[Review] Block B - Jackpot (Revisited)

It has become so difficult to attach videos in this new Blogger, I fucking hate it. I don't understand why this shit has to be so damn difficult. Everything keeps shifting around whenever I try to add a video, or the alignment gets all fucked up ughhh. Anyway, just in time for the spooky holiday is a revisit of an old Block B classic. "Jackpot" has plenty of Halloween imagery from the masks to the carnival, and general creepiness of their actions in the music video. What did I think of it then, versus now?

• If there was ever a song without Taeil as the main leading vocal, I’d be surprised to see (or hear) it. Taeil’s vocal prowess is present in the chorus, which I believe is the highlight of the song, with the high energy, general sassy and fun vibe.

Block B would of course go on to have a variety of songs that mix things up regarding the chorus, but 2014 me didn't have the benefit of future sight. But what I was correct about was the absolutely powerful chorus that drives the entirety of "Jackpot." It's fun and energetic, and makes it almost disappointing when followed up on by the lackluster "lalala" chants.

• Jaehyo’s meager bridge portion could have been really good if extended. Such a shame he was limited to mere seconds.
  

For real, I feel that Jaehyo never truly got his chance to shine. Taeil took most of the vocalist spotlight, while the heavy presence of Zico, Kyung, and P.O ate up plenty of other moments in their music. Hell they even put the rappers in singing roles which only further limited his chances. Arguably one of the most underrated boy group secondary vocalists out there.

• It’s a carnival theme, so even if the group wasn’t Block B, it’d have been a requirement to look at silly and goofy as possible. Coming off the heels of “Very Good” though, seems a little recycled with the masks and colourful suits but nothing worth complaining about. P.O doesn’t cut it this time around though. Didn’t like how the hair swirled around his forehead.

This group has always been goofy with the aesthetics, so a carnival inspired "Jackpot" was no exception. And yeah P.O has always had some of the weirdest styling, so someone on the design team must have had a grudge against him or something.

• I would not go so far as to say Block B is coining their own style of dance (AKA silly choreography), but it’s certainly their style that everyone is just jumping around, having a good time, while still (somewhat) looking like a choreographed dance. The 2nd chorus in particular was funny with the 3 members in the back just doing their own thing. Certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
  

An aspect of the dance that I didn't touch upon in the original review is the hilarious facial expressions that we saw on the members throughout the video - which also stretched over to live performances, as well. Zico and Kyung's super exaggerated faces are great and tie into the fun-having carnival theme even more. Plus all that heavy eyeliner makes their expressions even more extreme.

• Zico and Kyung are in the top tier of rappers, so anything considered “average” would be distasteful for these two. Regardless, Zico’s signature yelling and Kyung’s signature “Aight~” aren’t missing, and their lines are fun, quirky, and just sound good. I actually think that this time around with “Jackpot”, the rapping was put in the secondary to the more fun vocals.

Back in 2014 I split up the song reviews based on singing, rapping, dancing, etc. so in revisits it'll always feel clunky. ...I feel like I've said this before but whatever. Zico and Kyung have been very consistent and noteworthy since debut, and with the addition of P.O here and there (since he sang a bunch) Block B has had a stable rapping corps throughout their long career.

• This is a damn good music video to accompany the fun and delightful song. I usually try to keep descriptions light, but this MV stood out to me with the analogies and homages. Whereas “Very Good” almost certainly was following Big Bang’s tracks, “Jackpot” has elements off previous Block B videos. There were references from “Very Good”: the colourful suits, the clown masks, Taeil’s glasses and hair, as well as “Nillili Mambo”: Jaehyo with a woman, gambling and getting punched out. After departing from their previous label, Block B have really started to come around.

While the aesthetics felt repetitive off the heels of "Very Good," the other fun details were a breath of fresh air. All in all even though it was still just a box video at the end of the day, the attention to detail paid off and made "Jackpot" at least memorable in that sense. Considering that this was only their second release under the new label at the time, Block B reminded fans that they were still here to have fun and drop good music.

• It’s a shame that Block B has decided to forgo promotions for this song, as the live stages would’ve been entertaining to watch.

Wonder where 2014 me got that information from, because uh they definitely did perform this song live.