Epic Awesome.
But not quite as epic as I'd hoped it might be.
Arario is the best track off the mini album, without a doubt. The mix of tradition and trendy is flawless and the slides between the Gayageum beat-melody and the guitar's version of it is absolutely spectacular. The track-mix in the MV is a little strange, the bowed instrument is turned up much higher than it was in the album version of the track and in parts I think that decision was wise, but in the first moments of transition to rock-song . . . it made the style split a bit shaky and the transition suffered for it. The smootheness of the original was just incredible. Other than that the track is still spectacular, far superior to Open the Door in just about every way.
And yet, Arario's MV is still not up to the par set by their incredible debut. The colors are jarring, it's difficult to delineate the members, and the choreography is rather bland from what this MV shows of it. The fans are a very cool touch, but they're under-utilized and fit in awkwardly when they're not being flicked about to perfection. The white clothes on white backdrop wasn't a good choice, especially considering how easy a mistake it should have been to spot. They did the black outfits on the black background much better, giving the viewer some white fabrics mixed in with the black to latch onto so that the members' outlines didn't all just blend together. Had they done the same for the white-clothes-white-backdrop section, mixing in a bit more black, it would have turned out much better.
I'm still waiting for these mystical subgroups to appear, they've been hinted at and teased to the point of ridiculousness. Sub-group promos should be very high on the do-to list of any group this large, particularly as their styling is no longer being kept distinct enough to make each and every member into a clearly unique individual. Sure, by now Topp Klass can tell them apart without any coddling, but the rest of the world (potential fans that haven't yet been taken in by these incredibly talented sweethearts) need very clear visual markers to keep the members straight in groups with less than half the number of members that Topp Dogg boasts.
Still, I love these boys and this track, so I count the MV as a lovely treat.
And honestly, as a member of Top Klass, I have to say that the part about these guys that I LOVE most of all is that in this MV I can’t tell them apart. Not a whit. I’ve got no clue who’s who … at least not by looking at them (well Atom's pretty distinctive, and his styling's been consistent, but other than that, I've got nothing). And yet, the second they open their mouths … BOOM. I've got them all pegged. Their styles and voices are all so beautifully distinctive it’s really quite remarkable.
Arario is the best track off the mini album, without a doubt. The mix of tradition and trendy is flawless and the slides between the Gayageum beat-melody and the guitar's version of it is absolutely spectacular. The track-mix in the MV is a little strange, the bowed instrument is turned up much higher than it was in the album version of the track and in parts I think that decision was wise, but in the first moments of transition to rock-song . . . it made the style split a bit shaky and the transition suffered for it. The smootheness of the original was just incredible. Other than that the track is still spectacular, far superior to Open the Door in just about every way.
And yet, Arario's MV is still not up to the par set by their incredible debut. The colors are jarring, it's difficult to delineate the members, and the choreography is rather bland from what this MV shows of it. The fans are a very cool touch, but they're under-utilized and fit in awkwardly when they're not being flicked about to perfection. The white clothes on white backdrop wasn't a good choice, especially considering how easy a mistake it should have been to spot. They did the black outfits on the black background much better, giving the viewer some white fabrics mixed in with the black to latch onto so that the members' outlines didn't all just blend together. Had they done the same for the white-clothes-white-backdrop section, mixing in a bit more black, it would have turned out much better.
I'm still waiting for these mystical subgroups to appear, they've been hinted at and teased to the point of ridiculousness. Sub-group promos should be very high on the do-to list of any group this large, particularly as their styling is no longer being kept distinct enough to make each and every member into a clearly unique individual. Sure, by now Topp Klass can tell them apart without any coddling, but the rest of the world (potential fans that haven't yet been taken in by these incredibly talented sweethearts) need very clear visual markers to keep the members straight in groups with less than half the number of members that Topp Dogg boasts.
Still, I love these boys and this track, so I count the MV as a lovely treat.
And honestly, as a member of Top Klass, I have to say that the part about these guys that I LOVE most of all is that in this MV I can’t tell them apart. Not a whit. I’ve got no clue who’s who … at least not by looking at them (well Atom's pretty distinctive, and his styling's been consistent, but other than that, I've got nothing). And yet, the second they open their mouths … BOOM. I've got them all pegged. Their styles and voices are all so beautifully distinctive it’s really quite remarkable.
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