Padd Solutions

Super Junior M's 2nd Mini Album 'Perfection'
Release Date: 2011.02.25
Itunes - YesAsia


01. 太完美 (Perfection)
02. 命運線 (Destiny)
03. 幸福微甜 (Love is sweet)
04. 表白 (Off my mind)
05. True Love
06. 吹一樣的風 (My all is in you)









Fanboy:

Well, I consider myself a Super Junior fan and when I saw that their new album was titled "Perfection", I was certainly hoping it would live up to its name. Not necessarily, but I still liked it.

Track 1: "Perfection" - It's no wonder why SM chose this as the lead track, because this is my favorite song off the album. Granted, it's not a lot of people's favorite (due to too much auto-tune), but I'm somehow drawn to this song's catchiness (and choreography).

Track 2: "Destiny" - I guess one word to describe this song would be "sweet". It's pleasant to the ears. Not my favorite, but it sounds like one of those songs you'd find in a romantic comedy movie soundtrack. Particularly at a part where the boy runs to find the girl. Discovers her. Confesses his love for her. And then, they kiss. And then, this song plays.

Track 3: "Love is Sweet" - This song reminded of one SHINee's early songs off of their first album ("Four Seasons"? Or even "One" off their "Hello" repackage). Again, it's another "sweet" song (I would hope. Judging by the title here...). Not my favorite. It was just ok to me.

Track 4: "Off My Mind" - It seems to me that Henry is utilized a lot in this song. He's becoming one of my favorites now. (Side note: I'm really disappointed that Henry didn't use his amazing violin skills in this album. That was definitely needed and very much missed.) For some odd reason, I liked this song. It was a catchy up-tempo track and seems like it could have success here in America (thanks to Henry). My favorite song after "Perfection".

Track 5: "True Love" - This track seems like it could have come off a Korean drama soundtrack. I guess you could say it's one of those feel good songs. For some reason, I picture this song being used as opening credits to an 80s sitcom where each cast member turns to the camera and smiles as their name flashes across the screen. However, it's not my taste.

Track 6: "My All is in You" - I think this is one of the best vocally-powered songs on the album. Kyuhyun and Ryeowook really shine on this one. I think this is my 3rd favorite song on the album. Mainly because I appreciate true vocal talent. It was a nice song that seems to have a nice emotion behind it.

I'll be honest, when I first listened to this album, I really liked it. However, as I listened to it two more times, I realized it wasn't as great as I thought it was. I feel like the album doesn't have a long-lasting appeal. I think I'll really be only listening to, at most, 3 songs weeks down the road.

I know you're not really that crazy about Super Junior like I am. What did you think, Fangirl?


Fangirl:

No, I'm not too crazy about Super Junior, but I do really love some of their songs. That stayed pretty consistent after listening to this album. I'm no ELF convert, but there are some songs on the album that I really enjoyed.

I would like to preface this review by saying ballads are mostly not my thing. It often takes whole lot of repetition or back-story for them to grow on me. But on to the album -

"Perfection" isn't my favorite on the album like it is for Fanboy, but I enjoy a power dance track now and then. It's not "perfection" exactly, but it is catchy and dance-able.

"Destiny" is a typical SM ballad that builds to an interesting electric-guitar-fueled bridge. Like I said, I usually don't go for ballads, but I have to admit I was tapping my toe by the end of this song.

"Love Is Sweet" is... another ballad. At least SuJu M has the vocal talent to pull it off.

You're so right, Fanboy - Henry really shines in "Off My Mind". Not only did he sing the song solo, but Henry composed it as well. It seems we had many of the same thoughts about this song. It occured to me that this song would do well in America, too. I hope to see much more from Henry in the future. The boy is talented!

Excuse me while I dig the pixie dust and starshine out of my ears. I'm sorry Zhoumi, I know you worked hard composing this song but "True Love" just isn't my jam. I don't know how much more of those tinkling chimes I can take...

Now "My All Is In You" is the kind of song I can dig. A beat you can snap your fingers to, gorgeous vocal harmonies, a catchy chorus. And we finally get to hear Kyuhyun's soaring voice. I dare say I like it even more than Super Junior's Korean version (사랑이 이렇게).

I like Super Junior M best when they skip the ballads and "cute" songs. Unfortunately, that makes up only half the album. Except for a few select tracks, "Perfection" didn't do it for me.

What did you think of Super Junior-M's mini album?

Big Bang's 4th Mini Album 'Tonight'
Release Date: 2011.02.24
Itunes - YesAsia


Tracklist:
01. Intro (Thank You & You)
02. Hands Up
03. Tonight
04. Somebody to Love
05. What is Right
06. Cafe









Fangirl:

So Big Bang asks, "I'm fine thank you and you?" Well, pretty damn good, thanks Big Bang. Let's start with the lead track, "Tonight" (the MV of which I am eagerly anticipating...).

This is the most coherent response I could muster up: When Big Bang does epic, this is what it sounds like. This song hits the highs, the lows and all the places in between. I cannot wait to see this song topping all of the charts, because I'm loving it.

"Hands Up" and "Somebody To Love" are Korean versions of the B-sides from two of their Japanese singles - Tell Me Goodbye and Beautiful Hangover, respectively. There were no significant changes so I find my reaction the same as when I first heard the Japanese versions. Hands Up is danceable enough, but it feels like a filler track. Somebody To Love remains one of my favorite Big Bang songs. Though I said there were no significant changes in the Korean versions of these songs, I was struck by the difference in TOP's parts. His style is changing, becoming more playful.

I'm just really digging "What Is Right". It's a pop song with some slight rock influence and a hefty dose of Big Bang swagga'. And any more guitar in K-pop in a good thing in my book.

"Thank You & You" is a good opener. I love the slight attitude that is hinted at in the song. Like it could be a polite, "We're fine, thank you. And you?" Or it could be a "Oh, we're fine, and don't you know it."

"Cafe" is a bit of surprise, and perhaps a mistep by Big Bang. With jazzy backing instrumentals, the song reminds me of GD & TOP's fantastic "Baby Goodnight". But unlike "Baby Goodnight", "Cafe" lacks that sexy musical smirk. So perhaps it reminds me more of GD & TOP's "어쩌란 말이냐?", that bizarre "rock" number and the only song on the album that I skip. On the plus side, Daesung sounds absolutely fantastic.

I think the biggest challenge for Big Bang is mixing five distinctly different styles into one co-hesive whole. They succeed beautifully in "Tonight", and maybe not so much in "Cafe".

It's not the earth-shattering epic album I was hoping for, but there's a chance I came into it with my expectations set a bit too high. Ahem.

I know you're not as big a Big Bang fan as I am, Fanboy. What did you think of the album?


Fanboy:

I always seem to go in with too high of expectations, and Big Bang is no different, because this was their triumphant comeback as the quintet. I assumed that they were going to come back with a "bang" (pun may or may not be intended...).

This album is a quick listen. It's not that long and is definitely worth a shot. So, I shall start with the "Intro (Thank You & You)". I personally find intros and preludes to be a total waste of time. It doesn't classify as a song, and there's not a whole lot of substance that makes me go, "Wow!" "Thank You & You" still did not change my opinion about them. Skip.

Track 2: "Hands Up" - I liked it. It is one of those feel-good dance songs. I feel like I hear 2NE1's "Can't Nobody" going on throughout the song, but I like this one more. It's one of my favorite tracks on this album even though I prefer the Japanese version more.

Track 3: "Tonight" - Ok, I didn't think it was as "epic" as Fangirl thought. I actually thought this one of the weaker songs on the album and definitely one of their weakest promotional songs. However, I do feel like it's one of those tracks that will grow on you, and I, too, can't wait for the MV release. I feel like it'll be neat. Las Vegas and Big Bang? Can't go wrong. They always seem to have some of the best MVs.

Track 4: "Somebody to Love" - Again, I prefer the Japanese version more, but I still liked this song. I don't really care for TOP in this song though. His vocals seem a tad deep and stick out like a sore thumb in this song. What I mean, he doesn't seem to mesh as well with the other four's vocals.

Track 5: "What is Right" - For some reason again, I feel a 2NE1-vibe again. I can't quite put my finger on it. Hmm... The song is not bad, and again, it will be one of those songs that will grow on me. Still not my favorite by them, but definitely worth a shot. I'd say it's one of those tier 3 Big Bang songs to me. Like, I'll listen to it every now and then if it shows up on my iTunes shuffle, but it's not something I'll go out of my way to go listen to.

Track 6: "Cafe" - Easily, my least favorite song on this album. I do always appreciate it when artists try out new genres and showcase a new side to their artistry. However, this song just did not work for them, in my opinion. I found the song to be a little strange and definitely not your typical Big Bang song.

Overall, I did actually like the album. I find this to be better as a whole compared to the Seungri and GD&TOP albums. BUT I do find the promotional singles "High High", "VVIP", and "What Can I Do" more appealing as singles. To me, I feel like "Tonight" is slightly lackluster when you compare it to their biggest hits like "Haru Haru" and "Last Farewell". But still check out the album.

Tell us what you thought of it. What's your favorite song?

Fangirl:

So "Prection" was...
Uh, I mean "Perfection". *cough*
"Perfection" (太完美) was just released by Super Junior M and here are my first thoughts on it.



Look at those dynamic shots! The spin they do at 0:58 is really effective and I love the low camera angle at 3:14. And check out the flo-mo at the 2 minute mark! LinzerDinzer must be right - SM must have bought all those cameras needed for flo-mo shots and now they're milking it for all it's worth.

As for the costumes... Get those dead rats away from Zhoumi's face! And I'd like to nix the shrunken nit vest thing they've got on Henry. Other than that, I'm not going to nitpick. I can hardly argue with sexy suits on sexy men. And may I just add that Kyunhyun is looking mighty fine this evening?

It's pretty, but pretty substance-less too. Overall, I like it.

Alright Fanboy, your turn!


Fanboy:

Well, first of all, I was seriously waiting on the edge of my seat for this MV to premiere. Now it has finally been unveiled and my eyes have been titillated by the HD-ness. I can now relax after my excitement has started to settle down.

This is a typical SM video to me. An MV that focuses on striking visuals and memorable choreography with a lack of storyline. Super Junior-M's attire is very odd to me. I can't figure out if they're supposed to be Russian or dudes from the 19th century. Except for Siwon, he totally looked like Austin Powers (minus the glasses). Either way, it's not my favorite costume from Super Junior. There's a whole lot of eye make-up going on this vid. Seems many idols are following the guyliner trend. *points finger at Kyuhyun*

I liked the choreography. Although, I wished Kyuhyun danced along with the 3 lead dancers, Eunhyuk, Henry, and Donghae. Ah well. Henry surprised me. He's stepping up his game this time by having more a role in the dancing and singing. Same goes for Siwon, there was a lot of more of him in the song. It was refreshing to hear a more balanced vocal set.

I was wondering why they had Chinese subtitles going across the MV, but I assume it's because most of the boys' Mandarin is so terrible that the natives need something to go along with the auto-tune.

Overall, I really liked it. I've watched it several times now. However, I really just wish SM would start creating more storyline-based MVs. I like dance videos too, but it would be nice for them to change it up every now and then.


Fangirl:

Imagining Super Junior as 19th century Russians now. HA.

Yeah, there seems to be a whole lot of guyliner overkill in this video. Actually, the one that stands out the most to me is Siwon. He really doesn't need all that gunk on his face.

Chinese subtitles are actually typical in Chinese music videos. It's my understanding is that since Chinese is a tonal language, a lot of meaning gets lost when you sing it. Thus, subtitles.

What did you think of the MV?

Fanboy:

I thought we could talk about our favorite music videos! I love watching MVs. I'll start...

• TVXQ - The "Rising Sun" (Japanese) is easily one of my favorite videos ever. The choreography blew me away, and it was nice to see DBSK in a different light. You know, "grinding on bitches". (I like the Korean one for its theatrical effect it gives too) Plus, I love Jaejoong's t-shirt "Fuckin' My Way". So simple and hilarious. :) I also love the "Break Out" and "Wrong Number" music videos. I like videos that have neat stories to them or have something interesting with them. They're really memorable to me.
• BoA - I personally love her dance music videos for their amazing choreography. These include: "Sweet Impact" (I love her homage to Michael Jackson, and the first minute of the video makes me think of Tron, haha), "Eat You Up", "Energetic" (I love the colors in this video. They're very striking. And it's such a shame she didn't make it here in America. I love this music. Tragedy), and "Eien".
• SHINee - "Lucifer" - Well, I already told you that this is one of my favorite songs of 2010. I've watched this video like a hundred times. It makes no sense whatsoever, but I always thought it was neat-looking video. Really wished they released a dance edit or 3D version of this.
• Big Bang - "Haru Haru" - Like I mentioned earlier, I like videos that have neat stories, and this video really intrigued me.
• 2NE1 - "Go Away" - I thought the story this video was neat, and the car blowing up in the background was very cliché, but it made me laugh.
• 2AM - "I Did Wrong" - When I first watched this video, it was some sort of extended drama that I found much more interesting. I can't seem to find it anymore, so this will do, haha. This is my favorite 2AM song, and again, I like MVs that have stories too. (Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for the dancing ones too)
• Super Junior - "It's You". I thought the whole drama and one-take concept was really neat. Shame that SM seems to lack in better quality music videos in terms of storyline and/or content. But this one (and "Wrong Number") are standouts for me from SM.

I'm pretty open-minded. What are your favorites?


Fangirl:


I liked SuJu's "It's You", except for the costumes. I know they're just supposed to look like normal, every-day guys, but they just ended up looking... frumpy. Totally with you on BoA's 'Eat You Up' - dynamic and badass. Only one moment in the MV annoys me and that is when that dude's glasses explode. It's such a silly moment, it almost kills the atmosphere for me. You're right that the Lucifer MV doesn't make much sense, but it looks damn good doing it (and there really should be a dance version! Phooey).

Here are some of my favorites:

• Taeyang - Wedding Dress - Pretty much everything about this MV is dynamite: the story line, the color tone, the choreography, the sets. I can't even complain about the costumes. And it helps that the song is amazing.
• BEAST - Shock - I feel like this was the song where BEAST really hit it off, and for good reason. The visuals and the editing are right on target. There's nothing especially unique about it (except maybe those slithering wires), but it takes the usual and does it WELL.
• Epik High - Fan - Epik High have some amazing music videos, but I dare say this one is the best. So damn creepy.
• Narsha - Bbir-Ri-Bo-Pa - Sexy, slightly weird and completely engaging. I love the fairytale imagery.
• TVXQ - Wrong Number - I think everyone agrees this is one of their best. It was also the first MV where I was there the moment it was released. The fan frenzy was incredible!

Fanboy:

Glad we agree on some of the MVs. "Shock" is a neat one, but I just can't get past the "Everyday I shuck!" I've never really sampled Epik High's catalog yet, but I've always liked Tablo when he was featured with other artists. "Fan" was nuts. I liked it though. "Wedding Dress" is really great. I agree. I forgot about that one. That Narsha video was ridiculous. I remember when it premiered, but I never watched it. It made me think of Twilight and The Ring.

What are you favorite music videos?

Fangirl:

So to start off, let's choose songs we think are underrated! Here's mine:

• Super Junior - Why I Like You - One of the reasons I think the Sorry Sorry album is so good. There are some stinkers on there too, but this song really elevates the quality.
• TVXQ - All in Vain - Many huge TVXQ fans have never even heard of this song, which is a great pity. It showcases some of Micky's best vocal work. I love the darkness and the jazziness, very usual for K-pop. It was part of soundtrack years ago~
• BoA - Bump Bump - Why didn't this song get more attention than it did? This is a great song! Dare I say... better than her American songs?
• Infinite - Come Back Again - I think this was one of the best songs of 2010, and from a rookie group no less. Seriously underrated.
• TVXQ - Love After Love - The harmony in this song just blows my mind, it's so lovely. The rapping... not so much. But still an underrated song.
• Taeyang - After You Sleep - Subject matter aside, I think this is just a really gorgeous song. I love how the beat kicks in around the 50 second mark.

Alright, Fanboy! What do you think of that?


Fanboy:

I love "Why I Like You". It is underrated. They only performed it like 2 times, and it's actually on my iPod in my car. So yeah, you're right, I've never heard "All in Vain". I like Micky in that genre more. He did well in "My Girlfriend". It had that nice throwback style that made it refreshing to listen to in this current age of pop music. My ELF friend is in love with Infinite. She wants me to do a video of them. Have you seen their recent dance battle? I was surprised at the Far East Movement and Justin Bieber dance. They really pulled it off. Very impressive. As a group, not just the song, they are very underrated. I get a lot of subscribers who are like, "I haven't checked out anyone after SHINee." BEAST is good too. There's some good rookie talent.

I didn't mind "Love After Love". It was a different sound and vocal approach for them that I once again found refreshing. Ok, BoA-bias Alert: One of things I always appreciated about BoA was the fact that she has experimented with SO MANY different styles of music. She has so many sounds, it's crazy. "Romance" - jazz ballad, "Rock With You" - rock, "Do the Motion" - some strange French sound, "Valenti" - sounds Latin to me, "Quincy" - sounds disco to me, haha. There's so many more to list. Now you mention "Bump Bump!", I'll be honest, I was never a fan of that song, but I appreciated the new sound she played with for that song. The trumpets and stuff. I preferred "Possibility" off of that album.

Here's my list of underrated songs:

• BoA - "Be the One". This is hands down my favorite song by her. This was her 4th single off of her "Love and Honesty" album in 2004, so it never achieved the same success as her previous ones. It's like that with all the albums in America (Unless you're Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation - 7 top 5 singles off of one album. Most for any album in America. There's some "A-Pop" facts for you, haha). The album had run its course, so the song never really got the recognition it deserved. But yeah, my favorite BoA song. :)
• SHINee - "Forever or Never". There's an English version of this song too by Cinema Bizarre. This is one of my top favorite SHINee songs ever. It's overshadowed by their popular hits and the popular tracks off the first album such as "SHINee World" or "Romantic".
• TVXQ - "Phantom". I wish they performed this song more. I like the choreography for it too. Again, it's overlooked by "O" and "Balloons" or even "Get Me Some" (I liked this song just by the title alone, haha). This song was one of the standouts to me off the album.
• f(x) - "Mr. Boogie". This was one of their promotional songs in 2010, but never got the recognition or popularity it deserved because fans were so angry that Amber wasn't there. *rolls eyes* It was always so annoying reading comments like, "I won't listen to f(x) until Amber comes back!" Personally, my favorite member is Luna. She's beyond talented. Her vocal ability is easily one of the best in the industry. The girl stole the show on SHINee's "Lucifer" remix at the SBS Gayo. And then the next night, she outdanced Taemin and Key (and Krystal) in the "Lucifer"/"Nu ABO" remix dance intro. A lot of people say she's the "next BoA," and she should have gone solo. She, as an artist, is highly underrated, sadly. She's overshadowed by Amber's androgyny, Victoria's beauty, and/or Krystal. Shame.

Fangirl:

I guess I gotta study up on my BoA. I don't know any of the songs you listed there >.< I really only know her most recent stuff. But I loved SHINee's Forever or Never! Something about that song just immediately hit all the right places. How have I not heard that song before? I guess I gotta study up on my SHINee too~ I agree with you on "Phantom" too. It's a really catchy song and I dunno why more people don't like it. Maybe it's just too old and new fans haven't heard it before?

Can't say I'm really feeling "Mr. Boogie", though. I generally don't like girl groups that much and f(x) is no exception. They haven't really caught my attention with anything. Luna seems talented, but she really needs to stop crying every time she's not the best singer in the room.


What do you think are underrated songs in K-pop?