Welcome to the Block
Block B
Brand New Stardom, 2012
Buy it from Amazon.com: Welcome to the Block
Track List:
- "LOL"
- "??? (Go Crazy) (NalinA)"
- "?? ??? (Did You or Did You Not)"
- "???? 100% (Synchronization 100%)"
- "Action"
- "??? (Go Crazy) (Inst.)"
"LOL" has some nice low vocals and a great beat. It's a good bragging song, one that brings the verbal attitude while talking about how the guys in the band are offbeat musical rebels who everyone's talking about. They mention K-pop idols and their glitzy, perfect image, then boldly present themselves in opposition to those picture-perfect ideals. But there's one part of "LOL" that I don't like, and that's a potentially racist line in the first verse. Then again, American rap is a breeding ground of hate and racism, and this particular line is very mild in comparison to American rappers' constant use of abusive language and racial slurs.
"Going Crazy"/"Nalina" (which I've also seen spelled in English, "Narina," "Nanlina," "Nanrina" and even NARNIA, like C.S. Lewis' fantasy world) is a very fun song , and I love how it starts with Zico's dismissive, "Ah, okay, okay, okay," like he's been pestered into singing. It's a perfect dance track, and I really like P.O.'s deep voice on his lines. The chorus is so energetic, and I think I hear some horns in the background, so the sound is very fresh and different from standard K-pop. After just one listen, "Nalina" will get stuck in your head, and you'll be trying to sing it later, even if you don't know the words.
"Did You or Did You Not" doesn't really work for me because it's a softer song with almost an R&B sound. The lyrics are about the speaker asking his girlfriend to stay away from another guy because she's not exactly acting trustworthy. It's a jealous sort of message, but it sounds more hurt and vulnerable than aggressive. "Synchronization 100%" focuses heavily on an acoustic sound, which I totally didn't expect from Block B. The singing and rapping both sound wonderful, and the song reminds me a bit of Geeks' version of "Officially Missing You". This is a slow-it-down song that I don't mind at all--on the contrary, I think it shows the band's versatility. The next track, "Action" is a pleasant kind of retro-80's number and it makes me think of GD and TOP's song "Don't Go Home".
Note on Zico: In general, I like Zico's raps and I pay closer attention to his lines than to any of the other members'. I've always found it interesting that the leader Zico is actually the second-youngest person in this seven-member band. That almost never happens--usually the leader is the oldest member or the next oldest (examples: G-Dragon is the leader of Big Bang, supposedly because he has stronger leadership skills than TOP, then there's the original DBSK where second-oldest Yunho became the leader because Jaejoong declined the offer of leadership). I know that Block B is going through some pretty severe controversy right now, but leaders have to take responsibility and I think Zico is doing the right thing by setting the example of remorse/humility.
Block B is very talented and they have some great rappers. Their English pronunciation is a little off in several places, which can lead to some rather infamous misheard lyrics, but as usual, I'm still proud of them for making the effort to rap in two languages and for writing their own lyrics. Overall, I really enjoyed their 2nd mini-album and I hope they'll be able to keep making cool music in the future.
My grade: 4 of 5 stars
Must-listens: "Nalina," "Synchronization 100%"
Audio bonus: Here's some audio for "Nalina!"
Questions: Are you a Block B fan (BBC)? Do you think their second mini-album is as good as their first? Who's your favorite member?
EP Review: Welcome to the Block by Block B Link Free Download
