[MV & Album Review] Wanna One � '1-1=0 (Nothing Without You)'

AKP STAFF

WANNA ONE � 1-1=0 (NOTHING WITHOUT YOU)

Track List:

1. Nothing Without You (Intro.)
2. Beautiful
3. Wanna
4. Twilight
5. Burn It Up (Prequel Remix)
6. Energetic (Prequel Remix)
7. Wanna Be (My Baby)
8. Energetic
9. Burn It Up
10. To Be One (Outro.)

Wanna One is back with a repackage of their first EP, 'To Be One.' The newest release is 'Nothing Without You' and contains 10 tracks. Four of them are brand new, some are remixes from their first mini-album, and some are pulled straight off 'To Be One' untouched.�

Like their first EP, they start with a short intro track, "Nothing Without You." This is a beautifully sung piece, a ballad of sorts, that does a good job of establishing the tone for this album.�

"Beautiful" is their title track, currently burning up the charts. It's very low key�and almost a ballad. They do have some impressive, strong vocals in the chorus. "Wanna" is a little livelier, using an acoustic guitar and a slightly higher tempo. I like how it heads into some techno as the song progresses, and I like the choruses even better than "Beautiful." "Twilight" is their club-banger, and it, too, is low-key. It's like there's something under the surface, and the rising melody indicates something big is going to happen. But the chorus never quite gets there -- it's like they're holding back some.

"Burn It Up (Prequel Remix)" is what starts the remixes. It's hard to explain but they made a song sound the same yet completely different. They jam a lot of techno effects into it, filling out the emptier spaces and giving it a faster tempo. It's still the same song, only on crack. They give a similar treatment to "Energetic (Prequel Remix)." They give it more of what it had before, making it louder, which makes the silence more of a shock. "To Be One" is now a vocal track, slower and more billowy. Not a huge fan of the outro, but the other remixes are awesome.

They pretty much stay in their lane with this album, not doing too much to rock the boat. And you get four new songs, and one of them you'll definitely want -- "Beautiful" -- if you're a fan. This particular album showcases the boys' vocals and really allows them to shine. But there's less energy here than on their debut EP. True, this is kind of an evolution of their sound, but really, I like their first mini-album better.

MV REVIEW

The Prologue is simple. The family is moving, and Daniel drops a soccer ball out of the truck and goes looking for it, and is left behind. After Seong Woo lets him know, the dad looks for Daniel, but to no avail. He grows up in an orphanage. The other kids in the orphanage turn out to be the boys in Wanna One.

The second one is longer�and more involved. They're all young adults now. Seong Woo and Minhyun cram for the civil service test to become cops (at least, I think that's what's going on). Daniel practices boxing for physical fitness. Ji Hoon is the star boxer, and the other boys admire him. Seong Woo and Daniel both try to reconnect with friends and family. One fateful rainy day, Seong Woo and Daniel spot each other�and greet each other warmly. Daniel, Seong Woo, and his buddies celebrate being together again. After a bar fight, newbie officer Sung Woo writes up the boys. Daniel sells his motorbike to pay for bail. An injured Ji Hoon can't box, so Daniel competes in his place, but fails. Seong Woo sees what Daniel did, so he works to buy his bike back. An exhausted Seong Woo appears to fall to his death at work. Daniel, semiconscious from the final blow in the boxing match, reminisces. Remember the tape from the "Energetic" MV? Seong Woo gave Daniel that tape, and it shows up here.

Now, is it sad? Sort of. But Seong Woo didn't die. He couldn't have�because all this is a prequel to their last album. The MV is too, I'm sure. Seong Woo is alive and well in the "Energetic" MV.� And Ji Hoon has recovered from his injury, I'm sure. We're just seeing the beginning�because we already saw how it ends up.

And for a drama MV, this one is impressive. Not only does it have an involved story, it's intimately connected to the teaser, as well as their first MV. Interconnected MVs are nothing new (BTS, frex, and T-ara before them), but I like them when they're done well. And this is extremely well done. It's touching and packs an emotional punch that'll hit you right in the tear ducts.