cuobeck

ARIRANG

Item: ARIRANG
Rating: 9.2
Author: cuobeck

BTS (2026)

9.2/ 10

“Versatility Given Form”

“I’ve been a fan of BTS since 2018, following up their hits like Danger and Dope. What I want to emphasise here is about the idea of music itself, how different culture and branches of music deliver it in distinctive form of experiences. Like we have music that are lyrical experiences, where you have to understand word-by-word what exactly the artist are trying to converse or communicate to the audience. That includes to all bunch of music profile; lyrical rap, jazz rap, love R&b, toxic R&B etc etc. Whatever form it is, we all can agree that it’s only possible to do so using the universal language. Needless to say, powerful music can overcome this barrier, you just can feel it infect through and just appreciate the music for what it is. K-Pop is that brand of music, where you have to enjoy the collective idea of its deliveries. The visual behind the music: MVs, live performance, dance choreos to name a few cause the collective feel you earn through these are what K-pop is all about. Some people like it, some people don’t. There’s nothing wrong it, it’s not bad or good, it’s just different. For k-pop, exactly because they have so much components to care about, it’s easy for their talent companies to interfere and influence the end-product. So it always a rarity to see idols to be actively involved in the music-making process itself, and i think that involvement are what separates the all-time great bands like BTS and Big Bang, with both starting off with a sound of appreciation from hip-hop and its history. BTS, is more personal to me than other groups, cause I was a D1 fan and to see how much they progressed their talents widely, from the personal sound they developed throughout their solo careers post-world tour and coming back as a group with a redefined edge to their production. I think this album is as versatile as they can get for the audience, and as compromisable they can be for one another in terms of creative differences. First listen, I didn’t get it. Second listen, cue the MVs and relevant visual cues, I think this album is near perfect barring their track ‘Normal’. I think it’s this album’s version of Mikrokosmos, which is just the sort of sound I don’t fuck with.”

Rate music on Wavelength

Download Wavelength to share your own reviews and see what your friends think.

Open in Wavelength Download Wavelength

Other reviews of ARIRANG

MusicLover1969

4.1

elhihi

7.5

pitchfork

There’s a lot riding on the sensational K-pop group’s first album in four years, but its generic songs ring hollow and lack the vim and vigor of the band’s best work.

5.3