Kpop Reviews nr3 B.A.P - Hurricane

Kpop Reviews nr3
                  
                                            B.A.P - HURRICANE

Not only did B.A.P deliveredby as they promised, but they delivered good. The second song they prepared for us this summer is Hurricane, an electro beat, fast up tempo with strong vocals to back it and wrap it up. It's completely different from their previous release Coffee Shop (if you haven't read the review, you can do so here).
While Coffee Shop was a slow paced jazzy bluesy ensemble where the voices melted perfectly with the song and the music video creating a perfect harmony and bringing calm and relaxation, Hurricane is a total different story. It stands not only to bring a strong desire to dance but also to show how versatile (once again) B.A.P can be.

MUSIC
The music of this song is composed by Jeon Daun, Marco and Bang Yong Guk. The highlight of this song is the electro-clubbing-dance beat that is somewhat new to B.A.P. Even so, they manage to assume this new "identity" as well and deliver a powerful song with a beat that makes one want to get up and dance. What seems a little bit off is the combination between Daehyun's strong, dramatic yet warm and clear voice with the rest of the song. On the other hand, this same mismatch is one of the things that puts this song on the radar. Daehyun's voice is quite adaptable and it seems it was intentional that he would use a strong voice for this song. Otherwise it would've been just another clubbing song like many of the other Kpop bands' we've heard over the years. The voice harmonies and instrumentals remind me of One Shot and Fight for Freedom (amongst other songs). The whistle is back (I love that little element that is specific to B.A.P) but it's in total sync with the song, blending in perfectly.
What I particularly liked were Young Jae's parts. Even though his parts weren't made to stand out, he so flawlessly performed that I couldn't help but admire him and wish he had more to sing. He gave a soft yet convincing performance. His voice seems to blend in perfectly with the song thus making him the perfect fit for the harmony, the beats the the whole general idea of this song. 
Young Jae and Dae Hyun's intertwined parts are a small reminder of the jazzy feeling B.A.P brought in Coffee Shop. Although short, it is noticeable and very well put together.
All the others were great too. Yong Guk is just great as always, his rap parts are very well adjusted to the song, not standing out or disrupting the flow of the music.
Zelo, once again (if that's possible) makes me stare in awe at his amazing talent for both rapping and dancing. Don't get me wrong, I sort of got used to Zelo being amazing...but every time is like a new discovery.
Jong Up is, again, one of the best young dancers I've seen in Kpop and is starting to be noticed as a singer too (getting a little more to sing each time).

DANCE
There isn't a specific themed dance in this song, B.A.P showing us their "clubbin' " dance as the song goes along. Zelo and Jong Up stand out from the crowd since they are the best dancers of the group. They both have really great dance moves and all of the members are let free to show off their dancing skills as they please. Would've been nice if the camera didn't move so much during their dance so that the viewer could catch a (better) glimpse of B.A.P's dancing. This was distracting and annoying to the point of having to press pause and watch the scene in stop motion (and not only once). But, as B.A.P got us used with, their dancing is, as always, amazing and top notch.

IMAGE, FASHION, STYLE
Kpop fashion is back and now conquering USA. 
If in their last MV, B.A.P had amazingly normal and very well chosen attire, in Hurricane it all goes back to kpop fashion. 
The image they go for is a flashy one that wants (and succeeds) to stand out. Their golden clothes match the very flashy, sparkly, glittery (and so on) background of Las Vegas. Since the Hurricane title refers to B.A.P sweeping everyone off their feet with their music and style, their image is well suited and points out quite well how the boys "shine" managing to stand out even in Las Vegas.
The black and white suits are a great choice for all of B.A.P, giving them a classy, mature (and a bit mafia? like) image while the casual black and white attires are still in kpop fashion range with Zelo and Dae Hyun's set of clothes; the other members looking entirely normal and possible to meet on the street (taking the viewer to think that these are the boys that one could meet today on the street and tomorrow admire on the stage...)
Fashion wise B.A.P's  shows three sets of costumes, the golden ones, the white and black suits and the casual black and white attires. 
The golden suits are a bit too much on the shiny, over the top side but somehow B.A.P manages to look good in each and every one of them. If, at first, the appearance of the golden suits is a bit overwhelming, in time the eye gets used to the light and can see past the sparkling of it all. All the members look great in all of the three sets of attires, including the golden ones. Even Him Chan's way to loose pants don't seem to be as bothersome once the viewer is accustomed to the golden costumes and, since the images are succeeded in a very fast pace, the viewer doesn't have enough time to analyze all the details.
But, there's always the pause button. And here come in the details. 
There's too much gold on gold with gold over gold...and some pearl or nacre (on Young Jae's pants). Why was there a need to put a golden necklace with a huge golden-pearly stone over Young Jae's golden shirt? And Yong Up as well? The bracelets are ok, they're not as invasive as would seem at a first thought, but the necklaces?!?  Less is more or, quoting from a famous movie "A little moderation might suit you better".
What tones down a little the shining of it all is the smart choice of all the other accessories to be white. From shoes to t-shirts and blouses and even Jong Up's baseball cap (noting that he is the only one to have black pants with the golden attire).
The white and black suits are a very nice touch that takes it down a notch and lets the viewer focus more on the members' faces and actions. There's no escape from Kpop fashion here either since the members all seem to belong to some mafia group because of the huge necklaces they have over the suits. Him Chan seems to be the boss of the group since he has the most necklaces hanged (?) on him and ring on his finger. Why was that necessary?... Could've been so much better without. The only one that has no accessories while wearing the white and black suit is Yong Guk (except the earrings).
The casual black and white clothes are simple and Young Jae's attire made me remember their look on the Crash repackaged album.

  

Other details that weren't appealing at all were Him Chan's split hairdo and Zelo's curls. No need...no need. No. Simply, no. Why did they do that to Zelo? He grew up, he's tall, handsome and has nice hair, why shame him with such an unfit hairdo?!? Just...NO! 
The style that B.A.P chose to go for this time is both a powerful one and also a casual, affordable one. With the golden set of clothes and the black and white suits they ooze powerful images, impressive and confident attitudes while the casual black and white clothes show strength and versatility. 

LYRICS
The lyrics, this time, talk about B.A.P swiping the world with their songs and holding it the palm of their hands, becoming the leaders and bringing in a new taste of music all while remaining humble and avoiding the tight leashes that the main stream music holds.
All is good and the message they are sending is great, showing how determined they are in achieving their goals. 
Nothing wrong with that message, even more so since there are so many (too many) kpop bands out there that sing mostly about themselves (to the point of becoming boring).
ENGLISH - Well, this time, the English in this song is quite often encountered and, unfortunately, not well used at all.
For example, Him Chan. Him Chan is, this time around, disappointing. How hard would it have been to get a vocal/language coach to teach him say ROOF correctly? It's really upsetting to hear "the loof is on fayah" in the middle of the song, taking away any shred of seriousness and indulging into mean snickering while being unable to concentrate on the rest of the song. I am a strong advocate for Him Chan's "getting to sing more" plea, but this time...no...not this time...It was really lucky that it was a one time thing (even though he repeats it twice thus saying "loof" six times) that didn't reappear anywhere else in the song(maybe it was "the Louvre is on fire"?). As an international fan of B.A.P and a fluent English speaker I can't help but ask, why didn't they think of the fact that there are people who know and speak English and that mispronouncing so upfront badly (everyone knows the everlasting pronunciation problem most Asian people have with confusing L and R - or not being able to pronounce R at all - but that's a different matter altogether) would be a huge chance of ridiculing and belittling what could've been another great song? (poor Him Chan...I feel bad for him and I don't blame him in the least)
Then there's (also Him Chan's part...why him?) "I wanna baby, I wanna baby". What does he want exactly, a baby? This part can be interpreted in more than one way, for example "I want a baby", "I wanna, baby...", "I want it, baby.." - thus leaving the listener in suspense and I'm sure we can come up with more.
Dae Hyun's "we hurricane" has no meaning...it's either "we're hurricanes" or "we're a hurricane". I don't think the word "hurricane" can be used as a verb ("I hurricaned that man's car out of my parking lot...or something like it). 
Yong Guk's "I guess I gotta feeling" is weird but it can be passed as ok among all the other mistakes that are made in this song. (correct would be "I've got a feeling" but...never-mind).A huge THANK YOU! to all the translators out there that took the time to translate these lyrics). I can only give them a 1 out of 5 for their use of English in this song.

MUSIC VIDEO
Again, B.A.P's MV proves to be made by professionals. From the colors dominant in this MV to the clothes and some of the settings in which B.A.P sang it came together as a reasonable MV with not to much to comment about it.
The choice of Las Vegas is understandable since it's in USA (the land of all possibilities) and one of the brightest cities at night, a good point to start conquering the world.
The color palette was primarily formed out of bright yellows, gold, white but also some dark blues and blacks here and there, all serving to support the lyrics and the message of the song. The sites chosen such as night time streets, broad daylight desert sands, hotel rooms and hotel pools were nice and not bothering, becoming a fitting background for B.A.P to unleash themselves and give their best. If there was to be a story to be told, it might be one such as B.A.P coming with nothing from desert lands and becoming so famous, rich and powerful that they can afford gold jewelery and expensive hotels (makes a little bit of sense now, if put like this).  

All in all, B.A.P's Hurricane is a really good song with a strong vibe that creates an immediate desire to dance. It's a catchy song that will surely be heard in clubs and dance parties. Keep it up B.A.P!

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