Man, there ended up being a lot more comebacks than I expected in the past month or two. If I'm being honest, the rest of November and December look like they're going to even more insane, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I'm going to focus on what we have - and there's a fair amount of it!
While I was unfortunately let down by one or two songs, there wasn't anything majorly disappointing - I can still find something to like (or love) in each of these songs. They're all pretty solid, it's just that some of them stick out to me more than the others! Which ones? ...read and see. They'll be in here somewhere. 😉
IZ*ONE (아이즈원) - LA VIE EN ROSE (라비앙로즈)
Well, I guess we're starting off strong!
For the record, I was by no means a fan of Produce 48. Variety shows are something I think need to stop - they're annoying, repetitive, and they have the potential to end in disaster. I have heard of AKB48 though, and while I've never listened to their music, their concept is very interesting! So I was kinda interested in IZ*ONE once I heard they were finally debuting (regardless of their shitty name). So what do I think?
...wow. Just, wow.
If THIS is the potential IZ*ONE is going to have, then god fucking damn, I am in for the ride. "La Vie En Rose" is an absolutely beautiful song. I was worried it would be overly cute, considering that's what people normally expect when young girl groups are involved. But no! This is versatile, it's different, it's interesting, and yet none of it feels out of place. Every single member feels like they have their own place in the group - and that's something I actually never felt with IOI (surprisingly enough).
Those pre-choruses are also god-like. They've got one hell of a sense of momentum behind them, and it's fantasic. And don't get me started on that final chorus... the combination of Nako's vocals and Yuri's adlibs is goosebump-inducing. It wraps the song up perfectly. These girls really do mean business. Plus, the lyrics have this amazing sense of magic and confidence behind them that just... catches your attention! They're so charming, and I really didn't expect them to be as good as they are.
Imagine your la vie en rose
Your deepened eyes
Make my heart red and burn, makes me dance
So that's great - we've got a good song, really nice lyrics, a nice video - but what about the dance?
HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT DANCE.
This? THIS IS THE DEFINITION OF FANTASTIC. Let me make one thing abundantly clear: this is one of the most intense, yet sharpest and cleanest choreographies I've seen. And I'm not even talking about just K-Pop choreographies! I'm talking choreographies in general!! This is THAT good!!!
The positions are gorgeous, the girls themselves are all beautifully in-sync with one another, they've got the right amount of intensity and sharpness to their moves, they NEVER slip up... this is insane. I honestly don't know what else I can say. I can't physically describe it without fangirling any harder. Please, watch this absolute masterpiece of a choreography if you haven't already.
Okay, I know this entry has been going on way longer than it should. But... before I move on, I'm going to address the elephant in the room with regards to this song.
If you've been on any sort of K-Pop website or forum since around the beginning of November, you'll probably know that "La Vie En Rose" was not written for IZ*ONE - it was written, and hugely intended for, CLC. It was going to be the title track to a repackaged "Black Dress". So "La Vie En Rose" comes out, people listen to it... and then people start to remember how the CLC members posted pictures of themselves with roses (alongside other hints at a comeback):
...yeah. Shit got messy REAL fast. However, we do actually have a short snippet of CLC's demo:
And... oof, I'm super glad this got passed on to IZ*ONE. I'm sorry, but apart from Seunghee, Sorn and Elkie, the rest of the members just don't fit this song's vibe. ESPECIALLY Eunbin. Don't get me wrong, she's super talented, but that line does not suit her at all. It sounds awful. And to be brutally honest, I don't think this song would have been the smash that it is if CLC had sang it - they just don't have the popularity in Korea for that to happen. You could argue it would be their breakthrough hit, but... I don't see it happening. I'm sorry, CLC. Maybe someday Cube will treat you right... and their other artists too. 😬
TIFFANY YOUNG - TEACH YOU
Hmm. Let's... let's see how this one goes. This could be interesting.
Tiffany came back! Yay! But... the song's a mess. Yay?
I like the prechoruses - Tiff sounds great, she really suits that more powerful, husky tone. But... god, she had set up such a good foundation with "Over My Skin"! Why did she change?!
(...probably because she's a free human and is allowed to do what she wants. I don't know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
The choruses, and the rest of the song in general, is just... weird. The percussion is... wet, for a lack of a better word; her vocal delivery is reeeeeally strange and stilted; the pronunciations are... interesting; the list goes on, really. I think Tiff is trying to come off as intimidating and threatening, but the song is too zany for me. It's too out there for that threatening atmosphere to really connect. It... kinda comes off as creepy, honestly. And I mean that in a loving way! But.... y'know. It's the only way I can think of to describe it. 😐
I do like that double entendre in the lyrics, though. THAT was clever.
Stupid, stupid boy
Should've stuck with toys
Get it? Toys because he likes to mess with people? But also toys in terms of sex toys? Yeah, I dunno, I thought that was funny. The rest of the lyrics just seem... misguided, and kinda petty. So this really doesn't stick the landing for me. Sorry, Tiffany. I love you, but this song doesn't do it for me. 😥
SEULGI (슬기), SIN B (신비), CHUNGHA (청하), SOYEON (소연) - WOW THING
I REALLY REALLY want to know who is organising SM Station's collaborations. First we had "Honey Bee", now "Wow Thing"?! Goddamn, that's one impressive resumé. ANYWAY. Onto the song itself.
I didn't expect this to have so much funk behind it! It's a lovely surprise, and the funky synths and brass elements fit perfectly with Seulgi & Sin B's coupled flows in the verses. It's really attention-grabby in a great way! Soyeon and Chungha certainly pull their weight too, with Soyeon delivering a really solid rap and Chungha being put on adlib duty! Good for her! Her voice really shines here, if you ask me.
But... this song has two major downfalls. 1) Its length. It barely reaches three minutes, and it's left feeling really rushed because of it. And 2), THAT TRANSITION INTO THE FIRST CHORUS. What even was that?! I could not tell the song had moved from the verse to the chorus the first time I listened to this. Something extra was needed there - a change in instruments, a brass flourish, something, anything. But nope, it just... carries on. And it feels like an extension of the verses as a result, instead of feeling like an actual, powerful chorus like it should. 😐 But hey, at least the lyrics are pretty cool and clever.
After being blocked by a wall all day
I can fly now at the day’s end
I see the time, it’s 0:00*
*(0:00 here obviously means midnight, but the number 0 in Korean is pronounced "yong". So, it's technically "yong:yong" o'clock, and for that reason, midnight is often called "Young O'Clock" in Korea. I dunno, I thought that was awesome. 👏)
Unfortunately, we didn't get an entire routine, but we DID get a little snippet towards the end of the song!
Damn, this makes me wish we had the full choreography. This is great! It's sharp, precise, yet badass, and all four members are such fantastic dancers that I never have a clue who to look at. It's one of those routines that matches the pace of the song and lyrics perfectly, and that's the sort of attention to detail I really admire!
In the end, even though the song as a whole has a few problems, the positives largely outweigh the negatives here. This proved to be really memorable, and I certainly hope there are more SM Station collaborations like this in the future.
YURI (유리) - INTO YOU (빠져가)
Continuing the recent trend of activity for Girls' Generation and their members, Yuri finally got to release a solo project! I feel like this is something that's not only been coming for a while, but also incredibly well-deserved - Yuri has always shone as part of GG, and I knew she would do great on her own too.
And I've got to say, she sticks the landing exactly how I thought she would. "Into You" is song that she absolutely embodies, from start to finish. Her vocals sound gorgeous, and are perfect for her range, the song has this distant, yet mystical vibe to it that suits her perfectly, and the song itself is catchy as hell. It's got a great amount of replay value, and proved to be surprisingly addictive for me. More of a side note, but I also really like how that whistly synth doubles Yuri's voice in the choruses; it adds another little layer of detail that sets them apart from the verses. (Take note, "Wow Thing".)
The lyrics are beautifully atmospheric too, even if the choruses kinda weird me out a bit. It's probably just something lost in translation, but other than that they're pretty damn solid! They're very descriptive and elegant, which... that's literally Yuri in a concept. So they're perfect.
For me, the whole world is bathed in light
Hold my hands and I close my eyes
I hope this time stops here
Aside from all of this, I've always considered Yuri to be one of the stronger members of GG when it comes to choreography. And I'm glad to say she certainly didn't disappoint!
This practice video really shows what I mean when I say Yuri embodies this concept. (She looks drop-dead gorgeous in that suit, too.)
This choreography is elegant and classy, yet... really damn sexy at the same time! That move at the beginning of the choruses would probably look incredibly stilted when someone else does it, but Yuri makes it her bitch and looks amazing while doing it. She's got this sort of commanding stage presence that I really don't think we've seen when she's with the rest of GG, and it's probably the reason I like this solo so much - it's not phenomenal or anything, but it really plays to her strengths and shows what she's made of. I'm super happy for her, honestly! 😊
•••••
And that's part 1 done! I'll hopefully have part two up soon, if I can find some time to write it amongst all the college work. 😬
ALL SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW:
