Thursday, March 12, 2009

DBSK "Survivor" vs. KAT-TUN "Rescue"

Before I start this comparison post, I must make a few notes. First, I am not a fan of either DBSK and KAT-TUN, so please don't attack me if I'm overly critical or don't know all of the guys' names. Second, this is a totally unbiased opinion, despite the fact I have a couple friends or so who listen to DBSK and one or two who like KAT-TUN. As mentioned before, I'm not a fan of either...I'm more of the outsider (i.e. Arashi, KinKi Kids, H.O.T, Backstreet Boys).





Song
I'll admit, I do like a few DBSK songs, and it kinda threw me off when they used the same little pitter-patter effect as they did for "Purple Line", but was quickly disappointed at the slight circus-like sounds and cheesy voice distortions. They really could've left that out. I did enjoy the harmonies and everyone's voices were on point, but I honestly thought of Duffy's "Mercy" once they hit the chorus. In my opinion, not one of their best songs.

Visuals
We have light versus dark, then we have the rubble with few lights against a technologic, pure white world. I suppose that's a bit creative. I like the darker setting more than the clean cut white set up, since it looks natural and kinda fits the mood of the song, but I could be wrong. It is interesting seeing these two worlds cross into each other with the flashes of white light brightening the darker area and the red lights tainting the white scenery.

Choreography
This isn't the best choreography I've seen from these guys. It seems kinda boring, a bit forced, and possibly some over thinking while doing the steps. At points, I swear they're not dancing together, but otherwise, I was disappointed again in this area as well. Perhaps they won't half ass their moves or just get a new choreographer altogether.

Overall Presentation
On a positive note, I thought the concept was an interesting choice and I also will give it credit that it was a clever one as well. The song is pretty decent, but I've heard a lot better and it's not good if I randomly want to listen to a Duffy song, especially since I don't listen to her in general. On the other hand, the video is kinda dull and the choreography is very boring and lacks passion.





Song
Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this song at all, like most KAT-TUN songs, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I wasn't anticipating the singing during the intense heartbeats and the usual boy band harmonies, but the introduction definitely peaked my interest and I actually ended up liking the song. I really like the harmonies and the sectioning they did with the guys' voices. The music is ridiculously catchy and I like how smoothly everything just meshes together. I sadly had to rush to download the song, even if it had a cheesy rapping section and occasionally comical beatboxing in it.

Visuals
I like the black and white contrast to actual skin tone colors in the whole video. Just the whole lack of color was a clever choice for this song. It's definitely dark just like the DBSK video and even the wardrobe is black. I think they put a lot of thought into the environment and incorporating a few little elements from the drama, "Rescue", that this song is for, which is also a smart move.

Choreography
Even now, I still kinda think the choreography is just as cheesy as the DBSK video. At points, I didn't think it was neccessary to have the back up dancers and other times I thought it was interesting to watch, seeing the members and the dancers chemistry. During their individual dance moments in the video, the choreography ranges from cheesy to pretty decent, but it was better than what I was expecting.

Overall Presentation
Despite the fact that the choreography had it's cheesy points and the rapping and beatboxing sections made me giggle, I liked the scenery and concept of the video. It was a good representation of the video and the lyrics, from what I understood, were nice. It definitely made me want to keep an eye on these six talented men in the musical area and not just their acting abilities.

In conclusion, I think KAT-TUN won this fight. It's the first and only song of theirs I enjoyed. I liked the harmonies and how smoothly the music meshed with the mood of the overall concept. As long as Kame doesn't get that weird perm hair again, they can have the win this time and I might actually watch the drama this is for too.

2 comments:

Ysabelle said...

i love the beatbox thing and jin's solo dance...hehehe..it makes me giggle..

Anonymous said...

what? the beatbox is one of my fave parts. have u seen Lips? i think Rescue is competing with it for the best song arrangement, like how smoothly everythings goes together too in this passionate rock song. and Rescue for me is also competing with Don't You Ever Stop for having the most unique MV. from what i see, they always give much thought on MV production.