[#42] Fly To The Sky - "We"

From: "CONTINUUM"
Released: May
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Entries: first appearance
Other notable song(s) from 2014: "Kiss & Say Goodbye"

I hate half-baked ballads. For me ballads either have to be edgy and innovative, or traditional but extremely well-executed. And of course, you need the voice to carry them -- ballads are not difficult because their melodies are more complex, but because the singers are more vulnerable. It's easier to spot a mistake when your arrangement is bare.

Fly To The Sky is one of those acts that has really mastered the ballad -- from the significant portion of their repertoire that I've heard, they've done every possible variation of a ballad. Because they can. Hwanhee's voice is like caramel -- not just butter, caramel -- smooth but sinfully rich, and Brian balances out the sinful with his edgy timbre.

"We" is a masterclass in the "slow jam ballad" -- many groups have tried, some with moderate success, but there's just something more when FTTS do it. Everything about "We" just drowns you in -- the sultry guitar and keyboard lines/hook, the firm bass line, and obviously the drop-dead gorgeous dynamics between Hwanhee and Brian's vocals. The verses are both unique and cohesive -- Brain provides the style, Hwanhee the emotion -- but when the harmonies come in at the chorus everything just melds together perfectly. If Hwanhee's vocals are caramel, "We" is that perfect caramel sundae.