Review: SNSD’s Oh! Album

SNSD’s Oh! Album

This upcoming review has taken me a long time to compile. I truly wanted to LISTEN to the album, not just hear each song once and write what came off the top of my head for the songs.

Now I want to begin this review by saying that I am not really a fan of SNSD, I’d like to be though. The only song I’ve really appreciated from them is Tell Me Your Wish (Genie), but I think that’s what will make my review a breath of fresh air.

I’m not a hardcore SNSD fan who’ll just say I love each song but I’m not some anti who’ll say the album is complete crap. I’m a lover of Korean pop music and therefore I believe I can write a completely objective review on the music and its quality.

So let’s begin!

Oh! – So much to say on this song, starting off with it was genius on the producers’ part; it’s energetic and starts off like a video game. It’s very retro electro-pop, if you get my drift. I enjoy the technicalities of this song far more than I enjoy the singing. I said before that this song reminded me of Chu~<3 (not a good thing) by f(x) but later I realized that I didn’t like Oh! at first listen simply because I was so disappointed they went back to the cutesy sound I thought they had grown out of with Tell Me Your Wish (Genie), and trust me I tried to resist this song’s power but I fell victim to the chorus. “Oh Oh Oh Oh Oppa Saranghae!” It’s just so cute and totally addictive, especially one verse from 1:30 to 1:36, a very pretty part, just sweet cute singing, that is where this song does have its weaknesses, the auto tune in this song really frustrates me at times because I’m sure I’d have like more pretty verses like that AND find the song a little less annoying if they didn’t do auto-tuned voice interjections in between verses, it sounds like an irate grumbling 4-year-old girl. But this is still the catchiest of the new songs on the album.

RATING: 4.5/5

Show! Show! Show! –I really like the beginning of this song, pulsing synths are totally my thing! It feels the like the beginning of a fashion show. Oh wow the beginning of the singing is really annoying, and truthfully I was about to hit skip but then the “hush, hush” part begins and I’m suddenly curious on where this song is going to go, some of the girls voice aren’t completely synthesized into the music but they flow a lot better that way. What a smart way to add in interjections from the girls in the chorus. They sound a little more mature during those parts. The music starts to take a turn around 2:26 where it’s trying to reach a climax (which it really doesn’t) with trumpets and its start getting a little more instrumental but then it goes back smoothly to its throbbing electro-pop beat. Hmm, so this is the song composed by Jinu, who composed Brown Eyed Girls’ Abracadabra, honestly I’m not impressed. It’s a heavily electro-synthesized song but the harmonies aren’t working well in the song, meaning the girls’ voices aren’t meshing that well with the music with only a few exceptions, this is a cute song though.

RATING: 4/5

뻔&Fun (Sweet Talking Baby)/Fun&Fun (Sweet Talking Baby) – This song starts off sounding extremely unique and like it could totally go onto this different playing field that SNSD has never explored before, but then it reverts back to what they always do, very cute pop and they stay away from the electro-pop concept they’re going for this album. Anyway, 뻔&Fun (Sweet Talking Baby) is a happy song that starts off with the unique idea of adding in the sound of gayageum, a traditional Korean instrument. I thought it would have been epic if they had kept the gayageum’s full power throughout the song, but of course they didn’t. Luckily, I find this song can stand without it, it’s very cute, the “fun fun fun ay ay ay” part instead of annoying me as I think it should, I actually find endearing. The gayageum makes its comeback after the chorus and then fades back out again completely. The track is quite enjoyable once you get used to it though.

RATING: 3.5/5

영원히 너와 꿈꾸고 싶다 (Forever)/I Want To Dream With You Forever (Forever) – Total change of pace from the beginning tracks! Apparently this is by the same person who composed Jessica and Onew’s duet One Year Later on the Genie mini-album. It’s very tempting to press skip, especially since it starts off with such soft singing but the true gem of this song is in its chorus. You clearly hear Taeyeon and/or Seohyun come in and take this song somewhere besides snoozeville which is where it was going and fast. The climax of the song around the 3:40 mark is extremely gratifying. Overall it’s a pretty song. Strangely enough after I listened to the album like 5 times to truly get a feel for it, and this is one of the four tracks that I turned out to like a lot!

RATING: 4.5/5

웃자 (Be Happy)/Let’s Laugh (Be Happy) – E-Tribe has given SNSD another new song after the hit song Gee. This specific song has a trendy house rhythm as background and for the lyrics, the girls sent out a supporting message to those who are having a hard life. I really like the music, very electronic and perfect execution of synth, the lyrics and the girls’ voices are what bother me about this song. There are moments that I like a lot (0:53 to 1:07) but there are more moments that I don’t like (like the nonsensical background vocals). The temptation to press skip is strong. Overall this song sounds more chaotic than anything else, another thing I’d like to get off my chest: STOP TELLING ME TO BE HAPPY! This song does not make me happy.

RATING: 2/5

화성인 바이러스 (Boys & Girls) (ft. Key of SHINee)/Martian Virus (Boys & Girls) (ft. Key of SHINee) – Featuring Key from SHINee (I’m already biased towards this song!), it has this kind of country drawl to it, but in a very electro-pop. Right in the beginning it begins with some catchy ‘ohh’ ing. I love the beginning electro beats. I like the solo bridges and the pacing of the song during those moments leading up the chorus. Then the chorus comes around, not the catchiest or the best flow out there but its heaven compared to the last track.  I feel some electro-country influences in the song and it works for them. But where the freak is Key? Don’t tell me his little auto-tuned muffled vocals in the first minute of the song is it?! The title lied to me LOL. It’s still a catchy song though. Hardcore SNSD fans will eat this up.

RATING: 3.5/5

카라멜 커피 (Talk To Me)/ Caramel Coffee (Talk To Me) – Tiffany and Jessica’s duet song!! It starts off with what I think is a harmonica, interesting touch. Wow, this has a total Bossa-nova lounge feel to it, it’s also very jazzy. Whoever decided that Tiffany and Jessica needed a duet is pretty genius, their voice compliment each other’s so well. Jessica’s is a little high and very soft, while Tiffany’s is a low and deeper; the harmony of the juxtaposition between their voices is simply perfect. I imagine this playing over a montage of pictures of two lovers’ pictures from their trip to some tropical paradise LOL. It has that feel. Overall, it is a very enjoyable song, the only one of the new songs on the album that I liked at first listen but it’s a little mundane.

RATING: 4/5

별별별 (☆★☆)/ Star Star Star (☆★☆) – Again, this song is kind of like영원히 너와 꿈꾸고 싶다 (Forever), you will be oh so tempted to just skip the song and get to something with some energy  instead of listening to this seemingly boring ballad, but give it until the 1:04 mark when members distorted vocals are inserted in the middle of the verses, and the instrumentals start to pick up. Also I think they purposely chose to start off weak, because once you feel yourself getting to that climax, it’s oh (haha pun) so gratifying. Taeyeon singing/chanting “byul, byul, byul” and “star, star, star” are my favorite parts of this song, so much emotion in her voice! An amazing vocal performance on this song, it’s gorgeous. The only thing keeping me from giving this song the full 5 out of 5 is the fact that started off weak.

RATING: 4.5/5

무조건 해피엔딩 (Stick Wit U)/Just Happy Ending (Stick Wit U) – What a complete and utter shift from the last track! This is an overly hyper upbeat electronic dance song. I don’t know how to feel about it. “Uh uh oh” has the potential to hook me but there’s some weird shifts happening in the music that remind me too much of웃자 (Be Happy), and I don’t like that. This is a lot catchier though and it’s not as chaotic, the pacing of this song actually seems to make sense. I don’t like it, but I don’t dislike it either. Luckily for me this song is only 2:46.

RATING: 2/5

좋은 일만 생각하기 (Day By Day)/Thinking Only of Good Things (Day by Day) – “If you think the melody sounds familiar, it is the same melody as the OST Day by Day from Beethoven Virus. For the new album, SNSD has changed up the lyrics, making it a whole new song.” Is what omgkpop.com informed me of. This song reminds me a lot of카라멜 커피 (Talk To Me), very bossa-nova lounge feel to it but way more pop influences, no electronics and pulsing beats and synths in this one, which I’m grateful for. This is a pretty song; there’s nothing particularly special about it though.

RATING: 3.5/5

Gee – A delectable pop confection. Sweet to the point of cavities, it’s just too cute, and way too sweet. Does that make it any less irresistible? No.

PHANTOM RATING: 5/5

Tell Me Your Wish (Genie): This song is the reason I was so excited for this album, because I believed SNSD had found their edge back in Tell Me Your Wish (Genie), the pulsing beats, addictive synths, the mature voices, and one of the catchiest choruses I had heard in a long time, that didn’t repeat one interjection like 500 times. Taeyeon’s singing part from 2:52 to 3:07 is one of most perfectly executed voice-overs in a LONG TIME. It’s just LOVE. I prefer this more mature/fierce sound or at least something with more of an edge from SNSD. They proved that they were capable of it with this song but unfortunately it seems like it was a one-time thing.

PHANTOM RATING: 5/5

Sorry Sunny, that pout will not change my opinions

Truthfully, I’m not very impressed with the new songs on the album, besides Oh!, 영원히 너와 꿈꾸고 싶다 (Forever), 카라멜 커피 (Talk To Me), and 별별별 (☆★☆) everything else sounds rather filler-ish, I must admit after listening to the album continuously a few of the other songs became catchy to me but it was in a completely formulaic way.  Strangely enough, I, who despises ballads and slow (boring) songs, loved their ballads and mature slow songs. Personally, I just don’t think they did the electro-pop route right. It had no edge, it just sounded childish and slightly juvenile. I just wish they would mature a little bit more for their next album or mini-album.I’ve enjoyed a few songs though, so I guess all hope is not lost.

OVERALL RATING: 3.15/5

Umm no need to be angry ladies!
There’s always the fact that Korea loves you and you’ve already sold 30,000 albums in one day!

(On a side note LMAO at Yoona trying to be intimidating)