A year has passed since the adorable sibling pair that is Akdong Musician (a.k.a. AKMU) won the second season of 'K-Pop Star.' The young and gifted duo signed under one of the flagship names in the K-Pop industry, YG Entertainment, around a month afterwards. And here we are today, 11 months having passed since the duo's induction into the monolithic label. In the span of nearly a year, the two siblings have composed a full-length album entitled 'Play,' which was released online almost three weeks ago on the 7th and physically on the 9th.
The
album in no way contains any of the razzle dazzle that is commonplace amongst
idol groups. There's no confounding concepts, clumsily penned lyrics or fulsome
production. Instead, the album impresses solely with musical authenticity, which
can be evidenced through the production of the songs, written and composed
entirely by the elder brother, Lee
Chan Hyuk. Quite an impressive feat if you ask me considering the guy is
only 17. The realization made me take a good, long, hard look at my own life and wonder
what I'm doing with it…
'Play' is not an album symptomatic of the typical "YG Sound" or what some may declare "hip-hop." YG has been identified as the biggest mainstream hip hop label in the eyes of the hoi polloi mainly because the company introduced artists that were more hip hop style than not. In the early days of YG, it was mainly strictly hip hop with Jinusean and 1TYM. However, hip hop is not the only genre the label rigidly sticks to. In fact, YG appears to be the least restrictive in the production processes of its artists, allowing some degree of artistic freedom. That is, if the artists visibly show an interest in production and if they have a knack for it, e.g. Psy, G-Dragon, Tablo, etc. AKMU has also joined the roster of producers but the group's sound is far from hip hop; it is more folk and acoustic. Short rap verses are peppered here and there throughout the album but they are like the side dishes to the vocals, which is the main course.
The tracks on 'Play' are extremely easy on the ears; the melody of each song is simple and the lyrics are straightforward. …or are they (cue dramatic music)??? Don't be fooled by the siblings' sanguine countenance or the fact that they are barely past puberty. The lyrical content is disarmingly diverse, especially for such a young contender in the music scene. I commend the duo for being so refreshingly witty and poetic, reaching the audience with vivacious eloquence.
"Melted," one of the title tracks on the album laments a society that is shaped by selfish, unsympathetic individuals without regard for others. The lyrics in the beginning conveys this distress through lachrymose lyrics that translate roughly as such: "The blue sea that the sun washed crimson has dyed black / The white sky frequented by clouds and rain is tinted grey / The darkness that entered my heart stays / The cold shadow that envelops the night hardens." Cryptic, wouldn't you say?
"200%," another title track on 'Play,' is more direct in lyrical delivery. The song celebrates the tingling sensations of the unexplainable feeling that is love, which I'm certain everyone can relate to. The lyrics are playful and mischievous, expressing infatuation with lyrics that go something along these lines: "It must be L.O.V.E, 200% sure of that / I want you really, I mean really / It's the truth, I really like you / My blushing face serves as proof." You can't get more candid than that. If the guy still isn't catching on after you serenade him with these lyrics, then you can safely assume that he is an utter ignoramus and move on.
I
have analyzed the lyrics, but what of the musical composition? For certain, Lee
Chan Hyuk is a creative genius but even creative geniuses fall short sometimes
and stumble. 'Play' is indeed tastefully composed but disappointingly enough,
it did not make any daring leaps. The production is borderline near perfection, but I was still left desiring something more. As I have mentioned earlier, the
album allows for easy-listening on the ears. However, the melodies are only
subtly different. The only tracks that stood out melodically to me and stuck in
my head were "200%," "Melted," "On the
Subway," "Hair Part," and "Galaxy." The rest of the tracks,
including "Artificial Grass," "Anyway," and "Idea" sort of blended together in a mix of guitar chords, piano, and
harmony. And I had the album on repeat for the past week, nearly enough to
memorize the lyrics for each song. Yet I still can't discern what the tune is
for some of the songs on the album. Is that AKMU's fault? Not necessarily.
Other artists that also specialize in just one genre such as rap or rock have
to constantly reinvent their sound and add in new constituents, not only in order
to keep the audience interested but also to mature as artists. I guess we'll just have to wait and see where AKMU's musical gift will take them from here.
My ruling on AKMU may appear a bit harsh since they're young rookies and they still have room for growth. I won't deny that 'Play' was a very solid effort and the songs were incredibly fun to listen to. However, as awesome as the album is, it doesn't satisfy completely. It is missing that "something." Lyrically, the songs impressed but many other artists also produce a similar kind of sound that AKMU does in K-Pop. Think Busker Busker, 10cm, Roy Kim, John Park, etc. These artists revolve around making acoustic guitar/folk/ballad-type music, a genre that is popular yet commonplace in South Korea. I certainly hope that our sibling duo will experiment and be brave enough to go against the tide in the future.
SEE ALSO: [Exclusive YG Giveaway] Akdong Musician's Autographed Albums!
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