[MV & Album Review] TWICE � 'TWICEtagram'

AKP STAFF

TWICE � TWICETAGRAM

Track List:

1. LIKEY
2. Turtle
3. MISSING U
4. WOW
5. FFW
6. DING DONG
7. 24/7
8. Look at Me
9. ROLLIN'
10. LOVE LINE
11. DON`T GIVE UP
12. You In My Heart
13. Sleep Tight, Good Night

TWICE is back for their second anniversary! To celebrate, they've released their first-ever full album 'TWICEtagram!' The title is a portmanteau of their name + Instagram. Judging by their past output, this might be something special.�

The album starts off with the title track. I was all prepared to hate it, the title conjuring earworms of Red Velvet's "Rookie." Instead, I am pleasantly surprised. "Likey" is a really hot jam, and I'm pumped to hear the rest of the album. "Turtle" slows it way down, with a pretty acoustic guitar jam. This tune should silence any haters who say they can't sing.�

"Missing U" starts out in much the same vein as "Turtle," but becomes more of a pop tune in the�chorus. It's also a fun listen. "Wow" is more interesting than the title suggests, I almost had visions of Stevie Wonder listening to it. It just has that wonderful old-school R&B vibe, and the samples are cute, as is the hooky "oh my god."�

The meaning of "FFW" is explained in the beginning of the song. It's kind of filler, but it's good, fun filler, and hews close to their concept. Finally, we get to another banger in the super-catchy "Ding Dong." With the cheerleader-like chants and the staccato rhythm, this is guaranteed to liven up any playlist. I really love the horns and keyboards in this track, they prop up the chorus nicely.

"24/7" starts out sounding like a mature track. I love the vocals in the main verses. The chorus is a surprise, and it has some of those girl power chants popular nowadays, not to mention that stop-start rhythm I heart so much, as well as some cute raps. "Look At Me" is a high-energy upbeat track (few tracks by TWICE aren't), but this has its own identity. It's a great bop. "Rollin'" is a hip-hop track, with some great choruses, and a funky beat. Is it great rapping? No, but it's definitely adorable.�

"Love Line" starts out as a ballad (again, those vocals are beautiful), it morphs into more of a banger, but it doesn't lack in vocal quality throughout. I'm not a big fan of "Don't Give Up!" It has some of the staccato in it (which they seem to favor this time around), but there are some odd time-changes which disrupt the flow of the tune. "You In My Heart" makes up for the last song. It's just a pretty pop tune, done the way Twice does things when they get it right. It's got some understated verses, but the chorus is very uplifting. And the harmonies here are awesome. They end with the ballad "Sleep Tight, Good Night." It's tenderly sung�and has those harmonies that I love. This would be an awesome track to fall asleep to.

The LP actually exceeded my expectations. And one of the things I like is that it didn't go too far astray from their concept, but still, the producers weren't afraid to experiment. And it worked in most places. This is probably one of their best and most ambitious projects to date. You'll be listening to this one more than twice.

MV REVIEW

Filmed entirely in Vancouver, Canada, we have veritable travel vlog of gorgeous and interesting sites. Inside the SkyTrain, the Stanley Park Seawall, the Gastown steam clock, and a couple retro gas pumps at Steveston's gas station. Aside from that, we have the usual assortments of the hoods of cars and alleyways, but there's enough going on where it's never dull. �
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Since I'm not a Canadian native, I don't know everywhere they visited, but day or night it makes for absolutely stunning scenery. Who knew a cityscape could be that interesting? But put the nine girls of TWICE in there, and it becomes a serious place for a Once's bucket list.

The dancing ranged from okay to good. Sometimes, it seemed like they were just doing their own thing and having a good time. Other times they'd drop right into formation and start doing the moves. Some of the moves, as I said, were less than inspiring (like the hips back and forth). Everything else was on point.

At the end of the video, we have a super-cute nod to the whole point of the song, coaxing a like on social media from a crush. For some reason, I found myself smiling. This MV is fun from the first second to the last. There's a reason it's racking up all these views: it's getting the attention it deserves. The MV might well be even better than the song.