August 02, 2013
Just a few days ago, f(x)'s most recent album, Pink Tape, (which is literally a pink tape, by the way) came out, featuring 12 amazing new tracks (including the title track, Rum Pum Pum Pum which was reviewed here) all composed and written by numerous different people. If you haven't listened to the full f(x) album, released on July 19th, you can find a lot of the tracks on sites like YouTube... or you can order it yourself!
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So the first thing's first: Rum Pum Pum Pum (첫 사랑니). If you listen to the song along the music video, you'll definitely miss more of the key and outstanding qualities than if you listen to the track by itself. Though, I had to give myself more than one listen to actually become engrossed in the track, as stated by the initial reviewer of this track, AndiSweets, 'they sung in a round to lead up to the first chorus... but... they managed to blend it in with chords that are pleasing to the ears' which is absolutely agreeable. Not to mention, 'the chorus has a way of getting stuck in your head, much like other f(x) songs' which is also as a matter of fact. It was actually a decent move for SM Entertainment to once again try something new, this time not failing at it and delivering a a low quality comeback.
미행 (그림자; Shadow), or better-wise known as the track found in the initial Pink Tape album teaser and what seems like a fan fave, showed a side to f(x) I have never seen before. The fantasy-type vibe heard in the piece through the background music was at first disturbing yet, now, absolutely brilliant. The chorus in which the girls sang in a kind of minor key form was executed to perfection and this song truly does display an artsy and simplistic side to this album and to f(x).
The five pretty girls placed the song Pretty Girl as their third track which included rapping, a bit of rock and a tiny bit of techno in it which reminded me a lot of Girls' Generation's last title track, I Got a Boy because of the numerous little genres jam-packed into only a few minutes. This song displays not only Amber's improving raps but, also Luna's always-placed-on-the-back-burner vocals and even some of Krystal's which makes it a bit better than I Got a Boy. What I don't like about this song, though, is that even though it has lots of genres, is better than I Got a Boy and is also (as seen by some people on comments) wished to have been the title track, I really don't understand the random transitions from verse to pre-chorus and second chorus to Amber's rapping bridge nor do I see it being as appropriate and as choreography-heavy as Rum Pum Pum Pum since the track seems to focus more on what comes out of their mouths than what steps they can take.
Another track thought of as a decent title track choice by fans, Kick, stands at the fourth track of the Pink Tape album. Same like previous track, Pretty Girl, it reminds me a lot of Girls' Generation's I Got a Boy because of the numerous different genres jam-packed in it. What I didn't like about this song is the even sloppier transitions than Pretty Girl as well as Krystal's what appears to be rapping(?!?!) in the track which was just really a no-no. The fast-paced verses stood up well by themselves but as they drifted to Luna's pre-chorus part which was simply ruined the energy and vibe due to it's random slowness of speed, I felt kind of jostled in a sense. The chorus is interesting to listen to and picks up the pace however, it's just not that... well... climatic and energy-filled as the verses because it drops pitch at the parts you would expect it to have risen. Lastly, the bridge was simply all kinds of wrong. It included what seems to be like a Mario-like keyboard that someone clearly couldn't play as well as a drum that really didn't correlate much with Sulli's voice when she sang along with it. Also, did I mention the poor transition to the bridge? This has to be one of my least favorite tracks in the album because of the rampant changes from one part of the song to the next.
Signaling at number 5 is f(x)'s Signal. The beginning of this song started with what honestly sounds like an 80's porno intro, the jazzy beginning putting me off a bit. However, as it starts to progress into the actual song, that feeling is removed and I feel uplifted. Similar to the previous track, Kick, this song dips at the parts where you would expect them to ascend, yet this one is pulled off more appealingly. Lastly, at first, the bridge of the song at first made me slit my eyes and tilt my head (literally), wondering if it would turn out like the other songs yet when I got used to it, I actually started anticipating that part because of the jazzy feel.
'Hey, get out the way, please'! It's the next song, Step, which is undoubtedly one of my faves of this album. There's not much to explain about it, it has a bit of a LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem vibe which makes you want to get up and dance in one of those vintage track suits, leg-warmers and afro equipped.Likewise, there's not much negative to say about the track being that not only does it have extremely neat changes from all parts of the song, a bit of Amber's rap and some of Luna's vocals, it also displays the others vocals and simply ties and perfects into this utter masterpiece.
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With August creeping in and the new semester just around the corner, f(x)'s Amber, Luna and Krystal and EXO-K's D.O. say Goodbye Summer in three minutes of brilliance. I think this has (as well as the final track of the album) has to be the song that accounts for the album's designated 'slow song' (most albums have at least one) because of the calmness and smoothness of it. Although this song was mostly D.O. singing and might as well have been in EXO-K's Growl album for a D.O. solo featuring f(x), the feels I felt when Luna and D.O.'s voice intertwined were like no other, and this track is at least within the top half of my favorite songs in the album.
My personal favorite in the album is their eighth track, Airplane. It starts off as a slow and sentimental track yet progresses into a more fitting-to-the-fast-paced-album kind of track. With this track being the first time I have heard Amber's vocals (apparent in the second verse of the song), I simply can't put how much I love this song in words.
Giving off a childish feel is f(x)'s track, Toy. With me cringing a bit in my seat at the sound of a rap which wasn't Amber's and sounded somewhat... undesirable in the beginning, I can't completely bring the song down because the chorus was great... and the tiny post-chorus was interesting and tied into the song quite nicely. Nevertheless, heard in the second verse was a robotic 'I am transforming now' sound given off just didn't seem right or at least... justified in the song. Not to mention, at first, I thought the bridge sounded odd, the whole fast-paced chorus to Amber's break where she shouts 'What do you want to get this time, Mr. Collector?' to a slow-paced bridge which then picks up to its original faster tempo simply not sounding all that right and could've been added it more smoothly however, now I actually like it. Regardless, still a great track.
f(x) no more focuses on fast-paced, modern day tracks and goes deeper down the vintage line with 여우 같은 내 친구 (No More). Surprisingly, this song is actually an easy listen--it's simplistic, it's cute, it's my second favorite song of the album. Just upon listening to the start, with that memorable and in-synch 'Oo~ op, oo~ op', I already knew I would love the song. With the smooth and not-really-taking-away-from-the-track changes throughout the song from one part to another, I cannot say that I do not like anything about the track because it's amazing. Did I forget to mention there's even more of Amber's singing in this track?
Starting with what appears to be an oldie-style audience applause followed Amber introducing the group (and speaking in French!), the second to last song of the album, Snapshot is pretty doable. Nonetheless, I have to take off at the fact that during Krystal's part on the first verse, it sounded like she was putting way too much pressure on syllables which made it sound a bit... rough, and me not knowing if that was completely intentional or instructed to have done because during Victoria and Luna's similar part in the second verse, they didn't put as much pressure on the pronunciation as she did. Despite that simple fact, the song turned out pretty decent and is definitely a great dance track.
To remind us that the tape is coming to a close, f(x) nicely put their final track, Ending Page at the literal end of the tape. Bringing in the instruments and having a totally different and unexplainable 'goodbye' feel similar to that of Goodbye Summer, I really can't complain with this much (more Amber's singing!) except for the fact that it was dull. It didn't have as much as a buzz as the rest of the tracks and was really just there... which isn't the amazing and great 'final impression' I was looking for.
All-in-all, this tape is just the same ol' f(x), bringing out amazing and fucktastic songs in every single album they come out with (f(x)'s last comeback mini, Electric Shock mini-album will forever be one of the best mini's in the history of K-Pop) and it really just reminded every single, unnamed f(x) fan why they loved f(x) so much. Although I'm not a fan of rating songs due to my undecisiveness, I decided to list the tracks in my own personal taste as to which tracks were the best to which tracks were the worst which can be seen below:
Must listens:
Airplane
여우 같은 내 친구 (No More)
Step
Rum Pum Pum Pum
Shadow
Not my faves, but good:
Toy
Goodbye Summer
Snapshot
Pretty Girl
Signal
Simply there:
Kick
Ending Page
Signal
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So the first thing's first: Rum Pum Pum Pum (첫 사랑니). If you listen to the song along the music video, you'll definitely miss more of the key and outstanding qualities than if you listen to the track by itself. Though, I had to give myself more than one listen to actually become engrossed in the track, as stated by the initial reviewer of this track, AndiSweets, 'they sung in a round to lead up to the first chorus... but... they managed to blend it in with chords that are pleasing to the ears' which is absolutely agreeable. Not to mention, 'the chorus has a way of getting stuck in your head, much like other f(x) songs' which is also as a matter of fact. It was actually a decent move for SM Entertainment to once again try something new, this time not failing at it and delivering a a low quality comeback.미행 (그림자; Shadow), or better-wise known as the track found in the initial Pink Tape album teaser and what seems like a fan fave, showed a side to f(x) I have never seen before. The fantasy-type vibe heard in the piece through the background music was at first disturbing yet, now, absolutely brilliant. The chorus in which the girls sang in a kind of minor key form was executed to perfection and this song truly does display an artsy and simplistic side to this album and to f(x).
The five pretty girls placed the song Pretty Girl as their third track which included rapping, a bit of rock and a tiny bit of techno in it which reminded me a lot of Girls' Generation's last title track, I Got a Boy because of the numerous little genres jam-packed into only a few minutes. This song displays not only Amber's improving raps but, also Luna's always-placed-on-the-back-burner vocals and even some of Krystal's which makes it a bit better than I Got a Boy. What I don't like about this song, though, is that even though it has lots of genres, is better than I Got a Boy and is also (as seen by some people on comments) wished to have been the title track, I really don't understand the random transitions from verse to pre-chorus and second chorus to Amber's rapping bridge nor do I see it being as appropriate and as choreography-heavy as Rum Pum Pum Pum since the track seems to focus more on what comes out of their mouths than what steps they can take.
Signaling at number 5 is f(x)'s Signal. The beginning of this song started with what honestly sounds like an 80's porno intro, the jazzy beginning putting me off a bit. However, as it starts to progress into the actual song, that feeling is removed and I feel uplifted. Similar to the previous track, Kick, this song dips at the parts where you would expect them to ascend, yet this one is pulled off more appealingly. Lastly, at first, the bridge of the song at first made me slit my eyes and tilt my head (literally), wondering if it would turn out like the other songs yet when I got used to it, I actually started anticipating that part because of the jazzy feel.
'Hey, get out the way, please'! It's the next song, Step, which is undoubtedly one of my faves of this album. There's not much to explain about it, it has a bit of a LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem vibe which makes you want to get up and dance in one of those vintage track suits, leg-warmers and afro equipped.Likewise, there's not much negative to say about the track being that not only does it have extremely neat changes from all parts of the song, a bit of Amber's rap and some of Luna's vocals, it also displays the others vocals and simply ties and perfects into this utter masterpiece.
With August creeping in and the new semester just around the corner, f(x)'s Amber, Luna and Krystal and EXO-K's D.O. say Goodbye Summer in three minutes of brilliance. I think this has (as well as the final track of the album) has to be the song that accounts for the album's designated 'slow song' (most albums have at least one) because of the calmness and smoothness of it. Although this song was mostly D.O. singing and might as well have been in EXO-K's Growl album for a D.O. solo featuring f(x), the feels I felt when Luna and D.O.'s voice intertwined were like no other, and this track is at least within the top half of my favorite songs in the album.My personal favorite in the album is their eighth track, Airplane. It starts off as a slow and sentimental track yet progresses into a more fitting-to-the-fast-paced-album kind of track. With this track being the first time I have heard Amber's vocals (apparent in the second verse of the song), I simply can't put how much I love this song in words.
Giving off a childish feel is f(x)'s track, Toy. With me cringing a bit in my seat at the sound of a rap which wasn't Amber's and sounded somewhat... undesirable in the beginning, I can't completely bring the song down because the chorus was great... and the tiny post-chorus was interesting and tied into the song quite nicely. Nevertheless, heard in the second verse was a robotic 'I am transforming now' sound given off just didn't seem right or at least... justified in the song. Not to mention, at first, I thought the bridge sounded odd, the whole fast-paced chorus to Amber's break where she shouts 'What do you want to get this time, Mr. Collector?' to a slow-paced bridge which then picks up to its original faster tempo simply not sounding all that right and could've been added it more smoothly however, now I actually like it. Regardless, still a great track.
f(x) no more focuses on fast-paced, modern day tracks and goes deeper down the vintage line with 여우 같은 내 친구 (No More). Surprisingly, this song is actually an easy listen--it's simplistic, it's cute, it's my second favorite song of the album. Just upon listening to the start, with that memorable and in-synch 'Oo~ op, oo~ op', I already knew I would love the song. With the smooth and not-really-taking-away-from-the-track changes throughout the song from one part to another, I cannot say that I do not like anything about the track because it's amazing. Did I forget to mention there's even more of Amber's singing in this track?
Starting with what appears to be an oldie-style audience applause followed Amber introducing the group (and speaking in French!), the second to last song of the album, Snapshot is pretty doable. Nonetheless, I have to take off at the fact that during Krystal's part on the first verse, it sounded like she was putting way too much pressure on syllables which made it sound a bit... rough, and me not knowing if that was completely intentional or instructed to have done because during Victoria and Luna's similar part in the second verse, they didn't put as much pressure on the pronunciation as she did. Despite that simple fact, the song turned out pretty decent and is definitely a great dance track.
All-in-all, this tape is just the same ol' f(x), bringing out amazing and fucktastic songs in every single album they come out with (f(x)'s last comeback mini, Electric Shock mini-album will forever be one of the best mini's in the history of K-Pop) and it really just reminded every single, unnamed f(x) fan why they loved f(x) so much. Although I'm not a fan of rating songs due to my undecisiveness, I decided to list the tracks in my own personal taste as to which tracks were the best to which tracks were the worst which can be seen below:
Must listens:
여우 같은 내 친구 (No More)
Step
Rum Pum Pum Pum
ShadowNot my faves, but good:
Toy
Goodbye Summer
Snapshot
Pretty Girl
Signal
Simply there:
Kick
Ending Page
Signal
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I pretty much agree with all of this. I really liked Amber's singing when I first heard it in Electric Shock so it's good to hear them experimenting with her vocals like that. You can hear her singing in Rum Pum Pum too during the round and a few other parts. You gotta be listening out for them though.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, for me myself, I would switch Snapshot and Pretty Girl with Shadow and Airplane :D
you know what im not a fan..but Seeing those PACKAGING ..
ReplyDeleteFX and EXO even SHINEE.. i felt that SM fans are lucky to have those kind of ALBUM packaging ...
Its all worth of buying
True, the packaging is pretty good... like for example the TaeTiSeo mini-album and IGAB album.
ReplyDelete