Time and Fallen Leaves Review

Artist: AKMU, Producer: Lee Chan-hyuk

Released in 10/10/2014, Pop/Ballad

10/10

There is something that’s rather indescribable in fall. Especially taking a walk in the
park; the breeze that flows through your fingers has the tint of winter in it, painting
the sky as blue as the heart of ice. Leaves that surround you turn red and yellow, but
in reality they are a thousand different shades of orange, and as they flow in the
wind and shatter, so does your mind…

The song in question, Time and Fallen Leaves by AKMU, seemingly takes place in
fall on the surface. But it digs a lot deeper than that, which is a bit contrary to the
“original style” that was taken by AKMU in previous songs. AKMU is a name used to
call a singer-songwriter duo, Lee Chan-hyuk and Lee Suhyun. Their first album was
PLAY, published in 4/7/2014, and they are still active to this day. One interesting
fact is that the duo is actually siblings; Chan-hyuk being the brother while Suhyun
being the sister. That being said, if the two actually have problems they don’t show
it.

AKMU’s music style is incredibly unique; contrary to many popular pop songs, their
music ranges from everyday nuisances to searching for true freedom. But at the
time when Time and Fallen Leaves was released, their only official album was PLAY.
And as the name suggests, the majority of its song was not to be taken seriously.
This made the style of this digital single a complete surprise, switching from playful
to somber and even dreamlike.
First off, let’s look at the lyrics. An interesting note to take immediately is that there
are very few, if not no lyrics that use an English word. Considering that the
majority of Korean pop-songs rely heavily on English lyrics in order to bring their
style on board, it is indeed a fresh take, and a meaningful one at that. The
structuring of the lyrics themselves are also very poetic. They do not immediately
tell the story; similes and metaphors are heavily used, and a lot of lines don’t
connect directly with one another. But if the search is thorough enough, the story
will show. 

Long story short, the song is about memories - more specifically, letting go of old
memories. The very first lines, which also are the last lines, are “I walk through the
memory barefooted.” This tells us that the narrator wants to feel the memories, to
the point they are willing to walk barefooted. The lines such as “letting go of people
that I couldn’t forget” and “raising people that I couldn’t be together with into the
air” heavily hint at farewells. The next few lines tells us a bit more about this story.
Take for instance, how the narrator is unwilling to let go but submits anyway. But
the most important part, in my opinion, lies right after the climax. “As it(the
memory) falls asleep in there, the truth that it will be most beautiful there, breaks
my heart. Breaks my heart.” They know that it is the most natural to let go of the
ones that are gone - not necessarily dead ones, but ones that have parted their
ways. But the truth is, that empty void will never feel the same. At the final lines,
they make amends in their own ways, by “calling out my old memories” every now
and then.

As for the music itself, all I can say is that it adds so much to the lyrics that are
already given. The song starts subtle, with gentle guitar strings. And even though
the pitch of the lyrics are quite high, Suhyun finds it comfortable as she delivers
them in the softest way. As we relax and the memories start to stir, other string
instruments start to join in, such as violin and piano. But they do not startle us;
they only rise as they need to, as the emotions embedded in the lyrics intensify.
Chan-hyuk joins in as well, gently exploding into a harmony of tunes as “flowers
and trees inside my mind withers, the memory deeply buried to never surface
again.” Then the intensity dies, as the narrator learns that sometimes, things are
better when they are let go. Afterwards, the tunes of the first few lines return. Our
protagonist has finally found a way to make amends, and is feeling comfortable like
old times. As the song fades out, we recall something that could be in our grasps,
but will never fully clutch.
What more can I say? AKMU offered everything they had to offer in this song; vivid
imagery, poetic lines, subtle tunes of the background that never disturb and only
amplify. Time and Fallen Leaves offers you a trip - one where the skies are blue and
clear as ever, the leaves crunching gently beneath your feet. The fireplace inside
your heart, which may be forgotten and untended, starts to rekindle their flames.
And sometimes, with minds so jumbled and rushed in our recent times, it is nice to
relax and be reminiscent of old times.