Neo Zone: The Final Round — observation thread because i love!! talking!! about!! music!!! and i love nct !!!!!!

i'll be putting timestamps + overall reaction (taglish soz)! QRT only please thank u !!

#NCT127_TheFinalRound #FinalRoundOutNOW #NCT127

1. Punch https://open.spotify.com/track/7LXW05QcQi9ri7ZBYqGhPJ
0:00 - their intros are always so good; reminiscent of kick it's heavy guitar pero 8-bit boss level ang tunog nito

0:11 - good start of the rap! they hit the syllables hard first before going into a calmer verse, then repeat in the next line

+ if you noticed, it was replaced with a bass drum + sfx lol instead of the 8-bit synth then comes back in after the first measure of the rap (0:15) which is like... preparing you for some sort of battle i love it

0:21 - more intense for the next two verses para iba naman

+ one note higher CHAR DI KO ALAM DI AKO PERFECT PITCH and it brings back a similar sfx to the one in 0:11

0:25 ok di ko alam kung ano yung tawag di ko alam kung drum or what pero it emphasizes "we are" and it prepares you for--

0:31's jebeop haji! IT'S SO CUTE

+ IT'S SUCH A ... GRACEFUL CONTRAST... BC IT BECOMES A SING-RAP INSTEAD

0:32 whispers and bass! it's taunting you and it gives you something new to listen to, and even if it goes back to the rap at 0:40, you're drawn back into the "ha ha ha"

0:43 mark's rap, you hear the 8-bit again, sorry i just love when those kinds of sounds are reinforced

0:49 haechan's sing-rap contrast, similar to 0:31 kanina, which brings you to the pre-chorus lmao

0:52 doyoung i am in love with you and your vocals!

his tone is so good as always, this part is like a different kind of air! while the other synth elements are there, you then hear light piano in the background (0:58) which is CHEF'S KISS

thank you to @gotchuhaechan @neoculturebabie and @candychann___ for confirming who's singing at 1:03 because it's so light and full and IT'S JUNGWOO?? BABE!! then passes it on to taeil and as always it's very smooth

one thing about singing with a group is having to match--

your vocal quality. while each person has a different style to their voice, they're mostly using chest/mixed here (correct me if i'm wrong na lang lol) so that it flows better and it's easier to listen to :D

1:13 ah yes the music breathes before EEEEY WE BALLIN

different sound na (mostly) and the 8-bit isn't here. LET ME TALK ABOUT HAECHAN

haechan's voice/tone is like... the water in a wine glass kind of sound. it's bright, clear, light, flows well, and it's controlled. his adlibs float really well above everyone else's "ey we ballin"

1:17 it's still haechan please listen to it it's so smooth HAECHAN ACE

1:20 listen to the rap this time. you'd think you have the rhythm of the chorus down already but it hits you with "deo ttwigo sorichyeo babe"

1:25 sorry it's haechan again listen to the harmony

1:29 "fighter!" harmony YES VOCAL LINE LET'S GO BABES

it's then followed by taeyong's rough voice, then at 1:31 the rap is accompanied by a really strong and clear chord I AM GEEKING OUT IT'S LIKE THE VOICING/CHORD AT THE START OF SUPERHUMAN

1:34 that ending synth to go to the next one which i will geek about later IM SO SORRY IDK HOW YOU CALL IT BUT IT'S IN THE MIX/PRODUCTION I'M SURE

"ey we ballin" has a different rhythm to it which I LOVE and again it's such a clean chord goodbye it's so well-blended

before i continue, i just want to say that i can hear the limitless vibes (like how they described it)
1. whispers in punch = "gonggani yeollyeo from the bottom up" etc
2. i think it has similar chords HAHAH i tried humming the chorus of limitless over punch and it kinda worked

1:35 is my favorite part. i love when the tempo of the melody just CHANGES it makes you look at the song DIFFERENTLY thank you doyoung and haechan

also observe the bg instruments! we have vocals that are fast and syncopated but the background is flowy, light, ethereal even

and at first di ko alam kung anong tempo (lol dont mess up my tempo HAHA) so it really messed with my brain oh my god the piano is on the beat but the voCALS ARENT but it fits so WELL WAHA

and haechan's hey is on a downbeat ata ugh SECOND VERSE RIGHTS

1:40's ADLIBS AND VOCALS and the beat kicks in! parang it brings you back to your reality, compared to doyoung's part

if i'm not mistaken it goes to jungwoo? (correct me if im wrong pls omg) grabe ang galing ni jungwoo mag-blend + mag-connect sa boses ng ibang member wtf

anyway yung part na yun, it makes more sense to how you hear it na bc it's on beat and all the other stuff that i mentioned kanina are back AHHA it almost drowns out his vocals pero it's what makes you listen more so it ties in better

also nandun pa rin yung piano but it's faint

1:45 the 8-bit sound is back as well as the "ha ha ha"

1:57 not much to say except piano contrast and yung vocal quality ni taeil

2:06 the chorus is more bass-heavy this time compared to the first chorus :D uses a different kind of sound that leads to--

2:14 HAECHAN's BRIDGE ok the beat emphasis is definitely slower, darker, sensual, serious. i'm looking forward to how they'll show it in the MV because it's the climax of the song

2:32 taeil delivers that sudden note very well, as always AHAHAH

2:36 dance break i'm sure. but it's definitely lighter. not bright, just light AHAHAH more on synth etc na i can't really say much AHAHA

2:55 i expected the last chorus to have high energy, but you hear different adlibs instead which is still good

didnt mention it earlier, i remember when they showed how they recorded kick it and i thought that the part that goes "shimmy shimmy shimmy buri butnae" is like a chant but some of the bass/baritones were singing it which i find very interesting, i think it was also applied here

and of course the ending HAHAH

disclaimer: i'm not an expert lmao. i've been in a choir for 4 years and was in a singing ensemble for 2, i dont do music prod but i just love listening to every part of a song and i love learning and observing!

okay that's it i hope you enjoyed AND LET'S STREAM HARD GUYS MUAH

#NCT127PUNCH #NCT127_TheFinalRound #FinalRoundOutNOW #NCT127