[MV & Album Review] Yuri � 'The First Scene'

AKP STAFF

YURI � 'THE FIRST SCENE'

Track List:

1. Into You
2. Illusion
3. C'est La Vie (That's LIFE!)
4. Butterfly
5. Chapter 2
6. Ending Credit (To be continued)

After being part of supergroup Girls' Generation for more than a decade, after watching her peers' release album after solo album, Yuri finally takes her place in the spotlight with 'The First Scene.' To paraphrase Yuri herself, she wanted an album tinged with her own colors. So let's see what colors those are.�

"Into You" is the title song, a mid-tempo dance track. It's not a bad song, and I like the tropical house elements she used in putting it together. The melody is catchy as all get out, and she sports some confident vocals that make this song really pop. The next tune "Illusion" is a seductive one. Not only does she use a fairly simple tune as a hook�she also slides her vocals into this one, like a black dress. There something about the pounding fuzzy bass and the insistent tone that makes this a serious jam. "C'est La Vie" almost gets lost in its own synth washes, and we have a lively tune fairly ruined by overproduction. There are time changes here, too, that's a bit awkward. As much as I wanted to like this tune, they made it hard.

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The track "Butterfly" is almost a folk tune, with the acoustic guitar and the largely laid-back vocals. I like it�because it's a different sound than what we usually hear. Pop stylings are evident, but only in the tune, and not the instrumentation itself. "Chapter 2" is the first proper ballad, and absolutely soothing and beautiful. They really show what she can do here, reflecting tenderness and earnestness in her angelic vocals. "Ending Credit" is another slow one, but still a solid pop tune, hitting all the sweet spots. It's dreamy, the vocals are on point, and I think this is one of my faves. I wonder if this is just the first part in a larger work spanning multiple EPs?

Yuri is a talented gal, even if she didn't get top billing in Girls' Generation. But really, isn't it about time? The range on this album is also impressive, and she manages to kill it on almost every song. Even the ones that weren't top notch weren't entirely her fault. She impressed me with the SM Station track "Secret," too, so I was hoping that we'd see a solo from her a little sooner. Still, I think it was more than worth the wait.�

MV REVIEW

At its heart, this MV sees Yuri dancing. But there's a lot more going on than simply that.

There appears to be a common theme of time running out, as we see an hourglass in the beginning, and she picks up a handful of sand and lets it run through her fingers. Not only that, but there's an eclipse that forms and quickly breaks. I'm not sure why they included all that, but it's fun to watch.�

There are some other interesting effects such as diamonds piling up, Yuri walking across clouds, and dancing in water before a beautiful many-hued sunset.� There are many more effects here -- I've only scratched the surface.

The costumes are interesting and varied. One looks like it's created from knotted scarves, and another costume has her wearing a tied bandana on her arm, tails trailing like they wanted to create a connection between the two.�

There's no narrative, but possibly a lot of symbolism here, even if it's just interesting imagery. This is really a stunning MV, visually arresting and almost hypnotic. I don't really have any connect-the-dots style fan theories for you, other than it was about time for her comeback?

Score

MV Relevance...........9
MV Production..........9
MV Concept..............9
MV SCORE: 9.0

Album Production.....8
Album Concept.........9
Tracklisting...............9
ALBUM SCORE: 8.6