Bangtan Boys are back and better then ever! Literally the first couple seconds of this video had me speechless. Not only do they all look good but the group plays bad boy really well. Or I should say, jilted ex-lover very well.
"Danger" is a very aggressive song that explores the end of a relationship that has become one-sided. The other person has lost interest in maintaining that relation and stops trying altogether. Clearly, BTS isn't having it and hashes it out with the girl through their words and dance. Everything from the dance to the verses scream the internal feelings of anger and hurt. I like how they continued the storyline from "Boy In Luv" which showed the first feelings of falling for someone. Through "Danger" we see the gradual fall of the relationship and what went wrong. BTS put in alot of time and patience to make this work but the girl constantly rejected their love and instead used it against them. I find one of the lines from Jungkook's rap to be pretty ironic.
"Whenever I turn sulky you ask me “Are you mad at me?”
Have you ever really done something to me?
You are a sweetie! But I’m just a poor boy"
Instead of taking the blame for not giving parts of herself, the girl turns it around on BTS. Making her the mature one in the relationship when in fact, she's the reason behind their problems. The more I listen to the song, the more I get how personal it really is. Once again, the Bangtan Boys give me another reason to fall for them.
As always I love every member's contributions in this song but my standouts were J-Jope, V, Jungkook, and Suga. We are used to seeing J-Hope always smiling and just being a happy guy onscreen but in this MV, you could feel the anger during his rap verse it was very well done. Suga, as always, was perfect. I could say more but that would be showing my fangirl side which honestly would take over this entire post! V & Jungkook were awesome! Jungkook isn't a bad rapper, he has the right vocal flavor that it works for him. They are starting to give V bigger parts which is great because he has a nice, distinct deep voice that works for them. My overall opinion was that this was a great comeback single. Can't wait til the album comes out!
The return of BTS is here folks and I for one am uber excited!! Their comeback is slated for August 20th, with an even darker concept than before. After the school concept, they seem to be taking it a step further in delving into what happens after "Boy In Luv."
From the first teaser video released, BTS is delving into the territory of a broken relationship. With their last single "Boy In Luv," the boys dealt with the initial emotions of a first crush, and the feeling that come along wit it. Well from this teaser, it looks like they've come back down to earth and this time it won't be as pretty. After listening to Rap Monster's rap monologue, it's safe to assume that the album's focus will be on the events following Skool Luv Affair.
BTS have had such a great year - can we even still call them rookies? While still young, and relatively new to K-Pop they show more maturity than others their own age. Each single they have come out with fully embraces their growth and I'm super proud of them. In some instances they remind me of my other fave group, Block B, in that they have similar styles of writing confessional lyrics. I love K-Pop don't get me wrong, but I love it more when the artists write about the world they live in opposed to hiding or not acknowledging it. But let me get off my soap box and talk about the song.
Just like the title suggests, the song is about a guy whose in love with a girl - pretty simple stuff - but what makes this song so great is how they express their love. The song is full of longing for that one person, every thought, every emotion, is on full display for us to see. I like that it's so plainly stated who and what they want, no tricks or games, just like telling it like it is. The vulnerability of the song is another key thing I love about it. It reminds me of those times when I was interested in that special someone and that longing to be with them. Though they may be young, they have the talent of exposing their feelings through clear cut lyrics and letting the audience see their heart. That's the thing I like most about BTS, they don't hold anything back and allow the world to see who they are and what they represent.
Besides the lyrics, I'm loving the rock vibe of the song. At first, I thought it would be cutesy - how could I ever doubt them - but thank God it wasn't anything of the kind. It was a total BTS-esque sound. The guitar and drums together in the chorus were awesome, I'm a big rock fan so seeing that kind of music integrated into K-Pop is heaven on earth for me.
Now if only Block B would come out with a new single soon, my life will be complete.
Ahhh I cannot believe 2013 is almost over!!! Where did the year go!? This year in the K-Pop world we saw alot of different songs and concepts come out. Some were better than others and some were worse. I'd say overall that 2013 was a great year musically for me personally, because I branched out of my little "bubble" of music groups and started to listen to more soloists. This list is based on personal feelings so yeah its gonna be a wee bit biased. Alot of these songs come from artist who I believe are extremely underrated amongst the bigger "top" stars and unfortunately don't get the attention they deserve. Without further ado here are my most underrated songs from K-Pop.
MBLQ~Smoky Girl
I did a SOTM for "Smoky Girl" and didn't realize how much love they would get. Its an incredible song that should have gotten more exposure. I feel they fit this style better than their previous concepts it just seems more natural. The more I see of these guys the more I fall in love with them.
UKISS~Standing Still
I admit I didn't like this song at first, it took alot of listening to it over & over again in order to appreciate what a gem it is. And I liked how they went with a different music producer this time around. It really helped give them more leeway to different concepts and themes. I'm a big fan of UKiss and I can only hope that they continue to grow musically and personally.
BTS~No More Dream
Had to decide between this and "We Are Bulletproof" and based on the lyrics went with the former. Both songs did well enough but didn't get the exposure that I would have liked to see. BTS caught me by surprised as I though they were just another new Hip Hop group to come onto the scene. "No More Dream" is a wonderful song about going after your dreams, regardless of the outside pressure coming from parents wanting their kids to go on certain career paths and society forcing you to conform to their standards. This is the kind of song that speaks to young people like myself who are in the midst of still trying to figure out our life goals. My favorite part is when Rap Monster raps "Open your eyes now, dance now, dream a dream now, and stop hesitating." Such powerful lyrics coming from a rookie group.
Seungri~Gotta Talk To You
Well this one is pretty self-explanatory. I've always believed Seungri was overshadowed by the other members of Big Bang since his voice is more softer and not as strong as the others. But finally he has come into his own style & it fits soo well with him. He's not trying too hard to impress anyone, and he doesn't have to, he's Seungri! That entire album was a gem too bad he didn't get noticed more. After "Gotta Talk To You" I believe people will take him more seriously in the future.....well that's my wish at least.
Kim Lim~Goodbye 20
Ahh this song speaks to me the most. I was/am in the same rut wondering where did 20 go and why did it feel like I hadn't accomplished anything substantial yet!? Kim Lim (or is it Lim Kim!?) has a great funky tone to her voice. Its unique and I like how she sings as if she's standing in front of you talking about it. I'm currently watching SUFB and when I saw her went "OMG isn't that the girl from the "Goodbye 20" song she seems like a reserved but cool person in real life.
Younha~The Real Reason We Broke Up
Another one I talked about in my SOTM posts. Its a touching song about a relationship that has run its course and the emotions during that time. I really like the song because while the lyrics are sad and nostalgic, the music keeps a hopeful upbeat tempo. To me, that symbolizes that the person is hopeful that they'll come out of this experience a much better and happier person.
Ladies Code~Hate You
I can't remember if it was Pandora or Youtube that I first heard this song from but it caught my attention right away. Ladies Code's voices blend well together in harmony. For being rookies they seem like pros in the way they carry themselves and with their vocals. They beat some big time singers in K-Pop who have been singing for far longer than this group. I don't have alot of girl groups that stand out to me but this year Spica & Ladies Code have really made me change my views on girl groups. Hope there's even more to come from these girls.
San E~ Break Up Dinner
I always remember San E as that one hilarious MC guy from Gurupop. The thing about San E is that he released at least 3 songs this year and each and every one was fantastic so you can understand my dilemma when trying to narrow it down. And the videos he puts out have some well thought out concepts. I really like how he can be funny and upbeat during some parts of the songs and then change to a more serious tone later on. San E's got some talent and I love how each and every video has a theme about relationships. "Break Up Dinner" is a song about not being able to let a relationship go. The video is downright sad and this time you can hear in his voice the emotions he feels, its not upbeat but more melancholic. At the beginning is voice is hopeful & optimistic but as it gets closer to the end, it becomes somber. And its so sad to see him all happy about his dinner date not realizing that he's dead in the video. Him being "dead" represents not understanding that the relationship has long run its past and San E isn't ready to accept that. I thought the plot of the mv was pretty good, heart-breaking but realistic.
CN Blue~I'm Sorry "I'm Sorry" is such a jamming song. Slightly funky intersected with pop/rock the perfect combination. I felt that this song didn't really get any attention, granted it has been almost a year since it was first released. Jung Yong Hwa is not only beautiful to look at but his voice is perfect. I could listen to it all day.
Lee Hyori~Amor Mio
Lee Hyori had a great comeback this year. Monochrome was one of my top favorite albums of the year. Sadly, "Amor Mio" got buried beneath the success of "Bad Girls" and "Miss Korea." I found this gem while listening to the album and was surprised to find there was also a video for it! Its very simplistic but her voice fused with Park Ji Yong's wasperfection.
Nell~Ocean of Light
Just a great song. Everytime I listen to it I feel nostalgic and start remembering things in my past. Nell is a group that I only became aware of earlier this year with their song "The Day Before." Funny thing but I couldn't remember who sang that song or anything else but that it had those 2 model guys in it and one was from 2NE1's "Ugly" video. "Ocean of Light" is the perfect song to just relax with. The music is so soothing and it lets your mind wander to the happy places. Nell knows exactly how to create music that fits life perfectly. Every song of theirs hits my emotional spot and this song is no exception.
B.A.P~Coffee Shop
Such a beautiful and smooth mid-tempo song. The piano in the song is just so exquisite, it brings such a nice touch. After looking up the lyrics I fell even more in love with it. BAP is usually known for being the tough-guys of KPop but through "Coffee Shop" showed the world that they could venture into the smooth areas of music as well. Having never listened to any of their ballads before (that is if they had any) I was pleasantly surprised how smooth the boy voices were. Personally, I think this is their best song aside from "One Shot" because they take a risk and get away from their comfort zone. The music video is one of my favorites of the year. Its so simple but I adore the many landscape shots and different places shown in the video.
2PM~A.D.T.O.Y
Not being a fan of this group before, they surprised me with "A.D.T.O.Y" its such a great mature sounding song. Having listened to their previous songs, they've really grown up in the last couple of years musically and individually. I really liked the rap in this song because it flowed nicely and it wasn't too cheesy or anything. So bonus points for that. Secondly, I like the simplicity of the video. Black and white always looks cool in music videos and it helped focus the attention on the group. Also, using the chairs as props was genius. The dance was simple, could actually be considered too simple, but adding the chairs gave it a even more special effect.
