The Big (Bang) Extravaganza

This week we decided to do something a bit different again. We watched the three recent solos from Big Bang by G-Dragon, Taeyang, and most recently TOP, and while they had some interesting things there wasn’t enough in each to talk about any one video…so we’re reviewing all three! We looked at G-Dragon’s Who You, Taeyang’s Ringa Linga, and TOP’s Doom Dada. Enjoy!

Em: These three were vastly different videos…yet someone all from the same band. Its amazing how Big Bang manages to throw these guys together and make cohesive-sounding music, because they end up so different in solos. GDragon ended up being very simple (oddly enough), while TOP was weird and Taeyang was….well…Taeyang. I can’t say I loved every video, but together they make for an interesting collection.

Ruby: It’s been quite the year for Big Bang. I mean, they haven’t done much as a band, but a solo for each member and now on tour in Japan. That’s a big accomplishment. (GD’s own activities have been numerous enough to start his own label, honestly). It is really refreshing to see each artists personalities, from the simple to the weird to the sexy, they really hit all the bases. Could I have done without the monkey suit and maybe with a bit more from GD? Yeah probably, but I’m not complaining too much. Mostly I’m just curious how much eyeliner they’ve gone through this year…

Em will be rating the clothing and it’s cool factor

Ruby will be rating the styling and its badassery

Ringa Linga

This was super typical YG. Bold black and white combos, baseball caps, tall poofy hair…YG has done it all before, and done it well. CL had a lot of the same styling, complete with lots of shiny things. G-Dragon has had the same hair Taeyang had, and baseball caps are quintessential YG. The neon was an interesting addition though.

Clothing rating: 5

Weird rope hair

NEON BLACKLIGHT PARTY TIME

I mean this video screams YG. The styling is no exception, but it is really a step outside the box for taeyang in some ways. The hair was really… unique. I like the half shaved head (ahem, it MIGHT be my hairstyle) but on him it’s a little, uh, odd. I’m just not sure blond was his color. that being said, the tattoos are cool, especially when they’re outlined under the blacklights. The makeup is really simple, which is nice since hair is so dramatic. Simple jewlery and hats gives a really clean finish to it. The face bandanas are super YG, but they do look badass under the lights. Nothing super original, but an interesting combo with a surprise under the backlight.

Styling rating: 4

Half shaved head = yes

Who You

It was a bit of a departure from his GD’s usual insanity, and I dunno. The simplicity aspect of it was nice I guess, and he definitely needed to keep it simple for this, but I think if I was the stylist I would have done something differently. Maybe it’s just because I don’t like jeans on jeans with construction work boots, but still. It seemed a little dissonant between the more high fashion accessories and the working man’s outfit. Then again, from another perspective, perhaps it was a very intentional juxtaposition that was meant to further convey an idea. It was probably supposed to say that he’s just a regular guy, just with fancy accessories. If so, interesting metaphor and a very interesting way to communicate the message. If it’s just fashion for fashion’s sake, bleh.

Overall Rating:

6

though the ripped jeans were kinda nice

the boots were pretty iconic really

Style time

So this video was obscenely simple, right? One outfit, one set, one everything. That being said, I really don’t have anything bad to say. I can’t even complain about it being simple. In fact, I adore it. Everything single little detail of it. The video is supposed to be the ‘celebrities live in glass houses’ idea so the fact that he’s styled for everyday is absolutely perfect. It’s enough to look great and fashionable without looking like he’s had coordi’s all over him all day. A few well placed accessories for a little shiny (he’s rich so it makes sense, i mean he’s got a bloody sports car in the glass box),  a little sexy (a little eyeliner, or a lot of eyeliner) and weird hair make him feel like there was thought put into how he looks. I mean he is still a celebrity, but it’s subtle enough for him to have walked in off the street.

In my style book, Rating:

9.5

hey his microphone matches

Doom Dada

This was….sufficiently weird. I mean, the weirdness of the video itself kind of overshadowed the fashion, but TOP still managed to pull off a giant bow, a sexy eyepatch, and a gorilla persona. Yeah I’m counting that as fashion. The colored contact lenses were also a nice touch [1:55]. Overall, he wore well-cut suits, and there weren’t too many outfit changes, but there were a few pieces that would definitely get some looks outside a music video. As though he wouldn’t get stared at enough otherwise…

Overall Rating:

6

as simple as this

and then this happens

Alright so this video was obviously quite different. I mean, it’s hard to rate this video, firstly because he spends a large amount of time in a monkey suit, secondly because its TOP and he’s always attractive. The whole video was really completely batshit, so the styling really needed to reflect that. I mean, he wore enough eyeliner for all of SNSD, but it worked. The hair was constantly changing style, but it always seemed to work, playing between constructed and messy. There were some more questionable elements, like a fake mustache, an indiana jones hat and an eyepatch. I appreciate that they were trying to be quirky, but these honestly felt kind of predictable. I’m not a fan of costume items that look like you pulled them out of the Quick $1 Costume Ideas bin at WalMart. Meanwhile, the vintage goggles, leather gloves and colored contacts were spot on. I guess it boils down to this: if you’re going to make an off the wall vintage hipster video, you absolutely go all out, no excuses, no quirky weird accessory left behind.

My style meter says:

7

sexy eyepatch pirate TOP

Ah, a Spanish romance of a moustache

#goodkitty

#didsomeonesaydapper

# ygneedstolaunchaneyelinerbrandlikeyesterday

#rawr because animal print is still a thing. Why is animal print still a thing. Anyway, two of these lovely gentlemen sported animal print clothing items; G-Dragon wore leopard print, and TOP wore zebra print. Oh, and TOP was a gorilla. Anyway, we saw this in Troublemaker’s Now with leopard print again, which was just last week. We also saw this in many other music videos, like in SHINee’s Dream Girl (watch for Minho’s pants).  There have also been other overall concepts inspired by animals, including EXO’s Wolf.

Leopard print hat

Zebra print TOP top

animal couple Troublemaker's Now

poor Minho in Dream Girl

#didsomeonesaydapper because if no one has, let me be the first. I mean, men in suits are always nice, but there are more ways to look dashing and daring and manly man man-y than just with a suits. Sometimes we want our men to look casual and classy (like GD in this case, or even like last week’s review with ZE:A). Other times strong and sexy are the most appealing traits in a man, be it shirtless Taeyang (Mmmm) or Troublemaker’s Hyunseung. But I mean, nothing really beats a man in uniform (with a hefty dose of eyeliner) Top or recently SHINee in Everybody. Take your pick ;)

and then the uniform

SHINee in Everybody

#ygneedstolaunchaneyelinerbrandlikeyesterday because really, they put so much eyeliner on their artists (ESPECIALLY the male artists) that they should just market that. Seriously though, they must have a special stylist just to put on eyeliner. It is a nice touch, and I’m not complaining…I have no problem with men in a bit of sexy eyeliner. Sometimes they go overboard, but that takes a lot, especially when we’re so used to seeing it. We’ll even see it in 2NE1’s upcoming music video… Minzy had plenty on in the teaser for Missing You. We also saw plenty in Troublemaker’s Now. Honestly just find any kpop music video and there’ll be lots of eyeliner.

maybe too much

Onew from SHINee with some lovely eyeliner

Minzy in the teaser for Missing You

Conclusion

Em: While it’s often tough to talk about men’s fashion, since they’re limited by a MUST BE MANLY MAN factor, stylists still manage to sneak in cool pieces. Between the trifecta (sorry Daesung and Seungri) of Big Bang, there were a lot of interesting and powerful pieces. Each set of clothes played up each artist’s persona and strengths, from the tough and usually half-undressed Taeyang to the angst-ridden, rebellious partier GD. TOP once again kept all his clothing on and still looked sexy. The leather helped. Overall, a good showing from Big Bang as a whole!

hello mr. dapper sir

Some nice tattoos on this one

Who, me? No who you

Ruby: I love seeing Big Bang pulled apart every now and again. They each have such distinct personalities but when they’re together you kind of forget how different they are. It refreshing to see everyone’s quirks and thoughts really pulled out through their own MVs. While I didn’t love taeyang’s video, it is classic yg and gd’s was refreshing and simple and honest while top’s was off his rocker nuts. They each use clothing to really further their own identities as artists and I love that. I wouldn’t put Taeyang in Top’s ruffly suit any more than I would put top in an oversized tank top with a baseball cap. (I WOULD however support a shirtless mv for Top. JUST SAYING.) It was so well suited to each person and it was nice to see the range.

Yeah

interesting pants

sad GD

THIS.

WINNER, everyone in the fandom found you, but it is nice to see you (and your attractive faces)

Unbreakable Tradition

We've been inundated with cheerful summer party music recently. As much as I love getting into the feel of the season it was awesome to find a video that really broke that mold. And a whole bunch of other ones as well....

So this week we're talking about Kim Hyun Joong's Unbreakable!

I’m no expert on traditional clothing or weaponry, so you’ll have to forgive the technical terms here, but let me know if you have the names or any info on what is being used.

Overall impression:

Ruby: So I know that this video was probably a bit of a surprising choice but I have such a weakness for anything even vaguely reminiscent of  traditional east Asian clothing - furisode, yukata, hakama, obi, hanbok (no surprise here…) - and I’m all over it. I’m also a sucker for the fighting arts and use of weaponry in the dance, so this video was a happy experience for me. Aside from that though, I also loved the way they played with the modern clothing in some cases to reflect their counterparts. It gives me the fashion tinglies.

 

Traditional swordsmen bring artistry in movement into the video

Those beautiful sleeve extensions highlight the dancers flips and tricks.

Matt: Mmhmm! This video is definitely loaded with cool visuals that combine to create a surprisingly strong and eclectic overall style. All of the visual and artistic components blend together in a really enjoyable mix of modern and historic culture to surprise and entertain audiences. A good example of the cultural complexity of the video can be seen when a dancer wearing a historical Korean mask underneath an urban-style bandana performs a modern martial-arts-inspired dance while simultaneously painting an aggressive dragon on the wall behind him in a style heavily reminiscent of ancient Eastern calligraphy.

 

the dragon beginning

Paint and dance and so many feeeeeeeeels

Other promotional Materials:

Ruby: What other promotional materials….. I mean he released some half naked photos to promote Round 3, his album. But really he hasn’t done much else to promote. Maybe Mattmatt can find some other videos I missed but I’m at a loss. He has recently been on a show called Barefoot Friends, which is quite fun. We found out all about his apartment. It has skulls and booze and designer clothes and that's about it. If that's not good pr I don't know what is.

NAKED TEASER TIME

barefoot friends. they take their jobs really really seriously.

Matt: Hahaha… agreed. On another note, I actually did manage to stumble across some other promotional material. Kim Hyun Joong recently uploaded one of his dance rehearsals to his official YouTube channel. The video brings the choreography to the spotlight, which is good considering that in the official music video, the more complex movements are drowned out by cut scenes to women in traditional dress, Hyun Joong stepping out of a flashy sports car, or the aforementioned dragon painting scene. His live SBS Inkigayo Comeback Stage can also be found online. Its visuals mirror the music video’s main scene, including elements such as the historic emblem cutout on the backdrop and the modern hoodies and gold chains that adorn the established singer and his talented backup dancers. Although it’s worth watching for the live vocals if nothing else, it doesn’t diverge from the fashion and visuals established in the music video.

stage performance featuring the same sports wear from the mv

Continuity:

Ruby: I guess this is where the video could have gone horrible no good very bad wrong, but it didn’t. I really think they made an effort to use the traditional and modern clothing in parallel. We have these harem pants paired with the idea of flowy skirts and hakama and the slit-side sweatshirts with the happi jackets. Even the hats and hoods with writing give the impression of the headbands and headwraps traditionally worn. Yeah, the button down and wife beater were not the best choices and ripping off ones shirt is not classy at any point in history… but I have a lot of respect for the people who coordinated this. I bet there was a lot of thought put into each outfit and I appreciate that a lot.

 

The beautiful traditional dress with extended sleeves

and the sweatshirt, split up the sides to reflect shapes of items like the happi coats.

Matt: Definitely. I don’t have much else to add, except for the fact that the contrast between black-and-white cinematography and color cinematography was also very well balanced. Mirroring the contrast between tradition and modern culture shown in the video, the color usage and overall videography was also very well thought out. A+ for continuity!

 

the black and white take contrast to a whole new level

Band’s Overall Image:

Ruby: So this is extremely consistent with Hyun Joong’s other big Korean single, Breakdown. And that's all fine and good, dark alley gangster dance clothes are fantastic. But lets be real. He spent the beginning of his career of the leader of the group SS501, who were the ultimate flower boy, sweet-heart boy band. I know he’s grown up a lot and I respect that, but I think for me he will always be the playa bartender who can’t pick up a chick to save his life.

Breakdown era KJH

DOUBLE S FIVE OH ONE, DOUBLE S...

Matt: Again, there’s not much to add here. The video is consistent with his solo work, but not so much with his pre-solo-debut material. That’s to be expected. As for his new image, I love it. This video may not look like the product of “the ultimate flower boy, sweet-heart boy band”, but it’s still darn good ^_^;

 

once upon a time, he was such a cutie pie.

Trends in K-POP:

Ruby: So this video is in some ways spot on with the trends. Fake tattoos, and sports wear are really peaking right now. Guys with six packs taking off their shirts has been in for a long time now. coughraincough…. not that I’m complaining. I guess I wish that playing more than alternative fashion was in. They did a nice job of keeping it accessible by staying with trend for one look and then pairing it with something off-trend and stylistically really interesting, like traditional clothing. Even the altered version of the traditional clothing that appear in the video are really refreshing.

 

Bi Rain in his famous shirt removal dance.

Exo wolf's sports wear

Matt: Yup. Fake tattoos are definitely appearing all over the place. Just take a look at Brown Eyed Girls’ new music video “Kill Bill”.

Fake tattoo from Brown Eyed Girls "Kill Bill"

lots of fake tats in this mv

Conclusion:

Ruby: The video really split down the middle of painfully predictable and really fresh and interesting. Using the rhythmic dance of the taiko drums in conjunction with the clothing and the modern song really was completely unexpected but immediately understandable. And for me that's the ultimate goal. I wish they’d committed to it fully rather than half-assing it. I appreciate that they made it accessible to more people but for me it took away from the cooler aspects of the video. I wish they’d gone further with their metaphors and references. 

 

this is really cool looking, very modern but not at odds. 

for me, outfits like this were really out of place

next to scenes like this.

Matt: Really fresh video. Really cool concept, and really great execution. Unlike Ruby, I don’t think it was half-assed at all. To me, the juxtaposition of the different elements (some of which were, admittedly, simpler than others) is what makes the video so captivating.

 

the traditional meets the new

with breakdancers in ribbon hats

and dudes in weird masks!

Daily Dose of Daebak:

Kim Hyun Joong... in the red light district..... *smirks* because there haven't been any prostitution scandals in kpop recently..... (too soon?)

Hi, there, horsey. The man on your back is terrifying ^_^   

Leave us some love in the comments please! If you want, tell us if you prefer the traditional or modern clothes!

This video was awesome. Like, I had so much fun screencapping it and I just couldn't pick. I love the aesthetic. seriously.

But seriously

wow.

See ya

Rachael AND MATT