Elizabeth: Ooh… ooh! (Henry: Yeah.) That modal mixture!
Both: YEEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
[Rossini's Semiramide Overture plays]
Charlotte: Hey everyone! Before we start reacting to BTS, we wanted to take a moment to talk about their "Love Myself" campaign.
It's a joint effort between UNICEF and BTS, for something something something that I totally forgot.
[take 2]
Charlotte: It's a joint effort between UNICEF and BTS, to help improve the lives of children and their families worldwide.
UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child,
and works with others to help overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination place in a child's path.
Peyton: We think this is an important cause that deserves a lot of support,
so we partnered with LV Bangtan for this video.
They're independent promoters of the UNICEF End Violence Campaign.
They make quality, clean BTS merchandise with the "Love Myself" branding to raise money for the cause.
Shimon: To support the cause, you can either directly donate to the UNICEF cause,
or pick up some of their really amazing merch.
If you buy the merch, the proceeds will go directly to the Love Myself Foundation.
Naoki: On top of that, LV Bangtan is giving away TEN "Map of the Soul: Persona" albums
to people who buy merch on their website. More info in the description below.
Umu: Last year, you guys helped ReacttotheK raise $15,000 for the Love Myself campaign,
making us LV Bangtan's top influencer.
So LV Bangtan wants to thank you guys, through us, by giving us a special 25% off code,
when you enter "reacttothek" when purchasing merch on their website.
Three days after this video is posted, the discount will go back to 10%, so get your extra discounted merch as soon as you can.
Thanks so much for listening, and… let's move on to the reaction portion of this video!
Umu: So now you're reacting to two B-side songs off of BTS' 2019 album called "Map of the Soul: Persona".
So the first B-side song is called "Make It Right", and talks about how the person you are traveling with
is more important than the actual journey or destination.
There seems to be a desparation in the lyrics for holding on to something that makes one happy,
and reassuring them that they made the right choice — that everything can be better as long as they're with them.
The song was written and composed by Fred Gibson, Ed Sheeran, Benjy Gibson, Jo Hill, RM, Suga, and J-Hope.
Charlotte: Ed… Sheeran? Umu: Yes.
James: You ready? Melissa: I hope so.
James: …for this experience? Melissa: Yeah.
James: …together? Melissa: Oh my god, James.
M: I like this.
Henry: Whoa.
Elizabeth: What is that… sound? Is it… it's like… it's a MIDI something, right?
Henry: Yeah, I have NO idea. Elizabeth: But it's like, got… like, a crackly timbre.
Naoki: Oh man, this is… cool vibe.
Seems pretty chill.
I'm liking the bass, though. Shimon: Mm-hm.
Naoki: You can hear it vibrate through these headphones.
Peyton: Oh yeah! Charlotte: [imitates riff from instrumental]
Peyton: It's like a little conversation between the MIDI and the voice.
Kevin: The jump to falsetto is so fast.
[sound of confusion]
Elizabeth: Ooh… go to [solfege syllable] 'la'!
Henry: [laughter] Elizabeth: You gotta go to 'la' instead of go to 'do'!
Aaron: Power chords, baby! I love that. I love power chords! Fiona: Power chords… usually on a piano…
…when you hit a chord, it goes away, 'cause (A: I love power chords.) piano is a percussive instrument.
But this is like… SUSTAINED.
Naoki: Satisfactory. [laughter] Shimon: Yeah, I like it. Naoki: Yeah, that was nice.
Isaac: It's like an anthem song. Kevin: Yeah. But it's a quiet anthem.
Kevin: [bops] Isaac: [sings part of vocal melody]
Kevin: Love that instrument. It's so captivating.
N: I mean, you got some, uh… hemiolas there. With the syncopation.
It's like… [sings rhythm] S: Yeah, yup.
A: Y'know, there are some sad parts about it, but it's about, like, finding, and becoming, and growing.
And I like that. F: It sounds motivational.
What makes it sound that way? A: Wow, wait. I would not expect that to be his voice. F: Mm-hm.
F: Oh, you're… are you new to BTS?
A: Yeah. F: [gasps]
A: [laughter] [imitates Fiona's gasp]
P: Y'know, I love the rap, man.
P: [sings along with song]
Henry: Stereo action? Elizabeth: They sing, and then the instrument plays,
and then they sing and the instrument plays. So would you consider that antiphonal?
Henry: [snaps fingers in agreement] Elizabeth: Call and response?
S: I really like this. N: Yeah! S: Honestly… (N: This is chill.) Yeah.
N: I'd kind of like a bit more substance to the sound, though. S: Hmm.
N: Um… right now… S: Or like… or like, more like… (N: With the vocals.) climactic moments.
F: This… [sings synth part]
That sounds… that's such a motivational beat.
H: I'm just so confused as to how they're getting that keyboard sound.
[sings synth riff] That sound? [sings synth riff]
I don't know how they're doing that.
S: It's really laid- N: I don't know, it just feels like… a bit too breathless, I feel.
S: It's really really laid-back. N: Yeah.
S: And I think they're trying to kind of keep that… (N: laid-back.) laid-back-ness.
I mean, 'cause there's nothing… N: Yeah, I'm not saying they need to, like, change it completely.
S: Yeah, no no, I'm saying… there's not much of, like, a dynamic difference.
Or, like, much of a tempo… I mean, there's… it's really… still.
N: Yeah. S: The entire time.
F: [bops]
A: That is so hot. [laughter]
A: Like, we should all… speak like rappers.
N: They really like the [singing] 'da da'… bass. 'Da da'…
And then, when they cadence, they go [singing bass line] 'da da… da… da'.
P: It's kinda cool, 'cause it's like…
They're… the vocals are like…
…tonicizing, like, the major. [hums notes from vocal melody]
But the harmonics underneath, they're, like, tonicizing… [sings bass note] Like, the minor.
F: I liked it! I thought it was… it felt caffienated.
A: It DID felt caffienated! "It did felt caffienated"… F: It felt, like… motivational. It felt like a journey.
There were some beats in there that, like, made it sound like… a little bit like cardio.
It was… everything was going forward, and it was motivational, and not depressing.
S: I think, for me, it was like the overall vibe, like the atmosphere was really really chill.
And I do get what you mean, (N: Yeah.) by like, there's… like, you want a little bit more…
…substance, a little more, like… I don't know, grit…
…every now and then? Um… it's more… tone, more sound (N: Yeah.) in general.
But I think… I feel like they're going for a different… completely different…
N: Aesthetic, the… yeah. S: Vibe, yeah, exactly, yeah.
James: Interesting. Melissa: It was nice.
J: Yeah.
M: I would've liked to see more harmonies, like, I think, when they're all singing together.
J: Mm-hm. M: But like, it was nice. Everyone had their, like, little section that they did.
J: And I… I like that too. Especially with like these groups of, like… you know, six or seven or eight people.
When everyone's voice is really different and distinct, it's really… like, it comes out in the song,
and you can really hear the variety of… textures and timbres and, um, registers, and all kinds of stuff.
So I thought that was really nice. They had a nice, like, spectrum of different things to listen to.
I: Um, it wasn't really focused on, like, massive chord changes or anything.
But I noticed that the timbre was very well-used.
So, like, in the very beginning, you have like this… it's almost like this…
…I would say picturing a jellyfish, (K: [laughter]) with like the tentacles, like you just like…
You just see it floating. So you have that kind of, like, light texture in the background.
And then gradually, it becomes more and more angular, or more articulated, once it hits the rap, so…
When… once they hit RM, it was the way it was developing from very thin and light,
and then they thin it even more, by dropping certain instruments, and then…
…picking up with the snare. So that's more articulated. And then that's when you go into the chorus.
And then after the chorus, they drop out, and then it opens up a perfect moment for… Suga.
K: Mm-hm. I: To… rap.
Yeah, it was very nice. You go… very light, to heavy, and then back to light.
So the use timbre was very interesting.
K: So, obviously, I've already reacted to this, so I didn't want to, like, fake a first reaction. But…
Um, re-listening to this song, it reaffirms something that I… caught in my first reaction, which is
the section where the instruments and the voices are doing the call-and-response:
[sings] "make it better"… [sings instrumental]
That response… that section, through the three times it appears in the song, evolves from…
…part of the verse, fully becoming the chorus.
There are two sections that utilize the [sings riff] synth.
One of them has the people singing "I can make it better". So, imitating the same melody.
The other one has the whole group singing "alright".
And the first time we get to what we think is the "chorus", it's the one where everyone says "alright… alright".
But then the second time… when we're expecting the [sings riff]… which was in the verse the first time…
RM comes in with the rap. (I: Yeah.) Which kind of breaks the structure a bit.
And then we hear [sings riff] and we're like "okay, but is this the NEW chorus?"
"Did we switch places?"
But then we heard "alright, alright"… the second version again, so we're like "okay, so we're somewhere in between now."
And then, by the third time, it's very clear that the "make it better" — the call-and-response version —
has fully become the chorus, and the "alright, alright" just became an outro… an a capalla, without the synth even appearing.
So I think… the structure of the song sort of evolves.
It's very different. I've never heard that. And it makes such a simple song…
…much more complex.
Umu: We can move on to "Jamais Vu".
Charlotte: [expression of shock] Umu: …unless I butchered that.
Did I butcher that title? C: Oh, you just did, yeah. U: Okay, okay.
Umu: Okay, now you're reacting to…
C: [with proper French pronunciation] "Jamais Vu". Umu: …which is performed by a subunit of BTS,
with the members Jin, Jungkook, and J-hope. The meaning of…
C: "Jamais Vu"
U: …translated from French, is "never seen". It explains the phenomenon of experiencing an event that has
already occurred, but not being familiar with it, so it feels… that it is happening for the very first time.
C: "Jamais Vu"
U: …is often referred to as the opposite of "déjà vu".
So, since this album's central theme is "going back to past mistakes and redoing…
…what that is right from wrong", the feeling of…
C: "Jamais Vu"
U: …would literally be experienced if attempting to carry out this task.
The song is written and composed by Marcus McCoan, Owen Roberts, Matty Thomson, Max Lynedoch Graham,
Camilla Anne Stewart, RM, J-Hope, and "Hitman" Bang.
P: whole team of em, huh?
P: [sings note from instrumental] C: Ooh.
C: This bassline progression though!
F: I knew they were gonna repeat the word "over"… (A: "over…") Like, over and over again,
in the same way. A: I love that word, "over".
It's… over. F: That is… text painting.
J: Hmm. M: Ooh.
J: Oh… (M: Ooh…) Yeah.
That… there it is! There it is! M: That was a chord, bro! J: Yeah. It's just ♭VI though!
But it's like so… it's so good. M: It's like suddenly minor… J: Yeah.
M: You feel it in your heart.
F: The Korean language just sounds so good! [laughter] A: It's so hot. It's so hot. [laughter]
F: You're bad. You say what I think!
P: [hums bass note] C: Ooh.
N: That contrast is, uh… very surprising. [laughter]
N: Yeah, I'm liking the orchestral, like… soundscape there.
E: Ooh… ooh! (H: Yeah.) That modal mixture!
Both: YEEEEESSSS!!!!! [laughter]
H: Modal mixture, like, gives me power.
K: Hmm…
K: Is it a trap beat? But it's pitched! So, is it a trap beat? [chuckles]
F: His voice (A: Like…) is thick… J-Hope's voice is thick, and then the beat and everything got THICK.
Like, the bass kicked in, with the bass of his voice!
E: I like where they're placing the rap in this song. 'Cause it's not…
It's definitely a part of each verse…
…and it's like the second half of the verse, (H: Yeah…) and like…
I feel like it gives it a little bit more… like, contrast.
A: He has a nice voice.
F: You could hear, like, the pleading in his voice.
H: Nice harmony. There we go. I appreci—
Y'know… we all gotta get in, like, some nice vocal harmony every once in a while.
It's just… it soothes the soul.
N: Oh.
N: They all, like, have different characters within the piece. That's pretty cool. S: Yeah.
N: Yeah.
H: I really… okay, this is something I noticed earlier:
There's, like, background… like, patterns being played, that are extremely subtle, that hint at minor IV.
There's a big one at the beginning, and I was like "…yo…"
It's super interesting. That's very interesting painting that they're doing with that.
Like…
Even when it's not the overlying harmony…
They tuck it in right at the end. It's important.
F: I'm SO emotional. A: Man, I feel like…
…it's just because we have juries in a week, and we… I really relate to this… [laughter]
F: Yeah… I'm like… I think I'm just so, like, tense, and this song is, like, speaking to my, like…
…my soul, which I'd forgotten that exists.
A: I need to go hold my dog. F: [chuckles]
E: Ooh, I like this layering of the different…
…vocal lines here.
'Cause you got, like, the little bit of, like, distorted spoken word in the center there.
It's like a… I feel like it's a good way to layer all the different parts without it being overwhelming. H: Yeah.
J: Hm.
M: I love that song. That's gonna go on my playlist, honestly.
I: Maybe I thought more about the end, how it's like…
It sounded more like a clock, and how time goes by — regardless what you do.
These songs… I feel like there's… it's more on the psychological, like, evaluation, versus like the musical…
Like, yeah, you can say like… transitioning from Jin, J-Hope, and Jungkook…
They all have their distinctive timbres. And then, there's like some almost hip-hop kinda version, where it's like…
…you say something, and someone in the back is like "YEAH!" K: Mm-hm.
I: So there's the energetic level there. But then overall, it's like… it all washes down to the just… this strumming.
Maybe all these different characters, or different musical decisions, are just… a microcosm, or a representation of life.
Anything happens, but the time clicks… time goes.
H: The simple harmonic framework that they're working with, and the sort of like… topical textures that they're using…
…are tools that they paint with, in a way that is unique to them.
And that I just wasn't getting with the Ed Sheeran-influenced song.
E: I'm very into repeated rhythmic patterns that sort of, like, crescendo over time, so like the pattern itself
doesn't change, but… the layering of different part— H: [whispering] Minimalism…
E: Yeah, okay. I'm explaining minimalism right now!
The layering of different parts, and like, the dynamics, and the harmonies are what makes the interest, and…
So this had, like, an eighth-note passage that oscillated between each ear, and it changed
the harmonies throughout the song. And having that as sort of like your basis, your starting point…
…it really puts you in this sort of, like, calmer atmospheric mood.
And then… the sort of blend of these voices, and having the very laid-back rap style,
more like spoken word, I think, really added to this atmosphere that I enjoyed a lot.
P: [sound of indecision]
Depends on my mood, I guess… C: Yeah…
P: I don't know, like this… C: I feel like if I want, like, a summer uplifting, like…
…in the car with my boo… then I want "Make It Right".
But… if I'm feeling real down on life, then I want "Jamais Vu". P: Mm-hm.
J: Okay, yeah, so… M: I like this one better.
J: Just like… yeah, I liked this one a lot better. But just going back to the comment of, like…
…textural, like, variety… this one gave me everything I thought I wanted or needed, because…
M: Yeah… J: Not only was there harmonically, you know, chordally interesting stuff going on…
…um, that reflects the text, and makes you feel certain things when certain text is being said,
which is really important to get the message across. There was that.
There was just… kind of a lot of, like… playing with colors, playing with, like, imagery, if you will.
Um… and I thought it was just really well done. Um… there was a lot of variety.
And I kept saying ♭VI, during certain parts.
And for those of you who don't know what that is, it's… I'm just referring to…
In a given key, the sixth scale degree being moved one half-step lower.
And in a major key like the one we were in, it's very very effective to kind of, like, tug at your heartstrings.
So just… being able to have that: [sings scale degrees] 1, 3, 5… [flat] 6, 5.
Like, that "six" scale degree.
And they use that, like, so many times in the song, in a really really great way.
So I just… I really enjoyed it for that reason.
Umu: Hello everyone! I'm Umu, ReacttotheK channel creator, and I'd like to thank you for watching this video.
I really hope you enjoyed, or learned something from it.
If you'd like to support us, or help ReacttotheK grow, you can do so by visiting our Patreon, and help us out by pledging any amount you can. 'Til next time!