[MV & Album Review] SF9 � 'Knights of the Sun / O Sole Mio'

AKP STAFF

SF9 � KNIGHTS OF THE SUN

Track List:

1. Poetry; 00:00
2. O Sole Mio
3. Let's Hang Out
4. Blank.
5. Scold
6. Just On My Way

The boys of SF9 become 'Knights of the Sun' for their first-anniversary release, their third mini-album to date. The six-track mini-album includes contributions from the members: Zuho and Youngbin wrote the raps in "O Sole Mio," Zuho, Youngbin, and Hwiyoung co-composed "Command," and the rappers (including Chani) leant their pens to many of the other songs.�

"Poetry; 00:00" starts out as a spoken word tune, and is an okay intro track, though only a few of the sounds heard here can actually be found on the rest of the EP. A Spanish guitar is what starts out "O Sole Mio," (literally "Oh My Sun" in Italian), and it has some elements in common with not only tropical house�but also incorporates some Spanish traditionals. But it's still firmly pop�and a really well-crafted tune. I like the rap interludes and the guitar flourishes. It's catchy and fun. The next track, "Let's Hang Out," is appropriately playful and upbeat. It's hard not to listen to this and smile, and it sounds like the boys were smiling as they cranked out this jam.�

I'm not enamored with "Blank.," though�since there's a rap line in there and it sounds just tacked on, with the music taking on different instrumentation and tempo. It's jarring and impacted my enjoyment of the mini-album. We return to fun and playful again with "Scold." There are some religious overtones in the lyrics which don't quite match up with the upbeat sound. Still, it's a decent bop overall, and it's mostly rapping, which is always a plus in my book. The final tune, "Just On My Way," has some modern R&B style elements (and probably wouldn't sound out of place on a Prince album). They make it their own, though, and the tune's pretty catchy. The song is about doing it on your own.

When I heard that they wanted to do the album in a more mature style, I kinda worried. "Mature" in the music industry sometimes seems like a synonym for "bland" or "depressing," and this is anything but. I like the cross-genre elements, like "Just On my Way" and the title track, and the playful elements really give your day some juice. So yeah, if you're a fan of SF9, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.

MV REVIEW

Filmed amidst the rocky dunes of sunny California, this MV contains some rather interesting imagery.

And that's no B.S. It could have been pedestrian, but for some of the CGI. People and objects flash in and out of view, flickering before doing so like they were having problem staying in this dimension. Sometimes multiple planets can be seen in the background. There are airplanes too, sometimes they're dancing around them, other times the planes make up the landscape. And that's just a small part of some of the stunning shots you'll see. All in vivid, eye-popping colors.

The wardrobe ranges from cool to WTF. Those black, flowing clothes they use as capes, for example. In the middle of the desert! I hope they brought along enough water. The suits were bad enough. Regardless of how overheated they might have gotten, they still rocked all their different looks.

The dancing was awesome and on point. With flailing elbows, upraised arms, kicks and jumps, and hands slicing the air, SF9 definitely know their choreo. All of it made them look like the band to beat as far as dancing goes.

Did I enjoy this? You bet!