Concept Talk
Concepts I wanna see for SNSD
I've noticed that SNSD's songs tend to be more traditional pop than their fellow idols' dance track mania. SNSD's least melodic single was Oh!, whose dance track potential was firmly squashed by its bubblegum arrangement and thus also cast into the pop genre.
And this was one of my initial attractions to SM entertainment's music, in that they were closer to the Jpop sound than their "FOR REALZ hip hop" YGE and "minimalist arrangement" JYPE counterparts.(Kara wasn't on my radar yet) And by Jpop sound I meant melody-first priorities, accompanied by fairly dense arrangements.
Now of course that isn't characteristic of SMent's music now, with Shinee and f(x) firmly in the dance track camp and Super Junior following,(with "It's You" as an exception) but SNSD proved with Hoot that as Top Group they can choose whatever damn concept they want to.
Cue the MM comparison. As this post puts it, "Morning Musume’s experimentation is simply way over-the-top [...] all created in the crazy Tsunku-style, so varied to the point where it just starts sounding all samey!" The characterization of their discography is that they do every genre ever(except for dubstep, but you never know :P), so they receive criticism for releasing singles that sound like another single they've released before. *glares at 2PM*
SM isn't deathly afraid of rehash, since Oh! was pretty much the second coming of Gee, but they still made sure to differentiate Oh+RDR from Gee+Genie as much as possible in execution if not image, and I guess even then there was enough complaining that they went for a completely new concept image with Hoot.(Even if execution was pretty Oh-ish)
My point with the comparison is that SNSD has the potential to do any concept. They aren't necessarily tied to the same image rehash that other groups are, and that oepns up even further in Japan. And in addition to image, SNSD has the potential to pull out any music style.
So let's concept-wish away!
1. Big Band
This is a genre SORELY missing in Kpop. Kpop's idea of retro goes no further back than Motown, but man do I often imagine SNSD swing-dancing it up while listening to my big band jams.
Mmm, reminds me of Hyoyoung on PKLWO. Hell, I just wanna see what sort of stuff Hyo would pull the others into if they were backstage listening to big band.
Also, big band is still considered the classic Broadway sound, and you know what that means.
EDIT: Sub concept would be Boogie. Harmony-riffic boogie.
The visual concept can be "pin-up girl". ;D /end edit
But really, execution for this could go any way and I'd be happy as long as the song was good big band. Besides, dreaming for big band AND crossdressing in the same single is dreaming to big, for Kpop at least.
2. Suits/Cross-dressing/Boyish
Mmmmmmm. Who doesn't like idols in suits, no matter the gender?
NEEEEEED MOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR 8DDDD
And the girls always have so much fun being boys anyway.
Besides which pants mean higher potential for sweet dancing fuck yes!(ITNW nonwithstanding)
But you know, I don't need to have them dancing in their sweet suits. They could just play jenga LIKE A BOSS and I'd be happy.
Or they could do nothing but go over HIGHER ORDER PROCEDURES and how to call a procedure using another procedure as an argument or even reflexively using the procedure itself in suits and I would FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM EVEN MORE.
Unfortunately SM is too obsessed with hoing them out to us, with "skinny jeans" Gee, "legs legs legs" TMYW, "ass and abs" Oh!, "undulating conga line" RDR, and "tits and ass" Hoot. They aren't ready to embrace outside the usual body fetishes yet. That and groups like After School and 2NE1 keep doing more maleish stylings so SNSD can't immediately follow.
3. Band
Or rather, SNSD with instruments. I don't care if they never play them really, or if this is only in photos, no music involved, or even if the instruments are made of gorram cardboard, but idols with instruments in general is a favorite image of mine. Too bad After School's got that angle locked down for a while, first stealing Idol Drumline and now going to milk their new member's guitar skillz all they can.
Hot damn.
This doesn't have to be necessarily rock band, either. Teaser pics for that dream Big Band concept, anyone?(There's enough instruments for nine: piano, bass, drums, trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, trombone, clarinet) A faux-orchestra or wind ensemble picture?(heh winds vs. strings chamber ensemble showdown concept) Even sticking them all on grand pianos mmmmmm.
GG: Doesn't count. :P It didn't even fucking match the song, those guitars were lame as fuck, and where was the bass guitar? Maybe Jessica had it, but she was strumming it like a guitar, not plucking like a bassist should. And I want photos. Why couldn't they have capitalized on this angle more, do they not realize how big the "girls with electric guitars" fetish is?(OH WAIT PLEDIS DID) Almost as big as the "Wrench Wench in grease and overalls" fetish.
Punk!shidae styling with all the spiky hair would be hella fun.
4. Rock
I know, this treads on "Band" but this is more about releasing a song in true rock fashion where Band was about the pictures and didn't worry so much about the execution.
See? Buono can even have this horrendous styling and fairly cutesy dance, yet it's still one of my favorite singles of theirs. It's because they GO FOR IT relentlessly.(The fact that the song is awesome-sauce helps too.)
Don't you "Himnae" me, that song's rock potential has always been kinda squashed despite a pretty rockin' gnarly arrangement. Even in concert they tend to treat it as a rest number, taking it easy on the choreo and retaining the asdfjkl;grrr cutesy vocalisations. Compare to Buono's rawer vocals, even with Momoko ALWAYS having aegyo voice they're more unrestrained and rock-ish than SNSD ever sounds. And in concert, rock numbers are often the finale in a set so the girls can use up the rest of their energy going NUTS before the MC break.
SNSD did come close to rocking out with Gee on Chocolate. The energy was certainly there, but SNSD are too trained in singing and performing Gee a certain way. Most covers are good more from hearing the novelty of Gee sounding so hardcore than from the song itself making a good rock song. Like if a band had released Gee instead of SNSD...well, they wouldn't. No rock band would ever perform that song except for it's preexisting fame.
Besides which, come on, H!P's discography had enough rock-ish songs to warrant a top guitar solos ranking, with a couple updates here and there, as well as a most metal songs ranking. There is absolutely no reason why pop groups can't release hard rock songs. They don't even need to be real groups!
Honorable mention concept Four to the Floor because I looooooove me some Dance!Shidae, but f(x) and Shinee already almost perfected my vision for it with Lucifer and Nu ABO. The only bonus here would be that it's SNSD wearing the swag and doing the kickass dancesthat they never do anymore.
Edit: Ska concept added in comments below, because I don't feel like reconstructing the html.
I've noticed that SNSD's songs tend to be more traditional pop than their fellow idols' dance track mania. SNSD's least melodic single was Oh!, whose dance track potential was firmly squashed by its bubblegum arrangement and thus also cast into the pop genre.
And this was one of my initial attractions to SM entertainment's music, in that they were closer to the Jpop sound than their "FOR REALZ hip hop" YGE and "minimalist arrangement" JYPE counterparts.(Kara wasn't on my radar yet) And by Jpop sound I meant melody-first priorities, accompanied by fairly dense arrangements.
Now of course that isn't characteristic of SMent's music now, with Shinee and f(x) firmly in the dance track camp and Super Junior following,(with "It's You" as an exception) but SNSD proved with Hoot that as Top Group they can choose whatever damn concept they want to.
Cue the MM comparison. As this post puts it, "Morning Musume’s experimentation is simply way over-the-top [...] all created in the crazy Tsunku-style, so varied to the point where it just starts sounding all samey!" The characterization of their discography is that they do every genre ever(except for dubstep, but you never know :P), so they receive criticism for releasing singles that sound like another single they've released before. *glares at 2PM*
SM isn't deathly afraid of rehash, since Oh! was pretty much the second coming of Gee, but they still made sure to differentiate Oh+RDR from Gee+Genie as much as possible in execution if not image, and I guess even then there was enough complaining that they went for a completely new concept image with Hoot.(Even if execution was pretty Oh-ish)
My point with the comparison is that SNSD has the potential to do any concept. They aren't necessarily tied to the same image rehash that other groups are, and that oepns up even further in Japan. And in addition to image, SNSD has the potential to pull out any music style.
So let's concept-wish away!
1. Big Band
This is a genre SORELY missing in Kpop. Kpop's idea of retro goes no further back than Motown, but man do I often imagine SNSD swing-dancing it up while listening to my big band jams.
Click to viewMmm, reminds me of Hyoyoung on PKLWO. Hell, I just wanna see what sort of stuff Hyo would pull the others into if they were backstage listening to big band.
Also, big band is still considered the classic Broadway sound, and you know what that means.
EDIT: Sub concept would be Boogie. Harmony-riffic boogie.
The visual concept can be "pin-up girl". ;D /end edit
But really, execution for this could go any way and I'd be happy as long as the song was good big band. Besides, dreaming for big band AND crossdressing in the same single is dreaming to big, for Kpop at least.
2. Suits/Cross-dressing/Boyish
Mmmmmmm. Who doesn't like idols in suits, no matter the gender?
NEEEEEED MOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRR 8DDDD
And the girls always have so much fun being boys anyway.
Besides which pants mean higher potential for sweet dancing fuck yes!(ITNW nonwithstanding)
But you know, I don't need to have them dancing in their sweet suits. They could just play jenga LIKE A BOSS and I'd be happy.
Or they could do nothing but go over HIGHER ORDER PROCEDURES and how to call a procedure using another procedure as an argument or even reflexively using the procedure itself in suits and I would FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM EVEN MORE.
Unfortunately SM is too obsessed with hoing them out to us, with "skinny jeans" Gee, "legs legs legs" TMYW, "ass and abs" Oh!, "undulating conga line" RDR, and "tits and ass" Hoot. They aren't ready to embrace outside the usual body fetishes yet. That and groups like After School and 2NE1 keep doing more maleish stylings so SNSD can't immediately follow.
3. Band
Or rather, SNSD with instruments. I don't care if they never play them really, or if this is only in photos, no music involved, or even if the instruments are made of gorram cardboard, but idols with instruments in general is a favorite image of mine. Too bad After School's got that angle locked down for a while, first stealing Idol Drumline and now going to milk their new member's guitar skillz all they can.
Hot damn.
This doesn't have to be necessarily rock band, either. Teaser pics for that dream Big Band concept, anyone?(There's enough instruments for nine: piano, bass, drums, trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, trombone, clarinet) A faux-orchestra or wind ensemble picture?(heh winds vs. strings chamber ensemble showdown concept) Even sticking them all on grand pianos mmmmmm.
GG: Doesn't count. :P It didn't even fucking match the song, those guitars were lame as fuck, and where was the bass guitar? Maybe Jessica had it, but she was strumming it like a guitar, not plucking like a bassist should. And I want photos. Why couldn't they have capitalized on this angle more, do they not realize how big the "girls with electric guitars" fetish is?(OH WAIT PLEDIS DID) Almost as big as the "Wrench Wench in grease and overalls" fetish.
Punk!shidae styling with all the spiky hair would be hella fun.
4. Rock
I know, this treads on "Band" but this is more about releasing a song in true rock fashion where Band was about the pictures and didn't worry so much about the execution.
See? Buono can even have this horrendous styling and fairly cutesy dance, yet it's still one of my favorite singles of theirs. It's because they GO FOR IT relentlessly.(The fact that the song is awesome-sauce helps too.)
Don't you "Himnae" me, that song's rock potential has always been kinda squashed despite a pretty rockin' gnarly arrangement. Even in concert they tend to treat it as a rest number, taking it easy on the choreo and retaining the asdfjkl;grrr cutesy vocalisations. Compare to Buono's rawer vocals, even with Momoko ALWAYS having aegyo voice they're more unrestrained and rock-ish than SNSD ever sounds. And in concert, rock numbers are often the finale in a set so the girls can use up the rest of their energy going NUTS before the MC break.
SNSD did come close to rocking out with Gee on Chocolate. The energy was certainly there, but SNSD are too trained in singing and performing Gee a certain way. Most covers are good more from hearing the novelty of Gee sounding so hardcore than from the song itself making a good rock song. Like if a band had released Gee instead of SNSD...well, they wouldn't. No rock band would ever perform that song except for it's preexisting fame.
Besides which, come on, H!P's discography had enough rock-ish songs to warrant a top guitar solos ranking, with a couple updates here and there, as well as a most metal songs ranking. There is absolutely no reason why pop groups can't release hard rock songs. They don't even need to be real groups!
Honorable mention concept Four to the Floor because I looooooove me some Dance!Shidae, but f(x) and Shinee already almost perfected my vision for it with Lucifer and Nu ABO. The only bonus here would be that it's SNSD wearing the swag and doing the kickass dancesthat they never do anymore.
Edit: Ska concept added in comments below, because I don't feel like reconstructing the html.