It has been two years since Taetiseo
(TTS) released their debut album, Twinkle,
in 2012. I still remember how the debut of Girls’
Generation first sub-unit caught many people in surprise. TTS shows the
different side of Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun and more of their vocal and music capability outside Girls’
Generation. It was a promising debut from them, which is why people highly
anticipate the release of their new album, Holler,
on September 16th, 2014.
The girls called this album as the most personal album from them;
their most raw album just like Taeyeon said on their interview with Billboard.
They had a big part in the album production process from picking the song by
themselves, writing the lyrics for one of the songs (Seohyun), and becoming the
visual director (Tiffany).
Then, how is the result? Do the girls still nail it? Just check
out my review below!
The first song, which is the title track of this album, is called Holler. This song opened with trumpet
line accompanied by bass sound and a guy’s narration. I love the opening
because it gives out the majestic and mysterious vibe to the song. Then, the
music followed by Taeyeon and Tiffany vocal on the verse. So far, everything
sounds good up until this point. Both of the vocal and music complement each
other.
However, when it comes to refrain part, it unfortunately falls
flat. Yes, the Holler Holler part is
catchy, but the line after that does not really pick up the song. There is not
enough kick during the refrain part. Beside, the sudden transition between the
verse and refrain also disturb the song flow.
Fortunately, the song picks it up after the second refrain. The
middle eight is the best part of this song. It gives a kick to this song,
thanks to the girls’ vocal, which really shines at this part. I even like
Tiffany’s rap in this song since it prevents the song to become boring. Also,
the synthesizer with Middle-East reference is stronger in here compared to the
refrain part.
Although the song is quite a let down, the music video makes it up
for it. I think this is one of the best music video from SM Entertainment. It
is visually stunning with all those gorgeous settings, costumes, and color tone
that dominated by gold. This music video really captures the glamorous and
elegant image of TTS. The girls’ styling is on point too; they look so
beautiful in this music video. Good job, Tiffany as the visual director!
The music video story line also relates with the song lyrics. The
song theme is about the girls’ invitation to spice up your ordinary day and
follow them to a secret world. In the beginning of the music video, it shows
the girls walk, but then, they suddenly disappear. It is like there is a magic
force behind the girls. Then, they give key to a person and invite the person
to follow the girls. The setting changes into an Egyptian scene, which looks
like a mysterious fantasy world. Finally, at the end of the music video, the
person gives back the key to the girls to end up his journey with them. It is a
plus point for Holler because it
shows that how the music video does not only show the great visual, but there
is also the storyline behind it.
The second song, Adrenaline,
is how Holler should be. It is sexy,
confident, and mature with enough kick between each part. Also, it has strong
refrain part, which will make people sing along to it when listening to this
song.
This song opened with strong drum line, which will automatically
pumps up your adrenaline. This drum line stays throughout the whole song. To
prevent it becomes repetitive, this sound mixes with synthesizer and keyboard
sound that gives out more electronic vibe during the refrain part.
The strong drum line also represents the urgency in the lyrics.
The lyrics theme is about how the girls go crazy over a guy. It’s like the guy
pulls them in and they only want to be with him.
The urgency also shows through the girls’ vocal. I love how they
able to sing each part differently. It’s like there is desperation on some part
and happiness in other part.
The next track, Whisper,
is a pre-release track from TTS since
it has been released three days earlier.
Whisper is a surprise for me. Instead of going to the usual R&B
mid-tempo song with powerful vocal delivery like Baby Steps and Love Sick from
their previous album, the girls go into softer territory with this song.
Whisper still heavily influenced by R&B songs in the 90s with its
beat, synthesizer, and guitar sound. But the arrangements sound lighter. The
girls tone down their vocals too. It sounds softer just like a whisper.
Eventhough they tone down everything, it does not make Whisper to become a bad song. In fact,
it is really refreshing to hear the girls try something different. Whisper itself is even one of the best
tracks from this album and one of the songs that you will put on repeat. It is
simple, sincere, and soothing to ear. It is a really sweet song too just like
the song lyrics, which is about confessing to a guy and spending time together
with him.
We are going back to the upbeat song with Stay that basically tells a story about how the girls want a guy to
stay beside them. This is a type of fun song that will make you sing a long
with your friends when you are on a trip together. It is a catchy song with
enjoyable flow and addictive refrain part.
But what I love the most from Stay
would be the 80s disco vibe through the keyboard, guitar, and synthesizer
sound. I love this arrangement since it is kind of unique. Beside that, it is
also effective in brings out the fun aspect of this song.
However, there is still a minus point from this song, which is
Tiffany’s rap. It sounds too forced. Also, it does not add anything new to the
song.
For the fifth track, Only U, the lyrics written by Seohyun. Only U gets me since the first listen.
Everything about this R&B mid-tempo ballad song is beautiful from its piano
line, flow to their vocal.
The vocal itself even becomes the strongest point of this song
from me. It is really full of emotions. I can really feel how relieve the girls
when they find their true love just by listening to their song. This is the plus
point when you write your lyrics on your own. You can convey your emotions
better. Although Seohyun is the one who writes the lyrics, I think it is Tiffany
who shines the most in this song. Her strong vocal and emotions suit well with
this song.
The last track, Eyes,
sounds really similar with Ariana Grande’s Problem, especially its
arrangement. The trumpet drum, and string sound screams Problem to me. I have to admit that it is kind of hard to review
this song because I cannot get Problem out
of my head when listening to this song. So, I will automatically compare it.
Anyway, Eyes is like the
toned down version of Problem in
terms of vocal and arrangement. The verses are kind of weak because the loud
music covers up the girls’ vocal. As for the refrain part, I like its unique
combination. There is a contrast between the strong trumpet sounds to the “E Y
E S” part that sounds like whisper. The “E Y E S” part is memorable too.
However, it is actually a pity they tone down everything on this
song. We know how much the girls’ vocal capability, so it is kind of waste that
they do not use it in this song. Also, if the also play the arrangements right,
it could be another strong song in this album. But maybe they did this because
they are afraid it would be too similar with Problem.
If Twinkle shows the
loud and confidence side of TTS, Holler shows
the soft and raw side of the girls’ in terms of image and sound. Just like what
the girls said, it definitely gives off kind of personal vibe when you listen
to this album. It is the type of album that you can listen everyday and
everywhere on a loop without getting bored. Everything sounds pleasant to ear.
Overall, it is refreshing to see TTS boldly try different approach
with Holler. Great efforts girls! But
still, I wish that I could hear more of their strong vocal too like their
previous album. Hopefully, I can hear that on their next album!
Favorite
Songs : Adrenaline, Whisper, Stay, Only U
Rating : 3.5/5
0 comments:
Post a Comment