SHINee "1 of 1" Album and MV Review

SHINee's "1 of 1" Album and Music Video Review

Hello Kppopers and Shawols of the vast internet. The third group up in the comeback galore list is SHINee! Whoo! (Sorry, I'm a big Shawol fan...)

Anywho, I think I will break up the "1 of 1" Album and the repackage album "1 and 1" with the music video "Tell Me What to Do" as separate posts, because the repackage has some good songs on there and I didn't want to make this post too long and bore you guys to death with just typing... (like right now probably).

(Photo from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJua7KEP_oE)

SHINee gave so many good feels this comeback.

"1 of 1" Music Video Review

SHINee's "1 of 1" album was wonderful. I love that SHINee went with a 90's concept and feel. Too bad Onew wasn't in the MV more... He did his best though and that's all we Shawols can ask for. The white background and the faded transitions really look like and early 90's music video concept. Ah, and the outfits... the outfits are what really make it a 'throwback" video.

One thing that I really liked was that it wasn't really noticeable that Onew wasn't dancing until the chorus when the other four members were dancing. It was a nice change up to switch betweenThe dance cuts were flawless.

Also, Also, ALSO... We finally got a BLONDE MINHO! Whoohoo, finally. Sorry, just had to add that. It is cool to see the guys in a video with so many girls, I think it was the first time working with so many ladies, but the interaction between the two groups was really nice.

Album Review 

What I was most surprised by was how many songs were created by the members. They didn't even promote the songs as being created by themselves.

https://www.soompi.com/2016/10/04/watch-shinees-back-1-1-mv/

"Prism" is my favorite song from the whole album and probably in my top 10 for 2016, just full of funky beats and the dance looks amazing from the music programs. From Onew starting the song softly and progressing quickly to the chorus, it's a great display of SHINee's talents. Plus Minho singing!! Lovely work!! I am so glad we get to hear him singing, his skill has immensely improved since just a few years ago. Additionally, the music was created by Jonghyun!

Okay, "1 of 1" is so retro, I was surprised that they decided to reverse time and go with style. I love it; it totally shows a different side of guys' talents. The dance is so fitting to the guys and looks easy enough to follow along.

The same retro feel can be said about "Feel Good". It has like a movie soundtrack beat to it and has a strong beat to it. Sounds good, feels good.

"Don't let me go" sounds like an old record ballad with a new modern twist. I love the beat and the vocals of the guys, just lovely and easy to listen to. Key and Minho created the lyrics for this song as well.

"Lipstick" created by Minho, is a slowish pop song that I would listen to if I was writing a paper or something. It just has that smooth beat that doesn't really distracts or draws attention to.

"Don't Stop" has great harmonies and Minho's deep voice behind the others' singing is what makes the song so groovy. It was created by Jonghyun, Minho, and Key.

(photo from: https://choicemusicla.com/products/%EC%83%A4%EC%9D%B4%EB%8B%88-shinee-vol-5-1-of-1)

"Shift" has a dance club-like with a dark undertone in the song; it gets the listener up and dancing (or at least dancing in their chair like me right now!). Keeps you moving 'til the last beat.

"U Need Me" has a jazzy kinda a feel going, with more harmonies and a good trumpet solo. This song is just funky and a little hard to describe how good it really is.

"So Amazing" is the special track of the album and has the lovely cheerful SHINee sound that we all love to hear in each album. Minho does more singing in this song as well. Also, Taemin does what songs like a little bit of rapping and some awesome singing himself. Lastly, it was created by Onew, who knew?

Thanks for reading. Shawols out there, let me know you're there, please! In addition, if you want, leave a comment about the album, what you felt about the comeback, whatever! :)

See you next time!
~Andie

P.S. I added the MV link just in case you wanted to watch the cheesy MV again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJua7KEP_oE

GOT7 Turbulence Album and MV Review

Got7 Flight Log: Turbulence Album and Hard Carry MV Review

Hello Kpoppers of the vast internet.

IGOT7! GOT7 was the next of the numerous comebacks of summer through the beginning of winter. And they really brought it this time around. Mostly because out of the 13 tracks from Flight Log: Turbulence, 11 are partly written and comprised of the 7 members! AMAZING! Just what we needed from the boys.

Hard Carry MV

So, the MV is pretty cool and full of excitement. I’m sure that those of you who follow GOT7, you will know this MV a continuation of Flight Log: Departure. With the members flying around and JR (or now Jinyoung) falling into the cloudy abyss. I like the story that the group is continuing with, it creates excitement and curiosity. In this case, the other guys seem to be either helping Jinyoung out throughout the MV or he was helping them until he couldn’t and then they hard carried him. The dark colors through the MV make it hard to tell what’s going on, which is a good thing because it seems to create an air confusion for the music video. The parts where JB and Youngjae are in the white area with the trees and birdcage make a nice contrast for the MV, making it seem almost like a dream state.

My Favorite part of the MV was when Jinyoung is underwater and the other members go down and get him. But this is the best part: Mark says “Hard Carry” underwater. It was so cool. I bet that the underwater part was hard on all of the members. Great MV, can’t wait until the next MV.

(Taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLKsYKvOhJo)

Flight Log: Turbulence

The album is one of my favorites from 2016. Again, about four-fifths of the album was co-written by the GOT7 members! (Yay!! ^^). The album starts out with “Skyway”. It was written by DefSoul (a.k.a JB). Beginning the album with soft EDM and Bambam’s crazy vocals. If you listen to the songs that Defsoul just released on Soundcloud, you could tell this is JB’s style. Strong EDM beats with smooth vocals. Very Nice!

“Hard Carry” of course is amazing! WOO! And the dance is hard and can only look amazing at X2 speed if GOT7 does it. The rap sections are great, the vocals matching each member well, an all-together great song that makes you feel like a badass. Also, as a side note for those of you who wonder what does “hard carry” even mean? I think they explained it as a player carrying the team. Or as Jimin from ASC (After School Club) explained it, if the group goes to a restaurant and she says to Jae (co-host from Day6) to hard carry it, he is going to pay for the whole bill.

“BOOM x3” was partially written by Jackson. It has a strong bass and EDM soundtrack. It is a soft dance song. It displays their vocals well.

“Prove it” is by JB again. The soft and strong vocals, making the listener want “little more, little more”! It’s one of my favorites from the album. Yugyeom’s singing really surprised towards the end, but it was nice.

Alright, “No Jam” is a top favorite of mine, it sounds like a dance song you would find at a house party, rather than a club. It doesn’t have the strong EDM feel, just an electronic pop sound. The Jackson’s rap part towards the end is my favorite. (The rap part with Spiderman). It was written by Yugyeom, Mark, Bambam, Jackson. They even do a rappers only version of the GOT7 official YouTube channel.

“Hey” is by Ars or Youngjae! It is really good. It’s like a sound you would find in a Rom-Com drama where the guys are fighting over a girl, one guy being like “don’t treat her badly” and the other guy all like “It’s not your business!” It’s got the serious yet goofy kinda vibe going on.

(Photo from: https://www.pinterest.com/ehlkayy/%EA%B0%93%EC%84%B8%EB%B8%90-got7/)

What can I say about “Mayday”? Definitely my favorite song from the album. There’s tons of emotions, great rap, breathtaking vocals. Mark speaking at the beginning stole my heart away, it was full of sorrow and desperation and urg! Just a wonderful song. It was also written by Jinyoung! I can listen to this song on repeat (and I already have) for at least an hour. Jinyoung captured everyone’s part perfectly! Love it!

Written by Mark, “My Home” feels a little cute, easy-going, talking about memories of home and being “your one and only home boy”. I wonder if this makes Mark homesick and wrote this song because of that homesickness. What do you think? Good song and easy to listen to.

“Who’s that” wasn’t created by the boys, but seems to fit right alongside the other songs on the album. Another easy-going song. I felt like the song should have been further down the track list on the album, but other than that it is a good song too.

“If” was also written by Bambam and Mark. Another cute song that displays the vocals a little more than the rap parts. A good transition song right before a sad/painful song.

Youngjae wrote “Sick” and the rap parts were contributed by Mark and Jackson. The song seemed to be made for the vocals, but the rap parts give a nice break for the strong vocals. On their official YouTube channel, they did make a video with just 4 members belting out the song. Great!

JB and Bambam collaborated on “Dreamin’” together. The chorus is my favorite part, it’s repetitive but at least I can follow along easily while singing. JB’s high notes two-thirds of the way through is my other favorite part of the song. It’s a good song to listen to while working.

“Let Me” is another favorite song of mine from the album. The vocals are so sweet and can easily wind you down from a hard day at work or school. I know I listened to this the other day on the bus ride home and instantly calmed me down from the busy day.

In general, the album was a must buy for me because I listen to every song on the album and didn’t have a single complaint. That and the guys worked so hard on this album, which you can tell through each song as they sang their best.

Thanks for reading this long post, but I hope it was helpful or at least entertaining. If not, let me know what I can do to improve.

Also, let me know what was your favorite song from the album? Was there one that made you happy or sad? Let me know below.

A link to the MV is below, so check it out.

As always, thanks for reading, see you in the next post.

~Andie

Infinite: Infinite Only and "The Eye" MV Review

Infinite Only album and MV Review

Hello my fellow Kpoppers of the Vast Internet.

Inspirit! It may be a new year and I know that I haven't been updating, but I want to go back and review infinite's album "Infinite Only". The boys worked so hard for this comeback I just had to write about it.

Music Video

The MV was so sad and powerful, with the members, who we assume have died for some reason, trying to save L ( Myungsoo) from committing suicide. Like Sunggyu, keeping him from going to the light, Hoya fighting him, Woohyun comforting him. Sungyeol pulling into the closet and being scared together. L is going through a turmoil of emotions, like fighting his way through "the eye" of an emotional storm, trying to find resolve and forgiveness. There is so much symbolism is the MV that it creates an emotional response from the audience. To root for L and to feel his pain with him. I love the differnce in the lighting between the scenes as well as L's acting, it was soooo moving!

(Taken from https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfEIZ-l8oh8)

Album

The album was sooooo different than their last albums, including the title song "The Eye". The introduction "Eternity" is a great instrumental song that matched the mood of the album well, capturing parts of "The Eye".

"The Eye", the title track is a mix of a wild west sound with EDM and string instruments. The dance is so cool, especially with the, not one, but two dance breaks in the song! It was so refreshing to see infinite try something else! It is a difficult dance to learn because it seems that some of the dance is offbeat compared to some of their other big hits. As a side note I am thrilled to see Sungjong featured in the front dancing more. He dances really well besides Hoya during the chorus. It seems that the song and dance fit to Sungjong! :-D

Next is the song " Air". I like that is goes from a soft beginning with Hoya singing to EDM and then Sunggyu singing. The song prepares you to get up and dance (at least thats how I felt). I am also pleased with Sungjong's presences in the song, following in almost a rap style after Dongwoo, who always slays with the rap sections!

"One Day" again begins with Hoya followed by L and Sungyeol is full of very sweet singing. While listening, it feels almost like a confession song (I didn't look at the lyrics for this song) with the chorus containing strong vocals from Woohyun and Sunggyu.

(:https://www.soompi.com/2016/10/25/infinite-synchronized-ever-dance-practice-video-eye/)

"True Love" feels groovy, starting slow and then turning the heat. I love the harmonies thoughout the song. It feels like how a first true love feels like, a little slows and then moving quicker. The song even feels a little sexy to me. The vocalizations throughout give the last bit of "umph" the song needed.

OK, I have to admit, I am a sucker for sad ballads, so listening to Monologue is one of my favorites from the album. Its not necessarily that the song is sad, but listening to the lyrics (or reading along with the song in other langauges cases) it can bring tears to your eyes. The guitar solo in the middle is a perfect match for the song. And Dongwoo's part at the end was pure perfection! Loved it! I think that the song is dedicated to inspirits, giving back the love and support they have also shown infinite.

I think "Zero" is my favorite song of the album. It has the same infinite feel that fans look for in the album. Sunggyu and Woohyun great voices displayed well.

Overall, all of the members impressed me this album, becoming more present throughout the album, bring new music to satisfy fans and root even harder for them!

What'd you guys think of the album? Was there a song that stuck out to you? Let me know what you think!

Also is a link to their MV " The Eye" below.

Until next time!
~Andie