#aftertaste mv

[sersh]

KATIE GAVIN Aftertaste (Official Music Video) dir. Katie Gavin & Alexa Viscius

[linagram]

everyone's album covers, song previews and album trailer voicelines!

YESSSSSSSSSSSS I'M FINALLY DONE WITH ALL OF THEM *falls on the floor*

okay okay i'm actually kinda proud of myself?? :'D like i always prefer just. drawing characters even though i don't really avoid drawing backgrounds and i don't find drawing them that difficult but i rarely pay attention to things like. doors so yeah it's kinda cool that i've managed to come up with ten different door designs and draw them! even though most of them don't even look like doors. it's okay listen i just wanted to make them as weird as their mvs okay

(also about some prisoners having the symbols on their uhhh restraints and most of them not having them. well you see i just didn't have any energy left to draw them so i was like "it's fine i'll just draw the actual symbols later" and guess what. i didn't :) and i'm too tired to draw all of them so y-yeah. honestly maybe i'll change the symbols to something else like it takes way too much time to draw them and they're not even that close to the canon ones)

okay sorry for rambling, you can read everyone's song previews, titles (though you can see them on the covers, but still. or maybe you can't see them i'm sorry if the text is hard to read 😭) and album trailer voicelines under the cut! and also more of my rambling

Album trailer voicelines:

Akio: "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"

Aimi: "Don't you think that's kind of.. unprofessional?"

Shun: "I-Isn't it a good thing that I'm getting better?"

Naomi: "But in the end, I've simply decided to agree with you."

Kei: "It's time for your punishment, Eiji~"

Eiko: "It's like.. your life finally has a purpose."

Asahi: "I wanna go home, even if I don't have one anymore."

Yurika: "THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY FUCKING SENSE!"

Riku: "Haha, trust me, I'm strong enough to do that."

Reina: "So, yeah, the show's over."

Song titles:

Akio: The King's Execution

Aimi: Mask of Kindness

Shun: Wrong Route

Naomi: Your Story

Kei: Web of Desire

Eiko: As Seen On TV

Asahi: 'Cause I Deserve It

Yurika: Bitter Aftertaste

Riku: Trendsetter

Reina: Death of the Author

Song previews:

Akio: "Come on, fight me, punch me, beat me to death,

Show me how you've really felt about me all this time

There's no one left to support me, no one left to call me "Your Majesty"

I guess it's time for me to admit my defeat" 

Aimi:

"Let's have as much fun as we can today, like this is the last day of our lives

I won't ask you to be careful, I know you won't listen to me anyway

Let's make these moments more colorful than ever before

Let's turn today into our best masterpiece"

Shun:

"I know that this is the best option, I don't even need a guide

"Real life"? What's that? Some kind of joke?

I know you will love me in every world and universe

Tell me I'm your everything, let me get the best ending"

Naomi:

"I can't believe I found out about this only now

Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why didn't anyone else tell me about this?

Your life was so short, but so full of pain

Does this mean that I've saved you from all that suffering?"

Kei:

"Congrats, you've fallen right into my trap

Make yourself comfortable, you're in for a long ride

Tying you up, choking and biting

Keep your eyes on me, take those rose-colored glasses off"

Eiko:

"Yay, she did it, good for her! What an icon, am I right?

Haha, thank you, thank you! Serves him right, I know

You've forgiven me, darling, so let me thank you properly

Tell me what you want, I will give you everything and more"

Asahi:

"Give me more, you know that it'll never be enough for me

You want me to repay you? That's funny

Why should you give me so much and get nothing in return?

It's obvious, 'cause I deserve it"

Yurika:

"Please, please, make my world sweet again

This world is so cold, so bitter, if I take a bite, I'll get poisoned for sure

Hey, hey, what are you saying? You want more sugar as well?

Sure, anything for my master! But you're not her, so get out."

Riku:

"Now, listen, I don't like to do this

I'm not the type to abuse my power

But looks like it's time for you to get what you deserve

So get him, everyone, I'll pat you on the head later"

Reina:

"What about my crime? What about my sins?

Well, why don't you figure it out yourself?

I'll let you decide, I'll let you write my story

Aren't you the one who's supposed to judge us anyway?"

Random facts about everyone's song titles, lyrics and doors (spoiler-free. mostly):

The silhouettes from Akio's T1 MV are back!

If you've read Aimi's T1 MV description, you probably already went "Wait, is her song title a reference to that mask from her video?" and you are correct!

Shun's song title is kinda supposed to be a pun? Basically it's a reference to dating sims, character routes and all that stuff, but it's also supposed to mean taking a wrong path in life or something like that.

Naomi's song title was the hardest one to come up with and it turned out to be the most boring one. I am so sorry.

I actually wouldn't say that Asahi's door shows his MV that well, since his video will actually have mostly white and green colors, but I thought that a door like that would look boring, so yeah, I made it more colorful!

"Why is Yurika's door like that?" Oh, don't worry, compared to Asahi's door, Yurika's door shows her MV perfectly fine <3

Riku's door. Riku's door made me go through so much pain, IT WAS THE LAST DOOR I CAME UP WITH. I LITERALLY HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DRAW. Not even because I dislike his MV, it's just that his MV has this motif that's. Very hard to show as a door. Like all ideas I had just sounded stupid so I decided to go with something like this instead. Also I still hate drawing chains and I used a brush instead.

Yes, Naomi's door just. Looks like a diary. BUT I TRIED TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A DOOR OKAY I TRIED

Reina's door having a more "actor-like" motif probably doesn't make much sense because of the song title, but trust me, it does. And yes, her song title is based on the trope of the same name.

Aimi's song lyrics kinda sound like a sequel to her T1 song though i guess her t2 song can be called that here, but the rest of the lyrics sound more different. And yes, there will be more of their song lyrics in the MV descriptions this time >:)

Kei's song lyrics are actually supposed to be much more sad this time and even the chorus will sound differently in the end.

Reina, please, stop breaking the fourth wall, you're becoming way too powerful.

[lilac-udon]

Alien stage thoughts

I saw many hate round 7, the plot is logically this result is understandable and very valid, however it’s not a good aftertaste for the audience . I guess I give some critique? I did make a post about the story, logically I think till should die. the story always seems interesting to me because I feel it’s not standard, not taking usual paths. for me I think it’s cool too see creative goes to places ppl never goes before and explore more unusual none traditional plots , which I think that’s why round 6 is big, usually no one will write it like that. ( ivan a side character being this devoted and etc) However I also did consider if this is a writer flaw . story wise round 7 is confusing and depressing . how I see my love for ivan because he is the most in depth character, simple straight forward of lover boy angst over his love. he’s story is full, refined, understandable. I said this also led characters unbalanced of sua, , till and mizi who especially is the mc is out of focus, and results many cheering for till who ivan put his effort on that the audience can attach their feelings to . What I was expecting was more story of till however we doesn’t get it( and logically we shouldn’t bc he isn’t the mc), it make till felt hollow. They really put too much insight for ivan where luka till mizi etc all just glanced through their activities. Another problem of alst , they always add more explanation and info out of the video which sua and ivan is actually quite different from only viewing the mvs. Paid content and post to explain the motive that you completely can not get from videos, however ivan gets a lot in his videos time. Was too hype for till to be a complex character but he met his end before anything. I can only see them all alive in some ways to save this part for the explanation.

so I was looking at others criticism and I do agree about some, mostly about the ship, like it’s logical what had happened , but viewing ppl opinions I do agree, the series was heavily depending on selling their official ship, and their mismatch pairing of the final give viewers bad taste ,confusion and mostly sadness, the lack of mizi internal really made till became the main character everyone voting for … the ambiguity of timeline. So yeah the video is short and you can’t put all the information you want to say. I do see this happening however it just sad, my worries is they make them all alive but that really hurts the writing a little, viv always like to be sad, is my joy to read and see people idea after round 6, now everyone is dead ah , also joke on u I love my ship dead :) I’m just concerned about the story continuity

half way in the story??? And half of them is dead????????

Oh there’s one thing I dislike about… the art book gives us what the author explained of what is what… ugh

Add I’m gonna add here so no one see at first sight, it a joke I love them: till has such a miserable life, abuse, and harass two time before death

But the overall video is hype I love it but the story just a bit sad, but for till that pretty nice too I guess, he can finally leave this horrible world

[kpopmakesmequestionmylifechoices]

Txt cb rant: Marvel's Fantastic Five?

This txt comeback gotta be one of the most anticlimactic cbs I've ever witnessed. It was worse than when tbz released lipstick just after roar.

(disclaimer: I'm a txt fan and love the bsides but wtf is this tt?!)

First of all, the mv

Txt mvs always had this extensive story and symbolism, even gbgb was more meaningful than chasing that feeling. The mv looks like it was planned to be for the Weeknd but was last minute used for txt. The whack marvel CGI doesn't make it better. I feel like I'm watching a teaser for a marvel movie: The fantastic five.

The song itself

Once you listen to the English version, the Korean version starts to sound pretty bad. Often it works when songs are written in English and then translated to Korean. This time it clearly didn't work bcos this song just sounds a lot better in English.

I don't need to mention that it sounds like a the Weeknd song, but that's not even an issue in my eyes. My issue is that it somehow doesn't sound like txt. They always used different styles throughout all the albums but the songs all still sounded like txt. No matter if they were cheerful or dark, mysterious or dramatic, it all sounded like txt. Chasing that feeling just sounds as if they're covering another artist. I think all the bsides (minus DILT) sound very much like txt but the tt somehow ... not.

The golden thread

So far I always was able to connect the mvs with each other but this time it doesn't seem to have any content in the first place. It doesn't seem like I need to watch the mv in order to find any missing pieces from the lore. It appears like a 'filler' instead of an actual cb with plot. Chasing that feeling with THAT sort of mv is pre-release material and not a tt.

I surely do have my theories what this mv means in context of the narrative however it's just a horribly boring mv in my eyes.

The bitter aftertaste

When I listened to the album preview I knew growing pain would be a banger. It's a style that doesn't rly occur in kpop and it would have been a cultural reset (#overdramatic) if that had been the tt. The mv could have been insanely dope. I'm seeing a dark and gritty 'txt as a gang in a big city' -narrative, being chased by enemies and trying to survive. Could have been connected directly to gbgb jap. ver. Which literally would fit the overall lore. Bighit do u wanna hire me?

In conclusion: I don't hate the song. But I dislike the mv, and I dislike the missed potential of other tracks as tt. I think the song is solid (minus the chorus that falls flat in my eyes) but the combination of mv and song is just horrible in my eyes ...

[aprilblossomgirl]

Will be gone I don't know for how long to rewatch the episode the mv the dance practice video (how am I this lucky) and then keep replaying that dance scene forever and plant them permanently in my head and in my heart. The music the singing and the dance parts of the show and all the aftertaste that follows are all that I think make the show WHOLE as it is besides the growing attraction among these highschoolers. I'm gonna keep my dancing with these little wonders of a show in my little corner if needed because I don't think I would love the show this much if not for all those whole package.

[plutoswrath]

brb whishing sm only bad things to happen to them since they once again forgot to give taeil screen time in the recent mv 💗

Edit: even in the studio choom video. He only had the high note and even there they cut him off (again). They could’ve put him at least in a few front rows but didn’t do that as well.

[dojae-huh]

So looks like 127's repack was scratched out. WayV is coming back in December, RV, Dream, and several solos. Taeil said nor pictures, nor an MV was made (if I understood him correctly). This allows SM to move the new songs to the next album.

Which, in my eyes, isn't bad. "2 Baddies" didn't blew up like "Kick It". There were problems with fanmeets and concerts. A fresh start in 2023 can be a better option, rid of the aftertaste. With track videos and a second song during promotions.

[minjungfmd]

— ing / headcanon, aesthetic & playlist

summary / —ing is minjung’s second full-length album, and each song is a standalone to the entire story she tells of being at one place at each time. there’s an underlying cohesiveness to the whole as when the album’s listened to from start to finish (excluding the bonus tracks), there’s a certain wistfulness in the aftertaste akin to the feelings of currently going through something. (each photo in the aesthetic represents a specific song on the album) — hc to elaborate on each song playlist summary / during this process, each song was either a hit or miss in terms of the creation process. the majority of the album was created or partially created by someone she specifically sought out — no issues on their part. the lyrics were her own task, and she’d find herself either in moments where she’d be able to write the entire song, or she’d find pieces of writer’s block. in those times, it was the emotional hold on thinking about the event or person the song pertained to that prevented her from writing. in return, she would find inspiration by dozing off or getting distracted by listening to songs that she found lied similarly to the general ‘mood’ of the song she wanted to convey. warnings / none wc / 1193

1. laziness — cut and paste 2. 서울 느와르 — 정재인 / seoul noir — jung jane 3. loser — jagwar twin 4. thunderclouds — lsd 5. first time — teeks 6. ghost — 백현 / baekhyun 7. wait! — fiji blue 8. 이대로만 ft. 죠지 — 로꼬 / just like this ft. george — loco 9.  we ride — 브레이브걸스 / brave girls calypso 10. 못 참아! ft. 로꼬 — 미노이 / i caan’t wait! ft. loco — meenoi

lilac & lullaby

i’m grouping these together because the melody and arrangement is credited to ash. minjung basically asked ash to create two songs, no guidelines — go free, run with it. in result, she got these two songs

lilac ended up being the title song, and she thinks it’s because it’s the most lively out of all the songs on there? there’s something you can build out of it on stage whereas the other songs aside from coin don’t really have that special sparkle that gold star wants

she enjoys the city pop vibes of lilac, especially because city pop is a genre she hasn’t touched upon and is one of her favorites. she listens to a lot of city pop, so when she was presented with the song — it was a done deal that the beat was something she could write something to

i’m not going over meanings of songs since i did the whole verifications, so if ur curious go read those

lullaby is a slower paced song, contrasted to lilac. and she likes this one because it almost bounces from her last album’s title track, through the night. except, it’s more subtle and almost more soft spoken? the emphasis with this song is the simple piano chords that compose the backtrack, and she thinks it’s pretty — almost like background noise to where someone wants to have her own inner monologue?

all in all, happy with what she asked for — 10/10

ah-puh

this is a song she asked an npc idol friend to create, and she got something more fun? like light beat on your toes type vibes.

as a result, she got to experiment more with the lyrics and the execution of how the lyrics were sung. 

i hc that this is a song her fans are more hit or miss on, considering it’s not really that catchy, but good enough to put on background as you wash your dishes or something

this is one of her favorite songs on the album

coin

coin was a co-collaboration between minjung & her npc friend, who is a producer for smaller company idol groups. 

this song was more edgy, and she liked that there was a point where she could put a rap albeit the rap wasn’t out of the world execution, but it’s fun

the real charm of this song was the mv. the mv was minjung’s vision to life, and more than she could’ve asked for from gold star. it had pieces of whimsicality, fun liveliness — basically alice in wonderland for gamblers, and she loves this song a LOT

but she also likes that for once she gets to wear a pant suit when she sings this as the second staged song. never had she ever been styled like that, so when she got the opportunity — pant suits were a new found invention to her

above the time

this song was created by joosung, and minjung specifically asked joosung because she knows the potential / the creativeness that joosung holds. plus, he’s pretty much her work husband. so, when she asked for a song, she really got a masterpiece 

she did not expect the bridge to transition like what sounded initially like a ballad song, so that made the writing process for the song that much more entertaining 

it’s not your typical ballad, which ngl when she first heard she thought she got a ballad song. instead, there’s a bit of a surprise factor weaved through the song — which gave her another weird genre? if you can call it that, to work around. it made fitting words into the melody a bit difficult, but it was more like a challenge she embraced considering the song a+ 10/10

drama

drama was another song created by an npc alongside minjung

the fun part about this song was how light hearted it was. upon first listen, it literally sounds like one of those children songs that children sing in pre-school (ie: twinkle twinkle little star). and a lot of the time the songs she creates have a lot of layers / complexities to them aside from somber ballads, so it was refreshing to take part in a song so simple that it puts the listener at ease

flu

duri did the melody of this song, which minjung specifically asked considering he’s worked wonders in titan’s discography + his own works which have had catchy tunes that she’s caught herself humming one too many times

and that’s what she got when she got the melody to flu — it’s catchy, and the song’s very modern? in a way that when you listen back in twenty years, it won’t sound like a twenty year old song. instead, it molds into whatever generation it’s in.

10/10 song a+

blackout & hi spring bye

grouping these together because these are the only two songs that minjung wrote entirely by herself

with black out, it’s a lot of noise. there’a lot of clanks and clutters spread throughout the song, to where the lyrics pack a poignant punch when you listen. it’s the intention that she wants people to listen to, where there’s almost a sarcastic taste in the song — aka a i live my life and you do you

there’s literature references and it really becomes one of the songs in her discography she’s most proud of since it’s a really minjung song (idk how to describe it other than that)

hi spring bye is a different genre, it’s so soft? it is really reminiscent of retro — not in the city pop nutro concept etc. but in the sense that it almost sounds like it belongs in a 2005 drama ost, and that’s what she likes about it

because when she was younger, that’s what she grew up on. and the hi spring bye concept adds to that nostalgic touch that spring always brings forth whether she welcomes it or not

it’s a dreamy song (how i describe it)

unlucky

unlucky has a heavy piano rift as with the majority of her songs

there’s almost a theatre feel to it — like she’s tap dancing on stage, and it’s a song that she envious herself to busking on the steps or like she’s singing to trees as she’s walking down a line of cherry blossoms

this is also one of those ‘childlike’ songs, except the chorus has a more mature feel which makes it come full circle to the concept of —ing

sleepless rainy night & meaning of you

these two songs are just covers that she re-arranged. these are songs dedicated to her parents, one for each of them as they are favorites of her parents.

she asked duri to feature on one because even though duri is known for his vocal abilities of singing tears in the original key, she wanted his voice to showcase in a lower smoother, less stretched out song

these two songs really fit the retro bill as they’re old songs, and she just wants to do them justice to the original creators

though tbh out of the two, her favorite is sleepless rainy night because of how hip it is to her.

[shawnmendeslatinamerica]

A DAY LIKE TODAY BUT 6 YEARS AGO SHAWN MENDES RELEASED THE MV FOR AFTERTASTE !!

“It was written to be an empowering song about being broken up with and getting back up. It’s about that somewhat passionate, angry feeling you get when you realize you don't need the person anymore and getting over it.”

Shawn about Aftertaste (MTV)

[hobipaint]

What got you into BTS? 😍 It's so interesting to know every army's story😍

for me? ahaha be prepared for an absolutely lengthy story

so we're talking about when I was nearly 13, and i was this kid who had barely heard any pop music of any form tbh - most of what i knew was taylor swift, ariana grande, justin bieber and one direction because that's all my classmates would sing. once a classmate covered stitches in music class and I really loved the song when I heard it again, and became a fan of shawn mendes after a few more songs - particularly aftertaste for some reason hehe. and another classmate told me about vh1 - I'm not too sure about how it is where you live? but for international pop fans in India, vh1 is like that one channel that plays pop music all day long- and told me about seeing shawn mendes on there. So I used to come from school, wash myself and eat my lunch while staring at vh1 in the hopes of seeing a shawn mendes video 🙈 I didn't have my own phone so the tv was really my only hope lol.

someday in july, I came home late because of an event I had to attend at school, and realised that I almost missed my daily wait for shawn mendes. and they had a segment that ran for an hour after the show I watched, called kpopped- I'm not sure if it still comes tbh,, I think they've merged kpop with international stuff now? and there's this really weird mv playing- there's someone in a bathtub, someone is running, someone is staring at the mirror, someone just plain looking at the camera, someone has a lollipop, someone is trying to sleep apparently - WAIT WHY DID HE THROW THAT BOTTLE AT THAT PERSON? WHY DID HE FAINT? WHY IS HE GETTING BEATEN UP - oh they're on a train? there's a bonfire? what is just happening?? And the song's name at the end of the video was I need u, by bts. I hadn't understood a word, or a scene, but the hook just drew me in.

I think what really got me into bts was trying to understand the underlying chaos in the i need u mv. I spent weeks watching lyric videos, learning the lyrics, spending time watching the behind the scenes (all hail bangtan subs) and trying to understand what exactly is happening in this particular video and all others (hyyh plots are a rabbit hole) and after a point I started taking a massive amount of interest in the lyrics and their meanings - it amazed so much that they conveyed so many things so beautifully in just minutes. and that's how I became an army, I guess? :)

[burtonized]

The new mv for can’t hold my heart is pretty and the boys look beautiful. Moreover, I’m happy to hear they didn’t edit Wonho’s voice out.

But the fact that we were so scared of that happening just gives me a bad aftertaste.

It’s not right.

[aneurysm1984]

Helmet - Exactly What You Wanted (1997)

[queerveluv]

A queer analysis of "Wish Tree”

Link to official MV

Link to MV with English subs

Link to director’s cut of the MV without the song

(Warning: Spoilers! Watch the MV first if you don’t want to be spoilt!)

Does the MV for “Wish Tree” make for good queer representation? Or is it queerbaiting? (Hint: I am completely biased as an RV stan.) On one hand, it takes queer love very seriously, elucidating the heartbreak when one’s feelings are unreciprocated. On the other hand, it reinforces the trope that queerness is a tragedy, that queer people don’t deserve happiness, that queer stories only exist to be edgy, especially through a shock ending. And the sappy lyrics only add salt to the wound. But I loved the MV and found it was a deeply meaningful representation of the adolescent queer experience. Here’s why.

The MV initially presents a platonic (if not ambiguous) homosocial friendship between two women, until it becomes increasingly clear that character that actress Lee Joo-young plays (henceforth “JY”) has more-than-platonic feelings for the character that actress Baek Soo Hee plays (henceforth “SH”) but struggles to articulate them. All this occurs to the accompaniment of the lyrics, which express the addresser’s Christmas wish to always be with the addressee no matter how many winters have passed, with clearly romantic connotations. In the penultimate scene, they watch the Japanese film Love Letter (1995) together and JY looks at SH desperately, unable to say anything. Afterward, JY and SH are making Christmas wishes and JY looks troubled again. Suddenly, the song pauses and SH asks JY what she wished for, stating she wishes to spend next Christmas with a boyfriend. Stunned, JY replies that she wishes not to spend next Christmas with SH. At this point, the song finishes its last line reiterating the addressee’s wish to always be together and the MV ends.

At first, I was like, “wow typical sad ending for queer people but yay superficial representation but also it’s a Red Velvet MV so you can’t criticize it.” And then I read the lyrics of the song and watched the MV again. And to my surprise, I suddenly found myself overwhelmed by sadness, knowing the twist ending that was coming. By the end of the MV I was a disheveled mess with a pile of soggy tissues in front of me. And I’ve never even cried at any romantic tragedy before! (I’m far more likely to be rolling my eyes.) What happened?

The “Wish Tree” MV is not melodramatic in the least. There was nothing to suggest JY’s more-than-platonic feelings were the reciprocated, unlike the many hetero-romances out there about a match made in heaven that, alas, was simply not meant to be in this world. Instead, it was the sheer mundanity of the narrative that resonated deeply with me as a queer person.  It likely never even occurred to SH that JY might be queer—that her statement might constitute a painful rejection to JY. I imagined JY as a queer adolescent woman without access to any queer communities or resources (this is not uncommon in Korea and a fair assumption within the context of the MV), struggling to make sense of her intense feelings for her best friend. SH might well be the only person she has been this close to, felt this way for. And yet her feelings were shut down in the most oblivious, nondescript way possible. After all, don’t (straight) girls tell their bffs about their wish for a boyfriend all the time? What could be more mundane than that?

And yet, to JY, the message is clear: not only does SH not consider JY a romantic possibility in a way she does for men, she sees no issue openly expressing her dissatisfaction that she is spending her Christmas with JY and not her hypothetical boyfriend through her wish not to repeat this next year. She implies that JY is sorely inadequate for her as a same-gender, markedly non-romantic partner, and yet in the most innocuous way that does not require her to register that intention, given how socially normalized it is. “Wish Tree” is meaningful to me because it captures the mundanity of queer erasure. This is the point that JY is confirmed to be queer for the viewer beyond doubt--that the video offers queer representation--and it occurs through JY’s experience of hurt and erasure.

And due to the pervasiveness and mundanity of queer erasure, JY would not even be able to fully understand what happened. She would not have the words for it. She would be left heartbroken without really knowing why, let alone what to do. And when you can’t express your hurt, then you can’t get closure. You can’t heal from it. It remains unresolved and buried, affecting you deeply for years to come. Heteronormative society won’t recognize your pain, because within the logic of compulsory heterosexuality, nothing melodramatic, nothing eventful, nothing warranting sadness, has happened at all. SH was just expressing a mundane sentiment every “normal” girl does.

This is what makes the MV such an ingenious juxtaposition against the lyrics of the song. It sets up our expectation that the MV will be yet another sappy Christmasy love story like every other heteroromantic Christmas song out there, just gay. That’s nice and all, but it’s not very meaningful. And then, just when we anticipate the characters will finally confess their love for each other, the twist ending comes out of nowhere and hurts like a fucking BITCH. We are stunned, lost of words, in the same way JY is. The final bit of the song hits especially hard because it now conveys a double meaning: both the intensity of JY’s unreciprocated what-the-hell-do-I-do-now feelings and the nonchalance of the hetero-romantic lyrical narrative towards the fact that JY cannot attain the love it celebrates as a queer woman. Through this, the MV tells us that JY’s pain is real and deserves a voice, deserves not to be erased, even if it seems mundane, even if she doesn’t have the words to explain it.

I don’t need queer representation to be happy to be meaningful--although queer people do deserve happy representation. More than that, I want queer representation to reflect on the queer experience, including its negotiation of societal queerphobia and queer erasure, in a poignant, realistic, and relatable manner. One of the qualities many great lesbian coming-of-age novels share is the depiction of ambiguous homosocial-homoerotic friendships between young girls who don’t know how to describe what they’re feeling, and as a result, don’t know how to process the pain when these friendships eventually crumble under compulsory heterosexuality and internalized homophobia. The “Wish Tree” MV powerfully captures this experience through its ingenious use of a shock ending, which in most cases of queer representation would leave a bitter aftertaste, juxtaposed against the unassuming lyrics of the song.

Huge props to director Jeong Minseo for this brilliant fanmade MV, and to SM (I reaaaally hope RV had a say, but also let’s be real, Irene would not have said “Wish Tree” is one of her favorite RV songs if not for the MV) for choosing it as the winner of the Winter Garden League contest.

[jvipm]

D-LITE (from BIGBANG) / Daesung - D-Day MV Teaser – Lyrics romanization & English translation

Teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o0Rflp16L0&feature=youtu.be

This is the title track of Daesung’s new mini album D-Day, to be released on April 12, 2017.

　　Please credit when taking out. Thank you.

暗い宇宙の片隅でやっと見つけた　 僕だけの星を これ��での出会いと別れ　 全てが君へ繋がっていた Kurai uchuu no katasumi de yatto mitsuketa Boku dake no hoshi wo Kore made no deai to wakare Subete ga kimi e tsunagatte ita

In a corner of this dark universe I have finally found it My star (that belongs to me alone) Every encounter and parting in my life until now Has led me to you

初めて見る光　 初めて聞くメロディー 今から僕の人生は始まる 初めて知る痛み　 初めてのぬくもり 君が何もかも　 塗り替えたんだ 今日がD-Day! Hajimete miru hikari Hajimete kiku melody Ima kara boku no jinsei wa hajimaru Hajimete shiru itami Hajimete no nukumori Kimi ga nanimo kamo Nurikaetanda Kyou ga D-Day!

The light that I see for the first time the melody that I hear for the first time My life begins now The pain that I feel for the first time the warmth for the first time You have repainted everything

つぶらなその瞳の奥　 銀河のように　　涙が散らばる 微笑みの裏に隠した　 君の悲しみ僕に分けてよ！ Tsubura na sono hitomi no oku Ginga no you ni　　namida ga chirabaru Hohoemi no ura ni kakushita Kimi no kanashimi boku ni wakete yo!

In the back of your lovely round eyes Like a galaxy 　your tears scatter The sadness that you hide behind a smile share it with me!

初めての香りに　 初めての後味 今までどんな恋をしてきたの！？ 初めて得る強さ　 初めての寂しさ 君の何もかも　 抱きしめたんだ 過去も未来も Hajimete no kaori ni Hajimete no ato aji Ima made donna koi wo shite kita!? Hajimete eru tsuyosa Hajimete no sabishisa Kimi no nanimo kamo Dakisimetanda Kako mo mirai mo

The first aftertaste To the first fragrance Just what kind of love have I felt until now? The first time gaining strength The first loneliness I have embraced everything of you Past and future

冷たい闇の寒さに震え Tsumetai yami no samusa ni furue Shivering in the cold darkness

(to be continued)

[thesinglesjukebox]

MARIAH THE SCIENTIST - REMINDERS

[7.89]

Zankee tells us about a potential Nobel winner...

Zankee: There's something mesmerising about a well-produced R&B song with a good synthline, and "Reminders" is no different. Actually, it's much more than mesmerising; it's a four-minute long spiritual experience, if you will. Mariah's murderous narrative is faint enough to be perceived as metaphor, and vague enough to be interpreted as anything between contemplation of murder or the afterthought of a woman that has killed her significant other and lives with it, which gives the song a lot of depth. Mariah The Scientist is one of the brightest new lights in R&B, and this song is just one exciting example of why. [10]

Alfred Soto: As opening lines go, few I've heard this year have surpassed: "Every candlelight dinner, date night liquor, late-night visit/Reminds me of a killer, reminds me I should kill him." The backing track -- saxophone, sequencer, and drum machine -- wouldn't have scared Freddie Jackson in 1985. And Mariah sings as if she wants you to see the scissors in her hand. [9]

Edward Okulicz: Had this come out in 1986, it would have been a genuinely subversive pop hit, using the romance of syn-drums and synth sax presets to smuggle in murder most sexual. In 2019, it's just a great example of all the forms it essays -- rough-smooth R&B and retro-pop -- and makes The Weeknd sound like a damned hack by comparison. Mariah's songwriting is as sharp as a murder weapon -- "every home decor and hardware store/reminds me more of blood on your marble floors" is a novella in a couplet. [9]

Katherine St Asaph: When I compared the antiseptic '80s sound of the Weeknd's "Heartless" to something out of an American Psycho monologue, that didn't mean I wanted someone to come along and literalize it. Every circle of hell is sung and written out of "Reminders," and there's a sumptuous violin solo (R&B's recent embrace of strings continues to be wonderful), but it would all be better without the overwhelming scent of hairspray, Giorgio (perfume, not Moroder, that it could use more of) and shrimp cocktail. [6]

Kylo Nocom: Outrun as a signifier of stylistic cool is totally lame. Outrun as a piece of a self-contained drama, however -- that's where a song like "Reminders" proves the worth of the form. Finding out that this actually flipped an entire synthwave song first disappointed me, then later gave me reason to appreciate it more; I can't complain about someone taking a meandering six-minute track and constructing a better tune half its length. Even then, Le Cassette's cyber-noir funk would be tacky without Mariah's sobering, ultraviolent lyrics: "reminds me I should kill him" distracts at first, something that could be passed off as a metaphor (which it is, albeit one that's thankfully not handled poorly); "blood on your marble floors" and what comes after, though, explores the concept as a richer narrative, one that would impress SZA not just for being a murderous fantasy, but for how it considers self-loathing in the most minute details. Memories are brought into living color by the ghosts of dudebro retro-fetishism -- every synth, sax, and gated drum suggests a piece of her past haunting her, her own voice seemingly the only thing not caught in the haze of nostalgia. The final "bittersweet defeat" concludes "Reminders" with a bit of a haunting aftertaste. Cat Zhang's review of Master suggested the album was a continuous process of Mariah trying to reclaim control over herself. Here, it seems that she's lost. [9]

Isabel Cole: The conceit of taking unwelcome post-breakup nostalgia to a new extreme is a neat one, and there are some nice lines here; I like the use of "home decor and hardware store." But although I know the endless vocal wandering is on purpose, it just grates on me. [4]

Ryo Miyauchi: Mariah the Scientist sings about a haunting that I can't help but be moved by whenever I hear it in breakup songs. The romance-specific rituals are obvious triggers that summon the ghost of an ex, but it's the more mundane fixtures of intimacy that really cut deep. While her manner doesn't fully bring the anguish the song calls for, the screwed-up electro-soul beat makes up for it by injecting a brooding ghastliness to the track. [8]

Ian Mathers: There's a well-used clinical harshness here that renders even "I know you didn't mean it" disparaging, and an even more well-used ambiguity that means "Reminders" works equally well for ruefully looking back and vengefully looking forward. Is it speaking to the healthiest situation or mindset? Well, maybe not. But as long as there are bad men, it feels like a very necessary kind of evil. [9]

Kayla Beardslee: It took me a few listens to warm up to "Reminders," and I'm still lukewarm on the filtered, nasal quality of Mariah's vocals, but I find the depth and skill of the songwriting and visuals fascinating. On their own, the lyrics seem to be about the narrator recovering from the trauma of an abusive relationship ("Reminds me of a killer / Reminds me I should kill him"; the second half sounds like it's referring to the memories). However, the video makes Mariah into the callous, cold-blooded killer instead. I can't stop thinking about the shot at 1:57 where she walks up to her boyfriend, patiently waiting with his hands clasped in front of him, and blocks the camera's view with her hips as she shoots him in the head. What makes this analysis even more fascinating is that the video for "Reminders" was shot in the same mansion as Kesha's "Raising Hell" (comparison shot 1 and 2), a song with a completely reversed villain vs victim dynamic -- the lyrics demonstrate Kesha's troublemaking force of personality, and the video is where she tries to overcome domestic violence by retaliating against her abuser. And both videos intercut the violence with their protagonists being filtered through the idealized medium of TV. There are also shots in the "Reminders" MV where the camera zooms in on Mariah from far away, like a cop on a stakeout collecting evidence, and the way she stares right at the lens implicates the viewer as well. Are we complicit, or are we the ones seeking justice? With the more sympathetic lyrics playing over the visuals, who is the justice even meant for? What does Mariah herself want? [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[kmusiceveryday]

On this week... It's an OG style KME Mixtape. Just a bunch joints I've been into lately, new stuff, and/or tracks I've been sitting on. Some stand outs:

- 8Balltown and AOMG connect with a the new Puff Daehee (Kirin) Mix of "Sugar," with Ugly Duck and Chloe Devita. It's been teased for a little while now but it's finally out. If you get a chance, check the MV and see how mesmerizing Chloe Devita is. Such amazing vocals. We have another track from her in this episode as well.

- A song from 16 year old Aleyna Yim called "Video Games." I was blown away when I heard the song, and even more blown away when I found out her age. So talented at such a young age.

- A Jinbo joint OF COURSE! Called, "You Just Have To."

Along with that, we got some amazing soundcloud gems, some dope female rappers, and much more. ENJOY!

Insta: www.instagram.com/kmusiceveryday iTunes: apple.co/2gOchE7

KMEM 079 Tracklist:

1. Ugly Duck & Chloe Devita - Sugar (Puff Daehee Mix) 2. Paloalto - Piña Colada feat. Owell Mood, OLNL 3. Damye - TALENTED 4. Symba J - QMJ feat. Hoody, Jinbo 5. Puff Daehee - 훔쳐보기 (Puff Daehee Mix) 6. Jay Greenn - azit 7. Kim Luna - 회상 (回想) 8. Viann & Khundi Panda - Type O'Life 9. Shinyujinssi - Monochrome 10. Vinxen - Burning Thirsty feat. Sandy 11. LOLLY - Document 12. Oceanfromtheblue - Just 13. Quin$ha - Ice 14. Jeebanoff - We Just 15. Jhnovr - Light Up feat. Playounstic 16. SFC.JGR - Network 17. Chloe Devita - But I Love You 18. Jinbo - 해주면 돼 (You Just Have To) 19. Aleyna Yim - Video Game feat. John the Asian 20. Symba J - Groove With You Lady 21. XXX - Ooh-Ah