Umu: Hi everyone, my name is Umu and I'm reacttothek's channel creator.
Kevin: Hello, everyone my name is Kevin. I'm a classical musician from the musicians react series, I'm also a pianist [on screen text: oof, botched introduction]
U: Before you go to the comment section asking for us to react to Taemin's album, we are going to, woooo!
and on top of that to make our first reaction even more special, we will be featuring the Adrian Mckinnon in the
post album first listen discussion section of our video, so please look forward to that and let's jump into 'Criminal.'
Dadada dada
Okay, dramatic
K: Major four. Okay, this is such a- this is such a vibe, I haven't heard a specific vibe like this in a while
U: I'm already speechless
beautiful melody line
oh
Oh oh, it- it keeps going that was such a long ascending line
*sings the line* and it's gonna change?
Yep, goes up a note even higher, wow
[on screen text: also speechless]
K: A little bit of 80s, tiny bit of 80s
But a lot of the percussions are a little more modern, but some of the higher synths remind me of that 80s throwback
U: woO I love the slide up into high register
K: Wow
U: Wow
OOOH ITS SO GOOD
K: You hear the voice and you hear the instrumental melodic elements at the same time
The mixing is perfect
oowA
It's perfect
U: Ooh kind of melody riffing off the chorus melody
Octave added up in the left channel
YEah
SING IT
OOH
K: Wow, this is edgy. This is really edgy
U: It's amazing how just one new melodic line can add so much variation to original material
K: Wow
what
what was that, that was so good.
That was so good~
That was so good
U: To describe Taemin's music as a whole it's very fluid,
and it seems like atmosphere is key, atmosphere is everything
so while we- they pick a certain vibe to create in the instrumentals
And then they have very, very, very subtle changes throughout, it isn't
dramatic in the way of extreme changes or anything,
which I tend to expect when listening to SHINee music as a group
But they pick a vibe at the beginning and they continue that throughout and sometimes take out some things
and sometimes like sprinkle some things in, so the changes
are very hard to hear until re-listens, or unless you're like listening really closely for it, and then
there's, on top of subtle changes in the instrumental, there's as well in the chorus
because this chorus is one of those choruses where you have a melody
and then you copy paste repeat it, and sometimes when I listen to those type of songs where you have the same
melody one two, three, four, five six times, you- you get really used to it and you're like, okay, this maybe is getting a little bit repetitive.
So when we approach the third chorus, I was like, okay, please change something, ahh, make it like explode.
We had a lot of like tension leading up to the end of the bridge I was like, okay, we need something to just
Make it a little bit more bzz bzz bzz bzz
In the third course and they did that with his
new melody line over the original melody line and that was
almost like- it's almost like a simple change, but it's also very powerful and I thought it worked really well
*keeping time and making synth noises*
it's that synth
*makes the synth noises again*
since we start with the synth
dudut dudut dudut
Without any percussion, without any groove, without any beat, you kind of are like
where are we with rhythmically, like how how can I bob my head to this? And so 0:25 three, two, one
We kind of have like some throbs but when the bass drum comes in then you're like
K: Yeah, I never do second reacts but today- this song, this song I think needs it three, two, one
Because he seems so dominant in this song but yet he's singing from a more submissive side
And the singing matches that so much
It's laid back, yet it's always on the beat and it's moving forward
and there are waves, there are waves
And then this is when we reach ecstasy, you know, at first
*sings vocal leap*
And... you can imagine what the ah is, it's a reaction to things happening
U: It seems the motif throughout yeah something that continues throughout that song is that
*sings beginning synth part again*
continued from the intro, to the verse, to the chorus, so like I said very fluid we have a lot of repetition of stuff
but it's
*sings synth part again*
Like less predictable of a rhythm in the scratchier bass synth that adds in a little bit of new variation
K: Woo!
Man
I just read a comment on the youtube video about how this comeback isn't getting the recognition it deserves
Yeah, I'd be pretty bummed if I were Taemin right now, honestly
This is raw
And again, the production is so perfect
Like it doesn't sound like a k-pop song
And I've grown to like the the production tendencies that k-pop offers but this? This is...
Ah
It sounds American, but in the most artistic, refined way possible.
Oh my gosh.
U: They basically created a full on vibin track over just
bum bum bum (K: Mhm) bum bumbum bum
It's amazing how how much of an atmosphere and how much of an experience you can create with just repeating a few notes
K: Mhm
U: Those are just like I already kind of went on a little rant during my summary section about how
Taemin's music is so much about atmosphere
K: Yeah U: And aesthetic than K: Yeah
U: How I usually approach listening to music which is expecting, you know, extreme changes and unexpected melodies and
and unexp- you know, unexpected textures, although they- they had
not necessarily unexpected textures, but just really good textures
K: Mhm U: What are your thoughts?
K: I think this is one of the best k-pop songs. I've heard in a very, very long time
It's so good, the production is absolutely perfect
Yeah. What's that face?
U: I st- K: You know everyone's watching you right now, right?
U: I stopped breathing for a second. K: Yeah, like Taemin, it's- did you- did you have subtitles on?
U: Yeah
K: Whoa, that's some raw, raw stuff
U: It is. K: Oh my gosh. I- I don't remember Taemin's other stuff being so striking
but this was just
Like I can't believe this is in a k-pop song. (U: Yeah) He's not even mincing words, you know
Yeah, right from the beginning. I just felt it (U: Mm) I just felt
And I actually listened to this twice and I never listened to songs twice during reactions. U: Very- that's true
Yeah, and it was because I didn't pay attention to the lyrics until like
that line that said "destroy me more" and I was like what?
Okay, I gotta be reading this
Yeah, so- so the second listen was literally just for the lyrics because (U: Ah, okay) I knew I
wouldn't have anything- any more musical insights to to bring you know, this song was very- U: yeah it's quite easy to catch on
K: Yeah, but here's something that I think this song unveiled for me
I never realized that when I listen to k-pop, I expect a k-pop style production, there's a k-pop style production
that I've subconsciously started to expect from k-pop songs.
And this is one of the first songs that sounds so comfortably American
In a way, that's- (U: Huh, like western pop production). Yeah in the way, that's the most appealing
because I was actually just listening to the- the
the 2020 album by The Weeknd today
and I really like that album, and this just really, really fits that, it fits that American style production and the
the type that's good, the type that I want to hear more in- in American songs
K: And so I think- U: So are you talking about production like mixing, or are you talking about (K: Yeah mixing) like synth sounds
and, okay K: Everything, everything just yeah the w-
types of sounds they chose and even just, yeah, the- the amount of variety that they chose like, you know, not too much
It's not about the mind-blowing variety, (U: Mhm) that sound, that- that feels
very american as- it just feels very ma-
I don't want to say mature, I'm going to say it feels like (U: Noo, yeah) it feels like my- it feels like
home territory for me. (U: Okay) It's like wow, I've never felt this at home
It's like this is just what I listen to all the time (U: Uh-huh) and I think that aspect of it really,
really, yeah, struck a chord with me because here's the thing
I like a lot of k-pop songs that you know mix western elements, (U: Mhm) but it deserves to be commended when a song does
The fundamentals, the stuff that I can't even break- break down usually like why do why do these instruments fit so well together?
Why does this sound like a truly western type of hit?
U: Yeah K: I can't explain that. But when I hear it, I- I gotta say whoa. This is really, really awesome
My guess would be something about compression, (U: Mm) something about the way the instruments are leveled
U: Mhm K: Yeah, but the vibe was there
and the vibe continued and I never even thought, I mean I knew it was repetitive, I knew,
(U: But that- did- that) but I never thought to point it out. U: Yeah, yeah, yeah, thought didn't come to the foreground
K: Yeah I never thought to point it out.
U: What specific moment of the song, or like specific parts did you think worked for you the best?
K: It's the whole- it's the whole thing U: The whole thing *laughs*
K: It's literally the whole thing and that makes a lot of sense, because yeah, this is not a song about moments
it's- it feels like every second there is a new revelation because the
The pre-chorus is very much waves
*sings prechorus*
Like these (U: Yeah) scales upwards and there's- U: Which actually kind of continues from his song 'Want'
because (K: Mm) his- 'Want' the main melody is
*sings main melody of want*
it's literally just up a scale (K: I see) and down the scale (K: I see) and up the scale and down
K: I wonder how the lyrical content matches because I feel like this matches the lyrical content very much
U: Mm, mhm, mhm
K: You know, you're- you're feeling a build up (U: Mm) and then you kind of just ride on that high for a very long time in the chorus
U: I think I felt what you felt but at a lower level because I was just vibing with the same energy
Of the music (K: Mhm) and I was like, yeah, this is like constant level
of Taemin's world of sound it's (K: I see) this fits him so well
and (K: Mhm) I just, like you said like there's no specific moment that stands out, because it is all about the fluidity of getting
through this (K: Yeah) what he wants to say what he wants to sing about, but I- I really love the third chorus when he just
decides to belt it out (K: Mhm) and it adds- it adds a new level of appreciation to the track for me
So thank you so much for everyone tuning in, please look forward to our album listen,
it might be out in a bit because, you know, nine songs is a lot
and also we're probably gonna have a really in-depth conversation with Adrian Mckinnon. K: Oh, yeah
U: So, yeah, it might be a while but please look forward to it and I'm sure you'll enjoy it
as we (K: Mhm) have enjoyed this song and we'll enjoy the Album. K: Mhm
U: Yaaayy! Thanks! K: Yaaay
U: Bye~ K: Bye