Review: Bigbang - Still Life

Perhaps few Korean acts from the second generation had the influence of Bigbang, the legendary boy band overcame criticisms of them being an idol band for massive critical and commercial success. No mention of the history of K-Pop can be finished without mentioning simply how much they dominated the K-Pop period of 2007-15.

That all feels like ages ago, and Bigbang's reputation has now been beset by several controversies, perhaps nothing more tantalizing than the dastardly Burning Sun case against now-former-member Seungri, reducing Bigbang to a four-piece. With T.O.P leaving YG and hinting at taking a break from Bigbang, it became quite clear from the outset that if not a goodbye, their new single Still Life would be a track saying goodbye to an era. Nonetheless, Still Life has become a massive commercial success. Even if it is a goodbye, it is one massive success, as with Bigbang's previous two goodbye tracks.

And herein lies the largest issue with Still Life, Bigbang have done this sad ballad track style before to great effect, reducing the song's effectiveness. A sense of old-school '60s rock influences does help individualize the track a little, but the song thrives more on melody.

Still Life has no traditional chorus, but the G-Dragon-Taeyang refrain opening at 1:24, even if never repeated, acts much like a chorus. Nonetheless, each and every segment of the track is worth remembering, particularly G-Dragon's introduction in the song (his voice in K-Pop is much missed), the "La La La" hook, and Taeyang's track opener. However, T.O.P steals the spotlight with his singular verse in the song. Slow and tragic, T.O.P's flow here is fantastic.

All of this is assisted by some of the group's most heartful lyrics. The spring metaphor works aptly, and T.O.P's aforementioned rap shows him finally moving forward after years of psychological turmoil in his life.

In a way, Still Life makes and breaks due to Bigbang. This is Bigbang, this song would never live up to their very best work, and would always be limited by their legacy. At the same time, few other K-Pop groups could put so much personality into this track. In the end, Still Life is just another chapter in one of K-Pop's most influential act's discography.

Rating: 8.5/10

Image Source: Shurch