Review: OnlyOneOf - libidO
OnlyOneOf have had an interesting roll-out, to say the least. All of their singles have taken a sort of alt-pop view, along with a strong ting of commercialism. At the same time, the company behind them has tried to build complex lore based on philosophers. As a fan of intellectual thought, I have been somewhat been underwhelmed by how little these songs have to do with the philosophers. A Song of Ice and Fire seemed to be a love song, but they claimed it was based on the philosophy of Sartre, and they also claimed that the millennial-esque love song Angel was about the duality of good and evil. Idol pop has occasionally dealt with philosopher lyrics, such as with BTS's Blood, Sweat, and Tears (also a bit of a miss), and TVXQ's O-Jung-Ban-Hap (which was actually about what it claimed to be about), but rarely does it actually mean anything. Enter LibidO, claiming to be based on Sigmund Freud, who is not really a philosopher, but that is beside the point. Over here, said 'philosopher' is actually the person who coined the term which is the song's title. Still, the song is another exploration of sensuality, not something entirely out there.
LibidO has become extremely divisive online. I just want to say, I have heard a lot of name-calling on both sides of this debate, and I won't take any name-calling on this site. And to be honest, I think a lot of that divisiveness stems more from the choreography and the MV. On this site, I review just the songs, so hopefully, I am safe (hopefully). So now, after a few days of the song's release, I offer my thoughts.
The song thrives on its trendy flourishes. There is a large dosage of autotune thrown all around, especially dominant in the chorus. The thing is that it mostly works, especially in the said chorus. It offers a sort of smooth aggressiveness feel. Almost like the feeling of stabbing a sharp knife into a box of butter. At the same time, the staccato production creates a sort of friction, thriving on its mood, the chorus drives forward. This trick works all the time except for the final chorus, where the autotune is used to mute the song, and that sharpness in the contrast is gone.
The bouncy, sensual verses are a mixed bag. On one hand, the pre-chorus leads for a strong shot of melody, not hurt at all by the trendy squiggly shouts in the back. On the other hand, the rest of the verse(s) are strong, but a little too bouncy to fully blend in with the song.
As so far stated, the song thrives on its weirder tricks. Thus, the standard (and slightly below par) bridge is arguably the song's weakest moment. The autotune in the rap is unbearable, and ruins what could have been the song's strongest moment. At the same time, it is not like the production here has not been heard a million times before.
LibidO is a fine song with some great moments. It thrives on weirdness, which makes its stale moments stand out even more. After a little over a week, my thoughts on the song have yet to really change. It is an okay song, and I am not repulsed or overjoyed by it as everyone seems to be. Hopefully, OnlyOneOf can use this newfound attention and truly release something galvanizing next time.
I agree on your comments and we go back to 7. I was really right when this song was a 7. Well, too bad the song has really grown on me and I don't mind it at all. You have made a clear point though. It is really something out there, it is eerie which makes super bland moments come into different more impactful light. The thing is that you actually nailed what was weak in the song itself, which was the reason I didn't like it at first.
ReplyDeleteVery well written review and analysis. Also, I haven't seen any critic despising the choreography and the video concept so I am proud on that stand. I don't really care about personal needs or wants. I just care if it is good or not. Also, funny thing, BTS' Demian concept was not all about BST, but the album was it. TVXQ on the other hand was all about the song, but not really the album so much.
Actually, it is good the song grew on you. A song's rating is more subjective than objective. The fact that I don't like it doesn't make it a bad song.
DeleteThe BTS TVXQ comparison about album versus song is an interesting thought. As much as I love TVXQ, I don't think their early albums were all that good. Their Japanese albums have done storytelling before, such as T or Secret Code, though. And their post-split albums have been really consistent. Still, the pop and R&B filler is definitely evident.
For BTS's Wings, I think that album truly stood out, as the producer was consistent, and BTS fresh. Same with HYHH. After You Never Walk Alone, I really have not loved any BTS album. But You Never Walk Alone is worth as many duds as they give, it truly was a marvel. I would love it someone released something that good these days.
Yeah, to be honest those albums were just ahead of the time. It was just amazing how BTS made them, and more importantly how it really aged in the present day.
DeleteTVXQ on the other hand really improved their album game in the latter days. Very interesting opposites indeed if you ask me. In the 4th generation, Stray Kids' 2nd Mini Album was really good also ATEEZ' 2019 era was well done. TXT also surprised me. But yeah, as you said, none of those still stand the amazing quality of BTS, TVXQ and other 1st generation albums you said in the forums.
Funnily enough, I think, at least for the early days, that most great K-Pop albums were from boy bands. I think that might be due to the fact that a lot of agency's only seemed to invest in the title track for girl group albums. Kara is a perfect example, really. Thankfully, a lot of modern female K-Pop artists have been releasing great albums, such as T-ARA (not too modern), IU, Dreamcatcher, and Oh My Girl.
DeleteAlso, F(x) are an exception, their albums have always been amazing.
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