[MV & Album Review] Red Velvet � 'Perfect Velvet / Peek-A-Boo'

AKP STAFF

RED VELVET � PERFECT VELVET

Track List:

1. Peek-A-Boo
2. Look
3. I Just
4. Kingdom Come
5. My Second Date
6. Attaboy
7. Perfect 10
8. About Love
9. Moonlight Melody

Following August's SM Station track, "Rebirth," Red Velvet have released their 2nd full-length album 'Perfect Velvet.' They bring you 9 tracks on this LP, including their title track "Peek-A-Boo."

"Peek-A-Boo" is a neat little jam. Based on some of the title tracks they companies have been handing out, I was afraid for this one. I'm happy to report, it's not only good, it's a lot of fun. "Look" has an interesting staccato beginning, and it turns into a modern R&B bop. The girls are so on point here, the vocals are smooth like silk, and the echo effects make this one epic.�

For track #3, let's just say "I Just" like this one. It's a great thing when composers start messing around with sounds that aren't strictly music. That's where this song comes in and brings the awesome. "Kingdom Come" has more of that stop/start goodness, and transitions to a wonderful R&B tune. Red Velvet is always so good at those.

"My Second Date" has way more to offer than you might first expect, with some different autotune effects for the vocals, and some stuttering too. It really takes it to a different level doing that, despite my fears up the first listen. "Attaboy" is a seriously strange tune, and I can't quite figure out if I like it. It's like they tried their hand at hip-hop, and it went off the rails.�

"Perfect 10" is a lot better, a ballad, Red Velvet style, with all their trademark smoothness. As far as a song goes, it may not be a perfect 10, but it's up there. "About Love" is a nice, bouncy R&B-inspired tune. It's not bad, overall, but a little derivative. "Moonlight Melody" is another ballad�and the finisher for the album. The tune is really soothing, without losing control of the basics, and the harmonies are to die for. �

Here you have�Red Velvet�experimenting, with mixed, but mostly positive results. "Peek-A-Boo" is a lot of fun, and some of the other songs are really well done. Part of what makes it so good is the vocals, and that's also what makes them stand out from other girl groups -- Another bonus: the songs aren't exactly interchangeable. You can't take songs from this group and have another group re-do them. And that is a wonderful thing. �

MV REVIEW

The girls are killers in their new MV "Peek-A-Boo!"

At least, it certainly seems like that. The target of their murderous attentions is an innocent pizza boy, who seemingly can't even escape from their clutches when it appears that he has. The MV jumps from one sequence to the next, as they cut each other with straight razors, throw axes and loose crossbow quarrels. And somehow blindfolds and an abnormally large moon play a part.

The dancing is a mixed bag, equal parts awkward and at the same time full of life. There are some nods to aegyo during the "peek-a-boo" part of the chorus, but other than that it's fairly solid. You could, of course, ask the question "do killers dance?"

There are all sorts of faux shocking imagery, from weapons speeding towards a sitting member, to dancing around a table full of candles, with one in the center. There's even some blood. But it never quite goes from settled to ultra-violent�and you get a sense of unease while watching it. It bubbles beneath the surface, hidden behind a cute wardrobe and mostly accomplished choreo. It finds its way out in the way they stare at the moon, for example.

But shut up and tell us if it's any good, you cry. The answer is yes. It's also kind of a different concept for the band. If you're frothing at the mouth for more Red Velvet, go ahead and click play. Or even if you're not.