Wondering What Comes After FANTASTIC BABY? Step Inside STILL ALIVE

The opening track of the special album released on June 3, 2012. It expands the short intro from the preceding mini album ‘ALIVE’ into a full song, and here you hear it as the official track of about 3 minutes 18 seconds. Though the titles look the same, it’s worth keeping the two releases’ versions distinct. Follow the impression of a title that declares being alive again, and feel the start of a record. For those who remembered only ‘FANTASTIC BABY’, it becomes a way to discover a different starting point for BIGBANG in that period. Continue straight into the title track that follows to meet the flow of songs newly added to the special album.

The second track and title song of ‘STILL ALIVE’, running about 3 minutes 51 seconds. It sits at the center of a special album that added new music to an existing mini album. YG’s official introduction points to the combination of the music video’s striking styling at the time with the melody and vocals. Rather than mapping the title onto any real person, you can take it as the atmosphere the work creates. A song worth choosing first when you want to get to know the BIGBANG of 2012 from a direction other than their signature dance tracks.

The third track of the special album was made by German electronic producer Boys Noize together with G-DRAGON and T.O.P. Listen to the roughly 3-minute-35-second song with that collaboration, confirmed in the official introduction, in mind. If the sensual impression of the title drew you in, notice which sounds and voices reach your ears first. It’s also worth knowing as a new track placed just before the album’s familiar hits. A fit for anyone curious about the range a group’s music gains when it meets an outside creator. Continue into ‘FANTASTIC BABY’ after it and feel how your mood shifts.

‘FANTASTIC BABY’ also appeared on the earlier ‘ALIVE’, and on this special album it comes as the fourth track. Here we chose the roughly 3-minute-52-second track from the June 2012 release. If you first remembered the song through its stage chants or music video images, try listening from start to finish without the visuals. It’s also a good listen for comparing the feeling of hearing a song alone with that of enjoying it in a crowd. The album’s arrangement, with a familiar song arriving after three new tracks, is worth noticing too. A choice for meeting songs you’re hearing for the first time and songs you know in a single flow, and getting to know the BIGBANG of that period again.

‘BAD BOY’, the fifth track of the special album, is also music first released on the February 2012 mini album. The version chosen here is the roughly 3-minute-58-second track included on the June album. Placed next to the previous song with its strong performance image, even a song by the same group comes across differently. It’s also a good one to pick while thinking about whether what you want to hear is big momentum or the mood of a single song. If it sparks an interest in the R&B and hip-hop of their debut days, you can use it as a lead for traveling back in time to their early music.

The sixth track, ‘BLUE’, is a choice to hear again, within the special album, a song first released during the ‘ALIVE’ period. Even among the familiar promoted songs, it makes you think about which music you’d most like to linger in right now. If you’ve only remembered the title as the name of a color, see what emotion it turns into once you listen. Taking in its position between ‘BAD BOY’ before it and ‘Ain’t No Fun’ after creates a flow different from playing the hits on their own. Recommended for a time when you want to follow one record quietly.

The seventh track, ‘Ain’t No Fun’, can also be found under the English track name ‘Bingle Bingle’. The official album introduction presents it as a collaboration between TEDDY and G-DRAGON, and it belongs to the music newly added to the special album. At about 2 minutes 58 seconds, it’s the shortest of the record’s nine tracks. It’s also the point where, after three familiar songs, your attention turns back to new material. For those who knew only the album’s title track, it becomes an occasion to get to know both the creators and the album cuts of this period. Pick it when you want to add a lesser-known song to your playlist.

The eighth track of the special album, running about 3 minutes 23 seconds. YG’s official introduction describes it as a song about the feelings of a man who has fallen in love. You can listen while thinking about both the impression of self that the English title gives and the heart within a relationship. Like the new tracks before it, it suits anyone looking for music beyond the familiar promoted songs. Feel which of the many emotions on a single record is closest to you right now. Continue into the final track that follows and you won’t miss the album’s closing stretch. See whether a song you once knew only by name turns into music you want to hear again.

The international title of the song known in Korean as ‘Sarangmeonji’ is ‘Love Dust’, and it’s the ninth and final track of ‘STILL ALIVE’. A song from the earlier ‘ALIVE’, heard here as the roughly 3-minute-51-second track from this release. Going back to the opening ‘STILL ALIVE’ after this one, the shifts in mood within a single record may feel different. If nine tracks were too many to take in, pair up the two that stayed with you and build your own listening order.