[by Michelle Z]
Recently, a few Korean bands (Big Bang with G-Dragon, TOP, Taeyang, Seungri, and Daesung) released 4 mini-albums, each including two songs that are so addicting you can’t help but listen to them on repeat. The short albums, together, form the full album “MADE.”
The first mini album “M” was released in 2015 on May 1; its two songs are “LOSER” and “BAE BAE”. The first song I listened to was “BAE BAE”, and to be honest I didn’t like it that much at first because the band members sound like they’re going through puberty and that’s not my type of music. But when I listened to it again, I heard how unique G-Dragon’s voice is, and noticed TOP’s deep and attractive voice which caught me off guard. Then when I listened to “LOSER”, I cried a little watching the music video, partially because of G-Dragon’s beautiful face and also the fact that this song is about all the pains and scandals Big Bang went through in the past years, making them feel like losers. When they sing this song, all of their voices have a tinge of sadness, and it’s utterly heart-touching. The last thing Big Bang will ever become is a band of losers, because this song took them to the top of the music charts.
The second mini album “A” was released on June 1, and it includes “BANG BANG BANG” and “WE LIKE 2 PARTY.” I never really took the time to listen to this album since this time it wasn’t free, but when I was watching the videos of the songs, I realized that “A” is more party-oriented than “M,” which was more of a “let me talk about my own experience” type of recording. After listening to the songs on this album, I would say it’s not as good as “M,” but it’s still worthy of your time.
The third mini album, “D,” contains songs about love, including “SOBER” and “IF YOU.” “SOBER” is about living in dreams and escaping the reality of life. The entire video has a very dreamy feel, and this is the perfect song that everyone should have on their summer playlist. “IF YOU,” on the other hand, is one of the most depressing songs Big Bang has ever created. It’s such a melancholy song that they didn’t adapt it into a video, seeing that a lot of audiences might not be able to handle the sorrow. Even when I was listening to the song, understanding none of the lyrics, it left me in tears because their voices send a message which is greater than words.
Fourth and last of the mini albums is “E,” with “Let’s Not Fall in Love” and “Zutter.” “Let’s Not Fall in Love” is not exactly my favorite song from Big Bang, but it sure is my favorite video. Whether you’re a K-pop fan or not, when you get to the part with G-Dragon, a part of you will die, because G-Dragon is the definition of perfection. My first time listening to “Let’s Not Fall in Love” didn’t really touch me, but when I was watching the video, I realized how much content this song holds. It’s about how two lovers don’t want to fall in love because they know when they stop loving, it will hurt too badly. Next, “Zutter” is a song sang just by G-Dragon and TOP. Although frankly, I have no idea what this song says, their rap allured me, and I ended up listening to it on repeat for 3 days.
After I listened to all of their mini albums, my favorites were “D” and “E,” and I recommend these albums to everyone because Big Bang’s music is amazing. 2015.9.1 will be the day the full-length album “MADE” will be released, so a reminder to all the K-pop fans out there: this is a date you should remember, because Big Bang is back.