A-STYLE | MEDIA MATTERS
  • News & Updates
  • Current Projects
    • Past Projects
    • Behind the Scenes >
      • About
      • FAQ
  • For Patrons!
  • Editorials
  • Reviews
    • My Grading Scale
    • Top Lists
  • Fan-Works

Bangtan Boys - N.O. (Mv Review)

9/30/2013

0 Comments

 

'Game-Changing' Hardly Covers It.

            This is what I want out of music.
            No punches pulled, no sugar-coating, no undue simplification . . . just taking the world as it is, representing it in a dramatic form of art, making a statement, enacting change in a call to action that if nothing else makes people think for a moment. There are two schools of thought on the issue, one that says 'Ars Gratia Artis' and holds that the only way to achieve true Art is to make art for its own sake, and one that says 'Vitam Ars Causa' and holds that life is itself Art, is caused by Art, and is reflected by Art (ie, that Art simply IS). I'm in the second camp. I think that Art must be good on it's own and held against it's own self to determine if it's good, but at the same time, whether or not art is good, it can be valuable, particularly in terms of how it relates to and affects culture.
            What Bangtan Boys has done here is changed the game for kpop. Making statements about culture, and about how it needs to change, in music isn't something new, not even new to kpop really. (Seriously, I mean, F.cuz had Dreaming I... pretty recently, which actually gets at the same idea as this release from Bangtan Boys). But what this video does that the other statement-making attempts in kpop have failed to do is that it has made the issue at hand hurt to ignore. It's directly challenging the status quo, explicitly calling out the problems therein. In most other cases, in the kpop that I've seen at least, the subversive comments are made quite quietly, layered in thematic metaphor and a storyline that distracts any unfavorable critics. Bangtan Boys have released something that refuses to be ignored or brushed aside like that, and that is something to really applaud. It's a ballsy thing to do anywhere, but South Korea's pretty dang conservative . . . MVs can be banned simply because people with weird haircolors are shown as being successful in school with 'normal' kids. This . . . makes a pretty bold-faced argument, one much more aggressively controversial than anything I've seen in the past like it.
            I really hope that this does actually influence a new era of Kpop music, pushing kpop to move beyond performance art and transcend into protest art that is Art in and of itself, and good art at that. It's possible. Big Hit Music's little slogan is something like 'Music & Artists for Healing' right? Well, here's a chance for others to latch onto the idea and start healing society from the inside out.
            That having been said, including the fact that I cannot lavish on enough praise for this in a twenty page analysis, let alone a quick review, I do have some critiques of it. The song is okay. It's got a decent dose of drama to it, but mostly in what it's saying, not how it's saying it. I love the orchestral elements, but the overall form is pretty simple and there's nothing to really make it stand out as a track. The Pre-chorus vamp is fantastic, real tension is built and energy and angst, but it all falls sort of flat in the chorus. I'd have liked to hear a more heart-wrenching, aching sort of summation to it all rather than the rather less than dramatic release . . . My thoughts personally went to GD's chorus in Crooked, how the aggressive call and response in that one feels so much more intense than the one found here, and how it keeps the energy up better. These angsty sort of real-world pain depictions shouldn't have the release of tension found in other sorts of songs, there's nothing to warrant a release of tension until the final resolution. The chorus should be a culmination, a breaking point, the limit reached just before everything falls apart and tumbles into the bridge before a modified chorus fully releases the tension for the outro.
            Lyrically, it's fabulous. And it makes an excellent point. There's something truly broken about the world's educational system these days . . . some places are better than others, but seriously, once we started being more concerned with the grades than with the actual experience of learning and developing a viable skill set, 'school' as an institution began to decay. It's tricky to deride the educational system without bad-mouthing education as a whole, and I feel that NO does a pretty solid job of it. (I also particularly enjoy the irony of the situation that is the reason I'm late in posting this is that school is working me to death and taking over my life and what I'm posting is a review about a song explaining how it's not right that school works you to death and takes over your life...).
            As for the MV itself, the visuals are definitely striking. There's a fantastic drama to it all, a staging meant to really draw a viewer in and to force them to acknowledge the state of the real world by over-playing it in a metaphoric world. I'm not a terribly huge fan of the way the sets were incorporated into the plot-line (especially the hands and the clouds one), but they're not too terrible. And I would have had the boys develop more as characters; they start out as identical robots, and they pretty much end up nearly as identical... a few hats are added, sunglasses, some jewelry, but not really enough to delineate them if you don't already know who they are (as I found out quite acutely in trying to show the mv to a friend...) and I think it could have benefited thematically from more marked evolution. The choreography is glorious. Bangtan Boys is definitely my Baby Band of the year, I've decided. The choreography here is spot on perfect for this MV; it's aggressive, it's emotive, it's perfectly in sync and fantastically worked into the plot and the lyrics. I love it.


            Also, if we're going to talk about epic choreography, I feel that the Concept Trailer for Bangtan Boys' latest album should definitely come up. This Concept Trailer is easily one of my very favorite of all time and no small part in why this release has sealed the deal for Bangtan Boys as my personal rookies of the year for 2013.

I give this MV a 9/10: Blissful!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    If you have Questions about my Terminology, Bias Bands, or any other FAQ click HERE.

    Categories

    All
    100%
    1 The K (Loen Ent)
    2ne1
    2pm
    4 Minute
    9muses
    A6P
    AA (Double A)
    Academic
    A Ent Korea
    After School
    Ailee
    A-Jax
    Alice Nine
    AlphaBAT
    Amber
    Amie Kaufman
    AMUSE Inc
    Ann Pachett
    AoA (Ace Of Angels)
    AOMG
    Apink
    Art History
    * Artist Review *
    A-Sketch Ent
    Attack
    Audience: Adult
    Audience: New Adult
    Audience: Young Adult
    Audience: Young Reader
    B1a4
    B2m Ent
    Bangtan Boys
    B.A.P
    Bastarz
    Beast
    Believe Records
    Ben
    Benedict Carey
    Bestie
    B.I.G
    Big Bang
    Big Hit Ent
    Bigstar
    Block B
    BoA
    * Book Review *
    Boyfriend
    Boys Republic
    Brandnewmusic Korea
    Bravesound
    Brown Eyed Girls
    BTL (Beyond The Limit)
    Bugs! Korea
    Bumkey
    C2k Ent
    Can Ent
    C Clown
    C-Clown
    Chrome Ent
    CJ E&M
    CJes
    C-Jes Ent
    Cl
    CLC
    Collabodadi
    Core Contents Media
    *Cover Review*
    Crayon Pop
    CT Ent
    Cube Ent
    Cultural Studies
    Danal Ent
    Debut
    Diaura
    Disney+
    Donghae
    DS Ent
    Dsp Ent
    Dynamic Duo
    Equal Rep: LGBTQ+
    Equal Rep: Varied Gender Presentations
    ESNa
    Eunhyuk
    EXID
    Exo
    F.cuz
    Fiestar
    Fluxus Music
    Flying Dog Ent
    Fnc Ent
    Ft Island
    F(x)
    GaIn
    Galaxy Inc
    G Dragon
    G-Dragon
    General
    Genre: Action
    Genre: Comedy
    Genre: Cultural Studies
    Genre: Dark Fantasy
    Genre: Dystopia
    Genre: Epic Fantasy
    Genre: Fantasy
    Genre: Historical Fiction
    Genre: Literary Fiction
    Genre: Mythology
    Genre: Physics
    Genre: Plain Fiction
    Genre: Realistic Fiction
    Genre: Revisionary History
    Genre: Romance
    Genre: Science
    Genre: SciFi
    Genre: Space Opera
    Genre: Speculative Fiction
    GH Entertainment
    Giriboy
    Girls Day
    Girls Generation (SNSD)
    G.NA
    Gng Productions
    * Graphic Novel / Manga Review *
    Grisha Verse
    H2 Ent
    Happy Tribe Ent
    Henry
    Heo Youngsaeng
    High4
    History
    Hotshot
    House & Home Goods
    Imagine Dragons
    Infinite
    Information
    Instant Records
    Iu
    James Kakalios
    Jang HyunSeung
    Jay Park
    Jellyfish Ent
    Jennifer Armentrout
    Jimin N J.Don
    JinYoung Park (JYP)
    JMS Ent
    Js Ent
    JTM Ent
    J Tune Camp
    Jun HyoSung
    Jyj
    Jyp Ent
    Kahi
    Kang Seungyoon
    Kara
    Key East Ent
    Kim Hyungjun
    Kim Hyunjoong
    Kim Jaejoong
    KO Sound
    Kota
    KT Music
    K.Will
    Lc9
    Led Apple
    Lee Junghyun
    Leigh Bardugo
    Lim Kim
    Lindsey Stirling
    Lion Mascot (สิงโต นำโชค)
    Lunafly
    Madtown
    Mamamoo
    Marie Lu
    Marie Rutkoski
    Mblaq
    Meagan Spooner
    M.I.B
    Minah
    Miss A
    MMO Ent
    Mnet
    Monsta X
    Moonshine
    * Movie / Drama / TV Show Review *
    M.Pire
    Mr. Mr.
    Music K Ent
    * Music Review *
    My First Story
    Myname
    Mystic89 Music
    Nano
    Naomi Novik
    N.A.P Ent
    Neal Stephenson
    Nega Network
    N.Flying
    Nh Media
    Nine Muses
    Non Fiction
    Non-Fiction
    N-Sonic
    NS Yoon G
    NS Yoon-G
    NU'EST
    Odd Eye
    Oh Yeri
    Okdal
    One OK Rock
    Park BoRam
    Pentatonix
    Personal
    Phantom
    Pledis Ent
    Pocket Girls
    Pony Canyon Ent
    Prepix
    * Product Review *
    Psc Ent
    Queen B'z
    Rainbow
    Red Velvet
    Rex. D
    Rise Records
    Romeo
    ~Rookie Debut~
    Sabaa Tahir
    San-E
    Sarah J Maas
    Sean Carroll
    Secret
    Seo InGuk
    Series: Keeper Of The Lost Cities
    Series: Science Comics
    Seungri
    Seven Seasons Ent
    Seventeen
    Shannon Messenger
    Shinee
    SidusHQ
    Simtong Ent
    Sistar
    Skarf
    Sleeping With Sirens
    Sm Ent
    Sony Music & Ent
    Soulights
    Speed
    Spica
    S-Plus Ent
    Ss501
    Stardom Ent
    Star Empire Ent
    Starkim Ent
    Starship Ent
    Star Wars
    Stellar
    Sugarbowl
    SuJu D&E
    Sunmi
    Sunny Hill
    Super Junior
    Swings
    Taeyang
    Tahiti
    T-ARA
    Tasty
    The Ark
    *Theater & Stage Drama Review*
    The Benjamin Ent
    The British Royal Family
    The VIBE Ent
    Timothy Zahn
    Tiny G
    Tnc Ent
    Togeworl
    Top Class Ent
    Top Media
    Topp Dogg
    Toxic
    Ts Ent
    Tvn
    Tvxq
    U-Kiss
    Ulala Session
    UNIQ
    Universal Music
    Universal Studios
    UP10TION
    Urban Zakapa
    Various Artists
    Vibe: Aeronauts & Punk Diaspora
    * Video Review *
    Vixx
    WA Ent
    Warner Ent
    Wonder Boyz
    Wonder Girls
    Woolim Ent
    Xiah / Junsu
    Xiran Jay Zhao
    Year End Review
    Yedang Ent
    Yg Ent
    Ymc Ent
    YNB Ent.
    YNM Company
    Yuehua Ent
    ZE:A[제국의아이들]
    Z.Hera
    Zico

    Email Me!

    Archives

    November 2024
    May 2024
    December 2022
    November 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013

    My Tumblr

    RSS Feed

    The name, layout, opinions, analysis, and original media displayed on the Music Matters® website belongs to A-style® and are the intellectual property of Alexandra Swords. 2013©
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.