서태지 (Seo Taiji) - 8th ATOMOS
For my first full album review, I thought I would pick something that is truly worth listening to. This might will get a little long. ;D
Album: 8th - ATOMOS
Artist: 서태지 (Seo Taiji)
Release: July 6, 2009
Tracklist:
- Moai
- Human Dream
- T’ik T’ak
- Bermuda [Triangle]
- Juliet
- Coma
- Replica
- 아침의 눈 (Ahchimeh Noon; Morning Snow)
- Moai [RMX]
- T’ik T’ak [RMX]
- Bermuda [RMX]
- Coma [Nature]
Besides being a bit late on this, I’m also extremely biased towards this album. Taiji has never put out a bad song and I loved this entire album from the first listen (and I’ve listened to it over 30 times so far). Despite having already heard the singles, Part Moai (Moai, Human Dream, T’ik T’ak) and Part Secret (Bermuda, Juliet and Coma), this album still surprised me because it’s SO different from 7th Issue and especially 6th. The instrumentals are much softer and have sort of a light/poppy classic rock kind of feel to them, which was a pleasant surprise. I can’t say much for the lyrics since I only know a few words in Korean but the feelings I get from Taiji’s singing are just as powerful as his other releases.
Moai begins with a watery sound effect and a very upbeat intro before the guitar kicks in. Top really shows off his ability to play a jazzier guitar style in this song. Taiji’s vocals are, of course, impeccable. The song itself is something about the monolith statues on Easter Island (called, unsurprisingly, Moai). The feeling I get from this song is one like I get when I’m on vacation or when I go to the beach. Laid back; escaping from the rush and noise of the city and daily life. The music video (MV) for it has the same feeling. I believe the band actually travelled to Easter Island (or a similar location) to film it? However, the MV actually shows that Easter Island is not just a calm place with strange monoliths. The story in this MV is continued in the MVs of the next song. (The UFO from the end is seen in th beginning of the first Human Dream MV)
The extreme electro-pop sound of Human Dream was a HUGE shock to me. I didn’t really like this song at first; it sounded absolutely nothing like Taiji’s music (even compared to Moai and other 8th songs)! However, it’s extremely catchy and I often find myself singing it during the day. The MV is what really made me actually enjoy this song. It’s two parts, each of which are around 7~8 minutes long. All I can say about the MVs are that they’re very fitting of the song and I really recommend you see both parts (they’re even more movie-like than his other MVs).
Part: 1, 2
The movie (because it’s honestly gone beyond an MV) is really a work of art. It’s extremely confusing and took me quite a few watches to understand what’s going on. There’s an explaination in the comments of the second part if you don’t understand it. The story of this MV also continues in to the T’IK T’AK MV.
If you ever wonder why Taiji takes so long between his album releases, listening to this almost will make you realize it’s because he refuses to put out anything less than perfection and T’IK T’AK (pronounced “tick tock”) is no different. This particular song is about the Freemasons and New World Order conspiracy (there are many references to this in the MV as well as the lyrics). I love how the quiet parts of the song contrast so strongly with the chorus, especially the piano that is immediately followed by “destroy the world.” If I had to pick a favourite song from this album, T’ik T’ak would probably be it, and because of this, it’s hard to write a lot about it.
The first song I heard off of this album was Bermuda [Triangle]. The MV has a very clear “Garden of Eden” theme, with the imagery of the apple, snake and the change the girl goes through. I wish I could find an English translation of these lyrics to see how similar they are to the MV. The song itself is reflective of what is happening in the MV: soft and innocent in the beginning to “corrupted” towards the end. I really love what Taiji does with his voice during “I’m going down.” It really gives the impression of falling from grace. The chorus is heavy compared to the rest of the song and I get the feeling of a slight sense of rebellion; not wanting to be “good” like everyone else, as it leads in to the very electronic and rock ending, like the transformation from childhood into adulthood and gaining the knowledge of how not everything in the world is as perfect as you once saw it.
Ah, Juliet. A lot of people called this MV cheap because of the band parts (floating up in to the air, etc.) but, while I won’t claim to know extactly what Taiji was going for with it, I think it works and fits the song and video perfectly. The song fits in with the theme of this album, which I failed to mention until now but perhaps you picked up on: secret and mystery. Juliet is another somewhat poppy upbeat song with a fairly dark meaning behind it. It is also the first love song Taiji has ever written but is, of course, nothing less than perfection. Even without watching the video or understanding the lyrics, Taiji’s soft vocals and the emotion he conveys throughout the song can make you feel what the song is speaking of, a deep love that cannot be described in words. This is definitely one of Taiji’s most beautiful songs, lyrically and musically.
I’m not really a fan of piano music, except when it’s worked carefully into songs like T’ik T’ak and Coma. The opening of this song tells you it’s going to be a masterpiece mix of electric and acoustic music. Once again, Taiji manages to convey the emotion of his song soley through his lyrics. The song is a criticism of S. Korea, specifically the school system, lack of sociality, etc. Taiji has done similar things with songs like Gyosil Idea, Shidaeyugam (Regret of the Times) and F.M Business. This is one of two songs on 8th that have no MV (yet; The teaser is out and I’m told the full MV will be released soon).
Where to begin with Replica? This song is just powerful. It may not be as heavy as, say, Ultramania was but it is angry. Replica refers to those musicians/bands who copy Seo Taiji’s music and style. It is Taiji’s way of saying “Fuck you” to the copycats and telling them that none of them will be anywhere near as good as he is. I can already see this song being beyond amazing live because I want to rock out and scream out the lyrics with Taiji just listening to the studio version. It’s particularly great because it can go either way: become quiet and soft, like slowly festering hate (the kind where you feel angry for days while plotting revenge) or go all-out heavy to the point where you have to hold on to something while head banging unless you want to fall, as if your anger broke you and you completely lost it. This, by the way, is the other song— not counting remixes— that does not (yet?) have an MV
If I were Taiji, I would probably not have picked Morning Snow to follow Replica. Thankfully I am not Taiji (and I should hit myself for even suggesting it) because the contrast between Replica and Morning Snow is… perfect. I love how he builds it up by singing higher and higher then suddenly dropping down. This is a song that brought tears to my eyes the first time I listened to it and still does. It really shows Taiji’s ability to write any kind of music, not just hip-hop, nu metal and rock. The guitar solo, though short, is so powerful. Morning Snow’s MV is also a work of art (though, again, people have critised it for being too cheap looking).
I’ll cover the remixes in one paragraph, since this is already extremely long. I kind of like Moai [RMX] better than the orginal, but I’m a fan of remixes in general. 8D Moai [RMX] has a very catchy beat and plus ohmygawd, did Taiji just say he dedicates this song to me? ;w; … Kidding. Next up is T’ik T’ak [RMX]. It’s very different from the original. A lot calmer, almost relaxing. And no piano in this one (a very prominent harp though). The guitar and drum tracks are notably absent. Bermuda [RMX] is another song that is a lot calmer, but is very heavy on the piano. Coma [Nature] is not a remix and sounds very similar to the original. It’s a completely unplugged version of the song, which was mostly acoustic to begin with. The ending is perfect; a single guitar sweep.
My overall thoughts on 8th ATOMOS? To write up my actual thoughts would probably involve a lot of keysmash and fangirling, which I’m going to try to keep to a minimum outside of messaging with my friends. All in all, this album is perfect. I still prefer 7th Issue to it but 8th ATOMOS is yet more proof that Taiji really is, as my S.K. friend always says, god. All the instruments are perfect, Taiji’s voice is perfect, the mastering is perfect, I can’t find fault with this album. It’s different from what we’re used to hearing in Taiji’s solo career (and it’s different from Seo Taiji & Boys too) but this will definitely be one of my, if not THE, top album pick for 2009.
