March 17, 2017

[Bonus] Best Of BTS

Unlike Twice, I have no qualms writing about BTS as the premier boy group in Kpop. They have the resume, roster, talent, and work ethic to back all of it up. Time for a Best Of, then! As it turns out I've only written one other Best Of for a group (9MUSES) since the 7th season - let's try and get more of these on a somewhat consistent basis. For BTS, I'm only going to consider their vast number of title tracks. While this will leave out heavy contenders like "Whalien 52" and "Born Singer," it'll even the playing field because I haven't dived into many of their B-sides.
7. We Are Bulletproof Pt.2
Bear with me on this one. Many people laughed at or dismissed BTS' debut material but there's a few reasons this track stands out. First, as always, the choreography is sweet and this was really the first song to emphasize the whole guns and shooting business. Second, it acts as a reminder to the image that BTS had back in their early days. Finally, Rap Monster's verse is disgustingly good (and was accompanied by the usual crowd). It is quite confusing how this was called part two though when part one didn't exist.
6. War Of Hormone
Despite the cringey title and cringier lyrics, the song itself is quite good and quite addicting. The instrumental is infectious and in hindsight a deviation from the trend of future BTS songs. "War Of Hormone" is highlighted by the casual yet entertaining choreography (and maybe even the style of the music video) along with V's growl during the chorus. The bridge is lackluster and the high note by Jungkook isn't as pretty as it could be, but in the grand scheme of things this is a solid piece.
5. Boy In Luv
"Boy In Luv" is arguably the opposite of "War Or Hormone." The latter had good video material and cringe lyrics. The former has better lyrics but a cringe video. I'm already not an MV person and this song only gives me another excuse to not rewatch any. Perhaps the most rock-influenced song yet, "Boy In Luv" was aggressive in all the audio spheres and I loved that. I also loved the "hakuna matata" thrown in there - doubling as a Disney and Kpop (T.O.P's "Doom Dada") reference gives you points in my book.
4. Danger
From here on out these songs are more or less complete. Complete in the sense that the flaws are kept to a minimum (in the case of "Danger" it's the prechorus which can be rather grating). Anyways "Danger" is the marker of the "current" BTS in my mind, and certainly a good starting point to do so. The rapping and dancing are polished and you couldn't really ask for better. This song's instrumental has highs and lows that compliment each other well, and the vast array of rapping support is the usual BTS standard.
3. Spring Day
Why is "Spring Day" so high up on this list for a group known for their high-octane choreography and vicious rapping? For that exact reason. BTS is a group that is extremely good at their strengths, but they can cover their bases, too. BTS are not strangers to slow jams as they have consistently had plenty of B-side material of that nature. In terms of their title tracks, "Spring Day" is their best ballad and the complimentary voices between Jimin, Jungkook, and V sound their finest here.
2. I Need U
When you look at all of the BTS hype songs, the best ones are usually the simplest ones. "Fire" has a little too much going on, while "Dope" is a touch too quirky. On the other hand "I Need U" has everything: singing, rapping, dancing: it's all there and it's all so good. My dance team has covered many a BTS song and this choreography is my favorite to both watch and learn. This piece served as a backbone to future releases like "Run," and even "Blood Sweat & Tears."
1. Save Me
To the surprise of exactly zero people, I think that "Save Me" is BTS' masterpiece. From the spinning choreography to the wonderful instrumental, the dramatic prechorus to the calm ending, "Save Me" is BTS firing on all cylinders at maximum efficiency. Even the music video is perfectly equipped with the right camera angles and color schemes. I thought this was going to be a tough composition after "Save Me" but this was pretty straightforward all things considered. Next time I'll have to pick an artist I've written about less (but even then I feel like BTS hasn't been that pronounced on my blog), we'll see.

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