Well, in the aftermath of all the Dream Girl promotions, I am still well and alive but to be honest, I haven't been that too keen on their comeback promotions because majority of it happened during Prom week and I've also been too caught up with schoolwork the past few weeks to pay much attention. I think I've only seen three (only three!!!) live stage performances and they all did pretty good but that's to be expected already. I mean if there's one thing you're sure you'll get from SHINee, it's competent, strong live performances.
But I digress. Let's start with the music video:
Dream Girl has been dubbed by some as the best music video SMent has ever made and I beg to differ because even though the camera tricks and angles are amazing and actually some of the best I've seen from this company (but that wouldn't be saying a lot because it's well...SME), I personally do not like it so much. I don't like its over-eccentricity, styling still makes me grimace (what is up with those suits???) and I appreciate SM's efforts that they've somehow upped their infamous boxes but I don't know okay, this is just not my type of music video. "The reason why Dream Girl is so good is because it retains the
cleanness and precision of (SM Entertainment's) essential formula while filling every
remaining nook and cranny of the video with unabashed artistry." Maybe so but not going to lie, I got a mini-headache after I watched this for the first time. I find it bearable right now, but I didn't watch it over and over again like I normally would after a music video has just been released. But I get it, you know? I get why everyone finds the music video fresh and creative and original and brilliant because it's different and it's the good kind of different. And SHINee needs different. Best thing about Dream Girl is that it stands out which I guess was the main thing in SM's agenda for this round of promotions. Still, music video gets a 3/5 for me.
The album on the other hand...I LOVE IT. Misconceptions of You (Chapter 1) is an album that I have led myself to believe was produced so that SHINee may win back my heart that has been painfully longing for their music. I don't know how many times I've listened to the full album on repeat during the five days I was sick because there wasn't anything better to do and I just find it so good. This is a surprise actually because I might just be one of the biggest fans of their first full-length album, SHINee World, whose sound is in stark contrast to the sound of Misconceptions of You. SHINee World was all about soft RnB and beautiful ballads and the occasional electro pop but Misconceptions of You is a whole other story. This new album's filled with 80s inspired synth pop music and it is so refreshing and so innovative to have SHINee singing these new kinds of songs in a genre that's not all too familiar with what they're normally used to.
Let's start with Spoiler. Spoiler sounds like a rehash of last year's Sherlock but I think there's more to Spoiler than being Sherlock's little brother, you know? In fact, I think it's better than Sherlock. It's not as grandiose or as in-your-face as Sherlock is and that's what I like about it. It's a strong song without being too strong and this might just be my favorite track in the whole album. You don't know how hard it is not to bob my head along every time I reach the chorus. Out of all the songs, I want to see this performed live the most. It sounds like a really good dance track. It was wise of them to put this as an opening song because I think it does a good job of introducing the sound of the album.
With Dream Girl on the other hand, I had a hard time digesting this the first time I heard it, much less chew and swallow. Part of the reason why I wasn't so happy with the music video might be because I wasn't so happy with the song as well. It's nice to listen to, has a nice, easy beat but this doesn't really do much to prove SHINee's competence as artists. It is, however, different as opposed to all the ballads and other kpop songs flooding the mainstream right now so it's a breather watching this in music shows. This is also a song that when I listen and listen more to it, I slowly begin to like it as well. Still, I wouldn't put this in any playlist for the time being aka this is not a song I would intend for casual listening which also means that I'm not a huge fan of it.
Hitchhiking (히치하이킹) is a real treat. It's not my favorite but I love the chorus and it's one of the catchier songs in this album. Plus, it does an amazing job showcasing the boys' vocal prowess but sadly, the rap fell flat for me. The rap feels detached from the rest of the song but they did a pretty good job bringing it back to the chorus so I'll have to give them at least that much. Also, there's a been a massive increase in the amount of adlibs given to Taemin and that make me side-eye SM's motives because SHINee has been pretty Taemin-centric lately. Sure, Taemin's my bias but I'm all for equal distribution and Taemin can reach those notes and make those adlibs sound nice but I feel like some of them should've been given to Onew instead. Onew is a really really good adlibber.
Punch Drunk Love is a sweet surprise. This is one song I never imagined SHINee singing and when I first heard Jonghyun's opening line in this song, I was struck with a deep sense of nostalgia for reasons I can't really fathom. I don't get why some people get disturbed by the pauses between lines because I think it's a nice touch and they hit everything perfectly. Punch Drunk Love has sort of become my mid-morning and lazy afternoon jam because it is addictive and if I don't get tired of this song soon, I have a hunch it's going to be in any given playlist for a really long time.
Now, we're on to my favorite track from this whole album. First few seconds of hearing Girls, Girls, Girls and I was already hopelessly in love. I've always been attracted to these kinds of songs so it was inevitable that this would be dearest to my heart. So, I was already madly in love with this song, right? Right! So I searched for the lyrics and then I almost flipped because the lyrics are too. damn. cute. Basically, it's SHINee teaching Taemin about girls and everything is just hilarious. I just hear Onew's "Lesson one" and I'm already in mild hysterics. Also, it's another one of SM's many ploys to make fangirls' hearts go weak because the lyrics are spot-on. Onew's love for music, Key's love for fashion, Jonghyun's love for words, Minho's love for being...tall and handsome (lmao) and well, Taemin's cluelessness about girls. Wonder how much they pestered Taemin on agreeing to do this because I thought he was shedding his cute maknae image for a manlier one. This is definitely not manly orz. I suggest you listen to the song with lyrics on screen for the best experience:
A SHINee album is just not a SHINee album without a ballad and Aside (방백) is beautiful in its simplicity but boring and forgettable. It almost sounds like an OST from a drama that's not really doing well. I don't know why they deemed it imperative to include a ballad because this album would still be gold without one. I know ballads are there to showcase a group's strong vocals but the rest of the songs are already doing a wonderful job executing everyone's improvement. Nevertheless, I still think Aside is a lovely song although it's almost out-of-place in an album like this one.
I don't get everyone's fascination with Beautiful (아름다워). The beginning is too lackluster and even though things seem to look up from the chorus onwards, I still think it's a song that doesn't really do much. It doesn't build up to anything and it leaves a lot to be desired despite everyone's voices sounding really good.
Dynamite (다이너마이트) is my least liked song in the whole album. From the unnerving explosion of the intro to the fact that the whole song is on climax to the excessive amount of auto-tune, the whole song is nothing but noise that's gyrating on the ears. There are a lot of elements that could've worked but did not. I'm disappointed with this one.
Lastly, Runaway closes the album on a nice note. It's not so special and when you listen to the verses and the chorus on separate intervals, you almost wouldn't think that they belong to the same song. The chorus is really sweet on the ears and if it weren't for the chorus, I wouldn't bother listening to this song. The verses seem really detached and I personally think this is a half-assed song but I love the chorus too much to complain further.
Overall, the album gets a 4/5 for me. Best thing about this album is that it actually has its own sound, as opposed to their second full-length album, Lucifer, which was just all over the place.
Favorite track: Girls, Girls, Girls
Deserves a listen: Punch Drunk Love
Special Mention goes to: Spoiler
No comments:
Post a Comment