I forgot that it was coming out! I can't believe I forgot. Have you seen it? Have you too embraced the crazy idiots?

I love you boys! This is amazing. I'm dumbfounded. Like I just got hit on the back of my head with a hammer. My head feels numb and I'm dizzy. (Yes, I am going to keep using the lyrics in place of my feelings!)

So, as I sit here being a useless human I thought I would do a little review/reaction on the subject. Get back into the swing of writing after a week of intense pain and writers block (Possibly related)

As this the first time I am doing such a thing, Bear with me here. I've always loved the idea of reaction/reviews to MVs. I have a steady diet of them constantly. I have toyed with the idea myself, until I realized I hate cameras. Hate them. So yeah, not happening. So, online reviews it is.

WARNING: I TALK A LOT. (well, I write a lot. Not actually a huge talker.)

Here we go. I'm gonna split this into sections (And yes they will be titled with the lyrics of the song.)

1.Everyone calls you a work of art:

This is a fantastic looking video. As much as I love the aesthetics of their previous MVs (darker, edgier, more muted colors) I really like this bright poppy looking set for Block B. A) It fits the song and B) It suits the boys. They stand out more. The bright colours and odd decorations made for a strong summery video while maintaining their hiphopishness. In other words, neon pastels aside, this video was block b through and through. They look, sound, and act the same whether they are in a dark warehouse or the town Pinkie pie was allowed to decorate. (Yes, that was a MLP reference, I am not ashamed) Despite the busily coloured and designed sets I was less distracted by the backgrounds than in previous videos. I think that it helped that it was really just the boys. Not that I don't love the hordes of extras in videos like Very Good and Jackpot, they really make those videos. For this concept alone worked well. 

I was admittedly thrown off by the complete lack of, well...HER (No the ostrich does not count). But I got over that pretty quick. I, like most, was expecting a silly, stalker boys video where they chase the admittedly absolutely gorgeous girl from the teasers around and she flirts unrelentingly with them enjoying their adoration. Actually, I would love to see that still. I need to see these idiots up against a girl that, from the teasers, knows exactly what she does to boys. Actually, I would like to see that in a more general scope. A boys all after one girl video with the girl pulling the strings. I love a girl that works what she’s got. Seriously, kpop, get on this.

Moving past the lack of a HER this was gold. As per usual, the boys are ridiculous dorks with too much time on their hands and not enough mental stability. Tough masculine image or not, if you gave this set to any other boy group in kpop there would be a whole lot of confusion and  aegyo, the creepy WTF are you doing kind. B1A4 might pull it off but anyone less used to extreme cutesy wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Orange Caramel would fit this set to a T. If you took a different hiphop kpop group and stuck them on this set…ugh*shudder*. Can you imagine BAP dealing with that and still pulling off looking like BAP?

Now, don’t mistake me here, Hiphop idol groups (and idol rappers in general) are generally oddly adorable off screen and most have done at least one cute, sticky sweet video for our enjoyment. The issue is that they often head right into over exaggerated, over acted, overload rather than easing their poor defenseless fans into it. They sort of brow beat the fans into accepting bizzaro world as normal and then expect them to bounce back when their new hardcore rap album drops a month later. Most of the time it feels something like this…

ME: “Awesome, New hiphop swag swag chyeah a’ight MV is out. Wonder what they have in store for me this time?” *Clicks video*

Video: “LUV ME I’m SO CUTE AND CUDDLY AND LOOK AT MY ADORABLE FACE AND LOOK VICTORY SIGN. SEE ME PUFF MY CHEEKS AND ISN’T THIS DANCE MOVE RIDICULOUSLY ADORABLE AND…”

ME: *hits space bar. Minimizes screen. Checks title and description again* “What the hell?” *Rubs eyes. Tentatively hits space bar again.*

Video: “-SEE ME MOLEST MY OTHER MEMBERS…CUTELY! 1+1 IS GWIYOMI, 2+2 IS GWIYOMI. LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY COLOURS AND AREN’T I PRECIOUS? LUV ME! JOIN US HUMAN, JOIN US. ALL HAIL THE THE GREAT AND POWERFUL AEGYOVERLORD. BOW BEFORE HIM, BOW PUNY HUMAN!”

ME:*video ends. Stares at screen* “Okay, so pod people have taken over the group…right. I mean, cute song though, catchy, a little demonic, but catchy all the same. Maybe I should watch it again?” *Hits replay. Hits pause.* “You know what, maybe I’ll just download the song.” *Hesitates.* “No, I should just watch it again, benefit of the doubt and all.”

Twenty minutes later

ME: *Hits refresh again* “ALL HAIL AEGYOVERLORD. BOW BEFORE YOUR GOD. ALL HAIL, BOW BEFORE HIM.”

Weeks later

ME: “OH! Aegyoverlord has returned!” *clicks video*

Video: “                A’IGHT! GUNSHOT GUNSHOT SWAG SWAG SWAG TANKS EXPLOSIONS BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP SWAG SWAG, CHYEAH!”

ME: “…”

I’ll be the first to say that I love when groups try new styles out. I imagine preforming the same style of music over and over again is about as boring as listening to the same style of music over and over again. That being said, Male Aegyo is weird. Not that I think guys can’t be cute, block b is a good example. Aegyo though, with the odd poses and exaggerated sweetness, no. Just please, no. There are few men in this world that can pull that off. In kpop, you have B1A4 and…no, just B1A4. Personally, I’m not a fan of it on girls either but hey, we girls are a lot more manipulative than guys. A girls gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

This has gotten off topic. Block B manages to be both hiphop and cute at the same time, in their own peculiar way, with neon pastels and an ostrich (also a tide commercial). Most groups can’t pull that off. There done. Moving on.

2. Everyone is plain except for you:

Damn, they look fine.  As a general rule, this is always true. Block B are seriously good looking guys. I don’t really know how to explain their style except for the fact that they look like block b. A mix of hiphop style, quirky fashion, on trend looks, and just plain odd that makes Block B, Block B. Since joining sevenseasons they have really developed their look.  That being said the outfits in the video didn’t really stick out to me (I consider that a good thing, no one was put into anything I wouldn’t expect to see them in) The stylists are doing a fantastic job lately aside from a few missteps here and there (looking at you person that suggested the corset in Very Good). What did stand out is the way they look in the video. So here is a little run down of each of them.

P.O.: The mystical colour changing unicorn with STREP and a smoke inhalation problem has gone highlighter pink. It looks awesome. Also, sort of like a pencil eraser with the style, one of the super useless ones that erase exactly nothing and make everything look you wiped the paper on a sooty chimney. They usually come on the cute little character pencils. You know the ones, you can usually tell because they look like the good kind but more brightly coloured and slightly transparent? Yeah, those ones. Also, I have to say I love the more rocker style that he has been going for lately. Mmm…leather pants.

Zico: Should never be anything other than blond for more than a few seconds in an MV to make a statement. Most natural blondes don’t look that good blond.  Zico=blond. He looks great, as usual, but also better than usual. I think he looks best in more casual clothes, at least more comfortable. Don’t get me wrong he looks fantastic in a suit but, skinny jeans, gold chains, clunky boots, and beanies are a great look for him.

Taeil: Does this man ever wear anything but long sleeved slightly baggy shirts in MV’s? They look good on him but I wanna see the tattoos *Whines plaintively*. Tattoo ninja has been very consistent with his style. He knows what looks good on him and so do his stylists. Tattoos…

Jaehyo: The Pretty. Loved his sequin jacket and creepers in the talk show scene. His face is awesome. And can I just say that he should just maintain that hairstyle (The talk show bit) for the rest of his time here on earth. It does wonders for him. Brings out his jawline and his cheekbones.

Kyung: is also an adorable blond. His grin is his best accessory and his happy demeanor makes him look good in anything. When one is bubbly ball of ecstatic energy one can wear a burlap sack and look great. 

U-Kwon: Love his hair lately. His girlfriend is a very lucky woman. What was up with the two faced suit though? Not a fan, it might have been better if it was fitted though.

B-Bomb: Always looks good. He and U-kwon are similar in that they have that more classically handsome facial structure. I like it best when his hair is pushed up which brings out his bone structure.

They look good as individuals, great as a group, and even better in triplicate. Props to the stylists.

3. Jesus, there’s no need for words:

It’s here, finally, the summer anthem I have been waiting for. The song is great! I loved jackpot but this, this just overtook No Joke as my favorite Block B song of all time, ever. It is pop hiphop/r&b done right which is really what block b is.  It reminds me a little of Black Eyed Peas, a little bit of Outkast as well, honestly I was just taken right back to Hey Ya. Very different, of course, but really good pop/rap smash up is tough to come by.

The lyrics are great. Witty, funny, just repetitive enough to be catchy but with verses/raps that are clearly distinguished from the bridge/chorus combination. The composition is fun with its steady beat and slightly retro sounds. I enjoy anything I can clap in a pattern to without getting lost. It has that distinctly Block B sound but at the same time is unlike any other song they have done before. Block B does not disappoint.

4. Final thoughts (I know, no lyrics this time.):

Call me biased but I think this is officially my favorite comeback of 2014 so far. Block B and their no holds barred Block B-ness are a somewhat unique entity in the kpop world. Despite all of their past troubles they never changed who they are as a group, in fact they seem to be getting more and more them as time goes on. You can see the change in the last three MV’s and their appearances. Since joining their new company they seem happier and more confident and this shows on their faces as well as in their music. Who can blame them? If I made it through that many problems you can bet I would be rubbing my awesome in everyone’s face.

Anyways, HER is a fun summer romp that makes you want to dance, play golf, create clones of yourself, and possibly wash clothes.

Hope you enjoyed this review. Comment if you have any suggestions for other MVs, songs, albums, etc that I should review (Old, new, or anywhere in between) or if you have suggestions for formatting these. That’s it for now, I’m off to do a couple loads of laundry.