Elizabeth: Yeah, there's a lot of different sounds all happening at once James: Yeah, It's so many layers
Elizabeth: to create the rhythm. James: It's like an onion.
*wheeze*
Jordon: Next, you'll be reacting to two songs by Lee Jin Ah,
who is an indie jazz solo artist that we reacted to a few times last season. Elizabeth: Oh!
Umu: First you'll be reacting to 'Run', Lee Jin Ah's 2018 comeback with hip-hop R&B artist Gray. The song is composed by Sam Ock and Lee Jin Ah,
and the arrangement is by Sam Ock, Lee Jin Ah, and Gray.
Seiji: Bass. Wow!
Isaac: Reverbs.
Kevin: There we go!
Oh, wow!
Elizabeth: Whoa! James: Wow!
Elizabeth: That is very interesting, as far as texture.
Collin: Huh! Jarod: There's like this apathy to his voice, and then you just seem him like...
Stephen: Man, I'm really loving like the rhythmic variety right here, the hits. Seiji: Yeah
Stephen: Also the textures he's getting, like, ay, this is really good.
Kevin: What? The song feels so fleeting, like it's,
like it feels so horizontal. There's nothing vertical about it. It just kind of moves.
Collin: Okay. And hit it.
Jarod: That was cool cinematography, in time with the music. I love stuff like that.
Elizabeth: This is such an interesting video, too. It's all about like,
minimalist colorblocking. James: It's very like art pop-y.
Elizabeth: Yes.
James: I love her voice.
Lindsey: Oh, my God.
It's just, it's like floating. Everything's floating. Fiona: Yeah, her voice is so high it's as if she's whispering all the time.
Lindsey: Yeah! Fiona: (mimicking whispery voice)
Stephen: I Like this cuz it's not like traditional K-pop, it's fresh and it's very creative. Seiji: Yeah
Fiona: I love how this thins out. Lindsey: It's like ethereal. Fiona: It sounds like you're underwater, if you think about it.
Lindsey: Yeah Fiona: Underwater Mario level. LIndsey: It's like there's no percussion.
Fiona: Submerge! Lindsey: And then it comes back in.
Elizabeth: They're singing the same pitches, but just like an octave apart. James: Yeah
Elizabeth: Which is so interesting. There's no like harmony with the voices.
James: Love the vocal percussion, too.
Jarod: Oh! What the....?
Wait, what?!
Oh, this is actually so sick!
Seiji: All right, here we go!
She can play!
Like she's actually playing it, too, damn. Live solo.
Jarod: Ohhh!
Like where did that come? What?!
Fiona: He just like,
Lindsey: Yeah, he just like, Both: It's okay! Fiona: I modulated, it's okay!
Lindsey: Oh my gosh, so many things are happening, but it's so light! Fiona: It sounds like, it's so forward-moving.
Lindsey: Yeah!
Jarod: Uhhh, uhh
Elizabeth: You hear the bass?
James: And it's so weird. Elizabeth: (singing)
I can't really tell what the harmonic
structure is.
Elizabeth: Yeah James: Like it seems predictable, but when I listen closely, there are like weird, chromatic, like
Elizabeth: Yeah James: little chords.
Elizabeth: All these verses; every time they add the verse back, there's more
synthesizer, more texture.
But like the bass is so low, and really growly, which is why it's hard to get a sense of the harmonic
structure. James: I like all these little chords.
Seiji: Man, she's dope.
Wow.
Stephen: Woo!
Henry: Oh!
The way his voice is mixed with the keyboard there was very tight.
Emiel: Yeah, it was like the same timbre, almost. Henry: That's really cool.
Stephen: Yeah! That was great!
Seiji: Oh, man, that was cool, yeah.
Stephen: Dude, seriously though, it's like....
I loved the grooves, I loved the melody. It wasn't like overdone or anything like that.
It wasn't flashy--didn't need to be, because it was very musical, and that just spoke for itself.
I loved the hits. I loved all the synth patches he used.
You know, like the orchestration, how the song peaked, and how it went down and how it peaked,
it wasn't like, oh, we're just loud now. It's like, it was a very gentle, subtle build that paid off. I loved it.
I'm gonna download this song when I'm done. Like, I really liked this. Seiji: Yeah, that was an amazing piece of music right there.
Holy cow, and just like soooo phat, like, those hits too, just not necessarily like, you know
like these really sporadic things, just like (sound effect).
So, I really dug it. Stephen: Yeah, dude. It's great. Seiji: Yeah, it's really good.
Umu: How was how was the keyboard solo?
Stephen: Oh, man! Seiji: It was pretty...
Stephen: It was sick! Seiji: It was pretty lit.
Stephen: Yeah! Some of the harmonies that she was doing?
Stephen: She did this one thing, she was repeating like a four note motive, and then just taking it through different keys.
Seiji: Yeah, the chromatic stuff, and holy cow. Stephen: Oh, yeah.
That was...oh!.
Seiji: Yeah, she was showing off a little bit. Stephen: Dude, I want to play with her. Seiji: Holy cow, yeah.
Emiel: The chorus bumped. Henry: Yeah. Emiel: Yeah, and some parts of how the vocals mixed in with the music was
interesting. I liked it. Henry: I thought the production was really good. I liked Gray's contribution
I feel like it didn't really take away or take over from Lee Jin Ah's stuff.
I thought that it wasn't too harmonically dense for the kind of vibe
it was going for. Sometimes that happens, which is cool that it didn't.
Jarod: F*ckin', the keyboard solo in the middle... Collin: Yeah, like that was
unexpected, to say the least. Jarod: Because they keep like this like, you know, like deadpan Like very, uh...
Collin: It's a weird aesthetic. Jarod: Yeah. Collin: Well, the apathy.
Jarod: Yeah, yeah. But in a way, kind of badass!
Collin: dude Jarod: Yeah
Collin: Yeah. I think that was actually rather artistic. I mean all the different textures, each have their own color scheme. It was good.
Jarod: And it's like, I feel like at that turning point that leads into that "should I run away, should I-"
we get this kind of like mushy, kind of, I think earlier I said like the ethereal vibe, because that's kind of
like, I don't know, it doesn't feel as kind of rooted as the other, because it was kind of wishy-washy, sound-wise.
So it's kind of like it leads to
the idea of just like this pondering, you know,
this not really knowing where to go kind of thing, and it was just--ah! It was so cool.
Kevin: It's a fascinating song. Like I really like it and appreciate it for what it is, but
something about it just, it just fleets. I mean the solo's great.
There's a subtle shock value to it, because it's so different from the stuff that I'm used to hearing in these react sessions.
Isaac: I feel like the song's like,
it continuously evolves, starting with very simplistic and very basic rhythms. So you have like the beats that just come in--one!
Duu! And then later it starts developing more.
It's like they have a little bit more, and then the way they speak their lyrics are a little bit faster, and then
even like the rhythms, like it continuously grows.
It's not too memorable in repetition, because it's a song that continuously evolves and continues to grow.
Kevin: Why did they suddenly make the harmonies more complex during this
Iasaac: Piano Kevin: keyboard solo? Usually in jazz,
the solos are built upon the chords of the original tune that they choose. So, by
suddenly changing up the chords, you give us a hint of a more interesting song that could have been, harmonically.
But then it kind of just goes back to like a more standard chord progression.
I think one of the reasons that I had trouble
appreciating the song as much was actually because of the music video, and because everything was, everybody was like
still, while the song was so mobile. There's this weird dissonance that honestly caused a sort of unpleasant feeling when listening to it.
Just this, like, something's not right.
Something is uneasy about this song. So I'd love to listen to this song in another context, like just the audio.
So, that's that's my final schpiel.
Fiona: That song was a collage.
There are so many sounds and like, different little instruments and voice lines going (singing) all throughout.
It made for a really complex, engaging experience. Good job!
Lindsey: The visuals were really neat going along with it too, because it was weird things,
but on very simple Fiona: familiar Lindsey: like backgrounds, kind of.
So it would be just like the girl peeking out of the curtains, and it would just be like a frame on there, and then
it would go somewhere else, and it was just like a hallway, but there was a girl dancing in it.
So, it was just like they took these simple things
and then kind of jazzed it up a little bit in their own way, and that's kind of what the music did too. It took
these things from other places and then put it all together and like just made a big
masterpiece.
Umu: Next we'll be reacting to a b-side song called 'Yum, Yum Yum', which is a reboot of her song
she used for the first round of competition
in K-pop Star, that she ended up winning second place in. This is not a lyric video, again,
it's just like, the audio of the track,
and it's featuring
TAK.This tells a story about a girl who falls into a dilemma as she is stuck in between like and love.
Elizabeth: Been there. James: Relatable. ELizabeth: Yep!
James: That's so funny. Okay. Well, I'm ready to get hit with the feels.
Isaac: Beep!
(making popping sounds) The bubbles.
Seiji: It's still dope.
Lindsey: It's very 8-bit sounding in the background. That's awesome.
Kevin: I like how she's exploring with lighter tambors.
Her songs are always so light, but this is really making it her playing field.
And then it goes back, of course.
Elizabeth: I've never heard somebody use that kind of like 8-bit unironically in a song.
Collin: Oh, man.
Seiji: It's like an Esperanza Spalding type of progression. Stephen: Yeah.
Stephen: Can we just talk about the bass, though? It's just so phat.
Seiji: Every time.
Oh, solo.
Kevin: Oh, I love that solo, with all of the syncopations.
Emiel: That was a nice little riff, right there. Henry: It was, yeah. A lil turn around Emiel: Should have expanded it more.
Emiel: Put on a different patch. Henry: I feel like, by the end of the song, you'll probably hear a little bit more riffing
James: This is very dreamy to me.
Elizabeth: I think that fits the idea that song was going for. James: Yeah
Both: (laughter)
Kevin: See?
Active, vibrant, accompaniment. It's so underrated. I guess not underrated. It's just
not preferred in the pop sphere.
Stephen: Her voice reminds me a lot of something I would hear in neo soul.
Kind of like very laid-back, kind of airy-breathy,
but still intense.
Seiji: I can see that. Yeah, I can see that.
Elizabeth: Do you hear that? It's almost like fake castanets that's doing like that- James: Yeah Elizabeth: the offbeats? James: Yeah
Henry: I like that they bring back the intro. Emiel: Yeah.
Henry: That's smart. You gotta bring that back.
Kevin: Oh, oh, it doesn't stop. Oh, it's a solo!
Isaac: (popping sounds)
Kevin: It's a solo that doesn't start like a solo. You think it's just a continuation of the Zelda thing.
Even her solos have so much variety. Like she knows what kind of solo she wants.
Jarod: Ooh! That was tasty! Collin:It's like- nice lil licks!
James: See, this is more harmonically interesting. I don't really know what's happ...oh!
Elizabeth: There's a lot of chromaticism. James: Yeah
And the percussion in the back is really helping the groove, too.
Oh, now it's a real piano. Or a real piano sound.
Collin: Woo! All right.
Kevin: See, by the end of the solo we're ready for the last chorus. You know, we're ready to hear that again.
It's great
Lindsey: Her talent just feels way beyond her years. Like, her voice is really high-pitched, which makes her sound younger,
but her vocal quality just sounds very mature.
Jarod: Oh, my god!
Kevin: I like the solo on the high notes. it makes, it doesn't make it sound cluttered. It actually stands out without being too loud.
Elizabeth: Yeah, there's a lot of different sounds all happening at once James: Yeah, it's so many layers.
Elizabeth: to create the rhythm. James: It's like an onion.
Fiona: Ahh! Lindsey: Woo hoo!
Fiona: I love that ending! Lindsey: Oh, my god, that was just like so classic, in such a fun way. Fiona: I love that ending.
Lindsey: Ah, that was great. Fiona: What a treat!
Seiji: That was really good, too. Stephan: It's just so nice to listen to her.
She'll have material in her songs that not only just you know, regular people who maybe aren't musicians will be able to appreciate and
understand and still be able to bob their heads and you know, like sing along with the melody,
but then she'll add things, like maybe it's a harmonic progression, or like certain rhythmic hits, or like her solo,
for example. Us, as music school students, we hear that, and we find that, it's ear candy,
you know. Seiji: This is how you take over the world with jazz. You make it Stephan: A pop song! Seiji: relatable
Seiji: and then gradually, the common person begins to dig jazz. Good job, her.
Isaac: So, this one was a lot of the use of the, I guess, is it 8-bit sound?
It's interesting how they use that as an ornamentation, and the way they play around with, I guess, the blue scale a little bit.
Part of that just kind of like drowned me out a little bit, was just like the Yum Yum Yum. Kevin: You don't like the Yum Yum Yum?
Isaac: No, I got like, I don't know, it kind of like puts me to sleep. Kevin: Her voice has a very
ASMR quality to it. Isaac: Yes, so maybe that's it. Kevin: Which is
good.
Kevin: I loved it. It's the best. Isaac: Was it delicious?
It's a delicious song. and it hits all the tasty
videogame-esque nerves, the chiptune nerves, the jazz nerves, and
just the nerve for very light music that you can chill to, but you can also just low-key bop to.
Bop to the top!
Collin: It's interesting, like there's that laziness to that, as was in 'Run'. Jarod: Yeah!
Jarod: Like there's just no hurry, and I love that.
Collin: Yeah, I personally liked the other one more. Jarod: Yeah
Collin: I thought was that a little wandering, you know, with like what I wanted. That was still good.
Like, I've never heard someone combine that in such a unique way.
Yeah, I think what what she does a really good job of doing, in the line,
it goes like high-low-high. There's like a line, but typically whatever we write music,
it's like we kind of stay in the same register, which we're right, but this, there's a lot of like back and forth,
but yet it's coherent.
Lindsey: I liked the first one better. I liked the variety in it. This did this didn't have as much variety.
I mean, I still really, really enjoyed it and I'm not saying that variety is what makes a song good per se, but I just liked what
they did with the other song. Fiona: I say I would like this song more. This song,
I kind of felt like I was on a journey the whole time, like if I closed my eyes, like everything was like fun colors.
I don't know. It was like cute and-
reminded me of like candy, and like some weird, wacky world that she's in.
James: Yeah, no, they're pretty similar.
They're both like pretty chill, like laid-back, relaxed songs. There were layering in both of them, too, like really interesting electronic samples.
I think the second one, not only the layering itself, like was utilized in a more catchy way,
but I think the samples themselves were actually a little more interesting in the second one.
Elizabeth: No, I like I liked the first one.
I liked the use of the electronics better in the first one.
I thought it was a little less cheesy, and I liked the addition of the male voice.
James: Yeah Elizabeth: Especially having those in octaves. I thought that was really cool.
Stephan: I liked them both. Seiji: Yeah Stephan: I liked
'Run' maybe a little bit more, but that's just me. But I think they're both great. Seiji: Yeah, they're both really good.
Stephen: They're also a really different songs. So I feel like it's weird to compare them, cuz they're both really creative and both appealing.
Seiji: Yeah. Stephen: Very attractive Seiji:I like them both, too. She's a great artist. All her art is great.
Hello, everyone. I'm Umu, and I'm
the channel runner of React to the K. I really hope you enjoyed watching this video. if you're curious about the videos that
we'll be reacting to in the future,
I put a links to a doc with our release schedule in the description.
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you can help us out by pledging any amount you would like on our
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Thank you so much for your support. Bye