9:05 i think kpop has lost the art of making cohesive albums and it bums me out because aespas discography is so good but i feel like i can make a more cohesive album so easily
In terms of cohesive album discography I really like Lesserafim because of their trilogy but the link was loosened after it was later build up to Easy.
@@microjellian9207 Honestly, i think that the cohesiveness was lost after their debut mini album. Don't get me wrong, antifragile album was great, but would i call it cohesive? Well, it was certinly more cohesive then the unforgiven album...But yeah the trilogy concept was genius and i couldn't help but be dissapointed with easy's release at least concept wise.
10:40 these two were done by a 3d modeler (a person not ai) and they gave him credit in the 3d model section at the end of mv but the renaissance artwork and the ruined city at the end were ai's work
The 3D VFX on Karina IS AI VFX though (Not Ning Ning). You see a lot of really random swirls appear and disappear and it looks MUCH worse than the genuine 3D VFX used in the rest of the MV.
You have the Mera curse 😭 so many toxic my’s cannot comprehend or accept someone who genuinely loves a group but is also willing to critique as is their right to do so as a person consuming/buying/paying for said groups content.
@@jeongyeonstolejiminsjams same 😭😭😭 I really thought that she might’ve for Jisoo’s solo or maybe a one last send off with blackpink as their 7 year contracts were up… I fear if those two events didn’t get a video from her… she may really never come back 😭😭 a loss for us all fr
I had an argument with a stupid Blink, I was saying how I know the bp formula sells but I wish we got more different formulas (example: lovesick girls) for their title tracks. I have multiple bp posters in my room and I love their music. This Blink (on Twitter) took my criticism as "hating blackpink, not actually listening to their discography" (I have listened to every single song) Unfortunately some fans, kpop, movies, tv, whatever, just aren't intelligent enough to comprehend genuine criticism while still enjoying something. I can see a comment about someone hating my favorite STAYC song but not lose my mind and throw insults at the person. I feel like these same people are the ones that would comment "this video is too long, get to the point" as Taejiu said. I hate seeing creators getting bullied off the internet by stupid people :(
@@asroriadraws totally agree and same :/ and on top of that it’s like we literally engage and are actively giving money to these groups. Like bare minimum if an individual being critical of a group has personally financially invested into that group as well (albums, merch, concert tix, etc.) stans need to get a grip and go bother someone else who’s just hating on a group for the sake of it (sultryfilm coughcough). I think more than anyone else people who financially invest into a group have an even more valid right to engage critically with the content. We are paying for it after all.
i think another reason why armageddon wasn’t as favored as supernova is bc for a lot of ppl, supernova brings us back to the aespa we love. kitschy with retro-futuristic aesthetics & a hyperpop-adjacent sound. armaggeddon - tho those futuristic aspects are still there - probs remind a lot of ppl of “drama” & fans didn’t like that.
I actually loved drama but armageddon is a completely different sound and concept... Like, drama has a somewhat consistent idea for a song, and armageddon sort of doesn't have any point to it and i struggle to verbalise what experience of listening to song and watching the mv was even about and what happened. Of course it's just my opinion, but i much prefer when mv and the song at least tries to tell some kind of story or a narrative, and such i like supernova more. Armageddon was marketed with those find the authentic videos and then Armageddon didn't have anything of this concept in the song?
I personally loved the entire album, and I LOVED both title tracks. I only wish the album was more cohesive, since some tracks didn’t feel like it was meant to be on the album. I think that the b-sides also didn’t do much for me, other than Mine. I think it’s a solid first album, but I hope to see more crazy music from aespa, like Savage, since the album is one of ults and got me into aespa in the first place. Thanks for the video though! It’s great to hear other opinions, especially when I personally enjoy the tracks too. It’s nice to see differing views. ❤
I miss Yoo Youngjin at SM. He was one of the main reasons for making the lyrics that connected AESPA to Kwangya, Naevis, SYNK DIVE, the ae-members, and The FLAT (like please SM give me more Lore). Also, his vocal direction was one of the reasons why AESPA sounds like they do. I know Kenzie is able to do as much as she can (and thank God she did the vocal direction for Supernova), but Yoo Youngjin is a missing piece of the puzzle that made AESPA, AESPA. I hope SM gets more cohesive with AESPA because the girls are doing good and are very finically prosperous, but they could be so great if SM just actually cared.
yes!!! Yoo Youngjin did his thing for so many groups, aespa included. as far as I know, if there were no SM/HYBE foolishness then he might’ve stayed in SM. such a bummer :(
Completely agree. It feels like ever since the change in higher ups they’re just trying to keep the momentum going… but instead of doing this by innovation and trying to break new ground they just decided to keep rehashing the same territory 😪
Well yeah but it was also clear that the girls themselves hated their concept with the kwangya and ae members so why stick to it? They loved this era and so do I, the music feels more relatable
@@yunhosparrot personally I think there could’ve been more effort (on the company not the girls’) to merge things in a way that didn’t totally abandon what a lot of the initial base was drawn to/had come to know of aespa. For the girls’ sake of course I’m glad that they’re happier now. And I’m not saying that the ai members should’ve been kept because I think dropping those was the right choice. But just as far as the lore/some concept elements I feel like there was a middle ground that if the company had been willing to cook/develop a little more could have been reached. That said I do enjoy what they’re doing now and I do think it’s pretty good.
Absolutely agree on Aespa‘s b-sides often not fitting with their main release. I love love LOVE Armageddon, and I really like Mine, Set the Tone and Supernova - I’m lukewarm on Licorice, but it still definitely fits Armageddon’s overall mood and concept. And that’s that. That’s where the playlist of this release ends for me - I don’t hate Bahama, I don’t care about the rest, but they just DON’T FIT with the first few songs. It’s a hard break, and it doesn’t seem to be an intentional one with artistic thought behind it, it feels more like someone raided the didn’t-make-it-onto-Spicy-EP-closet YET AGAIN to get enough songs to be able to call it a full album. The girls deserve better. The fans do, too.
I am a new Kpop Fan. Drama was already out Spicy was already out Next Level was already out. Supernova and Armageddon really made me a big fan of Aespa and although i wish the bsides fit the concept more. Maybe its because its their first comeback im seeing in real time but I personally love it and found it super different from everything else I have been listening to. Supernova, Armageddon, Drama, Spicy, Next Level back to back is so amazing to me. Also listening to interviews the girls themselves really like Armageddon more than Supernova, and personally I cant help but agree.
Typically in Kpop you will always develop an attachment with a first comeback for whatever group you follow, for example I'm a huge 'As if it's you last' BP defender because that was my first comeback with the group. That's just what I've observed from the community.
@Taejiu I definitely can see as a long time aespa fan how you would be frustrated with this release even if you really like both supernova and armageddon. In western music it happens too but most of the time it is the failing of the artist. Dua lipas new album is a prime example. Compared to future nostalgia it doesn't hold a candle or do anything at all new. Somehow that's more forgivable what happens in kpop because you know the company is actively messing it up while the artists are genuinely giving it their all.
@@Taejiu Interesting observation about loving the first comeback of a group with stan. Personally though, i'm more like this with comebacks that got me to like the group, like Bon Voyage by Dreamcatcher, Scientist by Twice (it's also kinda the title to an album that got me into kpop, so that also helps)
Taejiu, I don't want you to ever feel discouraged over making hour long videos about k-pop groups, albums, & the industry in general. I personally love watching long ass video essays / commentary videos of both things I know about & things I have no clue about; I think I just love hearing other people speak passionately about things they love so much (as a professional passion yapper myself lol). Plus, there are so many other youtubers that make literal 8 hour long videos about things barely anyone knows about, & on top of that UA-cam has recently been promoting long videos anyway, so right now is pretty much a good time to yap for hours on YT. Completely agree with all of your cricitisms about AESPA despite also being a big MY myself. I personally feel like the album "Armageddon" would have been a better album if it was just the first 5 songs & that's it, the 2nd half of the album should've definitely been placed into previous albums. All great songs, just didn't fit the whole "vibe" of the album. I do wish that the album structuring gets better in their future releases because it has been a mess lately. Love your videos, Taejiu! Keep up the amazing work! ❣
I love listening to these hour long videos when I’m washing the dishes or cleaning around the house. I find myself going “right!?” Or “exactlyyyy” quite a lot 😹
We share a lot of similar thoughts on the Armageddon comeback and I must say that the first section of this video really HITS You nailed that, great job!
I really hate it when the second you have some worry or critique for a group, that people will just pretend you're a hater or not a fan. Only when the person themselves say that they're not a fan, then that's valid even. And only then you can say "they're not a fan" and that's okay.
The pattern in kpop I've noticed: group debuts with characteristic, sometimes even refreshing style, concept. They do well, people start to associate it with that group. They keep this sound for 1-3 comebacks (depends on the group) but suddenly they a) get new creative director b) start hoping on trends c) switch direction to gain attention of new stans. Then their albums start to get more diverse (ballads, pop rock are prominent examples of genres that appear in albums with time, usually not during debuts). Some people leave, some accept the change and others try to delude themselfs that nothing has changed. Honestly it seems like a future path with majority of 4th/5th gen groups with original concepts. aespa, Enhypen, LE SSERAFIM are the first examples that come to my mind after typing this comment. I really hope KIOF won't go down this path. aespa change isn't THAT drastic but you can clearly see the diference between Drama, Armageddon and Next Level, Savage. I think the saddest example is LE SSERAFIM because we went from elegant, high fashion simplistic music to... whatever Easy album was. I don't understand why companies need to fix something that isn't broken... or maybe I do because they do not care about art most of the time. We live in capitalist system after all.
Totally agree. I think companies do this because they’re too overly concerned about becoming stagnant. And while yes sometimes there will be fans that start saying ‘we want a change in concept, give us something new’; to me this is really a red herring because in reality the concept/music direction changes never end up going over that well. You used LS when discussing this and I’ll throw in that I think itzy is another good example of this. Tho some fans were saying they wanted a change I think if itzy had just stuck with their teencrush/self love/empowerment concept that they’d actually be in an even better place now
Totally agree. Itzy is a big example. Blackpink's insane success is largely due to them sticking to their girl crush sound. It didn't matter that people were clamouring for diversity, sticking to their sound kept them at the top.
I think Next Level hasn’t been able to be replicated mainly because of the departure of Yoo Young-Jin. He really was a driving force for some of that experimentation, especially in the 2000s and 2010s with TVXQ’s Tri-Angle and Rising Sun, and EXO’s Mama.
On the topic of the AI art situation this really seems to be an especially SM issue in general considering how Red Velvet's concept photos just released for their comeback and people pointed out how the backgrounds are AI generated :( (Also iirc, Suho's Cheese MV also had AI art in it?)
Although I personally really enjoyed Armageddon and would rank it in my top 5 aespa songs, I absolutely agree with you that not just SM and aespa, I would argue most popular k-pop groups, have a serious problem with buiilding up on their concepts. How do you have SUCH great ideas on paper and then execute them so superficially? Why not take those risks with aespa, SM has seen audiences respond well to aespa's out of the box songs like Next Level, Savage and now Supernova. Why hold back at all, why not go all the way, it's aespa!! They're singing about aliens and Armageddon and we see strange creatures looming in each corner of the music video. TXT's Frost and Dreamcatcher's Scream are songs I could have seen Aespa reference and turn into their own. I just miss this kind of unapologetic boldness from almost all of their recent title tracks. Playing it safe is not what drew people in, I wish SM saw that.
Why hold back maybe because Girls like Armageddon better ? More than supernova although I would love savage and next level kind of song back too but I have seen aespa themselves more happy with drama, Armageddon
@@BhaktManomandirVihariniUmawasn't that just karina tho saying that she liked armageddon better? and although what they like is important, all we are mainly talking about is expanding more on that. this problem lies with SM tho, not the girls. and like taeiju said, there is no problem with tracks like drama or armageddon, it's mainly the lack of cohesiveness and presentation of it all, which again is an SM issue.
I personally love Life's too short and Long chat as much as I love Illusion or Armageddon. I think the greatness of aespa is also their enormous range of sounds they can make work. It's true that the albums are incoherent, but I think that in a world where Spotify and music on demand is a thing album structure and coherency aren't a priority anymore, because people don't listen to album anymore, instead they have giant playlist where many different songs are condensed. So it makes sense for aespa to put very different songs in one album on a comemrcial point of view.
this makes a lot of sense to me, ever since I started watching Taejiu I’ve been trying to listen to more albums as albums 😅 but I agree most of the time people just add songs they like to a playlist that is full of similar songs and we don’t listen to things as projects anymore
For me the incoherency of their albums is the main obstacle in me stanning aespa full force. I don't want to invest in a musical product that is... incomplete to me. The problem is that if you took the entirety of aespa's discography and shuffled the albums a bit you could get cohesive projects. Maybe not amazing ones, but pretty good ones. That coupled with the amazing title tracks would get me on board financially. It's frustrating, because I also really like and respect aespa as idols. It's just that SM keeps fumbling the ball.
SM hasn't done their job correctly since forever with aespa and hurts because they have sold themselves as "the future and innovative K-pop company". And while you have the sminis and whatever, you aren't doing their job in the music side which is the thing that should be selling first and for most.
I'm not even someone who really cares about album cohesiveness but it does look very odd when only 4/10 songs actually fit the vibe of the title tracks
I agree with what you say about lack of cohesive albums in K-pop, which is something that has been happening for years but with the way the industry is set up currently, we won't really get a lot of those because they're so focused on pumping out multiple mini albums per year. I sometimes think about how I'll read an interview with a Western artist that's making a comeback after many years and they mention recording like 50 songs but they'll whittle it down to like 13-15 songs for the album and some of the ones that don't make it get put on a deluxe version(or they come out on a special anniversary edition of the album years down the road). In K-pop, all 50 songs would be released within the next 1-2 years via mini albums and maybe one full album, lol.
i remember that aespa video and tbh even if its outdated now, at the time the video was made and released EVERYONE was wondering where aespa was... like if you just look at the date the video was uploaded you can CLEARLY see that your commentary was relevant to THAT time 1:19 no fucking duh is right😂😂 i actually think that video was very well done and it made me start researching aespa more, which was perfectly timed for me bc they had a comeback basically right after that video dropped lol im really curious about your thoughts on armageddon bc i LOVE the song but something is missing for me that i cant quite put my finger on🤔i wonder/hope you can point it out for me lol
Tbh I loved both songs so much when they came out, but they just keep getting less impressive the more I listen to them??? Which never happened with Drama for me. Also I was really excited for the rest of the album, but the songs don't match at all 😭 I still love the concept of Armageddon, but the editing on the MV was making me mad sometimes and I just noticed now that it was because of the AI, the transitions are kinda weird and too fast.
I definitely agree. It's blatantly obvious that "MY WORLD" was supposed to be bigger than it ended up being, and now SM wants to use up the B-sides they spent money producing that never made it to "MY WORLD." As for my own take - I absolutely love aespa's music. Their recent projects are obviously not cohesive, but because I am a person who prefers to listen to albums as a whole instead of playlists, I sort-of get used to the sudden transitions present in aespa's more recent endeavors after a few listens. Due to this, as well as the fact that I'm relatively new to the album/music scene, non-cohesive albums typically do not bother me, though I see how it can take away the enjoyment of a new release from people. "BAHAMA" was my favorite song on the album from the moment I heard it in the Highlight Medley. However, like what you said later in the video, I hope SM can move on from the issues with aespa caused by the SM VS. HYBE controversy and give aespa some cohesive albums. (P.S: A fellow Winter bias? LET'S GOOOOO) (P.P.S: What are your thoughts on the new Kep1er situation + album? I absolutely loved their new release - it's definitely my favorite from them. It is sad that it's the final OT9 album, however I hope WAKEONE can and will continue it's success with the next releases of the remaining 7 members (Kep1er actually got a win this time around?? WHAT??).)
I really appreciate your analysis and emphasis on the quality of a whole concept in kpop, I haven’t found too many kpop video essayists who breaks down the sum of all the parts as well as you, and I can tell that your criticism comes from respect for the art and the artists. Thanks for the great video.
앨범에 일관성이 없다는 말에 동의합니다. 대중성 면이나 작곡 면에서 보면 spicy와 drama는 aespa의 수준에 미달한다고 봅니다만, 다른 주장들은 대체로 동의합니다. 이수만 씨의 경영 스타일이나, 하이브에 주식을 팔려고 했던 점, 해외 페이퍼 컴퍼니 의혹에 대해서는 비판 받아야 마땅하지만, 그의 광야 컨셉은 독보적이었죠. 하지만 또 black mamba 컨셉은 READY PLAYER ONE 같은 유의 컨셉 완성도에는 한참 미달 됩니다. 스토리텔링 완성도는 A급은 아니고 B+ 정도라고 봅니다. 하지만 KDA 짝퉁이라는 소리까지 들어가면서 광야 컨셉을 밀어붙인 건 이수만의 공로라고 봐야죠. 한국은 아직까지 SF 쪽의 스토리텔링 능력이 부족한 단계인데, 대중들은 본 게 많아서 (가령 SM 관계자들의 경우) 컨셉에 이런저런 참견을 할 겁니다. 일반 대중들(SM 관계자들 포함)은 촬영 기법이나 조명 기법, 노래 프로듀싱 기법에 대해서는 간섭을 못하지만, 스토리텔링 방식에 대해서는 "이런 주제는 어때? 이런 주인공은 어때? 이런 결말은 어때?" 하면서 스토리텔링의 근본조차 모르는 SM 이사들이나 관계자들이 떠들어댈 거란 말이죠. 저도 20년 동안 그런 사람들에게 시달려봐서 잘 압니다. 한국에 Greg Egan이나 Ted chiang 같은 작가가 있는 것도 아니고 그런 작가들을 출현시킬 풍토도 아닙니다. 넷플릭스에서 한국발 SF를 보면 그 수준에 기가 찰 지경입니다. 딱 그 수준이 뱀잡이(한국에서는 뱀잡는 직업을 '땅꾼'이라고 합니다. 이수만 씨의 아버지가 땅꾼이었다고 알고 있습니다) 컨셉의 블랙맘바라고 볼 수 있지요. 권선징악의 너무나 단순한 구도에서 아직도 벗어나지 못하고 있는 게 한국식 스토리텔링 기법입니다. 오징어게임이나 기생충에서 그런 경향을 벗어나긴 했습니다만... 이수만 씨가 떠난 SM의 신인 프로듀서들과 의사 결정권자들이 얼마나 창의적인, (제발 좀 객관적인!!!) 결정할 것인지 의문입니다만, 다른 대안이 없으니 기대를 해야겠지요. 과연 SM의 젊은 피가 이수만의 창의력을 뛰어넘을지는 지켜봐야 할 것 같습니다. Spicy와 Drama 시절만 보면 딱 실패라고 봅니다만, 이번에 supernova와 armageddon에서 만회를 할런지 궁금하네요. 그런데 컨셉 비디오가 아직 안 나와서 뭐라고 할 시점은 아닌 것 같습니다.
Read bottom portion as well --- Honest thoughts here... I hear this and think "Why don't I think the same way?" I love Itzy, and yet I don't demand the same or have the passion for quality like what has been voiced here. I feel like there are a lot of misses in Kpop too, yet I still somehow consume and end up liking a lot of it that may seem to fall short compared to higher quality products. I wish I cared this much. It almost offends me that I don't have the same thought process. *EDIT: I understand his standing because of his outro speech on why his passion for quality music is so strong. I retract some of my thinking from this comment due to my misunderstanding and lack of experience in this realm. Thank you Taejiu for your video! I appreciate your concern and input! ✊🏻
I feel the same way! I want to be someone who understands what “quality music” means but I tend to fall in love with anything my faves release. Obviously I have favorites but, since I personally don’t dislike almost any genre, I am always left at least happy if not satisfied. I sometimes wish I was more critical and picky with what I choose to listen to
Alot of the MV was actually 3D artists work, not AI. Most scenes were either fully or partially rendered creations by Ohiomood. Production and directing was done by Rigendfilm. Ohiomood has done alot of cool stuff, he has some behind the scenes of the iconic scene where Karina is coming out of that alien-like glass blob thing 👍🏻
I was so upset when I heard the highlight medley for the album because the last half of the album didn't feel like a cohesive theme. I really love Red Velvet's Red and Perfect Velvet full albums because they really commit to Red Velvet's concept and are critically acclaimed albums. idk the album doesn't feel like the art piece we waited four years for??? but for now I've just learned to love aespa's album for what it is because the songs on their own are very good.
ooooh i’m excited to watch this video! i personally enjoyed armageddon but i haven’t been listening to it too much,,, so im excited to hear ur perspective on the song :)
Already 100% agree with the title! Will give my quick thoughts on this track: huuge potential, catchy with amazing vocals, visuals and even a dance break BUT... listening to the whole song makes me feel bored like it's a bit too slow i guess.
But i'm not surprised Sm uses AI, they used artists work before without credits then hired them lol, now they use AI that generate thing with artists work without credits lol
It's really frustrating how this is becoming reoccurring problem in kpop. Your point about about songs being on the wrong album is EXACTLY how i feel about kep1er.
The way that time flies by so fast that one of SM biggest girl group back then (Redvelvet) is literally forgotten by their company is quite depressing, cuz I feel SM would do the same treatment to Aespa once they debut more girl groups. Edit: I agree that the MV is better than the actual song haha I don’t hate it, but for me I feel like it would age like milk ( forgettable) however SuperNova is literally the song of the year in terms of K-pop releases this year. Edit 2:Don’t stop making longer videos, I literally watched the whole video cuz I agree with everything you said about Aespa & K-pop in general people who complain about the video length have a 5 seconds TikTok rotten brain (respectfully) Don’t mind them, I like when creators take their time with a topic they’re passionate about ,it makes me more inclined to watch the video more than anything.
I love your long videos. I love that you take time to lay everything out, and express nuance, and just think out loud to us. And especially, that we can feel that it comes from a place of care and passion. I hope those "get to the point" comments don't get to you to much, and i hope that you know that for all of them, there are all of us who love what you do. Take care Taejiu
I relate with you a lot in that the music keeps you grounded and that you’re passionate about the quality of the releases, no matter the music genre and that you enjoyed album. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us 😊 Even though I purchased 4 variants of Aespa’s new album I agree with ALL your points and your valid criticisms.
I mostly feel the same way as you do. The b-sides left a lot to be desired, exactly for the same reason. You can't have both Supernova and Armageddon as title tracks and have Bahama or Long Chat on the same project... I was pretty disappointed at my first listen ngl. After some days I tried it again and it runs pretty well until Licorice. The one thing I disagree on is Armageddon the song. To me Supernova was love at first listen, but Armageddon took a bit longer to warm up to but now it feels like a more interesting listen than Supernova. I love the vocal work on the song, the chorus is very interesting (I really like the way they drag the words), the bridge is more to my taste than the AH OH AYs of Supernova. I can definitely understand why the girls like Armageddon more.
personally i didn't really mind that incohesiveness in armageddon but i do recognise that it would have been better if the album was more cohesive even just like u said as a project point of view ! also i do love Armageddon soo much as a song and yet recognize everything u criticized about it on this video all this to say one can enjoy the song and yet be able to accept criticism about it and recognize it could have been even better so don't overthink too much ur statements in this video (or maybe that's just an impression i got) also dont apologize for having a one hour critic of a song a lot of people, me included, looove long videos that talk about subjects that interest me if i wanted a short critic i would be on tiktok rn i find ur video so interesting even if we dont agree on everything !!
"Style over substance" that's the feeling I have for most cb this last year. I agree with your take on Aespa's album, the second half was forgettable. But I think Armageddon is a great title track for it's "refreshing" sound (it's not UK garage nor pop rock like most of the kpop groups do). Supernova is just as good, I can understand why people like's it more. Thank you for taking the time to do an hour long video about Aespa and kpop in general 😊! Keep going!
finally finished the video! outside of the misleading clips labeled as ai generated, i really enjoyed the video. i feel like it hits the various points some mys have pointed out regarding the creative direction, in regards to which songs go to which albums, for the past few comebacks. i do want to add that since my world i feel like we've been detached from kwangya for a while now. i feel like there have been lyrically no mentions of kwangya, but please feel free to correct me if i'm wrong. i won't say no to more long videos because it is nice to listen to while working on other stuff! i honestly wish ktubers had more long-form videos discussing kpop and other stuff.
i kind of feel like sm is trying too hard to do a red velvet thing with aespa's real world sound vs kwangya sound but it just doesn't work for them at all imo. aespa should be camp futuristic hyperpop. there's a reason next level was so loved by the gp too and it's because they committed to it. and they should prioritize telling a full story with aepsa's concept.
Armageddon was honestly pretty shocking for me in the first few listens, but I now really seem to like it. Of course, Supernova was way more fitting but I honestly like the craziness (for the lack of a better term) of Armageddon. The album had good songs but it followed the same aespa project formula, where the album starts with songs like the title track and ends with songs on the opposite side of the spectrum. It's pretty infuriating to see aespa get these kinds of projects. Btw I love that you made a whole one hour video, its like a podcast. I just put it in the background while I was editing, and it was very calming. I hope you get started on the podcast thing soon because I would love to hear your opinions in a longer format. I stopped consuming ktube content a short while ago but you are one of the few I still watch. So, love your vids, this may be your best one yet, keep it up
My issue with the aespa album is that Supernova being released first promised an album full of killer, rocket-powered music, but the actual album is more like AA battery power. None of the songs on it are bad, but they all fail to live up to the expectation of greatness that Supernova set. It seems to drag on a bit due to it having a lot of mid-tempo songs. It knocked out some concert staple songs, like an emotional fan ballad or a cheesy pop-rock track, but it didn't feel like a truly cohesive musical project. Not their worst album at all, but at this rate, I worry that they'll never be able to beat the Savage album.
sm continued their ai art use on red velvet's cosmic photos for their 10TH!! anniversary. its such a shame to see repeated mismanagement and opportunities for their gg's from f(x) to red velvet to aespa.
It’s crazy how different people’s taste in music is. For me Armageddon is a 10000/10. It’s been on repeat since release. Meanwhile Supernova is good ofc but nowhere near Armageddon to me. And Drama is better than Supernova to me.
A reason why you’re one of my favourite k tubers: I like that you make long videos where you really talk about everything you want to talk about, without trying to make a ten minutes video that would be incomplete. Like I watched your 30 minutes video about Tank and now I like that song more because I opened my eyes on that song thanks to you!
This really reminds me of Blackpink’s first album rollout. “How you like that” was technically the pre-release but most see it as the title track of the album while “Lovesick Girls” the actual title track did not get nearly as much attention. As someone who prefers both “Lovesick Girls” and “Armageddon” I can see how they would be outshined by the other two. Definitely a marketing mistake
Armageddeon is a good song, but i don't go out of my way to listen to it as much as Supernova, because it feel like it came out of the oven a bit too early. Kind of like it's missing something... or it leaves a bit to be desired. Supernova just feels better executed as a song tbh. It had most, if not all, of what i like about armageddeon (catchy hooks, good bridge and vocals, boppy dance break etc), but it was also more experimental and interesting, and it also doesn't feel like it came out of the oven a bit too early. That's why I listen to supernova way more than armageddeon. Maybe my wording is not the best, but basically I agree with most of this video.
I actually thought that the album was great at first when it just came out but then started to analyse the songs separately. now I think that the songs on their own are indeed great, I enjoy the instrumentals and their vocals but within an album those songs somehow become a mess. like you legit can pair up some songs together and make like 3 separate EPs around them but in a full-length album they do not work unfortunately. as for Supernova and Armageddon I enjoy both equally but I agree that Supernova kinda overachieved here lmao. it’s rare that a pre-release overshadows the main tt.
I think it's their best album yet, and the b-sides are not half backed, mate. Especially, set the tone, mine, and liquorice. In my opinion, it blends both styles of Aespa from previous comebacks. It's definitely my favourite album from them, also not really fair to compare it to RM's album, which for me is not really your typical K-pop - album, but something entirely different. But appreciate your honesty that's what I like about your videos. At least you have the guts to tell it to people.
aespa was the first group that made me turn into bsides whit the savage album. I really like their bsides, but I also share your opinion about the structure of the album, because i usually don´t listen to the hole proyect more than a few times.
The more you post the more I'd like to know you irl to have several conversations about discography consistency and stuff like that. I'm just ⅓ on the video and when you anticipated the aespa disjointed discography presentation (as in it can be cohesive in total, but project by project it is not) especially in the Armageddon album I was like YES, YOU READ MY MIND also side note on ai "art". I'm an artist and I'm ok about it if you use it as a tool, not ad a full on product. If it is sprinkled scarcely in a project I can forgive it, maybe it fits the concept, maybe it's a tool to convey a message, maybe you were in a bit of a rush, that I don't care. If you use ai to do whatever about anything... Nah, ew.
See, I have to slightly disagree with you on one point. I think SM does actually realize aespa's global potential and that's why we've gotten title tracks like Drama, Spicy, and Armageddon; to appeal to a greater audience. Yes, they're still experimental in some ways, but they generally play it WAY safer than a song like Next Level, which has that insane and "out of place but also much needed" bridge/tempo changeup (their recent TTs are more like "Western experimental music"). Therefore, I think Supernova is somewhat of an antithesis to Armageddon - it calls back to that wacky but fun sound they had during their debut era and first few comebacks, whereas Armageddon shows more of where the group's sound is headed (a more Western-acceptable sound, that is). And I do have to agree that the MV doesn't really fit their storyline, but I've also seen some theories about a parallel universe where aespa doesn't defeat Black Mamba and they become villains themselves, or there's some new bigger villain that used the Black Mamba as a puppet and is now unleashing itself which is why it feels so much bigger than their Black Mamba storylines, which would be super cool and interesting to see them go down this darker apocalyptic path. Another thing that I've just been thinking about recently: It's so obvious that people in the general public LOVE Supernova, so hopefully that awakens something within SM and they realize that "Oh shit, people like aespa's wacky sound, we should do it more often now." but I have a feeling it won't and they'll just keep pushing out these just barely over 3 minute title tracks that appeal to Western music lovers.
I love Aespa, great mv for Armageddon even if i'm not a fan of this song, i prefer their b-side specially Set the tone and Mine. I didn't know they use AI, i don't think AI is art, Ai just use others human works without credits, Ai isn't artist
i was watching this on the tv and i had to go on my phone to comment. YES! they were criticized for using ai generated images, even the members were hesitant about adding it to the video. it was everywhere on twitter when the armageddon mv was released. i’d add that it may have been overshadowed with all the appreciation given towards the 3d model artists that worked on this mv. i do have to add that the ai generated images/clips you’ve added to the video aren’t actually the ai generated ones. the karina chrysalis thing was a 3d model. PLEASE! double check your clips before insinuating it is ai cuz it discredits the hardwork of the 3d artist.
It's funny, I think your hangups over the production (i.e. "I wish it were more") is exactly the critique I have in New Jeans's (my #2 gg after Aespa) latest releases. I happen to love Armageddon as my favorite title track of theirs
I don't think its a you problem at all. I've noticed this with a lot a lot of k tubers I watch. And I think I've come to the notion that K-Pop and k tube is not timeless. It can never be timeless and I think that's OK, so I don't think you should have to worry about that. You have information for the time and you make good use of it without being biased or hateful. But yeah, this place is never going to be timeless.I mean, you could talk about a group, but suddenly within a week's reputation is destroyed, right? It's not timeless and it's not your fault. It will never be your fault. I'm writing a script for this topic right now because I just feel like timelessness is something that this community will never have and I think that's a good thing. I think only Mera can beat the lack of timelessness allegations.
Random but since you were talking about my world I feel like hot air balloon would’ve fit better on my world than drama. You know like love and hot air balloons are a REAL world thing lol
Nice critique ! I feel like Armageddon should've been more cohesive, but some theories like how the album is the exploration of other universes (thus different genres) just like how the MV and the title track focuses on the blend of the gap between worlds and all that. SM needs better planning for these releases One critique back: The AI art is complicated. I'm very anti AI but pointing out the fact that the actual 3D models are "AI" seems kinda weird, because that shot with Karina in crystals was manually modeled by actual artists (found them on Instagram), and it seems kinda discrediting them (just a little bit).
23:54 in the video and I'm agreeing with everything so far, especially the lack of cohesiveness in æspa's mini albums/albums (which pisses me off because their concept could allow them to have a crazy great AND coherent discography) and Giselle having little to no lines (which is sad and irking but oh well, it's SME that we're talking about)
As for Armageddon as a title track itself, I REALLY enjoyed the flow and pacing of the intro and I wish after that first chorus that it went back into that flow/rhythm/pacing whatever the technical term for it is. It really just kills all the momentum for me that I was feeling and enjoying from the beginning thru end of first chorus 😭 I still like the song I just… think there’s some obvious tweaks that could’ve been done and it would’ve been EVEN better Edit: like honestly Zoom Zoom to me personally is a lot more exciting and replay-able than this title track. And that’s not a dig I just never hear anyone talk about ZZ lol. BUT supernova is honestly amazing and if anything I think I would’ve made Armageddon the pre release and Supernova the title track
the same way you feel about aespa and their music direction is the same I feel about txt idk how to put it but deja vu was really mid not to mention their being overworked for a group that used to have some of the most artistic and diverse music concepts and discography they are starting to feel a lot boring right now I used to be a hardcore moa but ever since they released that song with the jonas brothers (it was really bad im sorry)and became dior ambassadors it was downhill from there.
Thank you for saying out loud that this year in kpop has been LACKING. Yes I'm not saying it's BAD either. I am just saying we could've had gotten better releases than we got. And people OVERHYPE mediocre groups and songs as if it's like a SOTY. For the fans who are actually into kpop for the music this year has been DRY chicken. I'm not joking :(
i really enjoyed this album but i do believe that it could have been a little more cohesive. i feel like i wasn't as upset about it tho as much as others were, aespa has had this cohesion problem since girls era. i guess im just used to it now
The problem I had with this album was that it was incohesive...songs such as licorice would have been worked well with the "Girls" album or let's say if there were no ballads in this album...if they had maintained the same metallic hip-hop sound, I would've ate that up...Nevertheless 'Supernova' is a cultural reset and 'Armageddon' is what aespa is and I love them both...
i consider this album as their best album i love 8 songs of the this album and when it come to Armagaeddon i'm mesmerized and i'm so glad that they gives them a choreo that showcase their dance skills the songs are so good that it don't bother me that not cohesive to me Armagaeddon>Savage>My worl>Drama>Girls i'm a MY but i don't think that you are an aespa Hater i think like you said it's because that you love and respect them that you want the best for them and even that personnally i love the album, i get your points by the way the aespa members rather Armagaeddon and Karina said that they didn't except that sucess of Supernova Giselle said that this time the members worked closely with the agency the have the best result and herself gives her best when it come to delievery. in my case i have 2 big problem with SM when it come to aespa 1) the lypsink even it's better now i still don't understand why SM keep make lipsynk one of the rare most competent and skilled vocally group of the 2 recent generation, if we look a the biggest and the emergent girls groups beside nmixx, aespa, baby monster, Kiss of life, fror the rest the strandard is pretty low or decent at the best and catastrophic when we look at some hybe groups 2) Giselle. to tell you when i heard the teaser of Armagaeddon i was so exited because the style fit perfectly Giselle style and voice but when i discovered the song i was mad for the 2 first hours that i couldn't fully appriciate the song because again Giselle was keeped aside even in a song that fit her voice and style (well despite that i still think that's aespa best title track) Giselle even isn't good as could be Soyeon or even YG female rappers she still enough competent and have nice delivery she prove it in Savage, Girls and Her prime for me : the Synk rap so she at least deserve a decent incut rap section and for vocal even she still far from amazing vocalists as NingNing or Lily she still Better that 80% idols who isn't well vocally trained and she have less opportunity than the other to show what she had to offer (and yes even Karina have more opportunities) in and beside aespa songs i think it's probably because she is the less popular but to me it's not a good strategy SM would gain more on promoting her more, SM seem to wanting aespa reach BP level of succes, so at least they should take note on how YG promoted each BP member but i'm not sure if they will continue to puch aespa in the US/international market, back on the day they tried with GG but they failed so they abondoned that strategy to focus more the chineses and japenese market. i think once Lee sooman said "there no need of the US market since there's the chinese market" but since the Chinese blocked kpop that have no choices to trying reach the US market especially with worlwide sucess of BP and BTS. aespa will make their japenese debut soon, well i don't doublt that it will be a succes but it seem that chinese will stop blocking kpop so i wondering if they will continue to reach the US/international market. originaly in the plan the 1st full album was in english but i'm glad that it's a korean release in the end. i don't mind if they do an enligh album but in that case i want aespa style in english not a reject of a random american pop singer that come with another bland and common pop album. i think Life to short is a cute, nice song and Better things is a solid song but aespa can do better
It's funny because I disagree a lot with this video and I usually agree. I hate Supernova, it's catchy but incredibly annoying and un-melodic for me. Winter's vocal run and Giselle's visuals barely save it, but I still can't listen to it without cringing. Armageddon, on the other hand, is my SOTY. It's so good- legit teared up when I heard it, the aesthetics are amazing, the vocals are sooo good. Only miss is Giselle's lack of lines.
One thing that I really didn't like was how many cuts to irrelevant scenes there were in Armageddon. Like with Supernova they used very quick movements but you could still process the story taking place. I couldn't even process until my THIRD WATCH that the last scene took place by a waterfall (idek how) which took a lot out of it. Now I honestly just watch the performance video that goes through the different scenery so I can fully appreciate the beauty of the scenes and the amazing choreography. With the AI, I'm completely disappointed. I'm glad they're transparent about it but it's so frustrating to cut corners like that. I still think Drama is the best M/V because the storyline is so simple yet so satisfying to watch.
I came back to kpop after like a 4 month break and I obv had to start from Aespa like come on. Before even hearing the double title tracks, when I heard the name supernova I knew I was gonna like it more (I like space lol) than Armageddon. What ended up happening is exactly that. Although I do disagree about aespa's songs being too "formulaic" since if it's not glaringly obvious it doesn't bother me. Armageddon has some really amazing parts (the bridge especially) but all in all supernova is just more my style. Like did you hear the body bang part? I was floored! Overall, the album is amazing. I love all the songs, except maybe licorice but I'm pretty sure it'll grow on me too. The only problem I have is cohesion, which at the end of the day isn't that big of an issue since the music holds up exceedingly well, it's just something that could be improved in the future to take the quality of aespa's albums to the next level (pun intended). It's needless to say that I'm pretty biased like I'm a my so ofc I am. Even though I disagree with a lot of things you said in your critique of the music specifically, I do agree with most of the latter half of the video and even though I'm happy for what we got with Armageddon, I do want them to be even better in the future.
i totally agree with you on the jyp going ankle deep and sm going waist deep in terms of their concepts! i prefer if a company goes all in on a concept, its much more entertaining. but companies just dont, bc they’re too lazy🥲
I had add on to my last comment because I will say when LSM was basically booted I wasn't surprised there would either a lot of changes or minimal changes at SM Entertainment sound and storyline. I will agree that from Black Mamba to MY WORLD it was weak but I think SM are still cooking with MY WORLD especially lore wise. I don't think you can package a full concept into just one Music Video or EP you need several parts to make a whole especially when it comes to world building the SMCU is doing. I agree the MY WORLD album was chopped up due internal politics going on at SM. I don't think we can say yet if it's a "disappointment" or "boring" until the next release. Personally I go back to back with listening to both tracks so I don't think it will hurt it in the long run especially how sonically enjoyable sound scapes are just a blast to listen to both.
Another great video! I agree with almost every single point, but I'd like to add one of my own about the music. By the way im not really educated about music terms so if i say anything wrong geel free to correct me. So, at least in my opinion, both Supernova and Armageddon are surely good songs. However, i feel like production wise or maybe instrumental wise they luck the deapth and layers we've seen on previous aespa comebacks, or maybe on previous title tracks. Obviously they still have powerful and good sounding instrumentals (in my opinion Supernova is more interesting than Armageddon, again focusing on the production), but still they're not that... rich yk? After an AMAZING title track musically wise, that being Drama, I expected something even better and strong and dynamic like their old REALLY compex and various productions, especially since that's their first full album. So yeah i found this part a little underwhealming... I also agree that this whole comeback had the looks>music quality vibe, and also that the whole album inconsistency is a huge problem that not only aespa faces, but almost the whole industry. And its so sad because it's like you cant find a WHOLE, COMPLITED project that KNOWS what it does and what it's offering from beginning to end.
Yeah I found Armageddon the song so boring. I love Supernova. Also agree about b side placements. Hot Air Balloon is my favorite b side on Drama... but why is she there lol
It’s true My World and Savage albums are really good! I absolutely love Girls and Drama as songs but I really dislike songs like Lingo or the b-sides of Armageddon (except for Licorice and Supernova)
One thing I do feel about those recent releases is that some of them might tryna follow the Kiss Of Life trend, you know? like, this 90s hip-hop vibe of song, very reminscing of A-Pop that was going on around the 2000s, which is not wrong actually, just something I've noticed a lot. Just like everyone was getting in the Y2K aesthetic after NewJeans arrived, they're doing now after Kiss Of Life' successful rollout, an æspa is one of those groups. When I first heard Armageddon, it felt a bit weird at first because the song was so different from their other releases to me and what I was expecting from them. Like, Supernova was very æspa coded and I was kinda expecting that they'd go deep down in the hyperpop because of how the international market is bowing down to the genre this days and artists are becoming more and more experimental and the public is growing some attachment to it. I didn't feel like Armageddon was anywhere close to Drama (their best title to date, in my opinion) but I agree with you when you say that is safe release when compared to Next Level, Savage or anything else they dropped before. Overall, I've grown to enjoy this song a lot after my second listen and I understand why it was chosen as a title track. It's different from what they've done before and it follows a trend that's growing stronger in the industry (Nayeon's comeback title track is another example of what I'm saying). That's a great song. The album was interesting to me. Maybe what they're trying to do was create an order of tracks that would start very strong, fierce and bold, and as more songs go by, they become lighter and softer, showcasing more of their vocal abilities and vulnerability. Also, BAHAMA is one of their best songs ever by the way. Like, it's an upbeat summer track with elements of hyper and psychedelic pop. I found it a very creative mix. Licorice runs the album for me though. All things considered, æspa had a successful comeback for me, but lacked a better rollout (why the hell release half of the album before the actual release?) and promotion. You don't drop an album and promote it within a month and call it a day. Maybe an mini album or an EP, but NOT a full album. NEVER.
9:05 honestly that’s why I make my own “album” where all their songs make more sense but the Armageddon album is the only one that makes sense to me for whatever reason. Like I just understand why the songs are there I can’t explain it
If Armageddon was My World + Drama, maybe it would've had more potential as a full length album, even though it wouldn't be the most coherent. If only SM took the time for it.
Agree on the album part so much. I still think that Savage and MY World are the two greatest albums that they have made, and it shows. Not only for fans love it, but the GP also does. In comparison, Girls and Drama albums feels so washed out. Especially for Drama. The difference in streams between Drama the TT and the bsides is honestly shocking (not mentioning Better Things because that song has no place in the mini-album). Moving past that, I had a high expectation for Armageddon the album considering that MY World + Drama was supposed to be the original 1st Full Length Album by aespa until the SM and HYBE scandal. Coming to see that, I don’t think it would’ve worked either since, yes, some tracks on Drama are perfectly fit for MY World. But I don’t see any other track in MY World that fits the Drama vibes. So it’s like 9/12 are Real World concepts and 3/12 being KWANGYA. Now in the Armageddon album, it’s basically the same thing. A split down the middle which divided the concept. It honestly makes me a bit sad that it never got to the same quality and cohesiveness like MY World and Savage had. The songs, while charming, are probably something that wouldn’t be too memorable like when people talk about aespa bsides. Because one thing that Savage and MY World albums have in common is that their bsides are massively popular too (aenergy, Lucid Dream, Salty and Sweet, Thirsty, etc.). Whereas in the Armageddon album, I’m only really seeing hype for Mine, BAHAMA, and Live My Life. The rest are either getting blindsided or gets rarely mentioned.
I have a lot of thoughts so this comment might end up really long so apologies in advance. I was really disappointed with Armageddon. I think it’s one of the least cohesive albums I’ve ever listened to and I’m so upset because I was so so so excited for this album. I know for a fact SM can release amazing albums that are cohesive and conceptually consistent. They did it with Chill Kill last year. I truly do not understand why SM keeps giving aespa these extremely forgettable ballads and slower songs. We know aespa can do slower songs yet they keep giving them songs that honestly hold no value on the albums they’re released on. Lucid Dream to this day is still my most streamed song on Spotify and I consider it to be aespas best bside. So why do they keep giving them songs like prologue??? It genuinely makes no sense. I remember last year a bunch of people thought Drama was aespa’s best title track and I… I strongly disagreed. No shade to anyone who still thinks this though your opinion is totally valid lol. But I really think Drama is extremely similar to Girls structurally. It’s not really doing anything new that we haven’t seen from aespa. Ironically enough I’m in the minority of people that really love Girls. It’s actually my favourite title track from aespa. But I understand people’s gripes with it. Girls as an album was a mess and it’s so sad because aespa has so much potential and SM keeps ignoring it. It’s also disappointing because they have such an interesting concept. Like we could be doing so much with this. I think My World and Savage were amazing but albums they both have very distinct overall sounds. But Drama and Girls struggle from having little to no direction or cohesion. Overall Armageddon was extremely underwhelming and I really need SM to step it up because I think they’re really not doing great when it comes to aespa.
In my opinion Armageddon was truly overpowered by Supernova . It’s a good song and it’s doing well , but I prefer to listen to Supernova than it . Also another reason was the attention and hype around this comeback . The moment a project is hyped so much , expectations unconsciously increase with realising and I think that was the case for a lot of people . The album was cool but I got bored along the way when I dedicated time to listen to it properly . It lost momentum right after Armageddon or even Supernova the more you listen to it . There was nothing that kept me willing to actually finish each track because there was nothing hooking me on or grabbing my attention. The songs people like from this album are actually nice when you listen to them individually but not within the album . Right now it feels like the album fizzled out so quick but Supernova is still there to mark its presence . Their A&R team need to figure out how to include Aespa’s uniqueness and different styles while trying to maintain the vibe/theme/concept of their future albums .
SM should just make a Kwangya video game cause that's my element right there
OMG FR THAT WOULD BE AMAZING
9:05 i think kpop has lost the art of making cohesive albums and it bums me out because aespas discography is so good but i feel like i can make a more cohesive album so easily
In terms of cohesive album discography I really like Lesserafim because of their trilogy but the link was loosened after it was later build up to Easy.
@@microjellian9207 Honestly, i think that the cohesiveness was lost after their debut mini album. Don't get me wrong, antifragile album was great, but would i call it cohesive? Well, it was certinly more cohesive then the unforgiven album...But yeah the trilogy concept was genius and i couldn't help but be dissapointed with easy's release at least concept wise.
Someone said they depicted their new multiverse concept through track videos .. and it make sense
sadly, savage was their only cohesive album :/
10:40
these two were done by a 3d modeler (a person not ai) and they gave him credit in the 3d model section at the end of mv
but the renaissance artwork and the ruined city at the end were ai's work
The 3D VFX on Karina IS AI VFX though (Not Ning Ning). You see a lot of really random swirls appear and disappear and it looks MUCH worse than the genuine 3D VFX used in the rest of the MV.
You have the Mera curse 😭 so many toxic my’s cannot comprehend or accept someone who genuinely loves a group but is also willing to critique as is their right to do so as a person consuming/buying/paying for said groups content.
I LOVE MERA omg hoping she comes back one day 😭
@@jeongyeonstolejiminsjams same 😭😭😭 I really thought that she might’ve for Jisoo’s solo or maybe a one last send off with blackpink as their 7 year contracts were up… I fear if those two events didn’t get a video from her… she may really never come back 😭😭 a loss for us all fr
@@dean.mcmxcvi i remember her posting a community note that she was making new videos but it’s been months 💔💔 we’re not getting her back i fear
I had an argument with a stupid Blink, I was saying how I know the bp formula sells but I wish we got more different formulas (example: lovesick girls) for their title tracks. I have multiple bp posters in my room and I love their music. This Blink (on Twitter) took my criticism as "hating blackpink, not actually listening to their discography" (I have listened to every single song) Unfortunately some fans, kpop, movies, tv, whatever, just aren't intelligent enough to comprehend genuine criticism while still enjoying something. I can see a comment about someone hating my favorite STAYC song but not lose my mind and throw insults at the person.
I feel like these same people are the ones that would comment "this video is too long, get to the point" as Taejiu said.
I hate seeing creators getting bullied off the internet by stupid people :(
@@asroriadraws totally agree and same :/ and on top of that it’s like we literally engage and are actively giving money to these groups. Like bare minimum if an individual being critical of a group has personally financially invested into that group as well (albums, merch, concert tix, etc.) stans need to get a grip and go bother someone else who’s just hating on a group for the sake of it (sultryfilm coughcough). I think more than anyone else people who financially invest into a group have an even more valid right to engage critically with the content. We are paying for it after all.
i think another reason why armageddon wasn’t as favored as supernova is bc for a lot of ppl, supernova brings us back to the aespa we love. kitschy with retro-futuristic aesthetics & a hyperpop-adjacent sound. armaggeddon - tho those futuristic aspects are still there - probs remind a lot of ppl of “drama” & fans didn’t like that.
I actually loved drama but armageddon is a completely different sound and concept... Like, drama has a somewhat consistent idea for a song, and armageddon sort of doesn't have any point to it and i struggle to verbalise what experience of listening to song and watching the mv was even about and what happened. Of course it's just my opinion, but i much prefer when mv and the song at least tries to tell some kind of story or a narrative, and such i like supernova more. Armageddon was marketed with those find the authentic videos and then Armageddon didn't have anything of this concept in the song?
I personally loved the entire album, and I LOVED both title tracks. I only wish the album was more cohesive, since some tracks didn’t feel like it was meant to be on the album. I think that the b-sides also didn’t do much for me, other than Mine. I think it’s a solid first album, but I hope to see more crazy music from aespa, like Savage, since the album is one of ults and got me into aespa in the first place.
Thanks for the video though! It’s great to hear other opinions, especially when I personally enjoy the tracks too. It’s nice to see differing views. ❤
I miss Yoo Youngjin at SM. He was one of the main reasons for making the lyrics that connected AESPA to Kwangya, Naevis, SYNK DIVE, the ae-members, and The FLAT (like please SM give me more Lore).
Also, his vocal direction was one of the reasons why AESPA sounds like they do. I know Kenzie is able to do as much as she can (and thank God she did the vocal direction for Supernova), but Yoo Youngjin is a missing piece of the puzzle that made AESPA, AESPA.
I hope SM gets more cohesive with AESPA because the girls are doing good and are very finically prosperous, but they could be so great if SM just actually cared.
yes!!! Yoo Youngjin did his thing for so many groups, aespa included. as far as I know, if there were no SM/HYBE foolishness then he might’ve stayed in SM. such a bummer :(
@@nadyavishnyakova8297 wait omg why'd he leave???
Completely agree. It feels like ever since the change in higher ups they’re just trying to keep the momentum going… but instead of doing this by innovation and trying to break new ground they just decided to keep rehashing the same territory 😪
Well yeah but it was also clear that the girls themselves hated their concept with the kwangya and ae members so why stick to it? They loved this era and so do I, the music feels more relatable
@@yunhosparrot personally I think there could’ve been more effort (on the company not the girls’) to merge things in a way that didn’t totally abandon what a lot of the initial base was drawn to/had come to know of aespa. For the girls’ sake of course I’m glad that they’re happier now. And I’m not saying that the ai members should’ve been kept because I think dropping those was the right choice. But just as far as the lore/some concept elements I feel like there was a middle ground that if the company had been willing to cook/develop a little more could have been reached. That said I do enjoy what they’re doing now and I do think it’s pretty good.
Absolutely agree on Aespa‘s b-sides often not fitting with their main release. I love love LOVE Armageddon, and I really like Mine, Set the Tone and Supernova - I’m lukewarm on Licorice, but it still definitely fits Armageddon’s overall mood and concept. And that’s that. That’s where the playlist of this release ends for me - I don’t hate Bahama, I don’t care about the rest, but they just DON’T FIT with the first few songs. It’s a hard break, and it doesn’t seem to be an intentional one with artistic thought behind it, it feels more like someone raided the didn’t-make-it-onto-Spicy-EP-closet YET AGAIN to get enough songs to be able to call it a full album. The girls deserve better. The fans do, too.
I am a new Kpop Fan. Drama was already out Spicy was already out Next Level was already out. Supernova and Armageddon really made me a big fan of Aespa and although i wish the bsides fit the concept more. Maybe its because its their first comeback im seeing in real time but I personally love it and found it super different from everything else I have been listening to. Supernova, Armageddon, Drama, Spicy, Next Level back to back is so amazing to me. Also listening to interviews the girls themselves really like Armageddon more than Supernova, and personally I cant help but agree.
Typically in Kpop you will always develop an attachment with a first comeback for whatever group you follow, for example I'm a huge 'As if it's you last' BP defender because that was my first comeback with the group. That's just what I've observed from the community.
@Taejiu I definitely can see as a long time aespa fan how you would be frustrated with this release even if you really like both supernova and armageddon. In western music it happens too but most of the time it is the failing of the artist. Dua lipas new album is a prime example. Compared to future nostalgia it doesn't hold a candle or do anything at all new. Somehow that's more forgivable what happens in kpop because you know the company is actively messing it up while the artists are genuinely giving it their all.
@@Taejiu Interesting observation about loving the first comeback of a group with stan. Personally though, i'm more like this with comebacks that got me to like the group, like Bon Voyage by Dreamcatcher, Scientist by Twice (it's also kinda the title to an album that got me into kpop, so that also helps)
Taejiu, I don't want you to ever feel discouraged over making hour long videos about k-pop groups, albums, & the industry in general. I personally love watching long ass video essays / commentary videos of both things I know about & things I have no clue about; I think I just love hearing other people speak passionately about things they love so much (as a professional passion yapper myself lol). Plus, there are so many other youtubers that make literal 8 hour long videos about things barely anyone knows about, & on top of that UA-cam has recently been promoting long videos anyway, so right now is pretty much a good time to yap for hours on YT.
Completely agree with all of your cricitisms about AESPA despite also being a big MY myself. I personally feel like the album "Armageddon" would have been a better album if it was just the first 5 songs & that's it, the 2nd half of the album should've definitely been placed into previous albums. All great songs, just didn't fit the whole "vibe" of the album. I do wish that the album structuring gets better in their future releases because it has been a mess lately. Love your videos, Taejiu! Keep up the amazing work! ❣
I love listening to these hour long videos when I’m washing the dishes or cleaning around the house.
I find myself going “right!?” Or “exactlyyyy” quite a lot 😹
We share a lot of similar thoughts on the Armageddon comeback and I must say that the first section of this video really HITS
You nailed that, great job!
I really hate it when the second you have some worry or critique for a group, that people will just pretend you're a hater or not a fan. Only when the person themselves say that they're not a fan, then that's valid even. And only then you can say "they're not a fan" and that's okay.
The pattern in kpop I've noticed: group debuts with characteristic, sometimes even refreshing style, concept. They do well, people start to associate it with that group. They keep this sound for 1-3 comebacks (depends on the group) but suddenly they a) get new creative director b) start hoping on trends c) switch direction to gain attention of new stans. Then their albums start to get more diverse (ballads, pop rock are prominent examples of genres that appear in albums with time, usually not during debuts). Some people leave, some accept the change and others try to delude themselfs that nothing has changed. Honestly it seems like a future path with majority of 4th/5th gen groups with original concepts. aespa, Enhypen, LE SSERAFIM are the first examples that come to my mind after typing this comment. I really hope KIOF won't go down this path.
aespa change isn't THAT drastic but you can clearly see the diference between Drama, Armageddon and Next Level, Savage. I think the saddest example is LE SSERAFIM because we went from elegant, high fashion simplistic music to... whatever Easy album was. I don't understand why companies need to fix something that isn't broken... or maybe I do because they do not care about art most of the time. We live in capitalist system after all.
the Easy album is my favorite though...
@@hexohead8479 And that's okay! I just personally prefer cohesive projects and I view them as the better ones.
@@gumkadomazania2538I liked the easy album and le sserafims previous albums but I totally agree with what you said about them
Totally agree. I think companies do this because they’re too overly concerned about becoming stagnant. And while yes sometimes there will be fans that start saying ‘we want a change in concept, give us something new’; to me this is really a red herring because in reality the concept/music direction changes never end up going over that well. You used LS when discussing this and I’ll throw in that I think itzy is another good example of this. Tho some fans were saying they wanted a change I think if itzy had just stuck with their teencrush/self love/empowerment concept that they’d actually be in an even better place now
Totally agree. Itzy is a big example. Blackpink's insane success is largely due to them sticking to their girl crush sound. It didn't matter that people were clamouring for diversity, sticking to their sound kept them at the top.
I think Next Level hasn’t been able to be replicated mainly because of the departure of Yoo Young-Jin. He really was a driving force for some of that experimentation, especially in the 2000s and 2010s with TVXQ’s Tri-Angle and Rising Sun, and EXO’s Mama.
On the topic of the AI art situation this really seems to be an especially SM issue in general considering how Red Velvet's concept photos just released for their comeback and people pointed out how the backgrounds are AI generated :(
(Also iirc, Suho's Cheese MV also had AI art in it?)
Although I personally really enjoyed Armageddon and would rank it in my top 5 aespa songs, I absolutely agree with you that not just SM and aespa, I would argue most popular k-pop groups, have a serious problem with buiilding up on their concepts. How do you have SUCH great ideas on paper and then execute them so superficially? Why not take those risks with aespa, SM has seen audiences respond well to aespa's out of the box songs like Next Level, Savage and now Supernova. Why hold back at all, why not go all the way, it's aespa!! They're singing about aliens and Armageddon and we see strange creatures looming in each corner of the music video. TXT's Frost and Dreamcatcher's Scream are songs I could have seen Aespa reference and turn into their own. I just miss this kind of unapologetic boldness from almost all of their recent title tracks. Playing it safe is not what drew people in, I wish SM saw that.
YOU JUST SUMMARIZED EVERYTHING I ALWAYS TRIED TO BUT JUST COULD NEVER DO PROPERLY
Why hold back maybe because Girls like Armageddon better ? More than supernova although I would love savage and next level kind of song back too but I have seen aespa themselves more happy with drama, Armageddon
@@vitin4605👏👏👏
@@BhaktManomandirVihariniUmawasn't that just karina tho saying that she liked armageddon better? and although what they like is important, all we are mainly talking about is expanding more on that. this problem lies with SM tho, not the girls. and like taeiju said, there is no problem with tracks like drama or armageddon, it's mainly the lack of cohesiveness and presentation of it all, which again is an SM issue.
I personally love Life's too short and Long chat as much as I love Illusion or Armageddon. I think the greatness of aespa is also their enormous range of sounds they can make work. It's true that the albums are incoherent, but I think that in a world where Spotify and music on demand is a thing album structure and coherency aren't a priority anymore, because people don't listen to album anymore, instead they have giant playlist where many different songs are condensed. So it makes sense for aespa to put very different songs in one album on a comemrcial point of view.
this makes a lot of sense to me, ever since I started watching Taejiu I’ve been trying to listen to more albums as albums 😅 but I agree most of the time people just add songs they like to a playlist that is full of similar songs and we don’t listen to things as projects anymore
For me the incoherency of their albums is the main obstacle in me stanning aespa full force. I don't want to invest in a musical product that is... incomplete to me. The problem is that if you took the entirety of aespa's discography and shuffled the albums a bit you could get cohesive projects. Maybe not amazing ones, but pretty good ones. That coupled with the amazing title tracks would get me on board financially.
It's frustrating, because I also really like and respect aespa as idols. It's just that SM keeps fumbling the ball.
SM hasn't done their job correctly since forever with aespa and hurts because they have sold themselves as "the future and innovative K-pop company". And while you have the sminis and whatever, you aren't doing their job in the music side which is the thing that should be selling first and for most.
I'm not even someone who really cares about album cohesiveness but it does look very odd when only 4/10 songs actually fit the vibe of the title tracks
I agree with what you say about lack of cohesive albums in K-pop, which is something that has been happening for years but with the way the industry is set up currently, we won't really get a lot of those because they're so focused on pumping out multiple mini albums per year. I sometimes think about how I'll read an interview with a Western artist that's making a comeback after many years and they mention recording like 50 songs but they'll whittle it down to like 13-15 songs for the album and some of the ones that don't make it get put on a deluxe version(or they come out on a special anniversary edition of the album years down the road). In K-pop, all 50 songs would be released within the next 1-2 years via mini albums and maybe one full album, lol.
SM should just hire you atp 😭😭😭😭
ugh i have to keep commenting because i love this video and how you cohesively put thoughts together
i remember that aespa video and tbh even if its outdated now, at the time the video was made and released EVERYONE was wondering where aespa was... like if you just look at the date the video was uploaded you can CLEARLY see that your commentary was relevant to THAT time
1:19 no fucking duh is right😂😂
i actually think that video was very well done and it made me start researching aespa more, which was perfectly timed for me bc they had a comeback basically right after that video dropped lol
im really curious about your thoughts on armageddon bc i LOVE the song but something is missing for me that i cant quite put my finger on🤔i wonder/hope you can point it out for me lol
Tbh I loved both songs so much when they came out, but they just keep getting less impressive the more I listen to them??? Which never happened with Drama for me. Also I was really excited for the rest of the album, but the songs don't match at all 😭
I still love the concept of Armageddon, but the editing on the MV was making me mad sometimes and I just noticed now that it was because of the AI, the transitions are kinda weird and too fast.
I definitely agree. It's blatantly obvious that "MY WORLD" was supposed to be bigger than it ended up being, and now SM wants to use up the B-sides they spent money producing that never made it to "MY WORLD." As for my own take - I absolutely love aespa's music. Their recent projects are obviously not cohesive, but because I am a person who prefers to listen to albums as a whole instead of playlists, I sort-of get used to the sudden transitions present in aespa's more recent endeavors after a few listens. Due to this, as well as the fact that I'm relatively new to the album/music scene, non-cohesive albums typically do not bother me, though I see how it can take away the enjoyment of a new release from people. "BAHAMA" was my favorite song on the album from the moment I heard it in the Highlight Medley. However, like what you said later in the video, I hope SM can move on from the issues with aespa caused by the SM VS. HYBE controversy and give aespa some cohesive albums.
(P.S: A fellow Winter bias? LET'S GOOOOO)
(P.P.S: What are your thoughts on the new Kep1er situation + album? I absolutely loved their new release - it's definitely my favorite from them. It is sad that it's the final OT9 album, however I hope WAKEONE can and will continue it's success with the next releases of the remaining 7 members (Kep1er actually got a win this time around?? WHAT??).)
I really appreciate your analysis and emphasis on the quality of a whole concept in kpop, I haven’t found too many kpop video essayists who breaks down the sum of all the parts as well as you, and I can tell that your criticism comes from respect for the art and the artists. Thanks for the great video.
앨범에 일관성이 없다는 말에 동의합니다. 대중성 면이나 작곡 면에서 보면 spicy와 drama는 aespa의 수준에 미달한다고 봅니다만, 다른 주장들은 대체로 동의합니다. 이수만 씨의 경영 스타일이나, 하이브에 주식을 팔려고 했던 점, 해외 페이퍼 컴퍼니 의혹에 대해서는 비판 받아야 마땅하지만, 그의 광야 컨셉은 독보적이었죠. 하지만 또 black mamba 컨셉은 READY PLAYER ONE 같은 유의 컨셉 완성도에는 한참 미달 됩니다. 스토리텔링 완성도는 A급은 아니고 B+ 정도라고 봅니다. 하지만 KDA 짝퉁이라는 소리까지 들어가면서 광야 컨셉을 밀어붙인 건 이수만의 공로라고 봐야죠. 한국은 아직까지 SF 쪽의 스토리텔링 능력이 부족한 단계인데, 대중들은 본 게 많아서 (가령 SM 관계자들의 경우) 컨셉에 이런저런 참견을 할 겁니다. 일반 대중들(SM 관계자들 포함)은 촬영 기법이나 조명 기법, 노래 프로듀싱 기법에 대해서는 간섭을 못하지만, 스토리텔링 방식에 대해서는 "이런 주제는 어때? 이런 주인공은 어때? 이런 결말은 어때?" 하면서 스토리텔링의 근본조차 모르는 SM 이사들이나 관계자들이 떠들어댈 거란 말이죠. 저도 20년 동안 그런 사람들에게 시달려봐서 잘 압니다. 한국에 Greg Egan이나 Ted chiang 같은 작가가 있는 것도 아니고 그런 작가들을 출현시킬 풍토도 아닙니다. 넷플릭스에서 한국발 SF를 보면 그 수준에 기가 찰 지경입니다. 딱 그 수준이 뱀잡이(한국에서는 뱀잡는 직업을 '땅꾼'이라고 합니다. 이수만 씨의 아버지가 땅꾼이었다고 알고 있습니다) 컨셉의 블랙맘바라고 볼 수 있지요. 권선징악의 너무나 단순한 구도에서 아직도 벗어나지 못하고 있는 게 한국식 스토리텔링 기법입니다. 오징어게임이나 기생충에서 그런 경향을 벗어나긴 했습니다만... 이수만 씨가 떠난 SM의 신인 프로듀서들과 의사 결정권자들이 얼마나 창의적인, (제발 좀 객관적인!!!) 결정할 것인지 의문입니다만, 다른 대안이 없으니 기대를 해야겠지요. 과연 SM의 젊은 피가 이수만의 창의력을 뛰어넘을지는 지켜봐야 할 것 같습니다. Spicy와 Drama 시절만 보면 딱 실패라고 봅니다만, 이번에 supernova와 armageddon에서 만회를 할런지 궁금하네요. 그런데 컨셉 비디오가 아직 안 나와서 뭐라고 할 시점은 아닌 것 같습니다.
i really like these longer videos, but maybe that comes from me being a video essay enthusiast
Read bottom portion as well ---
Honest thoughts here... I hear this and think "Why don't I think the same way?" I love Itzy, and yet I don't demand the same or have the passion for quality like what has been voiced here. I feel like there are a lot of misses in Kpop too, yet I still somehow consume and end up liking a lot of it that may seem to fall short compared to higher quality products. I wish I cared this much. It almost offends me that I don't have the same thought process.
*EDIT: I understand his standing because of his outro speech on why his passion for quality music is so strong. I retract some of my thinking from this comment due to my misunderstanding and lack of experience in this realm. Thank you Taejiu for your video! I appreciate your concern and input! ✊🏻
I feel the same way! I want to be someone who understands what “quality music” means but I tend to fall in love with anything my faves release. Obviously I have favorites but, since I personally don’t dislike almost any genre, I am always left at least happy if not satisfied. I sometimes wish I was more critical and picky with what I choose to listen to
@@terrell835 yes! You explained my very thoughts with less words! 😄 I'm happy you understand it too!
Alot of the MV was actually 3D artists work, not AI. Most scenes were either fully or partially rendered creations by Ohiomood. Production and directing was done by Rigendfilm. Ohiomood has done alot of cool stuff, he has some behind the scenes of the iconic scene where Karina is coming out of that alien-like glass blob thing 👍🏻
(some of it was AI ofc tho)
I was so upset when I heard the highlight medley for the album because the last half of the album didn't feel like a cohesive theme. I really love Red Velvet's Red and Perfect Velvet full albums because they really commit to Red Velvet's concept and are critically acclaimed albums. idk the album doesn't feel like the art piece we waited four years for??? but for now I've just learned to love aespa's album for what it is because the songs on their own are very good.
ooooh i’m excited to watch this video! i personally enjoyed armageddon but i haven’t been listening to it too much,,, so im excited to hear ur perspective on the song :)
Already 100% agree with the title! Will give my quick thoughts on this track: huuge potential, catchy with amazing vocals, visuals and even a dance break BUT... listening to the whole song makes me feel bored like it's a bit too slow i guess.
Makes a bit different from the rest of Aespa's title tracks at least having a slower tempo.
But i'm not surprised Sm uses AI, they used artists work before without credits then hired them lol, now they use AI that generate thing with artists work without credits lol
It's really frustrating how this is becoming reoccurring problem in kpop. Your point about about songs being on the wrong album is EXACTLY how i feel about kep1er.
not me nodding my head to every point. i love this album and it shows sm can do more for my girls so THEY NEED TO DO MORE !
The way that time flies by so fast that one of SM biggest girl group back then (Redvelvet) is literally forgotten by their company is quite depressing, cuz I feel SM would do the same treatment to Aespa once they debut more girl groups.
Edit: I agree that the MV is better than the actual song haha I don’t hate it, but for me I feel like it would age like milk ( forgettable) however SuperNova is literally the song of the year in terms of K-pop releases this year.
Edit 2:Don’t stop making longer videos, I literally watched the whole video cuz I agree with everything you said about Aespa & K-pop in general people who complain about the video length have a 5 seconds TikTok rotten brain (respectfully) Don’t mind them, I like when creators take their time with a topic they’re passionate about ,it makes me more inclined to watch the video more than anything.
I love your long videos. I love that you take time to lay everything out, and express nuance, and just think out loud to us. And especially, that we can feel that it comes from a place of care and passion. I hope those "get to the point" comments don't get to you to much, and i hope that you know that for all of them, there are all of us who love what you do. Take care Taejiu
57:52 the way you had to put that disclaimer there is sad or else those mys would eat you alive
I relate with you a lot in that the music keeps you grounded and that you’re passionate about the quality of the releases, no matter the music genre and that you enjoyed album. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us 😊 Even though I purchased 4 variants of Aespa’s new album I agree with ALL your points and your valid criticisms.
Armageddon is honestly my favorite aespa song, but I can understand why you don't like it as much
same lol i kinda liked Supernova but it's not even nearly as awesome as Armageddon for me
I mostly feel the same way as you do. The b-sides left a lot to be desired, exactly for the same reason. You can't have both Supernova and Armageddon as title tracks and have Bahama or Long Chat on the same project... I was pretty disappointed at my first listen ngl. After some days I tried it again and it runs pretty well until Licorice.
The one thing I disagree on is Armageddon the song. To me Supernova was love at first listen, but Armageddon took a bit longer to warm up to but now it feels like a more interesting listen than Supernova. I love the vocal work on the song, the chorus is very interesting (I really like the way they drag the words), the bridge is more to my taste than the AH OH AYs of Supernova. I can definitely understand why the girls like Armageddon more.
personally i didn't really mind that incohesiveness in armageddon but i do recognise that it would have been better if the album was more cohesive even just like u said as a project point of view ! also i do love Armageddon soo much as a song and yet recognize everything u criticized about it on this video
all this to say one can enjoy the song and yet be able to accept criticism about it and recognize it could have been even better so don't overthink too much ur statements in this video (or maybe that's just an impression i got)
also dont apologize for having a one hour critic of a song a lot of people, me included, looove long videos that talk about subjects that interest me if i wanted a short critic i would be on tiktok rn i find ur video so interesting even if we dont agree on everything !!
In response to the last section: know that I love your long videos ❤️
"Style over substance" that's the feeling I have for most cb this last year. I agree with your take on Aespa's album, the second half was forgettable. But I think Armageddon is a great title track for it's "refreshing" sound (it's not UK garage nor pop rock like most of the kpop groups do). Supernova is just as good, I can understand why people like's it more. Thank you for taking the time to do an hour long video about Aespa and kpop in general 😊! Keep going!
Keep doing long videos, because I love listening to you.❤
finally finished the video! outside of the misleading clips labeled as ai generated, i really enjoyed the video. i feel like it hits the various points some mys have pointed out regarding the creative direction, in regards to which songs go to which albums, for the past few comebacks.
i do want to add that since my world i feel like we've been detached from kwangya for a while now. i feel like there have been lyrically no mentions of kwangya, but please feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.
i won't say no to more long videos because it is nice to listen to while working on other stuff! i honestly wish ktubers had more long-form videos discussing kpop and other stuff.
i kind of feel like sm is trying too hard to do a red velvet thing with aespa's real world sound vs kwangya sound but it just doesn't work for them at all imo. aespa should be camp futuristic hyperpop. there's a reason next level was so loved by the gp too and it's because they committed to it. and they should prioritize telling a full story with aepsa's concept.
Armageddon was honestly pretty shocking for me in the first few listens, but I now really seem to like it. Of course, Supernova was way more fitting but I honestly like the craziness (for the lack of a better term) of Armageddon. The album had good songs but it followed the same aespa project formula, where the album starts with songs like the title track and ends with songs on the opposite side of the spectrum. It's pretty infuriating to see aespa get these kinds of projects.
Btw I love that you made a whole one hour video, its like a podcast. I just put it in the background while I was editing, and it was very calming. I hope you get started on the podcast thing soon because I would love to hear your opinions in a longer format.
I stopped consuming ktube content a short while ago but you are one of the few I still watch. So, love your vids, this may be your best one yet, keep it up
My issue with the aespa album is that Supernova being released first promised an album full of killer, rocket-powered music, but the actual album is more like AA battery power. None of the songs on it are bad, but they all fail to live up to the expectation of greatness that Supernova set. It seems to drag on a bit due to it having a lot of mid-tempo songs. It knocked out some concert staple songs, like an emotional fan ballad or a cheesy pop-rock track, but it didn't feel like a truly cohesive musical project. Not their worst album at all, but at this rate, I worry that they'll never be able to beat the Savage album.
sm continued their ai art use on red velvet's cosmic photos for their 10TH!! anniversary. its such a shame to see repeated mismanagement and opportunities for their gg's from f(x) to red velvet to aespa.
It’s crazy how different people’s taste in music is. For me Armageddon is a 10000/10. It’s been on repeat since release. Meanwhile Supernova is good ofc but nowhere near Armageddon to me. And Drama is better than Supernova to me.
A reason why you’re one of my favourite k tubers:
I like that you make long videos where you really talk about everything you want to talk about, without trying to make a ten minutes video that would be incomplete. Like I watched your 30 minutes video about Tank and now I like that song more because I opened my eyes on that song thanks to you!
This really reminds me of Blackpink’s first album rollout. “How you like that” was technically the pre-release but most see it as the title track of the album while “Lovesick Girls” the actual title track did not get nearly as much attention. As someone who prefers both “Lovesick Girls” and “Armageddon” I can see how they would be outshined by the other two. Definitely a marketing mistake
except both supernova and armageddon are title tracks here
Armageddeon is a good song, but i don't go out of my way to listen to it as much as Supernova, because it feel like it came out of the oven a bit too early. Kind of like it's missing something... or it leaves a bit to be desired. Supernova just feels better executed as a song tbh. It had most, if not all, of what i like about armageddeon (catchy hooks, good bridge and vocals, boppy dance break etc), but it was also more experimental and interesting, and it also doesn't feel like it came out of the oven a bit too early. That's why I listen to supernova way more than armageddeon.
Maybe my wording is not the best, but basically I agree with most of this video.
I actually thought that the album was great at first when it just came out but then started to analyse the songs separately. now I think that the songs on their own are indeed great, I enjoy the instrumentals and their vocals but within an album those songs somehow become a mess. like you legit can pair up some songs together and make like 3 separate EPs around them but in a full-length album they do not work unfortunately.
as for Supernova and Armageddon I enjoy both equally but I agree that Supernova kinda overachieved here lmao. it’s rare that a pre-release overshadows the main tt.
you pretty much completely said what i think about this album 🙏
also i love long videos ¨̮
1 hour video for one Aespa single. You are damn dedicated, wish this reaches millions of people
I wish criticism was more welcome, you make great points!
I think it's their best album yet, and the b-sides are not half backed, mate. Especially, set the tone, mine, and liquorice. In my opinion, it blends both styles of Aespa from previous comebacks. It's definitely my favourite album from them, also not really fair to compare it to RM's album, which for me is not really your typical K-pop - album, but something entirely different. But appreciate your honesty that's what I like about your videos. At least you have the guts to tell it to people.
aespa was the first group that made me turn into bsides whit the savage album. I really like their bsides, but I also share your opinion about the structure of the album, because i usually don´t listen to the hole proyect more than a few times.
The more you post the more I'd like to know you irl to have several conversations about discography consistency and stuff like that. I'm just ⅓ on the video and when you anticipated the aespa disjointed discography presentation (as in it can be cohesive in total, but project by project it is not) especially in the Armageddon album I was like YES, YOU READ MY MIND
also side note on ai "art". I'm an artist and I'm ok about it if you use it as a tool, not ad a full on product. If it is sprinkled scarcely in a project I can forgive it, maybe it fits the concept, maybe it's a tool to convey a message, maybe you were in a bit of a rush, that I don't care. If you use ai to do whatever about anything...
Nah, ew.
See, I have to slightly disagree with you on one point. I think SM does actually realize aespa's global potential and that's why we've gotten title tracks like Drama, Spicy, and Armageddon; to appeal to a greater audience. Yes, they're still experimental in some ways, but they generally play it WAY safer than a song like Next Level, which has that insane and "out of place but also much needed" bridge/tempo changeup (their recent TTs are more like "Western experimental music"). Therefore, I think Supernova is somewhat of an antithesis to Armageddon - it calls back to that wacky but fun sound they had during their debut era and first few comebacks, whereas Armageddon shows more of where the group's sound is headed (a more Western-acceptable sound, that is). And I do have to agree that the MV doesn't really fit their storyline, but I've also seen some theories about a parallel universe where aespa doesn't defeat Black Mamba and they become villains themselves, or there's some new bigger villain that used the Black Mamba as a puppet and is now unleashing itself which is why it feels so much bigger than their Black Mamba storylines, which would be super cool and interesting to see them go down this darker apocalyptic path.
Another thing that I've just been thinking about recently: It's so obvious that people in the general public LOVE Supernova, so hopefully that awakens something within SM and they realize that "Oh shit, people like aespa's wacky sound, we should do it more often now." but I have a feeling it won't and they'll just keep pushing out these just barely over 3 minute title tracks that appeal to Western music lovers.
Interestingly, the girls like "Armageddon" more than "Supernova." Karina even said she was surprised at how well "Supernova" has done.
I love Aespa, great mv for Armageddon even if i'm not a fan of this song, i prefer their b-side specially Set the tone and Mine. I didn't know they use AI, i don't think AI is art, Ai just use others human works without credits, Ai isn't artist
i was watching this on the tv and i had to go on my phone to comment.
YES! they were criticized for using ai generated images, even the members were hesitant about adding it to the video. it was everywhere on twitter when the armageddon mv was released.
i’d add that it may have been overshadowed with all the appreciation given towards the 3d model artists that worked on this mv.
i do have to add that the ai generated images/clips you’ve added to the video aren’t actually the ai generated ones. the karina chrysalis thing was a 3d model.
PLEASE! double check your clips before insinuating it is ai cuz it discredits the hardwork of the 3d artist.
It's funny, I think your hangups over the production (i.e. "I wish it were more") is exactly the critique I have in New Jeans's (my #2 gg after Aespa) latest releases. I happen to love Armageddon as my favorite title track of theirs
I don't think its a you problem at all. I've noticed this with a lot a lot of k tubers I watch. And I think I've come to the notion that K-Pop and k tube is not timeless. It can never be timeless and I think that's OK, so I don't think you should have to worry about that. You have information for the time and you make good use of it without being biased or hateful. But yeah, this place is never going to be timeless.I mean, you could talk about a group, but suddenly within a week's reputation is destroyed, right? It's not timeless and it's not your fault. It will never be your fault. I'm writing a script for this topic right now because I just feel like timelessness is something that this community will never have and I think that's a good thing.
I think only Mera can beat the lack of timelessness allegations.
Random but since you were talking about my world I feel like hot air balloon would’ve fit better on my world than drama. You know like love and hot air balloons are a REAL world thing lol
Nice critique ! I feel like Armageddon should've been more cohesive, but some theories like how the album is the exploration of other universes (thus different genres) just like how the MV and the title track focuses on the blend of the gap between worlds and all that.
SM needs better planning for these releases
One critique back: The AI art is complicated. I'm very anti AI but pointing out the fact that the actual 3D models are "AI" seems kinda weird, because that shot with Karina in crystals was manually modeled by actual artists (found them on Instagram), and it seems kinda discrediting them (just a little bit).
23:54 in the video and I'm agreeing with everything so far, especially the lack of cohesiveness in æspa's mini albums/albums (which pisses me off because their concept could allow them to have a crazy great AND coherent discography) and Giselle having little to no lines (which is sad and irking but oh well, it's SME that we're talking about)
As for Armageddon as a title track itself, I REALLY enjoyed the flow and pacing of the intro and I wish after that first chorus that it went back into that flow/rhythm/pacing whatever the technical term for it is. It really just kills all the momentum for me that I was feeling and enjoying from the beginning thru end of first chorus 😭 I still like the song I just… think there’s some obvious tweaks that could’ve been done and it would’ve been EVEN better
Edit: like honestly Zoom Zoom to me personally is a lot more exciting and replay-able than this title track. And that’s not a dig I just never hear anyone talk about ZZ lol. BUT supernova is honestly amazing and if anything I think I would’ve made Armageddon the pre release and Supernova the title track
the same way you feel about aespa and their music direction is the same I feel about txt idk how to put it but deja vu was really mid not to mention their being overworked for a group that used to have some of the most artistic and diverse music concepts and discography they are starting to feel a lot boring right now I used to be a hardcore moa but ever since they released that song with the jonas brothers (it was really bad im sorry)and became dior ambassadors it was downhill from there.
Thank you for saying out loud that this year in kpop has been LACKING. Yes I'm not saying it's BAD either. I am just saying we could've had gotten better releases than we got. And people OVERHYPE mediocre groups and songs as if it's like a SOTY. For the fans who are actually into kpop for the music this year has been DRY chicken. I'm not joking :(
i really enjoyed this album but i do believe that it could have been a little more cohesive. i feel like i wasn't as upset about it tho as much as others were, aespa has had this cohesion problem since girls era. i guess im just used to it now
I'm unhappy NEVER got the flowers it deserved
id love to see more on your AOTY page
The problem I had with this album was that it was incohesive...songs such as licorice would have been worked well with the "Girls" album or let's say if there were no ballads in this album...if they had maintained the same metallic hip-hop sound, I would've ate that up...Nevertheless 'Supernova' is a cultural reset and 'Armageddon' is what aespa is and I love them both...
i consider this album as their best album
i love 8 songs of the this album and when it come to Armagaeddon i'm mesmerized and i'm so glad that they gives them a choreo that showcase their dance skills
the songs are so good that it don't bother me that not cohesive
to me
Armagaeddon>Savage>My worl>Drama>Girls
i'm a MY but i don't think that you are an aespa Hater i think like you said it's because that you love and respect them that you want the best for them and even that personnally i love the album, i get your points
by the way the aespa members rather Armagaeddon and Karina said that they didn't except that sucess of Supernova
Giselle said that this time the members worked closely with the agency the have the best result and herself gives her best when it come to delievery.
in my case i have 2 big problem with SM when it come to aespa
1) the lypsink even it's better now i still don't understand why SM keep make lipsynk one of the rare most competent and skilled vocally group of the 2 recent generation, if we look a the biggest and the emergent girls groups beside nmixx, aespa, baby monster, Kiss of life, fror the rest the strandard is pretty low or decent at the best and catastrophic when we look at some hybe groups
2) Giselle. to tell you when i heard the teaser of Armagaeddon i was so exited because the style fit perfectly Giselle style and voice but when i discovered the song i was mad for the 2 first hours that i couldn't fully appriciate the song because again Giselle was keeped aside even in a song that fit her voice and style
(well despite that i still think that's aespa best title track)
Giselle even isn't good as could be Soyeon or even YG female rappers she still enough competent and have nice delivery she prove it in Savage, Girls and Her prime for me : the Synk rap
so she at least deserve a decent incut rap section and for vocal even she still far from amazing vocalists as NingNing or Lily she still Better that 80% idols who isn't well vocally trained and she have less opportunity than the other to show what she had to offer (and yes even Karina have more opportunities) in and beside aespa songs
i think it's probably because she is the less popular
but to me it's not a good strategy SM would gain more on promoting her more, SM seem to wanting aespa reach BP level of succes, so at least they should take note on how YG promoted each BP member
but i'm not sure if they will continue to puch aespa in the US/international market, back on the day they tried with GG but they failed so they abondoned that strategy to focus more the chineses and japenese market.
i think once Lee sooman said "there no need of the US market since there's the chinese market"
but since the Chinese blocked kpop that have no choices to trying reach the US market especially with worlwide sucess of BP and BTS.
aespa will make their japenese debut soon, well i don't doublt that it will be a succes but it seem that chinese will stop blocking kpop so i wondering if they will continue to reach the US/international market.
originaly in the plan the 1st full album was in english but i'm glad that it's a korean release in the end.
i don't mind if they do an enligh album but in that case i want aespa style in english not a reject of a random american pop singer that come with another bland and common pop album.
i think Life to short is a cute, nice song and Better things is a solid song but aespa can do better
It's funny because I disagree a lot with this video and I usually agree. I hate Supernova, it's catchy but incredibly annoying and un-melodic for me. Winter's vocal run and Giselle's visuals barely save it, but I still can't listen to it without cringing. Armageddon, on the other hand, is my SOTY. It's so good- legit teared up when I heard it, the aesthetics are amazing, the vocals are sooo good. Only miss is Giselle's lack of lines.
One thing that I really didn't like was how many cuts to irrelevant scenes there were in Armageddon. Like with Supernova they used very quick movements but you could still process the story taking place. I couldn't even process until my THIRD WATCH that the last scene took place by a waterfall (idek how) which took a lot out of it. Now I honestly just watch the performance video that goes through the different scenery so I can fully appreciate the beauty of the scenes and the amazing choreography. With the AI, I'm completely disappointed. I'm glad they're transparent about it but it's so frustrating to cut corners like that. I still think Drama is the best M/V because the storyline is so simple yet so satisfying to watch.
I came back to kpop after like a 4 month break and I obv had to start from Aespa like come on. Before even hearing the double title tracks, when I heard the name supernova I knew I was gonna like it more (I like space lol) than Armageddon. What ended up happening is exactly that. Although I do disagree about aespa's songs being too "formulaic" since if it's not glaringly obvious it doesn't bother me.
Armageddon has some really amazing parts (the bridge especially) but all in all supernova is just more my style. Like did you hear the body bang part? I was floored! Overall, the album is amazing. I love all the songs, except maybe licorice but I'm pretty sure it'll grow on me too. The only problem I have is cohesion, which at the end of the day isn't that big of an issue since the music holds up exceedingly well, it's just something that could be improved in the future to take the quality of aespa's albums to the next level (pun intended). It's needless to say that I'm pretty biased like I'm a my so ofc I am. Even though I disagree with a lot of things you said in your critique of the music specifically, I do agree with most of the latter half of the video and even though I'm happy for what we got with Armageddon, I do want them to be even better in the future.
Dang this is the harshest 8/10 review I've ever heard lol. From the way you talk about it in the video it sounds like you'd give the album 4 or 5 max
i totally agree with you on the jyp going ankle deep and sm going waist deep in terms of their concepts! i prefer if a company goes all in on a concept, its much more entertaining. but companies just dont, bc they’re too lazy🥲
I had add on to my last comment because I will say when LSM was basically booted I wasn't surprised there would either a lot of changes or minimal changes at SM Entertainment sound and storyline. I will agree that from Black Mamba to MY WORLD it was weak but I think SM are still cooking with MY WORLD especially lore wise. I don't think you can package a full concept into just one Music Video or EP you need several parts to make a whole especially when it comes to world building the SMCU is doing. I agree the MY WORLD album was chopped up due internal politics going on at SM. I don't think we can say yet if it's a "disappointment" or "boring" until the next release. Personally I go back to back with listening to both tracks so I don't think it will hurt it in the long run especially how sonically enjoyable sound scapes are just a blast to listen to both.
Another great video! I agree with almost every single point, but I'd like to add one of my own about the music. By the way im not really educated about music terms so if i say anything wrong geel free to correct me.
So, at least in my opinion, both Supernova and Armageddon are surely good songs. However, i feel like production wise or maybe instrumental wise they luck the deapth and layers we've seen on previous aespa comebacks, or maybe on previous title tracks. Obviously they still have powerful and good sounding instrumentals (in my opinion Supernova is more interesting than Armageddon, again focusing on the production), but still they're not that... rich yk? After an AMAZING title track musically wise, that being Drama, I expected something even better and strong and dynamic like their old REALLY compex and various productions, especially since that's their first full album. So yeah i found this part a little underwhealming...
I also agree that this whole comeback had the looks>music quality vibe, and also that the whole album inconsistency is a huge problem that not only aespa faces, but almost the whole industry. And its so sad because it's like you cant find a WHOLE, COMPLITED project that KNOWS what it does and what it's offering from beginning to end.
Yeah I found Armageddon the song so boring. I love Supernova. Also agree about b side placements. Hot Air Balloon is my favorite b side on Drama... but why is she there lol
I do like Armageddon, I probably enjoy listening to it more than Supernova. But I also think Supernova is the more hype and interesting song lol
It’s true My World and Savage albums are really good!
I absolutely love Girls and Drama as songs but I really dislike songs like Lingo or the b-sides of Armageddon (except for Licorice and Supernova)
for some reason i can't help but think that you liked/would like unis' latest cb, i'm not a stan but it kinda gives me the same effect as tank
aespa's 'Supernova' MV is dope. 🤯🔥🔥
One thing I do feel about those recent releases is that some of them might tryna follow the Kiss Of Life trend, you know? like, this 90s hip-hop vibe of song, very reminscing of A-Pop that was going on around the 2000s, which is not wrong actually, just something I've noticed a lot. Just like everyone was getting in the Y2K aesthetic after NewJeans arrived, they're doing now after Kiss Of Life' successful rollout, an æspa is one of those groups.
When I first heard Armageddon, it felt a bit weird at first because the song was so different from their other releases to me and what I was expecting from them. Like, Supernova was very æspa coded and I was kinda expecting that they'd go deep down in the hyperpop because of how the international market is bowing down to the genre this days and artists are becoming more and more experimental and the public is growing some attachment to it.
I didn't feel like Armageddon was anywhere close to Drama (their best title to date, in my opinion) but I agree with you when you say that is safe release when compared to Next Level, Savage or anything else they dropped before.
Overall, I've grown to enjoy this song a lot after my second listen and I understand why it was chosen as a title track. It's different from what they've done before and it follows a trend that's growing stronger in the industry (Nayeon's comeback title track is another example of what I'm saying). That's a great song.
The album was interesting to me. Maybe what they're trying to do was create an order of tracks that would start very strong, fierce and bold, and as more songs go by, they become lighter and softer, showcasing more of their vocal abilities and vulnerability.
Also, BAHAMA is one of their best songs ever by the way. Like, it's an upbeat summer track with elements of hyper and psychedelic pop. I found it a very creative mix. Licorice runs the album for me though.
All things considered, æspa had a successful comeback for me, but lacked a better rollout (why the hell release half of the album before the actual release?) and promotion. You don't drop an album and promote it within a month and call it a day. Maybe an mini album or an EP, but NOT a full album. NEVER.
9:05 honestly that’s why I make my own “album” where all their songs make more sense but the Armageddon album is the only one that makes sense to me for whatever reason. Like I just understand why the songs are there I can’t explain it
Taejiu kinda fine lowkey....
If Armageddon was My World + Drama, maybe it would've had more potential as a full length album, even though it wouldn't be the most coherent. If only SM took the time for it.
great video!👏🏾
aespa's 1st Album "Armageddon" is PHENOMENAL !! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
aespa's 'Armageddon' MV looks cool. 🤯🤯🤯
Agree on the album part so much. I still think that Savage and MY World are the two greatest albums that they have made, and it shows. Not only for fans love it, but the GP also does. In comparison, Girls and Drama albums feels so washed out. Especially for Drama. The difference in streams between Drama the TT and the bsides is honestly shocking (not mentioning Better Things because that song has no place in the mini-album). Moving past that, I had a high expectation for Armageddon the album considering that MY World + Drama was supposed to be the original 1st Full Length Album by aespa until the SM and HYBE scandal. Coming to see that, I don’t think it would’ve worked either since, yes, some tracks on Drama are perfectly fit for MY World. But I don’t see any other track in MY World that fits the Drama vibes. So it’s like 9/12 are Real World concepts and 3/12 being KWANGYA. Now in the Armageddon album, it’s basically the same thing. A split down the middle which divided the concept. It honestly makes me a bit sad that it never got to the same quality and cohesiveness like MY World and Savage had. The songs, while charming, are probably something that wouldn’t be too memorable like when people talk about aespa bsides. Because one thing that Savage and MY World albums have in common is that their bsides are massively popular too (aenergy, Lucid Dream, Salty and Sweet, Thirsty, etc.). Whereas in the Armageddon album, I’m only really seeing hype for Mine, BAHAMA, and Live My Life. The rest are either getting blindsided or gets rarely mentioned.
as far as i know there was no ai in the maestro mv just a few scenes in the first teaser
I have a lot of thoughts so this comment might end up really long so apologies in advance. I was really disappointed with Armageddon. I think it’s one of the least cohesive albums I’ve ever listened to and I’m so upset because I was so so so excited for this album. I know for a fact SM can release amazing albums that are cohesive and conceptually consistent. They did it with Chill Kill last year. I truly do not understand why SM keeps giving aespa these extremely forgettable ballads and slower songs. We know aespa can do slower songs yet they keep giving them songs that honestly hold no value on the albums they’re released on. Lucid Dream to this day is still my most streamed song on Spotify and I consider it to be aespas best bside. So why do they keep giving them songs like prologue??? It genuinely makes no sense.
I remember last year a bunch of people thought Drama was aespa’s best title track and I… I strongly disagreed. No shade to anyone who still thinks this though your opinion is totally valid lol. But I really think Drama is extremely similar to Girls structurally. It’s not really doing anything new that we haven’t seen from aespa. Ironically enough I’m in the minority of people that really love Girls. It’s actually my favourite title track from aespa. But I understand people’s gripes with it. Girls as an album was a mess and it’s so sad because aespa has so much potential and SM keeps ignoring it.
It’s also disappointing because they have such an interesting concept. Like we could be doing so much with this. I think My World and Savage were amazing but albums they both have very distinct overall sounds. But Drama and Girls struggle from having little to no direction or cohesion. Overall Armageddon was extremely underwhelming and I really need SM to step it up because I think they’re really not doing great when it comes to aespa.
In my opinion Armageddon was truly overpowered by Supernova . It’s a good song and it’s doing well , but I prefer to listen to Supernova than it . Also another reason was the attention and hype around this comeback . The moment a project is hyped so much , expectations unconsciously increase with realising and I think that was the case for a lot of people .
The album was cool but I got bored along the way when I dedicated time to listen to it properly . It lost momentum right after Armageddon or even Supernova the more you listen to it . There was nothing that kept me willing to actually finish each track because there was nothing hooking me on or grabbing my attention. The songs people like from this album are actually nice when you listen to them individually but not within the album . Right now it feels like the album fizzled out so quick but Supernova is still there to mark its presence . Their A&R team need to figure out how to include Aespa’s uniqueness and different styles while trying to maintain the vibe/theme/concept of their future albums .