[Song & MV Review] Onew x Rocoberry -- "Lullaby"

1. Lullaby
2. Lullaby (inst)



SHINee's Onew and indie band Rocoberry team up to give you the latest SM STATION track, "Lullaby." For those who don't know, Rocoberry is an indie musical duo -- Roco (vocalist) and Conan (chorus, composer). They both write the lyrics to their songs. "Lullaby" is their tune, reworked to include Onew.



"Lullaby" is a sweet tune that evokes a conversation between two lovers. Roco starts out the tune, but Onew joins soon enough, and soon they're a duo, singing together. There's a cleanly picked guitar riff that serves as the main melody.



It's quietly sung�like a lullaby should be, and Roco and Onew half-sing half-whisper their parts tenderly. It starts out with Roco singing that Onew can sleep well tonight�and that she had to work late. Onew answers with similar sentiments. You get the idea that the message is "good night, wherever you are." It works well on a lot of levels, soothing to the ears and medicine for the soul. It's a beautiful tune and just what you need to calm down.

Onew is well known for his voice, and here he shows us exactly why. Roco shows herself to be a capable vocalist as well; there is just something about her voice that really makes this a lullaby. Conan is to be commended too -- without his arrangements, this song wouldn't have worked as well. I can honestly say they did a fantastic job.

MV REVIEW

The MV is actually a pretty good one. It takes on the loneliness and isolation of its two main stars, Roco and Onew. They appear to be in separate places, or possibly the same place at different times. They both fill their time with standard day-to-day things, and never together. They listen to music, walk along the beach, brush their teeth, etc. There's a short scene where they're laughing and dancing near the water, but it seems more memory than in the here and now.

I think the strengths of this MV are in the way it's shot. The movements are usually slow, deliberate, and there's a thread of sadness that stretches itself through this video. You get a definite sense that they're going through the motions, and being together gave their actions meaning. Now, they're just existing instead of living.



The stars are the highlight, as they are in most MVs. Their beauty helps propel the piece and invites us to take a peek at their pain. Onew and Roco really do a great job of acting here, and give this some star power. Color me impressed.

It's probably pretty obvious how I feel by now, but if you couldn't guess, thumbs up.

Score

MV Relevance.......9
MV Production......9
MV Concept..........8

Songwriting..........8
Composition.........8
Impression............9