B1A4 post! Album review, PSH's brother participates in their album, MV behind story

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

B1A4′s “Who Am I” Sets The Bar High

B1A4 is back with their second full-length album, Who Am I. It’s been a while since we last heard from the boys with What’s Happening? but Who Am I has proved worth the wait. The album is full and cohesive with some beautiful tracks, but perhaps the most interesting part is how much it illustrates B1A4’s musical growth. With eight of the 12 tracks composed by the group members, Who Am I shows off the boys’ full range of talent.

Overall, the album is characterized by a midtempo, mellow feel. “Memory” is an overarching theme in the album, so the tracks not only intertwine through sound, but also through shared concept. Love and loss are definitely the bread and butter topics of this album, but what the album does do well is draw a variety of sounds from a single theme.

The intro track sets the tone for the album as all good intro tracks do, with a beautiful layering of music, most notably from the harmonica and faraway “outdoor” sounds, conjuring up images of days gone by. Those outdoor sounds then bleed into the title track “Lonely,” which describes being alone after a breakup.

Composed by Jinyoung, the song begins with a strong rhythm, musical layering, and harmony, all of which continue throughout. Even when members are singing by themselves, the others’ voices are still present through harmonic backing, giving the vocals a fuller feel. The rhythm play with the drums and crescendos facilitates a smooth back and forth between members, showing off how well their voices blend when they sing together. “Lonely” has all the catchiness and musical strength a group could want in a title track, but most of all, its sound is unique to B1A4.

“Love Then” (feat. Harim) is an appropriate follow up after “Lonely,” as it talks about moving on after a relationship and remembering happy times. The track starts off with that warm harmonica from the intro, leading into an easy-sounding, if not bittersweet, song. The entire track is light. It is musically sparse compared to “Lonely,” and all of the boys’ voices maintain a whimsical quality; even Baro gets some softer tones in there. With “Lonely” musically representing emotional turmoil, “Love Then” is a nice pairing to represent lighter reflections.

The album then picks up with the falling-in-love song, “Amazing.” It still has the ease from the last track, but adds a steady, danceable rhythm, giving the song an upbeat, happy feel. It’s not the hyper-happy we have heard from B1A4 in the past, but a comfortable, unrestrained sound that is a little more effortless. Props to them for retaining their fun side with the “woo woos” throughout the song.

Next we have a trio of breakup songs. First is “Baby,” another Jinyoung-composed track with an R&B flair. Set in the middle of a breakup, the sad lyrics are almost cruel after the happiness of “Amazing,” but the boys’ incredibly smooth vocals make up for it. Only the distorted guitar indicates any roughness. After that is “Oh My God.” This time the breakup involves a third party, ouch. Though it starts with just vocals and a guitar, the rest of the instrumentation kicks in with the crescendo into the chorus, musically mirroring the lyrics’ realization that the singer’s significant other is involved with another person. The song maintains its pace and never explodes as one might expect given the subject matter, but the boys’ voices do well to express confusion and frustration.

The next is Sandeul and Gongchan’s duet, “Too Much,” the true ballad of the album. It’s a pleasant surprise that this track features Gongchan as well, and overall the maknae has gotten some much-needed spotlight in this album. Though Sandeul takes the more dynamic parts and shows greater range, Gongchan holds his own and balances the song with a sweet, unstrained sound. The vocals are the clear feature of this track, as the only instrumentation for half the song is a bare piano.

Afterwards, “Pretty” picks the beat back up. It is about a pretty girl (surprise, surprise). However, the song starts with a solid chunk of CNU rapping, which is a surprise. CNU has always been the sub-rapper, but he hasn’t rapped much in previous albums. He handles the rhythm well and starts the song off with a good pace, though comparatively Baro has more nuance in his chunk. The rest of the song is as sweet and light-hearted as one would think, with the horns adding an unexpected, jazzy brightness.

A standout in the album is “Who Am I,” another by Jinyoung. Here, the album breaks away from love, and talks about self-reflection and searching for oneself. “Who Am I” matches the instrumental and electronic layering of “Lonely,” but this time with a rock-inspiration and driving guitar. There is an effective use of repetition in the song, especially in Baro’s rap, which pushes the song forward and reflects the repetition and motivation in the lyrics.

CNU surprises us again in the next track, “Drunk with Music,” which is not only his solo song, but also one of two that he composed on this album. If you never thought “sexy” and B1A4 would be in the same sentence, think again. The lyrics focus on dancing, and bodies, and — you know where this is going. The music has enough funk and flair that it borders cheesy and almost overtakes CNU’s voice in the beginning, but as the song builds, so do his vocals. “Drunk with Music” illustrates his full range, from soft, to belting, to falsetto. The track shows off CNU as the multitalented, “multiplayer” he is labeled, doing exactly what a solo song is supposed to do.

The two final songs on the album are “Road” and “Seoul.” In “Road,” the piano constant gives the song an easy, flowing feel. It’s also another example of well-placed rapping, that adds variety and helps move the rhythm. All of the boys’ vocals open up warmly on this track, making it a catchy reminisce about friendship. “Seoul” is a love song that is one part subdued, one part passionate, and a lot of parts harmony, ending the album on a smooth, funky note.

This album shows B1A4 blossoming as both vocalists and composers. They have emphasized how much of their personal thoughts and feelings they’ve put into this album, and it shows in their mature sound and lyrics, and in how well the tracks fit together to create a signature sound. Who Am I definitely sets the bar high for 2014. 5/5.

Park Shin Hye's Older Brother Participates In B1A4's New Album Song 'Oh My God'

Actress Park Shin Hye's older brother participated in group B1A4's new album.

Today, Park Shin Hye posted on her Twitter, "This is a song that my brother did guitar session and editing for. The song is good. He got a little better on the guitar" along with a picture.

In the picture, the tracklist of B1A4's album "WHO AM I" is shown. It was revealed that Park Shin Hye's older brother Park Shin Won did guitar and editing for the song 'OH MY GOD.'

Internet users who saw this commented, "I should go listen to it," "I didn't know he was a musician," etc.

B1A4 released their 2nd album 'WHO AM I' today.

source: seoulbeats + BubbleFeetMusic Channel F + Naver Music + kpopstarz, @ssinz

I couldn't find the direct sources for some of them so I didn't include it in the post but album previews here, here and here! The photos look so nice *_*

Comments

[dc222.livejournal.com]

Excellent album. Of course. Haven't released a bad or even mediocre one yet!

[turdferguson.livejournal.com]

you know i like the fact that b1a4's albums arent EDM/electro heavy! it kinda sets them apart. it was a little weird at first but i really like it

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

I think is great when all members can show their skills
we know leader Jin can write and produce but what about CNU?
why are we just now hearing one of his compositions??!?
I hope more CNU songs in the future

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

and a little more of Sandeul won't hurt either

[fabledlamb.livejournal.com]

I was wondering about that too. Maybe he wasn't that interested or skilled in writing songs in the beginning. He did write his own raps but that was it. And then all that sleeping on the couch in Jinyoung's little studio while Jinyoung was busy composing somehow rubbed off on CNU and got him interested in the whole process :)

Also, I think it's usually safer for a company to work with established producers who are a little more reliable or predictable when it comes to churning out hit songs. I say usually because of course in B1A4's case it's actually the opposite. I think a lot of kpop fans and even just serious music fans are interested in the group exactly because they write their own stuff. Jinyoung has pretty much proven already that he can come up with hits and carry the burden of writing almost a full album. Both Jinyoung and CNU are pretty amazing songwriters, especially by idol standards. I think it's smart to let them take it step by step so there isn't too much pressure on them and so they can grow as artists. I love the songs CNU has written and I hope he'll do more in the future! Tbh I was a little sad to see that CNU's songs are among the less popular ones on the album, based on downloads :(

[illustratedd.livejournal.com]

prob greedy but i hope they have a follow up song or even another comeback later in the year. never enough b1a4 imo.

[hurtmybones.livejournal.com]

yes Park Shin Hye blessing this album! it's been on repeat for me, I love it <3

[xredada.livejournal.com]

Such a good album and apart from lonely, CNU's solo song is rocking my world! I can listen to the whole album on repeat (which i rarely do unless it's something amazing like wonder world).

[laeryn.livejournal.com]

It's a fantastic album indeed. They've become one of my fave kpop groups nowadays based solely on their music, even before I got to know the members or anything. And CNU's solo is amazing, I looove it.

[hitsujiga.livejournal.com]

listened to sanchans duet and cnu's solo and dfjgfkgjdkfj ;A; i need more time for the whole album.

omg the pics...#9...#9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TAT /helpless sandeul stan

[rawbabyoctopus.livejournal.com]

I have high expectation for the album and the boys delivered.
In love with the album especially Lonely, Amazing and CNU's solo. I hope to hear more of his composition works in the future. Definitely deserved that 5/5. <3

[riofrio.livejournal.com]

my lj's pretty much dead for the past couple of years and I never had the energy to comment on anything even if i pretty much read all stuff that interest me here AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM. Actually the only post that got me out of hiding. This is one solid album that's been on repeat since I got it. I don't even have the heart to skip any of the songs. <3