Now a duo, Yunho and Changmin have comeback with their seventh korean studio album Tense. It seemed the musical direction for this album would be more jazzy and intrumentally based, which I was really excited about.
The album opens with Ten, a smooth and sexy R&B track dedicated to their fans as a thank you for the support over the years. I like this song, but the beginning is just so cringeworthy it made me slightly nauseous. Like, I get it, you love your fans and you want to show your gratefulness, but really?
I do like the mentions of previous hits such as Rising Sun and Purple Line. The vocals are great and the adlibs at the end were suiting as well but the song is otherwise quite boring.
Next we have the title track Something, which is more of an uptempo song heavily influenced by jazz and swing music. I like hearing the song without watching the music video as well, because it allows more focus on the music itself. I love all the wind instruments and the bass, and I really appriciate the lack of electronic sounds. The only complaint I would have is the instrumental break, which is nice but slightly unneccessary as it interrupts the flow of the song.
The jazzy feeling continues with next track Your Man, which is similar in sound to the previous song, but not as grand. The song is really nice, however not very memorable on first listen, but it grows on you each time you listen to it.
Following is Moonlight Fantasy, which opens as slowly with a piano playing while the boys sing a couple of lines. Then all of a sudden, the bass kicks in and what you thought was a ballad turs out be quite the oppposite. The combination of different instruments is great and gives it a really funky vibe. There is even some record scratching in the background, but somehow it fits and doesn't seem out of place. It ends with only a piano playing again, completing the circle. I can totally imagine Yunho and Changmin together with a band in some jazz club performing this song.
The intensity lessens a bit in next song Beside, where the music is much more minimal and allows the vocals to take center stage. The melody is nice and easy on the ears.
Double Trouble is next up, and from the beginning it is stronger with a more in-your-face attitude. Is it only me or does this sound like it could've been on SHINee's Dream Girl- The Misconceptions Of You album? I totally get those vibes with the guitar riffs in the background and the almost screaming type of vocals. My big problem with this problem is that while the song is not too bad, it doesn't do either of their voices any favors and it just sounds like they are screaming half of the time, making it not so pleasant to listen to.
Following is Off-Road, which is my favorite song of the album, but this also sounds like it could've placed on one of SHINee's earlier albums like Lucifer. It definetely sounds like a throwback to the past, but that is not neccessarily a bad thing. The song centers around a simple piano played over a heavy beat as well and features some falsetto singing that is not great but acceptable considering that neither Yunho and Changmin possesses that kind of voice. My only complaint with this song is that it never felt like there was a climax anywhere, the whole time I was just waiting for something to happened, but it never did. Otherwise though, I don't really have anything negative to say about this tune.
Next we have Smoky Heart, another slower song that is minimal in instruments and focuses more on the smooth and sexy atmosphere and vocals. It's definetely one of those songs you just want to jam along to, swinging from side to side. The problem however is that it doesn't really do much for me, it's good but not great.
Love Again follows the same pattern and continues being a nice, relaxing listen. I feel like it doesn't stand out though, and that it's too similar to the previous song, or that those two songs are two similar to each other. Once again, it's perfectly decent but it fails to cause a reaction. I am however impressed with Changmin's vocals in particular, but that rapping by Yunho was not needed and didn't really sound like rapping but more like talking over a beat.
The happiest song on the album is clearly Steppin', which is a nice change from the last two songs. It's catchy and cute but not wihtout some rapping in there as well. I have to admit, I'm not a fan of their rapping, and even though Yunho often sounds way too nasally and Changmin to squeely I prefer them singing anyway.
Finally we get a real ballad in Rise, which shows of their vocals in a flattering way. For me to be impressed and not just bored by a ballad it takes quite a lot, because it's easy for me to just get bored listening to one. TVXQ has had some lovely ballads in the past, and while this certainly is beautiful it doesn't reach Bolero or Love In The Ice level of beauty.
The last song on the album is Always With You, which to me sounds like it would be a lot better sung live than in a studio. It's the kind of song that you want and audience of 10 000 people to sing along to in order to do it justice. I also find that while there is lots of acoustic instruments and a lovely guitar solo it never really happens anything. There is something missing to take this song to its full potential, and therefore it feels a bit underwhelming.
As a conclusion, this album is good, but not excellent. And for SM, who's been on a winning streak for a while now, this just adds to the pile of solid albums. I like the musical direction of the album and the variety of songs, but it still had a cohensive theme in a more acoustic and authentic sound. I would say the first half of the album was significally better than the second one, where songs started to sound more and more the same and it became a bit less exciting. There are some good songs, but also some mediocre fillers that don't really help taking the sound of the album to a new level. I still think it's an impressive effort and both guys sound good, and for once SM actually chose an actual good song as the title track!
Highlights: Something, Your Man, Moonlight Fantasy, Beside, Off-Road
Least Favorite: Double Trouble
Total Score: 3,6/5
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