SUPER JUNIOR – 'TIMELESS – The 9th Album Repackage'

Track List:

1. 2YA2YAO!

2. The Crown

3. Ticky Tocky

4. Shadow

5. SUPER Clap

6. I Think I

7. Game

8. Somebody New

9. Skydive

10. Heads Up

11. Stay with Me

12. Rock Your Body

13. No Drama

14. Show

Super Junior just dropped their repackage album for 'Timeless,' adding four brand-new songs to the mix. That includes the title track -- the Zico-penned "2YA2YAO!" Within a few hours, the album nabbed the #1 spot on the iTunes Top Albums charts in at least 27 countries. You've probably already heard the original by now, so we'll dive right into the new stuff.

"2YA2YAO!" is a hip-hop track composed and written by Zico. It's kind of light in the hip-hop department. It consists of mostly sing-song style rapping -- which isn't really rapping, in my opinion. In any case, the second verse redeems it and brings more of the hip-hop that it's billed as. The unsettling “Ticky Tocky” is probably about the most hip-hop song in the album. And probably one of my favorites. It's got this sense of wrongness about it, that highlights the themes of madness in the lyrics. Madness and a love that has gone bad. I like dark concepts a la VIXX, and this song is no exception.

“Shadow” is a cross between electro-pop and a tropical house beat. They blend the two styles well, so it becomes something familiar, yet new. I like the feel of this song, and the members' parts shift in tone, each playing off the other. It's a cool way to describe how he can't seem to forget about a girl. “Rock Your Body” has a hip-hop vibe to it, as well. It's a party rock song, make no mistake about that. They sing about glasses and hands up. And "don't stop" and "can't stop." And not only do I like the main verses but the pre-chorus as well, with its frantic urgency. Definitely an awesome song.

As to whether these songs fit in with the rest of the album, not so much. This is a very different sound for Super Junior, one that I actually really like. It's a welcome change. It's good to shake things up every once in a while. And they definitely do that. If you like hip-hop, or if you like Super Junior, you won't be disappointed by these tunes.

MV REVIEW

"2YA2YAO!" has that boy in a box vibe all over it.

But they don't try to hide it. Throughout the location changes and outfit switches, they're nearly always surrounded by 4 walls. Even with the hanging fabric they sometimes are shot near...well, that's inside too. Sometimes, it does look like they gave them a little space -- like that parking garage. But it swaps that out with a more cramped shot soon enough.

That's not to say it's boring, because it's not. They don't linger anywhere long enough for you to think about it, and that's probably it's a major strength. I'm sure they wanted to seem edgy, so I'm sure that was part of the intent. At least they didn't put graffiti on the walls behind them. 

The wardrobe is okay, though there's kind of a disconnect between hip-hop clothing and South Korea in general. There's no "hood" to speak of, so some of the styles come off as more hilarious than hard. Maybe I'm being harsh, but I know the subculture.

As to what it did right, I like the special effects and the lightning-fast transitions. While they're rather spare, they do a job of keeping it interesting. It gives it a little extra "oomph," where it might have fallen flat.

I can't say it's amazing -- the song is better -- but I can't say it's terrible either.

Score

MV Relevance...........8

MV Production..........8

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

MV SCORE: 8.0

Album Production.....9

Album Concept.........9

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

ALBUM SCORE: 8.6

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