WONDER GIRLS - REBOOT
Track List:
1. Baby Don`t Play
2. Candle (Feat. PALOALTO)
3. I Feel You
4. Rewind
5. Loved
6. John Doe
7. One Black Night
8. Back
9. Oppa
10. When Love Tries To Leave
11. Gone
12. At This Moment
After a three-year hiatus, amid breakup rumors and lineup changes, the Wonder Girls are back as a foursome. Yenny, Lim, Sunmi, and Yubin have returned with the appropriately named 'Reboot.' 12 tracks are here for your listening pleasure, including the JYP-penned "I Feel You." The rest of the songs are written and composed by the girls themselves.
The first track is "Baby Don't Play," a mass of synth washes and slams with a steady, pounding beat. The girls inject a dose of smoothness with their harmonies during the main verses. The chorus is hooky and enjoyable to sing along with. The girls are asking the guy not to play mind games and mess with her heart.
The second is "Candle." This tune reminded me a lot of a Depeche Mode song. Well, until the girls started rapping, that is. The expansive chorus really draws you into the song, and the last repeated "light my candle" is a great hook. Rapper Paloalto takes his turn, and his raps mesh well with the tune. As to what it's about, well, I'll let the girls tell you:
Next up is the title track, "I Feel You," by JYP. The song itself is very much a return to the 80's dance pop that informed "Tell Me." The girls' voices combine to create a seductive, breathy hook during the main verses ("I feel you"). The song itself is about crushing hard on a guy.
"Rewind" is a mid-tempo jam with a pounding beat. There's melancholy evident in the tune, telling you that the subject matter is not all sweetness and light. The girls handle it well, their voices changing to reflect the mood. Yubin's raps almost sound angry and spat out. The lyrics speak of the girls wanting to rewind and be happy in their relationship again.
"Loved" starts out almost like trap, with a part from Yubin. More keyboards quickly come in to fill the gap, to remind us that it is a pop song. Again the 80's influences are redolent in the springy synths. I've always had a thing for Yubin and her style, and here she gets a part before each verse. The lyrics talk of the end of a relationship and loving someone too much
Starting immediately with vocals, "John Doe" has some synth horns laid over a somewhat frenetic beat and melody. It grabs you and doesn't let go til the end. There are some smooth harmonies, though not so much as in previous tracks. The girls are singing about an attractive stranger.
We come to "One Black Night," that sort of has a lonely voice before the girls all join in the chorus. It has a similar frenetic energy to "John Doe, but the rap-chants take it out of that realm quickly. It's a naughty tune about what happens between lovers at night.
"Back" is a playful rap tune, with sampled scratches and backbeats. It's not just Yubin this time, all four girls get in on it, and they sound like they're having the time of the lives. You can almost hear the smiles on their faces, and the track brings a smile to mine. This song reminds you once and for all that they are "Back."
Another playful track, "Oppa" has a bit of idol rapping, and it's a lot of fun. You can just see the fingers in the air as you listen to them educate their oppa, who has a tiny speaking part protesting their actions. In this fun song, the girls tell their oppa that they wanna go out, dance, and have fun tonight.
"When Love Tries To Leave" fades in as it becomes a fully realized slow jam. It has almost a French europop sensibility to it, it's a pretty song, and the girls kill it here, from some disaffected vocal tones to the harmonies during the bridge. It's a slow jam about love and loss.
"Gone" is still at a lower tempo, echoing some loneliness and frustration. It's sort of that midway point between ballad and pop-song, not slow enough to be a ballad, and some honking synths and a strong drum beat remind you it's not. The harmonies now become more about pain than smoothness. The shift in tone is not jarring, and the song still fits well with the rest of the LP. The tune itself is about being "the other woman."
In "At This Moment" the girls switch to full-on ballad mode. It's stripped-down tune, free of much of the baggage that characterizes the standard ballad. I've noticed a trend, where ballads are becoming less syrupy, eschewing the faux orchestra and relying on the vocals to carry them more, which to me make them better, and make this one a great capper to the LP. The lyrics are pretty, too:
The Wonder Girls left us wondering about the band, their future in flux. As some solos were released and news of other members leaving the band came out, we fans were left to speculate on what would happen. It's nice to see that it was simply a break, leaving some to focus on solo careers (like Sunmi and the genre-breaking HA:TFELT), and others to likely just relax from what often proves to be a punishing schedule. Whatever, they've released an LP full of new songs, some destined to become classics. It's a new sound, to be sure, with nods to the 80's but infused with a fresh, modern take. I can't say it's like they never left, but I'm glad they're back.
MV REVIEW
Bathed in neon colors, the Wonder Girls strut their stuff in their newest MV.
The girls are presented as a band here, in a song that likely wasn't played by a band. Yenny on keyboard, Hyelim on guitar, Sunmi on bass and Yubin on drums. The performance part is somewhat lacking as they occasionally kick out a leg or two, and smiles are also similarly lacking. Yubin is positively scowling over her drum kit. The best parts are the cutaways, where strange effects like a beach blanket is being engulfed by waves only in the frame of the blanket or the scenes where they're all together and just having fun.
The costumes themselves are okay, though even they laughed at the idea that they would be performing live in swimsuits. Swimsuits are a good fit for the season, though we don't really see any outdoor scenes (that shot above seemed like a soundstage).
The dancing is a little lackluster. I can be a little forgiving here, since they're carrying instruments that could easily slip off the shoulder or whip around and hit you during a dance sequence.
The girls needed to be more animated, moving around more and maybe grinning or even clowning around with each other. As it is, it looks kind of static and, while the girls are fun to look at, it's more fun to see people acting like people. That's why the best scenes are the ones where they're not in the band, but unfortunately, the performance is the main part. The MV does not really live up to the hype.
Track List:
1. Baby Don`t Play
2. Candle (Feat. PALOALTO)
3. I Feel You
4. Rewind
5. Loved
6. John Doe
7. One Black Night
8. Back
9. Oppa
10. When Love Tries To Leave
11. Gone
12. At This Moment
After a three-year hiatus, amid breakup rumors and lineup changes, the Wonder Girls are back as a foursome. Yenny, Lim, Sunmi, and Yubin have returned with the appropriately named 'Reboot.' 12 tracks are here for your listening pleasure, including the JYP-penned "I Feel You." The rest of the songs are written and composed by the girls themselves.
The first track is "Baby Don't Play," a mass of synth washes and slams with a steady, pounding beat. The girls inject a dose of smoothness with their harmonies during the main verses. The chorus is hooky and enjoyable to sing along with. The girls are asking the guy not to play mind games and mess with her heart.
The second is "Candle." This tune reminded me a lot of a Depeche Mode song. Well, until the girls started rapping, that is. The expansive chorus really draws you into the song, and the last repeated "light my candle" is a great hook. Rapper Paloalto takes his turn, and his raps mesh well with the tune. As to what it's about, well, I'll let the girls tell you:
"Say you love me, cuddle me more
No one knowing tonight
Light up my candle
Light up my candle
I'm your candle"
Next up is the title track, "I Feel You," by JYP. The song itself is very much a return to the 80's dance pop that informed "Tell Me." The girls' voices combine to create a seductive, breathy hook during the main verses ("I feel you"). The song itself is about crushing hard on a guy.
"Rewind" is a mid-tempo jam with a pounding beat. There's melancholy evident in the tune, telling you that the subject matter is not all sweetness and light. The girls handle it well, their voices changing to reflect the mood. Yubin's raps almost sound angry and spat out. The lyrics speak of the girls wanting to rewind and be happy in their relationship again.
"Loved" starts out almost like trap, with a part from Yubin. More keyboards quickly come in to fill the gap, to remind us that it is a pop song. Again the 80's influences are redolent in the springy synths. I've always had a thing for Yubin and her style, and here she gets a part before each verse. The lyrics talk of the end of a relationship and loving someone too much
Starting immediately with vocals, "John Doe" has some synth horns laid over a somewhat frenetic beat and melody. It grabs you and doesn't let go til the end. There are some smooth harmonies, though not so much as in previous tracks. The girls are singing about an attractive stranger.
We come to "One Black Night," that sort of has a lonely voice before the girls all join in the chorus. It has a similar frenetic energy to "John Doe, but the rap-chants take it out of that realm quickly. It's a naughty tune about what happens between lovers at night.
"Back" is a playful rap tune, with sampled scratches and backbeats. It's not just Yubin this time, all four girls get in on it, and they sound like they're having the time of the lives. You can almost hear the smiles on their faces, and the track brings a smile to mine. This song reminds you once and for all that they are "Back."
Another playful track, "Oppa" has a bit of idol rapping, and it's a lot of fun. You can just see the fingers in the air as you listen to them educate their oppa, who has a tiny speaking part protesting their actions. In this fun song, the girls tell their oppa that they wanna go out, dance, and have fun tonight.
"When Love Tries To Leave" fades in as it becomes a fully realized slow jam. It has almost a French europop sensibility to it, it's a pretty song, and the girls kill it here, from some disaffected vocal tones to the harmonies during the bridge. It's a slow jam about love and loss.
"Gone" is still at a lower tempo, echoing some loneliness and frustration. It's sort of that midway point between ballad and pop-song, not slow enough to be a ballad, and some honking synths and a strong drum beat remind you it's not. The harmonies now become more about pain than smoothness. The shift in tone is not jarring, and the song still fits well with the rest of the LP. The tune itself is about being "the other woman."
In "At This Moment" the girls switch to full-on ballad mode. It's stripped-down tune, free of much of the baggage that characterizes the standard ballad. I've noticed a trend, where ballads are becoming less syrupy, eschewing the faux orchestra and relying on the vocals to carry them more, which to me make them better, and make this one a great capper to the LP. The lyrics are pretty, too:
"Where have I heard this song somewhere
Remember this moment
Baby I'll always
remember your love."
The Wonder Girls left us wondering about the band, their future in flux. As some solos were released and news of other members leaving the band came out, we fans were left to speculate on what would happen. It's nice to see that it was simply a break, leaving some to focus on solo careers (like Sunmi and the genre-breaking HA:TFELT), and others to likely just relax from what often proves to be a punishing schedule. Whatever, they've released an LP full of new songs, some destined to become classics. It's a new sound, to be sure, with nods to the 80's but infused with a fresh, modern take. I can't say it's like they never left, but I'm glad they're back.
MV REVIEW
Bathed in neon colors, the Wonder Girls strut their stuff in their newest MV.
The girls are presented as a band here, in a song that likely wasn't played by a band. Yenny on keyboard, Hyelim on guitar, Sunmi on bass and Yubin on drums. The performance part is somewhat lacking as they occasionally kick out a leg or two, and smiles are also similarly lacking. Yubin is positively scowling over her drum kit. The best parts are the cutaways, where strange effects like a beach blanket is being engulfed by waves only in the frame of the blanket or the scenes where they're all together and just having fun.
The costumes themselves are okay, though even they laughed at the idea that they would be performing live in swimsuits. Swimsuits are a good fit for the season, though we don't really see any outdoor scenes (that shot above seemed like a soundstage).
The dancing is a little lackluster. I can be a little forgiving here, since they're carrying instruments that could easily slip off the shoulder or whip around and hit you during a dance sequence.
The girls needed to be more animated, moving around more and maybe grinning or even clowning around with each other. As it is, it looks kind of static and, while the girls are fun to look at, it's more fun to see people acting like people. That's why the best scenes are the ones where they're not in the band, but unfortunately, the performance is the main part. The MV does not really live up to the hype.
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