“Oasis” by EXO, Friday, December 31, 2021
I'M ON THE ROAD. The young songwriter Bazzi has written for Nelly, Camila Cabello, and Lil' Wayne. So far, his biggest hit, 2017's "Mine" became famous as a SnapChat filter. Before this hit, though, he promoted his music through Vine. Besides "Oasis," Bazzi wrote "Oh La La La," which also appears on Don't Mess Up My Tempo as well as a track on the band's previous album. He also contributed writing to EXO's label-mates, NCT Dream. "Oasis" imagines the group on a road through a desert in search for some relief. EXO has a variety of sound, and I have to say, not all of them are for me. But what I found is that when EXO is less dancy and more slow-RnB-leaning, I tend to like those songs. Their album 2015 second LP, Exodus was, according to my musical tastes, EXO at their best, a calculated record hiding a few dance tracks around a mostly soulful RnB record. The band has released excellent singles since that record, whether dance tracks, slow R&B ballads, or genre-bending tracks, like "Lightsaber." But I'd argue that "Oasis" is the best EXO track in terms of mood and vocals. The members of EXO contribute their own unique vocals to each line. What stuck out to me was D.O.'s English lyrics on the second bridge. The first bridge is sung by Baek Hyun and Chen, who has a more sweet, not-quite timid timbre in his voice. The second bridge, though, Chen sings "조금 더 멀리" or "just a little bit further" and D.O. contributes his English lyrics "Running, I'm running, chasing the sun." That is one of the sexiest voices I've heard in music--the vocal cords rubbing in such a calculated way. In other EXO songs, D.O. embellishes the track with a scruffier voice, but on "Oasis," he makes the track at just the right time.
I'M ON THE ROAD. It's been a year, and I've enjoyed writing about music every day. There were a few days when I didn't want to. Other days, it's all I wanted to do. I'm going to continue this project tomorrow in 2022, but I'm going to change the rules a bit. I'm going to keep a "Song a Day" format, but I'm going to experiment with web design, theme, kinds of content I include in the daily posts, extra playlists to fit special occasions that fit into the "Song a Day" format, and if I get that all figured out, I'll promote my work on social media. Expect some reposts or semi-reposts, as a new year allows me to listen again to the music that mattered to me this year and for years before I wrote about music. I have many hopes for my blog. I hope that I can promote artists who need a few Spotify pushes, like Ian Mahan, Dabin, and Cyn. I hope that I can get deeper into discographies of artists I discovered this year like MUNA, Kacey Musgraves, Bastille, NEEDTOBREATHE, and others. I hope that next year is a great year in listening to music, and I hope that I can figure out who to write about that music in an interesting way, whether my readers care for the song or not. Happy New Year!
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