How is an album actually made? Basically, an album is a collection of eight or more songs gathered for release. Since it's practically the only medium capable of showcasing a band's musical worldview, album production is arguably the most critical activity for any group.
In the case of bands, they typically follow a pattern of releasing singles first before dropping a full-length album. This differs from the common practice in the Korean idol industry, where a lead track is released via a mini-album, followed much later by a full-length studio recording.
One might argue there isn't much difference since songs are being released either way, but in Western music, the concept of a 'title track' (lead single) doesn't function the same way. Unlike the practice where everything except the lead single is treated as filler, overseas artists often pour their souls into every single track on the record.
In short, the sheer labor an international artist puts into a single is comparable to the effort a typical artist puts into an entire full-length album.
But the most pressing reality was this: we hadn't even decided which songs to put on the single yet.
A full week had passed since our last argument. Because we couldn't even agree on a single, let alone a concept for the full album, we reached a compromise: the member who wrote the best song over the past week would take the lead in producing the debut album.
Naturally, Ai was scheduled to participate in the evaluation as the mascot of Enfants Terribles. Since she had been learning the basics of composition from the three of us, we figured her presence would help provide a more objective perspective.
'I'm taking control of the first album.'
I couldn't imagine myself losing. The song I brought was a track called 'Whatever' by a band called Oasis.
It was a song that sang of 'hope'—the idea that you can be whatever you dream of—accompanied by a cheerful string arrangement. It was a personal favorite from my past life, and its philosophy of layering a deep message over a simple, addictive melody perfectly aligned with my musical direction.
"Let's get this show on the road!!!"
Shuji, our bald bassist, urged us on with a look of overwhelming confidence. Wait, didn't this guy bring a funeral dirge last time...?
The moment the music started, my jaw hit the floor. I stared at the bald bassist's shiny head in a daze. I knew this riff—I had heard it countless times in my previous life. Actually, you couldn't even claim to play the guitar if you didn't know this riff. When the lyrics kicked in, the light reflecting off his scalp felt like a literal halo.
Finally, I understood the 'opera-like music' that this Mad Scientist had been screaming about. The song he presented was identical to Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven.'
Starting as progressive rock, moving through folk and soft rock, and culminating in a violent explosion of hard rock, this track was regarded as one of the greatest pieces of music in history in my previous life.
And this crazy Mad Scientist had even brought the lyrics exactly as they were in the original. Those lyrics—said to be the most beautiful in popular music history, written in a trance-like state by the original artist who was vibe-checking his way through a drug-induced high.
'Did this guy write this while on drugs...?'
It was a reasonable suspicion. It was impossible to believe that the man who had previously written an operatic funeral dirge could suddenly produce something like this.
This song contained the 'narrative arc' that the bald bassist had always insisted upon. The eight-minute epic contained all the elements of a novel: introduction, development, crisis, climax, and resolution. It even had a perfectly circular, reflective structure.
To put it simply, while we were asked to write a song, the bald bassist had gone and created a work of art. I think I finally understood his identity. He was a 'Power Hitter.'
The kind of batter who constantly strikes out, but every once in a long while, when the timing is perfect, they hit a grand slam that changes the entire momentum of the game with their own raw power. If this song were released, no one would ever say popular music was of a lower class than opera again.
He had brought his very own opera to life.
As the song reached its finale, all the instruments cut out, returning to the atmospheric tone of the beginning to bring the journey to a close.
"Baldy... you seriously wrote this?"
"Hey, you did drugs, didn't you? Be honest. Just tell me it wasn't heroin at least."
Yokishi and I stared at Shuji with looks of pure disbelief. Ai was looking at him with similarly wide, startled eyes.
"Well? Leader, I'm taking charge of the first album. You just sit back, scratch your belly, and take a nice long nap."
This match was my total, utter defeat, without a single excuse. The bald bassist was the real deal—a genuine genius when he actually put his mind to it.
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"How is this result negative...?"
The moment we decided on the songs for the single, we dragged Shuji to the hospital to get him tested for drugs.
"I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T DO DRUGS!!!!!"
For the record, the tracks to be included in our debut single were 'Whatever' and 'Stairway to Heaven.'