And it's Very Very Good.
That Block B has made a comeback at all is spectacular (as explained HERE), but what they've come back with isn't something that needs to be bolstered by any extenuating circumstances to be considered awesome. It's a radical sound for Kpop, certainly, and it's opened new doors for the industry.
Very Good has been facing criticisms of not being 'Korean' enough due to this brand-new-sound idea, but honestly, there are some very Kpop roots to this sort of song. A lot of (SS501) Kim HyunJoong's solo work from 2011 has similar instrumentation elements, in particular Do You Like That and Lucky Guy. (TVXQ) Kim JaeJoong's also done a few rock-style releases; so the sound really isn't entirely new. Nor is Very Good the first of this sound to be to be successful. Rather than not sounding very Korean, mostly I think it doesn't sound like past Korean music. It still very distinctly Korean, with a very unique song structure that fits Korean construction patterns (mainly in how the rap lines and melodic lines are woven together). The structure here looks like a washboard zig-zag that's set up in something like an M with a little tail, there's two main drops (in the MV @ ~2:00, & after the bridge @ 3:20), and each verse (singing) & subverse (rap & melodic rap) sections have their own tension levels, and internal tension transition. All the rises and falls of tension add to the melodic fluidity and the balance of the parts, both between people and between elements, means that the listener's attention is continually engaged and the song feels much shorter than it is. One of the best compliments to a musical composition anyone can give is that it was too short, at least that the listener wanted more & therefore is forced to immediately hit repeat (there is a limit to this however, obviously, if the song isn't a complete work, if it's so short it feels unfinished, and someone calls that out, it's not really a compliment). I'm not a huge fan of Kyung's high note there, though, I'm really hoping that the waiver in it is just the filter they put on it rather than vocal strain, because that cannot be good for his voice. I'm all for hitting the impressive notes and all, but I'd rather not have him get hurt for it.
The video part of this music video clearly has ties to the Dark Knight. I was glad to see that they didn't just follow that line however, there were some nice twists in it. And I love Zico in some of the scenes (the blue-hair ones in particular), he has managed to condense the entirety of Big Bang's Fantastic Baby into a single fantastically ridiculous outfit. Aside from that section, my next favorite part starts at 2:20; the mask of epicness, the dog and the running away, U-Kwon's face is just priceless and the whole thing is hilarious. Other than that, I wasn't too keen on the MV really. It's visually spectacular and certainly funny, but I just wasn't drawn into it as much as I've been for past Block B releases.
Very Good has been facing criticisms of not being 'Korean' enough due to this brand-new-sound idea, but honestly, there are some very Kpop roots to this sort of song. A lot of (SS501) Kim HyunJoong's solo work from 2011 has similar instrumentation elements, in particular Do You Like That and Lucky Guy. (TVXQ) Kim JaeJoong's also done a few rock-style releases; so the sound really isn't entirely new. Nor is Very Good the first of this sound to be to be successful. Rather than not sounding very Korean, mostly I think it doesn't sound like past Korean music. It still very distinctly Korean, with a very unique song structure that fits Korean construction patterns (mainly in how the rap lines and melodic lines are woven together). The structure here looks like a washboard zig-zag that's set up in something like an M with a little tail, there's two main drops (in the MV @ ~2:00, & after the bridge @ 3:20), and each verse (singing) & subverse (rap & melodic rap) sections have their own tension levels, and internal tension transition. All the rises and falls of tension add to the melodic fluidity and the balance of the parts, both between people and between elements, means that the listener's attention is continually engaged and the song feels much shorter than it is. One of the best compliments to a musical composition anyone can give is that it was too short, at least that the listener wanted more & therefore is forced to immediately hit repeat (there is a limit to this however, obviously, if the song isn't a complete work, if it's so short it feels unfinished, and someone calls that out, it's not really a compliment). I'm not a huge fan of Kyung's high note there, though, I'm really hoping that the waiver in it is just the filter they put on it rather than vocal strain, because that cannot be good for his voice. I'm all for hitting the impressive notes and all, but I'd rather not have him get hurt for it.
The video part of this music video clearly has ties to the Dark Knight. I was glad to see that they didn't just follow that line however, there were some nice twists in it. And I love Zico in some of the scenes (the blue-hair ones in particular), he has managed to condense the entirety of Big Bang's Fantastic Baby into a single fantastically ridiculous outfit. Aside from that section, my next favorite part starts at 2:20; the mask of epicness, the dog and the running away, U-Kwon's face is just priceless and the whole thing is hilarious. Other than that, I wasn't too keen on the MV really. It's visually spectacular and certainly funny, but I just wasn't drawn into it as much as I've been for past Block B releases.
| Their lives have been really good for this release, and terribly great fun. And I definitely have to comment on the 'Maxium Close Up' version, the styling is spectacular, (honestly this is the first Block B release where I have really loved PO's hair). This version allows for the craziness of Block B and the full MV to shine through while also allowing for some fabulous close-in shots that fit a more conventional MV style (and is therefore wonderfully easy to screen-cap). | |
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