#guitar terms‚ but in comparison to my £60 first one which i adore‚ this new one should be a heck of a lot better. plus the company both

[hauntswitch]

Today apparently marks three years since I got my first guitar... wild!

[soul-maps]

My long rambling feelings

Ok, it took my forever. Here is my track by track ramble. Cut for the safety of your dash.

1. Singularity - This song is just so V. It has a similar vibe to Stigma (being neo-soul), but it's amped up and a much better quality song in terms of production and melody. There is a wispy, delicateness to it that is so audibly pleasing. And it offsets so well with the melody lingering longer on the lower parts of Tae's range. It makes those moments when he just tosses his voice up into falsetto feel just that much lighter. RM's lyrics here are interesting and complicated. And a perfect set up for the theme of this album. I remember talking about Her and how the end of the album focused on masks/hiding. This album pays off that Outro. Also, THE MV! Aesthetically pleasing. Inventive choreo. Tae absolutely slayed it. It's soooooooooo sultry. I'm a singer. So, this song and the Aoki track are the ones I plaintively and over emotionally sing alone in my room. My one music theory note is that Rolling Stone said this song was in 6/8, and I disagree. I think it's a slow 12/8. It's definitely in 8 because you hear the subdivision of three, but the line of the song goes in sections of 4 and not 2. So, I say 12/8. I'm curious what the right answer is, but I feel right. lol

2. FAKE LOVE - I think BST is still my favorite title track based solely on initial impact, but I think this is a better produced song with better vocal writing. The synth tones with slightly ambiguous pitch (used again by JK in Magic Shop) are so reminiscent of RM to me and Reflection which seems appropriate given the content. The prechorus/chorus of this has such a great impact, and the visuals of the explosions the first time we get to the chorus set it up perfectly. This song uses a lot of vocal doubling. As in, voices singing in octaves which I really like. It's most obvious with the vmin bit at the end, but it happens throughout. It adds a lot of texture and depth in a song that has a pretty highly pitched beat (and twangy guitar) which is nice and balanced. I love RM's verse in this. Particularly the one beginning with 'why you sad?' I CANNOT wait to see the full choreo for this. The bits we do see are really intricate, and I love all the mirroring.

3. The Truth Untold - Let me tell you. I cried the first time I heard this song. Vocal line sings this with such sincerity. I like how Tae trails off and almost breaks at the end of his first line. All four of them sound so beautiful on this. So unexpected. Again, this song utilizes the lower register more than usual which I think is necessary to offset the delicate high parts. I love the bit that begins with Jin singing much lower than I'm used to hearing bleeding into Jimin's light, plaintive tenor. Leading then into Tae's part. That "I'm so afraid" gets me every time. "But I still want you...." starts letting a beat actually bleed in after all this just quiet instrumentation. And then we build with drums. Such an UNEXPECTED song not only from Bangtan but from Steve Aoki. I love when the voices finally all come together here. It's all been one vocal line divided between the four of them. Then it swells to a mix. That playout of "but I still want you..." honestly makes me emotional every time I hear it. Jimin ending it is so appropriate to me, too because he has the lightest voice. It makes the plea that much sadder.

4. 134340 - I LOVE EVERYTHING. This is some kinda bossa nova/Serge Gainsbourg 60s shit, and I am 100% here for it. I joked when Serendipity came out that RM is a metaphysical poet because he likes using the stars and galaxies to express things, and this is such a great culmination of that lmao. I love the vibe of this so much. The rap verses are so even, sulty, and speech-like (hence my Serge Gainsbourg comparison). We get a whispered "suga" and a squeaky solchiki from Yoongi which killed me. His verse is my favorite if only for the conversational bit. "ah ah ... annyeong?" I live. Also, j-hope king of taking on the beat switch up section with aplomb and making it work.

5. Paradise - Another track I adore. The lyrics to this one are so, so important. I remember being so moved when Yoongi made the comment over New Year's about how it's ok not to have a dream you're chasing. It's ok to take a break and walk instead of run. Focus on you and being happy. That can be your dream. Happiness. I like this beat a lot. It has a sexy vibe to it (particularly the switch up that happens when Jimin first comes in). another whispered 'Suga' in this one. The transition between yoongi and jhope's verses is so nice here. I almost didn't even notice it happened other than punctuating the split with a jhope sound effect. I like the unison playout which then has a layered Jimin harmony a top of it.

6. Love Maze - I like all the tracks on this album, but Love Maze is the first of the ones that didn't end my life but just thoroughly pleased me. lol. RM's verse is so great in this, tho. It's so quick and dissolves into some vocal mon. "Let them be them. Let us be us." I love it. I like the usage of Vocal line to do a verse on this track too and not just pre-chorus/chorus connecting the rap verses. Ah the beginning of main vocal min yoongi on this album. HE DID SO MUCH SINGING THIS ALBUM. I like that his verse has a similar vibe to RM's but in reverse. It starts with him singing then ends with a punctuated, quick rap verse. Then we get jhope doing something completely different. It's a sing-song patter. Love it.

7. Magic Shop - JUNGKOOK!!!!!! I'm so happy to see him get his first production credit since Love is Not Over. The lyrics to this song are so, so sweet. What a kind fan song. =( This isn't my favorite genre of music so it doesn't grab me the same as the others, but I like the synth style he went with here. Like I mentioned in Fake Love, there are some nice ambiguously pitched/pitch bending synth parts here. RM bringing back that tweet "I do believe in your galaxy" got me right in the heart. J-hope sang the bridge between the chorus and yoongi's verse I believe. Then whispered "suga" and his verse. Yoongi's flow here was so unexpected. He really switched things up more than I've heard him on any album. It feels so playful. And I think it's j-hope singing the outro of yoongi's verse again. Main vocal j-hope, too since he has no rap bits just that singing wow weird, but I'm into it.

8. Airplane Pt. 2 - Talk about unexpected... this latin track WHAT. First of all the part of j-hope's verse from his mixtape was my favorite part of that song, and Airplane is my fav track on the mixtape. So, A+++ lol. I like the shady ass lyrics in this song, too. lol. More yoongi singing! What is happening on this album. He's singing with himself. Like his own voice is layered in octaves singing?? I live.

9. Anpanman - Listen I love the shit out of this song. This feels like old bangtan like in the ilk of Boyz with Fun or Rise of Bangtan. Any time a song name drops "bangtan" it's an auto-fav. This song is so fun, and I am incapable of not bopping when I hear it. I love that V always does atypical vocalizations when they need a vocal affectation. Like in Go Go he again does that type of vocal here.

10. So What - This is a good song, but it's not my genre at all. But it's an A+ dancing in the club type of bop. More octaves. Sounds like yoongi singing again in the low octave, then someone in a middle octave (jhope?), and another above of a high voiced jimin. Whispered "suga" for his verse, and a squawk. I'm kinda living for the return of all the "suga"s on this album ngl lol. I love how clear it is that ADORA loves House music and EDM tho lol. This is her just like Outro: Wings was. Long may ADORA reign! Also, Jimin's vocal outro "somebody call me right now.." was weirdly sensual.

11. Outro: Tear - Outro: Her was my favorite song on Love Yourself: Her, and the same may end up being true for Love Yourself: Tear. This is an outstanding track. Using the highlight reels score is inventive and dramatic. There is a theatrical aspect to the track because that music was cinematic on purpose (as a score to the visuals), and it recalls memories of the highlight reels while listening. RM spits all over the beat. Then steps on it and kicks it for good measure. Good lord he went hard. It offsets the 'you're my tear' chorus. Yoonseok vocal pre-chorus?! What. I love this. So much versatility. Another tiny whispered 'suga'. The autotune pre-verse bit of yoongi's is so effectively done. Again, I'm shocked at the amount of singing he does in this. The "this is the real you. this is the real me" part took me 100% surprise. I LOVE that switch up and his loooooooow voice. Other people have said he went full 21 savage on that part, and they're not wrong lmao. Then a sugamon sung pre-chorus! My vocal kings. lol. Yoongi vocals again?? To intro j-hope? Then j-hope just drives it home. I adore the aggressive repetition of the syllable 'geol geol geol'. Anyway, this song ended my existence.