~ SHINee's BACK! ~

*Minho whispering* shinee’s back, shinee’s back, shinee’s back back back back back! The great, the superb, the genius, the supreme, the LEGENDS ARE BACK!

On February 22^nd, 2021, SHINee, also known as the pioneers of the second generation, came back with their 7^th full-length album entitled “Don’t Call Me” and the title track of the same name. It was their first comeback since 2018 and since three of the members enlisted in the military. This comeback was highly anticipated by the whole Kpop community, and they honestly didn’t disappoint.

If you’re still unfamiliar with SHINee, I invite you to read the article I wrote about them (click here) before getting into this comeback dissection. 

Without any further due, let’s get started! 

PART 1: The “Teasing”

On February 5, SHINee held a show called “The Ringtone: SHINee’s back” where they performed previous songs, and where they clearly teased their comeback. They broke down their schedule and gave away some clues about the song and the MV. They also performed “Marry You”, a b-side track of the album which has KILLER vocals. The high-pitched notes Onew hit, the harmonies, they truly are vocal kinds. Then, they literally gave the pre-chorus and the chorus away on Knowing Bros. I usually don’t like it when they give away the whole song before it’s released (like they did with CIX’s cinema for example), but I couldn’t resist because it’s SHINee you know. I also know they did a couple of Vlives with some of the members chatting and giving away some hints but I didn’t keep up on those.

PART 2: Everything about the title track 

The song

 

 

 

 

 

 

To me who knows SHINee’s discography almost by heart, I don’t think they ever tried this badass/grungy concept before. How they always manage to do something new (while still being themselves) is still a mystery to me.

The whole pre-chorus and chorus section is really catchy, especially that “Don’t call me, don’t call me” part in the pre-chorus. The vocals are undeniably perfect, especially Onew’s lines and Taemin’s high note in the first part of the bridge.

Then, the second part of the bridge kicks in, right after Key’s line saying “Sorry the number you’ve dialed has been disconnected”. THAT PART, with the piano kicking in, is a masterpiece on its own. Hearing that drove me crazy, who would’ve thought about introducing such piano chords in a song like this? Obviously, they did, they dared, and they won.

The MV

First of all, let’s talk about the outfits and the hairstyles. Minho with red hair is… fire? He just looks FINE with red hair. Add the cowboy hat and the open leather jacket and you got the jackpot. They also opted for the bandana which is a powerful reminder of the early 2000s and which they rocked. Finally, Key’s crazy black thing on his hair. I don’t know if that’s a wig or just a hair accessory, but only him can pull this off. It would look terrible on anyone else but on him it just looks normal.

Second, the sets. Onew’s set with the umbrella and the rain is just stunning. But then there’s also Minho’s set which is totally in sync with his hot red hair and … objects floating in the air? I don’t know what was that but it looked cool.

Finally, the color scheme. There’s a pretty strong contrast between cold and warm colors. The main scenes have a yellow/orange/red dominant, but the outfits always brough a touch of blue. I have to admit that it’s not my favorite combination of colors, but we also have monochromatic scenes like Minho’s and Onew’s sets.

The performance

Nowadays the Kpop industry tends to privilege the performance over live vocals, which is why what Angelina (check her YouTube channel here) would call L.A.R is becoming more and more common. L.A.R (a.k.a live all recorded) is a pre-recorded "live" track idols will lip-sync over when performing a song. This track is not the studio version, it has more imperfections in it (such as breaths), but that is still pre-recorded. I'm not mad at SHINee at all for doing this and I'm nowhere near insulting them because if they want to dance like they did there's no way their vocals could sound that flawless. What gives it away is that you clearly can't hear any movement in their voices. When they're popping, their voice sounds just like they weren't. Try to make your voice sound flawless while moving like this, it's simply impossible. 

So I won't judge their vocals here but rather the dance and the staging. The way they move around the stage is pretty clever, giving every member an even close-up time. Minho's really going hard with his facial expressions, as well as Taemin. But what really surprised me is Taemin playing the piano right before the bridge comes in. That was just ... perfect *chef's kiss*. The outfits are pretty good too, especially Onew's. I'm just not a fan of the gloves...

PART 3: Breaking down the full “Don’t Call Me” album

The album has 9 tracks in total: Don’t Call Me, Heart Attack, Marry You, CØDE, I really want you, Kiss Kiss, Body Rhythm, Attention, and Kind. 

Marry You:

This song really is a straight up confession. The way they pronounce the “I” in the chorus is so sensual and jazzy at the same time, and how they switch between major and minor fascinates me. I won’t comment on the harmonies because we all know they’re perfect.

CØDE:

This song is my favorite b-side of the album. That heavy synth in the first verse reminds me daft punk a little bit. I know this comparison sounds weird but that synth hits hard, even in the second part of the chorus. And here again the way they switch harmonies is pretty amazing. 

I Really Want You:

I can’t pin point what this riff at the beginning reminds me of and that’s so frustrating!!! I could picture this song as an opening for a comic movie or something like this, it’s so playful and cheerful and is probably a close second right behind CØDE. 

Body Rhythm:

That intro reminded me of Astro’s blue flame mixed with a little bit of Mamamoo. I would be really curious to see the dance for this song, I picture something sensual and groovy at the same time, just like the song.

Kind:

As soon as the song started, I knew I would feel nostalgic. I don’t mind the voice modifiers at the beginning since it adds to this nostalgic feeling. Of course, the piano in the instrumental made me feel even more nostalgic if that’s even possible, but yeah whenever there’s melancholic piano chords I’m in for an emotional ride folks. And what’s worse is that I’m torturing myself by imagining shawols singing this live in a concert. I can’t wait for this pandemic to be over…

As for Heart Attack, Kiss Kiss, and Attention, they didn’t really stand out to me, but they still are great songs. 

That’s it guys! I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts on the comeback and the album below, and tell us what is your favorite song on the album.

Take care and I’ll see you all soon!

Love, Swan

 

Sources: Republicworld, Upi.com, Yesasia.com, Soompi. 
No copyright infringement intended. 

 ~ STRONGEST DELIVERYMAN ~

~ 17/20 ~

Korean Title: 최강 배달꾼

English Title: Strongest Deliveryman

Country: South Korea

Director: Kim Shin Il, Jeon Woo Sung

Screenwriter: Lee Jung Woo

Genres: Friendship, Business, Comedy, Romance, Life, Youth

Episodes: 16

Aired: Aug 4, 2017 – Sep 23, 2017

Original Network: KBS2

Duration: 52 minutes per episode.

Where to watch: Netflix, Dramacool (attention to ads)

Main Cast:

• Go Kyung Pyo as Choi Kang-Soo
• Chae Soo Bin as Lee Dan-Ah
• Kim Seon Ho as Oh Jin Gyu
• Go Won Hee as Lee Ji Yoon

Supporting Cast:

•  Son Ji Hyun as Choi Yun Ji (Dan-Ah's roommate) 
• Kim Hye Ri as Jung Hye Ran (Ji Yoon's mother)
• Lee Won Jong as Oh Seong Hwan (Jin Gyu's father)
• Jo Hee Bong as Jang Dong Soo (Pal Pal's chef) 
• Lee Min Young as Soon Ae (Pal Pal's manager)

Brief resume:

Choi Kang-Soo has been a delivery man for 5 years now. However, he never stayed at the same place for long. One day, he moves to a new town with a famous street full of small restaurants, one of them being Palpal Noodles. Palpal Noodles is a Chinese food restaurant held by the owner, the chef, and a manager with an unconventional sense of humor. Kang-Soo decides to work here, but in order to get in he’ll have to convince Lee Dan-Ah, another worker at the same restaurant.

Dan-Ah is a delivery woman who has been working for 5 years just like Kang-Soo. Strong-witted and determined, Dan-Ah works hard to earn money and learn English in order to leave South Korea and go to college.

Hostile towards each other at first, the two delivery workers will develop a strong friendship and will both strive to become successful. And for them, success means being like rich people such as Lee Ji Yoon, daughter of Jung Hye Ran, the CEO of a huge food company, and Oh Jin Gyu, son of Oh Seong Hwan, CEO of a huge construction group.  

However, in a country where the law is weak, where the people supposed to apply the law corrupted, and where the strong and rich people are treating the others like trash, Kang-Soo and Dan-Ah will learn that being the strongest is not enough to achieve success.

Diving deeper into the characters:

Choi Kang Soo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kang-Soo is first introduced as a man with a strong pride. In the first episode START OF SPOIL Dan-Ah yelled at him to sit properly during his “interview” and perplex at first, he refused to cooperate and got up of his chair. END OF SPOIL But as we get to know about his past and his motivations, we get attached to him really fast. He also has a strong sense of justice that will, unfortunately, turn against him. I live in a country where justice doesn’t do her job, where everything is corrupted, and I can tell you that when it comes to human rights, we can get really angry. There’s this scene when START OF SPOIL Kang-Soo barged in the prosecutor’s office and got all worked up because he dropped the charges while he was supposed to send Oh Jin Gyu in jail for illegally closing a main street and causing a civilian to fall in a coma. END OF SPOIL What I like most about this character is that his personality is well balanced. He’s not too funny, not too serious, not too stubborn, every single trait of his is well-dosed.

Lee Dan-Ah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan-Ah seems to have lost faith in the country’s system. She knows she has no future in South Korea because she has no money and has to work too much in order to just survive. This is why her ultimate goal is to fly abroad and go to college so she won’t be indebted for life like her parents. She lives in a tiny rooftop room with her friend, whom I had a hard time catching up with because I didn’t quite understand her story. She always looks at a countdown on her phone, indicating how many days are left until she can leave the country (based on a calculation of the money she earns on a monthly basis I believe). I found that so cute and realistic at the same time, I remember setting a countdown on my phone until the day of BTS’s concert, and every time I was sad, I just had to look at it to feel better. But when she starts looking at Kang-Soo differently, and when she realises she might have a happy future with him besides her, her plans start to change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, Dan-Ah made me learn that if we don’t want to look like someone who makes early conclusions and someone full of prejudices, we shouldn’t assume something before having a proof that what we’re saying/thinking is true. In fact, in the early episodes, START OF SPOIL Kang-Soo let Lee Ji Yoon sleep in his room (that is in the second floor of the restaurant) because she had run away from home. The girl came back with all her clothes, makeup and accessories and left them in the room. At some point, Dan-Ah got in, saw the girl clothes, and assumed that Kang-Soo was into dressing like a girl. She even gifted him a dress later in the series! END OF SPOIL In real life this kind of thing can really harm the person concerned.

Oh Jin Gyu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This character is hard to deal with maybe because he's just stupid, only cares about cars, and thinks money can buy anything. But I think Kim Seon Ho played the role really well, especially in the second part of the series where Jin Gyu finally surrounds himself with meaningful people and starts to work really hard (while still being a little bit clueless, but that's how his personality is). 

Jin Gyu is also the living proof that having too much pride won't help even if you're very rich because no, you can't buy everything with money. Having pride is okay, but it shouldn't make you forget your principles such as apologizing to someone you harmed physically or mentally. 

Lee Ji Yoon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This girl is the perfect match for Jin Gyu. She's wealthy, clueless, naive, and really clumsy, almost awkward. But she's really funny, and that's what I love most about her. She knows to stand up for herself and her friends when needed, and can be really bold sometimes. I absolutely loved it when START OF SPOIL she defended herself in front of her boss when Jin Gyu accused her of not treating him well when she just accidentally dropped her earring in his drink. END OF SPOIL

Jung Hye Ran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The CEO of Jungga and also Ji Yoon's mother is the bad bitch in this whole series, and I thought it was a well-thought character until the last episode. During the whole series she fought for her company even if it meant harming her employees, she was ruthless towards her opponents and at the end she just accepts things and disappears. I also thought there could've been more things to say about her. There's a brief moment when she says that Jungga is all about premium food, but we don't know how she started, what were the struggles she encountered, etc. I just would've appreciated to see more of her so I could understand her and her evil actions.

Finally, before we move on to my personal opinion, I want to point out Lee Min Young's character, Soon Ae the manager of Pal Pal. I don't know what words to use to qualify her, but I think unconventional sums it up. I felt so many different emotions when she was on screen, in a good and a bad way. But I definitely liked that she was different. 

My opinion:

I want to thank myself for watching this drama a second time which made me love it! When I watched it for the first time, I really wasn’t paying attention to the story. I was getting used to complex stories and extreme plot twists, so this drama seemed a little bit boring during my first watch, especially that we also get the "Rich vs Poor" story AGAIN.

However, on my second try, I really appreciated the characters and their development, and this touch of humanity and reality that we don't find in every single drama out there. Plus, it is well balanced between funny scenes and serious/tense moments.

I would definitely recommend Strongest Deliveryman for its accuracy, its simplicity, and its realism. Despite not having a huge budget, messages were delivered and lessons learned. It's great start for those who just stepped into drama land but also for those who want to take a break from school-themed dramas and unrealistic love stories, or from complex storylines.

That's it for Strongest Deliveryman! If you have watched the drama let us know how you felt about it in the comments below, and I'll see you all soon!

Love, Swan

 

Sources: Mydramalist, Allkpop.

No copyright infringement intended.

Bicycle: Chungha's long-awaited comeback

On February 15, 2021 Chungha came back with her long-awaited studio album "Querencia" and the title track "Bicycle". This album was teased for a very long time with four pre-releases before it came out. If you want to know my opinion on the pre-releases you can check out the "discography" part on Chungha's presentation article. In this article I will mainly focus on the comeback (the music video, the song and the live performance of Bicycle) and the actual album (which contains 4 sides, 21 tracks in total). Before we start, let me remind you that this article is being constructed only around my personal opinion and my own point of view. 

Part 1: Everything about Bicycle

A) The Song

Let's start with the song itself, which was my least favourite part of the comeback. I do want to praise Chungha's control over her voice, because the "slides" she does at the end of some sentences are not easy to do (like the "get out of my way-ah" in the chorus). I also want to praise her for her rap, she's not a rapper but she's got the flow and the attitude. Also, the tone she uses when saying "get on my bike let's go" before the chorus kicks in is very sexy. However, there are some things that bothered me in this song. First up: That "broom broom broom" in the chorus. It ruins the chorus for me just like it did with Cravity's "My turn". Second, I expected the last chorus to be more epic. I'm used to hear such powerful vocals at the end of her songs, or at least a change of mood in the last chorus, but here it was definitely missing something. Finally, I'm so mad that the dance break portion isn't included in the digital song version.

I won't say this song is not title-track worthy because it is. Always remember that a title track is destined to appeal to as many people as it can. I can definitely see a lot of people liking it because it also has this latin and sassy vibe, because it's easy to listen to and it's catchy. But this song is definitely not my favorite of the album, and is average when it comes to Chungha's title tracks. 

B) The Music Video

Holy crap the budget they must've had to film this music video. The outfits are gorgeous and just look expensive right of the bat, the sets are amazing, Chungha is shining in every aspect, and the editing is really on point. Every time there's a close up on her she serves attitude and the colour schemes totally match the vibe of the song. 

There are two outfits I absolutely flashed on: The golden one when she has her curly hairstyle (I would love to see more idols with curly hair), and the one she has in the dance break that is more like my style. And my favorite set has to be the one with the pool, especially at the time of the dance break when they're all in the pool dancing with the water. 

C) The Performance

Finally, let's talk about the choreography. I will never get tired of saying it, Chungha is THE QUEEN when it comes to dancing. Her years of experience in that field say it all. It might not be my number one choreography, but it is definitely one of her best. And oh my god the dance break, it's just so powerful. At some point I thought that she and AleXa should collaborate because the dance break reminded me a little of AleXa's style (and she's also an amazing dancer). 

Part 2: My thoughts on the album

 "Querencia" is a full studio album composed of 21 tracks in total divided into 4 sides:

• Side A {Noble}: Bicycle, Masquerade, Flying on faith, Luce Sicut Stellae.
• Side B {Savage}: Stay Tonight, Dream of you (ft. R3hab), Bother me, Chill.
• Side C {Unknown}: Play (ft. Changmo), Demente (ft. Guaynaa, Lemon (ft. Colde), Byulharang (160504 + 170607).
• Side D {Pleasures}: X, All night long, Everybody has, Come N Goes. 
  
  

The direction this album takes as the songs pass by is original to say the least. Side A starts strong with the title track, followed by "Masquerade" that has more of this latin vibe. But then, we switch to "Flying on faith" that is more calm and slow-paced than the two previous songs, with an amazing guitar sound that got me going crazy. Side A ends with Luce Sicut Stellae (translation: shine like a star) that is also in the slower register.

Then, we start side B with Stay tonight, followed by Dream of You, that are both dance tracks that will make you want to get off your chair and move your butt. "Bother Me" is still in that EDM style but it's more like a song I'd listen to when driving due to the instrumental that's less heavy. Finally, "Chill" lets your heart rate slow down. This is a song I totally picture singing along to at a concert. Imagine the crowd going "Chillhae Chillhae Chillhae"... goosebumps. 

We move on to Side C with "Play". That was unexpected. It would've made more sense to put it in Side B with all the hype songs in it and move Chill in either side C or D. At this point I just don't seem to find any logic in the order of the songs. Play has to be the song that never fails to make me dance, first because it is such a good song, and second because its choreography is amazing. After Play we have "Demente". Never have I ever expected her to sing in Spanish. Her pronunciation isn't the best but it's not that bad either, she surely worked on that. Now, I just don't like this song because this genre has been overdone too many times and I just don't enjoy it as I used to anymore. "Lemon" comes next, and honestly I just don't have anything to say about this song. It's okay, not transcendent but not bad. Finally, to end Side C we have "Byulharang (160504 + 170607)". I know the first number is a reference to I.O.I's debut date (May 4th, 2016) and the second is a reference to her own debut date as a solo artist (June 7th, 2017), and Byulharang is how her fans are called. So this song is obviously dedicated to her fans and I could sense the honesty behind the lyrics. 

Last but not least, Side D. I think this side is the most homogeneous one in the sense that the songs have more or less the same pace and the same mood. The first track on this side is "X", one of her pre-releases. This song is really different from what I'm used to hear from her, but turns out I'm listening to it once every day. I want to praise the way this song progresses, the changes from major to minor are really nice, and there's this distortion of the instruments in the bridge that's really nice. Then, "All Night Long" plays, and we're still in that calming register with the instrumental being less crowded than in X. The piano chords are soothing and her pronunciation is neat and clear, in coordination with the main beat. I find this song very satisfying because we know exactly where it's going and its composition is not complex. Next we have "Everybody Has". Just like for Lemon, I don't have anything to say about this song. It's very slow and repetitive, and there's nothing interesting happening. These two songs could've been removed from the album it wouldn't make any difference to me. Lastly, we have "Come N Goes". What a good way to end a song. I can totally picture this song playing at the end of her concert. It's not too hyped up nor too quiet. I absolutely love the second part of the chorus when she says "It comes and goes", this part really felt good. 

To put it in a nutshell, I think this album marks a big turn in Chungha's career. I think she's on the road to finding her trademark, and even though there are some tracks on the album I didn't enjoy as much as the others (that was bond to happen anyways with that many tracks) the overall result is really satisfying. If I had to choose my favourite songs of this album (putting pre-releases aside) it has to be "Chill", "Comes N Goes" and "Flying on faith". 

Feel free to comment down below your opinion on Chungha's comeback and what you think of the album overall!

Take care, and I'll see you all soon ;) 

Love, Swan

 

Sources: Taiyou.fr,  k-gen.fr, Kprofiles