#this version of Angel had to be my least favourite version like I borderline hate him he’s so annoying

[bobdylanrevisited]

Planet Waves

Released: 17 January 1974

Rating: 9/10

This is easily Dylan’s most underrated record, though it was released to a muted critical and commercial response, and was Dylan’s only studio album with Asylum Records. Finally backed by The Band on an official release, this is a return to form for the worlds greatest artist. The album has a much darker mood than anything Dylan had released before, with themes of failing relationships, desperation, and death. This record was released just before Bob’s first tour with The Band in 8 years, which would signal the beginning of the end for his marriage to Sara and his sobriety from harder drugs. Setting aside the personal issues going on behind the scenes, this album sounds amazing, with Dylan and The Band completely in sync. Plus, Bob’s voice now had a much more mature and world weary tone.

1) On A Night Like This - The opening track may trick you into thinking this album is going to be happy and upbeat. This tune is fun and joyful, a romantic song about spending time with a loved one, and Dylan’s country crooner voice has completely disappeared. It’s not a particularly complicated track, and is probably the least memorable on the album, but it certainly gives you a false sense of security considering the bleak tone the rest of the album is about to deliver.

2) Going, Going, Gone - My favourite song on the record. Although the lyrics revolve around suicide, I think it’s just such an amazing track, especially the latter half with an uplifting bridge before the music breaks down in an incredibly impressive style. Robbie Robertson’s guitar is fucking brilliant here, as is Dylan’s anguished voice and the backing vocals of Rick Danko. It’s just a phenomenal performance all round, and even though live versions are also enjoyable, nothing has ever topped the perfection of this recording.

3) Tough Mama - The main thing that sets this album apart from Dylan’s others is the actual music itself. Bob’s songwriting is usually the main reason I fall in love with a song, but on this record, the lyrics are secondary. This track is proof that a relatively simple song, about a relationship breaking down and going off with another woman (bit of foreshadowing by Bob), can be elevated by a backing band that seem as if they are tuned into Bob’s brain. Every member of The Band is playing at their peak, and Bob’s vocals and harmonica playing are insanely good throughout the album, but this track stands out as perfect musical synchronicity between friends with a deep love and respect for one another.

4) Hazel - A nice little track about love and desperation, again elevated by brilliant performances all round. Its nothing special but the bridge is great and displays a lot of musical prowess, once again Bob’s voice is more the star of the show than the the lyrics. The ‘Last Waltz’ live performance is fantastic though, I would always choose to listen to that version as The Band were on fire at that concert, sadly their last as a complete unit.

5) Something There Is About You - Much like the previous track, this is another love song that tells a fairly interesting story, but would be rather forgettable save for Rick Danko’s bass, Levon Helm’s drumming, and Garth Hudson’s keyboard. It’s also nice to hear a rare mention of Dylan’s hometown Duluth.

6) Forever Young (Slow) - Originally written for his kids, this ballad speaks of hope and optimism, with Dylan wishing the perfect life for his children. It’s an incredibly famous track and rightly so, it’s a genuinely lovely tune which sums up every parents dreams for their offspring.

7) Forever Young (Quick) - The exact same song as above, however this one feels like it could have been recorded during ‘Highway 61 Revisited’. I may be alone in this, but I prefer this version. The Band sound fucking brilliant, the music is exhilarating, with Rick Danko’s bass stealing the show again. Dylan sounds like his 60s self again, and I also love his harmonica playing. Basically, this is a fantastic rock song which still retains its incredibly personal and uplifting message.

8) Dirge - Dylan’s darkest track so far. From the haunting piano opening, to the first line of ‘I hate myself for loving you’, this song is all about a breakup and eventually death. People argue whether the lyrics are taking aim at Sara (unlikely as they’re still together at this point) or if his hatred is towards his audience. The latter seems correct, as he sings about finding purpose and following his own path, then wanting to disappear. Bob’s voice is phenomenal here, both desperate and acidic, and it’s the kind of song that stops you in your tracks. His angriest, most vitriolic tune since ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’, and its brilliant.

9) You Angel You - Bob has dismissed this song for having ‘dummy lyrics’ and it’s easy to see why. It’s overly sweet and shallow, the music is fairly basic, and it’s a low point on the album. It’s still a decent enough tune, and Dylan again sounds brilliant, but it is out of keeping with the rest of the complex and intricate album.

10) Never Say Goodbye - I love the mystery of the lyrics, is it about a woman or a place? Regardless, it’s a track I always forget about until I listen to the album and remember it’s a fantastic song, again with some amazing guitar and harmonies. I know I’ve said this a lot, but The Band feel like an extension of Dylan, it’s just effortless and so intertwined, they always sounds incredible together.

11) Wedding Song - This solo acoustic track may genuinely be my vows at my nuptials. The whole song is so unashamedly drenched in love and warmth, it’s genuinely heartwarming and yet simultaneously heart wrenching, knowing the future of his marriage. Though there are some questionable lyrics, ‘I love you more than blood’, I defy anyone to find another track that encapsulates raw emotion, borderline obsession, and the desperation to understand all encompassing adoration. It’s a bittersweet note to end on, though I wouldn’t expect this album to end any other way.

Verdict: I love this record. Bob does some of his best singing so far, The Band does some of their most impressive playing, and the songs are a return to complex form following the Woodstock years of tranquility. The album evokes a unique reaction every time I listen to it, one of trying to avoid impending doom and looking for hope under a shroud of darkness. Whilst it’s not the most uplifting 42 minutes and there are a couple of tracks which let the overall album down, it’s certainly challenging and constantly fascinating. The tour that followed this release was a huge success, though Dylan and The Band reportedly hated performing what was essentially a series of greatest hit concerts, with very little played from this album. Unfortunately, Dylan’s wandering eye on the tour would result in Sara leaving him, and Bob would be both depressed and alone. Whilst his home life was falling apart, it would lead to Bob creating some of the most personal, poetic, and perfect music ever recorded.

[vskpop]

January 2017 ⋅ THIRSTY! THIRSTY!

Goodbye – 2NE1

There is so much hate around 2NE1, their disbandment and its consequences, that I found it especially hard to approach this song. Am I happy it exists? Yes. Do I think it was the most brilliant idea after eight months of nonsense on the fandom’s part? Not really. Bringing three out of four members back after having announced the disbandment disgracefully is just looking for more hate.

When their goodbye song was announced, I was worried that 2NE1 would come out with the leftovers of the leftovers. Goodbye is a pretty solid acoustic ballad that represents their catalogue and career well, and does a great job of weaving in what made each member special.

I was really pleased to see that they didn’t pretend that Minzy never existed (à la Jessica/SNSD) and, while she wasn’t included in the song, she was at least in the archive footage used in the MV.

Even though all the involved parties – members, Yang Hyun Suk, the fans – are still rubbing salt on the wound by talking about the breakup constantly, I think that this song is closure and that it will make this disaster of a disbandment slightly less awful in our memories.

Every Day6 January – DAY6

There was an era of k–pop where idol bands (is there a better term I don’t know?) were everything. That time is not now, which is probably why I’m so excited about DAY6 releasing a new single each month in 2017.

Is this going to stir a new trend in k–pop? Probably not, but I already know they will consistently be some of my favourite songs this year.

Angel’s Knock – AOA 

I’ve never liked AOA as a group; even though some of their songs might have been catchy, I never managed to move past their ridiculously skimpy outfits and how uncomfortable they looked in them, doing butt–centric choreographies. Presented exclusively as sexual objects, they made me too sad and/or angry to actually be able to follow them.

If not for the butts, their success would have been baffling, since the quality of their music was inconsistent at best. What wasn’t baffling was their demise: 2016 brought scandal after scandal for AOA and even the tiniest shorts couldn’t save how truly atrocious the Good Luck comeback was.

The whirlwind of scandals was the tipping point to push AOA off the most sexist cliff of k–pop: now that all of them are in their early twenties, they are simply too old for the creepy ahjussi fans.

AOA shot to fame off the back of their sexy concept craze, which earned them a huge number of male fans in a short amount of time. One theory for the group’s drop in popularity is that they never spent enough time courting female fans, and now all the men have moved onto the younger girl groups like TWICE and GFriend. –– Why AOA's comeback wasn't a huge success

Naturally, now that they’re on their way down, AOA have come out with a comeback that is well thought–out, with fun concepts (magicians for Bing Bing and detectives for Excuse Me, which are not new, but not overused either) and interesting songs.

Obviously, the songs debuted in low positions and failed to chart, putting the future AOA in question. I honestly can’t remember the last time they wore full length trousers, but they even got that for one of their Excuse Me performances – and the wide public is letting all this go to waste.  

My (futile?) wish for AOA is that between now and their contract expiry in 2019 they will keep wearing trousers, and that having less of a reason to be singers–and–exotic–dancers will maybe open the way for AOA Black to come back (with or without Youkyung).

My favourite song in the album is Can’t Sleep, which has never been performed live.

Limitless – NCT 127

NCT are the unlikely MVPs of my 2016. Everything about them is an experimental mess: their rotational structure is still completely unclear, and their repertoire seems to be SM’s way to throw random shit at a wall and see what sticks. – My Best of 2016 post

As we approach NCT’s first birthday, it looks like not much will change in what they do in 2017. The members have been reshuffled again, with NCT U’s Doyoung and SM Rookies’ Johnny being added into NCT 127.

What’s not been reshuffled is the ridiculous, appropriative, embarrassing aesthetic that NCT can’t seem to shake off. The video for their new song Limitless is even worse than Fire Truck, which I didn’t think was possible: it looks like an art school video assignment, trying to look arthouse and turning out amateurish and laughable. Taeyong and Winwin’s terrible braids are worst example of the discomforting appropriation that peppers this comeback (and the previous ones, for that matter).

Just like for Fire Truck, however, the song is actually really good. In Limitless, the vaguely hip–hop/trap fil rouge of their songs is mixed with a big, dramatic chorus à la early EXO (but much better) and amazing work from adlibber extraordinaire Taeil.

The rest of the mini album is hit and miss, but two definite hits are the full version of Good Thing, an early contender for my favourite song of the year, and Back 2 U, which makes me think of the Backstreet Boys despite sounding nothing like them.

Crystyle – CLC

Until June 2016, Cube Entertainment had two groups: fierce/aggressive 4minute, and cute/innocent CLC. At that point, 4minute were disbanded in circumstances too ugly to bring them up again. After mere six months, CLC were at the centre of a 180° turn in concept, which saw them abandon baby pink and turn to fishnets and black – basically, they became a younger version of 4minute.

What is the point of disbanding a group to reform it, you ask? I don’t know either but, judging from CLC’s new single Hobgoblin, my best guess is that Cube had a bunch of songs written for 4minute and they are too broke to let them go to waste.

As obvious, the title track Hobgoblin sounds exactly like 4minute song. Exactly. Yeeun has even been trained to sing, act and dance like Hyuna down to the facial expressions. The good news is the group in general adapted well to the concept, even though some girls look more awkward than others with the vampy lipsticks and aggressive/sexy outfits.

It’s interesting to consider this comeback in the light of the success of Blackpink: after years of girl groups with cute and innocent concepts, Blackpink finally debuted with a fierce concept. Just like 4minute were launched on the wave of 2ne1’s success, the past few months have seen several companies debuting or slowly migrating towards less cutesy acts.

Because I am the Nostradamus of the b–side/follow–up songs (more on this later), my favourite song right from the album preview was (tropical house – DRINK!) Meow Meow, which I still find better than Hobgoblin.

Chase Me – Dreamcatcher

Also filed under the Blackpink effect, collapsed girl group Minx (who had a cute concept, of course) added a few members and redebuted as Dreamcatcher, a girl group with a dark, borderline metal concept.

“Dreamcatcher” is a pretty terrible name, but seeing how unaware of cultural appropriation Korean agencies are, I was relieved to see that the “Native American” theme was almost completely ignored. Instead, they went for a fairly original horror concept, playing ghosts in the music video.

The song itself reminded me immediately of j–pop and tangentially of Babymetal: the metal–inspired track is vertiginously fast, and the vocals are staying true to (k)pop. This is probably the most interesting part of Dreamcatcher’s debut: while dark concepts are not too rare, Chase Me really takes a new direction musically.

Of course it’s possible that their comeback will take another sharp turn and will see them go back to pastels, but for now I am quite curious to see how they will do and if this iteration of their group will do better than the previous one.

More songs of note 

Reality – AKMU Only You – Wendy & Seulgi (Red Velvet) Don’t Say No and Love & Affection – Seohyun (SNSD) Think About Chu – Sam Kim & Loco

Yes No Maybe – Suzy (when asked “are Miss A still together?”)

     Mysterious – Hello Venus

   Honey Bee – Luna (f(x)) + Hani (EXID) + Solar (Mamamoo)

Kiss Later – Yeojin and My Sunday – Heejin & Hyunjin (LOONA)

I Wish (the ballad version as well) and Perfect! – WJSN

I am the Nostradamus of follow–up promotions 

Highlight – Seventeen (after Boom Boom in December 2016)

    Pretty Pretty – Pentagon (after Can You Feel It in December 2016)

Strays

THIS is what a SHINee comeback should look like:

Rosé & Jisoo from Blackpink perform Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself:

Infinite Challenge History x Hip-Hop performances: I am obsessed with Mino and Haha’s song, but technically it’s a December 2016 release so I’ll just put it here. 

Technically not k-pop: Tao’s new single New Day.

Also not k-pop: Cave Me In by Gallant featuring Tablo and Eric Nam.