[MV & Album Review] Pentagon � 'Positive'

AKP STAFF

PENTAGON � POSITIVE

Track List:

1. OFF-ROAD
2. Shine
3. Think About You
4. Do It for Fun (Rap unit)
5. Nothing I Can Do
6. Let's Go Together

Pentagon has released their follow-up to last year's 'Demo_01.' Optimistic, they've titled the new release 'Positive.' There are six new tracks for your listening pleasure on this EP. They teamed up once again with Flow Blow for the title track, "Shine," E'Dawn and Hui co-composing the tune. Rappers Yuto and Wooseok also lent a hand in writing lyrics for the piece.

"Off-Road" starts off introspective, and the boys have some serious smooth sounds. I like the chorus, and how it's distinctive from the rest of the tune. It gets louder and the synth washes start in earnest. That rap in the middle was pretty kickass as well. The title track "Shine" is a funky, upbeat tune. What's interesting is there are some pounding drums in the pre-chorus, but they subside as soon as the chorus hits. I was kind of hoping they'd use them for the rest of the tune, but it becomes more tongue-in-cheek and playful. Still, a fun bop.

"Think About You" is a soft R&B track, and definitely different from "Shine." There's an element of regret running through this one. It was okay, but I'm in the mood for something harder, like "Do It for Fun" (their rap unit song). It's loud, repetitive, and sounds like an army of overdubbed singers in the chorus. It is exactly the kind of song I'm jonesing for�and exactly the kind of song that will be banned from broadcast.�

They slow it way down on the ballad "Nothing I Can Do", and while it has the exact same ballad structure as every other by-the-numbers ballad, I like the emotion in this. They made it theirs, and that's a great thing. "Let's Go Together" is a playful R&B inspired tune. This is possibly one of the more fun, upbeat tunes on the EP. And there are more than a few here. Like the title track, it is one of those catchy tunes with easy hooks that gets a lot of love, even as a B-side.

This is an interesting new direction for the band. Very different from 'Gorilla' or 'Demo_01.' I like the playful approach that they took here. Rather than bold, hammering tunes, they went for a softer, happier sound. While I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that, I'm positive this is a good album.

MV REVIEW

Here in this cute video, the boys are students in a largely broken down school writing, re-writing, and discarding confession letters to their crush. You see them frustrated at a computer, wading through balls of crumpled letters, and generally stymied trying to express the depths of their love. They open lockers overflowing with crumpled paper and trip through various sets while doing this. Of course, this very generally follows the song.

Interspersed throughout are the dance sequences. This time the choreo is pretty good, but in the spirit of the song it's playful, and falls apart halfway through the tune, as the boys mess with each other during the individual shots and basically do their own thing even while together. And while the extensively choreo dancing is a wonder to behold, these guys go straight for your funny bone.

Pentagon doing their own thing

So overall it was watchable. I was afraid at first that it might lack dash, but it's not meant to impress, it's meant to give you few chuckles and lift your mood. And it did that. The boys do it well, and that's all that matters. Is it amazing? No. Is it cute and a little different? Yes.