Joanna Wang - Hotel La Rut (CD)

Joanna Wang New English Album

Hotel La Rut

Unlimited Creation Avant-garde and bold style Breaking the mainstream vision

 Welcome to Joanna 's Slum Hotel

Broken reality and Beautiful fantasy

All in this hotel Float on the surface

Looking out the window into Joanna 's imagination Uncover the inner world of 23 different tenants

Regardless of the advantages and disadvantages You will see humor and beauty mixed together

Joanna Wang has always been widely praised for her unique and humorous songs. She released an all-English album 6 years ago.   " Modern Tragedy" sings about the various emotional entanglements in life from the perspective of comedy and tragedy. In 2019 , Joanna broke through the framework of cover albums and released "Call of Love", combining classic love songs from the 1960s to 1980s with Western psychedelic music, and won the Best Mandarin Album Award at the 31st Golden Melody Awards . Last year, he was nominated for the Golden Melody Award for Best Single Producer and the Golden Melody Award for Best Rock Song for the song " Tina's Hausu " from the album " Hotel La Rut ". After five years of waiting, Joanna Wang finally released a new English album, which includes 23 songs, revealing the joyful world of different characters in her heart.  

Joanna Wang 's new album Hotel La Rut is like a collection of colorful fairy tale comics. The album concept was inspired by a Canadian comedy she loved.   The Kids in the Hall The song is an extension of one of the short plays in the series, " Hotel La Rut ". This song is like a window into the world of a run-down hotel, where 23 different tenants live. These tenants are all characters invited by Joanna , including a girl who falls in love with a murderer, a fly, a lonely person, a pirate, and a strange beast. All kinds of unexpected characters live in this hotel.       " Hotel La Rut ". Joanna brings these characters' inner worlds and their thoughts to the table through songs, sharing them with everyone through music. Joanna believes that these characters may encounter heartbreaking and cruel things in real life, but in their own minds, the fantasy world is actually beautiful, full of hope, and even victorious in the unrealistic. Joanna also hopes that through this album, everyone can hear the contrast that she has always liked: mixing shortcomings and advantages together, the seemingly contradictory but intriguing humor and beauty.

The entire album took two years to prepare. Joanna wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the 23 songs herself, and invited the previous award-winning album Produced by Adam Lee , the sound engineer and mixer of "Call of Love" . Joanna flew to Akureyri in the north of Iceland for a short stay of six weeks in 2022 for this album . At that time , Chris Funk, the producer of "Call of Love", was in Iceland helping a local holiday home owner who loved music and was a strange boss to run a recording studio. He told Joanna about this opportunity. It was during the epidemic period, and Joanna missed the feeling of being able to go out very much, so she quickly made up her mind and agreed to go to Iceland to record the album. The music and arrangement of the entire album are designed according to the feeling and story of each song, so the overall musicality does not belong to one style, but is very diverse, ranging from Indie Rock , Prog Rock to the new wave music of the 80s , retro and inspiration from the Beatles. The overall granularity of the album presents the different personalities of the 23 tenants. During the album recording process, Joanna and the team worked together to explore the arrangement. Joanna said that the arrangement process was very interesting. Even if there was no feedback at all, she would reach a clear place by continuing to arrange, and suddenly she would find inspiration and move on to the next song.

Joanna described the days in Iceland as being like being in summer camp. She lived in the same house with the album music team. Every morning, Joanna and her team would drive ten minutes to the studio to record two or three songs. Sometimes the sound engineer would sleep directly in the recording studio, because he was the kind of crazy person who couldn’t leave the recording studio! Outside the recording studio is the sea, and there are sheep with silly expressions. There is also a Horse Ranch nearby . In the recording studio, you will see trainers taking horses for walks nearby. Not only can you interact with the horses, but Joanna was lucky enough to ride an Icelandic horse! Joanna also shared that the scenery in Iceland is quite vast and deserted, which is very shocking! It was April-May , the transition period between winter and spring. There were days of heavy snow and days of blue sky and green land. The weather was dreamy and polarized, which made Joanna spend a very happy summer camp.

The album cover of " Hotel La Rut " was drawn by Joanna 's sister Tina . The two of them have a lot of common pop culture favorites. After discussion, the sister was able to immediately grasp the cover feeling that Joanna wanted. They have a perfect understanding! Joanna thought her sister was very powerful and perceptive, as if the two of them could sense each other’s flow and emotions! Tina 's style of painting the cover was influenced by cartoonist Kazuo Umezu , who portrayed a spiritual character that connects the entire album, a character who wanders in a humorous, terrifying, and absurd world, yet feels ecstatic, a little clumsy but fearless. The song presents the feelings and diversity that Joanna wants to bring to everyone. It uses black and white, but also many bright colors, and uses a collage style to present the appearance of the 23 tenants to everyone!

Song Introduction

1. Hotel La Rut

Tenant 1 : There lives a (streetwalker) who has been missing a person named Tony

The album's title song, " Hotel La Rut ," has lyrics from a skit in her favorite TV series, " The Kids in the Hall, " called " Hotel La Rut ."

The melody of this song has an enka style, but it uses an orchestral arrangement, as if walking into a shabby hotel, opening the album's prologue.

2. I Believe That All His Words are True

Tenant 2 : A girl who falls in love with a murderer on TV lives there

It tells the story of a girl who falls deeply in love with a murderer after seeing him on TV.

Some parts of the arrangement were inspired by the rock style of the Beatles.

3. Pigeons on Your Balcony

Tenant 3 : A pacifist gentleman who is arguing with pigeons

The inspiration comes from the true story of Joanna's friend, who is usually a super peaceful person, but when he encounters pigeons on the balcony competing with him for territory (for example: the pigeons are very diligent and keep pooping on his washing machine), he will go completely crazy!

Joanna portrays a gentleman who seems to be extremely suppressing his violent tendencies, saying words that are more cruel than those of a gangster, but in the end he innocently confesses to the priest, "I'm actually a pacifist." The arrangement of the music is like a confession scene in a church in the Italian Mafia .

4. Flies !

Tenant 4 : A greedy happy fly lives here

Joanna wrote down the thoughts of a fly, a fly that flies around happily, always eating other people's food, but no one can stop it. The music is punk rock.

5. People Don't Eat Dinner by Themselves

Tenant 5 : A lonely person lives here

Although people don't eat dinner alone and can watch TV with a group of people all day, they are alone when they cry at night. Joanna wanted to express "people's loneliness" and create a desolate and absurd atmosphere in the West.

6. In a Situation Like This, What a Mafia Leader Would Say

Tenant 6 : A man who accidentally offended the mafia lives here

The tenant accidentally offended a mafia member and began to feel nervous and scared!

The song begins with the mafia boss saying "Come come come come come" in a relaxed manner, presented in a country style, and the final arrangement is a dramatic monologue accompaniment.

It reminded Joanna of the scene in the Adam Family movie where Wednesday's one-man show spurted blood.

7. He's Given Us the Freedom to Do What's Right He gives me the freedom to do what's right!

Tenant 7 : A politician lives here

The inspiration comes from some politicians who say "God is on our side!" The kind of character who always lives in victory and joy, the feeling of arranging the music into happy prog rock .

8. Fancied by a Celebrity

Tenant 8 : A person who lives here dates a famous star in his dream

When Joanna was a child, she loved Snape , a character in Harry Potter. She once had a dream about dating Alan Rickman (the actor who played Snape ), but woke up soon after, so she wrote this song.

9. Drunken Song

Tenant 9 : A group of drunken pirates live here

This song has no lyrics. It is the song that Joanna imagines a pirate would sing. The arrangement is in a happy prog rock style.

10. The Wish I

Tenant 10 : A person who wants to go to a beautiful place lives here

Wish I is Joanna's favorite song in this album. Although there are no lyrics, she likes the pictures and feelings in the song very much. It talks about a small wish, which is to go to a beautiful place.

11. She Had a Habit of Meeting All of the Artists Backstage

Tenant 11 : A happy girl who lives in a beautiful dream

A young girl's dream. This tenant lives in her own pink bubble. She is very "lucky" in her pink bubble, but driven by some desires, she talks to her favorite band. In order to make people around her envious, she has been living happily in a beautiful dream.

The MV invited director Bobby Youngblood , who had worked with Joanna for many years , to discuss with him and decided to continue Joanna 's MV "The Rightful Heir" seven years ago . The female ghost in the MV became a super fan of a band and finally dragged them down to be with them forever.

12. There She Smiles (In a Memory )

Tenant 12 : There lives a person who is crying and missing his memories

A sad person is missing someone who is no longer here, so he can only cry sadly, and is particularly heartbroken when thinking of the beautiful memories. Joanna collaborated with director Jeff Cravath , a very talented animator , for the first time and designed many actions in the MV , including jumping on springs, riding a bicycle, and sitting on the moving car window. When people know that they can't go back, the longing is the most heartbreaking.

13. You Lost Me at the Spanking Machine

Tenant 13 : A person who has entered the secret garden lives there

The arrangement of this song feels like a secret garden world.

14. Tina's Hausu

Tenant 14 : A house with a man-eating ghost

Inspired by the 1977 Japanese fantasy film "Haunted House" directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi , Joanna combined the imagination of the music with the horror comics by cartoonist Kazuo Umezuki with elementary school students as the characters, and put Joanna 's love for the worldview of cult works into this song. " Tina " is the name of Joanna 's younger sister. She loves all kinds of monsters, goblins, and ghosts. The song begins with an impromptu Halloween skit. Joanna and the musicians scream in unison, "Trick or treat?" But it's too late when something goes wrong!

15. Fell in Love with the Neighbor's Boy

Tenant 15 : A depressed woman who fell in love with her neighbor's son

A woman who falls in love with her neighbor's son. The setting is the 1950s , a wife who dresses beautifully but has no freedom, perhaps a woman who drinks when her husband is not at home and takes antidepressants every day, but after she falls in love with her neighbor's son, she suddenly finds romance in her life.

16. Gasp!  That Plastic Bag is Watching Me !

Tenant 16 : A retired spy lives here

This tenant has always felt that "! That plastic bag is looking at me! 』 , but he's really just a retired spy who can't quite get his nerves to retire.

17. Strange Beast

Tenant 17 : A man who lost his lover and turned into a monster lives here

A man who lost his lover fantasizes that no matter what, they will have a chance to be together again in the future. So … he went and dug her grave.

18. The Wish II

Tenant 18 : A seriously ill child who is making a wish lives here

Wish II A seriously ill child with a high fever made a wish to the universe, wanting to become a star that can shine in the darkness. This song is the same as Wish I , which is to eventually go to a beautiful place.

19. Jump in the Water

Tenant 19 : A rebellious and crazy woman lives here

Joanna loves the arrangement and mix of this song!

A person who clearly knows what to do and what not to do, even if everyone tells her "You can't do this, you can't do that!" ', 'This is a psycho, that is a lunatic', but ... she is the freest.

20. Contraband

Tenant 20 : A person who wants to steal and try contraband

Someone who really wants to try a forbidden substance, wants to satisfy his addiction, needs to taste the feeling of not being allowed.

21. Shadow at My Feet

Tenant 21 : A person who can't see his future lives here

The tenant was walking alone on the desolate road, his only company being the shadow at his feet, which told him about his worries.

22. The Detective

Tenant 22 : A detective who lost his lover but was forced to wake up by fate

A detective who is facing the test of his beliefs makes him deeply disappointed after his beloved decides to leave him, so he gives up the adventure, but fate still forces him to wake up. Even though he experiences regret, pain and shame, he still has to follow his heart and bravely move towards the unknown.

23. Ragged Stairs to Heaven / The End

Tenant 23 : There lives a man who dreams of heaven (old man)

Joanna feels that the idea of ​​everyone walking up the tattered stairs to heaven is a very touching sentiment. When she was a child, she would feel very fond of or moved when she saw such themes in a lot of music or paintings. Especially when celebrating such a sentiment.

No matter what, deep down in everyone's heart they still dream of heaven. Does death mean the end? Or is it just a return to the beginning of a cycle? I don't know why, at the end of the world they all say "It'll be fine!"

Director Bobby Youngblood and Joanna went to Santa Monica Pier to capture the daily lives of all kinds of people. Everyone is living their own day, which is sometimes a bit absurd, but the warmth of the song is described through the MV .

Album tracks:

1. Hotel La Rut
2. I Believe That All His Words are True
3. Pigeons on Your Balcony
4. Flies!
5. People Don't Eat Dinner by Themselves
6. In a Situation Like This, What a Mafia Leader Would Say
7. He's Given Us the Freedom to Do What's Right He gives me the freedom to do what's right!
8. Fancied by a Celebrity
9. Drunken Song
10. The Wish I
11. She Had a Habit of Meeting All of the Artists Backstage
12. There She Smiles (In a Memory)
13. You Lost Me at the Spanking Machine
14. Tina's Hausu
15. Fell in Love with the Neighbor's Boy
16. Gasp! That Plastic Bag is Watching Me!
17. Strange Beast
18. The Wish II
19. Jump in the Water
20. Contraband
21. Shadow at My Feet
22. The Detective
23. Ragged Stairs to Heaven / The End