Merry Christmas!

My dear, Merry Christmas to you and your family! I hope that you are spending your time in the best possible way - surrounded by your family and friends and A LOT of food, hahaha! I am sending my greetings and best wishes to you! Happy holidays, O.!

Hugs,
R.

Wednesday Wisdom – 21 December 2016

My dear!

Happy first day of winter! For us here it feels like another cold day, but it is officially the beginning of winter.  I am not excited about this, but I am still trying to look on the bright side.

Anyway… Sorry for my absence recently. I haven’t posted here for a long time and there are things that I wanted to write and things that I promised to blog about. I have been very busy with our Christmas concert and work and there was almost no time to write, for new songs, videos, etc.

Today I am going to post a quote that I saw in an article on the BBC Travel site last week. I highly recommend you to read the whole story - it is very inspiring and interesting! This travel quote was meant for last Wednesday Wisdom, but since I didn’t have the time, here it is now:

“You cannot learn to swim by reading a book; you need to throw yourself into the sea or into a swimming pool for that. The same happens if you want to practice yoga; reading books about yoga is useless to achieve a real yoga experience. If you want to know the world you must travel the world.”

Well, I hope that you will read the article and have your own thoughts and conclusions. Whether we choose to dedicate our lives to travel or decide to start a family first, it is the feeling that we sense in our hearts that is important, when we finally accept the consequences of our choice. Today many people say that you can have it all – have the best job, the house, your significant other and you can also have a family and travel at the same time. Yes, perhaps you can manage to juggle with some of the mentioned aspects above, but at the end there is something that prevails. And you have to decide – do you want it that way, or you cannot accept the situation. 

Hugs,

R.

Wednesday Wisdom – 7 December 2016

My friend,

Today’s quote will be something I want to “give” you for encouragement. I know that your internship interview was yesterday. Since we haven’t managed to speak for almost three days, I hope that everything went well. And, also, if something went wrong, I want to tell you that there are a lot of other opportunities in this world. I believe that you will find the job you wish and you will succeed in it and be happy with your success. 

Source: QuoteAddicts.com

 

P.S. Thank you for your lovely letter, filled with lots of good photos and music! I will write about it soon!

Hugs,

R.

Décembre ...

Mon chère amie,

Mama 2016 !!! C'est l'événement de l'année ! J'en parlerai à ma copine pour savoir ce qu'elle pense haha ! Ces jeunes hommes sont extraordinaires. Il n'y a aucune comparaison avec le style américain. Ils sont plastiques et ... J'ai lus de mots !

Toutes les filles doivent être folles de joie de les voir à la télé ou en direct haha. On n'oublie pas qu'ils sont super sexy haha... (Blush).

J'ai vu la galerie de photos de BBC et je suis impressionné. En plus en même temps j'écoutais une nouvelle pour moi chanteuse. Je l'ai découverte aujourd'hui dans le "Coffee Shop" (un café super sympa où tous les desserts sont faits maison, il y a des boissons chaudes et bio). Elle s'appelle Paloma Faith et Just be, c'était une illustration musicale adaptée à l'image haha. 

En bas tu verras ses photos avec moi, Heejin et sa soeur. Nous avons mangé dans un restaurant japonais. La propriétaire du restaurant était très polie et gentille. Le restaurant proposait que des ramens. C'était trop bon ! Moi j'ai choisi avec de la sauce de soja et avec du poulet teriyaki. 

Après notre soirée, le lendemain je suis allée à  l'inauguration des lumières de la ville d'Angers. C'était très joli ! On a bu du vin chaud (ma première fois) et on a mangé des sandwichs et des crêpes lol haha ! Malheureusement mon portable ne fait pas très belles photos, c'est pourquoi je te laisse le lien d'un  vidéo. 

Je vais finir avec un peu d'électro-funk-R&B

ou wonky funk comme elle même qualifie son style

je te présente Nao, 28ans, Angleterre

(Je l'ai retrouvée dans mon playlist Shazam, je supposes que je l'ai entendu dans un magasin ou bar... haha je ne souviens plus)

Source : http://thisnao.tumblr.com/ 

Ta journée en musique, proposée par Moi et Nao :

Pour avoir la pêche dès le matin - Inhale Exhale 

Juste après manger tu es  Fool To Love 

Sieste au lieu du travail ??! Non, soit une Good Girl 

Et la journée est finie ! À demain In The Morning 

👀❤

Je pense que j'ai eu mon coup de foudre MUSICAL haha

Et tu ne sais pas qui revient sur la scène hihi Craig David, physiquement changé mais la douceur de sa voix on ne peut pas oublier : Change My Love 

P.S : Je te montre enfin mon maquillage pour Halloween !!! Squelette haha comme tu vois même mon haut est dans le thème :D 

Bueno notte, R. ! 

Friday Music Favourites, 2 December - MAMA 2016

My dear O.!

It's Friday again and I must confess that I have been wondering what kind of music to write about for several weeks. Apart from the many songs of the Bangtan Boys, there weren't many new additions and I didn't want to bore you with (many) old pieces. 

But today is different, today is a day for the MAMA Awards. The event is really fresh and finished before a couple of hours (I was still at work and decided to log on to Twitter to see the trends, news and photos - big mistake!), so I am not going to give a very detailed summary of it. It will be a brief and biased glorification of some of my favourite artists and my joy of the awards they took. (Update: Or simply a post to celebrate BTS' existence, as it turned out to be). If I have time the next days, I will look for more videos and, maybe, write again. [Update from Christmas: Since I didn't have the time, I didn't write more, so I hope that you will forgive me for that.]

First, I have to mention that the artists from YG Ent didn't take part due to being busy preparing for comebacks (no Big Bang or iKON, for example). And, from what I have seen, not many of the SM Ent groups were there as a whole (no SNSD or SHINEe, just Taemin, but I am grateful!). Although EXO was there and I think that they were regarded as one of the big stars of the event - something like VIP among VIPs (no relation to the Big Bang fanbase). Anyway, I think that the absence of heavy popular singers, so to say, gave a little more space for other artists to be seen and heard - some fresh air and new, lighter energy. 

Okay, so let's start the fangirling... BANGTAAAN! Yay! They won a daesang (grand prize)! Artist of the year! They also won Best Dance Performance (for a male group) before winning the grand prize mentioned just now. And their producer also won an award! I'm really proud of them! Their performances are the ones I am going to post here tonight. Really energetic and passionate! I hope that they will be like this for many years! 

I am really sad that I can't find the exact beginning of their first performance, where, as I saw for a brief moment, Jungkook was hanging from above with hologram-like feathers floating around him and it looked stunning, but the other part of the video won't disappoint you also. J-hope's solo, combined with Jimin's light voice and both of them dancing amazingly... In perfect harmony. Lovely! And, of course, followed by Blood, Sweat and Tears.

Aah, Fire! My ringtone when granny calls me, hahaha! The prelude of the video is something that many fans were delightfully shocked to watch, as Twitter was literally burning this afternoon with comments and photos of Tae's well-done make-up of broken (or should I say torn or ripped out?) wings on his naked (oh, my!) back. I must say that his face was no joke. He will make his acting debut in a drama I am excitingly expecting this month and, from what I have seen from him during the past weeks, this guy has a lot of potential. I hope that my expectations won't be destroyed, as they were (partially) ruined when I saw EXO's Baekhyun in the first episodes of Scarlet Heart. So, yes, apart from the (typical) fanservice, they took the concept to a deeper, yet safe and aesthetic level. The rest of the video is history - energy and fun and you can see that they are really enjoying themselves. Fire is a song they really like to perform and you can feel it - despite the sweat and the exhausting dance moves, they are going crazy about it. Bonus: GOT7's Jackson and BamBam's reaction around the second minute is priceless!

Also, this:

Hahaaa, Tae-Tae! :D

[Update from Christmas: Here is the full version of their performance where you can see the exact beginning. Awesome!]
I will continue with another favourite boy band - EXO. Well, since I am too old to participate in any kind of fan wars, the whole complaining I saw in some tweets - about who does deserve more each award - was new to me. Even if I was younger, the society we grew up didn't teach us to be so fierce... Maybe we have other ways to show our love. But that's another topic. I always read about the consequences of the constant arguing and wars among the different fandoms, but never I have experienced it first hand and I hope that I will never have to. 

Anyway, back to EXO.

I was disappointed, O. They look very tired and lifeless. I know that they try to look tough, but that's too much. I don't know, that's what I feel. I think that they need a break for a while. The remix of Transformer was good - the background sounds sound better than the original ones, but their voices... sound bored. Monster was more filled with life, but, again, nothing can excite me in their performance. Even Baek's solo dance at the end wasn't so surprising. I may look like I have lost my interest in them, but if you look at their previous MAMA performances, you will see the difference. I hope that it won't last long. I am glad that they also won a daesang and that they are now approved as big stars and are not rookies anymore, but I hope that they won't lose their charm and energy. 

Taemin! He won the Best Solo Dance Performance award and his performance was epic! As I said above, he was the only member of SHINEe to attend the ceremony, which was pretty sad. And, I must say, that even there are new bands such as BTS (which I now adore), SHINEe will be forever my first k-pop love. They have this special place in my heart and seeing even one of them winning an award is something that makes me really happy and proud. Taemin deserves his award, for he is such a great dancer and singer and I know that he works really hard and continues to do so.

Well...This publication is meant to be a Friday post, but it is already Saturday. So I will stop here, with the plan to write again. Two more things: 

1. BTS reaction to Gallant (I hope that this video won't be deleted; you can search for it with these key words).

This is one of those songs I sent to you as a link to listen to via Skype a couple of weeks ago. I watched an interview of BTS and they were asked about their favourite singer in the US. V (Taehyung) mentioned Gallant and when I heard Weight in Gold, I was immediately drawn to it. I have never imagined that they will meet their favourite singer (especially Tae), so it's very interesting and funny to watch them. Actually, him, Taehyung. Watch him. He knows every single word and sings it, even the more improvised parts. His solo, Stigma, which I mentioned in my second post about them, has the similar vibe of Weight in Gold, although his voice is much milder. The other members are too ashamed to fully admit they enjoy Gallant's performance, although you can see that they like it. Haha, pure fanboys!

2. BTS Daesang Artist of the Year MAMA 2016.

This. Their speech, their emotions. Their pure hearts. They deserve it! Thank you, BTS, for bringing so much joy and positivism in my life!

"Let's fly with our beautiful wings in 2017 as well."

Wednesday, 30.11.2016 - Bye, November!

Hello, my dear!

Today will be a little different. I am going to post a link of a gallery on the BBC news site. These amazing photos will be today's wisdom, motivation and inspiration. I thought about writing a quote about nature, but it is not needed - we can remain silent in front of its glory, beauty and purity. 

I hope that you will like these photos as much as I did. 

Take care, my dear, the weather tells us that winter is coming. Have a wonderful December!

Lots of hugs,

R.

Le jour des cadeaux

Le 22 mardi c'était le jour des cadeaux. J'ai eu une suprise d'Allemagne !!! Tu sais qui c'est .. Haha Jai reçu un pain d'épices typique de Bavière :) Trop contente.
Le deuxième cadeau était de Heejin une boîte à accessoires . Très jolie et très "coréenne " haha
J'était super suprise !

Friday Music – 25 November

My dear,

Today’s music corner is dedicated to a song I have been listening to for more than two weeks. I came across it after reading a very interesting article on the BBC news site.

It’s Emeli Sandé‘s new song, Hurts. I love it! It starts as a balladic confession, but turns into an uplifting statement with a slightly aggressive tune, but not in the exact mad meaning.  This song is the perfect piece to listen to after a break-up or when feeling sad. Enjoy it!

Have a great week-end!

Hugs,

R.

Wednesday Wisdom – 23 November

My dear,

Sorry for writing just now, but I have been busy and sick for the past couple of weeks.  After two unpleasant weeks it turned out to be sinusitis and I am taking some antibiotics right now. I hope that until next week I will be fine, because I still have some tasks at work to do and, of course, some blogging, too.

Anyway, enough with the complaining! Thank you for the videos you sent me! The DNA Journey was really amazing to watch! So emotional! On the other hand, the Chinese food video was hilarious, hahaha! Duck head?!

Britney and Shakira reminded me a lot about my childhood, haha! The songs are good - I sense some summer vibes, oh, how I miss summer! Music is always something that can distract you from your worries. That’s why I decided to post a quote about music today – to celebrate its healing and inspiring power and to express my gratitude towards music that has always, always been there for me. And I believe that it has been your good companion to you for many times, too.

Credit: quotespictures.net

Chinese food

Coucou ma belle !

J'ai un autre vidéo pour toi ! Trop drôle  😅😅😅😅😅

American kids try Chinese food

Quelque titres que j'ai trouvé hier ( car je n'écoute pas bcp de la musique en ce moment :( ) :

• Shakira
• Britney is back !!! YEAH baby hahah

Bonne nuit, 

O.

ADN??

Chère amie,

Regarde ce lien
Biased strangers take a DNA test - the results show why we shouldn't judge others on their looks

Peut-être ton cousin coréen est quelque part dans le monde hehe ^^


Olly,

Bisous

Friday Music Favourites – 4 November

My dear,

After the very long post about BTS (the Bangtan Boys) last week, today I will talk about music you will definitely like.

Remember when you played Miguel’s song Adorn that summer night in August? Well, I recently discovered some intriguing songs from him. Today I am posting three of them that are really…hm, sexy, haha! I love the sensuality in his voice and the thrilling vibe the songs give. They feel like a fresh cup of hot coffee early in a cold and grey November morning, after a rainy night (sounds very cliché, but that’s the initial feeling I got). It could easily transform into a deeper seductive sensation, suitable for the night. Songs for cool mornings, songs for hot nights. No more details, hahaha!

 Anyway, I know that you do not like coffee and, maybe this feeling will not be the same you have while having your cup of tea (I certainly feel sleepy after drinking it). The overall sense reminds me a lot of some earlier songs from the Weeknd, but this doesn’t have any intentions for a comparison. So, enjoy!

Miguel - Coffee (Audio) 

Miguel - Simplethings

Miguel - Use Me

Bonus track

Having mentioned the Weeknd, I am posting a song from his new album that will be released at the end of this month. It’s good, I think. Easy to listen to, with good background sounds.

The Weeknd - Starboy ft. Daft Punk

I hope you like these songs, my dear.

Bon week-end!

Hugs,

R.

 

Wednesday Wisdom – 2 November

My dear!

Today is the birthday of one of my cousins! She turns 19 and it feels really bizarre – I never even thought that this time would come! I still remember clearly the day she was born. Life indeed goes fast!

I wanted to write a lot of things about life and opportunities, but I will just use the case and post a quote (by Friedrich Nietzsche) from which I only have a small part in my notebook. It goes like this:

“No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life…”

While trying to find a photo that will look more interesting in this post, I found its sequel:

 

Picture taken from pixteller.com

My dear, after much consideration and a lot of deleted written (and heavy) reflections, I decided to leave it like this – with the positive vibe and feeling of motivation, rather than regret and self-criticism. It is better like this, isn’t it?

Hugs,

R.

 

Monday Blues and Happy Halloween!

 My dear,

How are you today? I feel very tired! Yesterday I couldn’t fall asleep, even though we changed the clocks to winter time. How did your surprising weekend trip go? I am waiting for photos!

Since yesterday I couldn’t post anything, today will be the day to say some words that were intended for Sunday.

After the long post on Friday, which I must confess, was written for several days, I felt exhausted. I consider making the Neverending Sunday posts optional, because it’s difficult to write something (even personal stuff) after such long music Friday publications.

So, a little bit of what I have been doing lately… Not so many great things happen to me, except that we were preparing ourselves for the upcoming winter. Last week we had the firewood delivered to our home and the weekend before I had to help granny with the flowers – we usually put them in the basement, when the weather becomes really cold.

Petals from cascading geranium

Photo made by my cousin

So, you can see that, apart from writing about music and wise quotes, I couldn’t find some time to write about other things. Even now I am writing from work and I will finish the post at home (I wrote most of my latest posts during  breaks, because at home the only thing I can do is to edit them).  And recently I have a lot of work to do in my daily job, which is very tiring.  Anyway, I will stop complaining now.

Speaking about flowers, there is a new addition to my collection of orchids! The fifth one (I call it the maknae, meaning “the youngest” in Korean) is a mini-orchid with a deep purple colour, accompanied with some leopard pattern in the middle.

You can’t see clearly the purple colour, because my phone cannot catch it, as many cameras can’t as well. It is so tiny and sweet! How could you resist this charm?! I hope that our home is not so cold for the little one, because its petals will fall off.

Apart from the (mindless for some) flower shopping, I found Korean cosmetics! I have long heard that there are some masks in the DM store, but recently I found spare time (and money) to look for them. And I must say, there are plenty to choose from!

As you can see, I bought two types – a sheet mask with Korean red ginseng and under-eye mini sheet masks with green tea. The ginseng mask, which is a bit expensive, is only one in the package and I haven’t used it yet, but the under-eye treatment turned out to be very good! There are 30 sheets, 15 for each eye and they are very easy to use.

Interesting Article

My dear, last week I happened upon a very interesting photo article on the BBC site. It shows some very old photos from Shanghai. I personally liked the one with the wheelbarrow taxi driver who disassembles his rig to avoid paying taxes for crossing the bridge with his wheel.  Clever trick, haha!

Movies and Dramas

There is not so much to say about new dramas at the moment. Recently granny and I concluded Coffee Prince, which is a very sweet (and old) 2007 drama. The main actress, playing a girl disguised as a young man, was very impressive. From all clichés that I have seen, this role felt very suitable for her.  The drama is very light and funny and makes you feel comfortable. It is perfect to watch when you have some time during the cold and rainy days.

Recently I began watching Scarlet Heart, which will end this week. Maybe I will write a review after completing it, but for now I can only say that the music in the drama is the one thing that still excites me the most. The story was interesting at first, but now the plot is diluted and chaotic, weakening the whole concept, I think. Apart from the good acting of some of the princes and older actors/actresses, it feels like a teen – oriented drama, filled with famous idols (some who are still learning how to act) just for the fan-service – a fact that can easily disappoint, even though everyone seems so beautiful. Beauty is not always the main point after all. 

Speaking of dramas, there is a movie I watched recently. It’s called Hot Young Bloods and it is very energetic to watch. I personally wanted to see it, because of Lee Jong Suk at first, but the whole acting team did an amazing job. The vibes I get remind me a lot of Punch – another coming-of-age movie, with another favourite actor, Yoo Ah-in. Well, I began writing about one movie, but ended up praising two. Of course, I am not going to compare these films; I will just recommend you to watch them both. You will like the energy, the humour and the simple wisdom and truths about life, especially in Punch.

Photo taken from hancinema.net

Destination for Motivation

Dear, there are so many places I want to visit in this world! Apart from my dream to celebrate my birthday in Australia (not only because it matches Australia day, but it is also summertime in January there), my eagerness exceeds to making travel my way of life! I feel so alone some days; like a person with no connections and no companion to share the same interests, like a person that lives in another country. I sometimes feel more connected to things that happen abroad, than in Bulgaria. I am not even a real patriot in my own country….

Anyway, today’s destination is a place in South Korea that I saw in the first episode of the drama mentioned above (Scarlet Heart). The place is Cheonjuho Lake in Pocheon and, from what I have seen in the drama and Google, the view is very beautiful!

Photo taken from visitkorea.or.kr

Some Monday Music…

Dear, I think that my admiration for BTS is growing with the speed of light! They turned out to be very interesting and fun! The excitement I have for them these days reminds me a lot of my first SHINee days. As an unofficial Shawol, now I can say that I am turning also into an ARMY. (Although I am using these labels only to express my fondness and support for the groups, but I distinguish from both fandoms’ behavior.)

Here is a song, released in 2015, which is sooo good to listen to! I also like the choreography, the dance made me watch the whole video several times, can you imagine that, haha! There is this sound in the chorus that reminds of Flo Rida’s G.D.F.R. song, (which I know you didn’t like so much), but Dope has a lighter feeling that you will definitely enjoy more!

[MV] BTS(방탄소년단) _ DOPE(쩔어)

          So, that was my Monday post. I am currently at home, finishing and editing this post and I will probably read s few documents for tomorrow, because I have a lot of work to do these days. It was a very long Monday…

         Tomorrow my aunt and little cousin will come for one night and two days to stay with us. No more K-pop for me, only My Little Pony, hahaha!

Till Wednesday, my dear!

Hugs,

R.

My ears at work today. This is really embarrassing, haha! I hate selfies! I am only doing this for you. Happy Halloween! Meow!

Gourmet Bomb and Friday Music Favourites – 28 October

 My dear O.,

Your food-inspired letters were really delicious! I am glad that you take care of yourself by eating good food and socializing with people! That’s the best way to beat the autumn melancholy. The worst is that after autumn there comes winter which is even more depressing and colder. It is good that you search for some colour in your daily routine, do not let the cold make you feel sad!  Your lodging looks very comfy and warm; I can see from the photos that you furnished it with style. I really liked the pictures you posted! And also, the gluttony quote made me laugh sincerely, hahaha!

The dinner you prepared for your colleagues is the best way to “break the ice” as people say and to catch up with the times you couldn’t meet with those girls. They look very pretty and friendly in the photo you posted.

You did everything well – from the stylish arrangement of the table, to the wonderful meal. The menu seems very delicious and fresh – is turkey common meat to eat there, as it was with the fish in Brest? I know that in France they eat goose meat (a stereotype, because of the foie gras, maybe?) and each region has its unique meals (like the Pâté Lorrain you wrote about). The connection between food and wine that French people have has always impressed me. I saw it when we were touring in France with the choir in 2014 – especially older people, they couldn’t imagine eating something without a glass of wine. For me wine is too heavy to drink alongside a main course or if I want accompany it with some cheese, I will definitely not do it during desserts time.

Japchae!!! I cannot believe it! I envy you so much (in the noble way, of course)! This dish is in my Korean food bucket list! You must cook it for me, haha!!! So, they sell dangmyeon (sweet potato noodles) in France, don’t they? And the thing you wrote about how your Korean friend prepared all the veggies and the meat – the patience they have when preparing their dishes is something very different from our hasty Western style. I really admire the effort they put and the respect they have towards beautiful and nutritious food.

So, it’s Friday again and this time, as promised, I will write about music - something I had to do last week…

BTS and their wings

My dear, there is a group I stumbled upon by chance more than two weeks ago in one late Sunday evening. Called BTS, or also Bangtan Boys, they had just released their newest album and the Twitterverse (and the entire Internet) was literally exploding that same night. My curiosity brought me to the song I posted last Friday. 

Their album, WINGS, topped the charts in many countries with the Blood, Sweat & Tears MV becoming the fastest K-pop music video by a group to reach a high number of views on YouTube in a very short time.

The album consists of not only group songs, but also each member has a solo track. I only recently watched the short films for their solos that use quotes from Hermann Hesse’s novel Demian (a book that I plan to read).

Source: Wikipedia

The reason I continued listening to their album that Sunday night was simply because I was really surprised by the promotional song. Blood, Sweat & Tears was simply something I didn’t expect to hear from a South Korean band, so I had to check the other songs, too. Below there are few words about some of them, including the lead single. (Thanks to all those YouTube users who upload the songs for us to listen! I should thank them every time I write and share songs here.)

Blood, Sweat & Tears reminds me of one of those summer European mainstream songs that we sometimes listen and dance to. Due to the oriental elements in the song, the resemblance with our modern pop-folk genre in Bulgaria is astonishing and makes me giggle every time I listen to it. I must confess that initially, when I was first listening to it, I was literally frozen by surprise (as I told you above). I watched a video where the boys explain that the genre of the song is moombahton trap. A simple check in Google leads you to a Wikipedia page that tells something about the genre and gives examples of other songs, some of which that are famous, too. Moombahton or pop-folk, I don’t know anymore, but it is definitely different, distinguishing and mostly likable to listen to. The video is…well, you know my habit of not watching the MVs, so I only recently watched it as a whole and was impressed by their moves. That’s the best Korean dance interpretation of pop-folk moves that I have ever seen in my life, hahah! But still, they are good, I must confess. And they surprisingly correspond to the song.

Begin starts with sensual vocals and then flows into a rhythmic and pleasing dreamy song. The sounds in the chorus seem very familiar to me. It’s like I have heard a similar style of music somewhere, but I cannot remember quite well. For me it’s a song for the night – the sounds predispose to something mysterious and exciting, hiding in the darkness.

Lie – my most favourite song! Jimin’s voice range is very wide I must say. The classical notes at the beginning take you to a complete different version of reality. A playful vocal tease, followed by a dramatic burst of emotional high notes in the chorus – simply delicious to listen to! Drama, violins, creepy female voices and old crinoline dresses from the Victorian era – this is the universal feeling I got at first, while being swept by this swinging musical harmony. I usually stick to several songs and listen to them multiple times and this song is on repeat at the moment. It may sound too eerie and dramatic to you, though. Just focus on the beautiful musical heights he conquers, haha!

First Love sounds like a painful confession. I really regret not knowing the lyrics (and not knowing Korean), because it is really promising as a single. The piano sounds complete Suga’s voice which is filled with regret, pain and mocking disdain. The song is very suitable for a movie soundtrack.

Stigma, MAMA and Reflection are songs that you will definitely enjoy. They are calmer, relaxed and close to your preferences.

Awake and 21Century girls sound more like k-pop songs, although there are still some moombahton-ish elements at the end of the latter, but that makes it appealing, more boyish and danceable in my opinion. Awake is a very delicate ballad, showing the tenderness in Jin’s voice. His timbre is also very light, but unlike Jimin’s boyish notes, Jin’s voice feels more relaxed and manly in the musical heights (with no offence to Jimin’s abilities, of course!). Bonus: There is a new dance practice video which is simply hilarious! Hahaha! Happy Halloween in advance! :D 

BTS Cypher 4 is your jumping song! Rap trap power, haha! I heard that there was another song that used the same musical theme, but I must confess that I like the Cypher more. Brrr! Ha!

Although I wrote only about some of the songs, I highly recommend you to listen to the complete album. The songs in it are very well arranged and their course does not burden your mind while listening.

Actually, it is very difficult to write about them, because I am a Bangtan newbie, so to say. I feel that there are still some things about the concept that I am missing and that makes the songs’ reviews incomplete in a way. For me they are still a new group that I discovered by chance and I think the surprising sound of the promotional song made me listen to their album and to dig on YouTube for more. I recall that I have listened to parts of their previous songs in the past, but initially they couldn’t hold my interest for long (simply because I was obsessed with only few groups and that was it). So, now I can only say that all the opinions above are mostly based on my first impressions and the reviews do not encompass everything that could be said. But, as a whole I can conclude that this album is very interesting and it’s close to my taste in music and style concept. It has that enchanting vibe with a pinch of eerie mystery that makes you tremble from excitement and pleasure. I am glad that I turned my eyes (and ears) to other fresh artists from the K-pop scene and BTS is indeed a valuable addition to my collection of favourite Korean bands.

I will continue observing their future work as closely as I can, because they seem really fresh and capable to create more great pieces. And, from what I have seen and heard recently, they are very well matched as a group.  BTS, fighting! :)

R.