Block B is back! And so am I!
Sorry for the hiatus guys, my exam period was really really long and I had to study. And well I achieved pretty damn stellar results so back to blogging :))
Anyway, Block B has had a pretty tumultuous career thus far, reaching great heights in popularity and facing lots of controversy regarding their wild antics and arguments with their company. But each time they fell into an abyss of dispute, they always came back with something spectacular (hey there 'Nilili Mambo') and 'Very Good' is an indication of this unquenchable and undying spirit. 'Very Good' is exactly what I had hoped for and what I had expected from a group like Block B, a group which honestly doesn't give two hoots about what the public tells them and just wants to go out there onto a stage, and make music for its greatest purpose: to have a bloody fun time.
The beat for 'Very Good' is rather unconventional I'd say for an electro-dance pop song, which many variations in pitch and rhythmic patterns throughout the song.
Case in point, the intro of the song struck me as rather different, which a rather dragged out opening verse with a sparseness that seems chock-full of tension and uncertainty, before exploding into the chorus. Having a chorus before the first verse is a tried and tested formula that have not always worked well (case in point: 2NE1's 'I Love You'). What really makes a preluding chorus work would be its impact, in that it should project an instantaneous image of the song's shade, what the song is genuinely about. Why 2NE1 failed to do so was because their chorus was very mellow and unlike the identity of the song, which had its roots in a more varied yet powerful emotional template that could not be fully expressed by the comparatively lackluster chorus. In 'Very Good', the chorus happens to be the climax, the part where all hell breaks lose and people just want to get up and party. And it definitely fits the palette of the song, which is all about wildness and pure fun. This chorus as prelude is incredibly effective and grips me instantly to the song.
The wild prelude makes the first verse very effective too, as the toning down of the tempo creates a space of voidness, one where momentum is taken back for a very short period of time, but actually exploding within us. What this means is basically, because we have just come down from an emotional high in the prelude, we feel a sucking sense in our hearts having a more laid back verse; this makes us uncertain of the song's identity but faintly clear as to what it might be, resulting in uncertainty and tension within us.
In fact, this pattern is very prominent throughout the entire song, with emotional highs coupled successively with emotional lows, resulting in a roller coaster emotional ride, creating parallels with the actual feel of the song which is to live like a one on a roller-coaster, having fun and not caring about what others think.
I really admire this identity and strength in character that Block B has; their confidence in themselves is so unlike many other groups as they know who they are and pursue music to show the world what is essentially Block B. 'Very Good' re-affirms this point as Block B has shown to be incredibly confident in what they are producing as artist, and as listeners, we know that we will always be able to count of them for a good slice of Block B's identity in each and every song they produce. And well, it's also a plus point that their identity comprises of pretty kick-ass songs.
Rarely do we have songs that just scream a certain group's style as loudly as this one, and thus, I am not disappointed with this comeback.
Block B, I foresee, will always retain their infectingly addictive style and as a fan, I am definitely reassured.
