#smcu styling

[dlstmxkakwldrlarchive]

(throwback) 2021 Winter SMTOWN [SMCU EXPRESS] — Poster

[hyuck-xix]

seulgi in "beautiful christmas" mv

[dojae-huh]

What do you think about SM's music now that LSM is forced *unbeknownst to him n. news. naver. com/article/001/0013739483* to leave his position as producing director? Do you think Lee Sung Soo could do a better job?

Link

Heh, how would I know? Let's wait and see.

I've come across an interview of a music producer on SM's singing style, he said that it should be credited to Yoo Young Jin. There are many people beside LSM in SM who have worked there for many years. LSM is more of a visionary who dares to do new things and looks far ahead, like the SMCU thing that although has a not very well-done beginning in the future will allow for movies and comics and singing AIs (like Naevis). The image, the search for producers, finishing of tracks is mostly done by others.

One thing that made me relieved about the news about the restructuring is that they promise to continue making profit from music production and music publishing. SM isn't branching into other fields forgetting singers.

A few solo singers (Key, Teamin, possible others like Seulgi I don't know about) went their own way and proved to be right with their choices of music.

Lee Sung Soo worked as A&R for a very long time, and he is LSM's pupil. He was the one to look for gather all those foreign producers (I suspect Dem Jointz as well). There is Kenzie. They should carry on the legacy for some time.

Also. The announcement might be for the show? To pacify the shareholders who are afraid LSM is too old and has too much power? but LSM will continut to be the consultant anyway?

[sakuchiko]

[PRESS]

 The Story Of ReVe is SMCU's 1st comic about the birth and growth of Red Velvet's 'catalyst' ReVe in a lyrical and lovely atmosphere, based on Red Velvet's diverse concepts and very own imaginary world. Next parts will be released on the 10th and 11th. You can see on Instagram what was been released so far of the fairytale-like concept and storytelling which melted together various elements that appeared in Red Velvet's music videos and album artwork, providing a unique type of fun.

The Story Of ReVe is written by Kim Aromi, who also wrote LINE's Brown & Friends storybook, and illustrated by DD Kang who worked as an animation director for Nickelodeon's Random! Cartoons and contributed their warm art style to this project. This is a prelude to the comeback!

naver.me/ID1EBYOf

[komca]

the styling for 2 baddies for the smcu thing make me so mad

[lucyandthepen]

Didnt get to watch the smcu con but am planning to watch the saved live on my free time! What r ur thoughts on it??

i just had to say a thing or 20 about the universe stage MOSTLY ABOUT jaemin and how he came out in his stupid varsity jacket with his hair all styled hot and i let out The Most unholy scream i’ve ever let out in my life ??? mark / jeno rap part ……. i was fist in my mouth crying screaming losing my marbles u guys …

[colourfullyseethroughhead]

Hi,

Unfortunately I think there were awful fans at the smtown event a few months ago that tried to do a dark audience (as in no light sticks on) towards Chen. Ugh, that makes me so angry. I hope he feels the love of everyone else!!

I love Christmas or “string lights”. Like you, they make me feel good. During the whole year of covid I put some up inside the house to bring some happiness. I hope they can bring a level of holiday cheer to you this year. I just put up an artificial tree in my living room and a string of lights around my fireplace mantle. Other than that I put lights and garland around my front door. 🎄

Do you do any baking for the holiday? I am trying very hard not to bring sweets into my house. LOL! If I do then I eat them. Hahaha!

Are you excited about Minho’s solo album? I think I saw a post about it the other day.

Hope you are having a good week!!

Your ESS 🎄❄️

Aaaaaaa I'm late in answering this 😭 First of all hiiiiii again @mel-loves-kdramas and THANK YOU so much for your lovely and super-thoughtful gifts!! 💗 I especially love the black/white/peach one, it's SO gorgeous, I couldn't have imagined it!! 🖤🤍🍑 I'm serious, I got goosebumps when I saw it!! Thank you so much for putting so much thought, effort and creativity into this and for having been such a lovely Secret Santa for the last few months! 💖

Oh no, I was hoping the SMTown thing went well for Chen😣 especially since you could SEE how nervous he was (at least in Suwon - I feel like he felt a bit more at ease in Tokyo) - I guess the cameras didn't show the dark audience, I didn't notice anything during the live stream... It's so ridiculously awful. But that's also why I loved that footage I saw the other day of when Chen came out after prerecording some music show and there were K-fans waiting and he was chatting with them happily. Even if the awful fans aren't going away, I hope it helps him to talk to the ones who show him love. ❤️

Ooooh your decorations sound lovely!! 🎄 And I love the idea of keeping the string lights throughout the year! Heaven knows we can use some beautiful atmosphere during other times of the year as well. Meanwhile I still haven't managed to do any decorating. 😂

BUT yes, actually, I did some baking yesterday!! For the first time in ages! I made "soul cakes", which are I think not exactly "Christmas-y" but more of a Halloween thing...? (I meant to make them for Halloween but then I put too much effort into dinner and couldn't be bothered to BAKE something, too 😅) But to me they still count because they contain spices and cranberries, Christmas-y enough in my book. 😝 I feel you about the sweets though. I have a massive sweet tooth. The soul cakes actually aren't so sweet (and quite filling, too, haha), so I can't eat too many of them. But the typical stuff like gingerbread, I just eat wayyy too much of that when I have it at home..... so I relate. 😄

Oh, Minho's album is lovely!! I was hoping it would be in the vein of his solo song "Heartbreak" from last year and IMO the album really has that vibe, which I love. Dark and moody, it fits him very well and "Waterfall" is one of those songs I've had on repeat for hours at a time lately, it's got a special atmosphere that is SO good for dark winter nights. 🖤 Style-wise it reminds me a bit of the stuff on Kai's first album, which is still one of my favourite releases ever! Now I'm really looking forward to this week's release of the new Super Junior album. ❤️ And curious about all the upcoming SMCU stuff, especially since this year it seems there will be some actual EXO participation 🥰 and not just poor Kai by himself, haha.

Are you particularly looking forward to any of the upcoming releases? I can't remember if I already asked you if you're into any other SMTown artists (other than TVXQ, that I do remember 🙂)?

Once again THANK you and lots of love to you!!! ❄️🤍☕️

[pinkbloodinc]

smcu visual themes: doubling/doppelgänger

the lore around doppelgänger (bad luck, battle to the death) is also regularly present

[chaerybae]

they just became one of my ult groups

[dailyexo]

[TRANSLATION] EXO - 220821 Official EXO-L Japan website update: “『SMTOWN LIVE 2022：SMCU EXPRESS＠HUMAN CITY_SUWON』が終了！” (“‘SMTOWN LIVE 2022：SMCU EXPRESS＠HUMAN CITY_SUWON’ has concluded!”)

"8月20日（土）に韓国・水原(スウォン)ワールドカップ競技場で『SMTOWN LIVE 2022：SMCU EXPRESS＠HUMAN CITY_SUWON』が開催されました！ 全世界にも生中継で配信され、世界中のみなさんに魅力溢れるパフォーマンスの数々をお届けしました！

EXOからは、スホ、シウミン、チェン、D.O.、カイがソロステージを披露♪それぞれ個性あふれるステージで魅了しました^^

まず最初に登場したスホは「Hurdle」を披露！ステージを走り回りながらパフォーマンスし、ロックなステージをお届けしました！"

Translation: "‘SMTOWN LIVE 2022：SMCU EXPRESS＠HUMAN CITY_SUWON’ was held on 20 August at the Suwon World Cup Stadium! The concert was available for global streaming, thus allowing fans from all over the world to enjoy the festivities!

From EXO, Suho, Xiumin, Chen, D.O. and Kai, each performed solos!♪ Each of the members got to show off their unique charms!^^

First up was Suho performing his song ‘Hurdle’! Our sparkling leader sang and walked around the stage for this rock-styled song!"

"そしてチェンは「Beautiful goodbye」をしっとりと歌い上げ、その世界観にグッと引き込まれるような歌声を披露してくれました♪"

Translation: "Next was Chen with ‘Beuatiful Goodbye’. He sang with all his heart, pulling at the heartstrings of all who watched on. ♪"

"D.O.は椅子に座りながらラフな雰囲気で「That’s okay」を披露♪パフォーマンスの途中には、会場のみなさんとコミュニケーションを取りながら、はにかんだ笑顔をみせていました^^"

Translation: "Following Chen was D.O. who sang while sitting down for a casual performance of ‘That’s okay’.♪ During the song, D.O. made eye contact with fans and showed off his bashful smile. ^^"

"カイは、「Peaches」をパフォーマンス♪パワフルかつ甘い魅力が溢れるステージをお届けしました！"

Translation: "Our next member to perform was Kai, with ‘Peaches’! The song showed off his powerful stage presence and sweet charm!"

"そしてシウミンは「Serenity」をパフォーマンス！ダンサーのみなさんと息の合った、美しく息をのむようなステージを披露しました♪"

Translation: "And last but certainly not least was Xiumin with ‘Serenity’! He performed in perfect synchronisation with the dancers and fans; everyone shared a wonderful moment together!♪"

"ステージを終えたメンバーの集合ショットも届いています！ 「EXO-L-JAPANのみなさんへ届けます！」と伝えると、「“Ｌ”マークで撮ろう！」と話し合って、ギュッと集合♡！手で“L”のマークを作ってカメラに笑顔でポーズしてくれました^^"

Translation: "At the conclusion of the concert, the members gathered together for a group shot! ’Show this to EXO-L-JAPAN!’, the members said and then added, ‘Let’s make an L!’. What a cute picture! ♡ The cameraman captured the L and the members’ beautiful smiles!^^"

"そしてついに！来週8月27日（土）～29日（月）には、東京ドームで「SMTOWN LIVE 2022：SMCU EXPRESS＠TOKYO」が開催されます！ 日本でのステージに向けて、メンバーも気合い十分に準備中！

みなさん、楽しむ準備はできていますか！？^^ 次は「SMTOWN LIVE 2022：SMCU EXPRESS＠TOKYO」でお会いしましょう！"

Translation: "And get ready for the next stop on the SMTOWN tour coming up next weekend, on 27-28 August, at Tokyo Dome: ‘SMTOWN LIVE 2022：SMCU EXPRESS＠TOKYO’! The members are excited to take the stage in Tokyo!

Are you guys ready for next week!?^^ Let’s meet again at 'SMTOWN LIVE 2022：SMCU EXPRESS＠TOKYO’!"

Photo links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Credit: translation, dailyexo.tumblr.com, Source: Official EXO-L Japan.

[dlstmxkakwldrlarchive]

(throwback) 2021 Winter SMTOWN [SMCU EXPRESS] — SHINee Ver.

[kwangyadetective]

🔭 The Visions: Miracle

A theory post of WayV’s Miracle Track Video for NCT2021. Honestly this is just a collection of my thoughts and observations.

Looks like the Visions are having a meeting, the eye is often found in their MV. I mean they are the ‘vision’, if we take it literally. Ten also has a lot going on with his eye, but again, this is possibly just a symbol for the unit.

I just noticed that each member has an object or two in front of them. Hopefully this is accurate.

Yangyang - possibly sand but the color looks so pale as a sand, it looks white

Ten - Two glass, I can’t see very clearly but at least one is filled with water.

? (H or K) - white small branch of a tree

Xiaojun? - A cube

? (H or K) - An oddly shaped object, looks like a traditional tiny pot? yea you can just look at the picture.

Looks like they’re summoning something not gonna lie

People have been mentioning that the wave pattern looks like Kwangya. To be honest even I don’t have a definite idea of how Kwangya looks like. I did consider that SM took inspiration from waves from Fairlight CMI, but to be honest, I’m blaming on SM for this one. I also thought that Kwangya is an open space, sandy like a planet but has floating objects. That’s what’s shown from Kangta’s Free to Fly and many other videos like SMCU the origin. Again, I’m blaming on SM for this.

Again, waves. As for me, it still reminds me of the Fairlight CMI but who knows what others have in mind.

There is a pendulum in the video. In the most basic and easiest understanding, a pendulum is used to measure the acceleration of gravity in geo-physical surveys (thank you Wikipedia) but it’s commonly known to be used to regulate the movement of clocks. I’m not going deeper yet.

Waves again, this time from the sea. I mentioned in my YearDream Seeing Myself in a Dream post, the sea and water possibly represents or IS ether. Its the medium that connects everyone. NCT Dream also had water in the place they were dancing in the Track Video; perhaps all of the Neos are connected at this point. This is after NCT2020, if we relate this to the last YearDream video (Resonance), everyone should already be synchronized and connected.

This scene reminds me of Neoplasticism artworks BUT the ones including circles using my art student brain. But honestly I don’t think that’s the point. It would be cool though if they did because the art movement has limitless patterns and details. But it has 2D shapes and we have a lot of going on with 2D, dimensions, and NewAxis. Though I’m sure there are other meanings to this like the RYB primary color. 

I don’t think I need to show it but there are 2D drawn scenes.

with NewAxis, 2D (Dream) > 3D (Reality)

Floating objects (branch and chairs) the pendulum has something to do with gravity? I wonder if its connected.

There is a scene of Hendery with a tall ladder behind him. Don’t ask me what it means. Spoiler alert I don’t know but it does reminded me of one scene of Onew of SHINee in Don’t Call Me

You don’t understand how much I struggled to get this scene

Some VERY quick drawn scenes reminds me of Neoexpressionism though less chaotic but still have vivid colors. I’ve been thinking about this but Ten’s art style is very similar to that art movement. Its NEO but I wouldn’t be surprised either if Ten is suppose to be subtly highlighted (well he is an important character). And he had a match with him and blew it. The song reminds me of Paint Me Naked (similar vibes), you can tell that too by how they painted the Miracle title.

Overall,

“Miracle express the feelings towards a dream as a ‘dream revolution’, contain a message to believe in miracles and to empathize through music to awaken everyone’s humanity.”

source

Dream revolution huh. I mean yeah they are like encouraging the Neos to empathize together to awaken humanity. Dream in a Dream to influence Reality. To wake up people in Reality.

PHEw. There’s so much going on here. I’m not ready to interpret what WayV was doing in that circular table and the different objects they held. They’re summoning Winwin I guess

Edit

I might be wrong with the members sitting on the table😬 and saw on Twitter that the objects they had were related to the 5 Chinese Elements. Though I still can’t tell what they’re doing with that. Lets just wait for the lyrics.

ALSO! I think Kosmo was mentioned in the lyrics. Like in Dreaming. I’m still holding on to my theory that the neos are going there but we’ll see

My bad, I mean that one scene with circles and triangles look like Wassily Kadinsky’s

and yes Ten’s artwork reminds me of Neoexpressionism art movement like Basquiat

[dojae-huh]

Wow do you use any tag for 127 lores? I haven’t explored their lore yet but this ayyo one looks like it has very strong storyline, so i’m in.

I love tae’s styling! Makes him looks like king crow. https://twitter.com/tyzip_/status/1620168756977876992?s=46&t=XndOzDcz_5LBmvrgyCWZyA

I think it reminds me of overdose in terms of the song structure? In the intro both have that simple beats, Do highnotes at the end of the bridge and the way mark enter with the rap and then them proceeding with the chorus also kinda reminds me of overdose bridge, rap and chorus. But it’s a very common structure in songs. I just find them similar to exo because usually exo use this kind of structure whereas 127 tt usually go with bridge, highnotes, breakdown, chorus. Visual-wise it doesn’t remind me of any other kpop but also i dont remember things visually very well. I just love tae’s crow visual this time.

Link

You can find the link to the list of tags at the top of the main page (the header).

I don't write much on my oen, I prefer to read theories of others. You can look for posts on teitter or yt videos. Key words: "NCT theory", "SMCU theory".

SM Culture Universe was introduced 2 years ago. The storylines of different groups are interconnecting a bit currenty.

In short. To protect the Tree of Life from Red Force EXO split the universe in two. Each SM group has their own planet/dimension. All the newer groups that came after EXO have two versions of their worlds. Real world/Mirror world for RV. Real world/Dream world for NCT. Real world/Virtual world for aespa.

127 learnt how to navigate the Dream world and is now helping aespa to fight Black Mamba, who is an AI that was born from negative comments and hate online in the Virtual world. 127 went to their Dream realm to be able to travel to another dimension - Kwangya, where BM is right now.

The visuals are fresh. Older groups probably had some elements (long trench coats, spiky hair), but nothing to compare with nowadays.

[mysticnotebook]

Song: Dreams Come True.

By: Aespa.

Release Date: 20th December 2021.

Company: SM Entertainment.

Review: Released as part of the "2021 Winter SM Town: SMCU Express", by SM Entertainment, the quartet released a remake of the 1998 hit song of the same name by S.E.S. Aespa gave the dreamy 90s song their twist by adding elements of hip-hop and dance-pop, with a touch of their signature Synth-pop sound, to it while keeping the dreamy nature of the original song intact. The song is soothing and catchy and will surely make you want to dance along with the girls!

The music video is aesthetically pleasing to the senses. It does a great job at taking the viewers on a vivid visual journey to landscapes of different themes and time periods. A magical fairyland, with gorgeous floral arrangements, has been created and the four girls dance and sing together, wearing beautiful sparkly dresses, even sporting dramatic wings, done with the help of special effects, in some scenes. The two other sets reflect a very hip-hoppish and a futuristic style respectively, which go smoothly with Aespa's futuristic warrior-like concept based on technology and AIs.

Costuming is pretty immaculate. From the white fairy-like outfits to a more mature Y2K style of the 90s and 2000s, Aespa presents the right blend of modern and nostalgic fashion.

Through this music video, the group was able to portray a softer side of theirs but that didn't stop their vocals from going off the charts! The four girls are incredible vocalists and in Dreams Come True, they let their vocals travel from low ranged notes to high ranged notes, making the song a treat for both the eyes and the ears! The bridge has to be one of the best bridges in Kpop! The powerful vocals and the instrumental go together so well that you can't help but put the song on repeat just for that one bridge! Winter and NingNing shined a lot with their powerful high notes, especially at the end chorus.

When it comes to the choreography, certain elements of the old choreography of the 90s song has been incorporated with the dance styles that are trending now. The simple moves of the chorus are pretty doable for dancers of any level, making the song more enjoyable to listen to! It gives you the chance to dance along with the girls whenever you feel like it.

The song and music video gives us an interesting insight into how music and fashion have evolved over the years. The Dreams Come True of 2021 is way different than the Dreams Come True of 1998. It is more extravagant and caters to the taste of 4th generation Kpop fans. Overall, Aespa did justice to the song by making it their own while keeping the essence of the original at the core!  It will surely steal the hearts of modern Kpop listeners as well as the ones who listened to this genre of music back in 1998.

Rating: 9/10!

Picture Courtesy: SM Entertainment, Aespa, Tumblr.

[sanstropfremir]

hi hi! YG is up to an odd thing (lmao what else is new) and I was wondering if you had any insight into why. the thing in question: Somi's XOXO incorporates the... like. the hook line? from Jennie's Solo. Somi keeps the lyrics but changes up the melody a little. the reactions to that I saw were along the lines of "that's a sweet tribute to her senior company artists/friends/mentors, etc" - which, true - and that was that, we all went about our business. and then treasure came back - there's more

ok. treasure came back and I was like. why does this line in Yoshi's rap sound familiar to me? turns out, it references a line in Lisa's HYLT rap, pretty much word for word and cadence for cadence. my question is - why is YG doing this? it made sense for Somi, but it makes less sense to me for treasure, and I can't really parse why they might be making it a habit. what are your thoughts? how do I end a tumblr ask? also thanks for reading - ps I love the Woodz and ONF appreciation on this blog

hi hello welcome! i'm not a big follower of yg groups in general so i may not have any new insight really. i noticed it in xoxo and thought the same (that it was a fun lil tribute) and honestly i did not notice it in the new treasure song. i doubt that it has any larger significance like a hinting at a sort of smcu style thing; the two songs don't share any producers or lyricists and yoshi is credited as a lyricist on jikjin, which leads me to assume that it was fully his choice to include the hylt lyric and he probably got the idea from xoxo. it's possible that upper level execs wanted to include the lyric because blackpink is obviously their best known group and treasure are still rookies/bgs in general are out of favour in the gp, so they're grasping at a straw, but i truly don't think it's that deep. idols write goofy lyrics and reference other artists all the time with less or more effectiveness (see mark's iconic jopping verse) and the reason it's a whole line is because they're under the same company so it's not technically plagiarism. it was probably just a coincidence that they were consecutive releases.

[yutahoes]

hAVE U SEEN YUTA’S STYLE ON THE 127 TEASER OH MY GOD

The duality of his looks 😍😍 Waaaah!

Nerdy Yuta is my new religion. 😅 I remember having this smutty virgin gamer Yuta in my drafts which I didn't continue because I cannot see Yuta like that. So yeah... Imagine my surprise when this was shown. 🤭

Also, I have nostalgic feels about this look. It reminds me so much of Wakey Wakey Yuta and I've said it before that it was the MV that made Yuta my bias. 🤗 He also kinda reminds me of Sungchan here, I don't know why. 🙈

This comeback makes me so excited. I hope the concept is connected to their MV because it will be refreshing to see 127 in a brighter concept. But really, who wrote the soc med AU NCT is currently doing? The Day and Night version is so freaking good!

(Also, I've been hooked in the SMCU theories so my brain is rotting lately. Additional was the preparations for class. 😢 I think I need the Computer Science and Engineering major to do the 25 PPTs I need per week. 😂)