Umu: I'm losing my voice
Kevin: Mind your own biscuits and life would be gravy
It's an actual song
Umu: You remember Ailee?
Gwen: I love Ailee!
Umu: Well, we're watching more of her stuff, this is more of her recent songs
Gwen: Ailee and the Chipmunks
Umu: [singing]
So this is Mind Your Own Business, this is the first Ailee music video that I ever watched. So I was like, "who dis?" and I watched and was like, "daaaamn"
Hugo: So obviously we're going to hate it.
Hugo: 1,2,7 Gwen: 3
Gwen: 2 Hugo: 1,2,7
Gwen: 1 Hugo: 1,2,7
Melissa: She's really pretty!
Kevin: Oh boy
The piano timbre isn't my favourite
That beat is very good though
Peyton: Ooh. One teardrop
Jarod: Oooh, with the little fan, the tktkt
Peyton: [drum sound effects]
Feel like i'm about to listen to like, a black girl do a bunch of runs
Ben: That kick drum tho
Naoki: It's pretty heavy
Kevin: So, a ballad with a beat?
Oh dear, plot Yunyi: It's the intro
It's an intro Kevin: Yeah
Shimon: PT Cruiser!
Really?
Gwen: Oh. Oh. Hugo: Oh?
Gwen: Oh? Hugo: Get fucked
Gwen: Girl gang Hugo: Wait
Jarod: That's bold style
Just like, that bold saxophone, you know? Peyton: Mhmm
Fiona: Oh-- Henry: Ha! Emiel: Yo--
Fiona: Whoaa Henry: Yes!!
Fiona: Tag yourself, I'm her
Jarod: You know, this is the first I think I've really heard a really prevalent saxophone in Kpop Peyton: Yeah
Jarod: It's pretty hip
Henry: [laughing]
Yes! I love that it starts with her being all sad and then they're just badasses!
Lindsey: This is funky! Melissa: Wait, she sounds good too
Lindsey: Why are they playing with a chainsaw? Melissa: Oh my god
Lindsey: Like, what did this boy do to you???
Emiel: This is groovy, I like it Fiona: Oh my god
Emiel: Bumping Fiona: She is SO like... goals. Everything
She's so classy
Lindsey: This started out super slow and minor, and now it's just like whoo~
Yunyi: Again, it's just super--
Kevin: ESPECIALLY the chorus Yunyi: Well this is not AS predictable
as the last one Kevin: Uh huh
Yunyi: But still very predictable Kevin: Yeah
Hugo: Is there another girl gang?
Jarod: It's like little--little brass the background. I like that
Gwen: Girl gang v. girl gang
Yunyi: I like that look. It's like--
goth/lesbian/punk
Kevin: Yeah Yunyi: Police
Kevin: Yeah Yunyi: [laughs]
Jarod: There's like, something just absolutely sexy about a beat with a saxophone Peyton: Yeah
Jarod: It's like, sassy. That's what they are. These girls are sassy
Fiona: This is some heavy drums Emiel: Damn, they just beat up that guy's car and just walked away
Damn
Jarod: There's a lot of attitude in it, it's so thick musically with the beat
Ben: Well, she likes doing the same thing
Naoki: Oh yeah, clearly Ben: But it-- it works
Naoki: Oh yeah
Ben: Because of the-- uh, with brass it's pretty cool?
Naoki: Oh yeah, the instrumental's cool, with like, sax and whatnot sometimes
Lindsey: This is like, soooo
not what prison really is Melissa: I think-- didn't someone have a ring with a gun on it? Did you see that
Lindsey: Probably
Shimon: It's really repetitive Ben & Naoki: Yeah
Jarod: It's like you have your typical beat with their little stamp on it. It's like--
[dancing]
Melissa: Is this Orange is the New Black? Lindsey: I was going to say that! I was going to say that
Kevin: And the bridge! Of course it dies down
and use the exact same chord progressions, you know?
Ben: That was really effective though, I think- naokiL the contrast
Ben & Naoki: Yeah
Peyton: Yeah, it's like, super intense. Like, yeah, I'm breaking out, what you do Jarod: [dancing]
And you're not talking to me no more because I don't want to hear it
Naoki: [vocalizing] Ben: I love their--
Naoki: Oh! Yeah, yeah, called it
Lindsey: Is this like, all in her head? Like, what she wants to do to this guy?
Who knows? Melissa: I don't know, maybe
Lindsey: Because it keeps going back and showing her crying in her room, so like--
Melissa: Maybe it's a metaphor for smashing the patriarchy
Yunyi: Maybe I just don't like-- like, diatonic step-wise motion
Hugo: Jesus! Oh my god Gwen: I love it
Jarod: She's--- whaaaat? Peyton: Oh!!
Jarod: That's.. that's a little bit too far Peyton: [groaning noises]
Peyton: [more groaning noises]
Jarod: Wow. Right when you think you know somebody
Yunyi: Aligns with beat, diatonic, step-wise. Pick one
I mean, pick two out of three Kevin: I think it also has to do with repetitiveness
I think it's possible to create a good song with those three qualities, but--
and then you add the dadada, repeat! Yunyi: Wait!
Jailhouse Rock? Kevin: No
Yunyi: No, not Jailhouse Rock. What is it-- what is that one number from Chicago?
Umu: Oh! Kevin: Oh man
Yunyi: Jailhouse Tango! [note: it's actually Cell Block Tango] Kevin: Yes
Lindsey: Is this song called Mind Your Own Business because that's what she needs to do? Melissa: That-- oooh!
Gwen: Woo! Hugo: I love the music
Gwen: Don't love the property damage
Hugo: I'm just like-- wow.
Nobody should go get their gang, and literally go like, fucking-- Gwen: Not once,
Once, go to jail, break out of jail, do it again-- Hugo: And the first--
Hugo: Exactl-- that's just fucked up
Gwen: Like, that's just obsessive
Like, honey, move on Hugo: Like, unless he killed your brother or sister
That was some fucked shit
Umu: Anyways, yeah, music! Gwen: Music wise
It was cool Hugo: Music was great
Gwen: bye bye byeee~
Hugo: I love the music, her voice is great as always Gwen: [continues singing]
Gwen: Yeah. It's just great.
Peyton: I mean, I think I'm noticing a trend where there's like, a lot of marriage between acoustic sounds and electric sounds
and like, the typical pop beat with like, some like, splashes of--
Like the saxophone in there, and also the kind of like
I don't know, it's almost got like a shuffle feel to it?
Well, I wouldn't quite call it a shuffle
There's, there's just some acoustic stuff in there, you know?
Jarod: So what I liked is that they're really like,
inventive with their beat, because often times pop can kind of fall into the trap of, you know, sounding very similar
And like, getting-- with the same sounds,
with the same beats. What they did is like, they were really-- they took a risk, you know?
They tried something--they experimented with the acoustic sounds, and they made something that sounds really unique to the song
And I think that's the best part, it's that it's unique. It doesn't get lost in the Kpop mix
Ben: it was a little bit maybe, too repetitive? But I think it kind of worked Naoki: Yeah, but what worked worked
Yeah, the contrast was effective
Ben: [singing]
Ben: That kind of sound was good Naoki: Yeah
Shimon: If I had to listen to it over and over again in the car or something
I feel like I would get tired of it. I'd rather-- Ben: But I think you could definitely get that stuck in your head
Shimon: But yeah Ben: Super fast Naoki: [singing]
Emiel: Sassy.
Good. Funky. Catchy.
Henry: Dig it! Emiel: It was good
Definitely more than impressively average. Fiona: [singing] Yeah
Above average Emiel: Above average
Fiona: Above average Emiel: But not memorable quite yet
Emiel: Just... really good Fiona: Her voice-- her voice was nice
The music video was memorable
Yunyi: Just kind of disappointed in how safe she played it
Kevin: They're well-produced, you know Yunyi: Yeah. She--
Played it super safe Kevin: Mhmm
Kevin: You hear the brass, and it's pretty good, and you hear the beat, and you hear the piano
And it's all in the right place, layering-wise, but it's just... right. It's just... alright.
Yunyi: Okay, I don't know if she's a singer-songwriter, but it's...yeah
Melissa: I like the groovy sax [singing] Lindsey: It was hot
Melissa: You know? Lindsey: Like, the synth-- the synthesized saxophone
I feel like I wasn't-- like, I was focusing on the video because they all looked so hot Melissa: Yeah, I feel like I was watching more than listening
Lindsey: So, so I was just, you know, the music was kind of just like, background for me almost? Melissa: Yeah
Lindsey: So I really enjoyed it
I guess I could see how it could be repetitive if you were just like sitting and didn't have a video
Melissa: I really like the video, like it was really fun to watch it with the video 'cause I was focussed more on that
Umu: Okay, well then, next we're reacting to her most recent release
2016. Naoki: Home.
Umu: Yes, it's called Home Naoki: Featuring-- Ben: Yoon Mirae
Umu: Yeah, she raps Naoki: I was going to say "Yoon My-Rae"
Umu: The featured artist raps in this song
Naoki: Cool Ben: 3, 2, 1
Gwen: I love it already
Peyton: I think is the same key
Emiel: It's like, airy techno synths going right at the beginning Henry: Ooh
Yunyi: I like the pitch distortion though. Kevin: Yeah
Yunyi: At least that's a little less--
Kevin: Also big VII chords Yunyi: --safe
Jarod: I like how we have all these mirrors, and then you have this kind of faded sound in the background, so it's like [gestures]
Kevin: It's the exact same--it's almost the exact same chord progression as the previous song, it's a little different
Melissa: Yeah, it's like the new style of-- Lindsey: Like, r&b hip-hop kind of things
Melissa: Yeah
Lindsey: This is like, very hip-hop-y, but then
Melissa: I love the beat--wait, I love this song Lindsey: I want to hear, like, an acoustic version of this
Already, like I would--I want to know what it would sound like
Like I don't, because I'm a bigger fan of the style of music
Melissa: Yeah Lindsey: But it's like, I feel like the melody line could totally be over an acoustic background
But instead they choose to put it over like, literally just a bass and drums
Kevin: See? Not stepwise
Better!
Gwen: That was an iffy note
Hugo: I thought it was okay Gwen: I think it was stylistic
Shimon: I do feel like the timbre of her voice fits really well with-- Naoki: With this kind of style Ben: Yeah
Shimon: Like, the dark... not harsh, but like, raspy sometimes?
Naoki: It's pretty full
Fiona: Ooh, this is good
Emiel: It's like a heavy, deep drop
Jarod: See, like-- Ailee does the badass, sexy kind of vibe
You know? Unlike the school girl vibe and unlike the super hardcore vibe, it's like
a bl-- like, I mean not anywhere kinda school girl with the school girl, but like, there's still this element of elegance
to a very, almost cynical undertone
Ben: Also her bass sounds are really good
Naoki: Oh yeah
Kevin: Man--- Yunyi: Ayyy--
Kevin: The chorus is the weaker part of this song Yunyi: Yeah
Yunyi: I mean, the riffs were all great, but they just repeated it one too many times again Kevin: Yeah
Melissa: It's like a thin texture. Lindsey: Yeah
Melissa: But it's open spacing, like--very wide spacing because the bass is like
really fucking low Lindsey: Yeah
Henry: There's definitely like-- Emiel: I don't know what else to say about this tune
Henry: It's really just like-- Emiel: It is kind of going on a little bit
Henry: It's really straight-forward-- Emiel: It's good
Hugo: I'm hoping she belts that note at the end Gwen: Me too
I'm sure she will
Hugo: She's got the cords for it Gwen: If she is, I'm gonna be sad-- if she doesn't. Sorry
Henry: It's just super-- It's got two parts.
Now a third.
Jarod: I know I've made this comment before but it's like, the Korean language just lends itself really well to these kinds of beats
with these kinds of sounds--
Gwen: Don't let go
Hugo: Oh. Fuck yeah
Yunyi: Guitar is good, I like the guitar
Peyton: Oh, this must be the feature artist
Uh. Okay, there. [jamming]
[more jamming]
Kevin: In terms of rap breaks though...
Okay, okay
Hugo: There it is!
Gwen: Yeah, we knew. We knew
Lindsey: This is very-- like, when they have the triplet ties, the voice, like, the tttttt Melissa: Yeaaahh
[percussion noises]
Lindsey: Like, that's very... like, trap, kind of
Melissa: I love it
Hugo: Probably-- why isn't he-- why isn't he coming home? Gwen: Flower! On! Fire!
Hugo: Probably because you burned his fucking house down! Gwen: [laughs]
Hugo: And like, destroyed his car
Gwen: [laughs]
Jarod: She's got a good voice Peyton: Yeah
Jarod: Very powerful
Gwen: Oh! I liked that last-- the last frame was like, a heel on the face of a statue
Hugo: That was dope as shit
Gwen: That was, that was super lit
Umu: What did you think of this one?
Gwen: I am in love with Ailee. Just-- Hugo: That was-- no, I don't think you are
'Cause you don't love me
Gwen: That's a completely different artist
Gwen: We call that--like, chorus number 2--that she was going to build that note Hugo: Oh, she went like--
Gwen: So as soon as she did, we were like [gestures]
Hugo: And the rapper, holy shit Gwen: Yeah
Have we heard her before? Hugo: And then the fucking split?
Gwen: Good, make her be famous Hugo: Like damn
Umu: What about the music in this one?
Peyton: Very dirty Jarod: Like, this one definitely highlights the voice
Like brings it-- it's like, designed more of an accompaniment to her
Like, her riffing and her like descant stuff versus like being like 'the show'
Fiona: I really liked the beginning
It was more like, tktktktk, like the-- just the rhythm going on and like, heavy bass
Henry: It definitely had like, the thing going on where it's like, as opposed to an actual bass player
It was like, a bass track where the bassist went [droning bass note]
and just like, held. Bass does not do that, unless you have a pedal on it
And it definitely did not have a pedal on it. It was definitely just a machine
that was just like holding the constant pitch. There was an articulation
and then just sound. It was very like--at least towards the beginning--it was more minimalist
and then they added more computers on top of it. Like, I don't know. I just-- none of it was like
human generated, and that just doesn't feel-- that just doesn't feel natural, and so it's hard for me to feel--
Emiel: Vocals Fiona: It felt natural to me because-- Henry: Compelled by it
Fiona: like, kind of all, like modern pop-y-ish music that-- has that--sounds like that Henry: Yeah, I just, that kind of stuff does not do it for me
Which is, you know, a personal taste thing? I'm also a little bit of like, uh
You know, just because I am a musician sort of thing
Umu: A musician who can't turn off his musician brain?
Henry: Yes, yeah, I should-- I should have specified
Kevin: There was one moment
Yunyi: There WAS one moment
You missed it Kevin: Oh yeah, yeah, you're right
It was just before this Yunyi: Just the start
Yunyi: Ah! That chord! More of this!! Umu: The [vocalizing]?
Kevin: No no no no no
Kevin: That's the exact interval
But like, there's the--the--the Yunyi: Instant replay!
Yunyi: That was like, the tastiest chord in the wild Kevin: Yeah, yes
Yunyi: But like, it just didn't-- out of left field in this song Kevin: Yeah
Yunyi: It was just this one chord
And this is one-- Kevin: And the verse was--I think it was pretty good. The rap break-- the verse and the bridge
Were all pretty big improvements on the previous songs, but the chorus?
Yunyi: I thought the bridge was excellent Kevin: Yeah, the chorus is the thing that just doesn't work
You know? It's like, "melody melody, melody, and there's like, dadada, but that repeats again and again Umu: Oh, okay okay
Kevin: And then, you know, it just kind of--it's a bit more fragmented and it's a bit more repetitive
Yunyi: But they were better with um
Harmonizing the melody differently-- Kevin: True
Yunyi: In the different vocal lines, and what I noticed from the previous two videos that we saw
Was that it was very much just like, a solo melodic voice? Kevin & Umu: Mmmm
Yunyi: Whereas this one ,they play with some interesting intervals Kevin: Yeah
Melissa: I like the-- like, the beat, you know?
And the bass Lindsey: I like how in the beginning
It was like, that really intense like-- just drums and bass thing
But her singing was kind of melodic
Umu: Mhm Lindsey: And then later on, I think it might have been with the other girl when she was rapping
The backgrounds almost sounded more like they could have been like acoustic
It was kind of like, flipped, but it really worked Melissa: That rap sounded like, really different from American rap
Which I don't know shit about, so I'm just gonna embarrass myself, but like--
Lindsey: You know, no-- I agree though Melissa: Yeah, it just sounded like, slower?
Lindsey: Yeah, I I just really like when it's like, definitely a duple thing, and then the rapping is like
[staccato beat]
Melissa: So that's not hemiola. It's a polyrhythm?
Lindsey: Yeah, kind of
Melissa: Or the other way? Lindsey: Well it like, goes into a complex thing like a 6/8 kind of thing for just a little bit
Hugo: Okay, I think overall-- Gwen: Snaps for the rapper
Hugo: I think I would give my vote to this one definitely Gwen: Oh yeah, we have to vote
Gwen: This one.
Just 'cause it was like, lit as hell
Jarod: Mind Your Own Business Peyton: I'm gonna go with Home
Jarod: I'm gonna go back to how I said Mind Your Own Business had a very unique beat to it
Whereas this one-- this one was really good beat, but at the same time I'm like
I--like, I've heard it, you know?
Henry: I think the first one might've-- Emiel: The first one
What was that? Umu: Mind Your Own Business
Emiel: Yes, that one was better. Henry: Yeah
Fiona: I like this one more Emiel: Okay
Lindsey: Maybe the first one. I think I like the first one
Umu: Because? Lindsey: It was like, really it was kind of like a banger. Melissa: I like the second one
Umu: Cool. So which one do you like better? Yunyi: This one. Home
Umu: Okay, so which one did you like better? Ben: The first one
Shimon: Oh, was that the car--P.T. Cruiser? Ben: Yeah, yeah, P.T. Cruiser
Shimon: I like the second one better
Umu: Okay
Naoki: Evens
Umu: Okay. 0.5 for both? Naoki: Yes Umu: Alright