TVXQ - 'RISE AS GOD'

Track List:

1. Vertigo
2. Champagne
3. Rise As One
4. Everyday It Rains
5. Smile
6. Top of The World
7. Apology
8. Komplikated
9. Dominus
10. Lucky Star

Legendary pop duo TVXQ has dropped their new album 'Rise As God.' According to an SM press release, the name of the album is a tip of the hat to their group's name, which roughly translates to "rising gods of the East." If this group's popularity is any indication, the epithet is not far off.� This is their last release before the two boys enter military service. Yunho has already enlisted (variously reported as July 20-21). Changmin will enlist closer to the end of the year.



The first track is "Vertigo," a solid R&B track. With harmonized high vocals, and a sampled "oh oh whoa" as an accompanying melody, this track has almost frantic vocals. The lyrics are a bit enigmatic, having to do with someone that seems more illusory than real, making the duo feel dizzy, giving them vertigo.

"Champagne" is the first of two title tracks, as well as a solo by Yunho.� It's a smooth dance tune with some R&B influence, particularly disco when it hits the bridge. The raps and the hooky chorus really grabbed me: "Got only one day, only one take, only one chance, girl I only want you tonight."



The second title track, "Rise As One," is a solo sung by Changmin. This song hews closer to their early style with orchestral and electropop elements. I really liked the hard beats on this, as well as the song, which has time and instrument transitions that are simply brilliant. This song seems to carry a message to the fans, that they'll just keep going with love from Bigeasts.� �

"Everyday It Rains" is an R&B-inspired tune, it's somewhat medium to slow tempo. It's spare of instrumentation, looking to the duo's voices to carry it.� The boys are looking for their girlfriend, and every time it rains they're reminded of her. The lyrics are evocative:

"You ride on the rain and come to me
The faded memories become clearer, your face too
You ride on the rain and I hear you
Your lips that were sweet, the sound you used to whisper to me."

�

"Smile" is unapologetically funk with blasting horns and a swingy melody during the chorus. The duo combine their voices and the overdubs make it almost seem like a small army of Changmins and Yunhos. The song itself is about woman, a girl they love so much they wouldn't mind putting a ring on her finger.� �

The next track, "Top of the World," is kind of meh. It's sort of an R&B song, but the beat is irregular during the main verses, which kinda throws off the flow of it. It picks up some during the chorus, but it's still not enough to make it sound like anything more than filler. Unsurprisingly, the song itself is about how the girl makes 'em feel incredibly good and confident.



The second Changmin solo, "Apology," is a ballad with (get this!) R&B elements. Despite the slowness of the piece, I really love Changmin's ability to sound fierce in one song, and emotional and heartfelt on the next tune. As you may have already guessed from the title, this particular song has to do with Changmin apologizing to a girl.

"Komplicated" is another Yunho solo, a pop-dance tune filled with echoey effects on the vocals, and some top-heavy autotune to create some extreme vocal distortion just before the chorus. The song is redolent with EDM elements and other space-age sounds. After the ballad this is more my speed. It's a song about how things keep coming between Yunho and the girl, and it's complicated.



The awesomely-titled, mid-tempo "Dominus" has electric guitars and horns, and has some layered effects, as well as incredible vocal power from the boys. It's a pretty mature effort with everything put together like it is. The lyrics have some dark elements to them, which defy the upbeat tone.

"Lucky Star" is the hardest track on the album, but also the highlight. It starts out with a piano melody, but quickly switches to electric guitars. The duo shows us their fierce side with their stinging vocals, sung to a galloping piano and drumbeat. They're saying that they are someone's lucky star, to protect and sparkle for them. You can almost imagine they're saying that to their fans.



This is truly a gift to the fans. These songs set themselves apart from the glut of summer releases. The writers have managed to craft something unique, and the boys rose to the occasion. It is not for nothing that Rolling Stone dubbed them "K-pop royalty." Hopefully these 10 tracks will keep you warm during those 21 months without them.

MV REVIEW - CHAMPAGNE

Join Yunho as he sips "Champagne" in this crazy new MV!

Yunho wears many hats here: bartender, gansgta, and elderly man, even a baby! One of the funnier scenes has him in a barber shop, and the shaving cream gets in his eye and he gestures wildly and feigns anger. Watch him as he chases after a girl in a graffiti-spattered environment, on a skateboard, and dancing around on a stage with smoking hot girls.



This MV has so many costume changes and set changes I don't know where to begin to describe everything. But the zany wardrobe more than perfectly fits this bizarre collection of vignettes.

The dancing, what there is of it, is barely more than moving his head to the music, but it still works well. Viewers tuning in to see him dance will be disappointed.



The video is full of day-glo craziness and antics. Yunho dresses up *a lot* here, and trips from one scene to the next. There's so much going on here it's difficult to describe. So I will leave you with the task of figuring out what's going on. It will definitely get more than a few chuckles out of you while it's playing.�

MV REVIEW - RISE AS ONE

We go from slapstick to solemn in a hurry.

Changmin's MV only features a short flash of him towards the end. Instead, the video chronicles the adventures of two boys as they're put through their paces in this symbolism-laden video.

The tone is a dark one, and it's all drama. No dancing or fan service here, just a video full of intense imagery. Everything is dim, washed out, which is strange for a song this upbeat.

It was a surreal video to watch, because at times it's not entirely clear just what's going on. Let me rephrase that: You know the what, but not the why. Still, at the end, you're left with a vague sense of hope, as the boys stand on the shore of a sprawling ocean.

I have to say, SM Entertainment hired a rather avante-garde director for this one. But, despite the odd imagery, it never strays from its purpose, and keeps your eyes riveted to the screen. There's no awkward scene transitions that make you go WTF? Rather, the whole thing leaves you scratching your head. Still, it's a visual feast, and you'll want to keep watching at least to figure out what they're trying to say.

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