From: "The Final Battle"
Released: October
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Entries: First Appearance
Other notable song(s) from 2013: n/a
Released: October
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Entries: First Appearance
Other notable song(s) from 2013: n/a
I'll admit to not following "WIN" after the first two episodes and only listening to the final recordings once they came out. In the episodes I did see however, I was pretty torn. I was leaning more towards Team B in terms of over-all performance -- they just seemed so much more comfortable -- but at the same time I really wanted Kang Seung Yoon to "formally" debut. So I was half and half when Team A won, however I did prefer their version of "Just Another Boy."
The track from "WIN" that did make it on this year's countdown, however, is Team B's "Climax." While I did like "Go Up" too, I liked "Climax" that much more, mainly because it's struck a balance between substance and style much better.
"Climax" sounds very much like a YG song and it's something I'd definitely expect from a YG rookie group. What drew me to the song initially was that it didn't shy away from simplicity -- it wasn't afraid of some moments of quietness throughout the song, especially in that rap verse where the instrumental completely disappears. And that takes confidence, as well as mastery, to pull off -- how do you get to that quietness, how do you deal with it, how do you get out -- and "Climax" did it pretty well. The melody is gripping to match the subtly epic nature of the song courtesy of the strings and the piano line among others, and the structure itself is pulled-together enough to carry all these playfully different melodies, raps and hooks.
"Climax", I think, is a foundational song. It's a song that's current but not drowning in trends, and the emphasis is really on the performance and showing off what the performers can do.
I also didn't follow "WIN," only checking their last final performances and songs as my own critic. I know why you're torn.
ReplyDeleteHowever, from all of the performances, Team B definitely had more style and substance, but lacked dynamics as a group. I liked Team B's version of "Just Another Boy," but hated their actual stages because of it was too "kalat." Team A may be weaker in terms of arrangement, but all members obviously pulled up a strong front, not one dragging the other, which I think is vital for a rookie group.
Although, I would agree if they decided to shuffle the members halfway through, but I believe that YG will only have to hone Team B more to come out the better group.