Review Summary: A mixed bag of tracks that subvert K-Pop conventions one minute and submit to them the next.
In the realm of Western music criticism, K-Pop is often ignored or rejected entirely. This isn’t without reason, as the vast majority of successful Korean bands are just as two-dimensional and vapid as their Western counterparts. Massive music labels essentially rule over these bands like masters to their slaves, and it has become increasingly difficult for Korean artists to release quality music when profit is the only bottom line. Knowing this, however, it seems even more impressive on the rare occasions when K-Pop bands come through with enjoyable releases while also maintaining a sense of artistic integrity. Though many groups (2NE1 and BTS especially) have crafted such high-quality releases, this decade’s defining K-Pop band is surely Big Bang.
The key to Big Bang’s crossover success is their fusion of Korean music with Western trends. The group’s leader, G-Dragon, has collaborated with EDM stars like Skrillex and Diplo and has played a huge role in the current K-Pop renaissance. Because of his desire to experiment and push forward, G-Dragon’s 2013 album
Coup d’Etat and Big Bang’s hit song “Fantastic Baby” can been seen in retrospect as some major stepping stones for the genre’s future. Sadly, after a ten-year career, Big Bang’s latest album,
MADE, marks the end of the group, (at least for now). Before their compulsory military service, the band has come through with a final record that (for the most part) does an excellent job of highlighting their strengths while still pressing forward into some exciting new directions.
The album opens with “Fxxt It,” an upbeat trap-pop cut reminiscent of G-Dragon’s past work with Baauer. Proving once again that the band’s instrumentals are a cut above the rest, the song features synths that sparkle over a tropical background and a chorus that morphs into a wild kaleidoscope of distorted vocals. “Bae Bae” is another island-inspired trap jam that stands out as a highlight of the record. As one of Big Bang’s more overtly sexual tracks, it features a disorienting erection-focused rap from T.O.P and a surprisingly seductive chorus sung by Taeyang and Daesung. While many K-Pop bands feature cut-and-paste members that lack personality, the boys of Big Bang each have distinct voices and attitudes that make their music that much more enjoyable.
Despite their excellent vocalists, the band’s rappers end up stealing the show. “Zutter” is a hip-hop track solely by G-Dragon and T.O.P that features some truly insane flows. T.O.P’s brief lapse into Japanese with “SHIN-KAN-SEN!” cracks me up every time, and “Francis Bacon in the kitchen” is the album’s most head-scratchingly odd lyric. The band delivers another (literal) banger in the form of “Bang Bang Bang.” A club-friendly hit in the making; the song’s chorus opts for a twisting synth warble in lieu of a traditional bass drop. When it comes to exciting, danceable songs that feature interesting rapping and production, Big Bang brings their A-game to this record.
At the end of the day, though,
MADE is still a very traditional K-Pop album featuring all the time-honored tropes that one would expect from such a release. Whether these clichés will go over well with Western audiences will depend on one’s general tolerance for K-Pop. There are a few formulaic ballads and poor English lyrics that are clearly attempting to pander to the band’s hormonal teenage fandom. Thankfully, these ballads are still unique despite feeling somewhat stale (“If You” is much more earnest than most Korean balladry, and “Last Dance” is especially poignant due to the group’s imminent hiatus). Similarly, the awkward English lyrics such as “yes, I have a girlfriend” and “we like to party… yeah, yeah, yeah” can largely be excused due to the fact that English is a second language for the group.
The main problem with
MADE ends up being a lack of structure and consistency. The tracks are clearly in the wrong order, with slower acoustic songs making jarring transitions into hip-hop bangers. Furthermore, “Last Dance” is the second song on the album despite the fact that it would be a perfect closer. Such failures in track placement end up robbing the record of the thematic richness that it deserves. Big Bang have clearly demonstrated their talent, but they have yet to commit to a clear style or aesthetic. All the pieces are here, but they don’t combine into anything meaningful.
MADE is Big Bang’s best album, but it doesn’t feel like an album- it feels like a collection of disparate singles. Despite the band’s clear creative strides and high-quality musicianship, Big Bang is still beholden to their label just like every other K-Pop act. Genuine artistic statements fail to make money, so for every inventive and genre-pushing track like “Bae Bae,” there must also be a dull, corporate-approved dud a la “We Like 2 Party.” When compared to other factory-produced Korean boy bands, Big Bang have always stood out as the best, and this album does little to change that.
MADE has many faults, but it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable album. Even at their most formulaic, Big Bang is a cut above any run-of-the-mill K-Pop group fresh off the assembly line. Although the band has proven unable to fully overcome the constraints of their corporate-ruled music industry, they’ve tried their damnedest to pave the way for future artists to do so.
