BEAST Lights Go On Again

I have teamed up with Kaye from K Reviews to review BEAST’s 2nd part to their mini album Mastermind, Light’s Go On Again. For all you BEAST fans that read, I( Arie J) don’t really listen to BEAST that much except their debut single ‘Bad Girl’ and Breathe.

Arie J:So imagine me listening to the mini album and hearing Light’s Go On Again. What a shock. This acoustic track that starts off with a repetitous ‘light’s go on again’ and the rapper adding a short, sweet rap. I was really sad when the track ended, they tricked me! I wish the track was longer; they need more of this. Kaye:I pretty much had to pick my jaw up from the floor after my first listen to Lights Go On Again. The song has a very light, simple vibe to it, and I like that Junhyung’s rap was toned down in order to match that lightness. The ‘snapping’ beats were a really nice touch to the song, as well as the harmonization done by the boys. As an intro track, it does a fairly good job of setting the mood for the entire album, but I would have loved for it to have been extended into a full track, which is how I feel with most of Beast’s intros.

Lights Go On Again

Arie J:Beautiful is really annoying. I listened to it once when I watched their comeback and it was just really not something that I could make myself listen to againKaye:Beautiful is a high energy, up-tempo track, and if the intention was to make one go about with a rather stupid grin on one’s face, then job well done. It isn’t my favorite track off the album – I feel like fanservice was the main motivator for the production of this track and you can tell. It sort of barely manages to toe the line between cute and cheesy and the boys probably know how ridiculous their choreography makes them look – but as a promotional single, it’s not that bad.

Arie J: What a cute track! This song is like boy-band/pop; something that I would expect from a boyband. My favorite part is the guitar were the rapper breaks in. Kaye:I think that I Like You the Best is probably the best track off the album. It’s a little reminiscent of the sort of stuff I used to listen to in the late 90’s to the early 2000’s (I was a rather huge fan of Britpop), but certain nuances, like the transitions, the reverb and the sort of skittering effects thrown in, saves the song from sounding too dated. The acoustic guitar in the bridge is a nice touch as well. The melody is catchy without being too annoying and cute without overdoing it, which is always good in my book.

Arie J: This song reminds me of Jay Sean’s ‘Down’ for some reason. This track is kind of boring and forgettable, but it’s not to bad. Kaye:Dongwoon has, for me, the most interesting tone out of all of them (I do quite like deep voices) so I like that I get to hear more from him in Lightless. The song isn’t as energetic or strong as the previous two, but it’s engaging enough, particularly due to the simplicity in processing; you can actually hear their voices without being distracted by the other elements of the song.

Arie J: I don’t really think this fits with the rest of the mini album I would imagine this going after Breathe on their min album Mastermind. It is a good song, but breaks the mood for the rest of the album. Kaye:Given that the mood of the previous songs were so light and upbeat, I’m Sorry feels a little lost in the shuffle. I think that it would have done better in Mastermind, while V.I.U would have done better here. The critique is just on cohesiveness though. It’s a great song, just not on this album.


General Comments:

I really liked the more acoustic sound BEAST had with Light’s Go On Again, but If they were just going to release two mini albums back to back, then they should’ve made it an album. If they get more songs like L.G.O.A then I will continue to listen to them. I’ll give this a 3.5.

I was a little bit iffy with Beast having to work so soon after wrapping up promotions for Mastermind but in retrospect, this was a pretty slick bit of marketing. Releasing a part 2 with a completely different theme (Mastermind, as well as Shock of the New Era, were ‘dark’ albums while Lights Go On Again is, as the title would suggest, a lot lighter) keeps them relevant – lots of award shows coming up! – while also showing that Beast has range, at least in terms of the emotions that they can portray in a song.

I’d like to really commend their producers for this one. Beast consistently gets great songs to work with and with every release, you actually see an improvement in their skills so kudos for that. I’d give this album a 4/5.

Recommended tracks: Lights Go On Again, I Like You the Best

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