• Latest
  • Trending

Breaking Down Every Track on BTS’ New Album ‘Be’

November 21, 2020

Business booms for lawncare service started by three Saginaw boys | News

August 2, 2021

MSP seizes more than 1,200 marijuana plants from Carrolton Twp. home | News

August 2, 2021

The Hour Glass and Rolex: Partners in Time

August 2, 2021

Ocon claims maiden victory, Vettel disqualified

August 2, 2021

Midstate mom combats medical trauma in kids | 4 Your Community

August 1, 2021

Binance NFT celebrates Elephant Day with inaugural Jim Thompson NFTs

August 1, 2021

North Kansas City mask order starts Monday | Coronavirus

August 1, 2021

Father-son duo kayak the Chesapeake Bay in support of families in need

August 1, 2021

NWS confirms at least six tornadoes across Wisconsin from Wednesday night storms

July 31, 2021

Crete athlete struggles with post-COVID syndrome | Health and Fitness

July 31, 2021

In this rural Missouri county, the vaccination rate is low and opposition high | Coronavirus

July 31, 2021

The “Serendipity Sapphire” is the World’s Largest Sapphire Cluster

July 30, 2021
  • Home
  • General News
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
Thursday, June 1, 2023
10Newz
  • Home
  • General News
    • All
    • Politics

    Trump’s Antifa Obsession Drew Law Enforcement Away From Far-Right

    Biden Executive Order Expands Obamacare to Uninsured in Pandemic

    Economy closes out 2020 with lower than expected 4% gain

    Cuba Fast Facts

    Expect “at least another 10 weeks” of vaccine shortages, says German Health Minister

    Comcast (CMCSA) Q4 2020 earnings

    Everything you need to know about how a Reddit group blew up GameStop's stock

    Could post-vaccine life mean we return to normal? Not just yet

    Dr. Fauci says Covid vaccines can be easily adapted to new variants, drugmakers working on boosters

    Poland abortion law: New restrictions go into effect, resulting in a near-total ban on terminations

    Trending Tags

    • Donald Trump
    • Future of News
    • Climate Change
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech

    NFKings Co-founder Matthew Lim on NFTs and Binance Investment

    Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson successfully rockets to outer space

    Twitter is a mess in India. Here’s how it got there

    Online retailers are using AI to convert more shoppers into buyers

    What Apple users should expect when using Microsoft 365 subscriptions

    Google Drive for Desktop app: 4 reasons why you should install it

    AI is trying to prevent online shoppers from ditching their carts

    Everything you need to know about Richard Branson going to space this weekend

    What Windows 11 means for Windows on Arm, and why it will bring more big name apps

    Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak: ‘It’s time to recognize the right to repair’

    Trending Tags

    • Flat Earth
    • Sillicon Valley
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Golden Globes
    • Future of News
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Sports

    The Inside Story of How Navalny Uncovered Putin’s Palace

    Ducks fly together in new trailer for Disney+ series ‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers’

    Sophie Is Gone, and It’s Okay to Cry

    Johnson & Johnson Publishes Promising COVID-19 Vaccine Data

    Hollywood pays tribute to Cicely Tyson

    Trump’s Antifa Obsession Drew Law Enforcement Away From Far-Right

    CDC Issues Mask Mandate for Public Transportation and Planes

    Cicely Tyson’s radiant power (opinion)

    Watch System of a Down’s New Video for ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’

    Police Tighten Congress Security in Era of Rising Threats

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Travel

    The Hour Glass and Rolex: Partners in Time

    Ocon claims maiden victory, Vettel disqualified

    Binance NFT celebrates Elephant Day with inaugural Jim Thompson NFTs

    The “Serendipity Sapphire” is the World’s Largest Sapphire Cluster

    Latest Saint Laurent Rive Droite Collection Features Jean Michel Basquiat

    NFKings Co-founder Matthew Lim on NFTs and Binance Investment

    Favourite Pieces from Watches & Wonders 2021: WOW Thailand Editor

    Sydney Leads The World With Its Placemaking Projects

    Sustainability, Market Demand and Unexpected Watches

    Tabayer Takes an Introspective Approach Ahead of the Collection Launch

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
No Result
View All Result
News
No Result
View All Result
Home Entertainment

Breaking Down Every Track on BTS’ New Album ‘Be’

by admin
November 21, 2020
in Entertainment
0
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

[ad_1]

Be, the latest comeback from South Korean pop megastars BTS, marks the next era in the seven members’ already historic career. Released Nov. 20, it drops while BTS are already on top, having mastered the charts with this summer’s “Dynamite.” The pandemic may have slowed down touring and live concerts, but, as Be demonstrates, it clearly spurred creativity. At just eight tracks—one of them a spoken skit—and running under 30 minutes, it’s a slim time capsule reflecting the style and mindset of BTS during this strange but, at least for them, successful year.

Here, TIME writers Raisa Bruner and Kat Moon share their reactions to this latest offering from the world’s most powerful musical group.

“Life Goes On”

Kat Moon: As soon as Jung Kook opens with the line, “One day the world stopped without any warning,” it becomes clear that “Life Goes On” is a song for 2020. What struck me the most is how deeply intertwined the title track’s sound and messaging are. The relaxed tempo of the song reflects the sentiment of being fixed in place. “There’s no end in sight. Is there a way out? My feet refuse to move oh,” V sings.

Another auditory element throughout “Life Goes On” intrinsic to the track’s meaning is the emphasis on breathing. “Once winter comes, let’s exhale a warmer breath,” RM raps before a loud exhalation, ha. Beyond that, the song is packed with lines that end with the Korean vowels a (ㅏ, pronounced like “ah”) and eo (ㅓ, pronounced like “uh”). These open-mouthed endings create the effect of members inhaling and exhaling throughout the track. The sound can be interpreted in two ways: sighs that “the world stopped,” or, the likelier option, new breaths taken as BTS embraces “Be”-ing in this new reality. (It’s also worth noting that the opening shot of the “Life Goes On” music video shows V in a mask, sending the message of responsibly covering our faces when we breathe.)

Raisa Bruner: Thank you for bringing up those Korean details, Kat—the little things that a casual listener may not get, but that show BTS’ notable attention to meaning and double-entendre. They promised “Life Goes On” would be, in RM’s words from the pre-release press conference, “a simple message but a profound truth.” It’s warmer and lighter than what BTS is perhaps best known for on the charts; it feels like a cozy sweater, a hug from a friend.

“Fly to My Room”

RB: BTS’ life has been marked by an unusual amount of travel, but the pandemic changed all that for them, just like for the rest of us. “Fly To My Room” is what happens when you daydream about hopping on a flight, but do it from the comfort from your home. (Well, sometimes comfort; other times, as they sing, confinement breeds a kind of confusion about our familiar environment.) With only four of the members featured here—Jimin, SUGA, J-Hope and V—it’s a neat balance between rap sections and neo-soul underpinnings. Jimin and V’s falsettos shine here.

KM: I agree, the falsettos were a standout. The first word that came to my mind when listening to “Fly to My Room” was cyclical: the melodic line flows without any major rises or falls, and Jimin and V create a back-and-forth in their verses for the first half of the track. This is not unlike the cyclical feeling of imagining the freedom of traveling but being bound by the walls of one’s room. The instrumentals of the track are also minimalist, echoing the stripped-back sentiment described by V: “This room is all I’ve got” (all translations from @doyou_bangtan unless otherwise indicated). Once again, the music and lyrics mirror each other.

“Blue & Grey”

KM: At the global press conference, V—a contributing writer and producer on the song—said “Blue & Grey” is about “expressing the sadness and depression which is usually expressed as blue and grey.” And the ballad is indeed the most emotionally raw number on the album. Similar to “Life Goes On,” breaths are at the core of the melancholic track. But unlike the title track, their sound in “Blue & Grey” is tinged with gloom. V’s opening line, “Someone come and save me, please/ only the sighs of an exhausting day,” sets up the mood of the breaths that follow. Jung Kook inhales audibly before singing, “The meaning of the tears reflected in the mirror, hidden by laughter, are my colors blue grey.” A weighty exhalation is heard before Suga begins to rap, and the repetition of the “h” sound in both Korean and English throughout the ballad only adds to the motif of sighing deeply from exhaustion.

RB: The most poetic—and introspective—track off of Be is this soft ballad, led by V. I particularly like how Suga and J-Hope modulate their rapping to fit the slower, more gentle tone of this song; it’s a tough balance to strike, but they hit it.

“Skit”

RB: BTS used to be known for their skits: off-the-cuff conversational recordings that showed off the guys’ personalities as they spent time together casually. They chose not to include them on the Map of the Soul or Love Yourself albums, but here they returned to these more playful roots. And for good reason: it’s a record of their reactions when they discovered that “Dynamite” had made it to the Billboard Hot 100 top spot, the first and (so far) only Korean act to do so. The news happened to reach them on Jung Kook’s birthday, giving their banter (according to a translation from Genius) an extra kick.

KM: I have nothing to add besides, what an opportunity to hear their joy!

“Telepathy”

RB: There’s no other way to put it: “Telepathy” is fun. Welcome back to auto-tune and the joys of disco. Suga fronted the production here, on a track that is all about connection, no matter the location. “For a moment, with the useless worries put to rest, for a moment, let’s enjoy it together, the small island in the middle of the blue sea that we reminisce about,” sings Jung Kook. It’s up to us to interpret, of course. So many of BTS’ lyrics call back to prior songs or moments; their universe is complex and self-referential. So when they say “Let’s try matching our speeds/ This is quite a long and enjoyable roller coaster,” they could be throwing it back to past comments about sharing the journey of their rise to fame alongside their fans. I like to think there’s a wink hidden in there, too, though.

“Dis-ease”

KM: The most playful track on the album, “Dis-ease” packs a punch—starting with J-Hope, RM and Suga’s slick rapping after the softer delivery of earlier songs. Comfortably in their element for this hip-hop number, the trio muses about the meaning of “disease.” “Yo, is it me or the world that’s diseased/ Is it simply the difference in interpretations/ Is that all,” Suga asks in his verse. And while brassy instrumentals, bold drums and the slightly jarring noise of record scratching are present throughout the track, a change in tempo transitions “Dis-ease” to its final 30 seconds: a culmination of all these sounds—plus vibrant melodies—in what can best be described as an exhilarating party in the ear.

RB: This sounds like vintage BTS to me; the old-school hip-hop influences like those record scratches give this its punch. It’s also comforting to hear BTS musing about their own perfectionism and dissatisfaction; if even some of the most successful people on the planet feel like they aren’t doing enough, maybe we all need to cut ourselves some slack.

“Stay”

KM: “We are far apart physically, but we always stay together,” Jung Kook, who contributed to writing the track, said at the global press conference. While its message is deeply relatable during the pandemic—“Was it a dream? I thought I saw you/ When I open my eyes, it’s again a room devoid of people,” Jung Kook and Jin sing the wistful words—the sound is not as engaging. I am not a fan of the EDM production, but can imagine “Stay” as a concert banger. Similar to the track “Best of Me” from the Love Yourself albums, this track has an instrumental chorus designed to get a crowd of tens of thousands on its feet.

“Dynamite”

RB: “Dynamite” is BTS’ first-ever English-language song; they released it this summer as a kind of offering to listeners to bring joy in troubled times. It closes out Be on a bright note. With its fun, retro bounce and celebratory spirit, it’s pretty clear from the get-go why this track managed to reach the top of the charts: just try not to tap your foot to its easy hand-clap beat.

With Be, BTS promised to deliver an album that would give fans what they want: a dose of escapist melodies, thoughtful lyrics and strong personality. BTS is already scheduled for multiple televised performances in the next week, and they’ve made no secret that they’ll be waking up early on Grammy nomination day to see if they managed to snag nods from the powers that be. But the numbers will tell a powerful story no matter what: as usual, BTS has already sold over a million albums in the Korean market, and the music video for “Life Goes On” became YouTube’s global top trending video instantly. Be is short and sweet, and a reminder that the exchange between fans and artists can be deeply fruitful for those who choose to engage in it.

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.

Thank you!

For your security, we’ve sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don’t get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Raisa Bruner at [email protected] and Kat Moon at [email protected].

[ad_2]

Source link

Share196Tweet123Share49
admin

admin

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

Rolex Testimonee Martin Scorsese on the methods of Cinematic Legends

November 23, 2020

Read Trent Reznors Rock Hall Induction Speech for Nine Inch Nails

November 7, 2020

Alex Trebek, Longtime ‘Jeopardy!’ Host, Dead at 80

November 8, 2020

Business booms for lawncare service started by three Saginaw boys | News

0

Judd Apatow, Wanda Sykes to Perform ‘Laughter in Lockdown’ Fundraiser

0

COVID-19 Has Killed More Than 100,000 Americans

0

Business booms for lawncare service started by three Saginaw boys | News

August 2, 2021

MSP seizes more than 1,200 marijuana plants from Carrolton Twp. home | News

August 2, 2021

The Hour Glass and Rolex: Partners in Time

August 2, 2021
10Newz

Copyright © 2017 10Newz.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Contact
  • DMCA Notice
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Service

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • General News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • World
    • Science
  • Entertainment
    • Gaming
    • Music
    • Movie
    • Sports
  • Tech
    • Apps
    • Gear
    • Mobile
    • Startup
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Health
    • Travel

Copyright © 2017 10Newz.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In