[MV & Album Review] JBJ � 'New Moon'

AKP STAFF

JBJ � NEW MOON

Track List:

1.� Call Your Name
2.� ??(Be Joyful)
3.� Just Be Stars
4.� J.B.J. (Intro)
5.� Fantasy
6.� Say My Name
7.� From Today
8.� As If In A Dream
9.� Pretty (CD Only)
10. True Colors
11. On My Mind
12. My Flower
13. Moonlight
14. Wonderful Day
15. Everyday
16. Everyday (Love Ver.) (CD Only)

The survivors of 'Produce 101 Season 2' are sadly packing it in. As you may or may not know, 'New Moon' is JBJ's final comeback before disbanding in April. This LP contains 16 tracks�and is full to bursting with music. Not only do you get all the songs from their first two mini-albums, 'Fantasy' and 'True Colors,' you get three brand new tracks that were co-written by the members themselves and two CD-only tunes. Pretty much a mini-album on top of the other EPs they've released.

They decide to start slow on "Call Your Name," a minimalist track which resembles soft pop until the chorus. The powerful buildup to the said chorus is really what hooked me. It's not a bad tune, though the drum machine is a bit obvious on this one, and the rap is high-pitched. It's alright, but I was hoping for something more uptempo, though. "??(Be Joyful)" is roughly the same song as the first one, with just a variation here and there. They even use the same drum beats, and about the same tempo. The rap was edgier on this one, as a change of pace. "Just Be Stars" is a ballad, and that's about the best that can be said about it. Like most ballads, it follows a very traditional structure, only the singer's voice falls apart a bit near the end. I wish there was something to distinguish this one from every other song like it, but there's not.

"Pretty (CD Only)" is faster and more energetic than the other tracks we've heard so far. There's a vaguely punk aspect to the strong chorus, and there are horns and playfulness galore to this tune. This is kind of what I was looking for. It's an awesome jam.� The "Love Version" of "Everyday" is a lot like the normal version, only it's more acoustic, and the synths are played down or eliminated entirely.� It seems largely the same, and I wouldn't be surprised if they just lifted the vocals and put a different backing track behind them. I prefer the original.

I'm not as impressed as when I first heard them. They had a strong debut, but since 'True Colors' it seems the quality of the music has gone downhill some, like the person writing it was a one-trick pony who liked making variations of the same tune. While that might fly here and there, when you pack it all together it seems a bit lifeless. And given the state of the band more's the pity. I was hoping they'd go out with more of a bang.

MV REVIEW

The MV is bittersweet. The setup is that the boys are camping by the beach, frolicking in the sand, hanging out in the copse just beyond the strand, and sitting around a fire taking pictures, drinking, and just having a good time.

There's no dancing or CGI gimmicks, or anything like that. They maintain the fiction that they're on holiday until the end. The scenes are impeccably filmed, though. Framed by that brilliant blue sky and the sparkling sand, this really takes you out of your home and puts you right in the middle. Not to mention that black, black night by the campfire. They seem pretty happy here.

The kicker is that at the end, they show pics of their vacation, along with the boys waving goodbye. Almost as if this were a statement directly to their fans: we must say goodbye, remember us. You had them together for that long at least, and this is a fitting farewell.

Score

MV Relevance...........8
MV Production..........9
MV Concept..............9
MV SCORE: 8.6

Album Production.....7
Album Concept.........8
Tracklisting...............7
ALBUM SCORE: 7.3