Published on 2025-03-19
Lately I have become a Kpop enjoyer. Not to the point where I would call myself a fan, but I have been strongly attracted to the genre from the standpoint of Art, as encompassing a style (of not only music) that I regard as happily having entered the mainstream of popular culture. I, of course, have nothing but contempt for all vulgar forms of art and music, which should exclude the majority of pop culture. I grew up listening to Western classical music. But later, as a teenager, I got into Jpop and a number of derivative genres of it, due to some value I saw in it that was lacking in the Western pop of the day. But neither of those have ever been "mainstream" internationally, not like Kpop is today. I ignored that genre until 2022, when I heard After Like by IVE at a store. It was very catchy. I didn't know the name so I tried to find it online by listening to one of those "best of month + year" playlists on YouTube, and it was the second song, and ever since then I have had a strong preference for IVE.
(Yes, since I am not indifferent to the two concepts of "catchy music" and "attractive women", it was indeed inevitable that I should eventually take an interest in Kpop.)
I tried out other girl groups besides IVE, and found that Kpop has a lot in common with Jpop, which is why it is really no wonder that I eventually made my way around to it. All the more surprising, then, that it should have somehow made its way into the mainstream even in America (the best country in the world, that has the most refined tastes). But what kept me was not that it resembled Jpop, but that it took what was good about Jpop and innovated with it while discarding the bad things about Jpop, creating a fresh style that was far superior to anything I had ever heard played in public before. I have thought about this a lot, about the specific aspects of the musical style that stand out, but elaborating on that is not the point of this post. Though I will probably write about that in the future.
I figured that now that I am a Kpop enjoyer, I ought to buy a real album. Apparently, this is an entire experience, since a Kpop album usually has a lot more in it than just a CD.
As for which group's album to buy, there was no question. IVE is my favorite group (but Twice is a close second, and le sserafim is third, mostly because of their absolute banger Antifragile). When this brilliant idea came to me, I felt like a genius, like I had just discovered the Philosophers Stone or something. That was in Febrary of this year, when IVE had just dropped a new album, "IVE EMPATHY". So I went on Amazon and ordered it. There are multiple versions, but I preferred the one called "Loved Ive". And it came much sooner than the tracker said it would.
Now for the sake of Science, no less than of Art, I decided to create this post to document the experience.
Below you will find a picture showing everything that was in the box, and the box itself. (click for larger view)
Starting in the top left is the box. Just a simple, square box, with this gray and white pattern going on, looking like embroidery. It is in the shape of a heart, like the logo of the album. You can't see it in the photo, but the gray part of the box reflects light almost like metal.
Below that is the CD and the paper sleeve it came in. The disk has the logo of the album printed on it. As soon as I got this, I popped it into the disk drive of my Dell Poweredge (the same machine this website is running on), and used abcde to rip it so I can listen to it digitally whenever I want. It took a few tries, because the disk reader hadn't been used in ages, and I had to clean the dust off the sensor. Saved all six tracks as .flac and .mp3. Then I put it in my CD player (yes, these still exist in 2025) and listened to it several times the old way.
If you haven't listened to it, it's all on YouTube. I recommend, but as mentioned I am biased in favor of IVE. The first and fifth tracks ("REBEL HEART" and "Attitude") carry the entire album. They have a lot of energy, but the second, third and fourth ("FLU", "Wanna Cry" and "Thank U") balance that with an easier, but more reserved and complex mood. The transition between the third and fourth tracks is excellent, almost like they are two movements of the same song. The last track ("TKO") is not my favorite, but it acts as a good coda to the album.
It also came with a photobook, shown to the right of the box. The pages are not numbered, and I'm not about to count them all, but if I were to guess I'd say there is about 70. It contains solo and group photos of all six members, in addition to the lyrics. The lyrics are printed in one giant block of text, as opposed to the usual manner of formatting lyrics that breaks the words up into lines and stanzas like poetry. The photos are good. They are shot in the same wintery scene that can be seen in the poster. I imagine it must be very comforting to view these photos when one is lonely or in a gloomy mood, but I certainly cannot speak from experience. Certainly. But if you are a fan of IVE like I am, then you will certainly take delight in the photobook. It's a much better way to look at high definition, high production value images of the IVE girls than straining your eyes while you look at Tiktok.
Below that are the stickers. Twenty or so, some with the names of the tracks. I'm gonna be honest I don't think I'm going to ever use these, but they're there.
Now on to the poster. It's not huge, probably not something I would hang on a wall, but it would perhaps be good for a bulletin board above your desk. It's got all six girls in what looks to be a wintery paradise. But Rei is the only one who dressed in a fitting manner. Liz and Yujin would be freezing--if that were real snow (one of the pictures in the photobook shows it up close, and it looks like powder). This poster (along with the photobook and probably the stickers too) is different depending on which version you get.
Below the poster is the carabiner. It is shaped like a heart and is inscribed with the word LOVEDIVE. Like the stickers, I probably won't ever use this. It was apparently only shipped with the pre-orders. I didn't pre-order, but I didn't buy directly from the source, so whoever I bought it from must have pre-ordered it.
Finally, to the right of the carabiner, is the photocard. This is one thing that really made this a somewhat interesting experience, because the photocards are random. So if you buy one of these, all you can do is cross your fingers and hope you get your oshi. I was hoping for Rei (my oshi) but I have nothing to complain about getting Gaeul instead. Here is the photocard (front and back) up close:
It is the same size as a credit card, so it will fit in your wallet or perhaps your phone case. In fact, as soon as I got mine, I put it straight into my phonecase which is equiped with pockets for holding credit cards, and it was like a sword returned to its sheath. Fit perfectly.
I think the photocard has been my favorite part of all this, besides the CD of course. It is a nice touch that these photocards were designed with the same profile as credit cards so that people can put them in their wallets or phones and take them around.
A man may be called a loving husband if he carries around a picture of his wife in his pocket. How much better would it be, I'd say, to carry around the picture of a pop idol, whom you will never meet, with whom you will never fall in love, and who therefore will never cheat on you, break your heart, or get old.
"Idol" is, after all, derived from the Greek eidolon, the same word used in Plato's writings which is usually translated, in that context, as "idea" or "form". Carrying around an idol's photo in your wallet, instead of a wife's, is therefore like leaving the cave to gaze at the real forms of things, instead of remaining trapped in the world of illusions, where you foolishly prefer the shadows of things to the more perfect originals of which the shadows are but clumsy copies. It is, from a philosophical standpoint, a very commendable thing indeed. But that's just my humble opinion.
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