[MV & Album Review] A Pink � 'Pink Up/Five'

AKP STAFF

A PINK � PINK UP

Track List:

1. FIVE
2. kok-kok!
3. Eyes
4. Like!
5. Evergreen
6. Always
7. FIVE (Inst.)

After celebrating their sixth anniversary, A Pink have dropped their sixth mini-album to 'Pink Up' your life. They marshal some top talent here, Shinsadong Tiger and Beom & Nang, for the title track. There are seven tracks here, including "Eyes" written by leader Chorong.�

"FIVE" sounds almost exactly like "No No No," which is fitting, because it's from the same pen: Shinsadong Tiger. It's a seriously upbeat pop song, and the main verses sound a little different, but not enough to forget the obvious comparison once we hit the chorus. Not to mention that the chorus is upfront, just like "No No No." Still, that doesn't stop it from being just as awesome as any of its predecessors.
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"kok-kok!" is a smooth R&B tune, and a lot different than most of the rest of the A Pink catalog. They do a seriously awesome job here -- the harmonies in particular just take me away. There's also some echoes of tropical house in here. The whispery rap near the end was just adorable. I like how this hews to their cute concept while still being a new sound for the girls.� �

They slow things way down for the ballad "Eyes." They turn on all the charm here, with twinkles and spare piano at the start. This is one of those times where they get to shine vocally, and it works quite well, turning in a tender and gentle performance overall. They still give over to excess at the end, but it's not a bad tune overall.

"Like!" is where they turn things up again. And they even have a cute beginning where the girls say "you know?" in English. They pitch their voices up for this one. It's entirely cute, and an A Pink song in every way. Regardless of how you feel about the band, you can't deny that this one is a serious jam.�

"Evergreen" is one of those grandiloquent ballads, almost a power ballad, where the vocals are unleashed early on. It's billowy for sure�and almost has a sort of OST feel to it. I'm not sure I'm that much of a fan. I'm not the biggest fan of ballads to begin with, and this just seemed at once bland and overwrought.

"Always" is the 6th-anniversary fan track, and has already been reviewed.

Nice. Since 'Pink LUV,' I think their albums have been lacking. They're not bad, but they've been missing that something that pushes a good song to a great one. And I think this particular album is hit and miss. There are some outstanding tunes on here, reminiscent of their heyday, but there are a couple "meh" tracks as well. Still, I'm happy to hear new A Pink tunes, and especially this collection. If you like ballads as well as upbeat music, then you can't go wrong here. If not, the other tunes are worth the price of admission.

MV REVIEW

This MV is bright and happy�and sees the girls in different environments. Mostly it's walking around in a box, but not too infrequently we see good use of green screen to transport them elsewhere. There's even a cute sequence where Naeun and Chorong are putting on a tea party. The girls look happy and put on some of their best aegyo as they go about their tasks in this particular music video.

The dancing here is good as always, and up to A Pink's usual quality. They really go through the paces here with plenty of leg and body movements. One of the things I like about this band is that they don't skimp on the dance moves. They have a few they're comfortable with and they use them to good effect in this MV.

The sets range from cheap to interesting, and there's a fair amount of plants and flowers in this video. And by a fair amount, I mean a lot. There are even a few shots where they're in like a flower shop or gardening shop and there are *gasp!* more plants. It was fun playing 'plantspotting' on repeat viewings.

So, yeah, it's surprisingly packed full of stuff, and cute hijinks here and there. The girls are very photogenic, and always charming. If you like A Pink, I think you'll enjoy this MV as well.