[Album & MV Review] B.A.P - 'MATRIX'

AKP STAFF

B.A.P. - 'MATRIX'

Track List:

1. Take You There
2. Monologue
3. Young, Wild & Free
4. Be Happy
5. Blind

After a year's hiatus, B.A.P. are back with the album 'Matrix.' Their matoki actually delivered the album's title in teasers, one character (and letter) at a time. Leader Bang Yong Guk produced this highly-anticipated release, featuring five new tracks, including the title track "Young, Wild & Free."

"Take You There" is a buttery-smooth, disco-inspired tune. Starting with a piano riff, and adding crackling beats, the track never loses momentum, keeping largely the same melody, with the bridge being the same but more pronounced than the main verses. The chorus is repetitive, but raps quickly come in before you can get bored. There's even a second bridge to liven things up even more. The song proposes that the girl just let them take her wherever she wants to go.

"Monologue" is a dark-sounding track, starting with spoken words that quickly turn to intense rapping by the band, along with an electric guitar. The pounding beat tells the rest of the tale, and it is all trademark B.A.P. The lyrics express the pain of overcoming obstacles and make reference to their title track "Young, Wild & Free."

"Young, Wild & Free," an energetic, in-your-face song, characterized by aggressive, angry raps and a fierce chorus. There's a ferocity here that just makes the thing pop. The song's message is that they do what they want and no one can stop them.

"Be Happy" is the EP's party song, punctuated by blasting horns, jangling guitars, and easily chanted lyrics. There's still some power here in the vocals, which is what you get when six members tell you to "be happy." It's primarily a feel-good, turn-off-your-brain tune, but incredibly catchy at the same time. I'll give you three guesses as to what this song is about.

"Blind" slows things down and brings them back to earth with a somber tune. It's a definite contrast to the previous track. There's some emotional rapping, and some intense, wafty vocals. It The song alludes to being blind and not being able to see love. But the way it's expressed is almost as if they're hiding the pain of heartbreak.

After a year, we finally get a B.A.P. album, and what did they give us? Some badassery and fierceness that's at least on par with "Warrior," as well as a fusion of some different genres, all done B.A.P. style. What's cool is that Bang Yong Guk even produced the album, putting the band's personal stamp on every song from the emotional "Blind" and "Monologue" to the upbeat "Be Happy" and the powerful "Young, Wild & Free." The king is back!

MV REVIEW

Largely plotless, this MV shows the band in conjunction with fierce imagery. Everything from a tiger cage to a savage stone sculpture to an arena where cars race around them before demolishing each other in head on collision. Everything is meant to portray an aura of menace from the lighting to the boys' gestures.

The clothing is pretty well spot on from t-shirts to full-on suits - there was nothing terribly wild. I think animal print or furs would have disqualified them from the "tough" category, so they shied away from questionable wardrobe choices.

The interesting thing is there's a lack of group dancing, so it's a bit difficult to judge. Every once in awhile, during the individual shots someone would break into dance, but other than that the dancing was sparse. There were certainly scenes where they were lumped together, but even then they were there to serve their tough image.

The edits are tight and lightning fast, the scenes are largely painted with bright colors, even if the room is dark there's something there in dayglo that stands out. The boys totally ham it up, breaking social constraints and gesticulating angrily and aggressively. Was it overall watchable? I'd have to say yes, and the symbolism and odd sets (like a temple) add some replay value. This should make BABYs happy.

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