#just so i could incorporate one of the most banger lines i’ve ever written in it

[shmaptainwrites]

i think i just wrote a song?

[plasticflowering]

Ranking Every ONEUS Song Because I Have Opinions

I guess it’s time for me to embark upon this task. Come along for the ride if you’re so inclined. 

This is by no means a definitive ranking, because that’s impossible and the consumption of music is an intrinsically personal experience. But I personally like ranking things for arbitrary reasons.

Each song is ranked in order, and within those rankings I’ve assigned Tiers. Enjoy.

Note: this includes only studio tracks officially released by RBW or KissEnt, which means I’m sadly not including the Road to Kingdom songs. Actually, wait, you wanna know what? The real reason I’m not including Road to Kingdom songs is because I’m still salty that my favorite song from that show is one that didn’t get a studio release. Justice for Warrior’s Descendant. 

Let’s begin. 

I’ll start things off with the top tier, the best of the best, my absolute favorite ONEUS songs. Now what should I name a tier that represents the pinnacle of what ONEUS can offer us? 

Black-Haired Seoho Tier  

1. “Valkyrie”

This song goes places. It's the one that made me fall in love with ONEUS and it's still my favorite, oops.

2. “Blue Sky”

"Blue Sky” defies genre to me. The first time I heard it, I was blown away. It has some of my favorite vocals AND two of my favorite raps in their discography - I love Leedo and Ravn's "ballad raps" in general but this is my favorite.

3. “BingBing”

So full of personality. Such an earworm. Emotional and kinda unsetlling lyrics. Xion speaking French? OKAY. It's title track worthy, for sure, so it's a shame it gets so overlooked by casual listeners. I’m glad the fanbase has at least given it the legendary status it deserves. 

4. “Lost”

Was not expecting this one to enter my top ten with turbo boosters, but I started to listen to it a lot last year and in the process I started to feel things for this song that I previously have only felt for “Blue Sky”

5. “Plastic Flower”

It me.

6. “Rewind"

It’s all about the synth hook, to me. I am pathetically manipulable where good synth hooks are concerned. Also, the cadence and arrangement of this song reminds me of “Lost” and that’s never a bad thing.

7. “Dizzy” 

I just feel like this is where they all shine as a vocal ensemble. Their personalities shine through in Dizzy, and I'm a sucker for that emotive sort of performing. 

8. “Incomplete"

Right in a row here, you’ve got two sets of “my favorite song on the album” followed by “what I believe to be the best song on the album”. “Incomplete” is the best song on “DEVIL”. The lyrics are amazing and, this may sound weird, but as a Human in Their Thirties the lyrics hit even harder. Bonus points for guitar, as always.

9. “Dead or Alive” 

I’ll never get over how strange and wonderful this song is, and yes I do believe it’s the best song on “LIVED”. (Vee shouts through a megaphone again about how “Dead or Alive” incorporates musical themes or lyrical elements from every other song on “LIVED” and hopes someone listens). Also (vee voice) guitars.

10. “Lit”

“Lit” just rules and I don’t believe there’s much I can add that has not already been said about it 

Leedo Face Scrunch Tier 

Now for those songs that are still my favorites, and make the world an immensely better place for existing, but don’t quite crack the ultimate ONEUS songs pantheon. 

11. “No Diggity”

I'm a simple person, okay? I love bright and poppy songs but I'm also weak for unapologetic bangers, and "No Diggity" is an UNAPOLOGETIC BANGER. I think the guitars are (unsurprisingly) what takes this song to the next level for me. The arrangement in general is so impressive, and it’s obvious that they balanced it well to make use of all the members’ individual strengths. RIP my bias though.

12. “Crazy & Crazy”

The "Crazy & Crazy" appreciator has logged on! When Ravn said "hakuna matata 원하면 이뤄져 bibbidi-bobbidi-BOO", I felt that!!! If I ever get to go to a ONEUS concert and god forbid meet any of you there, I cannot be held responsible for how HAM I will go during this song. 

13. “Hide and Seek”

I’m weak for this funky little bass-driven bop. 

14. “Red Thread”

I don’t ever feel like I truly have gone in hard for a group until I start proselytizing their ballads to my unsuspecting friends. Ballads have a high barrier of entry in K-Pop especially, but my god!! MY GOD!!! This is a god-tier ballad. 

15. “808″

They threw every single synth possible at the wall with “808″ and it absolutely sends me with how well it works. It’s undeniably “a Japanese single,” if you know what I mean, but even with that I think it’s one of their strongest title tracks. The chorus is endlessly singable, too, and that means a lot to me while I’m listening to it while doing the dishes, which I do a lot.

16. “Leftover”

I believe that Seoho and Ravn team songwriting will save our souls, and this song is one more reason to do so. I love that their songs aren’t just straight-up R&B (not that I don’t love R&B), and that there’s something very playful and unique about them. 

17. “Zig Zag”

I’ll never forget you, “Zig Zag,” or the way Keonhee absolutely owns your vocals. In fact, if I had to assign an image song to every member I would most likely assign “Zig Zag” to Keonhee.  18. “Lion Heart"

As far as “weird little song” vibes go, “Lion Heart” really wins. Has undoubtedly one of the weirdest moments in any ONEUS song in the first post-chorus, and I’ll never shut up about the implied lore associations. 

19. “Hero” 

In every ToMoon's life, there is that indelible moment when they first heard Seoho's pre-pre-chorus vocals on "Hero" and suddenly realized so much about life and love and the nature of miracles. And, less dramatically, I love a good rap that uses the word biscuit.

Road to Kingdom Era Xion Tier 

I became a Xion bias in Road to Kingdom era, so this is not meant disparagingly. These are those songs that show so much promise and goodness, and make me love them, but are kind of an acquired taste so to speak. 

20, “BBUSYEO”

I always love BBUSYEO when it shuffles up, but I never like... seek it out, you know? Even if it is a bop. It’s just a silly little hetero love song that includes toilet humor, and it goes. I love that for it! 

21. “Come Back Home”

It's all about the build up here. This song has such a beautiful arrangement that builds to something, dare I say, epic. Good background music for taking a dramatic walk when it’s like, -this- close to raining. 

22. “To Be Or Not To Be”

This song works in the context of ONEUS mythology and lore but I tend not to really put it on my playlists if I'm simply wanting to experience an emotion or bust out some fun jams. It is a very strange time signature for a jam, but it’s too up-tempo to really be a mood setter. 

23. “Intro: Time"

This intro is like... beautiful, but also kind of slutty, and I love that?

24. “A Song Written Easily”

It's good! It's fun! I really like it, I think it's lovely. But it’s not a song I’m going to rec to a friend and assume it will give them an adequate view of what ONEUS is. If anything I’d expect they’d just be like “that was really fun, but it just makes me want to listen to Blood Sweat & Tears.” “and I’d go “yeah me too.”

25. “Twilight” 

I overplayed the fuck out of this song when I was first getting into ONEUS, so forgive me for ranking it low. Also, there is a high barrier of entry here for casual listeners even if it is a classic. Do you ever really think about how weird “Twilight” is? Like, the song structure? It’s very weird. I love it. 

26. “Stand By”

I decided to make "Stand By" my charity case after seeing a few people dismiss it as their least favorite off Fly With Us, and I wound up loving it so much. That bridge is crazy good! Vocal line  blessing us. 

27. “Intro: Fly Me to the Moon”

As far as intros go, this is god tier honestly. But it's still only an intro, and I always feel cheated out of a beautiful full song when I hear this. Like, even for an INTRO it feels short. 

My Complicated Feelings About A Thousand Stars Tier

28. “A Thousand Stars”

I just made an entirely separate post about this. 

That Overenthusiastic Thicc Ssam Ravn Made for Seoho That One Time Tier

Like, there’s a lot here. I like all the parts individually but something about them just doesn’t go down easily. 

29. “Youth”

I’ll be honest, I love “Youth” and I think it’s an absolutely beautiful song with a great hook. I’m just firmly out of the demographic for it at this point and that’s a bit alienating. It’s also weak compared to other songs on “DEVIL”

30. “Intro: Devil is in the Details”

It’s a great intro that does some ambitious things, but on its own it doesn’t hold up as well. Intimidating. 

31. “Intro: Lived”

I love Leedo and Ravn, but I don't like how this one opens. That said, I love the way this ends. 

32. “White Night”

The fact that I had to rank this so low, when it's such a gorgeous ballad, drives home how many pure bangers ONEUS has. I love this song, but I don't really jam out to it, so it's lower in my ranking. 

33. “What you doing?”

Please don’t judge me too harshly for this. I just feel like this song could have been performed by another group and there would have been no appreciable difference. I like Cosmik’s songs, but they’re not, in my opinion. the most ONEUS of the ONEUS songs. Which is weird since Cosmik is a bit synonymous with ONEUS. Anyway Keonhee sounds great in this song.

34. “Now”

Same as above, but this one has the added problem of never really going anywhere. That said, the bridge slaps. 

35. “Airplane”

I guess one of the proper tracks on Lived had to rank low, and for me it's definitely Airplane. When I listen to it, I have fun, but it's very... how do I put this nicely? Generic. The stages elevated it, absolutely, and otherwise it might rank even lower sadly.

36. “I.P.U.”

I don’t know how to put this nicely, but the only way I want to listen to this song is if ONEUS is singing it in concert, at which point I can imagine it being very emotional. It’s a special song for special occasions and I’m not going to listen to it to have fun. 

37. “Outro: Connect with US”

You’d think I’d love the government-assigned SeoJo song, wouldn’t you? I mean, it’s okay. 

38. “Eye Contact” 

By the time this song hits the chorus, it always gets me and I love it. But the verses leave something to be desired imo. It is firmly a mid-tier song to me, and I feel like this particular musical formula was much better in “Now.” Also please don’t make eye contact with me I have social anxiety. 

ZigZag’s Cursed Live Audio Tier

Unfortunate.

39. “Level Up”

WHY is this song so low??? Every time I hear it start I get so hyped up, but I feel like it never delivers on that hype fully. It feels too mid-tempo and generic for what the mix promises. I don't know. I can't explain it. The bridge doesn't lead up to much and that always feels like a betrayal. And because it has so much potential I’m even more disappointed about that.

40. “Intro: Light Us”

I have absolutely no opinion about this intro

41. “English Girl”

I’m way too queer and old for this song. :/ 

42. “In My Arms”

I don't feel their personalities at all in this song, which makes it stand out from almost all their other tracks. It just doesn't sound like a ONEUS song, to me.

43. “Kiseki”

A rare song that I skip when shuffling through the ONEUS discography

44. “Koisii”

The other rare song I skip when shuffling through the ONEUS discography, but also I would fight it if given the opportunity. 

[ohitsjustjimmy]

My Top 5 Albums Of 2019

Number 5: Shaped By Fire by As I Lay Dying

“I had locked away myself in a captainless ship, destined to destroy ashore.”

To start things off, we begin with a band that played a big role in getting me into the Metalcore genre. This album didn’t make the list from being the most original release. It also wasn’t as endearing or risky as other artists’ work that I’ve given a thorough listen to this year. What makes it a spot on this count down is the band’s ability to just play what they know, and even with it being practically the same sound they’ve had since their incarnation, they still retain the ability to create a record that offers something definitely palatable while being really more of the same. Accomplishing that is no simple task, although of course opinions on this sort of thing will be divided in more ways than one. With incorporating things like clean choruses that don’t detract from the brutal mix of guitar riffage, pulsing drums and the one and only Tim Lambesis leading the pack with his trademark vocal fierceness, which sounds just as intense as it ever has. Another highlight for the record is that just like some of the other ones in their discography, guitarists Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso have matured from composing every song in drop C. Is that a subjective statement? Sure it is. Is it true though? Most definitely. With songs like the album’s title, both Hipa and Sgrosso show their technical prowess in stemming from each other so seamlessly between rhythmn and lead. This, along with the rest of the album is a definite positive that keeps it from sounding stale. Jordan Mancino is no slouch as well, proving that after all these years of pounding away, the talented drummer still gels right in with the sound that the band is aiming for. Lambesis and Co. have perfected their metalcore craft, and show no signs of getting softer any time soon.

Number 4: Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind by Logic

“This a marathon, not a sprint.”

Bobby could be quite possibly the hardest working man in Hip Hop as of right now. Very few artists can constitently put out quality releases one after another, even when changing his style between albums. While Supermarket was a complete 180’ from the young man’s incredible rap resume, YSIV showcased his love for boom bap and proved to be an excellent product of his craft overall. Here in 2019 we have Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, which has all the shiny production that is practically now a staple in Logic’s sound, mixed with his trademark intricate lyricism and streamlined flow. Also having the ability to carry a tune definitely helps the album even more, which is something he also proved partially in 2015’s The True Incredible Story. Transitions like the one from the title track to Homicide keep things sounding fresh and unique. Eminem’s feature on the track is also a strong point who uses his zany flow perfectly. Another standout track is Commando with features G-Eazy. The track proves that despite people’s beliefs about the two’s relationship they can indeed make a track together, and a good one at that. BOBBY is handsdown my favorite track on the album, as I am a sucker for a clean beat consisting of samples which is something Young Sinatra is no stranger to. Even after 8 albums, Logic remains a force to be reckoned with and shouldn’t be taken lightly when compared to other artists in the hip-hop scene trying to be as intricate, yet accessible at the same time so effortlessly. There’s a reason why his fanbase is so strong, and will inevitably grow with time.

Number 3: All Hail by Norma Jean

“Give it death ‘till it comes alive.”

The once Christian Metalcore outfit hailing (see what I did there) from Douglasville Georgia has made their most endearing, yet brutally beautiful record yet. Despite struggling with various members both entering and leaving the band, frontman Cory Brandan Putman has successfully kept them on track both creatively and consistently, and their 8th album is a gritty, angst injected example of it. With bangers like [Mind Over Mind], Safety Last and Landslide Defeater, the group takes ques from their previous efforts and cranks them past the highest number on the dial. The band has always been one of the more peculiar acts in the genre, with All Hail being no different. Downtuned guitars and brutal vocal performances aside, Putman and the gang place traces of more delicate melodical harmonies throughout the album, like the beginning of my favorite track /with_errors. The track’s chorus also showcases Putman’s ability to be harmonius when he needs to be, then back to traditionally discordant. All Hail is a rewarding listen exactly like practically everything else in their discography, which should definitely prove true to both newcomers and long time fans alike.

Number 2: The Act by The Devil Wears Prada

“Build me up to tear me down.”

While being primarily Metalcore just like Norma Jean, TDWP have also tried their hands at different sounds and audible textures which are littered throughout their discography. The difference between the two bands however is that this is a turn of direction for them that is completely new and unique from their usual formula. While All Hail was more of a progression for Norma Jean, The Act is more like a departure when comparing the two. Mike Hranica and Jeremy DePoyster put the sounds of their previous efforts on the back burner in favor of a more deliberate writing style that focuses on stronger song writing and bigger choruses. Some of the best examples of this are tracks like Chemical, where Hranica tries his hand at guitar and my favorite track Wave Of Youth, having some of the most memorable lines on the entire album in my opinion. While the tracks mentioned can be considered “simple” in a way compared to their usual style, them being willing to take a risk like this is something that I do commend. Please Say No might be one the slowest songs the band has written, but both the context and musical presentation enveloped me in it’s glooming lore, ultimately making me appreciate the album’s farfetched direction even more. The following track The Thread reminded me that they are still an integral force in Metalcore even after all these years, with pulsating verses and one of the most fierce breakdowns the band has orchestrated in a long time having mike eerily screeching “You Should Speak Up!”. That moment also counts as being one of the more memorable ones on the record along with Wave Of Youth. With an album like The Act, the band had to realize that making such a polarizing album would undoubtedly turn some longtime fans off. The reason why I love it so much however is because they weren’t afraid to do so, and to my ears the end result paid off.

Number 1: Compassion by Royal Coda

“Somehow your sadness is someone’s ecstasy .”

From his introduction into spotlight thanks to the band Dance Gavin Dance to the present day, Kurt Travis has remained to be one of my biggest influences within the realms of Post-Hardcore even after all these years. Despite being overshadowed and eventually replaced by Tilian Pearson, Kurt didn’t let that put out his creative flame and went on to gradually assemble the supergroup named Royal Coda. The groups first album titled by their name was released last year on Blue Swan Records, and took me some time to really sink my teeth into. Despite loving practically anything Travis puts out musically, I didn’t immediately fall in love with every song on the album. It was experimental, yet hard to completely indulge in, with only a handful of tracks really grasping my attention. Compassion on the other hand, is what that album should have been, in every way. The album’s opener Ruby Leaf sets the tone perfectly, showcasing incredible musicianship between Sergio Medina and recent newcomer Will Swan, guitarist for Dance Gavin Dance. Sergio and Will’s musical chemistry has shown in other projects like the supergroup Sianvar, however their styles have never complimented each other quite as well as they do here, with tracks like the incredible single Numbing Agent and my favorite track Becoming The Memory. Both tracks amplify the members’ talents so effortlessly with the latter being funky and angsty simultaneously, a definite nod to Happiness. Arms Race For God’s Grace, while not being as infectious as the other two tracks mentioned has one of the most heartfelt lines on the record. Kurt crooning “When the authorities came to lock me up for good, I ran as fast as I could to you” gets me everytime and helps the album as a whole grow on me more than it already has. The track Don’t Stay Long features Hail The Sun’s Donovan Melero on both verses and chorus, and his words here certainly never dissapoint, writing an ultimately gripping chorus in the same fashion as he does with his own group which adds melody to the madness. If Happiness is Kurt’s magnum opus, then Compassion is the closest thing to a predecessor that he’s ever done.

What are some of your guys’ favorite albums to come out this year? I’d love to know.

[thesinglesjukebox]

NETTA - TOY

[5.00]

She won Eurovision, but can she win us over?

Jessica Doyle: True story: twenty years ago I got back to Grenoble, after a weekend away with the other kids in my study-abroad group, to find my (Orthodox, Lubbavitcher, Sephardic) host mom grinning. "Israel won Eurovision," she explained. Last I heard at least one of her four kids had moved to Israel with their families; and I worry sometimes, in the face of no direct evidence whatsoever, that such a move had more to do with increasing anti-Semitism in France than with their personal circumstances. (Reading this, written in 2012, made me simultaneously nostalgic and sad. But there's still a Chabad in Grenoble, yay!) And now there's "Toy," which is too gleefully, deliberately mindless to lend itself well to a Zionist analysis -- and God bless, at a time when even poor Natalie frickin' Portman can't pass the Zionist-Enough test, that somebody decided Israel was confident enough to risk a Eurovision anthem that didn't lend itself well to a Zionist analysis. And God bless all those European voters who were willing, at a time when the personal has to be political (and when Lorde's camp apparently can't tell the difference between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem), to forget about boycotting, divesting, and sanctioning for a moment and cluck along. [7]

Jonathan Bogart: During the final ceremony, I thumbnailed Israel's entry as "Meghan Trainor meets Reggie Watts," an uncharitable but not inaccurate reading of Netta's gleefully unhip beat-box looping grafted onto proudly full-figured but otherwise embarrassing empowerment anthems. (I should perhaps have added Beth Ditto for sheer vocal power.) But it was the Wonder Woman line that made me pause, because Israel's soft-power propaganda campaign has had its clearest advocate over the last several years in Gal Gadot. Like Gadot, Netta served her mandatory term in the IDF; unlike her, she served exclusively in military bands. It would be foolish to reduce my response to Netta entirely to her nation's crimes (if it came to that, few of us could escape judgment), but I can't help wondering how complicit she, and all of us (I saw Wonder Woman opening weekend), are. [5]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: I love the fact that Netta's "Toy" won Eurovision, yet I hate the idea of Israel hosting next year. The most brilliant track conquered Europe, rightfully, but I have a huge problem with my favorite music event of the year taking place in an apartheid state. That being said, there's so much going on in the song, and it's all so freakin' exciting, I don't know exactly where to begin. Okay, the song is built around a vocal looper, and Netta's incredible acrobatics, chicken noises, percussive clicks and sheer rhythmic brilliance, but there's also a bona fide ethno-pop banger underneath, in which we can hear her deliver all sorts of ear-catching melodies (even going full Migos flow for a while). And just because she's that much of a badass, there's a full-on dabke break at the beginning of the second verse, a homage to the rich musical traditions of the Levant. "Toy" is a work of genius; both accessible and experimental, both ethnic and cosmopolitan, in line with contemporary trends, but compositionally in a league of its own. It was the best song, by far, in Lisbon, a clear pre-show favorite, and it took the crystal microphone. It's also a well-deserved fuck you to last year's winner Salvador Sobral's tone-deaf, unfortunate "fireworks vs. feelings" statements; not only because Salvador himself hated the song, but because Netta is indeed an incredibly accomplished musician, and however funny and bubbly "Toy" is, everything about it is as "real music" as that jazz interval show with Caetano Veloso in the Grand Final. Last year I mentioned how the contest will still be a big, beautiful, camp, queer party, and that music can be fireworks, feelings, and fun. "Toy" is all that, and much, much more. [9]

Katherine St Asaph: Douze points to... takes! So many separate vectors for takes that the intended #MeToo take doesn't register at all. Or any song. [2]

William John: The zany affectations and gurned squeaks bring to mind the way in which Björk is conceptualised by those who've never before heard a Björk song as the embodiment of unexplainable eccentricity. But the more obvious reference point for "Toy" is the singer previously of Karmin (who, as an aside, is now masquerading in blackface under a new nom de plume). In the same way that Karmin's showy YouTube cover clips endeavoured to reduce rap to a game of tongue-twisters, performer Netta here overwhelms her song's attempt to champion autonomy with garish, irritating theatrics. [1]

Will Adams: The studio version of "Toy" is a stormer, zooming from section to section with off-the-wall production so fast it's hard to keep up with. We've got Pikachus and teddybears and iPhone dings and Netta's committed performance all leading up to an uplifting breakdown that quickly swerves into Arrested Development-style mockery of the stupid boy. The song itself is great. But Eurovision songs don't exist in a bubble; they incorporate staging, choreography, styling choices, the pressure to play to juries and audiences' expectation of what Eurovision "zaniness" looks like. And so we get bullshit like the Netherlands's tone-deaf entry and Israel's Stefani-esque grossness. The problem here is that it's 2018 and people are still trotting out that old "what's WRONG with paying tribute to OTHER cultures it's not offensive it's BEAUTIFUL" chestnut. And in a year that was very subdued by Eurovision's standards, it's too egregious to ignore. [6]

Iain Mew: When TV commentators on the semi-final promised upcoming chicken noises, my thoughts turned immediately to Wang Rong. Little did I realise how apt that would prove, with the performance of "Toy" being every "check out this Japanese/Korean/Chinese pop culture, it's so WTF!" article in stage form, but this time skipping the need for anyone East Asian to even be involved. There could be something in separating out "Toy" from its staging, up to the point of Netta explaining that "Baka is also 'stupid' in Japanese" and the realisation that treating Japanese as interchangeable with animal sounds is integral to the song too. [2]

Edward Okulicz: Netta is a superlative performer, and "Toy" has an actual message, but it's taken a really weird, silly song, musically, to bring both of those out. The way she clucks out those syllables while throwing in actual words between the clucks is evidence of impressive verbal dexterity. She's all sing-song in the pre-chorus, and spitting fire in the actual chorus, so it's not just dexterity, it's ability to switch acting personas so playfully that's also astonishing. The song makes me like Netta. But I don't love the song itself, because the chorus with its "boy/toy" rhyme feels very childish and I keep waiting for the string swoops to turn into "7 Nation Army" -- now there's a killer bootleg waiting to happen. As frequently occurs with Eurovision songs, the on-stage production had some questionable aesthetic choices, but I can't say I've ever seen a performer on stage quite like her. [5]

Alex Clifton: God, it's nice to have a fun winner for the first time in a few years, isn't it? Don't get me wrong -- I liked Portugal's song last year, and "1944" is a gorgeous song loaded with pain -- but I come to Eurovision for silly, fizzy pop. "Toy" is an earworm for the ages that makes you want to dance, and also feels welcome in the age of #MeToo. "I'm not your toy" is a sentence I've thought as I've dealt with boys who somehow forget that women have interiority and lives not related to them, but rarely have I felt it as joyfully as when Netta yelps it. Empowerment songs are weird because for all the inspiring lyrics, they rarely have the actual undercurrent of power that should accompany them. Thankfully, Netta's got charisma and force and sells this both as a dance song as well as a warning to the guys who may try to cross her. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[vskpop]

May 2017 ⋅ Not so fresh

Lonely - SISTAR

 Why does this keep happening?! Can girl groups stop releasing amazing songs that are THEIR LAST EVER BECAUSE THEY ARE DISBANDING?

AL1 - SEVENTEEN

Forgive me, God of k-pop, for I have sinned. I said I wanted dark Seventeen and another Highlight, but now that I have it I really don’t want it at all.

I will preface everything I’m about to say by reiterating that Seventeen are probably my favourite third generation group and that I like Don’t Wanna Cry and the mini album in general.

However, the truth is my expectations were too high and I was disappointed by this comeback. As much as I love Woozi, Don’t Wanna Cry is the most unoriginal thing he’s ever produced. It isn’t just that it sounds like a Chainsmokers song: some parts are almost identical to Closer, and not in a good way, if there even is a good way to be Chainsmokers copycats.

The more I listen to the song, the more I like it and I love how Seventeen made it theirs, but this doesn’t change that this song doesn’t feel remotely as unique and personal as their previous releases.

I’m still mostly ok with Seventeen moving away from their bubbly, cute image, but not if it means rounding down to the blandest, trendiest thing they can come up with. This is pretty much the same complaint I had about Winner’s Really Really: it annoys me that a group with a specific identity would abandon it to go as generic as possible.

What made the comeback bearable for me is how beautiful and elegant their live performances are: it’s always hard to make thirteen people look good on a tiny stage, but with this choreography Seventeen have really outdone themselves. I don’t know if I’m more in love with Woozi’s, Joshua’s or Jeonghan’s solo moments, not to mention The8 starting his section with a somersault because why not. A good thing - even though not especially to my taste, obviously - is the rest of the album goes well with Don’t Wanna Cry, rather than being jarringly different and going back to “old” Seventeen. The performance team delivers a banger as usual with Swimming Fool, and for once the vocal team’s song Habit is a lovely powerballad (instead of being the most boring song in the album).

It’s not coincidental that the “American” sound of the song came with a video filmed around Los Angeles. I’m not sure where they got the idea of going the minimalistic, tumblr aesthetic route with their video and the performance styling. It’s not my favourite, but I don’t hate it either: it matches the song concept and it isn’t an insult to the human eye.

Overall this is a good comeback, but it’s hardly what I wanted from Seventeen: I find myself missing the pastels and the happiness, which is what made me like them in the first place. On the other hand, I guess I’ve seen worse rebranding (see iKON) and at least it’s clear how it makes sense for them to change direction. I’ll keep my hopes up for the repackaging.

New Kids: Begin - iKON

Now for something I really, really, really hated: iKON’s so-called rebranding. New Kids: Begin is their first comeback after a year and a half of touring and postponing. As the “new kids” suggests, this release should signal a change in direction for iKON or, as their promotional material said, a “new beginning” and “new style”.

I couldn’t imagine what a new style for iKON would look like and ...it doesn’t. It’s not a new era at all. They look and sound like an uninspired, inferior version of what they did in Rhythm Ta and Anthem. They’re doing exactly what they were doing before, but they’re not doing it well.

Both title tracks, Bling Bling and B-Day, are on the nonsensical bravado banger side of iKON’s repertoire.

Even after trying to make myself like it, I really detest Bling Bling. The instrumentals are ok for the first minute, but after that things get way too repetitive and boring, especially because entire song is rapped (or sing-rapped) and the singers get no space to add some texture to it. It could have been a better song, but it was over for me the moment I heard Junhoe being autotuned out of existence.

B-Day has a lot of YG’s recent material mixed in: it has the atmosphere of Bobby’s Holup, and the trippy melody of Big Bang’s Bae Bae and Fxxk It. It’s a much more interesting and captivating song than Bling Bling, which is why, obviously, it won’t be the promoted track.

The “bling bling” theme feels incredibly out of fashion; every time they say “champagne” I shudder. The big shiny cars feel far from anything that iKON would do - just think of the beat-up they were driving in Dumb & Dumber.

This kind of concept only worked when they looked like idiots playing dress-up. Even Bobby, who is the clear inspiration for the concept (last year’s Holup! music video is B-Day and Bling Bling), seems slightly uncomfortable with the part he’s been given. The other members don’t get to show off their vocal skills in the best cases, and seem on the verge of walking out in the worst. The videos are awkward, and the live performances are a secondhand embarrassment extravaganza.

YG didn’t even try to hide the fact that they’re trying to make iKON into the new Big Bang; the issue is that Big Bang did the crazy bangers with cryptic, super-high-budget videos when they were eight years into their career and not at their sophomore release.

It makes no sense for YG to rebrand them as this high-rolling, pseudo hip-hoppy group when so much of their success depended on how they mixed genres and looked like your average silly classmate, which is why the goofier parts of both videos work so well.

I can hardly find something that works well in this comeback. The songs are mediocre, the styling and concept are abysmal, the rebranding is ridiculous. The members that aren’t the two rappers basically disappear in the background (not that this is B.I or Bobby’s fault, to be clear). As much as I love them, they are mediocre dancers: I am baffled that they would focus their comeback campaign on the fact that “hey, they’re dancing now!” when literally nobody asked them to, and they did perfectly well without choreos being a predominant part of their image.

This is supposedly the beginning of a series of 2017 iKON comebacks, and I have a terrible feeling about them if this is the road that they’re taking.

I also want to mention how idiotic I found the fact that, a year and a half after debut, the members of iKON got new “English-sounding” names when everyone had already learned the Korean ones. I will never in my life call Jinhwan “Jay” or Yunhyung “Song”. NEVER.

199X - TRIPLE H

I’ll start by saying that the video for Triple H’s debut 365 Fresh is all sorts of no-no and comes with the biggest trigger warning I think I’ve ever issued for a k-pop video. It’s ironic that the only part I found refreshing (spoiler: it’s the threesome!) was the one that caused a stir and not, say, the sexual assault, the attempted suicide or all the other things that were glamourized when they really shouldn’t.

Anyway. If Triple H is another attempt from Cube to save whatever is left of the company, I will gladly take it. I’ve loved Hyuna for a long time, even through all of her basically-naked performances, and it is well documented that E’Dawn is one of my favourite members of Pentagon ...and I guess I don’t hate Hui.

365 Fresh hardly has anything fresh about it: it sounds almost exactly like Bruno Mars’ 24k Magic, and even that was not exactly original material. The good thing is that, even if it’s something we’ve all heard before a million times, it doesn’t lose its earworm power in this iteration. It’s the perfect summer song, especially in comparison to Hyuna’s summer comeback from last year.

Hui’s voice really manages to balance out Hyuna’s and E’Dawn’s timbres, and overall the balance of singing, rapping and hook-repeating works amazingly well. It was one step away from being too repetitive.

Hyuna’s charisma doesn’t need an introduction, but it’s cool to see Hui and E’Dawn hold their own. It’s especially surprising to see E’Dawn in the role of the beefcake, when that’s the last thing one would think of him seeing him next to the rest of Pentagon (for me he’s always been the one most likely to be involved in a drug scandal, if anything). I love that Hyuna got to wear actual clothes for an entire round of promotions.

It was surprising to me that they wouldn’t just come out with one single, and I thought the rest of the mini-album would be a bore; I was glad to be proven wrong. In just a handful of song, they incorporate a ton of retro references and stay interesting and cohesive throughout. My favourite has to be 80’s-flavour ballad Girl Girl Girl.

Signal - Twice

 The more I like a Twice song, the more everyone else will hate it, and I ve learned to live with this fact ever since Knock Knock. I’m so delighted that, while they’re still not straying too far from their signature sexy baby concept, Twice managed to pull off such an unusual song.

I don’t remember the last time I’ve heard such a prominent bass line, and I love that the structure of the song is not super-conventional. It’s hard to think that in general they are one of the most traditional girl groups in k-pop (not that that’s a bad thing).

I saw a lot of criticism about the fact that it’s not a vocally complex song (when have Twice ever had virtuoso songs?!) but I would give that up any day for a more equally split song: girls who never got to speak like Sana, Tzuyu and Mina got actual parts and all the others will be just fine.

I’m also happy to see that for once the video has a proper story, rather than being about just them being pretty. I loved the 70’s outfits and the alien storyline, and I thought even the superpowers part was done really quirkily. On the other hand, I was fairly annoyed that JYP had to stick the damn schoolgirl concept in there when it was completely superfluous.

I also love Three Times a Day and Only (which, by the way, was written by Yeeun) from the mini-album.

/

Rapid fire round

 Cactus - A.C.E.

I know it’s been done before, but whenever a k-pop group goes full 90’s eurodance, it always feels like the first time. I wouldn’t have given A.C.E. a single listen if the song hadn’t been called Cactus - the best title of the year - but I’m so glad I did, even just for their already iconic performances in short shorts.

  Puppet - Marmello

In a world of cute concepts, I don’t know how successful a girl band will ever be, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. I can’t bring myself to pretend it’s not a super-conventional and predictable song, but I’m so happy to see some girls playing instruments I don’t even care (and yes, I checked, they can actually play them).

 Shangri-La - VIXX

What an amazing mini album VIXX put out. I haven’t been particularly into them at any point except when they came out with Dynamite, and I don’t think I ever will, but I love every single song on Shangri-La. I’ve been complaining about k-pop really converging on the Chainsmokers/tropical trend, but it really works well mixed with VIXX’s style. Also: THE FAN DANCE.

  More songs of note

Beautiful - PENTAGON Bomb - PSY ft. Bobby & B.I

Dance Dance - DAY6 

Eclipse - Kim Lip (LOONA)

So Good - Taeyang 

Strays

• My favourites Dreamcatcher cover my other favourites’ song, Winner’s Really Really 

• The Japanese video for BTS’ Blood Sweat & Tears is really really (get it?) good 

[afreviews]

In-Depth Review of Drake’s ‘More Life’

by Sadé

A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Mar 21, 2017 at 6:54pm PDT

This is an in-depth review of More Life, where I dissect it and have fun rambling. You can tell he had fun making this, that he felt…inspired, you could say. 

(Oh and you know damn well I had to put this picture up.)

Yeah, I know I'm super late on this review, but I decided to take a different approach to More Life. A more calculated approach for a calculated artist. I just didn't want to say “Drake is giving life in More Life.” Nah fam. I’ve been fan of Drake since ‘09, and he was giving life and good vibes in this album playlist, I went back to last month when Drake premiered a interview with DJ Semtex during Episode 38 of OVO Radio. The interview explains so much of More Life.

Now, where shall we begin?

For those wondering why it’s not an “album” but a playlist, in his interview he stated “The style in which it’s being put together is based off of our concept that is OVO Sound Radio...Its almost like a radio show, basically I asked myself ‘man what would happen if I did OVO Sound radio but every song was a new Drake song?’” This “collaborative playlist” with Apple, at first, was a confusing concept but once he explained it - and once you listen to More Life - it makes sense. As he explains, Views was the album and this is just something after the album that keeps his fans enticed. And we are. 

There is a playlist-mixtape type of flow to it that reminds you of “old Drake” and yet is new and refreshing and current. From tracks like “Passionfruit” and “Get It Together” to “4422″ and “Teenage Fever”; then from “No Long Talk” and “Gyalchester” to going into “Portland” and “Sacrifices” - just all the different sounds and styles, it’s pretty genius. More Life really embodies Drake and how far he’s come as an artist. The amount of passion and thought he puts into his work really shines through. And don’t get me started on “Lose You” and “Do Not Disturb.” Oh and the ever-confusing but magically track “Glow” with Kanye West - like what? After that rant about Drake being on the radio too much, Drake says in the interview, “whatever it is that you’re going through, I accept it, I don’t respect it.” So exactly when did this happen? What does this mean?! Did they move past it and is that Kanye and Drake project being worked on? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Now for the breakdown. 

The London Experience.

A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Mar 13, 2017 at 4:23pm PDT

“The most solid gang that you will ever see” - Skepta Interlude, Skepta

In tracks like “Passionfruit” and “Blem” reintroduce us into that dancehall music that just makes Drake happy and well us happy too. Taking those risks with those dancehall influences paid off with VIEWS, with tracks like “One Dance,” Hotling Bling” and “Controlla.” Even “Work,” that started off the promo for VIEWS. But it turns out “One Dance" wasn’t just any dancehall record, its influences are that of the UK underground. From the original song’s artist, Kyla, he brought it to a producer and wanted to make it his own but still incorporate her voice and that UK “funky” sound. 

It was just the perfect marriage of a lot of things...I love that tempo, I love that cadence, those melodies, that’s the music that makes me happy in life, so it was great to just be able to just make something like that and shine light on a song from the UK that deserves it, because that’s truly a classic song.

He started shedding light on the UK underground music in VIEWS, but took it to another level with More Life. In his interview with DJ Semtrex, he says, “I honestly, I think that the best rappers in the world are in London, I just think the complexity and the cadences and the way they piece music together.” He goes on to talk about how he met Skepta and although he had been a long time fan of the UK Grime scene, it was really Skepta who opened the doors for him and introduced Drake to people from that world. Actually, if it not for Skepta doing so, Drake says he would’ve never been so open to trying risks like “One Dance” and “Controlla.” 

Then we have Giggs. The moment he first heard Giggs’ music, Drake says he just knew he had to be the one to shine that light on the UK sound, and bring more awareness. To Drake, it’s all about showing love and respect and good thing, because damn - Giggs got bars. He and Giggs apparently have tracks hidden somewhere, hopefully they see the light of day. 

He’s just somebody I support and again he’s somebody I feel should be one of the biggest rappers as big as he can possibly get. So I’m gonna do everything that I can to try and make that happen.

Drake has definitely been catching some flak for bringing on that London sound, the same bull he dealt with for the dancehall tracks last year. He’s not taking from the culture, he’s utilizing it and helping it grow. He’s bringing up these London artists like Skepta, Giggs, the soulful Jorja Smith, and there’s the South African producer Black Coffee. People forget but Toronto is a very diverse city that literally has all of these types of cultures that are mixed into one. Along with all those different cultures, comes the music that Drake grew up around. 

This is our music, this is all, we’re all intertwined, afro-beats, Toronto, the Jamaican culture, Dancehall, London, you know. I gotta hail Skep for that, because that was a turning point for me.

While I’m living for the dancehall and London sounds on the album playlist, his shots on the project are...well you’ll see. 

Jab, Jab...and Another Jab.

A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Feb 25, 2017 at 3:46pm PST

“I get more satisfaction outta goin’ at your head And seein’ all of you die And I seen a lot of you die” - Free Smoke

Drake opens up his playlist with “Free Smoke,” an attempt to clear the air. The album is filled with subliminals, some more direct and apparent than others. His first shot goes to Tory Lanez: “Must have never had your phone tapped / All that yappin’ on the phone shit / you must really love the road life / all that never comin’ home shit.” This for sure was direct shot. Tory Lanez’s last album, I Told You, had skits of many phone conversations. Why would you conduct any type of business on the phone? That’s Drake’s point. His second observation goes for Tory always being on the road. “Home” is Toronto for the both of them and it seems Tory left home and never looked back.

Now because we all know how clever Drake is, in his outro there’s a bar (thanks to Genius) that I didn’t catch but is another shot at Tory: “You overnight celebrity, you one day star / Swear I Told You that I’m in this bitch for eternity.” If you didn’t know, because I didn’t, Tory’s government is Daystar Peterson and his album is called I Told You, AND there's a track on it called “One Day." Get it? “You one day star, Swear I Told You.” Clever, right? 

“How you let the kid fighting’ Ghost-writin’ rumors turn you to a ghost?” - Free Smoke

Everybody and their mother knows about the beef between the two but after I listened to the OVO Radio interview...well, I bet you didn’t know it was actually very serious for Drake. 

Because we live in a social media driven world now, Meek started off this beef via Twitter. In 2015, he tweeted something along the lines that Drake does not write his own raps. Meek and Drake weren’t exactly friends but as Drake said in his interview with DJ Semtex, he worked with Meek and helped build him up because of the relationship with Nicki Minaj. At the time Boi1da brought Quentin Miller to Drake, a kid he talked to about music with and thought Drake would like him. Miller and Drake ended up working together on about five tracks, but key word here is “worked” together: 

The reason why I never felt like necessarily pressured to sit down and defend myself right away or go do an interview is just because...anybody that’s been in any room with me knows first of all that I am one of the best writers period. That is what I do, that is what I’m known for, I go and write for other people, I write my biggest songs, my biggest hits, the massive majority of my catalogue has all been written solely by me, which is a big feat because music is a collaborative process. At that given time with those isolated records, they just wouldn’t be what they were if it wasn’t for me, if it wasn’t for my pen, my contributions to that, and not taking away from [Miller], we did great work together in a very small space.

A shot against another artist’s most known creative skill, especially when at one point you were cordial, is a serious shot at the neck in this business. For someone he, as he says, “supported” and helped launched his first tour - it definitely must have hurt. And Drake wanted to return that right back to him. When he dropped "Charged Up,” and realized Meek wasn’t prepared, he knew he had to strike with the club banger “Back to Back."

I didn’t go the route of calling him a bunch of terrible names, I just used wit, I just used wit and good writing, ironically enough great writing, to just win that situation...DJ’s have to take a hit when you’re hosting a party and you can’t play the biggest record of the night because you’re standing there. It hurt and I wanted it to hurt...That was the only part about it that felt good, ah I finally got to compete when I was doubted and win. That was pretty much the only positive of it, but the rest of it was just all trash man, it was just embarrassing to witness.

It was hard for all of us to witness. Hilarious, but everyone definitely had a collective “ouch” moment. Even though Meek now is trying to recover, he’s not as public as he was before. Drake goes on to admit that it wasn’t a moment he wasn’t proud of but had to happen. And when DJ Semtrex asked if he and Meek would ever be friends again - referring to the recent reconciliation of Jay-Z and Nas, hip hop’s most notorious beef - Drake had this to say:

All blessings to Jay and Nas for coming together after all those years and I can’t predict what’s going to happen in the future, but right now nah I’m good – just be over there, I’ll be over here – that’s it.

He also throws jabs at Birdman, J. Lo (jab-ish) and there is a possible shot at Joe Budden who last year got heated on his podcast and said, or rather screamed, that Drake on VIEWS sounded “uninspired.” I actually agree which leads me to my next point. As he stated in his interview, he felt inspired after the release of VIEWS and thusly More Life came to...life? 

Drake is Giving Life in More Life. 

A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Mar 4, 2017 at 4:13pm PST

Nah, but really - he is. The album playlist just flows, and while refreshening, it does remind me of the “old Drake.” Pre-ghost-writing-rumors-Drake. When an artist is connected like that with his music - man, he’s unstoppable.  I’m glad he’s at 100 percent for this project, and taking the risks he started to on VIEWS.

“I was an angry yout when I was writing’ Views Saw a side of myself the I just never knew I’ll probably self-destruct if I ever love, but I never do” - Do Not Disturb

But with all that said, that beef did happen. People did question and pick at Drake for those ghost writing rumors. In the interview, he states that the ghostwriter accusations did take an emotional toll on him during the time of VIEWS. It affected him in such a way, but More Life is him acknowledging his feuds and moving forward. 

“Last chance I get to make sure that you take it personally Take this shit to heart, it’s always executed perfectly”

The pensive and introspective “Do Not Disturb” has to be my favorite of the 22-track project. It cuts in deep, a summation of Drake’s life. When discussing VIEWS, he notes it as just another album, not “the one” and how it’s “just another chapter in the story.” He barely took any time before getting ready for More Life.

“I can’t even party while a nigga pursuin’ this Distractions will do you in, in the truest sense.”

Drake always had that ridiculous work ethic since playing Jimmy and recording on the side, to which is the reason he was taken off Degrassi. His time on Dr. Dre’s project where he got kicked off mid-progress, he learned the lesson he can never slip up. Drake is always on the grind to keep his No. 1 slot. As he’s said “I really enjoy making music...I just am addicted to it. I don’t like stopping.” We’ve seen these feuds come and go, and while some may rattle him, they never knock him off his pedestal.

“They don’t know they got to be faster than me to get to me No one’s done it successfully”

It has been a good solid eight years and just magic, inspired (and some uninspired) genius that makes Drake...Drake. With the Jamaican pronunciations, to direct shots all those he’s been against, to his romantic life, to talking about plans for OVO Fest - it’s the perfect vulnerable end to his playlist. 

“Maybe gettin’ back to my regular life will humble me” 

It might just, and we’ll be waiting for the summary in 2018.