A joyous time for all B2ST fans out there, and for kpop fans in general. Another song has been released and added to the "kpop library". It's been quite a busy summer, with so many bands releasing their songs, and it's not over yet. So far so good!
B2ST has, once again, proved what it means to be both talented and professional.
The waiting time for their song was filled with excitement and anticipation and it's a wonderful thing that it wasn't all for naught.
MUSIC
The music for this song was composed by Kim Tae Ju and Yong Jun Hyung. The participation of Jun Hyung in the creation of this song is a very admirable thing in itself, thus rising the quality of the band altogether by giving them more credit in being fully fledged artists.
The beat is a pop song beat, simple, not too fast, nor too slow, good enough to be used as a dance song yet, at the same time, very well fitted for conveying the lyrics at a pace reasonable enough for the listener to understand what they're hearing.
The music keeps that B2ST specific sound that lets the listener know who they're listening too yet has a fresh feel to it, not becoming boring and without the fear of becoming a repetitive sound with nothing new to offer.
What is to be really appreciated is the lack (as much as there can possibly be...) of auto-tune. All of B2ST's members have great voices and are capable of delivering an honest, clean singing voice.
Another element that was present in the song was the dub-step beat that seems to have conquered so many of today's songs (not only Kpop). It's not a bad thing, it's not something that was bothering or to be frowned upon and, in B2ST's Shadow case, it was beautifully used and very well fitted into the song, not distracting from the flow of the music yet keeping its intentions clean and clear. Dub-step beats and sounds seem to have come to Kpop and now an overwhelming quantity of songs are using them whether necessary or not. Luckily, in B2ST's case, it was wonderfully arranged so that it would make the listener want more of it.
The combination between the rough sounds of dub-step, electric beats and the clean musical line is wonderfully arranged making Shadow a song that can be sang by anyone who wishes to do so, at the same time being a song that anyone can dance to.
The vocal line is almost equally distributed among the six members who fit their voices to make a whole, each singing their part wonderfully and displaying their talent and evolved technique. Yo Seob's mild and soft voice combined with Jun Hyung's raspy/husky, deep and a bit nasal voice is always an interesting combination, being very pleasant to the listener's ear. It was very much appreciated that Du Jun had a little more to sing this time, his voice and interpretation being always very welcomed. What was a little disappointing was the little screen time Dong Woon and Gi Kwang had in this song. Both very talented and with having so much to show, theirs would've been a much appreciated appearance. Gi Kwang is, for some reason, always put to show less than what he can offer and Dong Woon is, probably, considered, by being the youngest of the group, to still have a lot to learn. Gi Kwang's husky but light, boyish voice has so much potential that it's upsetting to see it being used to little. He has many colors in his voice and has shown, through time, that he can express many feelings and emotions with his singing. Dong Woon has a clean deep and strong tenor voice and his high notes are very well positioned and delivered showing that he is able to cover any given octave he is given to sing.
The chorus line "because I'm shadow, shadow, shadow" is the connecter between the music line and the music video, bringing in Renaissance voice harmonies that fit the baroque decorum and giving the needed "darkness" of the song. Jun Hyung's rap parts are, combined with the dub-step beats, without a doubt the backbone of the song, delivering the much needed sobriety with a twist of danger and fright. And, just when the viewer is almost scared enough, Yo Seob's voice comes to the rescue, bringing in a ray of light.
There's a full rounded sound of the beat that is heard throughout the song, giving it depth and securing the quality of the music altogether.
Very well made song, great to listen to, catchy and of great quality.
DANCE
The dancing in this MV consists of two parts, one being the two dancers and the other being B2ST with their own dance moves (the male dancer resembles Dong Woon a little...still a mystery as to who it is).
The two dancers are simply wonderful to look at and their interpretation flawless. The body painted man is a very good addition to the MV and the whole idea of the song, being the incarnation (if that is even possible) of the shadow that overcomes the woman (in the end).
It would've been nice if there weren't so many fast cuts and if the viewer could understand more of what they're seeing; the many cuts not doing any sort of justice to the MV and the dance itself.
B2ST's dance was a bit too short to be fully appreciated, even more so since B2ST is one of the best dancing groups in Kpop and have one of the best choreographers (Prepix Haw). B2ST got us used to awesome dances every time and it was a bit sad to see so little of their dance in this MV but, even the little it was shown, it was flawlessly delivered and very well put together and interpreted.
IMAGE, FASHION, STYLE
The image B2ST is going for in this MV is a bit on the scary side; dark, sober, with very few bright colors such as white, silver shaded greys and Gi Kwang's red hair. From their clothes to the accessories they're using, all stands to bring out the shadow in every movement and intention. A very well chosen image for the message they're trying to convey. It is in no way contrasting with the lyrics or the whole idea of the song.
The fashion in this MV is a much cleaner and somehow docile than what could've been, given the message and the context.
B2ST is dressed is black and white with some accessories here and there. They each, except Du Jun, have a claw (?) like shaped earring. The clothes don't go overboard, do not become the main attraction of the visual content, but stand to support the whole concept of the song. The boys are dresses quite simple, pants and shirts. Of course, there are the usual Kpop quirks here and there, like Gi Kwang's star filled shoulders over the knitted sweater, Du Jun's glittery patterned jacket, Hyun Seung's black with silver patterns sleeve on the white shirt and a few more...but nothing is on the "too much side", all is done within reason and decency with good taste, serving the message of the whole song.
The style B2ST takes one in Shadow is a dark, mature, metal rock making them cold, unapproachable, distant. The vests some of them wear bring the mature and somehow sensible and serious feel into equation. The style they took on doesn't go anywhere near the dark, gothic feeling of the rest of the song, balancing it out and making it easier for the viewer to like and relate to the song.
LYRICS
The lyrics tell the story of a breakup and the feelings that linger after, the regret and sorrow, the desire to get back together and the need of being with the loved one. Being now alone, he (generic name) is left feeling lost without knowing who or what he is (he know what he's not - a vampire or a night ghost). He wants to go back to the "dazzling times" when they were still together, when all was light and joy. Forgetting about them as a couple is like erasing his entire existence, the painful breakup becoming too much for him to handle. Probably unable to understand why they broke up, he feels empty, without depth, like a shadow. Being a shadow has another meaning too, as it is, also, revealed later in the song. A shadow is an area that is not or is only partially irradiated or illuminated because of the interception of radiation by an opaque object between the area and the source of radiation or, to be more at tune with the message of this song - an imperfect imitation or copy. He, being her copy, would most definitely become close to nothing after she is gone. He could only become an imperfect shadow of something else, something that is not her and that would not soothe his soul.
The lyrics are a very nice and poetical approach to saying sorry and regretting a breakup - wishing for the good days back, wanting to feel, once again, joyful and thankful for having her in his life.
There is a bit of a paradox in the lyrics with "I wait for you to be together again, Cause I'm a shadow shadow shadow" - technically, a shadow cannot exist without the presence of an object from which the shadow is cast upon another surface in the presence of light...If it were to be analyzed in a more or less philosophical manner (and not technical or factual), this part is quite desperately romantic showing just how much he misses her and how lost he feels now that they are no longer together and how close he is to becoming nothing if she is not around.
The English used in this song is moderately sprinkled throughout the song not becoming too obvious, not bothering too much. There aren't many mistakes and even those that are made aren't that upsetting. The absence of the noun "a" is frequent when "I'm shadow" is sang but could pass as "being said too fast thus making it seems as not heard". Jun Hyung's "lainy" instead or "rainy" is easily forgivable since he only says it once and moves on to other English words that he pronounces quite well and manages to bring out a clean interpretation. For the English used in this song, B2ST gets a 4.5 out of 5. They did good, could've done better.
A huge THANK YOU! to all the translators out there that took the time to translate these lyrics).
MUSIC VIDEO
The MV of this song is Lee Gi Baek - Tigercave ( http://www.tiger-cave.com/ ). Being familiar with some of Tigercave's work, I can't help but feel satisfied with their work on Shadow as well. The concept they went for is a dark one, the colors used ranging from pitch-black to pearly, soft white and a lot of blue-ish grey that would put emphasis on the coldness and sadness of the lyrics.
The camera filters and the editing of the MV made the contours of almost everything come out as white with a small overlaying of dark grey aura. A great detail that would make what seems dark, even darker.
The story of the MV isn't very clear but could be interpreted (and most probably is) as a metaphor for the lyrics. But, in this case, the main character and the person whose thoughts are translated into lyrics is a girl who finds herself alone (or so she thinks) in an abandoned mansion or castle (she never meets with the B2ST members). She wonders from here to there, the viewer being able to see, when she passes by a mirror that her reflection is different from how she looks. If she is wearing a white dress, the image in the mirror shows a woman in a black dress, if she has a rather scared expression on her face, the image in the mirror stares intensely. At some point the two (the woman and her reflection) meet and the reflection is all painted, dark and has a very confident look on her face, while the woman in the white dress is surprised and insecure.
The male dancer represents the darkness, the shadow that allures the woman into his arms transforming her into the same thing he is. She ends up giving in to the dark powers of the shadow (she herself becoming one).
The snake, the skull and the tarantula could be considered the signs of the darkness, the evil that has put a hold onto the woman as she became a shadow or could signify the darkness, the giving up all hope of light, of good that translate into the lyrics message.
The city in ruins could signify the emptiness one feels after a breakup - expressed in the lyrics. Also, the small dust particles floating around make one think of an after war image, that could be considered the war one has to have with oneself after a breakup.
All in all, Shadow is a really good song with an MV to match and should be watched by most if not all kpop (and not only kpop) fans out there.
Thank you for reading! Comments are much appreciated.
If you have a song, movie or anything, for that matter, that you'd want me to review leave a message below, send me a tweet or a comment on pinterest.
Have a great day!
