'The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Part 2' Album Review

This is my review for ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life’ Part 2. I’ll do it in order of the track list so if you want to just read one song in particular you can look down and search for it. I know my threads on Twitter are so messy and unbelievable, that’s usually because I want to release my thoughts before I forget them. If you want to find those you can, however this whole thing practically sums up what I was saying except with less typos and better english. A lot of this is me just throwing my thoughts everywhere, I hope that’s okay.



Intro: Nevermind -



All of Bangtan’s intros just leak an emotional journey/story and I hold them with such high regard, Yoongi’s are usually ones I can relate to a lot professionally and with saying that, Nevermind was exactly the same. The producing in Intros are pretty simple usually, if I think about it the SLA intro was probably the most dynamic in terms of change throughout the track since all rapline had differentiating beats, however I feel as if the Intros are never about the music as such, rather the lyrics take the highlight and this one showcases that exactly. Both Slow Rabbit and Yoongi worked on the beat together, and I always find that they’re quite similar in terms of producing so the product is reflective of that.



It’s cute and different how it starts with a recording of fans screaming 'encore', I feel as if it’s somewhat symbolic for the the hardships Yoongi went through and that they all meant something. Now he’s able to stand on a stage and be asked to come back, far more than people had ever done for him when he was a lot younger and just starting to pursue music.

The transitioning of the fans/the piano while yoongi starts is so nice, it's like music is integrated into every situation of his life in a way. Musically, it’s just layering different sounds over the top of one another with the fans and the jazzy stylistic feel. The beat kicks in quite early on, adding the drum baseline and fitting alongside the stylistic piano and Yoongi’s own style of delivery which I’m sure we can all agree is different to the last Intro and a lot of other verses he’s done. The beat drop is pretty simple actually, adding in the guitar and allowing for focus on the vocals primarily and the upcoming complete drop where Yoongi just goes in and leaves nothing behind. Yoongi himself goes slightly over tempo, not that it’s a bad thing but he creates the feeling he wants to express which then makes way for Hoseok and Namjoon to come and join, however unlike SLA, the beat doesn’t change for them individually. The whole focus of the intro is telling a story through the lyrics like you'd expect. The beat is only there to enhance the effect of Yoongi’s words and create a setting for the whole album. Tracklists are always planned in a particular order for a reason, if you keep that in mind then his Intro being like it is will make a lot of sense. Yoongi's past, his working life and his future are things he worries about a lot and i'm happy that he is able to express his feelings to a wide audience like this, and people can connect to it. As an artist you just want people to connect to you.

Put in that synth fade at the end as Yoongi finishes and you have the completed track. It’s pretty simple but like I said it’s focused on Yoongi, it does a good job at doing that.



RUN -



As the title track I originally expected a lot of layers to come out when I listened to it. I was surprised at first because the song as a whole is actually far more complex than I thought it would be. I NEED U was dynamic too, however RUN contains a furthered sense of complexity especially through the transitioning between verse/chorus and inclusion of each layer of beats to compliment one another. One thing I like a lot about this is that vocal line aren’t being placed in areas to strain their voice or parts where their range doesn’t suit, which only makes the song as a whole a lot more smooth and streamline. I feel as if this album is an extension of part 1 musically, I can hear similar influences from I NEED U in RUN but they’ve been enriched almost, like I said extended, improved. However that’s something you're supposed to expect from a producing point of view.



The beat at the beginning starts quite simple, I always find the linear baseline is something that distinguishes the originality and feeling of the track as a whole, it reminds me of almost harmonic sounds mixed with the obvious piano/old school rnb effect. The whole song is in an AABCABCDC format. This looks like it doesn’t make sense and it won’t, which is exactly why I’m writing all this out. Basically each letter shows a change is beat, ‘A’ is noticeable during Namjoon/Yoongi/Hoseok, ‘B’ is the vocal oriented verses, ‘C’ is chorus, ‘D’ is bridge. By breaking down the song as a whole into it’s separate parts it’s easier to understand how the balance works and how the producer wanted to determine the overall quality, mood, feeling, basically just the predetermined anything. I NEED U is in a similar format too, if you listen to it you’ll be able to make connections which is why I feel as if they produced both songs at the same time, however I don’t really know if they did or not. Maybe Pdogg had them hidden out in a basement since 2011 or whatever those theories are.



Namjoon’s voice suits RUN a lot, but then again Namjoon has always been good at making his voice fit a range of styles. A compliment I can give him is that he’s a very flexible rapper, his experience helps him to be able to do a lot of things. The tempo is pretty normal, the baseline being evident until the transition begins for Yoongi to come in, you can hear it just before he says anything and just before Taehyung starts singing. This is something you can make real easily in any production program, it’s just a copy of a singular beat and changing the effect (the levelling, delay etc) to make it sound like it’s decreasing. Easy. The extension vocals for both these rappers are pretty light, however follow them throughout their whole line, I feel as if this creates the flow that is so evident when Tae starts singing, extension vocals are really useful when you’re pulling emphasis onto something or trying to create an overall mood. I like pointing out that rapline do a lot of background too, not only does vocal line often balance them out during their verses, rapline do the same thing. The nice thing about Yoongi’s verse, (apart from the fact he’s rapping in a voice he’s comfortable with and not damn squeaking all the time), is the fade-out’s at the end of each line.

The background vocals during Taehyung’s first verse are executed very well. How the beat can change and bring a different effect, just cutting out the intense baseline here is really influential (and it suits Tae’s voice.) Something I’ll always compliment about is the how well Tae and Jungkook can harmonise simply because of their difference in tone. Tae is lower, a more soothing and deep voice, whereas Jungkook has this great ability to be able to stabilise and fit his voice with the tones of the other members (which is why Bight use him so much and always have.) The build up to the chorus is pretty loud, one thing that pulls the urgency of the song up is it’s ability to create a ‘fast’ effect, the tempo isn’t actually FAST itself, however the dynamics of all layers create it to seem that way, which I think is really good. The ironic thing is run has a lot of "runs", the parts where the beat is slowly increased until it drops. example, just before the chorus.



The chorus is the most dynamic part of the song, so many different beats are playing at once to create the small window that we hear. Jimin’s background “ooh ooh” (lmao), is exactly what I expect from the type of vocalist Jimin is. His range really is extensive and I’m glad that this track as a whole highlights his ability. The tempo stays the same, you can hear the subtle elec guitar if you listen closely, the baseline, the harmonies, the extension vocals etc. There’s so many things happening at once during this chorus alone, and I really have to give it to the production crew for being able to make it seem smooth. The tempo changes at the beginning of the chorus to the end, noticeable through the baseline here. I like the fact they keep Jungkook’s lighter vocals and juxtapose it with Namjoon, you have to listen very carefully to hear the faint synth sounds here, listen when Namjoon says “lie”.

The transitioning between extensive harmonies and the chorus into Hoseok’s part is done well, same effect that I talked about prior. This beat goes back to the ‘A’ format, and Hoseok’s rapping is really good, his delivery has improved a lot and I’m glad that he’s being able to showcase his talent as a rapper in a title song like this.



The bridge is probably my favourite part, only because of the balancing and how well the beat fits with the vocals. I feel as if this bridge is really the highlight of the ability of all members of vocal line, and I’m no singer but I do recognise when vocalists are using their talent appropriately. Taehyung’s deep vocals, Jungkook’s stability, Jin’s soft tone, Jungkook/Jimin harmony while Jimin belts out those HIGH ASS BACKGROUND VOCALS GET THAT SHIT JIMIN YES. The baseline is cut out, replaced by heavier guitar and obvious metronome effects, Jin brings back in the baseline when he starts singing to prepare for the final chorus. The piano chords at the end of each member’s line is really nice too, it just adds to the lighter feeling of this particular bridge.

Overall, it’s a song that suits my taste of music, I think that due to the fact the styles are so mixed you end up finding new things you like about different features. I’m mostly the biggest fan of the distribution of lines and I really think for this comeback they took the talents of each member and aimed to PROPERLY showcase them to the public, something Bight should’ve done years ago. I know I probably sound really salty but I’ve always, as you probably know, been someone who is all for the music and I’m glad they’re all getting time to shine. Really, genuinely happy for each of them.



Butterfly -



I just have to give a shout out to Slow Rabbit, he’s my personal preference in terms of Bighit’s sole producers and I just love what he did with the track. His influence is so obvious, example, hold me tight, let me know, and he always delivers tracks full of emotion and dynamics. He’s very good at creating the late night style music, I’m sure you know what I mean.

Dynamically, Butterfly is completely flawless. The obvious instrumental influence (orchestral in a way) and the inclusion of more modernised fluctuating beats fit together without a single problem, not every producer can delivery something like that. It’s ability to be dynamically flawless is something not a lot of tracks can have, and whether you like the song or not it’s obvious that the styles have been used in an extremely effective way.



The guitar is only repeating a singular pattern at the beginning, aided by Jungkook/Taehyung’s vocals and extension vocals, occasional singular beat at the end of the line to emphasise, which by the end of this review you’ll know is pretty much essential for every song. Jungkook sounds truly flawless not only in the first verse but throughout the song, his stability and tone fits well with the guitar, with the baseline, with keeping of the tempo. Something about Jungkook that I’ve always noticed is his ability to keep the flow of the song, I don’t mean it in a way of carrying the song as a whole, more so he’s able to really fit his voice in wherever it’s needed and that always surprised me only because he’s so young and already able to do things like that. The baseline begins heavily as pre-chorus Jimin starts, only to be replaced with the strings that bring in the chorus. The fact that the tempo of the baseline and the inclusion of such string-based instruments can fit together so well is already really well done during production. The whole song I wouldn’t call simple, however I wouldn’t suddenly label it as being complex either due to the reason that the layers are kept small, the inclusion of certain beats in verses/choruses only appear once every few lines, or maybe even less often.

The build up finishes with the drop, Jungkook begins to sing the chorus and the tempo stays pretty stagnant, even as Jimin comes in. Fluctuating beats are the most obvious part of the chorus, while on one hand we have the orchestral feel, the strings, the baseline, we have these beats that are just as obvious while vocal line are singing, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, and they really add to the effect. When Taehyung comes in they become less obvious due to the strings but are still there and regularly appearing. Typically, when Jungkook says “Butterfly” I assume it’s the whole of vocal line harmonising because of the heaviness of that part alone, and the melody is pulling them along, it’s drawn out to pull emphasis on the one word, the title of the song.



Rapline as a whole is sidelined quite a lot (I don’t typically like using this word) but in relation to the track, their verses are only there to enhance the chorus. I don’t mind particularly since the album is showcasing the members fairly equally and Butterfly is able to accurately establish Bangtan’s vocal line and their capabilities. Yoongi’s verse in particular is short but effective, Jungkook seems to harmonise quite well with his own extension vocals at the end of every line. Both his and Hoseok’s verse are very much more modern-based, less of the placement of the string instruments, focusing more on keeping the tempo by increasing the baseline. Hoseok isn’t really even RAPPING, he’s singing and keeping a harmony in his voice which I think is purposeful to aid the upcoming chorus a few seconds later. Butterfly has balance, and like I said the balance is smooth and transitions well due to such things like delivery. These two verses create a very airy feeling, corresponding with of course the song’s title and my own personal feeling when listening to the track, the thing I can thank Bangtan for is liking the fact that they will highlight different features of their members and their talents and then show that in a final product.



Namjoon’s verse is the biggest tempo change in the song, and it fades out quietly before the final chorus. The orchestral effects are the most relevant until the increase starts and the beat drops, allowing for the moment of silence as Namjoon states, “it’s all free for you”. One thing I noticed about the album is the producing tends to fade/take out a layer whenever they want to show a certain lyric is important or the central theme of the song. Central themes of music are usually predetermined before producing starts, I’d say a commonality would be delivering the ideas to the producer and him having some sort of idea about how he wants to go about it. A lot of talking back and forth is included in the production of each track since so many people are involved but now I’m going off track.

The harmonies in the final chorus are everywhere, from Jungkook and Jimin to Taehyung and Jungkook and then lastly to Jin and Jimin. The members with the higher ranges do backup well, some of the last background vocals of Jimin reminded me a lot of songs like Let Me Know where he just lets loose and goes to crazy vocal lengths. The dynamics of the last portion of the song really bring effect just to the quality of producing.



Overall, it’s a song that appeals to a wide range of tastes. I personally love it a lot and the work that went into it, and I think it’s the most emotional song on the album, most likely a partner song of Hold Me Tight, except extended in terms of differentiation of styles. This type of song is able to accurately show the importance of Bangtan’s vocal line and how the group has strength in each area, which is another reason why they are developing into such recognisable and distinguished artists individually and as a group. And because I’m me…. I have to mention how happy I am for vocal line. I listened to this song and the first thing I thought was how all of them were finally getting what they’ve deserved. Your bias has always been exceptionally talented. I’m really happy that they’re being able to shine, I do really just want the best for all the members musically.



Whalien 52 -



When I first listened to it I knew it was going to be the cutest/upbeat/however you want to define song on the album, probably the Converse High of Part 2, then again Namjoon had a lot of influence in this track too so it wouldn’t really surprise me. Just the fact that they wrote a song about a lonely whale is probably one of the cutest music experiences I’ve ever been a part of, just shows that we never know what to expect from Bangtan. One minute they’re talking about how they hate converse and the next it’s about a lonely whale.



The beat is so 90s, from the baseline to the melody to the tempo to everything. I feel as if although the production is credited to Pdogg, Namjoon had a heavily influence on progression, especially since the lyrics reflect a lot of himself. The fluttering of the melody, the high pitched tones of "no more" being repeated in the background and Jungkook's background vocals practically make up the whole song. The beat is quite simple, far more than other tracks on the album, and far more inclusive in it’s amount of patterns and repeated melodies. It’s the simplest pattern of ABC and goes on, which is as literal as ‘A’ being the beginning beat, ‘B’ being the verses and ‘C’ being the chorus. The repetition of the song as a whole is quite noticeable.

Yoongi’s verse is similar to the beginning, 'A', however Jungkook proves once again how nice their voices sound together, doing both backing and extension vocals here. The transitioning between Yoongi into Taehyung is also smooth, breaking up the effect of the rapping in comparison to the effect of the vocals. Taehyung sounds really good in this song too, his tone is like it should be and he’s not being strained or forced to sing in a way that his chords don’t suit.



Multiple lines of melody, a basic baseline and medium tempo is all that makes up the chorus. The lyric “lonely whale” is the cutest thing, and the fact that theres so much harmony going at once balances out the sharpness of the vocal effects happening in the background.

Jimin and Taehyung harmonising is really beautiful followed by Jimin and Jin. These vocalists do a lot more than you think, and this song and the album especially highlights them very well. I really like how the melody of the increase tone saying "no more" harmonises with Jungkook just before Hoseok’s verse. It's good producing, knowing that you want your vocalist to fit exactly with whatever music you’ve made. Usually we create a track and the vocalist about 8 times out of 10 will choose how they want to deliver it, however if you purposely have plans for your vocalists prior it not only makes it an easier process, it makes the final product sound really good. This is only a tiny part in comparison to the whole song, however I think it’s good to point out how small influences and instances can all add up in the end to create one heck of a track. A simple effect of patterned strings can be heard throughout Hoseok’s rap as well, which goes alongside his voice pretty well.



Namjoon’s verse is where the piano becomes centre, and harmonies come out significantly. They break between the baseline, and keep it as simple as it was at the beginning to prepare for the final chorus. Balancing of a song is all about keeping it similar while changing small things to make it appealing, it’s okay to have the same baseline play throughout the song however taking out/adding layers of melody is a common thing that happens during production. Bringing back in the layers that were taken out at the end of verses (typically pre-chorus) create the smooth transition rather than a sudden inclusion of a new sound to make the track sound overthought and too static. Static tracks are the ones that don’t have much flow, they don’t tend to worry about mixing vocals and they don’t usually care much for the sudden arrival of new melodies.



Overall, it’s a calming and smooth track to listen to. Music wise, it’s quite simple and I could say that this is another track that pulls emphasis on the vocals over anything else. With Bangtan they have a good mix of tracks that focus on different aspects, and I really enjoyed having the simplicity of Whalien as compared to something as dynamic as RUN. It’s good to break things up in an album, especially when your aim is to showcase such difference and capability.



Ma City -



Can I just say that the song as a whole is so pleasing and dynamically versatile, they can literally do anything it's amazing how much their talents can stretch to every style and level of music, genre included. The influence of Rapline in production is quite evident, only because I see a lot of their stylistic choices in the melody throughout, however Pdogg generally incorporates existing styles and makes a track like this, one that’s reflective of his experience as a producer. I find with Pdogg that he’s generally accustomed to the faster tempo, and when looking at Bighit’s producing department as a whole they have different people that specialise or simply like different things which only enriches their music and their quality.



There’s a differentiation in the song as a whole ABACDB etc. pattern, once again ‘A’ describing the beginning, ‘B’ is the beat during raplines verses, ‘A’ is the pre-chorus, ‘C’ is chorus and ‘D’ is hook.

The intro to the song comes in at the tempo they keep throughout, it makes it real smooth to the ear, real balanced and nice. Jungkook’s opening vocals shows his enriched technique, the beat really being carried by a constant drum kit and guitar.

The drum kit going hard keeps the beat so well and alongside Namjoon’s rap style it reminds me of old school reggae hiphop mixups I listen to a lot regularly. One thing about me is I’ll probably relate it a lot to older music, I hope that’s okay.



There’s a good amount of extension vocals going on in Namjoon’s rap, and the effect it does on his voice is really nice. You can hear it if you listen to “city of flower, city of mourn” just as one example. Jungkook ends up coming in and backing up just at the end of Namjoon’s verse. The guitar riff during his part along with the drum kit gives off a real stylised feeling, one that fits well with his vocals and is mostly likely made up of around 5 different notes repeated in different patterns (a secret is that as a producer we don’t usually try to do anything flashy, most of the intensive beats you hear in popular music is just repeated patterns.) Namjoon’s verse showcases his versatility, he has ability not only to fit the style, but to still make it seem unique and in his own way.



Jimin and Taehyung in the pre-chorus is the most smooth, dynamic part of the whole song simply because their vocals transition so well, the melody is such a good mode of juxtaposition and it really just highlights the song as a whole. They create the build up in the music, keeping up the tempo and the overall feeling. Jimin's voice in the pre-chorus once again demonstrates his vocal abilities. you can hear his range in only one line of lyric as he jumps his register, followed by Taehyung. The beat increase happens all throughout their vocals, you can hear it very clearly start as the drum kit fades and the tempo is slowed temporarily, preparing for the dynamics of the chorus. Pre-choruses are usually placed to enhance the effect the chorus has, I’d say that in the case of Ma City the pre-chorus is probably just as nice, but that’s my opinion.



The baseline beat actually stays the same even though there is a pretty noticeable increase in tempo for the main line of melody throughout, when we enter the chorus it’s the most obvious as the I guess you could say ‘beat drop’ occurs, once again the prevalent drum kit and same repeated riffs happening throughout. The chorus is as engaging as ever, Jungkook's technique with the short and sharp vocals is often used to mimic a beat in itself as he adds to the overall effect. The chorus features the increase use of the elec guitar, which leaves room for the vocals to in turn extend, and fits well with their tones. Other than the guitar the beat is the heavily baseline, which is the most evident in the chorus as composed to the rest of the song - it fades out during the voices to bring attention back on guitar/vocal. Namjoon takes the hook with his raspy voice as Jungkook's background vocals are the most prominent to me, balancing the tone of Namjoon’s voice which seems to just fit so well with this style of song.

One final round of the drums and we transition into the next verse, Hoseok along with the simpler beat and the occasional inclusion of fading extension vocals. From the beginning of his verse to the end of it the tempo increases significantly, and as I’ve been saying the whole time we can thank the baseline for this. Throughout the whole song the baseline is the most influential line of music, during production it would’ve been made first and the rest of the melodies based off that. Typically while producing the baseline is both the most crucial and difficult decision to decide before figuring out what else to use to make the track. Verse just before the final chorus, Yoongi’s, is the biggest beat drop of the track as a whole. His style of rapping is laid-back, and I couldn’t help but think that the beat change just reflected Yoongi and his style of not only rapping but producing. There’s the typical ‘B’ beat until it fades and allows for a moment of break up between the final verse and another input of increase towards the end of the song.



I have come to the conclusion that the person doing the extremely high pitched background vocals in the final chorus is Jimin. And due to this conclusion, I think it’s a good idea to just take a quick moment and realise how good he is and how much this song demonstrates that. The importance of all the members of Bangtan is so obvious in a song like this, especially as it progresses.



Overall, Ma City as a whole is full of a range of styles, yet Bangtan is able to flawlessly present them in a way that represents their artistry and the level they’re improving at. When it came out many people didn’t recognise who’s voice was who and I suspect that’s due to the fact they are all using (okay, apart from Jimin, this is Jimin’s song) lower registers for their delivery. Jin's part has Jungkook in background vocal so I don't blame people for being confused since background vocal and the intensity of their role is very much up to the producer, in this case Pdogg is pretty positive towards Jungkook. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, producers make choices depending on what they think is best and the track turned out very well as a whole, a flowing track about a topic important to the members.



뱁새 -



Definitely the most energetic, exciting track on the whole album, one that both surprised me and obviously made me want to shake my head around at early hours when it came out. A type of cypher that all of Bangtan can enjoy performing together, a track that would make everyone turnt at concerts, too, and I thought it would be unprofessional to say ‘turnt’ in an album review but how else do I describe it. No other way.



The tempo is fast throughout the whole track, the baseline is the most recognisable and repeated quite evenly although it might seem like there’s a common change simply because it’s such a kickass beat. They brought up the effect of the beats so much for the baseline, it’s ridiculous and just yells Supreme Boi and Namjoon working together. When they’re in the same room things get energised, meaning that if they’re in the same STUDIO with music equipment they’re going to transport all their feelings into a track that they can both be responsible for, and you can really see each of their influence.

If you've ever heard a hiphop track you'd be familiar with the pattern just before vocals, we (producers) like to nickname that "downwards spiral”, bringing in the feeling of the track and the listeners along with it. The track as a whole is really reflective of typical genre style.



I love the inclusion of cut in beats, it just separates the constancy of the baseline and you can hear it before Hoseok starts his verse, who by the way is extremely good. Hoseok’s rapping in this song has such an appealing tone that fits perfectly and we should really recognise him for that. As expected, Namjoons voice suits the song so much, you can thank his tone for fitting so well with the tempo and levelling out the heavy instrumental baseline in the background. Apart from their verses, they are all the extension vocals. Even while vocal line are singing, rapline are behind doing the background vocals, for themselves as well.



Taehyung's voice in crow tit is pretty different from anything I could’ve possibly expected while listening to the album preview. This type of style for his voice is far better than growling or yelling like he’s been doing for a while. It shows his ability to fit a whole range of music. On a whole, all of vocal line are using their voices in a different way to what they’re usually put into. It’s interesting to see how they approach a track like this and how they choose to deliver their lines, Jungkook’s small soft parts just before the hook being really emphasised. There's a lot of dropping the beat, every time a new verse starts some sort of change happens to the melody, eg the trombone in chorus is brought up to a great degree. Difference between verses/chorus while still keeping the baseline at the same tempo is typical of these types of songs, used to create a heavy atmosphere - and by that I don’t mean a negative one, I mean more of being propelled to act a certain way while listening (turn up!).

Yoongi and Namjoon’s verses slow the beat down a bit from the chorus, but the effect still exists due to their execution. Previously I stated about extension vocals and background vocals, and those are really obvious here. Both Namjoon and Yoongi have deep voices that really suit this style of music, along with Taehyung.



Jungkook in the bridge suits it a lot, his stability is again highlighted as he changes his tone throughout the singular line of lyric. The baseline decreases to allow for his vocals, for the first time in the song the recognisable patterns are taken out and replaced by simpler melodies, only to be brought back in before the final chorus. And I’ve said this a lot, but that’s transitioning. And transitioning is extremely important. The track can be defined by the fact the hook is catchy, which is usual in this genre of music. Something that many people can remember and repeat, which pushes them to pursue to listen to the whole thing or share it around.



Overall, the song demonstrates the break up of the album and it’s styles even further. It’s the most like Bangtan’s older styles, however I feel as if they improved on it and it suits them a bit more (I say this because the members are given suitable parts). The beat flows consistently and reflects the producers intentions, to create a track that people can listen to and, well… love. The dynamics of the verses/choruses and Jimin’s voice linking a lot of it together really work well in regards to the effect they wanted to make. Even as the song winds down it still continues to keep the tempo and reminds me a lot of Dope at the end, not necessarily musically but the placement it has on the album. There’s always that one song that you feel suits them a lot, by them I mean Bangtan.



고엽 -



It’s just so dynamic I don’t really know how to start talking about it because I have a lot to say yet I feel as if it’s not enough at the same time. Every time Yoongi releases a piece of his work it’s always an improvement to the last in terms of features, the differences, the amount of layers, beats, melodies. I feel like since Tomorrow was released in early 2014, Bighit has placed a lot of their faith in Yoongi to make flowing products, balanced material, tracks that mean something not only to himself but to the rest of the members and a whole range of people. Yoongi working with influence from Slow Rabbit can never go wrong, honestly.



Before I start talking about the song I want to just comment on how Yoongi is an amazing producer. From another producers point of view, he is not only versatile but able to apply a variety of features into one track. From the beginning to the end, he is adding a variety of features, layers, melodies, any way that you wish to call them he is good at handling dynamics. And by handling dynamics I mean knowing what sounds good together, and even if he doesn’t KNOW he at least will try, and if it turns out good for him then it’s just another reason to compliment and recognise his skills. I know it’s hard for me to describe the other members since all I’m good at his music production, but with Yoongi as long as everyone is aware of the type of name he would have in the mainstream industry then that’s a good thing. Yoongi keeps to the style, keeps to the genre of music he likes (which not a lot of producers are able to do because of the market) and it shows, his talent and the time he puts into his music shines through extremely bright.



The beginning is Jungkook’s trustworthy vocals along with the entrance of beats that I’m really familiar with, Yoongi has a style of producing that he keeps to and I’m glad he does because not only has he developed a real good way to show off himself, it’s easily recognisable as his material and his music. Reverb and delay is relevant in the beginning through the blur in Jungkook's voice, which only propels Jin's entrance to be more noticeable, once again signalling the importance of the music contributing towards vocals rather than the other way around. Giving Jin the first verse in a song? I say heck yes. The amount of layers in this song is really nice, such as vocals, baseline, melody, sub melody etc. I’ve talked a lot about balancing so I won’t repeat myself, but by now the fact that a mixture of layers can contribute to an overall feeling should be reasonably obvious.

The light beats that come during Yoongi’s verse are really nice, they fit well with the beginning of the song and Jungkook’s original vocals that introduced the listener to the whole track. Listening to yoongi rap in his OWN song is always overwhelming, just to hear the result of all his hard work and talent come together is amazing and I guess for someone like me, who doesn’t do anything but production, it increases how amazing something like that is. His own extension vocals extend the line (which I’m sure I’ve said a hundred times) and especially in this verse it shows that he’s not afraid to change tempo and add transitions in the middle of his verses. It’s just… really good. The beats fade at the end of his verse, to allow for Yoongi’s literal SIGNATURE beat just before the chorus (you hear it in all his tracks and most likely other tracks that fit within a similar genre). It’s pretty easy to make on a software program, I could never recreate it but it’s all about knowing the speed of your beats and incorporating the effect in a way that doesn’t make it sound too futuristic.



Chorus is very dynamic and balanced. For example, the vocals are brought up in the chorus so the melody doesn't take from their role since it's so complex in the first place, purposely bringing up the vocals to make them clearer and therefore bring a bigger effect over the original music is something not all producers tend to feel comfortable doing. Jungkook, Jimin followed by Taehyung all have equal amounts of lines that showcase their talent and then the chorus ends with Jin. The whole of vocal line in the chorus… how great. The end of the lines don’t only include extension vocals but strained out melodies in the background with are cut by the baseline, keeping the tempo throughout. Namjoon suits this type of music too, especially since he always has such a strong presence when rapping and juxtaposes that with his soft extension vocals, practically creating a furthered effect for himself alone. The melody during his verse stays streamline as it did for Yoongi’s, transitions in between just the same.

Bridge is early on, and it’s Taehyung who Yoongi knows how to work with really well. (Taehyung sounds really beautiful here.) The effects change to keep the time, decreased melodies, increased beats to prepare for the final hit of beats that fit together so well and finish off the song. Transitioning into the final verse with Hoseok’s own background vocals, his deep voice being repeated along with the usual musical transition. The beat changes for Hoseok, Yoongi adds in a real constricted yet subtle effect to go along with the tempo of Hoseok’s delivery and how his rap has the biggest contrast to an area like the chorus. Jimin had literally ALL the background vocals along with chorus lines, but his register goes high and is able to do that, and as expected Yoongi knows that and applies it to his music. The extension vocals are really clean, Yoongi must've spent a long time making sure the recordings were perfect, there are no vocal flaws in terms of recording and audio mixing before release. Audio mixing is making sure that your original material and the secondary material you got fit together well, and it takes a lot longer than you’d think so I have to give that to the producer as well.



Overall, it’s probably one of my favourite tracks on the album simply because of the dynamics and the separation and importance of each individual member. Yoongi knows how to give out vocal parts well, he’s always been conscious of the fact that his members have voices that suit different genres, and this track is another example of how much influence he can have to propel the rest of Bangtan into the spotlight all at once. Typically in other tracks you highlight one line, or perhaps even just one member, but it’s always a sign of not only good producing but a conscious artist when you’re able to create a balance between the vocals that increases the effect of your track rather than decreasing it.



Outro: House of Cards -



Vocal line are literally flawless? The first time I heard this I got real detective mystery sitcom vibes, like they’re walking through empty alleyways at nighttime or something stereotypical like that. Musically, it’s the most different in terms of style when comparing it to the rest of the album, and a style Bangtan are new to but their voices meld so well with the music. Once again, like I said before, Slow Rabbit captivates the listener and create an overall emotion, he is good at slower tempos and differentiating styles.



The falling rain, slow base beat, introduction to HEAVY string instruments (typical of the genre) and then we’re introduced to Jungkook’s voice starting the melody off. It’s an extensive introduction that pulls the listener in immediately, many different layers move over one another to create the beauty that is this Outro. At the very beginning if you listen closely you can hear very faint beats underneath the baseline, more modernised however changed in production to fade slowly at the end. They’re not super noticeable I just thought I would point it out. Heavy strings are something I would’ve NEVER expected from Bangtan, and that’s mainly why I say it’s the most different in terms of style on the whole album. However I’m just a sucker for the rain effect and how it works so well with strings.

Taehyung’s tone suits the strings, it’s like they were made for each other. I have to point out Jin’s voice in this Outro because finally I have an example of what his tone suits. He’s always been given either parts too high for his voice or ones that pull at his vocal chords and I’m pretty confident that he suits the swaying melody and tempo we can hear through this. It’s as if Jin’s voice is moving swiftly across each beat, it’s really captivating and beautiful.



The background vocals during the chorus are brought up a lot as they enhance the end of each line, only to allow for the piano and the silence from the strings. Jungkook’s little “dododo” scatting part is really cute, it’s a good homage to the original style and breaks up the heavy vocals that come typically during the end. I love the jazz feel that comes out of it, especially how the rain effect is brought back up to have a main part of the melody. The transitions are also really simple, just a reoccurring beat that’s been increased to sound tighter and sharper.

JIN AND JIMIN HARMONISING JUST I needed that to be in caps because it’s so important. The transitioning into them together is really so nice, and background vocals of Jungkook along with them just create such a nice experience. The strings here typically, before the last chorus, are extended to quite a large degree to accomodate the amounts of vocals in a single line. And like you’d expect from an Outro, the exit of the song is bringing down the tempo and leaving it open for whatever the next album holds for us I suppose.



Overall, this Outro is so different to anything they’ve ever had and a complete turn from the Outro in Part 1, which was more suited towards Jungkook’s voice while I feel this tempo and style of music suits ALL the vocal line, there are parts where you can hear how they really stand out, and not just one, even when they harmonise each individual stands out. Ending off the album with another track that’s very different rounds off the fact that they’re capable of a huge range of music and production styles.



Someone asked me what I thought about Bangtan topping music charts as soon as the album was released and I thought it was an interesting thing to ask. I mean, obviously it’s a happy feeling yet I feel like I’m supposed to say something to justify it musically. The thing about the music industry is that a lot of songs top charts because of their fanbase, and I know it’s a similar but different case in Korea however I still think that as the years go on and their popularity increases they’ll be more likely to stay up for a longer period of time. Musically, the whole album deserves to be recognised so I do hope that people pick up more than the title track and see the versatility and abilities of Bangtan as a group to deliver an album that represents who they are and want to be.



Support HYYH2 and Bangtan. They put in a lot of work for this album, I hope reading this extended your respect for them as not idols, not figures, but artists.

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