PITCHFORK REVIEWS BTS - "MAP OF THE SOUL: PERSONA" (6.1)

[snowphone.livejournal.com]

PERSONA is not a failure, but it’s tough to call it a triumph https://t.co/8MAWjf1Zts

— Pitchfork (@pitchfork) April 15, 2019

Source: @pitchfork

Comments

[jyusou.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this sounds about it. I don't agree with a few points, such as Persona, which I thought sounded good as they made good use of their recycled/sampled beat, but just about everything else, along with their appraisal of Home, matches my sentiment about this album.

[sciencebottle.livejournal.com]

This pretty much sums it up for me. Everything from the music to the album artwork seems like an expansion of LY and not anything new. Not bad, but nothing excited me :(

[mc1a.livejournal.com]

I ain’t even mad about this review. Very well said. I think Mikrokosmos brings the album down a lot. Even after listening to the album constantly since release, I still can’t get around this song. It would have been different if it was a full album but here it stands out and not in a good way.

Make It Right and Home are highlights. I prefer the version with more Halsey for Boy With Love and Dionysus is my man sorry not sorry

I still hold hope that they will release an album which will be on the same level production wise with HYYH or LY Tear at least. They’ve been using too much autotune, filters and whatnot. There’s barely anything organic left. But this is just my non-expert opinion.

[jyusou.livejournal.com]

I am rather okay with Mikrokosmos now, but that is because I find that it works when listened to in a very specific setting (outside, in the oppressive summer heat) and with a certain mood (calmly trying to keep my shit together under the oppressive summer heat). But under any other setting or mood, this song does nothing for me.

And your last paragraph, mte. I'm okay with autotune as long as it works with the rest of the song (like how it was used in EXO's Lotto, even tho everyone here panned it lol), but the use of it here is excessive and detrimental to the final product.

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

idk where my taste went then because i somehow always skip home and make it right but love the other songs hmmmmm i love the synth or whatever in mikrokosmos that vaguely reminds me of an 80s tune almost.

[the3rdjester.livejournal.com]

Look at all those butthurt ARMYs in the comments under the tweet. GOD FORBID, someone has something negative to say about BTS and not kiss their asses every time. I like some songs from the new album, but it doesn't mean it's innovative and a masterpiece.

Btw, I wonder if some of these ARMYs are those who camped and lauhed about the score Pitchfork gave to BP's album under the respective tweet. Hm.

[katheli.livejournal.com]

Blackpink's score was better than the review though, while here the score matches the review

I'd actually say this is much more respectful of BTS' music than the other review was of BP. Here it's "they fall short of higher expectations" and there it was "the music is dated and bad but music is only a part of the K-Pop package so it doesn't matter as much".

[alissee.livejournal.com]

huh, i agree with the main idea - 'not a failure but not a triumph', but kinda disagree with pretty much everything else, lol

i mean, HOME, 'the album’s highlight' is boring af, along with Jamais Vu.
'Intro: Persona' is great (although i took my time warming up to it), 'Mikrokosmos' is moving and heart-warming and so sweet it brought me to tears once, and Dionysus is just my new everything xD

[katheli.livejournal.com]

I don't disagree with the criticisms of the album. Except Home, Home is RUINED by the vocal distortion. It's so annoying.

I wonder if some of the songs would sound better without the excessive autotune in parts.

[camouflagecat.livejournal.com]

The heavy sounding vocal processing is so weird, have they always had it like that or is this a new trend in their music? Some parts are really autotuned or making some of them sound like they're singing thru a tube/underwater.

[pikapika217.livejournal.com]

if anything i wish they'd lean FURTHER BACK into their grittier/more experimental past. I appreciate this being a summer feel and thematically I like the idea of lightness after the love yourself series being all introspection and self love but I hope they can get back to their roots.

[violoncelliste.livejournal.com]

same. i don't even care that i keep complaining. they used to write great music and i want that back. i'm all for new things but they have to be actually well done, this ain't it

[rainstormraider.livejournal.com]

Lmao.
Pitchfork.

I stopped trusting Pitchfork since that infamous Radiohead review. They reviewed Khalid’s album poorly so they’re dead to me.

[pepper.livejournal.com]

Eh, Persona does seem like a cookie-cutter extension of the LY series. It's boring, takes no risks and even the album design is basically the same but pink. It doesn't stand out and the vocal processing was overdone to the point I can't even tell who is singing the verses. Everyone sounds screechy and and too high. There wasn't a single song in it that I liked. Overall, it was pretty disappointing and I can't wait for them to move away from this era.

[queenhinata.livejournal.com]

writer had high expectations for BTS but also expected them to be something that they are not ("superheroes of kpop"). idk it was weird. but there's just some parts of the review i don't understand lol. i'm fine with the 6.1 rating; the album is inferior to ly tear.

glad he highlighted dionysus lyrics.

[magicpineapple.livejournal.com]

I think this is most definitely a fair review.
I very much enjoy listening to BTS, but I do personally feel that there is something... lacking? in some of their more recent works.
This album as a whole is not my cuppa, unfortunately.

[pwrpuffgrl.livejournal.com]

This review is a relief from all the ass-kissing western media has been doing. So annoying.

I disagree on a lot of things of this review but the "is not a failure, neither a triumph" is very true and describes it perfectly. Seems to me this album was made for USA radio play, that's it. There's no substance, there's not an actual storytelling of the Map of the Soul, like in the LY series. Persona and Dionysius should be there in BTS' "best of", BWL is fun and summer-y, the rest are just forgettable.

I ain't even mad they experimented and tried new things. The whole BUT THEY WERE GREAT BEFORE, WHY DID THEY CHANGE speech is so boring, overused and pointless. Bands/artists need to evolve and experiment, otherwise they'll be forgotten or stay with their couple of die hard fans while playing in bars.

There will never be a HYYH or Tear again, never. What they need is a goddamn break and some time to rest and refresh their ideas on what music they REALLY want to do.

Also "Ed Sheeran (thankfully) stays behind the scenes on the R&B tune “Make It Right” I so agree, any collaboration with that asshole is just unnecessary.

[anonymous-loljk.livejournal.com]

You made great point and i basically agree to all of this. I was about to make a rant about HOW DID THEY GROW FROM HYYH TO THIS?! But then yes, i realized that people have to try new things to find out which one would or wouldn't work for them.
Of course i don't have to like every single things they released. It's just part of the process to find their 'identity', meanwhile also pandering to wider audience and therefore a wider array of taste and preferences, not to mention the everchanging trends. At the end of the day, there isn't really an exact right or wrong answer, as everyone holds different parameters for that.

[jyusou.livejournal.com]

Just saw ET Canada report that they named Drake, Billie Eilish and Troye Sivan as their dream collaborations and I am literally...this close 👌 to losing my shit.

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

i would LIVE for bts x billie

[hallyujah.livejournal.com]

It's what she deserves. I've loved BTS since 2016 and the HYYH era was so amazing, as was BST but I think American success has hurt the quality of their music. Now they just jump on whatever US Top 40 trend, trying for max US appeal and they've lost their musical identity in the process.

I think they'd have even more success if they just stayed to who they were and Americans could see how unique and talented they are instead of generic pop. It's why part of me feels like they're squandering this opportunity even in the face of unprecedented success.

[cairistiona.livejournal.com]

I think American success has hurt the quality of their music. Now they just jump on whatever US Top 40 trend, trying for max US appeal and they've lost their musical identity in the process.

god me too, it's like they have no musical identity or personality or, to use kpop terminology, colour anymore. it's just "hey how do we make this song sound like white-american radio-friendly summer pop? let's listen to the top 40, add a pop darling, and lower the rap parts to the minimum we can get away with. go!" though imo i think it's bighit rather than bts, reaching out grubby hands for more $$$$

[nekobot.livejournal.com]

I really appreciate this review. He makes some great points without being rude or uninformed and he's not afraid to call out a lacking product without belittling the people that made it - the entire point of it is that he expects better from BTS and knows they're capable of it but we're not getting that with this, and I think a lot of people (including fans) agree on that.

And all the people attacking this on Twitter claiming "he doesn't understand because it's a gift for ARMY!": gifts don't come with a literal price tag.

[mandm13.livejournal.com]

I read this review some days ago and overall I agree with it. I'm glad they did an honest review when to me it seems that all articles from Western media are trying to compliment them for easy clicks from armys

[jackieee94.livejournal.com]

This is a nice and honest review. Not everyone can coddle bts or Army. Fans just need to grow up and understand that these kind reviews are common in the industry.

[ostsiberia.livejournal.com]

As a fan who will be traveling for their show in a month, I...did not love this album. I was hyped when people said Boy with Luv was looking to be a Euphoria+So What. I listened to it a few days ago and was...underwhelmed, by the entire album. Boy with Luv was so over produced and it saddens me that we're probably not going to get anything that doesn't sound super worked on. Home and Dionysus I remember liking somewhat and maybe I'll grow into them after some more listens.

At least with BTS I know we won't have to wait long for another release 👍

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

I think this is a fair review. I agree that Home is the best song. The warmth of a summer evening while giving me the sauce I need (saying "lah-oove" instead of "love" = the sauce). I kind of want to hear a girl group sing this song!

[yxerin.livejournal.com]

i don't think the album's problem is that it's too inspired by their past, rather the opposite. it would do them well to look back on what drove them to make music during those years and try to find it again. it doesn't have to be the same sound, just the same spark

[cairistiona.livejournal.com]

agreed! it sounds a LOT more like they listened to what's popular nowadays and tried to replicate it, rather than looking back to their old music and repeating sounds. frankly, looking back at what they liked might help give them some* kind of musical identity again, because it's lost here.