I challenge you to watch it without laughing when they start howling.
They all look so young. I like the styling, but the song in itself is a little ... I don't know, I just don't feel it. It's definitely no History, and I don't even think it could be a grower like Mama. I'll download the album if there is one, but I don't hold high hopes if this is the song to go by.
Ahhhh it's good to be able to blog on a laptop again. I adore my iPhone, but it really does not suit blogging.
So I spent pretty much the whole day making banners, and felt unbelievably guilty for having the day off from the dresses to do so. I can't really do anything anyway until my thread comes, and I have worked hard this week, but still. Not that it wasn't worth it; waiting at the airport for a soon to be embarrassed couple with banners and balloons and party poppers was great fun, even if we did decide to deploy the party poppers in the car park for fear of being shot by airport security.
However, I have a super mean headache, and am now going to sleep in the hope that it will stop feeling like someone is shooting barbed arrows straight through my head.
What seems like years ago now, SM Entertainment, home to my favourite bands Super Junior and SHINee, revealed they were debuting a new band, consisting of two units who would release the same song in Korean and Chinese. They labelled it as something never done before, even though pretty much every major kpop band has re-released songs in either Japanese, Chinese, both, or some other language. For example, I have Perfection in three languages, and countless others in two. However, I don't think a song has been equally promoted in two languages at the same time, so I guess that's what they are getting at.
I eagerly anticipated their debut, especially after the first teaser was released, featuring the extraordinary dancing talent of Kai. More teasers followed, 20 in total, some featuring new members of the 12 strong group, although most of them focused on Kai. After what must have been nearly three months, two 'prolouge' singles were released, and yesterday, finally, their official debut Music Video, Mama, was released.
The intro is interesting enough once, and I swear narrated by a man who could make a fortune as Michael Gambon's voice double if it isn't actually him, but you can skip to around the 1.23 mark for the start of the actual song.
First impressions? DOT DOT DOT. I didn't know what to think. It was so ... gothic churchy, different from everything I had come to expect from the teasers and singles. What is Love was chilled, and History was catchy, both fun to listen to but stereotypical kpop. To be honest, this scared me a little, especially the chanting at the start and face paint in the shout-y rap-y part, even if it did remind me of Super Junior's Knock Out (Twins) debut song over 6 years earlier.
But kpop has this habit of seeping into your subconscious, and songs you weren't overly impressed with on the first listen start playing in your head just as much as you watch and re-watch the music videos. So yeah, now I'm pretty addicted, and will happily admit to melting a little* at 3.18 of the Korean version, and coming over strangely maternal between 5.02 and 5.12.
The actual music videos were pretty awesome, and I really liked the whole back story explained (somewhat nonsensically) in the intro and how the members manifested their powers. The effects were impressive in both the introduction and the main part, but I have to admit to finding the sound effects somewhat distracting to the song. I kind of get why they did it,to add to the atmosphere and all that, like the swooshing for the tutting part of Lucifer, but I just found it unnecessarily loud and obvious.
The use of English isn't quite right. SM, who brought us the genius of 'Oh my gosh [...] do it do it, an original, hey baby love crash' in Super Junior's A-CHA strikes again, this time delighting us with 'Careless, careless, shoot anonymous, anonymous, heartless, mindless, no one who care about me.' which while it sounds very impressive, doesn't actually make much sense. Its just a shame because it is the English parts that stick out most to English speakers, and while I fully appreciate that we aren't their target audience, Korean music is international now. Also, I can't very easily go around singing it or people might think I'm a poorly educated suicide bomber, and we all know how upsetting seeming uneducated would be.
Anyway, I have to go watch both the videos again, and then eatyourkimchi will do a Music Monday on them tomorrow.
I just need their full album. Now.
<3 x
*18 year olds should not have that effect on people, Kai.
So SM Entertainment have been promoting their new boyband for what feels like ages now, and last night, they released their first MV. I figured I would share a few thoughts.
SM are a Korean label, and home to some of my favourite bands, namely Super Junior, TVXQ/DBSK, SHINee and Trax. Their new group, the first boyband to debut since SHINee I believe, are called EXO, and consist of two sub groups, EXO K and EXO M, coming together to make EXO PLANET. They will release their songs in both Korean and Mandarin. Kind of like Super Junior M releasing Perfection in Mandarin and Korean at the same time, but less biased.
Up until now, all we have seen are teaser trailers, a few minutes at a time, introducing us primarily to the dance skills of the members, and mostly introducing us to Kai. I'm not hating on the boy, he is clearly really talented for SM to promote him so much more than the other members, some of whom I'm pretty sure haven't even been revealed yet, but I'm not surprised that people started to think EXO M was the group while EXO K actually stood for EXO KAI.
Their first song and MV, 'What is Love', I have to admit, isn't really my sort of thing. A bit ballad-y, and far too much use of 'baby'. So why has the tune being going through my head almost constantly all day?? To be honest its kinda addictive. I've seen comparisons to TVXQ's 'Before You Go', and I can see why from all the 'oooooh''s and the tune and whatnot, but its not like its a carbon copy. These boys would have been in training throughout TVXQ's career, obviously they would be inspired by them. Its not likely they wrote the song anyway, they'll just be singing what and how SM tells them to.
The MV's are pretty cool and suit the song well, the two versions being subtly different but both very visually dynamic, being set in sparse countryside and a run down hut with sunshine filtering in through the walls and roof, which is added to the drama of an eclipse. However, I think I prefer the Mandarin vocal and the Korean video. The Mandarin video seemed to throw in some of the teaser footage somewhat haphazardly, and it didn't fit in with the song or the rest of the video at all. It feels like they ran out of footage half way through so shoved whatever in as filler while the Korean version felt much more consistent.
I like it, I really do, but I'll probably only want to listen to it when I'm specifically in the mood for it, meaning I'd more than likely skip it a fair amount. I do, however, eagerly anticipate what comes next from these boys, and their official debut.
At least they won't break their debut stage, like B.A.P. did ...
