[MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW] Girls' Generation (SNSD) - Holiday & All Night (2017)

Happy anniversary, Girls’ Generation (SNSD)! The girls celebrated their 10^th year anniversary on Saturday, August 5^th 2017. It is amazing to see them come this far. Throughout 10 years of their career, SNSD manages to break records as girl group, compete fiercely with boy groups, stand tall above risk of disbandment that happens on their peer group, and set legacy to their juniors.

Since 10^th years anniversary is a special occasion, SNSD has prepared special gift for public. The girls released their sixth full album called Holiday Night on Friday, August 4^th 2017. This album has double title tracks, which are Holiday and All Night.

With Holiday and All Night, SNSD tries to showcase different side of them while also give a sense of nostalgia to public. How does their double title tracks sound? Check out my review here……….

SNSD embraces retro theme again with Holiday after Lion Heart success in 2015. However, their approach is little different this time. Holiday sounds grander and bolder because of brass, saxophone, and trumpet domination. Beside that, it has stronger vocal too. Listening to Holiday reminds me with Broadway production.

Aside from Broadway, Holiday gives a nostalgic feeling to SNSD older tracks. The loud beat as well as repetitive chorus seems like homage to Gee and Oh!. This song maintains SNSD signature pop style. At the same time, it does not sound overly cute since the main retro theme keeps its elegance.

Holiday is a solid and catchy single from SNSD. But, it is still lacking in some parts. The transition after chorus could be smoother. They need to work on drum arrangements at chorus ending. It sounds like the song will end soon although it is actually not. Moreover, Hyoyeon’s rap and Tiffany’s bridge create jarring transition after chorus since their part has different tone from rest of Holiday.

Other than that, Holiday also has too many ad-libs from Tiffany, Taeyeon, and Seohyun. This becomes problem because some of their parts sound like Taetiseo song with all those retro and elegant vibe. It seems they still need more effort to differentiate SNSD and Taetiseo sound.

As for music video, it successfully captured Holiday lyrics. Seohyun write its lyrics, which talked about how you must have fun and go on holiday with SNSD. We see SNSD act to make you join various activities in front of camera throughout the music video. They pick clothes in their room, go to restaurant then dance in studio.

Their activities give interesting charm to Holiday music video. Most of them related with their previous music videos. The bedroom setting resembles I Got A Boy, elevator scene looks straight up from Hoot while mannequin properties appears as icon in Gee.

Holiday music video becomes more fun with its musical inspired concept. Throughout the video, SNSD walks around and sings while changes their activity. They also add retro vibe to incorporate with the song through cinematography. It looks a bit blur to emphasize old school feeling. Then SNSD also appears in bright styling although some of the outfits is a hit or miss.

SNSD plays out with disco music in All Night. They brings us back to 70s era through synthesizer and keyboard sound. All of these instruments dominated the song verses. It accompanied with delicate yet sultry vocal from Sooyoung, Yoona, Yuri, and Hyoyeon.

When it reaches chorus part, the music changes. SNSD put modern touch by including electronic dance genre. Their vocal tone changes too where Seohyun and Sunny take the lead. The transition sounds smooth because there is constant melody. I love this combination! It works well and builds up the song. Moreover, it is nice to see SNSD adapt with trend while still maintain their signature hook during chorus.

As a whole, All Night is better song than Holiday. It sounds more fresh and sophisticated. Still, All Night is not a perfect song. It would be better if SNSD removed rap part and dance breakdown. Both look outdated and not match the song flow.

Meanwhile, All Night music video comes with two versions. The first one has longer duration, which includes SNSD interviews. They talk about their experiences and meaning of their group. Unfortunately, the interview bits do not work well with the rest of All Night music video. It was because the song displays fun vibe while interview describes SNSD emotional moments. It would be better if they put the interview in slower song.

The second video cuts SNSD interview bits. We get more glimpse of All Night choreography. It looks sleek and energetic. Plus, it emphasizes on party scene just like All Night disco genre. SNSD tries to have fun together in club scene throughout music video.

All Night music video also displayed retro theme. It has blurry cinematography to match old era. This supported by SNSD styling which full of sequin dress along with curly hair. Their looks are on point and gorgeous.

In the midst all of these fun aspects, SNSD still shows their emotions in subtle way during All Night music video. Some of them look lonely and distant although they are in crowded place. This gesture is actually matches All Night song lyrics. It is about how SNSD misses their lover and want to spend the night with him.

SNSD delivers solid comeback on their 10^th year anniversary. Holiday brings out nostalgic feeling while All Night shows new side of them. Both songs successfully represent SNSD in mature way.

Also, the girls look enjoyed performing it on the music video. This attitude makes their presence stronger, something that they lack of since several years ago. I wish they could maintain this kind of energy on next release.

It’s impressive to see SNSD still kicking it after 10 years. They manage to show great gift on their anniversary. Congratulations and looking forward for your future endeavors!

Rating:                        4/5 

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SOLO DEBUT SUMMER SHOWDOWN: Tiffany & Jessica

Hello everyone! I’m back with the third edition of Summer Showdown!

Since two years ago, I started making review based on several summer releases. Why summer? Like I often said, most big names usually make their comeback during summer.

I started this section with Girl’s Day and SISTAR two years ago then followed by the massive girl group comebacks last year. I enjoyed making it, so I will do it again this year! Hopefully, this will be a regular section in my blog J

This year theme will be solo showdown between two girl group members, Tiffany and Jessica. Both of them are a part of Girls’ Generation, but Jessica left the group in 2014 due to different interests.

Both Tiffany and Jessica made their first solo debut this year on May. Tiffany released her first mini album, I Just Wanna Dance with same title track on May 11. One week later, Jessica released her mini album, With Love, J with title track, Fly on May 17.

Tiffany and Jessica are two strong vocalists in Girls’ Generation, yet their style is different from each other. What will they bring to the K-Pop music scene? Here is my review for Tiffany and Jessica solo venture…………………………………………………………………….

PS: I will only review the title track and its whole concept. Please refrain from commenting on another issue that has nothing to do with the title track.

Tiffany – I Just Wanna Dance

Tiffany surprises us with I Just Wanna Dance. Instead of going with the usual pop or R&B route, she chooses electro pop genre for her title track. Tiffany goes for more retro electro pop. The synthesizer and keyboard sound resembles sound from 80s era.

The way Tiffany’s voice sounds also fit the retro theme where her voice sounds fade away among the electronic music. Unfortunately, this becomes a double-edged sword because it fails to showcase Tiffany’s strong and husky voice, which is her characteristic.

I Just Wanna Dance is a song that you can enjoy listening on daily basis. It’s light and easy on our ear. However, I Just Wanna Dance lacks something that will grab your attention such as strong dynamic, hook and stands out vocal, which is not a good thing for a first solo attempt.

Thankfully, I Just Wanna Dance music video makes up the song weakness. The music video represents Tiffany herself. She looks gorgeous with her styling. We see Tiffany comeback to her hometown in California and wander around from the street, restaurant, motel to the beach.

Tiffany keeps her signature pink tone throughout the music video. The mix of pink and dark tone resulted quite unusual color palette and I like it. The color tone fits the retro theme well too although I’m not sure how the whole music video cooperates with the song lyrics that asked us to dance.

Tiffany gives us another surprise in I Just Wanna Dance music video by putting choreography. Tiffany is known to be not a strong dancer, so it’s shocking to see her tries some sleek choreography. It looks great and different from the usual K-Pop routine. In fact, the dance scene is my favorite scene in I Just Wanna Dance music video.

Jessica – Fly

For her first solo attempt, Jessica sticks to pop genre.  Fly is a catchy pop track with strong hook and nice dynamic. It’s really easy to listen and remember. Jessica’s light voice shines in Fly although there is several times where it sounds too nasally.

Fly also has strong lyrics, which kind of personal for Jessica if you consider her takes part in composition and her situation post-Girls’ Generation. It tells us to never doubt yourself, go higher, and catch your dreams.

Fly works well for Jessica, however it doesn’t really offer something new. It’s a simple pop song with certain instrument (drum) that dominates the whole song. The rap section by rapper Fabolous also doesn’t give significant effect to the song.

Fly music video represents the song lyrics about Jessica’s journey to the top. Instead of sticking with the usual emotional storyline, she puts a twist on storyline, making it fun while still represents Jessica.

Fly music video follows Jessica who got lost in the middle of desert. She found a photo a photo of mountain called Winter Wonderland and tried to go there. In Jessica’s style, she kept her journey pretty by wearing her mini dress, glamour hairstyle, and makeup while taking her suitcase to Winter Wonderland.

The fun aspect also added by the music video setting such as colorful desert and house. Also, Fly choreography looks simple and fun too. Among all those colorful elements, Fly music video still uses light brown for the whole tone, making the whole look seems more calm and fits the song theme.

Despite both being good vocalists, I Just Wanna Dance and Fly prove that Tiffany and Jessica’s music style is different from each other. Tiffany experiments with electro pop genre while Jessica keeps it safe with pop track. Both offer a great music video, which represents their signature style.

Truthfully, both I Just Wanna Dance and Fly doesn’t fully show these two women potential. If I have to choose, the song and music video of Fly works for Jessica better. She still shines with her singing and emotional lyrics although the production value of the song doesn’t really stand out. Plus if we see the live performance, she’s more lively and engaging. Whereas I Just Wanna Dance does the opposite way. It has great production value both the song and music video, but it overpowers Tiffany herself.

Still, good job for both girls and that’s the end for the third summer showdown! Which one is your favorite? Which Girls’ Generation member you want to see her solo next? Share your thoughts below!

Tiffany – I Just Wanna Dance

Rating:                        3/5

Jessica – Fly

Rating:                        3.25/5

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[MUSIC ALBUM REVIEW] Girls' Generation - Lion Heart (2015)

After releasing Party, Girls’ Generation is back with their fifth Korean album, Lion Heart. This is a special album for them because it’s the first time they have two songs as their title track. Beside that, this album is also a test for them to see if they could maintain their top position after Jessica’s departure last year. Let’s see the review of their newest album below……………………………

Lion Heart brings back the old school sound of Girls’ Generation. It has a smooth flow and simple hook part which will remind us with their past releases such as Gee or Hoot. But at the same time, they offer something fresh, the retro sound. Funky bass and drum line, finger snaps, and vocal harmonization dominated this song. It’s quite a surprise because Girls’ Generation rarely sings this type of genre.

Lion Heart shows more mature side of Girls’ Generation in terms of concept. In the music video, they put bold make up and wear glamorous dresses. It fits their age while also fits the retro concept. Their choreography becomes bolder too with the leg-spreading dance although it did not fit the song and their dress; making it looks awkward. However, we can still find the youthful vibe of Girls’ Generation in the music video. It has colorful visual and funny storyline about the lion guy who is bad, but irresistible.

If we want to see the fierce and strong Girls’ Generation, You Think is the right choice. It has strong hip-hop beat combined with powerful vocal and rap. The girls styling in the music video is also different from Lion Heart. They sported darker look from make up to clothes. They look gorgeous, which makes the music video more appealing despite lack of variation in terms of setting and shot.

You Think has a great potential to be a girl power anthem since it talked about the girls anger about a man who backstabbed them. Unfortunately, this song lacks of something. The music sounds unpolished because it only relies on the strong hip-hop beat. They should add more sound such as guitar riff or synthesizer for variation and as a punch to the song. On another note, the vocal is too much and it disrupts the enjoyment of listening to this song. There are too many unnecessary high notes like the “You’re not” part. The rap part is a miss this time and they should stop making the girls’ rap because it always hit or miss.

You can find Party review here!

We cool it up a bit on the fourth track, One Afternoon. Just like the title, this sounds like a song to accompany your coffee time at the café in one afternoon. The acoustic guitar sound gives out the chill vibe throughout the song. The girls sound lovely in this song. In fact, their voice and harmonization is what makes the song special.

This song fits their vocal color, so it makes each of them shine on their own. Seohyun as well as Yuri continues to impress me and Tiffany sounds great if she sings on her range. Moreover, all of them do a good job in conveying the song lyrics. Behind their sweet voice, we can feel their longing and sadness since the song talked about how they miss a guy and wish they could fix their relationship. There is a bittersweet feeling on it.

Show Girls, the Korean version of their Japanese single, shows woman confidence on its lyrics, which is a good thing for a role model group like Girls Generation.  This song makes us feel like we are in a cabaret. It starts with flirty vocal along with piano and bass sound on the verses. Then as the trumpet and drum comes in, the song tempo gets faster. Unfortunately, this strong build up does not followed by the chorus. The chorus is quite a letdown because there is too much sound going on, but at the same time, too little vocal.

Fire Alarm leans more into 80s electronic sound with the domination of funky bass line and synthesizer. It grabs your attention since the first listen with its catchy “Danger” lyrics. The lyrics are the important part of this song because it carries the song dynamic.

This song starts with loud vocal and electronic music as a warning for the girls to get closer with the guy. Then, the vocal gets softer during the verses where the girls are being cautious with everyone since they still want to pursue the guy. The bass line during this part also adds the mysterious aspect. The music gets more up beat at the chorus and the girls begin to ask each other whether they should avoid him or not. We may not know the ending, but this song provides a fun journey of their love story.

There is a high influence of 90s R&B song through the synthesizer and strong beat in Talk Talk. This sound keeps going throughout the song, so the girls should play out on their vocal to avoid the song becomes repetitive. Talk Talk shows the improvement of Girls’ Generation vocal and their ability to put longing emotions based on the song theme. Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun are good as always while Yoona and Hyoyeon get memorable parts that fit their voice. But the stars of this song are Sunny, who is indeed the hidden gem of the group along with Sooyoung and Yuri, who both belt more challenging notes from their usual line.

Green Light is a fun song. This song describes a relationship just like traffic light. If you give me a green light, I will start the engine and come for you. The cute song lyrics accompanied by the girls’ playful voice. The electric guitar and electronic instruments sound also add fun aspect to the song. However, the song has its own problem. It is more suitable for f(x) discography. The electronic music, their way of singing, and the fast rap part screams f(x) for me.

Beside Party, Paradise is a song that fits current summer theme. Listening to this song will make us want to go on a trip with our boyfriend.  The electric guitar sound will lift up our spirit. Meanwhile, the synthesizer sound gives the dreamy vibe just like the song lyrics about how being with our lover makes us feel like we are in paradise. Both of these sounds also keep the continuity of the retro theme. This song also gives spotlight to Yoona and Hyoyeon. Their soft and low voice matches the song, especially during the bridge part.

Check is another old school R&B influenced track with strong beat and bass line. If Talk Talk goes into vulnerable and slower route, this song is the opposite. It’s a medium tempo dance song with sassy lyrics. It is about the girls’ warning to the guy because they will slowly captivate him. This type of lyrics is refreshing in this album. Finally, we see the change where the girls are the dangerous one instead of the boys.

The sass in Check will not work without the girls’ vocal. The girls pull out enough confidence on their vocal (and performance) for this song. The strong and decent vocalists complement each other, resulting good dynamic for the song. The stronger vocalists, TaeTiSeo, shine more because they could display powerful vocal. However, Yoona sweet “Lipstick High Heels Hairstyle” line will definitely steal our attention.

The opening of Signs reminds us with a spy movie. The guitar, synthesizer, and bass sound gives out the mysterious vibe. This is related with the song lyrics since they are desperately looking for their guy. For the verses, the girls’ sing/talk their lines, which is why the dance line (Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, Yoona, and Yuri) gets more part compare to the vocal line. Unfortunately, this mysterious build up does not followed by the chorus. It falls flat because they go into softer voice instead of picking it up. Also, Signs is another track that feel like a f(x) song because of the singing/talking part and the electronic music.

When we first listen to Bump It, we will think that this is a powerful ballad song to close the album. But hold on, the music suddenly changes into hip-hop beat and the girls begin to rap. As we arrive in the chorus part, it’s full of strong vocal and sweet piano melody. What an intense, yet unique song.

Bump It is how I Got A Boy should be. Both songs treat the sudden change of sound as way of telling the story about how they like the boy. However, Bump It works because each part does not sound disjointed with each other, something that I Got A Boy lack of.

Lion Heart is a solid album from Girls’ Generation. It shows a combination of old and new sound of Girls Generation. Each track is pleasant listening, but not many of them stand out among the others since the girls decide to play it safe. As for Jessica absence, other members show huge vocal improvement to fill her absence, especially Sunny and Yuri who get more lines compare to the previous albums. But Jessica’s distinct voice is the one that brings character to Girls’ Generation songs. It differentiates their songs with other groups’ song and TaeTiSeo songs. Speaking of TaeTiSeo, the girls need to work more to differentiate the group and the sub-unit because there are some songs in this album that could fit TaeTiSeo album. Overall, a nice effort from Girls’ Generation!

Favorite Songs   : Lion Heart, One Afternoon, Fire Alarm, Talk Talk, Check, Bump It

Rating                      : 3/5

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