xi
·Composed by: 喜辰晨 Voision Xi; 蔡雯慧 Wen-Hui Tsai / 10
·Lyrics by: 喜辰晨 Voision Xi; 彭喜悦 Tingting / 5; 田原 Tianyuan / 9; 蔡雯慧 Wen-Hui Tsai / 10
·Arranged by: 喜辰晨 Voision Xi; 张雄关 Xiongguan Zhang / 4; Sdewdent / 7,13; 谭子鹤 zuho / 9; 蔡雯慧 Wen-Hui Tsai / 10
·Horns Arrangd by: 陈辛璐 Xinlu Chen / 6
·Strings Arrangd by: 张雄关 Xiongguan Zhang / 4
·Vocals: 喜辰晨 Voision Xi
·Vocals/ Vocoder: 蔡雯慧 Wen-Hui Tsai / 10
·Spoken Words: 梦蝶 Mendy / 5; 田原 Tianyuan / 9; 喜辰晨 Voision Xi / 10; 小保姆 Nurse / 12
·Backing Vocals: 喜辰晨 Voision Xi, 阿弗娄 Aflou / 3,6,7,9,12; 冻柠茶 DNC / 6; 梦蝶 Mendy / 6; 谭子鹤 zuho / 9
·Keyboard: 喜辰晨 Voision Xi / 3,5,6,8,11,12; Sdewdent / 3,7
·Synthesizer: 喜辰晨 Voision Xi / 2,3,5,6,7,8,11; 谭子鹤 zuho / 9; Sdewdent / 7,12
·Piano: 曾皓 Zack Zeng / 9,10
·Electric Guitar: 顾忠山 Lawrence Ku / 3; 张雄关 Xiongguan Zhang / 4; 肖骏 Jun Xiao / 10
·Acoustic Guitar: 张雄关 Xiongguan Zhang / 4; 顾忠山 Lawrence Ku / 3; 谭子鹤 zuho / 9; 喜辰晨 Voision Xi / 12
·Electric Bass: Fred Grenade / 3,8; 丁睿 D-Ray / 4,5
·Double Bass: 潘瑞林 Ruilin Pan / 6,9,10
·Drums: 武勇恒 Yongheng Wu / 3; 俞国俊 Guojun Yu / 4,9,10; 安雨 Ryan An / 6; Efajemue Etoroma, Jr. / 8
·Shaman Drum: 安雨 Ryan An / 6
·Percussions: Efajemue Etoroma, Jr. / 8
·Alto Saxophone: 陈辛璐 Xinlu Chen / 6; 高太行 Nathaniel Gao / 7; 李世海 Shihai Li / 8; 谭子鹤 zuho / 9
·Bass Clarinet: Alec Haavik / 6
·Flute: 赵苏延 Suyan Zhao / 6; 李世海 Shihai Li / 8; 谭子鹤 zuho / 9
·Tenor Saxophone: 陶陶 TaoYu
·Flugelhorn / Whistle / Recorder : 谭子鹤 zuho / 9
·Violin: 武奥列 Aolie Wu / 4
·Viola: 俞海锋 Haifeng Yu / 4
·Cello: 周润青 Runqing Zhou / 4
·Recording Engineers:
胡仕俊 Austin Hu, 喜辰晨 Voision Xi @ Huanxi Terrace; 曾泽源 Teddy Zeng @ 一个音乐梦想 OneMusicDream / 4, 9,10; 张宇涵 Yuhan Zhang, 李杨 Yang Li @ 55Tec, Beijing / 3; 袁祥赫 Dominic Yuan @ Cashmere Studio 羊绒工作室 / 6; Simone Schirru @ 咚西录音棚 DongXi Studios / 7; Efajemue Etoroma, Jr. @Third Encore Studios, LA / 8; 田原 Tianyuan @ Home Studio / 9
·Recording Studio for Strings: Motif Audio / 4
·Mixing Engineers: Eric Lau @ 还律 HUANLÜ Studios / 1,2,3,5,7,8; 胡仕俊 Austin Hu @ Huanxi Terrace / 4,6,9,10; 喜辰晨 Voision Xi @ Huanxi Terrace / 11,12,13
·Mastering Engineer: Eric Lau @ 还律 HUANLÜ Studios
·Special Thanks to: 也是福 Ediie Beatz; 车子玉 Jade Che

·Liner Notes: 方舟 Fangzhou *translated by Sdewdent
·Cover & Vinyl Artwork: 大蒜糖 Garlicsugar
·Cover Photography: 严肃 Yansu
·Illustration Photography: 王怡然 Rachel Wang, 王阅 Reho, 严肃 Yansu
·Mastered For Vinyl by Mike Hillier at Metropolis Studios, London, UK
·Vinyl Executive Producer: Cookie Zhang
·Vinyl Distributed by: 宜听音乐 EATING MUSIC
·Music Video Production:
《Kagi 鍵》- 罗宗汉 Luo Zonghan, 李盼 Panda Lee
《Southern Shanghai 上南》- 彭浩旻 Haomin Peng
《Birdling 小小鸟》 – 大蒜糖 Garlicsugar
·Marketing & Promotion / Artist Branding & Strategy: Muzi Li, Xinyi Wang (西北土特产 XIBEI MEMENTO)

·Special Love to:
ART LAB by marie dalgar – 赞助了由白莫媞设计的戏剧服饰
一方yifang – 赞助了原创艺术面具
Ms MIN – 赞助了《Kagi 鍵》MV拍摄服装
Là SPACE & 韬 Vic – 赞助了概念视频拍摄空间
YUEQI QI – 赞助了在”香港自由爵士音乐节”演出时的服饰
– 设计了在”香港自由爵士音乐节”演出时的 Queen and Elf 主题乐队服

本张专辑是喜辰晨第二张个人专辑录制于 2022年3月至2024年7月期间
This album is Voision Xi’s second album recorded from March 2022 to July 2024

収録内容

01. My Elf, Prologue
02. Birdling
03. Muse (for Joyce)
04. Truly (after)
05. Prelude to a Fortune
06. Kagi
07. Leaf Sheep
08. No.8 Signal (feat. Efajemue)
09. We Could Be Shy
10. A Moonbeam, Intro
11. How Do You Hold a Moonbeam? (feat. 蔡雯慧)
12. Southern Shanghai
13. Truly (before)
14. The Last Sleeper

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