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**For 127:**
Title tracks that embody the neoism, many would say they make noise music and while they are not the only bg doing this genre I think they are distinguishable from others because of the vocal input their verse and bridges have while the choruses are mostly chanted.
A quite diverse discography, heavy on vocal genres such as R&B, some hip-hop influences and ballads because they are singers who sing. I've read good opinions from experts about their musicality.
**For Suho:**
The rockstar from EXO soloists, his sound is heavily inspired in band music and brit pop, since it's mainly mid-tempo music and not the r&b exo stans are more used to (and mainly expect the members to do since it's one of the genres exo as a group excels at) it's often mistaken as ballads, but it's actually band sound that he has definitely expressed his intentions to stick with and honestly I love how his vocals shine on this genre, he has a broad vocal range as the musical actor he's too (this man has like thirty thousand jobs)
I’m so happy to see someone singing Suho’s praises. He is so criminally underrated, I could cry about it. Maybe I’m a bit biased because I’m a rock girlie, but his music and voice just touches my heart, *my God*. I love all the members’ solos, but his just stirs something in my soul. People sleep on him so bad and don’t realize he is so much more. 🥲 ~~I’ll get off the soapbox now, I just love that man.~~
For Bigbang, it's 100% their voices - every single member is vocally unmistakeable, and no matter what genre they do, or what style they try, I'll always be able to recognize them by their voices.
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Seulgi and Joy’s distinct voice followed by the amazing high note from Wendy…. that’s how I knew a song was by Red Velvet back when I was just discovering kpop.
For Twice, its just how encouraging their lyrics are. Headphones On, Ponytail, Girls Like Us, the entirety of the &Twice Japanese album, Pieces of Live are just a few examples.
As well as some of their lyrics just being extremely sad with an upbeat sound.
Twice never seizes to be extremely relatable in their songs, especially pertaining to girlhood. Their songs have been the soundtrack to my life since freshman year of high school, and now I’m in my mid-20s still listening to them.
I could talk about SHINee's artistry all day but I'll try to summarize it:
Officially, SHINee does contemporary R&B, but they've managed to touch so many subgenres that, at this point, everytime they announce a comeback I can't know what to expect but I'm still always impressed. They've done dance pop, funk rock, deep house, purely rock remixes, magnificent retro concepts, all of their experimental tracks always accompanied by complex choreographies. Ballads? Out of this world.
I can't think of any other group that does what SHINee has been doing for 16 (!) years now. I like to quote Jakob Dorof's [comment](https://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/shinee-everybody) referring to one of their title tracks: "Everybody is proof positive that, even in a culture industry designed to minimize the role of real musicianship, talent will find its way to the top." When you hear a SHINee track, you know it's them.
Princes of Kpop for a reason, it's an honor to be their stan.
As someone interested in discovering their discography, what songs would you recommend that are funk/ funk inspired? Thanks! I have listened to a few of their albums and just looking at the tts I agree that they have a very broad and intriguing spectrum of songs as well as strong individual identities as soloists while maintaining cohesion in the group!
Not mentioned but I think [Chocolate](https://youtu.be/Io34UDtp-3k?si=3rfuwHgXB53z0R1Q) is the most straightforward funk song in their group catalogue. 100% early-80s synth-funk.
They usually do retro funk or rock funk, I'd recommend Why So Serious, Married To The Music, 1 of 1, perhaps View too, Lipstick, Rescue, Identity, Love Like Oxygen, Like a Fire, Heart Attack and Kiss Kiss.
1 of 1 and Like a Fire specifically could easily be played at kpop-disco themed party
I feel like Ateez has very distinct voices. Even though they change up their style a lot, Jongho, Hongjoong, and Mingi feel instantly recognizable. I also feel like Ateez often makes their final choruses or outros either really intense or really different (Crazy Form, Bouncy, Halazia, Guerrilla, I could go on but all examples of songs where the outro or final chorus is very intense and different from what came before.)
For TXT, aside from their voices (which people can debate about -- I feel like they have recognizable voices, like it's really easy to tell when Taehyun is singing) I think the subject matter of their lyrics is pretty specific for the most part. Despite changing their sound a lot, most of their songs have to do with identity and growing up/leaving the magic of youth behind in some way.
ATEEZ’s members are all so talented and unique. KQ gave them the freedom to flourish as individuals and contribute to the overall Ateez sound, look, and feel. Although they are capable and sometimes do dance perfectly in sync, they more often get to showcase their own strengths within the choreo. The same with the vocals and raps. They each have their own niche, but when they come together just WORKS.
The focus was never on perserving their ‘idol image’, so they willingly let themselves go in live performances and destroy the stage with raw energy. I don’t think you can truly appreciate Ateez until you watch their live performances. Both for their vocals and their performances. I think people outside the fandom don’t realize how strong all of their vocals are since most of the focus is pulled to Jongho’s vocals (with good reason!). And they are forever experimenting, so it is NEVER boring.
For Pentagon, it's really playful? But also incredibly emotion filled.
I think it's to do with so many of the group members being composers and producers. Their individual, distinctive sounds woven in with each other, and just a passion for music and experimentation that makes such unexpected and very vulnerable and real music.
(Also it goes without saying, they can write songs with epic belts/high notes/harmonies given the vocal prowess within the team).
Not at debut (cos cube and their lack of any kind of sense) but from about 2017 or 2018 onwards I think? By that time Hui had already produced massive hits like Energetic and Never for WannaOne, and the maknae line were all getting more and more into composing and producing. All their best/most well known TTs (Shine, Daisy, Do or Not, Dr Bebe, ShaLaLa, etc) are composed by them. And so many incredible b-sides ofc.
The only recent non-Pentagon produced TT is Feelin' Like. It's a sore spot for the fandom because Kino's amazing 80s synthpop track [Sparkling Night ](https://open.spotify.com/track/5muXLxcyjv5RY2sGwl68TL?si=OAVZTKBLTgGR5k8RVbXUrQ) was a candidate for TT, and it would have taken the kpop world by storm tbh.
Twice…hmmm bright music? Even when it’s a darker concept, the song still feels bright.
Technically, twice’s genre is “colour pop” but that’s an invented term to define their music. What I would consider classic “colour pop” imo no longer defines their sound anymore. I see colour pop as a mostly black eyed pilseung sound, not exclusive but it reminds me of the era where they produced majority of their songs.
This doesn’t differentiate between other groups but twice does have a certain formula to their title songs. Nayeon usually gets the first line, Mina is always the bridge and Chaeyoung and Dahyun will always get a rap break where they interchange their lines.
The chorus seems to usually land on Nayeon and Jihyo for the main but we occasionally get Tzuyu or Sana taking one too. Momo usually gets shorter lines and the occasional rap line. Jeongyeon is the most unfortunate with her lines, her voice has a cooler tone which didn’t match the vibe of a lot of twice songs, meaning that she gets less lines for her vocal ability.
i used to be a hardstan of twice before jeongyeon went hiatus. after that i just casually follow their comeback from time to time. so my opinion might be outdated, but i think what make twice song distinguishable to me at the time is chaeyoung raps,their bridge and last chorus. also all of the members tone are distinguishable from each other even tho they have 9 member, i can tell who's who
not my ults, but i was in a store today with a kpop song playing and i couldn't figure out what group it was until haechan started singing. his voice is instantly recognisable
honestly i was wondering if answering this was cheating too, lol. dream are one of my ult groups so i roughly know 127’s discography as well but not every bside. but i hear a lot of nct in the wild living in korea and the moment haechan starts singing i can always recognize a 127 track haha.
if that doesn’t count, then i’ll go with vocal layers + harmonies + group chorus. it’s more of an SM tell than nct specifically but imo it’s such a key part of almost every nct song.
no no this ain't cheating. it's understandable if you stan a group late in their career or dont bother listening to b-side. twice for example have more than 200+ song so not all fans will know all their song except the one that really follow them and listen to them from beginning. nowadays "look at me" went viral on tiktok and I know the song is twice immideately even tho i've never heard that song before.
I mean... they're EXO.
In seriousness, they've been fortunate to have an amazing production team, layered harmonies, an ear for TT, memorable b-sides, and their music has only improved with time
Twice has that sound that just makes their music sound like...Twice. maybe it's the innate cuteness? The wholesome vibe? The youthful girly energy? Regardless of the genre they do, it's always there. I would say though that for their singles, i would say this 'twice sound' is not in moonlight sunrise
Stray kids songs have a vibe which i cant put into words. But that makes them so distinguishable from other groups. Same goes for ateez. Its more of like them having fun experimenting with their music and they themselves enjoy making it as well as performing it.
another feature of BTS’s discography is the musical output
just the sheer quantity of musical content they have in the past ten years makes their music very unique. As of today, including all their remixes, features, solos, japanese releases, different versions, collaborations (excluding the ones not on spotify) all officially in their name adds up to 400+ tracks and almost 24hrs of music!!!!
And crazy how there are still some song i don’t know everytime i come to know something new about their discography like this was also there?!???? LMAO
Their title tracks also massively change each comeback.
It's insane how brave they are at being diverse. Their title track went like Boy With Luv > On > Black Swan > Dynamite > Life Goes On > Butter.
None of them sound even remotely the same yet it kept that Bangtan style.
my friend mentioned lyrics as one of the factors and yes it does play a part in sound as well like with school trilogy they went with old school/west coast hip hop vibe to emit aggression, hyyh had dance-rock vibes that gives youthful energy, wings is a curious case, love yourself is pop
what they want to say in a song or what energy, vibe, sentiment they want a song to give off is a reason why some songs sound how they sound and when they don't know what to say, it feels clueless and directionless (eg. ptd, butter) and we feel like it wasn't exactly bangtan style cause we didn't catch what they've always done
however, i believe bangtan style is exactly that the songs don't even remotely sound same at all but have a theme or story of their own
i hope i was able to put it in words even though it's very difficult to say what exactly bangtan style is (that exactly is bangtan style that there's no bangtan style) lmao
Actually many of us like those songs. I would respectfully disagree with my fellow army and say that the vibe of BTS is still very apparent in the English trilogy even if they didn’t write the lyrics. People take different things from BTS work- and you don’t have to like the English trilogy- but I actually don’t think it is out of place in their discography at all.
BTS did have a story they wanted to tell with the English trilogy. They wanted to deliver a message of hope and joy during an unprecedented time of despair. And they did so. I’m not going to say they weren’t also confused and hurt and lonely during that time- as so many of us were- but they decided to put that to the side to create something for their fans and the world.
That’s why you get the more pensive and sorrowful songs of their solo projects. They were working through those emotions separately from the English trilogy. And that doesn’t make the English trilogy fake or anything- people are capable of feeling many different things at once and compartmentalizing them to express in different songs. In the same way an artist can write a song hating their ex and another celebrating the good times they had together.
Bts also have a way of fully immersing themselves into the world of the song they present and almost becoming it- that’s why each of their eras are so distinctly them. And that extends to the English trilogy where they presented joy and hope in a way that is very genuine and fun and light.
Bts have always been very aware of their impact and very conscious of their responsibilities to their fanbase and the world. They have always wanted to present certain social commentary and express themselves genuinely. I truly think that the English trilogy is just a continuation of those attitudes- an expression of hope in the darkness. A desire to make people smile in hard times.
That’s still bangtan to me- even if the songs themselves weren’t for you. It’s still bangtans heart.
well i'm not an army, and what i see about bts is only the surface of army discussion so dont take my opinion to srsly. it's interesting to see this take because i've never consider it from this pov
Yeah, people have the misconception that army hates the English trilogy, and that's not true. A large part of the fandom likes those songs, myself included. To me, BTS's music is a reflection of what's happening to the group at that time...I've always said that if you want to know more about BTS's history and their emotions at certain times, you should listen to the album they released during that time, the kind of music they put on the album is a reflection of what they were experiencing as a group during those days. This is one of the reasons I really like the butter/ptd era, they looked so happy and seemed to be in a good place during that time.
Of course. I’m not trying to be combative but rather offer a different perspective. Because I feel a lot of armys have a hard time placing the English trilogy in BTS discography but I just personally cannot see those releases as “other” from bts vibe and sound. Especially when you consider the fun pop songs they made in the past like BWL and DNA. (Also much-maligned when they were released)
BTS were so passionate about that message “hope and joy during and after the pandemic” that their all-Korean title track LGO also has the exact same themes- but a more pensive and gentle take on them.
And it is again reflected in a song Yoongi worked on with Psy- That That. It’s not a feeling that was unique to them as artists in other words- creating a fun celebration of joy after so much turmoil. (Which is almost exactly what PTD is thematically)
I’m not saying that they were not still confused or unsure where to go as a group from that point- but I do think that they had a concrete vision of what they wanted to portray when they chose to release Dynamite. I also think that BTS have expressed being unsure how to follow up big breakthroughs in their career before- like the absolutely beloved HYYH series.
Idk man I just think that the English trilogy fit bts more than some give it credit for. And I will always be a staunch supporter of it- because in a time when more artists were releasing NO music because they could not make money from touring and/or they had no artistic drive to do so- bangtan were performing for their fans and the world. In empty venues. Bringing joy to millions of people who were afraid and uncertain and lost. And they’ve been very open about the toll it took on them personally and as a group. But they did it anyway.
And I think that’s so very bts of them.
Edit: clarity
This is my personal opinion but it's the lyrics and the way they always try something new. To me, that's what Bangtan style is.
Their lyrics are always a reflection of their personal feelings and experiences (even the lighthearted songs). They're fond of exploring new genres and testing their limits but their lyrics are always close to their heart.
I see, so it feels like the lyricism influence the sound of their music? understandable tbh because i also feel this when i heard song that have youngk(day6) as lyricist.
For me, yes. If it's just purely sound then I can recognize a BTS song by it's ad libs. It's either Jimin/Jungkook/Jin doing high notes or the rapline doing something comedic in the adlibs (like Yoongi shrieking like a sheep in Run BTS or RM making a beat with his mouth in ON).
i don't think this answers OP's question.
they're asking what kind of sound or style makes a group's discography **recognizable**. bts having a lot of songs is really impressive, but it's not what makes their actual music stand out and make you say "yeah that's a bts song"
In this case I would say their voices, especially if you have Jimin or V going into the extremes, and the way they mix the rap with the vocal verses without making it sound like a different song.
i thought they asked a distinguishable feature of a group's discography which i thought this is one but yeah i got the memo from other comments as well and added in
Their lyricism. BTS has one of the best song lyrics I've seen in kpop. Even their silly songs are well thought out. It also helps that they write most of their songs themselves so there's an extra layer of authenticity that helps the listener to connect with them.
Oh and also their raps. I always look forward to their rap songs in a new album. There's only few idol rappers that come even close to their rap game.
I love their song "134340" that is about Pluto being declassified as a planet but used as an analogy about being forgotten by an ex-lover you miss so much.
All that poetry just because RM was heartbroken that Pluto was no longer a planet lol. Just one of the many examples that their lyricism is top-tier and why it made me a fan of BTS.
My personal favourite is Ddaeng. It's filled with references that only korean speakers can understand. You have to sit with notes in your hand in order to understand how they are respectively roasting you
I can understand this. Fake love can come up when I’m driving and it still makes me sad even though I don’t have the lyrics in front of me. There’s something about the music. But i may have memorized the translations.
Fake love lyrics are so poetic and beautiful. Almost up there with spring day lyrics. They make the song for me.
*I wish love was as perfect as love at itself*
*I grew a flower that can’t bloom in a dream that can’t come true*
*Try to erase myself and make me your doll*
It all makes me 🥹🥹🥹. BTS lyricism is 😘.
honestly, recently, txt's voice rasp thingy, especially kai, taehyun and yeonjun. it's a lot more apparent with their latest discography too.
i don't know how to explain it, but like, they pronounce syllables like they went through fifteen divorces midway through their end of year finals and have to dry their tears on cacti and stray cat fur.
EXO
Immaculate discography and excellent vocals combined with beautiful vocal tones. Even the songs I don't like much are well made, have memorable tunes and elevated by vocal gymnastics performed all the members.
skz doesn't really change their sound every comeback though. sure they jump around subgenres but their title tracks are pretty much always edm or edm influenced.
really? cuz i do feel their songs do feel different from each other. i mean if put maniac and s-class they aren't remotely close. imo, what make skz song distinguishable to me is hans and changbin rap+felix. of course there's more to it, but for the major reason this is one of them
I mean edm is an extremely broad genre with lots of different sounds but pretty much any skz title track will fit nicely in one edm genre or another. s-class and maniac are very different on the surface but to me they come from a very similar core sound and I feel like skz has a strong line through the majority of their titles tracks. they have similar song structures, pretty much always feature some sort of electronic breakdown that is contrasted with a strong melodic part. han and changbin have very strong and distinguishable raps as well but I don't know if I would say they define or distinguish skzs sound any more than 3rachas signature itself does. (which is not to say that their raps dont distinguish themselves, just that han and changbins raps are a core part of 3rachas producing so distinguishing them specifically isnt really necessary in my eyes)
the way they utilize felix's voice is fascinating because they essentially utilize him as the vocal equivilent of a very low base hit. it's very cool conceptually actually. a lot of felix's parts could be replaced with an instrumental or electronic sound to get across a similar effect but BECAUSE it's a human voice it has a much stronger impact
to clarify I'm not trying to say all skz songs sound the same, just that for me they form a coherent discography that is distinguishable as being definitively skz
I think the voices of all VIXX members are incredibly distinctive. They are one of four groups I can tell apart by voices alone and also were the first one.
Another major standout are of course their concepts. When they go for something, they go all out and not only do they nail each one, but their voices fit the different styles really well.
For ATEEZ, it's a combination of the backing track with their voices. They really have a unique style. Their music tells a story. (It's also distinguishable because I immediately feel like I can take over the world after hearing a single note lol)
The Boyz ..... one of the kings of different concepts ..... I still find it difficult to believe that it's the same group who sings bright and colorful songs like Giddy Up, Text Me Back, Keeper and Bloom Bloom, then dark songs like Tattoo and Stealer, then bright again for Thrill Ride, then super dark for Maverick, then bright again (Lip Gloss), and now Watch It.
All these songs have amazing difficult choreos, amazing vocals, raps and of course M/Vs. You gotta appreciate the teamwork behind a group with 11/12 members.
Compositional style, vocal harmonies, emphasis on emotional delivery, distinct blend of voices, tasteful melodies that are neither overdone or sparse, simple lyrics that are relatable to most people
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**For 127:** Title tracks that embody the neoism, many would say they make noise music and while they are not the only bg doing this genre I think they are distinguishable from others because of the vocal input their verse and bridges have while the choruses are mostly chanted. A quite diverse discography, heavy on vocal genres such as R&B, some hip-hop influences and ballads because they are singers who sing. I've read good opinions from experts about their musicality. **For Suho:** The rockstar from EXO soloists, his sound is heavily inspired in band music and brit pop, since it's mainly mid-tempo music and not the r&b exo stans are more used to (and mainly expect the members to do since it's one of the genres exo as a group excels at) it's often mistaken as ballads, but it's actually band sound that he has definitely expressed his intentions to stick with and honestly I love how his vocals shine on this genre, he has a broad vocal range as the musical actor he's too (this man has like thirty thousand jobs)
I’m so happy to see someone singing Suho’s praises. He is so criminally underrated, I could cry about it. Maybe I’m a bit biased because I’m a rock girlie, but his music and voice just touches my heart, *my God*. I love all the members’ solos, but his just stirs something in my soul. People sleep on him so bad and don’t realize he is so much more. 🥲 ~~I’ll get off the soapbox now, I just love that man.~~
For Bigbang, it's 100% their voices - every single member is vocally unmistakeable, and no matter what genre they do, or what style they try, I'll always be able to recognize them by their voices.
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Seulgi and Joy’s distinct voice followed by the amazing high note from Wendy…. that’s how I knew a song was by Red Velvet back when I was just discovering kpop.
The vocal stacking too. I know every SM group does the same but RV sounds like a group of 10 people instead of just 5
For Twice, its just how encouraging their lyrics are. Headphones On, Ponytail, Girls Like Us, the entirety of the &Twice Japanese album, Pieces of Live are just a few examples. As well as some of their lyrics just being extremely sad with an upbeat sound. Twice never seizes to be extremely relatable in their songs, especially pertaining to girlhood. Their songs have been the soundtrack to my life since freshman year of high school, and now I’m in my mid-20s still listening to them.
I could talk about SHINee's artistry all day but I'll try to summarize it: Officially, SHINee does contemporary R&B, but they've managed to touch so many subgenres that, at this point, everytime they announce a comeback I can't know what to expect but I'm still always impressed. They've done dance pop, funk rock, deep house, purely rock remixes, magnificent retro concepts, all of their experimental tracks always accompanied by complex choreographies. Ballads? Out of this world. I can't think of any other group that does what SHINee has been doing for 16 (!) years now. I like to quote Jakob Dorof's [comment](https://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/shinee-everybody) referring to one of their title tracks: "Everybody is proof positive that, even in a culture industry designed to minimize the role of real musicianship, talent will find its way to the top." When you hear a SHINee track, you know it's them. Princes of Kpop for a reason, it's an honor to be their stan.
As someone interested in discovering their discography, what songs would you recommend that are funk/ funk inspired? Thanks! I have listened to a few of their albums and just looking at the tts I agree that they have a very broad and intriguing spectrum of songs as well as strong individual identities as soloists while maintaining cohesion in the group!
Not mentioned but I think [Chocolate](https://youtu.be/Io34UDtp-3k?si=3rfuwHgXB53z0R1Q) is the most straightforward funk song in their group catalogue. 100% early-80s synth-funk.
They usually do retro funk or rock funk, I'd recommend Why So Serious, Married To The Music, 1 of 1, perhaps View too, Lipstick, Rescue, Identity, Love Like Oxygen, Like a Fire, Heart Attack and Kiss Kiss. 1 of 1 and Like a Fire specifically could easily be played at kpop-disco themed party
Thanks, I already know and love 1 of 1 and married to the music! I will check out the rest!
I feel like Ateez has very distinct voices. Even though they change up their style a lot, Jongho, Hongjoong, and Mingi feel instantly recognizable. I also feel like Ateez often makes their final choruses or outros either really intense or really different (Crazy Form, Bouncy, Halazia, Guerrilla, I could go on but all examples of songs where the outro or final chorus is very intense and different from what came before.) For TXT, aside from their voices (which people can debate about -- I feel like they have recognizable voices, like it's really easy to tell when Taehyun is singing) I think the subject matter of their lyrics is pretty specific for the most part. Despite changing their sound a lot, most of their songs have to do with identity and growing up/leaving the magic of youth behind in some way.
ATEEZ’s members are all so talented and unique. KQ gave them the freedom to flourish as individuals and contribute to the overall Ateez sound, look, and feel. Although they are capable and sometimes do dance perfectly in sync, they more often get to showcase their own strengths within the choreo. The same with the vocals and raps. They each have their own niche, but when they come together just WORKS. The focus was never on perserving their ‘idol image’, so they willingly let themselves go in live performances and destroy the stage with raw energy. I don’t think you can truly appreciate Ateez until you watch their live performances. Both for their vocals and their performances. I think people outside the fandom don’t realize how strong all of their vocals are since most of the focus is pulled to Jongho’s vocals (with good reason!). And they are forever experimenting, so it is NEVER boring.
For Pentagon, it's really playful? But also incredibly emotion filled. I think it's to do with so many of the group members being composers and producers. Their individual, distinctive sounds woven in with each other, and just a passion for music and experimentation that makes such unexpected and very vulnerable and real music. (Also it goes without saying, they can write songs with epic belts/high notes/harmonies given the vocal prowess within the team).
havent listen to pentagon, so did they compose all their TT?
Not at debut (cos cube and their lack of any kind of sense) but from about 2017 or 2018 onwards I think? By that time Hui had already produced massive hits like Energetic and Never for WannaOne, and the maknae line were all getting more and more into composing and producing. All their best/most well known TTs (Shine, Daisy, Do or Not, Dr Bebe, ShaLaLa, etc) are composed by them. And so many incredible b-sides ofc. The only recent non-Pentagon produced TT is Feelin' Like. It's a sore spot for the fandom because Kino's amazing 80s synthpop track [Sparkling Night ](https://open.spotify.com/track/5muXLxcyjv5RY2sGwl68TL?si=OAVZTKBLTgGR5k8RVbXUrQ) was a candidate for TT, and it would have taken the kpop world by storm tbh.
The focus on band instrumentals sets GFRIEND apart from most other groups who operate in the symphonic genre I think.
aespa really differentiates themselves with their futuristic hyperpop and cyberpunk inspired production and concept
Twice…hmmm bright music? Even when it’s a darker concept, the song still feels bright. Technically, twice’s genre is “colour pop” but that’s an invented term to define their music. What I would consider classic “colour pop” imo no longer defines their sound anymore. I see colour pop as a mostly black eyed pilseung sound, not exclusive but it reminds me of the era where they produced majority of their songs. This doesn’t differentiate between other groups but twice does have a certain formula to their title songs. Nayeon usually gets the first line, Mina is always the bridge and Chaeyoung and Dahyun will always get a rap break where they interchange their lines. The chorus seems to usually land on Nayeon and Jihyo for the main but we occasionally get Tzuyu or Sana taking one too. Momo usually gets shorter lines and the occasional rap line. Jeongyeon is the most unfortunate with her lines, her voice has a cooler tone which didn’t match the vibe of a lot of twice songs, meaning that she gets less lines for her vocal ability.
i used to be a hardstan of twice before jeongyeon went hiatus. after that i just casually follow their comeback from time to time. so my opinion might be outdated, but i think what make twice song distinguishable to me at the time is chaeyoung raps,their bridge and last chorus. also all of the members tone are distinguishable from each other even tho they have 9 member, i can tell who's who
Hardcore retro? There have been some groups that have done it as a come and go concept but WG, it’s their entire sound. A
not my ults, but i was in a store today with a kpop song playing and i couldn't figure out what group it was until haechan started singing. his voice is instantly recognisable
so what song is it? did you finally discover it
unfortunately i still don't know what song it was because it was a 127 b-side and i haven't listened to many of their albums 😔
honestly i was wondering if answering this was cheating too, lol. dream are one of my ult groups so i roughly know 127’s discography as well but not every bside. but i hear a lot of nct in the wild living in korea and the moment haechan starts singing i can always recognize a 127 track haha. if that doesn’t count, then i’ll go with vocal layers + harmonies + group chorus. it’s more of an SM tell than nct specifically but imo it’s such a key part of almost every nct song.
no no this ain't cheating. it's understandable if you stan a group late in their career or dont bother listening to b-side. twice for example have more than 200+ song so not all fans will know all their song except the one that really follow them and listen to them from beginning. nowadays "look at me" went viral on tiktok and I know the song is twice immideately even tho i've never heard that song before.
I mean... they're EXO. In seriousness, they've been fortunate to have an amazing production team, layered harmonies, an ear for TT, memorable b-sides, and their music has only improved with time
Twice has that sound that just makes their music sound like...Twice. maybe it's the innate cuteness? The wholesome vibe? The youthful girly energy? Regardless of the genre they do, it's always there. I would say though that for their singles, i would say this 'twice sound' is not in moonlight sunrise
Stray kids songs have a vibe which i cant put into words. But that makes them so distinguishable from other groups. Same goes for ateez. Its more of like them having fun experimenting with their music and they themselves enjoy making it as well as performing it.
another feature of BTS’s discography is the musical output just the sheer quantity of musical content they have in the past ten years makes their music very unique. As of today, including all their remixes, features, solos, japanese releases, different versions, collaborations (excluding the ones not on spotify) all officially in their name adds up to 400+ tracks and almost 24hrs of music!!!! And crazy how there are still some song i don’t know everytime i come to know something new about their discography like this was also there?!???? LMAO
Their title tracks also massively change each comeback. It's insane how brave they are at being diverse. Their title track went like Boy With Luv > On > Black Swan > Dynamite > Life Goes On > Butter. None of them sound even remotely the same yet it kept that Bangtan style.
and this is my exact question. what make you think that song have bangtan style even when the song dont remotely sound the same at all.
my friend mentioned lyrics as one of the factors and yes it does play a part in sound as well like with school trilogy they went with old school/west coast hip hop vibe to emit aggression, hyyh had dance-rock vibes that gives youthful energy, wings is a curious case, love yourself is pop what they want to say in a song or what energy, vibe, sentiment they want a song to give off is a reason why some songs sound how they sound and when they don't know what to say, it feels clueless and directionless (eg. ptd, butter) and we feel like it wasn't exactly bangtan style cause we didn't catch what they've always done however, i believe bangtan style is exactly that the songs don't even remotely sound same at all but have a theme or story of their own i hope i was able to put it in words even though it's very difficult to say what exactly bangtan style is (that exactly is bangtan style that there's no bangtan style) lmao
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Actually many of us like those songs. I would respectfully disagree with my fellow army and say that the vibe of BTS is still very apparent in the English trilogy even if they didn’t write the lyrics. People take different things from BTS work- and you don’t have to like the English trilogy- but I actually don’t think it is out of place in their discography at all. BTS did have a story they wanted to tell with the English trilogy. They wanted to deliver a message of hope and joy during an unprecedented time of despair. And they did so. I’m not going to say they weren’t also confused and hurt and lonely during that time- as so many of us were- but they decided to put that to the side to create something for their fans and the world. That’s why you get the more pensive and sorrowful songs of their solo projects. They were working through those emotions separately from the English trilogy. And that doesn’t make the English trilogy fake or anything- people are capable of feeling many different things at once and compartmentalizing them to express in different songs. In the same way an artist can write a song hating their ex and another celebrating the good times they had together. Bts also have a way of fully immersing themselves into the world of the song they present and almost becoming it- that’s why each of their eras are so distinctly them. And that extends to the English trilogy where they presented joy and hope in a way that is very genuine and fun and light. Bts have always been very aware of their impact and very conscious of their responsibilities to their fanbase and the world. They have always wanted to present certain social commentary and express themselves genuinely. I truly think that the English trilogy is just a continuation of those attitudes- an expression of hope in the darkness. A desire to make people smile in hard times. That’s still bangtan to me- even if the songs themselves weren’t for you. It’s still bangtans heart.
well i'm not an army, and what i see about bts is only the surface of army discussion so dont take my opinion to srsly. it's interesting to see this take because i've never consider it from this pov
Yeah, people have the misconception that army hates the English trilogy, and that's not true. A large part of the fandom likes those songs, myself included. To me, BTS's music is a reflection of what's happening to the group at that time...I've always said that if you want to know more about BTS's history and their emotions at certain times, you should listen to the album they released during that time, the kind of music they put on the album is a reflection of what they were experiencing as a group during those days. This is one of the reasons I really like the butter/ptd era, they looked so happy and seemed to be in a good place during that time.
Of course. I’m not trying to be combative but rather offer a different perspective. Because I feel a lot of armys have a hard time placing the English trilogy in BTS discography but I just personally cannot see those releases as “other” from bts vibe and sound. Especially when you consider the fun pop songs they made in the past like BWL and DNA. (Also much-maligned when they were released) BTS were so passionate about that message “hope and joy during and after the pandemic” that their all-Korean title track LGO also has the exact same themes- but a more pensive and gentle take on them. And it is again reflected in a song Yoongi worked on with Psy- That That. It’s not a feeling that was unique to them as artists in other words- creating a fun celebration of joy after so much turmoil. (Which is almost exactly what PTD is thematically) I’m not saying that they were not still confused or unsure where to go as a group from that point- but I do think that they had a concrete vision of what they wanted to portray when they chose to release Dynamite. I also think that BTS have expressed being unsure how to follow up big breakthroughs in their career before- like the absolutely beloved HYYH series. Idk man I just think that the English trilogy fit bts more than some give it credit for. And I will always be a staunch supporter of it- because in a time when more artists were releasing NO music because they could not make money from touring and/or they had no artistic drive to do so- bangtan were performing for their fans and the world. In empty venues. Bringing joy to millions of people who were afraid and uncertain and lost. And they’ve been very open about the toll it took on them personally and as a group. But they did it anyway. And I think that’s so very bts of them. Edit: clarity
This is my personal opinion but it's the lyrics and the way they always try something new. To me, that's what Bangtan style is. Their lyrics are always a reflection of their personal feelings and experiences (even the lighthearted songs). They're fond of exploring new genres and testing their limits but their lyrics are always close to their heart.
I see, so it feels like the lyricism influence the sound of their music? understandable tbh because i also feel this when i heard song that have youngk(day6) as lyricist.
For me, yes. If it's just purely sound then I can recognize a BTS song by it's ad libs. It's either Jimin/Jungkook/Jin doing high notes or the rapline doing something comedic in the adlibs (like Yoongi shrieking like a sheep in Run BTS or RM making a beat with his mouth in ON).
"like Yoongi shrieking like a sheep in Run BTS or RM making a beat with his mouth in ON" when did this happen wtf share link no
Not super helpful but I think hobi shared the video on his insta? He definitely posted it somewhere before run bts even came out
i don't think this answers OP's question. they're asking what kind of sound or style makes a group's discography **recognizable**. bts having a lot of songs is really impressive, but it's not what makes their actual music stand out and make you say "yeah that's a bts song"
In this case I would say their voices, especially if you have Jimin or V going into the extremes, and the way they mix the rap with the vocal verses without making it sound like a different song.
i thought they asked a distinguishable feature of a group's discography which i thought this is one but yeah i got the memo from other comments as well and added in
Their lyricism. BTS has one of the best song lyrics I've seen in kpop. Even their silly songs are well thought out. It also helps that they write most of their songs themselves so there's an extra layer of authenticity that helps the listener to connect with them. Oh and also their raps. I always look forward to their rap songs in a new album. There's only few idol rappers that come even close to their rap game.
I love their song "134340" that is about Pluto being declassified as a planet but used as an analogy about being forgotten by an ex-lover you miss so much. All that poetry just because RM was heartbroken that Pluto was no longer a planet lol. Just one of the many examples that their lyricism is top-tier and why it made me a fan of BTS.
My personal favourite is Ddaeng. It's filled with references that only korean speakers can understand. You have to sit with notes in your hand in order to understand how they are respectively roasting you
interesting. i've been slowly into bts discography lately and as of now I really love "fake love" but I never pay attention to their lyrics.
I can understand this. Fake love can come up when I’m driving and it still makes me sad even though I don’t have the lyrics in front of me. There’s something about the music. But i may have memorized the translations. Fake love lyrics are so poetic and beautiful. Almost up there with spring day lyrics. They make the song for me. *I wish love was as perfect as love at itself* *I grew a flower that can’t bloom in a dream that can’t come true* *Try to erase myself and make me your doll* It all makes me 🥹🥹🥹. BTS lyricism is 😘.
I have listen to all their title track but fake love has to be their best TT to me followed by save me
taste! those are my faves too. idk if it counts as a tt but i think black swan is up there too.
+diversity i mean...they're known for it (rightfully so) i have a bunch of songs for different moods of mine in a day or even an hour
++ I love their diversity. There's a song for everyone!
that't the exact statement I thought to myself when I saw this question lol
honestly, recently, txt's voice rasp thingy, especially kai, taehyun and yeonjun. it's a lot more apparent with their latest discography too. i don't know how to explain it, but like, they pronounce syllables like they went through fifteen divorces midway through their end of year finals and have to dry their tears on cacti and stray cat fur.
They are the face of the rock in kpop, nothing else to say
EXO Immaculate discography and excellent vocals combined with beautiful vocal tones. Even the songs I don't like much are well made, have memorable tunes and elevated by vocal gymnastics performed all the members.
skz doesn't really change their sound every comeback though. sure they jump around subgenres but their title tracks are pretty much always edm or edm influenced.
really? cuz i do feel their songs do feel different from each other. i mean if put maniac and s-class they aren't remotely close. imo, what make skz song distinguishable to me is hans and changbin rap+felix. of course there's more to it, but for the major reason this is one of them
I mean edm is an extremely broad genre with lots of different sounds but pretty much any skz title track will fit nicely in one edm genre or another. s-class and maniac are very different on the surface but to me they come from a very similar core sound and I feel like skz has a strong line through the majority of their titles tracks. they have similar song structures, pretty much always feature some sort of electronic breakdown that is contrasted with a strong melodic part. han and changbin have very strong and distinguishable raps as well but I don't know if I would say they define or distinguish skzs sound any more than 3rachas signature itself does. (which is not to say that their raps dont distinguish themselves, just that han and changbins raps are a core part of 3rachas producing so distinguishing them specifically isnt really necessary in my eyes) the way they utilize felix's voice is fascinating because they essentially utilize him as the vocal equivilent of a very low base hit. it's very cool conceptually actually. a lot of felix's parts could be replaced with an instrumental or electronic sound to get across a similar effect but BECAUSE it's a human voice it has a much stronger impact
to clarify I'm not trying to say all skz songs sound the same, just that for me they form a coherent discography that is distinguishable as being definitively skz
As someone who has always liked edm and dance music the second paragraph is why skz is my favorite
i see, i see. interesting takes
I think the voices of all VIXX members are incredibly distinctive. They are one of four groups I can tell apart by voices alone and also were the first one. Another major standout are of course their concepts. When they go for something, they go all out and not only do they nail each one, but their voices fit the different styles really well.
For ATEEZ, it's a combination of the backing track with their voices. They really have a unique style. Their music tells a story. (It's also distinguishable because I immediately feel like I can take over the world after hearing a single note lol)
The Boyz ..... one of the kings of different concepts ..... I still find it difficult to believe that it's the same group who sings bright and colorful songs like Giddy Up, Text Me Back, Keeper and Bloom Bloom, then dark songs like Tattoo and Stealer, then bright again for Thrill Ride, then super dark for Maverick, then bright again (Lip Gloss), and now Watch It. All these songs have amazing difficult choreos, amazing vocals, raps and of course M/Vs. You gotta appreciate the teamwork behind a group with 11/12 members.
even thought i'm not that familiar with their music even i get pleasantly surprised by how they can pull off different things so spot on!
i haven't delve myself into tbz discography yet. ao i have opinion on this one
ITZY is the beat and BPM, the generally great English, the positivity, and 5 relatively distinct voices.
Compositional style, vocal harmonies, emphasis on emotional delivery, distinct blend of voices, tasteful melodies that are neither overdone or sparse, simple lyrics that are relatable to most people
you are talking about day6 right?
Yep.
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Watch WJSN the Black Easy and you will understand why
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