[MV & Album Review] SHINee � 'The Story of Light EP.1'

AKP STAFF

SHINee � THE STORY OF LIGHT EP.1

Track List:

1. All Day All Night
2. Good Evening
3. Undercover
4. JUMP
5. You & I

After taking time to mourn the untimely death of member Jonghyun, the remaining members of SHINee soldier on. Their newest comeback is the 'The Story of Light EP.1,' and it's their 6th studio album. The full album will be released in three parts over May and June.�

"All Day All Night" is a serious jam, and I can see why they used this one to promote with. The chorus is powerful, and the pounding jam keeps your heart beating a jackhammer beat. The raps are sick, and the smooth voices take some of the edge off -- but it still has some serious impact (I particularly like the knife sound). "Good Evening" is an urgent R&B tune, you just feel that suspense -- until the falsetto gives it a more laid-back feel. I like how this sounds, and it's a nice, calm come down from the frantic energy of "All Day All Night."

The experimental "Undercover" has a lot of time changes, and it changes moods. The vocals start out muffled and a bit rough, then it turns smoother and clearer, and then the dubstep starts up. And that's not the only switch-up, as the bridge slows things down and sounds ethereal, and enter the dubstep once more. They sing over it, too. I'm not sure how I feel about this one, but it's not boring. If "Good Evening" wore its R&B influences on its sleeve, "JUMP" dons a full R&B blazer.� It's very slick, and the falsetto meshes with the other croons to give you a buttery smooth experience. It's a pretty standard tune, but it does have the top-notch vocals of the boys. "You & I" is a ballad with more R&B influences near the end. I like this one, as the music quietly complements the boys' voices rather than drowning them out. It's a pretty piece, and you can feel the emotion here.

This particular EP I like. It's packed with R&B pieces, bangers, and even the odd experimental electronica track. It seems like SHINee has kept pace with the times, even contributing lyrics to "Good Evening," and Key himself wrote "You & I." This just shows that their skills are as strong as ever. While I know they still grieve, I also like to think that Jonghyun is looking down on his bandmates with a proud smile on his face, with them in spirit.

MV REVIEW

There might be a story in the MV for "All Day All Night," but I can't quite find it.� There are some super-dynamic images in here, more than can be chronicled in the short space we have here. Glass houses, multiple TVs stacked willy-nilly, displaying the current highlighted member from different angles, a circular stage illuminated by a green ring, and one member hammering for all he's worth on a piano, trying to destroy it. Not to mention a plastic sheet covering the members, with CGI enhanced ichor dripping onto them. And they tumble into a well, too. Where's Lassie when you need her?

"What is it, Lassie? You said Taemin fell into a well?"

The dancing is pretty good. Even when they're sitting down, there's some popping going on, which I haven't seen in awhile. Their superb moves are part of what crowned them as K-pop royalty, and we see more of that here.

It was definitely interesting -- I can't deny that in the slightest. It kept me watching, even while my rational brain was trying to make sense of what was going on. So, yeah -- that MV was pretty awesome overall.

Score

MV Relevance...........8
MV Production..........9
MV Concept..............9
MV SCORE: 8.7

Album Production.....9
Album Concept.........9
Tracklisting...............8
ALBUM SCORE: 8.7