[Single Album & MV Review] B.A.P - 'Put Em Up / That's My Jam'

AKP STAFF

B.A.P � PUT 'EM UP

Track List:

1. Do What I Feel
2. That`s My Jam
3. What More Can I Say

B.A.P is back and ready for the summer party with their new single album 'Put 'Em Up !' Their fifth single album has three songs, their title track "That's My Jam" being their third collaboration with producer Kim Chang Rak ("Feel So Good" and "Young, Wild & Free"). Leader Bang Yong Guk co-wrote the title track while the ballad "What More Can I Say" is all his.

First up is "Do What I Feel," which is definitely a club banger, with beats like a piledriver and some vaguely Latin horns. Everything here serves the beat, including the rapid-fire raps. It's a fantastic danceable song, and it's a great way to lead an album. If "That's My Jam" wasn't on the album, this is what I'd pick as the title track. Just like in the title track, they put the hook out front. I get a kick how they start out with a rap, too.

Thundering beats and fierce choruses characterize "That`s My Jam." I've commented before about the K-pop scene embracing EDM, and it's pretty obvious here. I think part of what makes the song work is that the sound hews quite close to real instruments, but still is uniquely electronic. I love how they start with the hooky chorus and immediately turn the energy up to 11. As the song says, this is my jam.

The placid "What More Can I Say" is Bang Yong Guk's first self-penned R&B ballad. It feels soulful and is intimate, it's a break from the frenetic energy of the first two tracks. Fans of 2014's "With You" should like this slow-burner. About three minutes in, we get the falsetto from Jongup and Daehyun in particular, adding some emotional depth to the song. I like this ballad because he chose not to drown it in schmaltz, instead doing the opposite. It's quiet and smooth, the way a ballad.

This collection exemplifies what fans love about B.A.P. 'Carnival' wasn't much to my liking -- it was a happy, smiling B.A.P, a significant departure from "Badman" and "Warrior." And the MV for "It's My Jam" proves that they can smile without altering their sound. This is a killer that should more than whet your appetite for B.A.P.

MV REVIEW

The music video for "That's My Jam" finds the boys hanging out in the studio, as they transition from one TV show to the next -- late night TV, action drama, beach movie, etc. At the end, they decide that the heat of the beach is too much for them, and decide to chill in the freezer, until someone locks them in...

It's not all laugh out loud funny, but it's fun. When they decide to be absolute dorks in the beginning and the end is what makes the video for me. I love it when a band decides to mock themselves 'Spinal Tap' style. It never gets old.

And they do it well. While the bar scene was cool, it was still done tongue in cheek, each member sporting grins saying "this isn't serious." Even the dancing was goofy. The great thing is that it's not over the top, no sped up film or funny noises (although I think that could have enhanced the freezer scene.

I have to give "That's My Jam" an enthusiastic thumbs up.