Big Bang's Vocal Prowess

Well, well - I finally got myself to write another vocal commentary!

I think you guys know that I had a little problem including Big Bang in this special, mainly because 2 of the 5 members are predominantly rappers and to be completely honest with you guys I know nothing about rap and I most probably will never learn anything because it's not something I particularly enjoy listening to. I tried asking around what made a good rapper but the problem with asking someone else is that I won't be able to form my own opinions and my own concept of beauty - it'll be just me 'emulating' someone else's opinion and that's not the reason why I blog. I prefer forming my own opinions on things before asking people what they think.

So I've solved this problem - I will only comment on the three vocalists. G Dragon sang on his debut album but it was so damn auto-tuned that I can't properly 'analyze' his voice. Therefore, I will comment on Taeyang, Seungri and Daesung only.

Big Bang are Korea's R&B/Hip Hop/Rapping boyband so it's only natural that they don't have pop voices but those that the hip hop experts find good and suitable for the songs they perform. These guys aren't big ballad singers, they're R&B slow song singers and they're not rock singers, they're hip-hop uptempo singers. Their voices weren't made to sing songs like DBSK's Rising Sun or stuff like that, they were made to sing songs like Usher's Burn. Therefore, the way I look at their voices varies a bit from the pop bands - because even if they still do make pop music, it's a different side of the genre.

Together these three guys are strong and individually they're good but one voice really just stands out for me. We'll get to that later. Below is a slow song recorded and live and an uptempo recorded and live. Feast your ears on their vocals:

The slow song: A Fool's Only Tears (2006)

The uptempo: Sunset Glow (2008)

Taeyang

This guy has a voice that I would class as stereotypical and always present in a more hip-hop band in Korea. It's nasal, it's on the thin side and it sounds insanely good auto-tuned. In short, it's a stupid record producer's dream come true to be able to process this guy's voice because it comes out insanely good. He has his strengths, the guy can sing and it sounds good to some but I personally don't like his voice because it's too nasal live and he only sounds good autotuned. However for the uptempos his voice does well and he makes the group very distinctly hip hop. Without him Big Bang would not be hip hop vocally so you gotta commend the guy. He also sounds good when you combine him with the other two so as long as he helps make the band as a whole, doesn't matter if he doesn't appeal to me individually - he's in a band and he should be able to blend with everyone else, not overpower them or stick out like a sore thumb.

Seungri

Seungri is like a less nasal and deeper version with Taeyang with a much nicer timbre. It's still nasal and ideal for the songs they're doing though. If I were to chose between this guy and Taeyang, I'd chose this guy. I personally think he has the right mix of the nasal voice hip-hop people want and an over-all nice timbre. Thus, he is the guy with the nice timbre in the band. His voice may not be predominantly smooth and it may not be right next to the Key and Tiffanys of the world but the timbre is enough to carry him as a singer. He does the uptempos well, he does the ballads well - he's probably in between Taeyang and Daesung.

Daesung

Oh dear, here I go again with another insanely smooth voice. Daesung Big Bang is right beside Taemin SHINee and Jaejoong DBSK in terms of smoothness - the guy's voice is so damn smooth that I was falling at my feet just hearing 3 - 4 lines from him in an entire song. For someone with a predominantly smooth voice, he surprisingly also has a nice timbre. It's not exceptionally nice like Key SHINee but it's unusual for someone with a smooth voice like his to have a timbre on the deeper side. He's flexible as well - he sounds pretty decent autotuned, sounds great when he hits high notes and can sing trot (Korean traditional music mixed with pop. Very big market in Korea.) although not my type. His main role in the band is to smoothen out Taeyang's nasal voice and Seungri's deep one. I think you already know by now but I'll say it anyway - Daesung is my favorite voice in Big Bang.

I knew he had that kind of voice since the very start of my acquaintance with Big Bang but it took me this song so really be blown away with it. He takes the lead in choruses at 0:48 - 1:02, 1:49 - 2:05 and 3:11 - 3:26, solos at 2:22 - 2:30, 2:33 - 2:43 (that's the high note) and an ad lib from 3:30 - 3:35.

Thoughts? Agree or disagree? Put everything in the comments section! Hahah.

2PM - Tired of Waiting

Putting aside the DBSK + SM Issues for a while, here's a review! Yay. 2009 has been a very, VERY busy year for 2PM - the release of Again and Again, their shooting to super, extra fame because of it and finally Jaebom leaving over the whole MySpace comment controversy months back. A lot of buzz has been surrounding the release of this new single or rather the release of any material at all because the 2PM that was 7 is now 6. Of course no one's sure if Jaebom's back or anything because there obviously is no video out yet and no promo shots - just the song. I personally think this is how to do things in pop music - who cares about pictures or videos or whatever other things the industry releases to make more money, things should always, ALWAYS be about the music and nothing else. For that I respect JYP, the guy may have created the crap that are the Wonder Girls but at least he knows how to treat his boybands.

So ANYWAY, on to the song. When I first played Tired of Waiting I thought it was good - 2PM were back and they were doing it exactly how it's supposed to be done in Kpop. Auto-tune, a loop of an instrumental and the song as a whole sounded very current and something that would certainly be a gigantic hit now or in the near future. (I've heard that it's already storming online music charts)

As I kept it on loop like I always do though, I noticed some little things in the song. The second guy who sings (not sure who it is because the song's so heavily processed) sounds a heck of a lot like Onew SHINee - that was the very first thing I noticed. The comparison with SHINee doesn't end there I'm afraid - the verses of the song sound a lot like something that could've been on Year of Us. They really do. Actually the entire song does.

Now I know this one I'm about to say is a finer point but the percussion at the start REALLY, REALLY reminds me of DBSK's Survivor and I mean REALLY. When I hear the start I'm ready to burst out humming the instrumental to that rather than the 2PM song which can be a bad thing for me. But if you're not totally submerged in DBSK and don't know their entire discography like the back of your hand, I wouldn't worry. Hahah.

This is NOT a slow burn - it's not like Genie or It's You that take time to sink in. In fact, it's more like Ring Ding Dong (Here we go again with the SHINee comparisons. I'm sorry, OK? Hahah). The more I listen to it the more generic it becomes but I bet if I stop listening for maybe a day or 2 I'd love it again. It's that kind of song.

This song reflects the state of K-pop right now - everyone sounds like something else and the songs that sound like other hits eventually become hits. Look at what SeeYa have done. It's uncreative and all, I know but I'd rather have these guys respect the music, respect the artists and actually have music out rather than what SM is doing to DBSK. (sorry, just HAD to put that in!)

I think it's safe to say that 2PM are truly back - with or without Jaebom. The song will become a hit whether I like it or not, the way they're bringing it out has given me even the tiniest bit of hope that there are people in the industry who still actually care about the music and fans have been responding very warmly to this. What's more to ask?

4/5

This has ruined my day.

This is the cool, calm and collected version of my opinion. If you want the kicking and screaming one, see my Twitter account.I'm a DBSK fan girl, I admit it but even if I wasn't this is still ridiculous. These 5 guys are not only the most successful Asian boyband in a heck of a long time, they're also some of the most talented guys in pop right now. Say what you want to say that I'm biased and all but before I got thoroughly addicted I acknowledged their grasp on the pop market. When anyone first delves into K-pop one of the names they'll encounter is DBSK - if you know you're K-pop even just a bit you know DBSK.

Which leads me to something I've been saying all along. SM will never, ever find another five guys like DBSK - there simply aren't any other people who can take their place. DBSK are irreplaceable. They write a lot of their own material, it actually gets on A-sides of singles and for crap's sake these guys can sing their heads off against Super Junior and possibly even SHINee any day.

I'm a music blogger so my main argument is about the music - what the industry should be the most focused on. Put aside all that crap about the cosmetics company, about their parents speaking up and about whatever else non-music related stuff, this is about the music and it always should be but never is.

The guys need to be paid for what they've done in the past 5 years because it's only right. I'm not saying they should be paid millions because that's too much, I'm just asking that they be given enough to compensate for the work they've done. They need to at least live a comfortable life, in my opinion.

DBSK need to stay together for the music. It's about the music and it always should be. They have the repertoire, they have the vocals, they have the musician friends, they have everything they need to succeed musically. Fans, tons and tons of money, fame - that's all second nature and I'd personally let them trade all of that so long as they keep on releasing music. They need to eat and provide for themselves, yes but other than the necessities, these guys don't need any of those.

But thinking about it, they should've never signed those contracts. As much as I hate SM for doing this to them, I do agree with some people who are saying that they should've never agreed to the terms. Contracts are contracts and everything is written down, documented. If they didn't know about those terms they're the ones to blame. However what's done is done - they signed the contracts, they became one of the biggest bands in Asia and now they're in so much trouble I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown.

On the business side of things, SM shouldn't let DBSK go either - it's stupid, really. I mean, this is a band that has the biggest fanclub in the world (and that's just the one for Korea. Add the one for Japan and that's like a ton more), have EIGHT Japanese # 1 singles, are the only foreign act after The Beatles I believe to hit #1 in Japan, have sold a heck of a lot of records and are literally GODS of the modern boyband world - they're like Westlife with better music, bodies (hahah.), vocals but practically the same achievements in a given space of time. If these guys at SM are the businessmen they CLAIM to be, those stats mean $$$. Don't they want the money? I know they should stay together for the music but if we're to follow what these stupid capitalists want us to because they control the industry right now, then the money should be a reason to keep the band.

I'm a DBSK fan, yes, but I'm also a music blogger who knows music like the back of her hand. I didn't become a fan because of the guys themselves or for their popularity or whatever else, I became a fan because they know how to make music and they make it damn well. Seeing music being disrespected like that is insulting to everything I stand for and DISGUSTING.

EDIT (a few hours later): Just realized that this is my 500th post. I'm glad it's a meaningful one and one that really shows how I feel about this stupid recording industry. Here's to more posts!

EDITED 11/2 - Vocal Commentaries: Terminology, how I look at voices

Edited with more examples and a few new terms that popped up while I was writing some of the commentaries. Re-read to refresh yourself before the Big Bang commentary tomorrow! Hahah.

So before we go full speed ahead with the rest of the vocal commentaries, I think you guys need to know what the crap I'm talking about when I say certain things. There are certain things I look for in a voice and certain general qualities voices have that I tend to ramble on about. So, here's a sort of 'glossary' and a short explanation.

Timbre (good) - It's the tone, the color and the 'feel' of a voice. This is one of the most important qualities in a voice for me. The timbre pretty much decides how the rest of your voice goes but a nice timbre doesn't automatically mean you sing well. Examples of people with good voices and extraordinarily nice timbres are Junsu DBSK, Onew SHINee, Kyuhyun Super Junior, Luna and Amber (yes, AMBER! The girl can sing.) f(x), Pixie Lott, Vanessa The Saturdays, Nadine Girls Aloud and Tiffany SNSD.

Smoothness (good) - A smooth voice is nice on the ears and delivers the notes smoothly (duh). I don't think there's a term for it but a smooth voice doesn't deliver notes chopped up or yeah. A lot of smooth voices I've encountered are also most often thinner (except for Shane Westlife). Notable examples are Shane Westlife (as mentioned), Taemin SHINee, Donghae Super Junior, Jaejoong DBSK, and Daesung Big Bang, JoJo, Jordin Sparks, Wooyoung 2PM, Narsha Brown Eyed Girls and Frankie The Saturdays.

Thinness (bad) - No power, no conviction - they sound bored and their vocals are weak. As much as I don't like voices that are too big, they should at least have some sense of body. Don't have any solid examples, sorry!

Shrillness (bad) - This is different from being able to hit high notes left and right. A shrill voice hurts the ears especially during high notes but a very shrill voice hurts the ears even during normal range notes. Notable shrill voices I've encountered are Jessica SNSD, Krystal f(x) (sorry, I just had to say it), sometimes Changmin DBSK, Nicole Kara, Ashley Tisdale, Seo In Young Jewelry, Eric Dill and Cheryl Cole GA when she hits high notes in her normal voice.

Excessiveness (bad) - I don't like excessively big voices, it's more of a personal preference that this quality is bad. Excessive is when you either sound too old for your age or push your voice too much you're practically screaming. For some people a voice is good when it can hit extremely high notes with a normal voice but for me yeah, it's great and all but sometimes it can be too much. Notable examples of voices with this quality are Charice Pempengco, Yesung Super Junior, Jonghyun SHINee, sometimes Junsu DBSK (but not always) and sometimes Vanessa The Sats.

Airy (bad/good) - By the word itself, you know what this means. Notable examples are Eoghan Quigg (sometimes), Britt Nicole (but in a good way, surprisingly), James Morrison (on purpose), Jea Brown Eyed Girls and Hyun Joong SS501.

Ability to sing live (good) - It's proof that you can actually sing. Anything 98 - 100% live will do - TV shows, concert tours, impromptu a capella sessions, etc. Your live voice must sound at least 90% like your recorded voice because otherwise it means your voice was processed more than usual. If your voice becomes a lot thinner, if you can't hit those notes, if you try and push too much but end up screaming or at worse you can't even sing the song then all those recordings don't represent your voice. Notable people who sound the same, almost the same or sometimes better recorded and live are most of DBSK, Shane Westlife, Kyuhyun Super Junior, Jewelry's leader, IU, pretty much all of SHINee and Lina CSJH. Notable people who sound very little or nothing like their recorded voices are Donghae Super Junior, Mark Westlife, Sunny SNSD, all of Kara, Sandara 2NE1 (but then again the girl can't sing) and Lee Hyori.

Sound good when auto-tuned (bad) - If you only sound good obviously auto-tuned then we have a problem - you can't sing. Studio tricks won't do in the real world and although you can auto-tune live performances, people know when you're doing that. Big concerts have huge sound tents that they say are for transmission and recording but what no one tells you is that they put 'live' vocals through some not so obvious cleaning. Concert DVDs are worse - they get put through post production! So actually, the best videos that gauge if you can actually sing are fan videos and impromtu singing. However no one really gets professionally-shot and recorded impromptu singing because then it wouldn't be impromptu! There are producers though who don't do anything to live stuff. AND most often nasal voices sound good auto-tuned so most of the people on either list fit well either way. Notable examples are Taeyang Big Bang, Ashley Tisdale and uh, Taeyang Big Bang.

Additional terms:

Fullness (good) - Full voices are most often instantly nice-timbred ones. When I say full I don't necessarily mean deep but there are a lot of full voices that are deep. I can't accurately explain exactly what a full voice is but notable examples are Key SHINee, Hwayobi, Nadine Girls Aloud, JoJo, Jesse McCartney, Pixie Lott and Vanessa Amorosi.

Attention to Technique (good) - Singing is a sport - you use your voice a lot and if you don't use it properly you will most likely destroy it. No matter how beautiful your voice is, the minute I notice that you don't have technique will spell the end of your singing career in a few years. You have to know when to breathe, how to push your voice, how to use a falsetto or a head tone, not to 'growl' or scratch your voice all the time, what kind of sounds work for which letters and so on and so forth. You can have technique but not be formally trained, it's all about knowing how to treat your voice. From what I've observed, people with good technique are Taeyeon SNSD, Key SHINee, Kimberly Girls Aloud, Jaejoong DBSK, and Pixie Lott.

Power (good) - There's a fine line between power and loudness/screaming and I hate when that line gets blurred. You can have power if your voice is soft but the minute you mistake it for loudness and scream your head off instead of sing it off - I'm sorry but you're not a very good singer. Power is when you push your voice but don't scream and high notes sound very natural but not excessive. Did you get that? I hope you did. Examples from my point of view are Key SHINee, Jaejoong DBSK, Tiffany and/or Taeyeon SNSD and maybe Seungri Big Bang.

Throaty-ness (VERY BAD) - A throaty voice means that you're singing from your throat and not your diaphragm, or at least it sounds like that - either way it's horrid. I separated this from attention to technique because for crap's sake, isn't it a given that you're not supposed to sing from your throat because that sounds crap? Most often throaty voices sound like they're being strangled but some voices that sound like they're being strangled aren't throaty. OK. Why is it very bad? Well not only are you destroying people's eardrums, you're also destroying your voice. I'd give you 4 years max and that voice of yours is gone. Notable examples are 2 of the girls from Secret (don't know their names, not the rapper and not the one with bangs in the music video of I Want You Back. Hahah.) and a few of the guys from Beast (don't know their names either but they're there - will get back to you when I find out. hahah).

Dimension (good) - I said this when I commented on SHINee but to tell you the truth dimension can be anything. You can have any kind of voice and have dimension - it's all a matter of how you use your voice and what the listener likes. Dimension is when a voice has more than one predominant quality, it's when you have more and use it to your advantage, but it's also a personal preference. Dimensional voices to me are Key SHINee, Junsu and/or Yoochun DBSK, Hwayobi, Guy Sebastian and Blake Lewis.

Note that this is still incomplete after an edit and that there are a ton of other terms I use - these are just the ones you'll encounter the most.

Got it? OK. Catchy my Big Bang commentary TOMORROW!

Top 20

Well, well, well, The Saturdays hold the top 2 spots! hahah. Beast are doing surprisingly well - Bad Girl is at # 2 this week. DBSK are inching closer to number one - Survivor wraps up the top 3!

20. SeeYa - His Voice (NE)
19. JLS - Everybody In Love
18. Big Bang - Let Me Hear Your Voice (NE)
17. f(x) - Lachata
16. DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki - Rising Sun
15. DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki (Jaejoong and Yoochun) - COLORS~Melody and Harmony~
14. SHINee - A.MI.GO.
13. Hwayobi and Sleepy from Untouchable - Kiss Kiss Kiss
12. SHINee - Ring Ding Dong
11. Alexandra Burke - Bad Boys with Flo-Rida
10. Lyn - Love U, I Love U (NE)
9. Simon Curtis - Delusional (NE)
8. Amy Pearson - Butterfingers
7. BEAST/B2ST - Oasis
6. Girls' Generation/SNSD - Tell Me Your Wish (Genie)
5. Super Junior - It's You
4. The Saturdays - Denial (NE)
3. DBSK/TVXQ/Tohoshinki - Survivor (video below)
2. BEAST - Bad Girl
1. The Saturdays - Ego (1 Week)

Interview: Logan Lynn

I bring you guys yet another interview! Yay!Logan Lynn may be virtually unknown to the mainstream music scene but around the indie music circles, he's one of the biggest things ever. With acclaimed reviews for his newest release From Pillar To Post coming in from all around the world (and the internet) and the video for his lead single Write it On My Left Arm debuting on MTV, there's no doubt that this guy will be here for years to come. So here's what materialized when I picked his brains. Hahah. Enjoy!

1. For my readers who haven't heard of you yet, how would you describe yourself as an artist and your music?

I think it’s safe to call what I do electropop, but I tend to explore the darker side of things lyrically and write about what’s real to me at any given time. Over the past decade since I released my first record my sound has evolved from a very stripped, lo-fi experience into what it is today. I think it’s much more musical now than ever before on the instrumental side, due to my working with such talented people in recent years instead of trying to do it all myself. It’s given me the chance to focus on the parts I am good at and let my collaborators handle the elements which fall under their expertise. It's made the finished product more polished, full sounding...bigger.

2. To you, what is the most important element of a song - the instrumentation, the melody, the lyrics or what? Why?

For me, it’s the lyrics and melody. When I listen to other people’s music that is what I am paying most attention to...do their lyrics make me cringe? If not, I listen further. If so, it’s over almost immediately.

Most of my songs start as words on a page, then morph into vocal melodies with my keyboard, then get reworked and remixed by a producer in the studio once the collaboration begins...but I’m rooted firmly on the lyrical/vocal end, however the song is created, and always retain total control over those elements. I feel like that is the key ingredient for the connections I’ve made with my listeners. They are tuned in to hear something honest, so I try and write things as they are, whether that makes me look good or not.

3. What do you think the pop music industry right now lacks?

I think right now is a time in the industry where there really are no limits, from a consumer perspective AND as an artist. Whatever a listener wants to find, they can do so almost immediately with the click of the mouse. I think, if anything, the music industry lacks ingenuity in adapting to the digital age on a whole. With the way things are now, bands and labels really have to chart a new course with their fans and markets in order to keep up with how quickly the technology is changing. The big business middle men are becoming less important as direct relationships with fans are easier to cultivate. I actually think this is a good thing...the old walls of the old way of doing things have been broken down and it’s left an open window for creative musicians with good songs and no budget to get noticed and have their music heard.

4. Reviews of your new album compared you to a lot of established artists, how you do feel about being compared to them?

Yeah, it’s been great to get the response we’ve gotten so far in the press. I’m obviously honored to be compared to people who I have respect for and actually listen to myself! I am thrilled for fans of those comparison bands to find me by way of them. I'll take it.

5. What aspect of you career do you put the most importance on? Why?

I want to make songs that people can relate to, in part because I love making music and in part because it helps shrink my world to a manageable size. When someone connects with my tunes I receive that as a direct connection with me and it makes me feel less alone...like I’m a part of something larger than just me alone in the world. It’s hard to explain, but that’s what I’m in it for.

6. If you were to enter the industry not as a singer, what would you be - a songwriter, producer, record executive?

If I lost my voice tomorrow I’d probably still want to be a songwriter...I mostly have interest in the musical side of things in the industry, so I can’t imagine that I’d pursue being an executive of anything where I couldn’t wear jeans and a hat everyday to work. I can see myself producing for others (and myself) later down the road if the right project came my way. At this point, I’m still learning a lot about how it all works and am happy to be doing what I’m doing.

7. Your new album, From Pillar To Post, was pre-released a while back and is gonna be officially released in late November. What do you want to achieve with this album?

I’d love for it to be heard and for people to like having heard it...plain and simple. Beyond that, everything is gravy.

8. In the near future, would you like to be signed to one of the Big 4 labels? Why or why not?

Not if they are going to tell me what to do and put me in some uncomfortable box. The good thing about “Beat The World” is that they sign individuals and encourage them to stay that way. They gave me the opportunity to develop themselves, not be turned into something some focus group says I should be in order to sell more records and make them more money. I am totally happy with where I’m positioned in label land for the moment and wouldn't change a thing.

9. How do you want your music to grow or change as you release more material? Do you want to do one thing now and a completely different thing the next time or would you want to slowly and consciously change or something else?

I tend to mix it up and changing my sound with each release...the basic properties of my songs remain the same, but the music changes as I work with different producers on projects and my writing changes as I grow...I just want every record I make to be better than the last. If I can keep that up, I’ll be happy.

10. What do you want to be remembered for in the next 10 or 20 years?

I’d like to be remembered for making records that matter...for being brave in my songwriting and not holding back. I want people to remember the truth about me, whatever that turns out to be over the next 10 to 20 years.

Find Logan Online:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
MySpace

Michael Jackson.

A short post. Hahah.

I didn't grow up during the age of Thriller, I didn't grow up listening to MJ playing wherever I went and I wasn't exposed to that much Michael Jackson as a kid. I knew he existed and I knew people called him the king of pop but the first encounter of mine with his music that I actually remember was when I watched a video of Shane Westlife saying his favorite video was Thriller in 6th grade and they showed a clip of it. I didn't like it, I'm sorry.

When he passed away, I tweeted the RIP MJ and was shocked and all but I wasn't crying like crazy or anything. It took me until my mom dragged me to watch the premiere of This Is It that I realized exactly why people went crazy over this death. I'd heard all the songs before, I have my favorites but I treated the guy like every other pop star, until I watched that movie. I'd never seen him live and I'd never bothered because I wasn't interested in most of his recordings but I now realize that not watching him live was one of the biggest mistakes ever.

The guy is everything pop should be. He knows his music jargon and technical side, he knows how to make beautiful music and he's a performer. Pop music isn't meant to be just listened to - it's meant to be watched. Pop music is a spectacle, a show - it's superficial and over the top. MJ is a spectacle, everything about the guy is a show in itself. He can stand on a stage and that would be the entire show - that's what a pop star should be. Pop music is not about the music and I hate that but I have to acknowledge this guy for trying hard to put the music in pop and succeeding pretty damn well.

Watching that movie made all the other artists seem inferior to him because his performances looked so effortless that my jaw was dropping. He knows his music, he's not blind to music terms and REAL music but he is what he is and that's a pop star. Now I REALLY know why all the artists now look at him as an icon and with so much reverence. I may only like a few of his songs but I have the deepest respect for Michael Jackson.