IKON – 'I DECIDE.'

Track List:

1. Ah Yeah

2. Dive

3. All The World

4. Holding On

5. Flower

iKON is back after more than a year with their new EP 'i DECIDE.' it's their third mini-album, and the first without member B.I., who left the group following a drug controversy. Still, he's listed as composer and lyricist for most of the tunes on here. And it hasn't stopped them from dominating the iTunes charts in 24 countries.

The rowdy tune "Ah Yeah" starts with pounding drums, r-r-rolled r's, and picks up plenty of attitude as the song progresses. And I hear an electric guitar backing track, too. I like this song a lot. It reminds me of the days of "Dumb & Dumber." Frankly, I miss those days. "Dive" is when they get a little quieter. A harmonica and acoustic guitar keep the time. It's definitely different than the first track, though rapid-fire raps give it some more oomph. It's pretty easy on the ears for all that. It's not hard to see why they chose it as the title track.

They get playful on "All The World." It could have been a lighter tune, but they decided to give this one some rough edges. And that just makes it cooler, with the raps coming fast and early, and also grab a spot later in the song. "Holding On" starts out with a piano, and quickly unfolds into a soft pop tune. It gets a little more upbeat, though. Horns come in and give it some brass. I'm not a huge fan of this one. It's okay and I wasn't wowed by it.

"Flower" is one of their softer offerings. It doesn't quite hit ballad status, but it does fit fairly comfortably in the soft pop category. I like the melody in this a lot better than the previous track. There's something comforting and familiar about this one. And that makes for good listening.

So this is six-member iKON. Bobby seems to be comfortable in his new role as a lead rapper, though I miss B.I.'s growly delivery. And they sound softer and more refined. As much as I prefer their earlier sound, I can't deny that what they do, they do well. And I can certainly give this EP high marks.

MV REVIEW

The video starts out dramatically right away, as Bobby dives off a broken bridge. From there we see more scenes on or around that broken bridge. But not for too long. We also see floating picture frames, cramped hallways, spears hanging in mid-air, aimed at Chan, and a ring of fire. It seems like the director took the lyrics literally. At least we didn't see "a thorny path."

In case I sound like I'm bagging on the video, I'm not.

I think part of what makes the video so watchable is the color scheme. We see a dark blue evening sky as Bobby takes that first leap. He has a red shirt and red hair in that part, giving us some high contrast. When they're on the bridge the sky turns orange. The hallway that Jay is trapped in is blue. And of course, the fire is always fun to watch.

The choreo is not as cool as I might hope for. It's okay and might even fit the tempo of the song. And I can't deny that some of it's energetic. But I've been seeing some pretty awesome choreo lately, and flailing your arms doesn't quite make it.

But those bright red outfits definitely draw the eye. And I wasn't bored during the video. In fact, I was thoroughly entertained. When everything's said and done, that really is the best you can hope for, right?

Score

MV Relevance...........9

MV Production..........9

MV Concept..............8

MV SCORE: 8.6

Album Production.....8

Album Concept.........8

Tracklisting...............8

ALBUM SCORE: 8.0

OVERALL................8.3