(subtitles by twitter @angelade17, the SKZ Dance Tutorials guy) UMU: Hello everyone, my name is Umu and I'm ReacttotheK's channel creator.
HENRY: What's up everybody, it's Henry from Classical Musicians React.
UMU: Welcome to Henry's and my reaction to Stray Kids' OST for Pop Out Boy, "Hello Stranger"!
So I came across two videos,
one being a little bit shorter and having like the K-drama scenes behind it,
and then one Stray Kids version, which looks like the full length song.
So we're going with this one.
And I was really surprised when I was previewing the song because I'm so-
*gasp * Sorry.
I'm so used to OSTs just being very very mainstream ballads that all sound the same, and this is very very much not that.
Soooo I'm excited to listen to more of it.
HENRY: Haven't seen the K-drama...
But we're gonna do it anyway. Ready? 3 2 1.
These closed captions are in Korean. I'm screwed.
UMU: Got more instrumentals coming in.
U: Niiiice!
The slides up.
(U: *imitates descending sound*) H: Whoo!
H: Look at all that swagger.
Look at all that swagger!
U: Ooh, nice choice to go to falsetto here.
U: Yeahhhh!!
Ooh, syncopation!
Nice!
This melody is nicely written.
Because it keeps continuing to develop, it doesn't necessarily repeat what you had before.
H: *sings along*
Oh my god, I predicted it.
U: *makes descending noise* Sounds like someone's screaming.
Like, *makes noise*
Nice change for the second verse.
Sounds like Felix's voice is several octaves below IN's line there.
U: Just as soon as I catch on to something it changes!
I like *sings*
Added another instrument with the same rhythm.
H: Yeahhhh.
That space!
Let me get some "Hello hello hello hello"s.
Is that after- do they do that after this?
U: There's soooo many layers!
U: OKAY.
H: Yeah. The space they take is awesome.
I really liked how much of their vocal range and possibilities they kind of used.
You know, for not a specifically like acappella group where everything is just focused on their voice and how they use it,
It was really, it was a huge range, a huge range of singing.
*sings hook*
That's all in their head voice.
And then they have *sings*
is that- that is the range that they're- that is the octave they're singing it in.
And that's right in the- their middle/lower chest voice.
They're singing kind of high chest voice,
And they have their definitely head voice/falsetto, can't really tell which one they're doing,
And then, there's also in the first one they're doubling with the octave lower,
probably a little bit modified to get there.
Although I do know they have one singer that can sing really really low.
But holy crap, that song's such, SUCH a cool harmonization.
Such a cool harmonization.
U: So sometimes there are songs that have like a catchy vocal part, and when-
I think we explained this in their "GO LIVE" album,
where a melody would start out and then you know, have a certain pattern of notes right, hit certain notes.
And then it would start out the exact same way, hit the same notes, and then end slightly differently.
And whenever a melody is that way, I tend to tune in more into the instrumental.
Because I kind of know what's coming up with you know, the repetition of the melody.
And then there are melodies that you know, like you think are gonna start repeating again, and they don't and they just keep changing.
And so whenever that happens, I do tend to pay attention to the vocal melody more.
And so I was trying to pay attention to the vocal melody, but also the instrumentation was so freaking thick!!
Like double c, capital letters, THICC.
And so I was like wait, whoaa woah.
There's so much to listen to, through the instrumental, through the harmonies, through the textures,
the rhythms that, you know didn't keep coming back,
like they you know, kept changing throughout.
So I'm gonna go in for a second listen, because yeah,
and just try to listen to different things, try to notice new things.
It's gonna be fun! 3 2 1!
Oh, oh and then it's... Morse code, right?
Like the beginning of "District 9"!
The hits are so satisfying.
And they had the little pick up to that hit.
Nice panning.
Now this is a repeating of the vocal melody,
but we added so many different instrumentals at that part.
Cool!
They layered his voice with effect though.
So we have the unedited vocals, and then like under it we had a muffled-
Not sure if he has an effect on his voice.
Nice reply to the melodies at that part.
I'm gonna go back a little bit.
Let's start at 51 seconds in 3 2 1.
*sings*
And then octave below is added in.
Back to the falsetto.
And then it sounds like the vocal reply had a thicker harmony on that part.
And they're continuing these lifts of instrumental once in a while.
Yeah, it's so satisfying.
Because um when we hit the chorus it's hitting every beat right, we have:
*sings*
And then we have: *sings*
Right? Which is a change of feel for the rhythm. 1:23, 3 2 uno.
And that's the same notes as the beginning of the melody, but a different rhythm.
The chords underneath are just SO long.
It's a wall of sound.
*whoop*
And we're, get rid of the wall of sound.
*sings* It sounds like uh, scratching a guitar string or something. (?????)
[singing] And light ascend here, and then we go back down to this note down here.
Higher register!
[singing] Up, back up here.
It's so satisfying when we hit that chorus.
We have [singing] "Hello stranger",
right, [singing] "Hello stranger" so it ascends,
and then we've got this synth that goes *sings*
Ah I'm not sure if that's the right note, but it goes like *sings*
Like it descends so we've got some contrary motion going on.
H: Do you hear that? Do you hear that lower octave harmonization?
U: You mean like at the first verse?
H: No no no, second- second verse. (U: The second verse.)
H: Yeah, they're doubling the verse an octave down.
U: Yeah yeah yeah, no no no, that's Felix I'm guessing.
H: Aggh sounds so good!!
(H: I mean it's- right? Like-) U: But also the texture is completely different from the first verse.
U: I think the energy was really really well spread out in this.
Not only through dynamic level, like layers of instrumentals and the texture of instrumentals,
but also through variation and rhythmic hits and such.
God, I just- I can't get over the first and second verse!!
Because you know, we start at a certain energy level that- but with you know, sparser textures,
U: and then we just slowly add in more and more and more until we have the wall of sound that is the chorus. (H: [singing] "Stranger")
U: And then it's so satisfying when everything, you know, is taken out and instrumentals are changed once we reach the second verse.
And then it's so welcomed when the wall of sound comes back and stays for the rest of the song.
H: Yeah. I really, I also agree that it's pretty well balanced out.
I commented on the vocal range, or their use of their vocal range.
Just even in the the chorus, *sings*
And then they end it sort of in the middle.
But oh my gosh, like I was just- like even in there we just-
you just covered like the map, the vocal map right here of your range.
And they all sing it so beautifully!
(H: That was really cool.) U: They have like everything on my list checked out, when like, you know for-
U: Reasons for me to like a song, they like checked everything off the box.
Like maybe it wasn't the most harmonically interesting, but it made up for textually interesting with variation, rhythmic variation,
and unpredictable rhythms,
unpredictable melody because it kept jumping around in the range.
And just like, everything that I think makes a really solid song.
H: No, I think it was pretty well done.
The chorus is just SO catchy.
I mean, I listened- you know, even in the couple repetitions in the song and then when I listen to it again, I found myself like:
*sings hook*
And the first they did the *sings hook*
I tried to finish their phrase, because I heard *sings hook* and I sang along, I'm like,
"YOOOO I guessed it!"
*flashback to 10 minutes ago*
H: Oh my god, I predicted it.
H: I predicted- I got so excited, even though like-
What, I have a music degree, I'm supposed to be able to predict the easiest like, antecedent consequent phrase ever.
But like still, that's a good sign that they're like creating a melodic contour that's easy on the ears, right.
You can really just predict where it's going to go.
(H: And I think that's special.) U: Right, but-
U: Also I think they mix predictableness with unpredictability well enough,
because sometimes when you think that a certain melody would repeat,
you know, copy paste and end in a different way, it didn't.
Because they had some moments where they did, but then they changed the instrumental below.
H: Yeah! Like the second verse with the octave down?
(H: The vocal harmony?) U: No, like the instrumental-
U: Like the instrumental, the rhythms changes and new instrumentals are added in,
U: so it sounds completely- you view it in a different energy. (H: Ohh.)
H: No, I get it. It's like painting an object in different styles.
U: Yeah!
(H: Seeing an apple-) U: Like yeah, an apple sketch versus an-
U: I love how we both just said apple! *laughs*
H: A sketch with maybe a graphite pencil, versus like a mechanical pencil in school.
It's going to look a little slightly different, it has a little different kind of appeal to it.
And it does keep it fresh, does keep it fresh.
They- Stray Kids always keep it fresh.
U: Yeah, so just satisfying and fun, and just overall BOP.
(H: That's good stuff.) U: Or would this be a banger? Banger or bop?
U: Like, the verses might be a bop but the chorus be a banger? Wait-
"Bangop". Banger and bop.
H: No, it's a bibimbap?
U: Bibimbap, *laughs*
H: I would definitely call the chorus a bop, if not- if not the whole thing.
Like, it's really fun to sing along to the chorus.
Especially second time listening through, because it's- it is really earworm-y, you know?
H: Uh, it can get stuck right away and you can easily sing along with "stranger", "hello", "nanana", "closer" (U: [singing] "Strangerrrr". Yeah.)
H: My feeling, my gut says this is a lot of fun to sing along to in a crowd.
So it's a banger to me.
U: Aight okay, decision made.
BANGER. *laughs*
Wait no, you said it was a bop- okay nevermind.
Is it a banger or a bop? Let's let the fans decide.
H: What is the difference between a banger and a bop, fans?
(H: Question of the day, question of the video.) U: Or maybe even-
U: Bang Chan, if you're watching this tell us, banger or bop? *laughs* [HI CHAN]
U: Thanks so much for watching, everyone. (H: Oh my gosh.)
H: Thanks everyone, subscribe! (U: See you later!)
H: Like, favorite, comment. (U: Oh, oh my god you're doing it again.)
H: Uhh check us out on Patreon, merch coming out soon.
U: Link in the description!
U: Bye!! [subtitles by @angelade17 ~ see y'all next time!]