Because I wasn’t watching YouTube (or other short-form streaming video) during most of the month of March, I had no way to access the ‘Wakey Wakey’ video when it was first released. And because for whatever reason SM Entertainment/Avex records (SM’s proxy in Japan) didn’t release the whole album until later…I didn’t have access it on Spotify until like, last week.
Okay, great.
“But now that it’s on Spotify,” you ask, “why don’t you review it? Even without the video! You did that with Chen’s solo album a while back.”
Real answer:
Once I finally found it, I listened to ‘Wakey Wakey’ (or W2, as I’ll call it in the rest of this post). Then I listened to it again. And just now, I gave it a third chance.
I think you know where I’m going with this.
W2 is not my cup of tea. Which is a shame, because with a name like ‘Wakey Wakey’ it would be really fun if it were the kind of song that you could blast in the mornings with a cup of coffee.
This song reminds me of ‘Regular’ crossed with Hitchhiker x Taeyong’s ‘Around’ with a little sprinkling of ‘Chain’ on top. Unlike ‘Around,’ though, which has a delightful sense of humor and makes me laugh every single time, W2 is just…relentless.
The same tight melodic range (read: NO melodic range) of ‘Regular’ combined with the high synth sample? No thank you.
One of the hard parts of being a fan of a group while they’re actively building a sound and a fanbase is that they’re going to keep exploring. What you initially liked about them may not be where they ultimately end up.
There’s a beauty in staying open, and giving a young group the space to grow and explore. That’s what I tell myself, at least.
Chen’s solo album flows like cool water. It’s a clean break from the EXO R&B vibes—Chen continues exploring his own musical personality with his first mini album, April, and a flower.
Our ‘Nature Boy‘ comes through with simple arrangements, focused mostly on piano and vocals. He wrote the lyrics for one of my favorite EXO songs, ‘Lights Out,’ and again contributed lyrics to ‘Flower’ on this album.
Chen shines in this arena. He’s at his best in songs like ‘Nosedive,’ with a focus on rest and refreshment.
I wouldn’t exactly call April, and a Flower an album of lullabyes, but it is a very easy album to listen to. ‘Lights Out’ was my go-to sleepytime music for a few months, and this mini-album is just the thing to put in your ears when you’re tired and worn down.
For a few minutes, you can run with Chen’s voice over sunlit, grassy fields with the wind gently blowing your hair.
Part of me was scared that this mini-album would be full of overwrought, cheesy ballads—but it is not. A+++ for keeping the arrangements sparse, keeping with the spare and natural visual aesthetic.
This mini-album’s biggest weakness is the flipside of its strengths. The songs flow a little too easily. They don’t stick in my head, but slide through in a moment of peacefulness that I can’t remember five minutes later.
I’m not sure that I would remember the title track, ‘Beautiful Goodbye,’ if I heard it out of context.
That said, the album has a great shape, building from lighter songs through an ~emotional journey~ to more impactful songs at the end.
On ‘Sorry Not Sorry,’ I’m happy to hear a descant above Chen’s vocal line. He usually takes care of high notes and descants in EXO’s material, so it’s nice hearing him get to take the melody for once, with the string sections getting the harmony.
I could swear that Chen is channeling Big Bang’s Taeyang on ‘Love Words.’ The song is great—perfect execution of drums in a ballad—but it gives me such Taeyang vibes. Maybe that’s the influence of the songs’s composer, Kenzie.
My favorite song on the album is ‘Portrait of You.’ It’s cinematic. It’s emotional. The melody moves through so many different textures and sections—the piano is a voice, not just accompaniment. (But this is expected: it was written by the brilliant Andreas Johansson.)
Such a perfect ending. I’d drift off to sleep to that song anytime.
Overall, I think this is a very Chen album, which is a good thing—though I wish that somehow they had worked enough hooks in amongst the calm to help me grab onto the songs. It’s good for him to differentiate himself from all the hype that surrounds EXO—and this album is about as opposite as you could get from that.
I have a feeling this will grow on me. It’ll definitely have a place in my earbuds the next time I need an oasis of calm.
EXO vocalist Chen (Kim Jong Dae) is coming out with a solo album this April.
It’s about time.
“Nosedive,” his collaboration with Dynamic Duo, was my favorite song of 2017.
“Lights Out,” the song he wrote on EXO’s winter album Universe, is a beautiful and moving endcap to a day. And like I wished in that past review, I’m glad to see that we get more of singer/songwriter Chen.
The man knows how to communicate through song.
I’m excited to see how this album shapes up, especially with the title “April, and a Flower” with that promo image. (Check the strategically placed lens flare.)
The moodiness of the image (love all the noise from the ISO) and the poetic treatment of the text in this teaser give me hope that this won’t be a purely saccharine spring ballad release.
But we won’t know for another week.
One thing the k-pop industry does right: sweet anticipation.
This is, perhaps, not the reaction they wanted to engineer.
But it’s the reaction they got.
Taemin’s new single, “Want,” expands the theme of Dark 80s. It’s delicious. The video is lush, complex, and visually pleasing—obviously showcasing Taemin’s physical beauty and otherworldly skill in dance.
What I find curious is how my reaction changed.
Yesterday, when the video was first released, I watched it. It’s sexy (can’t deny it). The beat and the lyrics work in tandem to, well, basically to seduce. Add that dance on top of it? It’s an incantation that’s nearly impossible to break.
Today, I decided to put in headphones, close my eyes, and listen. No visuals, no choreography, just the audio. “Want” isn’t the most musically complex song in the world, but it’s lovely to listen to. There are just enough aural easter eggs to keep things interesting through a hypnotic beat and bass line. The engineers did a good job of keeping the instrumental at a different timbre than Taemin’s voice, helping it to stand out. He’s not the strongest singer in the world, but well suited to this type of song.
My reaction? Nostalgia.
Pure utter longing for a time in music that I didn’t know—the 80s and early 90s. Back when synths and recordings were analog, and the bass riffs were played by human beings instead of a digital sample.
When musical recordings were fuzzier, not as sharp and bright as they are now.
I want to find a club with zero lasers and an analog turntable.
(They certainly don’t exist in my part of the world.)
You know how some people put on music to influence their mood? Like, they want to feel happy, so they play songs that evoke happiness.
I am not one of those people.
Usually I’m the type of person who has to find the exact music that matches my mood, especially if it’s a bad one. If I try to listen to peppy music whilst in a bad mood, I descend rapidly into an ultra-bad mood.
There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule. One of those is G-Dragon and Taeyang’s “Good Boy.”
It makes no sense. This is the opposite of a song I’d usually like. It’s an absolutely stupid song (as in, “get stupid”). Repetitive beat. ‘Dudes in a club’ lyrics. Autotune.
And yet, it never fails to put me in a good mood.
Maybe it’s because the choreography perfectly matches the beat and the cadence of the lyrics.
Maybe it’s the swagger.
Maybe it’s all the weird little sound effects.
Maybe it’s because G-Dragon used one of the live performances to diss the M-net Asian Music Awards on their own broadcast.
Regardless of why, “Good Boy” can turn the day around for me. I appreciate that.
Just when you thought he couldn’t look even more like an anime character…
Taeyong of NCT at the 2019 Idol Star Athletic Championship
He goes and matches himself to the field and the NCT lightstick. SMH.
My eyes are happy to look at the reds and greens and neon yellows, all nicely saturated and balanced. Even the vaguely repeating stripes of the track and his tracksuit scream harmony. This picture is so complete. There’s nothing superfluous or distracting, simply great content. And you can imagine him skipping along, hair bouncing.
With the release of the repack album Regulate and its single “Simon Says,” NCT 127 completes the Regular-Irregular cycle.
“Cycle” seems like the wrong word to use. It calls up Wagner and epics and possibly Vikings. This is just k-pop. And yet, it fits.
Perhaps this is because with the “Simon Says” video, we loop back to the very first teasers for “Regular.” Our group, as office workers, dreaming of something better. Fully fledged, those dreams became the “Regular” video.
In “Simon Says,” office dreams have turned into a nightmare.
Or at least a weird fashion dystopia featuring a giant table fit for a cabal of villains.
“Simon Says” is a fabulously NCT 127-type of song. It’s rhythmic, bass-heavy, a little bit grotty, and weird. This is why we like NCT 127, because they provide something different from a typical refined, pre-packaged k-pop release.
For me, standout bits of this song are, in no particular order:
The “fishbowl” mixing effect (similar to “Boss”) with lots of ear candy—there are many layers of distortion and ad libs that blossom when you listen with headphones
Haechan and Taeil lead the vocal line to victory with that bridge—one of the best moments of the song
I love the nod to the choreo (and dystopian concept) of Baekhyn and Loco’s “Young“
The bass. This one bites a little bit harder than “Cherry Bomb” or “Limitless”
Vans with shoelaces tied around everybody’s ankles over their pants
The octaves—seriously, the vocal line killed on this song
Best English line ever: “Bless me, achoo”
I can’t stop dancing to it
The music video wasn’t super-exciting, but I can deal with that. I’d like to get a dance practice video to get a good look at the choreography, but I’m not holding out for a masterpiece. Apparently they learned this choreo in an insanely short amount of time while they were promoting “Regular” in the US.
Side note: I love the timbre of Taeyong’s voice. It has this stretchy, almost creaky texture to it.
Turning to Regulate, the repack album, I prefer the original. The concept and song selection on Regular-Irregular is already fantastic, and I don’t feel like the addition of new songs made it any better. The Korean version of “Chain,” while great (…off the chain, you might say), doesn’t match with the vibe of this album at all. It’s jarring to me, and not in a good way. “Welcome to my Playground” doesn’t grab me.
The one exception is “Simon Says.” It enters at just the right time—directly after the dream-turned-nightmare of the interlude—and that war chant at the beginning helps to set off the “irregular” portion of the album.
Conceptually, this comeback was a success. The overall concept of Regular-Irregular/Regulate is pretty cool, albeit a bit complicated. Hey, it’s NCT. Complication comes with the territory.
Some of the details of execution could have been done better, such as the other b-sides in the repack, but I don’t think they detracted enough from the overall concept to be a problem. The biggest issue, for me, is the title track. I still dislike “Regular” and don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I can deal with that. Concept is king.
NCT 127 will always be “NCT one-twenty-seven” to me, instead of “NCT one-two-seven.” You’re welcome.
Mark is the best rapper in SM Entertainment. He writes most of his own lyrics, and tends to play around with rhythm. His voice isn’t overly resonant, which is not as much of a problem as it sounds—helps him stand out against smooth vocals.
Haechan is not a rapper, even though he had a rap line in “We Go Up.” I used to describe his voice as fuzzy, but lately it’s not as rough—Haechan has refined his singing technique to a smooth velvety texture.
Taeil, on the other hand, has a smooth, piercing voice. If we continue the fabric metaphor, Taeil’s voice is a light, cool silk. He has tremendous flexibility and range.
Complimentary charisma
I’l use the word “charisma” because it’s used so often in Korean-English translations. What I like about Mark, Haechan, and Taeil together is that like their voices, they bring a complimentary set of strengths to the table.
Mark I often describe as “workmanlike.” He has an incredible work ethic (literally been in all NCT comebacks with the exception of “Baby Don’t Stop” and songs with the vocal line only), and a drive to improve. In 2018, his dancing has gone from merely adequate to wait, is that Mark?. He once got a dance feature at an awards show, even though his official position in NCT has nothing to do with dance. He will make sure things get done.
Almost on the opposite side of the spectrum, Haechan is a performer. He will take any opportunity to make a joke or do something extra. You will always be entertained when he’s around. Where Mark can sometimes be overly serious and focused, Haechan lightens the mood—but he’s deadly serious about performing. Watching his slow transformation into Michael Jackson (1, 2) is fascinating, as he’s obviously studying and applying what he sees.
Because Taeil is so quiet, he’s harder to figure out. But given that he plays piano and guitar, and given that if he weren’t an idol he would have gone to University for music, I feel safe in saying that he is an artistry guy.
A sense of humor
It may not be apparent when you first get to know NCT, because Taeil is so quiet in interviews, but all three dudes have a great sense of humor. Haechan (his stage name literally means “Full Sun”) is the most obvious, because he’s always the class clown. Taeil doesn’t often joke around on camera, but his playful sense of humor still shows through occasionally—like in his feature during promotions for “Touch.” Mark is less of an instigator, but is more than willing to play along with jokes and gives great reactions. My favorite example of this is Haechan and Mark’s surprise game of Rock Paper Scissors during promotions for “My First and My Last.” (Haechan’s reaction is real, btw.)
Now humor doesn’t often factor into a comeback song, but it is an indicator of how a team will perform together. Even based on these random Insta photos, these three work together just fine.
To sum up, a Mark/Haechan/Taeil subunit would be a winning combination of looks, musical balance, charisma, and teamwork. And they already have promo photos!
K-pop idols are already some weird combination of trading cards (for the stats and modular personalities) and paper dolls (for the fashion), so I don’t think it’s all that weird indulging in some fantasy football-inspired dreams here.
So if you’re a SM Entertainment rep randomly trolling the internet looking for ideas, consider this one.
Like many fans around the world, I had November 2 marked on my calendar—finally, an EXO comeback. It had been over a year since the last full album release.
With that immense and quietly building space of expectation, new music would be 1. immediately welcomed by EXO-Ls worldwide, but 2. with a group at the top of its game, eventually there will be a below-average release. No pressure.
With Don’t Mess Up My Tempo, EXO pulled it off…mostly.
Tempo
Tempo feels comfortably EXO. It’s fun in the vein of “Call Me Baby.” The chorus is singable. The sound engineering and f(x) are incredible. The harmonies are on point—specifically the bit where Xiumin and Sehum sing and rap octaves over each other, and of course the a capella section. This is a song that knows the best of EXO and how to present it to its fullest, morphing and reprising itself through funky descending bass lines and soaring vocals.
As the members grow as artists/performers and head into their late 20s (Sehun, the youngest member, is currently 24 years old), they’ve transitioned from a young group in search of a sound to a self-assured group who knows their strengths. If you were wondering which group reigns as the VOCAL KINGS of k-pop, this is your receipt.
I will not be surprised when a bunch of other acts come out with a capella tracks next year.
The music video isn’t super-innovative but the glitchy light effects are really cool, like the boys are holograms. Chanyeol shines with his blue contacts (I picked a good bias).
Sign
I don’t recall grotty bass lines (reminiscent of NCT 127’s “Limitless”) being a popular back then, but this song reminds me of an alternate-universe Korean version of an early 2000s boy band song. (Maybe it’s the “bye bye bye” part?) We don’t deserve Baekhyun and his vocals.
Fun fact: I keep mishearing one of the lyrics as “Honestly, pikachu”
Ooh-La-La-La
This is a song that makes you really appreciate SM’s sound engineers. It’s such ear candy—from the subtle pop of a record-player effect to the way that the layers of sound are so airily pieced together. The guitar riff is beautiful, almost “island feeling,” like you could play it on a ukelele and sing on a beach and it would sound just as good. Otherwise it’s a simple song; I want to hate it because it verges on saccharine but I also kind of love it. Like a popsicle on a hot summer day, but that’s French themed with a big whiff of fresh island air.
Gravity
“Gravity” is the song that “Power” wanted to be. I’m loving 80s club feel to this one, with the sample from “Power” in the intro, and the powerful yet funky bass line (SM is really good at those). Lyrically, I love the interplay between Korean and English; the chorus creates a rhyming pattern in Korean that begs for a declarative singing of “GRAVITY” to round it out—but instead of giving us the relief in the first round, they build anticipation through a full seven lines before finally giving us the payoff. It’s great—I haven’t had a song keep me on the edge of my seat lyrically like this before. Especially since most of the lyrics are in another language!
With You
EXO would like to float over fluffy white clouds with you. It’s ballad with undertones of traditional Korean music. Sweet, but not particularly memorable.
24/7
Love it or hate it, this song builds from a distinctive whistle to a very Motown-ish throwback (disclaimer: I’m not a Motown expert). I’m not a fan of full-on falsetto songs (with the exception of Big Bang’s “Cafe“), but this one is really well executed. The call-and-response structure is interesting, and the vocals are on point.
Bad Dream
If any of the songs on this album grew on me, it’s this one. I went from “okay I kind of like this one” to “obsessively listening on repeat” in less than an hour. This song is all over the place musically, somehow combining a bouncy synth, gorgeous guitar riffs (but not enough of them!), a dolphin-like pealing sound, and an absolutely beautiful-yet-rough moving bass line that reminds me of something that I can’t quite place. The vocals shine on this one, with more technical acrobatics a la “Stay” from last year’s winter album.
Damage
HYPE.
Sehun’s E-X-O is back.
It’s a jam.
Smile On My Face
One of EXO’s b-side staples is the R&B ballad. Most fans love them. This incarnation is very soothing, and Chen’s harmonies are heavenly. Moving on.
Oasis
Like “Been Through” from last year’s winter album, I bet that “Oasis” will be a popular track on the album with American fans. To me, it sounds more like Western pop than k-pop. It’s not a bad song at all–the melody is gorgeous–it just feels like anthemic indie pop.
Overall: Don’t mess up a good thing
This album feels sonically cohesive, and darker than The War (which would make sense, considering that this is an autumn album). SM is good at matching album “tones” to the season, as you can see in the differences between Red Velvet’s summer vs fall releases.
With this album, there are no surprises. EXO has dialed in their sound. It’s like they’re now a “middle aged” group instead of a hungry young wolfpack. I’m glad they’re making cohesive albums now instead of random collections of singles, but on the flip side there were no songs that catch me by surprise, no “Forever” or “El Dorado.”
When I first listened to The War last summer I was immediately and utterly obsessed with “Forever.” It grabbed me in a way that few songs do. None of the songs on DMWMT have grabbed me in that way, with the possible exception of “Bad Dream.”
I like this album, but I don’t LOVE it. Like…there’s nothing wrong with this album but I’m also not obsessed with it. It’s clean. It’s well balanced. It shows off EXO’s skills in a variety of ways. But I honestly can’t see myself listening to it much, other than picking off a few favorites to add to my epic EXO playlist.
It says something that I listened to NCT 127’s Regular-Irregular again before I settled down to write this review.
[Update: I’ve been listening to this album on repeat. Oops! It’s great, the end.]
It may be relevant to note that I’ve always preferred the young, exploratory phase of a musician’s existence over the polished and complete work that tends to be produced later on.
Honestly, I’m just hanging on by Tylenol and Youtube right now, so I’m going to post this old-school (can you say that for a group that’s only like 2 years old?) photo of NCT 127 and call it a night.
I love how the Firetruck concept combined 70s-punk with the 90s-stray kid aesthetic. (Or is it early 2000s? I need photoreferences.)
I want to escape into a misty forest at dawn and run toward the light that spills through the trees. I want to cloak myself in velvet and swim into a glittering nebula. I want to discover the truth of God and the universe.
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