In which we find hidden subtleties in aggressive K-pop boyband songs. Or don’t.
[Video][Website]
[5.67]
Iain Mew: People talk about the pop bits of Nicki Minaj’s album being a waste but much of this is close enough to the RedOne on overdrive of “Pound the Alarm” that I imagine her doing it instead and it would be a massive improvement. The mushy yelling of the chorus would have to go for the replacement to go smoothly. Still, it’s imaginative and powerful bosh and they aren’t bad singers. I also appreciate the electronic break more than normal, thanks to the fact they couldn’t decide whether to go for heavy machinery, friendly robot, pinball high score totaliser or rave siren mode and so, yes, here are all four in quick succession.
[6]
Jonathan Bogart: Excellent use of the dubstep breakdown, maintaining the song’s melodicism while allowing the tempo to go screwy. This is, if not the first certainly the best, time I’ve heard a K-pop boy band sound like the actual heir to the Backstreet/*Nsync megaliths of yore.
[8]
Alfred Soto: The breakdown at the 2:30 mark is unexpected and fabulous, almost a match for the hysteria of the vocals and other beats. The rest is Max Martin doing meth.
[6]
Edward Okulicz: Evidently every country’s music industry gets the Cascada it deserves. Here, it’s a boy band. That doesn’t matter.
[6]
Katherine St Asaph: Aside from the dubstep/Diplo/invincibility music tangent on the bridge, this could be a dance mix from some lost bonus release of a 98 Degrees album. Somehow that’s not even strange anymore.
[4]
Brad Shoup: “Get me Pitbull and David Guetta!” “They’re unavailable.” “Then get me their non-union South Korean equivalents!”
[4]