Seoul Mapping.
Alright, alright, alright. If Matthew McConaughey is down with them, then they must be cool. I ain't dazed and confused. Unless Moon Dog has been smoking some of that Snoop Dogg. The 'Dallas Buyers Club' of a 'True Detective' McConaissance can't be wrong. Late Night's Jimmy Fallon can't be wrong. Ellen Degeneres can't be wrong. Selling out Wembley stadium in London, England can't be wrong. TIME magazines iconic cover can't be wrong. The UNITED NATIONS and that stirring speech can't be wrong. The heart of Asia, Seoul and the whole South of Korea can't be wrong. The entire world singing along on a Richter Scale between One Direction and Beatlemania all in word for word, not Bill Murray in translation Korean can't be wrong. A billion served can't be. An army. A movement. Burning the stage and igniting the studio. The Bangtan Boys. BTS. V, Jin, Jimin, J-Hope, Suga, Jungkook and R.M. They told you to 'Love Yourself' too and you invited them to the Grammy's in tuxedos dancing to Dolly Parton and awarding H.E.R. in Hollywood. Next year, they'll probably win one. Or even have a category invented for them and their K Pop genre for music's Oscars. Tomorrow they will be live from New York for 'Saturday Night'. But today Seoul music's finest and the biggest boy band ever, from the Backstreets to all those other boys are getting 'Persona' personal with their 'Map Of The Soul'.
Google and put a finger on it. Or just go into the map like Joey friends and right from the "YO" jump you'll see that these boys are back like their town that they've put on the soul of this world cities map. And these idols are getting bigger and better than ever like their "what's good Korea" Nicki Minaj remix feature. They're about to be bosses for the whole careers. With collabo duets from everyone from singer of the moment Halsey (the American dream theatre meets candy coloured like the hair video visual of the sugary pop 'Boy With Luv', that even features these dance steppers playing the 'Big' piano) and millennial icon Ed Sheeran ('Make It Right'. That sounds distinctly BTS and sheer Sheeran, all at the same instrumental in synchronicity time) who can both expect their own new army soldiers. There is no 'Fake Love' for these Seoul men who drop the mic once again like their Steve Aoki D.J. set, cake throwing like it's your birthday banger, as they stay in their land for their victory lap, comfortably in the driver's seat with the whole world riding shotgun. And it all begins with the hardest working leader in all of K Pop and mainstream music. The group's official spokesman on the mic and translator R.M. with pure bars like when he hot potato passed it, passed it, back and forth with Washington's Wale, holding his own on 'Change'. With pockets of rhymes, leaving other rappers coming up with lint. Now paid in full, R.M. is releasing playlist mixtapes for fun and free. Like last year's 'mono.' music that he gifted gave right between these idols era of love yourself revolution and this soul persona. One moving, mood music that featured an introspective perspective and shout-out to his hometown 'Seoul', with big in Asia, electric British duo Honne (who also have R.M. jumping back on the remix of their heartbreakingly cool track 'Crying Over You'), one to the testimonial, travel journal tribute traditions of 'Tokyo' and of course the artful, deep look into depression with soaring strength in the beautiful downpour of 'Forever Rain'. For a cool, cohesive set of real music, more personally profound than pop and with a longevity to it that will play for longer than its unofficial full release status. And now with this 'Intro' to 'Persona' going it all alone like his army of one amazing video serving as a trailer, channeling the flow of his favourite rap gods and taking them all to his own language school, R.M. shows he really is a rap monster with delivery for days like FedEx. Real hip-hop is real hip-hop regardless of the language and if you don't get it it's time to Google translate and catch up to this real rap from a real rapper. There isn't a bigger or better way for this album to start than with this Moonchild.
Seven seals track this latest release from BTS that is set to move more millions than those who will be tuning in for NBC's SNL this weekend. These billboard stars are about to be number one on the Hot 100 with a bullet quick sell out like their stadium tours the minute they hit the net. And if you think seven members coming up with just the same amount of tracks as days of the week for this highly anticipated and long awaited release isn't enough, then haven't you learned in this Spotify streaming age already? Rest assured with headphones on that this is just the first route on their 'Map Of The Soul' magic, mystery musical tour. After starring down 'Face Yourself' they had two 'Tears' and 'Answers' to 'Love Yourself' with last year for a holy trinity, big three. And besides music icon Norah Jones released a new album too today. Her beautiful and best in years 'Begin Again', sounding like nothing she's ever put on record before. And guess what? Guess how many tracks long? Yep! A magnificent seven! So come away with that in the night and I will write you a song. We can't wait for the next 'Persona' from these mag 7's, but until then we're having fun getting lost in this journey not destination map. 'Mikrokosmos' is classic BTS. Whilst the computer game closer 'Dionysus' sounds like it could be the epic introduction themes song of an awesome anime. But the real standout here is the on repeat, 'Euphoria' warmth of 'Jamais Vu'. A beautiful ballad of soaring feeling, singing along to "please give me a remedy" and all the love language to yourself later. But it gets much deeper and closer to the heart on 'HOME' (as they sing "For some reason filling this makes it empty faster/The more we're together the more I feel more alone/Half closed eyes, sleepless night/The place where you are"), for this club of billionaire boys who on their own 'Burn The Stage' movie from theatres to YouTube weren't afraid to admit that despite the biggest stages and Korean dollar bucks they weren't immune to the effects of depression and other mental health afflictions that come with this type of pressure on young people in the social media age of anxiety today. Especially those in the most glaring of spotlights from the paparazzi to the fans and the critics ready to write them off again and again. No matter how many times they prove them wrong, over and over again. It's a long and lonely road, hotel room to hotel room, where you're far from home and can't even remember the city. But still night after night these kids take to the stage and make music, maturing as young men and real positive role models for a world of fake love and false idols. But these genuine ones are offering light to a nation and its young men plagued by downing depression and rising suicide rates like they are the oppression of the north. Yet fighting all this with the same love that the world has been told again and again is all you need there is no one better right now to put that notion and where they're coming from on the map. With 'Persona' it's getting personal. Even with the power of South Korea girl group BlackPink biting at their heels, looks like these artists and music for healing are still a Big Hit. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Playlist Picks: 'Intro: Persona', 'Boy With Luv' Feat Halsey, 'Jamais Vu'.
No comments:
Post a Comment