It doesn't feel like all that long since Red Velvet made a comeback with "Russian Roulette", and that's probably because it was only 5 months ago. "Russian Roulette" was, as you may know, one of my favorite songs last year and probably my favorite Red Velvet title track so far, meaning that my expectations were quite high for this comeback. The teaser images looked up to expectation; colorful, whimsical and quirky. The concept reminded me a lot of the one for "Dumb Dumb" which made me concerned about them regressing to an already tried-out sound and style, but I kept my hopes up. When I watched the MV for "Rookie" though I was left with all sorts of mixed emotions.
"Rookie" is basically "Dumb Dumb" 2.0, with the exception that it took me much longer to get into. It's perhaps not as loud and bombastic but it has the same kind of style of pop music that this group has been pursuing since debut. Like with "Dumb Dumb" the structure of the song is a bit confusing at first and at times it seems random, but the chorus of "Rookie" stands out even more. "Russian Roulette" showed growth and development and I was happy they finally dropped the "talk-singing-rapping" thing they've been doing before. With "Rookie" however it's back and more prominent than ever.
The entire chorus is made up of only this vocal technique in a way that sounds really off-putting, so much so that I couldn't even make it through the entire video the first time I watched it. After five listens or so I could finally digest it and unwillingly accept it for what it is. Now, almost an entire month later, I can shamelessly admit that I love the song, but it wasn't an easy journey. Overcoming the disappointment of the song not living up to my expectations was probably the hardest part but once I got over it and could finally appreciate the song for what it is I got into it pretty quickly. It is, even with a slightly annoying chorus, really catchy and there's really no way to get it out of your head once it has made its way in. My only concern is that they won't evolve musically and fall back into this sort of sound, especially since they showed so much potential with "Russian Roulette".
The MV for "Rookie" is interesting in the way that although it's a perfectly good video it's not really that memorable. What I believe is the problem is that like with the song the video is also eerily familiar. It's not an exact copy of any of their other videos but it's nothing that hasn't been seen before and that's where it falters. By any other standards this would've been a fun and exciting video but the fact that this is Red Velvet, a group that has put out amazing videos since debut, the bar is a bit higher. There are many fun moments in the video and I enjoy the set design, clothes and directing, but it doesn't pull me in the same way many of their other MV:s have.
Red Velvet has definitely mastered the "quirky, cute and sassy" image by now, both musically and visually, and it's obvious in this video that that image is exactly what they're trying to portray. So obvious in fact, that it takes away some of the genuine quirkiness that has been this groups' charm. The concept and plot of the video is original and everything and everyone is very pretty, but like I said there's nothing about that wows me in particular.
There are even some scenes that are a bit cringe-worthy, like the ones near the end where the girls fly around in small space ships in front of an obvious green-screen. Overall it's a decent video and one that seems to fit this group just right, but I wish they had shown something new or stepped outside of their comfort zone a bit more. It's also a shame the choreography isn't shown more because it's a great routine, but it's not incorporated much in the MV at all.
One aspect the group did step up their game in is the mini-album, also titled "Rookie". It contains a total of 6 songs and although the title track may be a step down from "Russian Roulette" the record as a whole is much better. There are a few songs who sound like they could've been B-sides on "The Red", such as "Happily Ever After" and "Talk To Me", both of whom are great songs (especially the latter) with energetic melodies and that specific signature Red Velvet-sound.
There are also a couple of songs that could just as easily have been songs on "The Velvet", like the soft and emotional mid-tempo track "Little Little" and Wendy's solo ballad "Last Love". I absolutely love the former of the two and while I love Wendy's vocals the song itself doesn't do much for me at all. My absolute favorite song out of all of them however is "Body Talk". I honestly could talk for hours about how much I adore this piece of music. It has that dreamy electro-pop vibe that I realized that all of my favorite Red Velvet tracks have ("Cool World" and "Some Love" mostly), and a melody, instrumental and chorus that is just pure brilliance.
All of the girls' vocals throughout the album sound lovely and I'm really happy about Yeri's huge improvement as well as Joy having more lines because she's got a really distinct and sweet voice. Irene sounds great too, as does Wendy of course, but my heart goes out to Seulgi because that girl is just amazing in every way imaginable.
Overall I've found this comeback enjoying in most aspects, with the exception that the title track took a long time for me to like. The concept is one that they do well and same goes with the MV, but like I said it feels too much on the safe side for me to love it wholeheartedly. We all know that Red Velvet can pull off this sound and style and now I'm ready for something new. Hopefully next comeback they can show a new side of the group or at least explore their already established signature sound.
I thought I was finished but then I remembered that I hadn't posted this list yet, so here it is! Not going to lie, this was probably the hardest list to put together out of all of them. There have been a lot of good albums this year with plenty of great b-sides. I initially tried to narrow the ranking down to my top 10 but it was actually impossible, and so I've instead managed to gather my 15 favorites with a big number of honorable mentions. Let's dive into it!
Lovelyz - Dear You
This is one of my absolute most played songs of 2016 without a question, and one of many great tracks on "A New Trilogy". It has that special J-pop-inspired bubblegum sound that Lovelyz does so great and a melody, structure and instrumental that's to die for. Day6 - First Time
Don't get me wrong here; I do genuinely love every single track on the mini-album "Daydream" but "First Time" definitely stood out to me. Not only is it a fantastic opener to the album but the song itself is quite simply put everything I enjoy about pop-rock music.
Hyomin - Gold
Although I tremendously enjoyed the other b-sides on this album "Gold" is, in my opinion, on another level. This sounds like it could be a western song with the way the music and melody is constructed, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's incredibly beautiful.
Red Velvet - Some Love
Sadly I was quite disappointed by Red Velvet's "Russian Roulette" as a mini-album, but this song was the one and only saving grace. It's light, poppy and sweet but with a slight undertone of maturity to balance the playfulness. Again it's one of my most played songs of 2016.
Luna - Galaxy
Once again I had to choose from a mini-album full of marvelous songs, but there was no hesitation that "Galaxy" was my favorite out of all of them. Apart from the fact that it's a beautifully put-together dance track my favorite part of it is the joy it exudes, much thanks to Luna's vocals. I.O.I - Hold On B1A4's Jinyoung participated in writing b-sides for both of I.O.I's mini-albums, but this one must be my favorite one. The young ladies of I.O.I do a great job with the vocal work but it's the song itself that pulls me in the most; the mixture of feminine softness, maturity and emotion is wonderful. Twice - Next Page
I was completely floored when I heard this song for the first time as it felt to me as a song with a sound that Twice hadn't really tried before. Gone were the high-pitched vocals and sticky sweetness and instead it allowed room for the members larger registers and a rockier, edgier sound. SHINee - Don't Let Me Go
This track really is a standard SHINee-esque mid-tempo ballad and they've done quite a few songs similar to this one throughout the years, but I still can't get enough of it. The vocals are spot on as usual (I especially enjoy Key's part) and I love the emotion of the melody and chord structure.
Oh My Girl - Step By Step
Another song composed by Jinyoung, this time for his label-mates for their mini-album "Pink Ocean". It has many of the great characteristics that have made his songs so popular, but it's truly brought to life by the ladies flawless vocal performances.
Winner - Pricked
A duo by Mino and Taehyun (the later no longer being in the group and yes I am still upset about this), it's a emotional guitar-based ballad with painful lyrics heartfelt vocal performances from both of them. It pains me that now we might never see this song sung live.
Astro - Innocent Love
I was actually surprised when I heard this song since Astro's regular sound, the one they're now associated with, is always so upbeat and lively. Although this ballad is about being young and experiencing first love it's actually very mature-sounding and definitely beautiful.
GFriend - Water Flower
It was so hard to decide which song I liked the best from "LOL" because there are so many, but in the end I think the song I've listened to the most is this J-pop-sounding piece. It literally sounds like it could be the opening theme to an anime and that a fantastic one. BTS - 2!3!
This is probably me being a sappy BTS fan but this song really speaks to me on an emotional level. There are many great b-sides on "Wings" but there's no denying that "2!3!" is the one that I hold most dear, with its lyrics directed to all BTS fans and a chorus that hits right in the heart. NCT - Switch
This song was featured as a bonus track on NCT 127's mini-album, but it's well-known that this is the unofficial song of NCT as the performed it when they were still trainees. It does certainly hold a lot of nostalgia, but it's also a genuinely great song. B.A.P - Ribbon In The Sky
Although I loved most songs on "Noir" it was clear from the first time I heard it that this song was the one I loved the very most. It's dark and powerful and has just the type of sound I need to hear from this group, as well as having a strong chorus not easily forgotten.
Honorable Mentions: Taemin - Soldier
Got7 - Rewind
Seventeen - Say Yes GFriend - Distance
BTS - 21st Century Girl
Monsta X - White sugar
I.O.I - When The Cherry Blossoms Fade
EXO - Artificial love
SHINee - Feel Good 4Minute - Canvas NCT 127 - Wake Up
The MV for "Rookie" is interesting in the way that although it's a perfectly good video it's not really that memorable. What I believe is the problem is that like with the song the video is also eerily familiar. It's not an exact copy of any of their other videos but it's nothing that hasn't been seen before and that's where it falters. By any other standards this would've been a fun and exciting video but the fact that this is Red Velvet, a group that has put out amazing videos since debut, the bar is a bit higher. There are many fun moments in the video and I enjoy the set design, clothes and directing, but it doesn't pull me in the same way many of their other MV:s have.
Red Velvet has definitely mastered the "quirky, cute and sassy" image by now, both musically and visually, and it's obvious in this video that that image is exactly what they're trying to portray. So obvious in fact, that it takes away some of the genuine quirkiness that has been this groups' charm. The concept and plot of the video is original and everything and everyone is very pretty, but like I said there's nothing about that wows me in particular.
There are also a couple of songs that could just as easily have been songs on "The Velvet", like the soft and emotional mid-tempo track "Little Little" and Wendy's solo ballad "Last Love". I absolutely love the former of the two and while I love Wendy's vocals the song itself doesn't do much for me at all. My absolute favorite song out of all of them however is "Body Talk". I honestly could talk for hours about how much I adore this piece of music. It has that dreamy electro-pop vibe that I realized that all of my favorite Red Velvet tracks have ("Cool World" and "Some Love" mostly), and a melody, instrumental and chorus that is just pure brilliance.
Overall I've found this comeback enjoying in most aspects, with the exception that the title track took a long time for me to like. The concept is one that they do well and same goes with the MV, but like I said it feels too much on the safe side for me to love it wholeheartedly. We all know that Red Velvet can pull off this sound and style and now I'm ready for something new. Hopefully next comeback they can show a new side of the group or at least explore their already established signature sound.
