[theqoo] BTS NEW ALBUM'S PITCHFORK RATING (THIS TIME, IT'S REAL) ft. CONCERT SURPRISE MYSTERY

This is on 10

"Much was at stake on the first album in four years by this K-pop group that had shaken the world, but the uncharacteristic songs merely ring hollowly and lack the spirit and vitality of the group's heyday."

The ordinary pop music of <ARIRANG> represents, in a sense, a facet of Korean culture: the yearning for Western recognition and global hegemony. Numerous foreign producers and singer-songwriters participated throughout the album; while this is common in K-pop, the connection with those who created Jennie's smooth solo debut, <Ruby>, particularly Diplo, stands out.

However, these tracks do not sound particularly confident, partly because the sound elements are forcibly fitted into the context of Western rap (where fashion rap nerds like Tijo Touchdown and JPEG Mafia are credited).

In “Aliens,” Mike WiLL Made-It tosses out a seemingly discarded beat, and the members move heavyly over it, mechanically spitting out raps and chants. “FYA” attempts pop-rap Jersey club, but is unpleasantly lost in self-seriousness due to half-hearted energy stifled by a barrage of autotune.

While songs are sometimes supposed to convey love, transcendence, or faith in oneself, the message of *ARIRANG* rings out repeatedly and hollowly, much like a birthday email sent by a large corporation.

The only track that meaningfully addresses the theme of Korean cultural identity is the opening song, "Body to Body." Over a driving beat, RM encourages fans to jump, and Suga declares, "B-T-uh, from anywhere to Korea." The climactic bridge features a moving reinterpretation of "Arirang," Korea's most famous folk song. As the clanging percussion and heart-wrenching vocal harmonies resonate, the message becomes clear: "Everyone is watching us, and that means they are watching Korea."

However, that message leaves a strange, even melancholic, aftertaste. For a long time, “Arirang” has functioned as a multifaceted hymn encompassing deep yearning, collective resilience, and even the reunification of North and South Korea. Seeing such an empty album wave “Arirang” like a flag of victory makes any sense of pride feel like a hollow shell. It amounts to accepting the complacency of “this is enough” as a national identity. Caught between the heavy burden on their shoulders and the money they had to earn, BTS may have had no choice but to collapse, unable to withstand the pressure.

<ARIRANG> is the very sound of that collapse.

original post: here

1 It f*cking sucked

2. It really is the sound of their collapse

3. It's true, it was just a very average album

4. It's embarrassing because that's exactly how middle-age women picture K-pop as

5. Because of BTS i-roaches, they're going insane. They've been replying to the person who wrote this review and terrorizing them. They're also grabbing Jennie's hair and swearing at the score. They even swore at their parents. They've completely lost it

6. Not a single song sticks to my ear

7. I guess GRAMMY is out of question now

8. Aside from Like Animals, there's not a single song I'm listening to

9. No matter how much I think of it, I don't see why it's Arirang

10. The majority of the lyrics are in English, but they're pretending like they're getting Korea recognition by using Arirang. It just looks forced

[theqoo] THE MYSTERY THAT'S NEVER BEEN RESOLVED EVEN AFTER BTS GWANGHWAMUN CONCERT ENDED

"Performance at Gwanghwamun at 8 PM..."There is a surprise""

[...] Organizers said there will be hidden surprises and asked audiences to look forward to it. [...]

""There are some surprises hidden in tomorrow's performance... You can look forward to it""

[...]

Finally, VP Brandon Reed hinted that there is an "undisclosed surprise," and Executive Producer Garrett English also shared a viewing point, saying, "The scale is huge, so I hope you can be there for that moment. You won't forget the people on and off stage."

---

So... What was the surprise?

original post: here

1. Bang Sihyuk appearing on stage?

2. The surprise was making 240K people disappear

> That's it

> F*ck ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

> That's crazy ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

3. There was no surprise because nobody came ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

4. The surprise was the unprecedented flop

5. The surprise is that it had nothing to do with Arirang

7. Surprise, nobody came