SHINee's "The Shinee World (A.Mi.Go Repackage)" Album Review

SHINee! They were one of the first few K-Pop groups I got into and I have enjoyed their work ever since... Like 2PM, they bring such a unique flavour to the market and their vocals are amazing! Plus, who could ever resist Onew Condition...

Today, I''m going to be reviewing the repackage of their first album which contains some new songs that the original "The Shinee World" album didn't contain... Let's go! XD

Amigo

This song is... alright. Nothing screams amazing or unique to me about this track and it doesn't really showcase the SHINee flavour that is usually associated with them. It really is just a bog-standard club banger that happens to sell well because of the group that sings it.

The song just sounds like noise most of the time, the vocals are pretty poorly arranged and the concept is pretty much dead. The only saving grace would be that even though the vocals are poorly arranged, the actual vocals themselves are pretty darn good, but that's pretty a much a given with most idol groups.

If any other group were to be given this song, I'd like it a heck of a lot more, but it just doesn't fit Shinee well at all and it is a total waste of a title track, ESPECIALLY for a re-package...

My final verdict (5/10)

My lowest rating so far, and with good reason too...

Forever or Never

Thankfully the album picks up slightly with a downtempo song that perfectly encapsulates what Shinee is all about... Beautiful vocals, club-based elements and production value that screams of unique artistic creativity.

Where Amigo just barely ticked some of the boxes, this song ticked all of them and I am eternally glad for it!

The vocals are arranged a lot better here and the beat is perfect because it is minimal enough to give preference to the vocals but unique enough to leave an impression and remain with the theme. Jonghyun's vocals really shine here too (which is always a plus, as he is my SHINee bias...) and so do the other's voices when they all come together...

This is a good song! I think it just needed something extra to give it a bit more of a boost, just because it's downtempo doesn't mean that it has to be too repetitive or too much on the safe side...

If anything it felt more like a ballad than it did a downtempo song (trust me, there is a difference...) and because of that it loses points based on trying to stick to the theme, even though both ends justify the means of how you would achieve the conceptualization of the track.

Regardless, it's a good song, so it gets... (8/10)

It's unique enough to be in the higher parts of my really strange rating system! ^_^

Love Like Oxygen

Is this SHINee or Michael Jackson?

That was the first thought that ran through my mind when I heard this, it's a compliment don't worry! :)

I love this song! It's so 80's and so modern at the same time, it does justice to the vocals as well as gets your head nodding along like a narcoleptic at a Taylor Swift concert.

The production value here is so brilliant and professionally done and the vocals are arranged nicely with the track (it helps that the vocals are freaking great too). How on earth do you manage to capture that signature 80s Michael Jackson-esque sound, throw in some club synths and create such a good song!

This is fantastic! (8/10)

Love Should Go On

This song is pretty damn good... The beat is nostalgic and familiar with a slight old-school RnB vibe that isn't too in your face. Let's just say it has enough 90's to give a sense of "I've heard this before" but modern enough to be unique to a group like this.

Which is a recurring theme throughout the album, no matter what song it is, the group always leaves their imprint and identity on each track. The rap is... alright, the vocals are very clean and well looked after, but I've not been able to find a rap from Minho (on this album) that has been outstanding or anything past mediocre at best.

The song by itself is really good and arranged well, the brass stabs are in the right place and accentuate the song as opposed to detracting from it but you'd have to really nitpick to find many things wrong with it.

Overall, this is not bad for filler! (8/10 )

Noona Neomu Yeppeo (Replay)

Noona neomu yeppeo~

This song is the sole reason why I love this album... Now don't get me wrong, the other songs are great, but this song is my ringtone for a reason.

This is arguably the favourite SHINee song for other idols and I can see why, the hook is addictive, the production is smoother than silk and the vocals are so beautifully layered that they literally feel like they melt into each other.

This song is so beautifully produced and handled that it rivals the production value of some of the bigger companies in the good 'ol USA, and they have some of the best producers and recording software known to mankind. Not to say that SM doesn't have access to some of the same equipment, but for what they had to work with (especially when this song was released in about 2008) it is a masterpiece.

I cannot find anything wrong with the song that wouldn't be a recurring theme with most of SHINee's music... (I'm looking at you Choi Minho) but even then it still isn't enough to detract from how great this song sounds, nor can it impact the success it had as a cult classic amongst Shawols. People might gush about songs like Lucifer, Sherlock or Ring Ding Dong being their greatest successes, but quite frankly Replay shines above all of them musically and arguably in production value too (because Lucifer was pretty well produced itself...).

Props to The Heavyweights and Yoo Young Jin for making this such a wonderful song, and props to SHINee themselves for having such wonderful voices!

(10/10)

Romantic

Jonghyun... Why must your voice make me melt like ice cream on a summer's day?

But in all seriousness, another well produced ballad from the SM Family that decides to sneak it's way onto an album and be completely underrated... This is another really good song!

It progresses slowly enough to be considered a ballad but fast enough to not leave me feeling bored, Key's voice isn't auto-tuned the heck out (I know it happened in Replay, but it was forgivable due to how good the entire song was). Onew's vocals are done justice here and Jonghyun... Well, I don't really need to say more, do I?

The production value is pretty neat too, nice and simple and only adds minute details to induce progression throughout so that the entire piece isn't too chaotic, the guitar is perfectly crafted and arranged as a layer with the drums, it's literally like the two instruments are singing a duet with each other, so I have to give props to the producer on that much.

The one problem here that I really cannot forgive this time, CHOI FUCKING MINHO!

I don't get it, in the other songs he doesn't seem to have as much of a problem with staying on beat with his raps, but here it was just awful and the worst part is that the producer (who I just praised for knowing what he's doing with the vocals) has to turn him all the freaking way down because even he realises how bad Minho's rapping is.

Thankfully, this habit of being the main rapper and sucking at rapping has changed and developed into being the main rapper and being slightly mediocre at rapping in the later years, but this needed to be addressed because it is so prominent and prevalent that it is really awful in this song. Unfortunately, it has to detract from my final ranking and it has to take a big chunk too, because it actually ruined the song for me, this song actually would've been (9/10) but instead...

It's (7/10)

Love's Way

NOT ANOTHER FREAKING BALLAD, I SWEAR TO--

Oh? This is actually nice!

The production value is something I'm going to praise highly, but I will get to that in a moment, because the producer needs to be hailed for knowing how to make people sound good.

But first things first, Minho sounds good here... What? O_O

Jonghyun isn't belting his lungs but still sounds amazing. What? O_O

Key isn't clearly auto-tuned. What? O_O

Taemin sounds pretty good here too. What? O_O

Onew is being Onew. insertoverusedquestionhere O_O

This is a song that I will praise highly because the idols sound excellent, the vocals are legit and layered perfectly, Minho's rap is good and Jonghyun only needs a few high notes in the entire song to give the fangirls (and yours truly) the goosebumps that he deserves to earn. Overall, the producer knew what he was doing when he tightened up this song.

Speaking of the producer... ALL HAIL THIS GUY!!!

This song is already more (10/10) than Replay and that's just simple due to the fact that they both tick all the boxes, but where Replay just about ticks all of the boxes, this song actually emboldens all the ticks and gives 'em a bit of graphic design as well. The kicks are punchy enough to make a statement but have enough bass to massage your ears, the snares are prominent but don't detract from the song, the synths are beautifully layered to give flavour to the vocals and are light enough to remain there without intruding on the melody of the song, nor the bass underneath.

Props to Alex Cantrall and Wheesung for writing a Minho rap that is decent! (10/10)

One For Me

It seems I can no longer get mad at SHINee ballads, as long as they are written by Wheesung and produced by Alex Cantrall! ^_^

I don't have much to say about this song that I haven't said about Love's Way, they are different songs and I still prefer Love's Way and even Replay to this song, but this song is alright in it's own aspect... But it feels way too much like filler for my liking.

Minho sounds awkward in this song as well (even if Jonghyun's falsetto is as cool as always, it still doesn't make up for it). Furthermore, as good as the vocals are, this song is just so forgettable that they might as well be singing gibberish because the track itself (no matter how well produced) is just boring.

Ah well, I can still appreciate it musically even though it doesn't really do much for me as an actual song.

(8/10)

Graze

Sigh... Another ballad?

I mean it's fine and all that these are well produced, but lambasting the listener with ballad after ballad is not doing favours for the album, unless they are marketed as a Ballad group, and even then you should really sell that with the title tracks and have some variation in terms of song placement.

If the songs sound too similar, it ruins the impact that the songs would've had if handled correctly, and this song is another forgettable track too, which just screams album filler to me.

It's not that it is a bad song, it's just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong place and being slightly too boring for my liking after listening too other songs just like it on the CD. However, the song itself has some merit, the vocals are handled well, I love the riffs and melodies coming from the acoustic guitar and the harmonies are legit. There are shades of various 90's groups in this song as well, so that's always good.

Unfortunately that's not enough to warrant any sense of... well, anything towards this song. That's the true kiss of death, if your listener doesn't really feel anything from the song, then no matter how well it fits the concept or the theme, nor how well produced it is, you have ultimately failed, and that is mostly the fault of whoever places the tracks.

If this song was after say, "Love Like Oxygen", then this song would be appreciated more, but honestly I'm put off by the sheer amount of ballads that are coming one after another (taking into account that I don't even like most ballads to begin with and I'm only able to appreciate them musically, unless they are spectacular) is really just not doing favours for anyone at this point in time.

The highlight would have to be Minho's rapping... What? O_O

That's both a testament to how well the rap was written (for Minho's standards) and how badly the song failed to make any sort of impact on me as a listener.

In short? (7/10)

Last Gift

... Seriously, SM? Seriously? What did I just say about Ball--

Wait, this is good!

This song slides because it's actually good enough to make some sort of impact on me. This song sounds like your typical ballad, but because of how perfectly crafted and layered the vocals are and the beautiful simplicity yet serenity of the track gives it a nice welcoming feel for a song.

Jonghyun is truly at his best in this song as well, the ad-libs are on point and never truly excessive, the harmonies are beautiful and I am getting such a strong Boys 2 Men vibe from this song...

WHICH IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING!!!

Furthermore, no Minho rap! (see above for my reaction to this)

Seriously I had to listen to the song three times, just to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating and that I just missed the "rap" bit or something.

The production value is truly great here, but it suffers from the same problem as all of the other ill-placed ballads, and in my book, that's a cardinal sin that they've just committed... Therefore the rating is lower than it should be.

Here it is --> (8/10)

Best Place

Did I click on the wrong video or something? Because this sounds like a weird mixture of Replay and Gee...

In all seriousness, that was my first reaction, hear the verses in Gee and then play this song. The drum beat from Replay should be recognizable, but if you need a refresher then that's always around too.

Anyway, onto the song itself, this song isn't exactly a ballad because I wouldn't consider Replay a ballad either, neither would I consider Obsession a ballad, but whatever...

The vocals are nice, so is the backing track and this is a nice song to bump out at a chill out lounge or a barbeque, but other than roasting some Tonkatsu along to Jonghyun's heavenly falsetto, there is not much reason for this song to be in there, and quite frankly it's more filler than Season 12 of Naruto. (Ba-dum-tssh)

Minho's "rapping" is still awful however and the issue of the song being ballad enough to be considered a ballad but yet not a ballad at the same time is enough to make downrate this song to hell...

Verdict? (7/10)

Hyeya

Ballads! They're everywhere! Seriously, I wonder what there's more of?

a) Zubats in Dark Cave

b) Power Level in Vegeta Scouter

c) BALLADS IN THIS FUCKING ALBUM!!

It shouldn't take a genius to figure out the answer to this question... So, why am I so happy?

One. It's Kim Jonghyun singing a solo ballad.

Two. It is a freaking masterpiece.

Three. It's Kim Jonghyun singing a solo ballad which happens to be a modern masterpiece accompanied with beautiful vocals.

Four. No Minho Rap.

This song is beautifully layered, it's like a towered cake of musical genius. You can also tell that Jonghyun put his all into recording this, the raw amount of emotion makes it something that I would really want to see live, because the studio version is amazing and I still don't think it does him justice.

The guitar solo damn near made me cry, the violins are just perfect, they're never too pitchy, nor are they too loud or obtrusive, they fit perfectly with the beat. Jonghyun was never too self-indulgent with his vocals and carried the right amount of emotion and technical skill to pull this off. 

This song is literally brilliance! ^_^

There's just one problem...

TOO MUCH FUCKING REVERB ON THE VOCALS!!

WE GET IT, IT'S AN EMOTIONAL BALLAD...

YOU DON'T HAVE TO SLIDE THE SETTING FOR THE FUCKING REVERB VST ALL THE WAY TO A GAZILLION TO GET THAT MESSAGE ACROSS!!!

Geez... It almost ruined the song for me, because that is something I despise, when there is way too much reverb on the vocals, it is never flattering... But it still doesn't detract away from how beautiful this song is.

Overall (9/10) because I could never give full marks for something that was way too much reverb.

Four Seasons

*insert ballad joke here*

But in all seriousness, this is becoming a problem... Though it might be partially due to the fact that this is a repackage that includes most of the ballads from the EP and the old album, so I think I've finally answered my own question.

But again this isn't a bad song, it just so happens to be another ballad added to a growing list of ballads, but I think this one captures a bit more of my attention because of the fact that it has a nostalgic vibe of those early 90s songs that are so popular with the ladies in Britain (Westlife's entire discography anyone?).

The hard synths are present but never overbearing and the pads really put you in a different atmosphere, it's like trance-hop or something, I couldn't put it into a correct genre for you if I tried. The production value is more imaginative and somewhat avant-garde than what is the norm with most SM songs, but it does have a sense of structure so it isn't completely chaotic, but it's experimental enough to whet my musical appetite for a couple of minutes (or however long this song actually is...).

There is just one problem, one small, insignificant, yet consistent problem...

MINHO'S FUCKING RAPPING, GODDAMNIT WHY!!!

But hey, it wouldn't be SHINee if there wasn't an awkwardly delivered rap by the son of the Korean National Football team's coach. Choi freaking Minho ladies and gentlemen!

All in all, not bad, rather experimental as well (which is always a plus), but it really is too much like album filler for me to take it seriously... (8/10)

In My Room

Is there some inside joke I'm missing? This album has more freaking ballads in it than SM The Ballad Vol. 1...

If it helps the cause though, this song isn't bad at all, it's pretty good. But that would probably be all I have to say about it...

I've heard this guitar riff in too many of the songs on this album and the drum pattern is too similar to some of the other songs too, just because it is a ballad, it doesn't mean you have to be lazy about it.

The vocals are legitimately well-layered and the harmonies make it worth listening to as well, but overall it's just album filler again, and having too much album filler on one album (well having any at all doesn't make any sense to me, but I digress...) will depreciate the value of the album in its entirety, therefore you need to avoid having so much of these on this album, regardless of whether or not it is a repackage.

Overall, this isn't a bad track, but it is just so unfortunately placed after a non-stop bombardment of ballads in a poorly organized album, that I just can't take it seriously enough to give it any credit. Perhaps if it was a standalone song or on another album, it would have a higher rating, but for now?

(7/10)

The Shinee World

FINALLY, NO MORE BALLADS-- Oh wait, this is the end of the album?

... Doesn't matter it goes out with a bang!

I don't know if I'm happy because this song is an oasis of upbeat music after a drought where there has been nothing to ingest but bone-dry ballads (of which some of them were quite tasty), but this song put a smile on my face!

The beat is awesome, the synths are hard-hitting enough to leave an impact on the ears that makes you want to listen, the kick is sexy and the bass is doing the song justice, all-in-all this song wants to make you dance and you will dance!

Jonghyun comes to life in this song (even if his ballad voice is amazing, he just brings something new to the table with this song) and Key is meant for this type of song, even if it is an unpopular opinion, I don't think his voice is right for ballads and I've always seen him as someone good for upbeat songs like this one.

You want to know who is good for ballads? Lee Jinki Onew.

The piano and the pads during the bridge as well give a soft vibe that cools the song down, but at the same time makes you wary of the eventual breakdown that will happen after. AND BOY DOES THAT BREAKDOWN GO IN HARD!!!

It's like Dubba Jonny (think Skrillex only a million times better) has taken the song from SM studios and decided to just randomly add some epic ass synth breakdown that is only a couple of bars long but epic enough to make you rewind at least 40 times just to hear it again, and I speak from experience.

One problem? The hook... Where is it?

I could be wrong, but I'm sure that this was either released as a title track or a digital single, but regardless of that, this song needs a hook and I can't find it anywhere!

I would blame it on how the song is structured, but the song seems to be structured fine, it's just that lyrically it's all a bit jumbled, and quite frankly that's a shame and a waste of a perfectly good beat.

Oh and another problem is Minho's rapping again, but I've gotten accustomed to it being awful, so hey...

Overall? (9/10)

Average Track Rating: (7.9/10)

Album Rating: (8/10)

It's a good album in most parts and if you are a fan of ballads, you will cherish it always... But for someone who is a ballad sympathizer at best, it's not my cup of tea.

Granted there are some songs that made my non-existent ovaries burst and shout "Jjong-oppa! Saranghae!" at the top of my lungs (not that I'm biased towards Jonghyun or anything... This is a completely professional review!).

However, those songs are overshadowed by the fact that this album was poorly arranged, or maybe even brilliantly arranged because if "The Shinee World" was on earlier during the album (like say after Hyeya) I might not have liked it as much... If that is the case, then we have someone to replace Eduard Khil and Christopher Poole as the king and kami-sama of all trolls respectively, LEE SOOMAN!!!

You will enjoy this album regardless, because the songs are good and this is SHINee we are talking about... Who doesn't enjoy their work? XD

EXO-K's "MAMA EP" Album Review

EXO, another group I just got into recently... Heck I don't even know which member is which yet.

But a main topic within the community regarding this group is usually either between complaining how they haven't came back yet or how much their debut sucked/didn't live up to the hype...

But one of the topics that got me was how this group didn't do so well in Korea.

This is partially the reason why I am only reviewing EXO-K's version of the album and not EXO-M's version, but I may save that for a later date, who knows?

For now, it's time to do a review! :)

Mama 

If I could just say one thing about this song, it would be... epic!

This is actually a modern day masterpiece and it came from SM, in 2012?! Since when do they make masterpieces that are both musically and thematically appeasing to both the ears and the imagination!

The level of skill put into the production is almost god-like, the staccato of the violins accentuated by a powerful kick and a snare light enough to not detract from the aforementioned kick but with enough presence to give the song enough of a drumbeat to be still considered a song and not a musical arrangement/experiment like 2PM's Heartbeat (not that it's a bad thing, but title tracks need presence).

The breakdown is beautiful and the video itself is reminiscent of Michael Jackson's late 90's work. That's a compliment, trust me... I seriously get the strongest "Earth Song" meets "Skyrim" vibe from this song.

And the vocals, mother of god are they handled beautifully! O_O

This is a level of vocal mastering that could rival some of the big western companies, coupled with the unique but familiar sound of this song that is so different to most K-Pop songs, you have a freaking hit!

Also, I think his name is Baekhyun? He is only a rookie and he has some of the best male vocal work I have seen in K-Pop, let alone SM Entertainment, since the likes of Kim Jonghyun and Lee Jinki doing a duet...

Let's just say that the future is really bright for him, he just needs to keep his head up and stay focused and he will become an amazing vocalist in about 4-5 years... (And he'll finally get that duet he wanted with his Taeyeon-noona...).

Also, before I neglect to mention this... Screaming in a K-Pop song? What?

THIS SONG IS TOO FREAKING AWESOME!!!

10/10

What Is Love

OMG, MAMA IS SO AWESOME, WHAT'S NEXT?!

Eh... What's this? :(

Was my initial reaction to this song, but then I realized that it would be unfair to compare the two songs as they serve a different purpose musically... So I decided to give it another try and I found the beauty in this song.

It's such a weird ballad, not weird in a bad way, but just different... The beat is played by a kick drum, a clap and a freaking Taiko? That just confused the hell out of me, but then I realized that it added to the song in so many ways... Despite the fact that it was rather repetitive, as well as that annoying as hell bass sitar riff.

The production value is there and it's pretty darn good, everything is clean and polished, but this song just isn't my cup of tea. I can respect how good it is, but I couldn't rate it as highly as Mama, because I don't like songs like this unless they are done rather well (like this one) and the vocals are legit...

Speaking of legit vocals, these guys are quite literally DBSK and Super Junior combined, with a dash of SHINee thrown in here and there... They have a feeling of togetherness and unity that Super Junior are famed for (because their vocals aren't amazing) and they have the vocal ability of DBSK with a hint of explosiveness yet uniqueness that made SHINee so viable in the Korean Market (read: Hallyu Wave).

That vocal quality is shown here a lot more than it is in Mama, and that's due to the fact that ballads are designed for this sort of cause, and the vocals in this song are the saving grace for me, not the actual track.

Ah well... 8/10

History

This song is so funky... Literally, James Brown could come back from the dead and sing this thing. (If he knew Korean or Chinese...)

This needs to be a new genre... Synth Funk!

That's literally what it is, it's synths around a beat consisting of EDM drums and world instruments with a funky rhythm and strangely enough? It works.

The production value is excellent as always throughout this entire song, everything flows musically and thematically. The vocals have a tad too much reverb at times but otherwise they are handled perfectly and the raps are just executed perfectly in this song. It wasn't too fast or too slow, everything just flowed like a lyrical river! :)

And the rest they say? Well, it's history... 9/10

Angel

Another ballad, but this time it is done perfectly right! Gosh, I think this is the first time I've encountered an album where every song has been near enough to perfection! (Excluding SNSD's first album, and even then that album had some hits and misses).

The vocals here are just divine perfection, they flowed, they gave you chills and they were mastered with the delicate hands of a spring fairy. It fits the song so well and gave you a warm feeling inside, matching the theme perfectly.

It showcases how amazing the vocals of this group are and how in tune they are with each other. The production value is very simple in execution in comparison to the other songs, but that's where the beauty lies... It's simple but it gets the point across and fits the thematic puzzle perfectly.

It's literally like an angel came out of heaven and wrote this song just to give the world of K-Pop something nice to listen to.

Overall, props to SM for making a beautiful ballad song for a really talented group... 10/10

Two Moons

Sigh... Exo better thank their hyung for saving this song, because this would've been completely awful without him.

Exo! You were doing so well, and then you created this! What the hell happened! >:O

Basically, it's a trap beat with some okay rapping, the production value is thankfully still good and it's not a terrible song per se, but it's not great or even good to be honest.

Chanyeol's second rap was alright and Key's rap brought a sense of structure to this chaotic mess, and furthermore the chorus is just completely forgettable... Sehun should never rap again to be honest, if this is what he brings to the table and Kai's "I'm good" at the end was pretty ironic, because in this song he was no where near good, but I would be generous and gift him with an okay.

But honestly, I cheated a bit and took a look at EXO-M's version and I realized that the two groups are rapping in a similar way anyway (it's not exactly the same because Korean and Chinese are two completely different languages...).

So then this might not be the fault of the group, but rather of the lyricists/songwriters involved with the production/creation of this song. Therefore the blame doesn't lie solely on Exo's shoulders.

But at this point in time? It doesn't excuse the fact that this song exists and it is bad, therefore it is now a black mark on the legacy of EXO.

6/10

Machine

(Before I start, this is not an official MV, but I used this version because of the breakdown at the end, which I assumed to be part of the song...).

This song is a return to the status quo of Exo's album consisting of only good songs!

After listening to all of the others, this one doesn't have as much of an impact as the others, but it's just as catchy, if not even more catchier. The production value is excellent for a pseudo-techno/glitch-hop song, trust me that is hard to do, props to the producer.

The vocals are handled nicely and overall the song isn't too complex, but neither does it really stick out too much. I think the beauty of this song is the breakdown...

I'm a dubstep fan, and normally I don't like any variation of pop mixing with dubstep, because it usually never turns out right. However, with Exo, I will always make an exception because that drop was freaking awesome!

That's all I had to say about that song... 8/10

Now with all of this evidence in front of me, I am confused as to why they are not so popular in Korea?

They have the makings of a fine group both musically and aesthetically and they even have a sort of SuJu/DBSK feel that I thought a lot fangirls would love, especially because they are freshly baked oppas filled with energy, youth and charisma! ^_^

But in all seriousness, I think they need something to push them, perhaps more promotion and not the kind that forces them down people's throats... And one more thing that they need?

A comeback! Like this album, but even better!

Average Track Rating: 8.5/10

Album Rating: 9/10

2PM's "01:59PM" Album Review

I just got into 2PM recently and I like their sound and their concept, it's very unique! :D

I actually got to know them through Jay Park who did a song with Dumbfoundead, and I love Dumb! XD

But that's beside the point, these guys are good, with or without their hyung (though preferably with...).

This one sparked my interest because this was the album that Jay left the group at, and it was also their first album and I just can't help but think of what could've been... It's a shame really...

Ah well, let's get on with it!

Heartbeat

Well well well... THIS SONG!!!

Isn't all that great to be honest. Not to say that it's mediocre or even bad, but the entire piece feels like it's lacking something... The beat is great and all for its concept, but the kick needs some de-tuning and there needs to be more snare included, the drums are lacking completely in this song. The vocals are very unique and interesting and you can hear the turmoil in each of the rappers voices, the flow is dope too yo!

However I think that the rappers need to work on the actual delivery and as a rapper as well, I can relate with that too. Every rapper needs to deepen their tone regardless of concept, lyricism or even the emotion in delivery, otherwise it will just sound like spoken word. That's where the true beauty of rap can be shown, by the tone of your voice... If it sounds too light or too high-pitched then it completely ruins your work. (Hence the reason why Eminem had to slightly change his persona and delivery as he matured as an artist because he realized that in order to get more emotionally driven songs out, he would have to change something about himself in order for it to be taken seriously...).

Overall this is definitely a very theatrical song as opposed to a musical one (which might be part of the reason why 2PM gained their reputation as Beastly Idols), the MV adds to the concept with breathtaking choreography that is both unique to the K-Pop scene and very interesting to watch.

The song is well delivered and it remains one of my favourites to listen to, but unfortunately because of the production value (read: artistic integrity) it loses points...

(8/10)

Tired of Waiting

Now normally I don't really go crazy over songs with a lot of auto-tune, but fortunately for me this was actually a decently well put together song. It's quite obviously a dance track with some house elements here and there and the vocals were layered well with just enough autotune to get the T-Pain effect and not drive me crazy.

I have limited understanding of Korean and I found myself singing along to the chorus, truly an understatement of how catchy this song is, Taecyeon's rap didn't sound horribly forced and nor did any of the ad-libs (then again everything was auto-tuned so I can't really add any points there, because it's hard to discern the naturalism of those ad-libs).

Regardless, the producer gets a thumb up from me for putting together a nice song that although it doesn't leave a huge amount of impact on me as a listener, it is nice to listen to and gets you clicking your fingers rather quickly.

(8/10)

I Was Crazy About You

I really like how unique this group is... The piano part at the beginning accompanied by the army sounds as percussion is truly production genius, and the EDM drums kick in and I fall in love~

Or rather I would if the vocals didn't hurt me inside...

In the song before having copious amounts of auto-tune is bearable because of the fact that it fits within the theme of the song, but in this song the autotune distracts away from how beautiful the composition is and this seems to be a recurring theme throughout the song.

Taecyeon (or Chansung, I could be wrong) comes in announcing the break with the cinematic violins and the original army sounds coming in and accompanying the rap awesomely then the EDM drums come back in and-- Let's just say that the breakdown was awesome! :)

Then it's ruined by the key change... It was just unnecessary, not built up correctly and overall bad.

The song had potential to be miles better than it is and could've been delivered with a lot more justice if the execution wasn't so lackluster... The production value has its merits and its uniqueness that I like, but overall this song is just poor.

(6/10)

Gimme the Light

Can I say one thing about this song? Just one?

DAT KICK!!!

Okay, I'm done... This song is well done, perfectly arranged with the vocals sounding like they belong in the song. It isn't overdosed on autotune and it shows off the member's vocal abilities.

This obviously has some RnB feel to it mixed with a little bit of Trap and that's always a good combination for a nice, chill but laid back song. The vocals are smooth enough to get me nodding along to the beat and it just sounds nice, it doesn't sound too experimental or anything and I think that's where it is lacking.

2PM strikes me as a group that likes to mess around with music and do crazy stuff with their tracks to see if it sounds nice or not and that's what I like about them, this song sounds too safe to be their style, don't get me wrong it works and the song is good, but it just sounds too much like any other K-Pop group and it also sounds too much like Album Filler...

All in all, good song, but it just needs something and I don't know what it is but they need to add it in...

(8/10)

Back 2U

Usher! Why does the intro scream of Usher and why do I like it so much?

Because Usher was unique to his generation of music, and so are these guys... That's why! ^_^

The hook is so catchy and brilliantly delivered as is the rest of the song, it's honestly like listening to pre-2008 Usher in Korean and that is always an amazing ear-pleasing musical experience. The acoustic guitar and the blaring synths compliment each other in so many ways it's actually unfathomable and the kicks are perfectly accentuated to the track, overall the production value is top tier! :)

The amount of autotune is still prevalent but not in your face so it's a good touch, but I would've preferred more natural-sounding vocals personally, and maybe if the synths weren't so aggressive... But then that would make it a ballad song and unfortunately, 2PM has a rep to maintain, they aren't ballad singers.

Ah well, it's a good song with great production value and performed by a great band. I liked it :)

(8/10)

All Night Long

The guy in the intro had a really decent Cleveland Brown impression, but the smoothness reminded of a Barry White sound mixed in with some R-Kelly here and there. But there wasn't much moer than that to leave an impression on me musically.

The production value was good, but the vocals were rather dull and boring and just didn't register on an emotional level to me. The song fits the theme well, and the breakdowns before the second chorus were a good change in pace so there was some variation in there as well, but honestly they could've done a bit more with the song.

First, eliminate the rap completely, it was good but it was just not needed in this song at all... And the song is way too low energy throughout even if it is a 'pillow talk' song... I actually yawned whilst reviewing this, and I do that with songs... Ever!

Overall, not a bad effort but it needed something more interesting to be thrown into the mix...

(7/10)

Heartbeat (Red Light Mix)

Now normally I discount remixes, but because of the fact that they are technically different songs, I will change that ruling from now on... Unfortunately, I will draw comparisons to the original here and there, for reference...

Now this version sounds infinitely more powerful AND professional than the original. Unfortunately it loses the character that made the original unique and dramatic...

In short, this version is more listenable and musically pleasing to the ears, the trap elements and classical piano make this song make this such a great song to listen to! ^_^

The production value is just so good, Omona! XD

Furthermore, the chorus sounds so much better, its put together more nicely and the vocals (everywhere) sound clean, polished and handled with due care and attention. This will quite easily find itself on my iPod and become a permanent resident there! :)

(9/10)

10 Out of 10

10 jeom manjeome 10 jeom!

This freaking song and my iPod are best buddies because of how goofy it is, how catchy it is and overall how surprisingly well produced it is.

The electric guitar riff and the club synths make this song so much enjoyable because it gives it so much energy, the raps are well delivered, the vocals are perfectly coiffed and groomed for this song and the breakdown with the trumpets made me eargasm...

Hard.

You wanna know what else made me eargasm hard? Jay Park's ad-libs nearing the end... So freaking awesome! :D

But for real, I need to stop fanboying them and get back to making this as professionally critiqued as possible and talk about the downsides...

The quality of the MV is not doing the song justice one bit, might I add, but one problem that persists throughout is the awkward pauses between each rap (which is mostly fulfilled with the guitar riff or club synth but not always...)  that can be a bit off-putting, but otherwise there isn't much wrong here...

So my score for them is-- "10/10"

Sorry... It had to be done, here's the actual score. (8/10)

Only You

I like this song... It really keeps within the whole unique approach to music motif that 2PM seem to be going for, Swelled Strings in the back with a club beat overriding my headphones is always a great way to get my head nodding along to a song after all! :)

The main problem I have with this is how much the entire song sounds like filler, it has an interesting musical concept but after hearing all the other amazing tracks on the album, this song just seems bog-standard and uninteresting in comparison.

The most important thing for a song to have is character, something that makes it stand out as a piece, and unfortunately this song is literally too boring (in that aspect), like the producer just decided to play it safe and throw in some album filler just to make sure his client wasn't upset...

Overall, I give it this rating due to how dull it was as a song on its own and in comparison to the other pieces in the album... (7/10)

Not bad, but it could be better.

Again & Again

This song, this freaking song!

No matter how highly you rate it, you still wouldn't be able to rate it highly enough. This was released as a single and I was so happy about it, I almost cried... This song is everything that Heartbeat needed more of both musically and emotionally.

The Heartbeat remix was a good idea of how the title track should sound, but then I heard this song and all of the woes and worries about Heartbeat were pushed to the back of my mind.

Kudos to JYP for producing this bad boy, and most of the rest of their album... XD

The vocals (though at points they are autotuned to hell) are treated like kings and the arrangement as well as the balance of the same synth featured in Red Light's heartbeat was found here as well, how's that for foreshadowing! :P

But there's a problem... THE FREAKING RAP!!!

Why do both Taecyeon and Chansung sound like they were recorded in a bathroom! The singers sound like they got five star treatment, but both Taec and Chan sound like they were dropped off in the sleaziest motel in Nevada.

That's not right and quite frankly it's disrespectful to the rappers to have their vocals sounding so rough and unpolished, the producer should be fired for this!

... Oh, wait.

But regardless, it's a good song and it has a permanent residency on my iPod, I just wish that the rappers would sound like they are actually on the track and that the singers weren't so freaking auto-tuned...

kthxbai (9/10)

I Hate You

This song is okay, but it sounds like such an expy for "Again and Again" at parts, and at other parts it just bores me. The vocals for everyone that isn't Junsu or Jay Park gets autotuned to hell and back, and the beat really doesn't do the structure of the song justice.

Things pick up at the chorus, but that's about it really... The song strikes out to me more than other songs I've deemed okay have, but it's lacking in so many other things that make a song more viable and listenable for wow factor. Ir's a shame too because this actually seems like a nice song once you get past everything wrong with it.

Overall? (7/10)

Maybe She'll Come Back 

Oh nice a ballad! Wait... Is this 2am now? This song is a pretty good way to end the album, after a non-stop barrage of unique and awesome club bangers, it's nice to cool down and relax with a good old-fashioned ballad...

But with this song, it shows me why 2am are the ballad group. This song isn't even a complete ballad and yet I can hear the discomfort in the voices of the group and its telling me that they aren't made for ballads, not to say that the vocals are bad in any way, it just doesn't sound like it fits the song.

The beat is alright, it does the job and has some nice synth action going on in there... Nothing too crazy and plays it on the safe side a bit, but that's great for semi-ballads.

The rap is okay too, but I think that it would've been better if it wasn't done at all, I'd rather hear Chansung and Taecyeon's singing voices on this track than their rapping... But, oh well.

(8/10)

Sigh... My 2nd album review! It felt like just over a week ago I did my first one! ^_^

Oh, wait.

Stay reading, because I'll have another album review out for you shortly, or you could even leave a suggestion, who knows! :)

This was a good album, very unique and it truly emphasizes 2PM's style and leaves a firm stamp on their image as 'Beastly Idols'... I enjoyed it, but I felt as if some of the songs were too plain, where others were too adventurous and ambitious and it didn't work in the favor of a person who enjoys the end results of musical experiments (such as myself).

Regardless, the songs that were good were amazing! The songs were okay were average...

My final scoring! :O

Average Track Rating (7.8/10)
Album Rating (8/10)

SNSD's "Girls' Generation" Album Review

Ooh! I'm so excited, are you excited?!

So down to business, I'm gonna give  a bit of background to this album for those of you left out of the loop (Which sort of includes me because I'm getting this information straight from Wikipedia...)

"After a short break, the group's first full album was released in late autumn 2007, with the lead single "Girls' Generation" (Korean: "소녀시대"), a cover of Lee Seung-Chul (Korean: 이승철)'s hit. The album was released in two versions, each edition features the same contents, however the cover art used for one of them was used as back cover for the other one, and the other way around. A MV for "Baby Baby" was released as well, containing scenes of the Making of video of the Girls' Generation MV, and footage of the girls working on their first album.
The album has sold 121,143 copies to date, placing 8th in the year-end charts. In early 2008, Girls' Generation began promoting their second single, "Kissing You". In March 2008, the album was re-released and re-titled Baby Baby. A third single, "Baby Baby", was used to promote the album .

Girls’ Generation, the album also includes Ooh La-La! which incorporated the stories of fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White into the lyric and impressive melodies, Kissing You, a house style dance tune with the sweet lyric sung as if they are whispering love to their boyfriends and created by the hit composer Lee Jae-Myeong, and Baby Baby, a shy confession of love and a present from Hwang Seong-Je, the composer of BoA’s Atlantis Princess, to Girls’ Generation. Tears have the impressive, sweet and lovable vocal while Complete have elegant melodies and clear and transparent harmony. The first regular album of Girls’ Generation contains 11 songs: 9 new songs including the remake, Girls’ Generation’ and other songs in a variety of genres such as dance, ballad and house brought by prominent musicians such as KANGTA and Kenzie."

(TL;DR) It was a very successful debut album that was backed by the guys you really want to work with in the Korean industry if you want to have a good album AND get noticed very quickly.

But how good was it really?

Song 1 - Girls' Generation

The titular track (not their debut single but pretty darn close to it...) really sets the tone for the rest of the album...

It's gonna be cheesy, it's gonna be girly and you are going to fucking love it! ^_^

But enough about that, let's get into the song itself...

The beginning gives off a nice vibe, a bit of mystique about these pretty teenage girls and then the beat drops in and you just think to yourself--

"I'm about to get diabetes from the aegyo, aren't I?". Well I almost did, I just managed to wash it down with enough 2PM!

What really makes the song  for me is how well layered the vocals are for a song made in 2007 and how in sync the ad-libs were in the song, they didn't detract from the happy-go-lucky vibe of the song in the vain effort to prove some kind of point.

Every member had a part that fit them perfectly and gave them their own musical identity, Jessica's voice sounds more unique (and just as awesome) in this song than some of the others, the same could be said for Taeyeon, they sound like twins in "Into The New World".

The producer needs a big old high five as well, because they made it rocky enough to give it a distinct sound that's different to that of other K-Pop groups around that time, but poppy enough to make you want to sing along and not be put off by it, heck it even screams girly innocence to you, giving you no choice to smile like a giddy schoolgirl who got a yes to her first date from the oppa she was crushing on!

I do have some issues with it, the drums are too thin and for a song like this they need to be out there and making an impact like Sunny's hairstyle in "I Got A Boy", instead the drums are weaker than f(x)'s discography...

Furthermore, Yoona's bit is a bit of a double-edged sword for me, I like it and dislike it at the same time. Yoona's personality and demeanour speak to you in that part and the vocals don't detract a lot away from the song, but it's slightly off putting to hear and I think if given more time, Yoona would've sung it in a way that would have made it more comfortable for my ears.

It stuck with me and I remember that bit a lot now, so maybe it's no entirely a bad thing that Yoona was just being Yoona in that bit, but I enjoyed the song thoroughly and it's a great start to a great album!

(8/10)

Song 2 - Ooh La-La!

The intro? ALL OF MY YES!!!

Immediately I'm in love with this song, the track is so upbeat that you just can't help but smile as the song bounces along the meadow of your mind.

The vocals do this song justice in so many ways, the instruments are arranged perfectly and the blend between the violins in the background and the pads in the forefront during the breakdown (the talking bit here is gold too, it just feels so pleasant...) just flows so nicely, and I'm really tempted to shake the hand of the guy that made this beat and beg him to become my mentor... I seriously need one.

This song isn't perfect however, and my problem isn't with how the track is constructed or even the vocals (Taeyeon's oohs in the last part were simple yet divine!) it's more to do with the lyrics...

The first verse harps on about how they are Cinderella and they meet a prince, yadda yadda...

Because they are a girl group and this is their first album where they are marketed with a squeaky-clean image, I'll let it pass... But the sheer amount of cheese that emanated from this song lyrics just made me question if I truly enjoyed this song as much as I thought I did...

Lyrics aside, I truly enjoyed this and I would definitely call this one of the best songs in the album! :)

(9/10)

Song 3 - Baby Baby

Please baby, baby, baby~ Stop being so catchy!

Seriously, when I first listened to this, I could not get it out of my head for a week... I still can't get it out of my head! Now I know how Kylie Minogue feels! >:(

Unfunny anecdote aside, this song is so good that it almost made my cry tears of joy, nothing has ever done that to me before. This song is a testament to how good music is made and sustained, and I honestly believe that this song is a timeless relic that should be cherished and loved forever more.

Everything from the intro to Taeyeon Aguilera taking over everything and giving you more perfection to add onto perfection at the end. The beat has an old-school pop feel that wouldn't be too far off from the likes of NSYNC or Spice Girls, and normally the cheese could be smelled from a mile away if they sung anything else on this beat.

As it is now, it is still pretty cheesy but it's the kind of cheese that won't give you nightmares if you watch it on loop for about 2 hours with no rest... I have a feeling I was meant to go somewhere with this.

My point is that this song has great vocals, is easily memorable and a timeless classic and really makes this album worth buying... And it's only the 3rd song! XD

No matter how much I repeat this song, I cannot find anything implicitly or explicitly wrong with how its arranged or anything that would throw my ears off, it's literally too good to be real.

(10/10)

Song 4 - Complete

I can see why this song is Taeyeon's favourite. I've had a massive headache for a while now and the soothing intro has completely healed it, this is how a ballad is properly orchestrated!

A lot of artists now-a-days have neglected to realize that the authenticity of the instruments and the compassion and dedication to making the vocals sound light and crisp are what make ballads successful and that's what this song does perfectly. It also showcases the purity of the vocals and gives more identity to the tone of each member, you can tell that it's Taeyeon singing or if it's Sooyoung singing.

Speaking of Taeyeon, her vocals just shine on this song and it's not for having a wicked ad-lib in it either, but just by holding a note as long as need be that really makes her shine on this song, Jessica really does well to back her up on the vocals too, thus cementing their place as two of the best vocalist in SM Entertainment, quite possibly all of K-Pop!

But from a personal perspective, I don't like Ballads as much as upbeat songs and that completely ruins my unbiased nature in reviewing this song. As much as I'd like to call this perfection, I just feel that it doesn't progress as well as the likes of "Baby Baby" and "Girls' Generation", and it progresses too slowly on top of it, so I'd have to detract some points away from it in light of this.

(8/10)

Song 5 - Kissing You

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo...
Kissing you baby~

Remember how "Baby Baby" got stuck in my head? THIS FREAKING SONG!!!

I fell in love with the guitar riff and violins in the intro and I keep replaying it to hear them, and after about five hours I finally got around to listening to the song... And I'm currently still replaying the video to date! XD

I'd also like to say that based off of the M/V, this is the first time that I've seen Hyoyeon been anywhere near cute, because she's always either been fierce or surprisingly attractive to me (which is why I like her...) but she just looks adorable in pigtails! :)

Anyway, fan rant over, let me get into why this song is awesome...

This song is such a pop song, it had the typical chord progression found in most pop songs and EDM based drums that have a kick that is both heavy enough to leave an impression but light enough to not intrude, and it helps that the snare doesn't pop obnoxiously. Clearly a lot of due time and attention was put into the beat by the producer and I sincerely thank him/her for it.

The vocals are rather simple (excluding ad-libs) it's nothing like Shinee's new stuff, where everything is layered to hell and nigh on impossible to accurately perform it live. But the catchiness of the tune gets you singing along (if you know enough Korean) and makes you want to nod your head along to it like an idiot, I know I did.

It also helps that the girls aegyo shines through and puts a goofy smile on your face (yes, even Sooyoung...). But how much is too much?

I'm trying to make it a point that the M/V shouldn't affect my judgement of the song, but the M/V just further validates something I've noticed just by listening too the song. It sounds too girly.

I said the same thing about "Ooh-La-La" and I'm going to say it here, the song is almost cringe-worthy because of how girly it sounds with just the English parts alone... It's not as bad or as noticeable as "Ooh-La-La" but it does detract away from how catchy the song is, because doing too much aegyo can work against you...

Exhibit A:

Poor Sunny...

Overall, this song is very good and could've been perfect, but it just needs a bit less girly and aegyo for me to call it perfect... 

(9/10)

Song 6 - Merry-Go-Round

Sources tell me that this is Jessica's favourite song, I used to wonder why? Then I listened to it...

WOW! OMG!

Seriously, this song is too perfect for words, but I'm gonna try it anyway...

I'm not entirely sure who's vocals it was at the beginning but that harmony was beautiful and then the beat kicks in and the verse, then the chorus and manly tears were shed... All I could think to myself was that this song was awesome!

To be fair the song does sound a bit like a ballad, but it's upbeat enough for me to like it and it progresses perfectly with both the vocals and the background synths and violins, the production level is a masterpiece and overall the vocals are complex in both application and layering and yet it works! This song is just too good to be a relatively unknown song left to gather dust as a filler song on an album...

Unfortunately, ballads have a history of not getting a lot of airplay in the Korean Music Industry (within regards to groups anyway, but of course there are examples...) but this song has rightfully earned its place on my iPod! :D

(10/10)

Song 7 - Tears

Ballad #2 (3 if you count Merry-Go-Round), unfortunately I didn't like this one as much as any of the other songs on this album. The authenticity of the instruments and a decent production value was there, but at times it felt like the vocals were carelessly handled (even if Yuri's some members' parts were excellently executed).

I don't really have much to say because ballads aren't really my forte, but the piano accentuated the vocals and complimented them at parts, but there are moments where even the Piano's best pick up lines couldn't lift up the self-esteem of the vocals, they even emoted well, but the vocals weren't given enough justice for this song to be as good as it could've been.

Heck, it felt like they were trying too hard to be more like "Boys II Men" and less like themselves, which is a good aspiration. However, I think that if they put their own spin on this song I would've enjoyed it a lot more, personally speaking...

Overall (7/10)

Song 8 - Tinkerbell

Immediately I thought to myself, "If this turns out to be like Ooh-La-La again, I will scream!"

So I looked up the lyrics, and...

I'll give you all the dreams you want, I'll be your Tinker Bell in the sky.
Like the first snow in the winter like the sun in early spring,
I fly to you with mysterious magic...

Poetry... It helps that Tiffany sings the "Tinker Bell" part beautifully as well...

Alas, this is another ballad and once again I feel as if it doesn't progress well enough for me and that it was too short (coming at 2:59) for a ballad anyway. The song itself is rather beautiful and well written, but it just felt like album filler, I think that this song would be so much better as a more acoustic piece or something that incorporates more classical instruments because then it would have it's own character and identity as opposed to sounding like a Merry-Go-Round expy.

I would give this a 7, but because of the lyrics (8/10)

Song 9 - 7989

This song needs a 69 in front of the title... No, bad oppa! Don't write stuff like that!

I have reason to believe that this is the song that the ever-so-talented Kangta featured on, so take it away 2PM!

I'm joking, obviously... But Taeyeon really shows that she can hang with some of the best in K-Pop with her vocals and the two really compliment each other, and I think I have a bit of a soft spot for duet ballads as opposed to group ballads. But her tone sounds mature for her age and the vocals sound so smooth as well!

There's one problem, the instrumental has sadly become an afterthought...

Someone pushed the vocals to the forefront and the beauty of the instrumental (acoustic might I add) has been pushed to the back and there isn't a lot of synchronicity between the vocals of the artists and the instruments being played, which is a shame because then it detracts from the character of the song.

Ah well, sorry 2PM, looks like its gonna be (9/10)

Song 10 - Honey

Sigh, another ball-- Was that an acoustic guitar? ALL OF MY YES!!

Then the typical pop drum beat comes in and I'm just like, the instrumental is awesome already! The vocals help it along as well...

But it just sounds like filler, really generic even... The song is really nice and the vocals have the slightest bit of attitude to them, but it plays onto the safe side because that's the theme of the album...

Wait... You still don't know the theme? Well it's Honey, Oppa, Saranghae~

I guess it's nice, but I just feel so underwhelmed when listening to it, because after listening to everything else on the album it just feels like the same old stuff, especially when the other songs on the album sound like better versions of this song, making this song easily forgettable... And it doesn't help that it barely progresses at all...

Final Verdict? (7/10, just because I like acoustic guitars...)

Song 11 - Into The New World

Quite frankly, this is my favourite song of the album and I still cry whenever I listen to it... Not just because it started it all, but simply due to how it was made and the sheer amount of emotion and effort that the vocals and instruments have been put into this track just tug at my heartstrings and make me explode with childish happiness...

In other words~

Saranghae neol i neukkim idaero geuryeowattteon hemae-imui kkeut
I sesang sogeseo banbokttoeneun seulpeum ijen annyeong
Sumanheun al su eomneun gil soge huimihan bicheul nan jjochaga
Eonjekkajirado hamkke haneungeoya dashi mannan na-ui segye

I love you, just like this. The longed end of wandering.
I leave behind this world's unending sadness.
Walking the many and unknowable paths, I follow a dim light.
It's something we'll do together to the end, into the new world.

Pure poetry... The lyrics are amazing, the arrangement is amazing, Yuri is amazing and this song proves to not just the nation of Korea but the whole world that 9 girls can get it done, especially if they are 9 talented and unique girls.

I just get taken over by pride and other strange emotions whenever I listen to this song, because I honestly believe that  it defines SNSD as a group because this song was responsible for launching them into a new world (well if we can pretend that Gee doesn't exist for a moment...).

This song makes me proud to call myself a Sone and I am glad that it has a permanent residency on my iPod...

Overall (10/10, would go for higher, but it would be mathematically incorrect...)


This has been my album review for Girls' Generation's self-titled debut album and I hope anyone who has had the time to read this overly long post has enjoyed it...

If not then TL;DR it's a good album, buy it! :)

Average Track Rating (8.6/10)
Album Rating (9/10)