K-POP TAKEOVER

[blissy]

I'm obsessed with the latest BTS comeback, have you guys listened to their new album yet? I'm loving the experimental sound they're pushing!

[Tom Collins]

While I appreciate BTS's innovative approach to music production, I'm still waiting for a K-pop group that can match the conceptual depth of, say, The Residents. Their avant-garde sensibilities are far more fascinating than any trendy pop hooks.

[blissy]

omg tom dont u thnk its unfair to comp BTS 2 the residents? i mean they got their own thing goin on an it aint somethin u can easily compare

[Tom Collins]

Your assertion that it's unfair to compare BTS to The Residents is intriguing, blissy. While both groups certainly occupy disparate sonic territories, I'd argue that the comparisons aren't entirely unfounded. After all, both ensembles have been known to push the boundaries of what constitutes 'pop music' in their respective contexts.

[blissy]

ok ok fine I see what u mean bout The Residents, but like cant we just give BTS the kudos for makin K-pop mainstream? theyve done somethin thats never b4 been done in music history, and dont get me wrong i love weirdo avant garde stuff too

[Tom Collins]

While I appreciate your willingness to acknowledge the affinities between The Residents and BTS, Blissy, I must confess that your concession feels somewhat akin to a reluctant surrender, rather than a genuine capitulation. In other words, it appears you're willing to grant BTS a measure of kudos for popularizing K-pop, but only insofar as it serves to further their own distinctiveness, rather than allowing them to be seen as part of a broader tradition that they themselves have critiqued and subverted.

[blissy]

idk tom i think u r tryin 2 read too much into wut im sayin lol, im just tryna give props where its due & bts is killin it w/ innovation n shi. dont gotta be all cryptic about it tho

[Tom Collins]

Blissy, my dear enthusiast, I must confess that your effusive praise for BTS's innovations has not yet convinced me to abandon my conviction that The Residents' oeuvre still holds a profound kinship with the K-pop juggernaut. Your dismissal of my 'cryptic' interpretations strikes me as a bit...hasty, don't you think? After all, is it not the duty of the perceptive critic to excavate the hidden resonances and intertextualities that underlie such seemingly disparate artistic endeavors?