COUP D'ETAT [+ ONE OF A KIND & HEARTBREAKER]

The Korean pop star Kwon Ji-yong-- best known as G-Dragon-- is such a force at home that six tracks from his new solo album Coup d’Etat,  released earlier this month, have already cracked the country’s top 10. Ji-yong, a national figure since rising to prominence in the enormously popular and quite good Korean boy band Big Bang, has been fleshing out his solo agenda, which so far has seen 2009’s so-so solo debut Heartbreaker and the more exploratory 2012 EP One of a Kind. (Setting up a career trajectory not unlike that of Justin Timberlake, many have noted.) Both sold extremely well-- at this point, G-Dragon was pretty much just breaking records set earlier by G-Dragon-- but One of a Kind suggested a more frenetic and singular style, best exemplified by the magnificent “Crayon”. That song represented a logical collision of fluorescent, pound-the-alarm EDM, the tomahawk chop chant, and G-Dragon’s referential, sharp rapping; every element throbbed with electricity. But it was an exception, as the quality of his music hasn't always matched his innovations as a style icon. At the moment, G-Dragon is getting more press for his swag than his sound.

The highlights of G-Dragon’s new solo album Coup d’Etat remedy that, but they only go so far. The guest spots-- Missy Elliott, Baauer, Sky Ferreira, Diplo-- are obvious attempts at crossover that are alternately clumsy and clever. Where Missy raps with a sorely missed vitality on the exuberant “Niliria”, a high-velocity flip of a traditional Korean folk song that also features playful rapping from G-Dragon, the midtempo ballad “Black” features a listless Sky Ferreira providing a hook (“If you ask me what happiness is/ Your smile under the sun/ But I’m always on the run”) that feels stitched on and focus-grouped. (On the Korean version, YG president Yang Hyun-suk replaced Ferreira with ascendant YG artist Jennie Kim). The title track wiggles and wobbles in all of the right places, steadied by an assertive G-Dragon, but the straight-up rap outro feels thin and overcooked. The overt genre experimentations that often characterize big K-pop records-- and also seen on Coup d'Etat-- feel skeletal in comparison to his work with YG’s big ticket act Big Bang. Though GD raps and sings throughout Coup d’Etat, he sometimes finds himself in the uncomfortable middle, with diminishing returns.

Though Coup d’Etat feels forced in spots, there are plenty of moments that deliver on G-Dragon’s superstar promise and capitalize on his enormous charisma. The joyous soccer chant of a single “Crooked” might just be a song you’ll play 30 times in a row and never play again, but those 30 listens are pure serotonin-fueled bliss. And while “Niliria” isn’t as wild musically as a recent convention stop suggested, it’s still a promising template where G-Dragon thrives, he and his go-to producer Teddy spin traditional fare into a mutant banger. Lead single/lazer beam capsule “Go” approximates a “Crayon”-like frenzy, and though it ends up being less memorable, it illustrates how GD can carry a song on pure energy.

With K-pop events selling out in major U.S. markets, it’s arguable that this sphere doesn't need a “crossover” moment, especially one this deliberate. (Coup d’Etat even cracked the Billboard 200 in spite of it’s two-part release and lack of a massive global single). So if you come to Coup d’Etat expecting some kind of revolution you'll be disappointed; it’s an intriguing listen, if not an important one.