Friday Music Favourites – 14 October

Dear O.,

As promised, today I am going to write about my favourite K-pop group – SHINee!I told you a couple of weeks ago that they were coming back. And they did! With their newest album, called 1 of 1. The album quickly topped the charts and was very well accepted by the audience. Famous for their unique style and diverse concepts, Shinee did it again, this time betting on the 90s theme.

Shinee is known as a group that always experiments and tries new concepts, although, as I read in some news, they weren’t so sure for this particular album. The reaction of the fans is very important, especially when you release something in a month such as October. And this month is filled with comebacks and lots of competition even between label mates.

Photo source: dramafever.com

Anyway, here is a quick review of some of my favourite songs in no particular order. 

1 of 1 – The main promotional song. I really enjoy listening to it! It’s not burdensome and you can dance to it freely. Each member’s voice can be heard in a light and joyful melody that gets better after every listening.

Don’t let me Go – It is perfect for a warm September night, when the earth hasn’t discovered the intentions of the upcoming autumn. The end of it feels like the rain has just remembered about the dry earth after a long and very warm summer.

Feel Good is one of my favorite songs (I think it is the best of all!) from the album. It combines much of Shinee’s style with the current concept. You can sense the 90s in the chorus that just makes you feel good and you want to dance! It brings summer vibes to me! They could easily do a MV for this song and it would have been a hit!

Prism – just like those disco songs we used to listen when we were children playing outside. A little bit chaotic for my style, but still refreshing.

Shift is another song that I really enjoy listening to. The reason is the same as in Feel Good. The well-synchronized mixture of the retro concept with their voices can be felt even more. I dare to say that this song could be very popular in the 90s if released then. A very suitable song for disco clubs for that period, indeed.

The album is and interesting fusion between their uniqueness and the concept. It is a fresh addition among the big competition that is raging in the Korean music market at the moment. To be honest, not all of the songs were super enjoyable to me, but I must say that their retro attempt is a success.

As I read, the album was supposed to be released in September, but due to Onew’s injury they postponed it for October. Of course the delay wasn’t hurtful for their popularity and the release was, after all, successful, but I think that September is much more suitable for this album to be shown to the wolrd. It is just the feeling I get from listening to these songs. Songs for September - the month we used to go back to school and brag about the new music we have just found; the days of the the portable cassette players and  high-waist jeans that were thicker than their softer descendants now. And many more things from the 90s.

Ahhh, the nostalgia and lots of memories… I miss the 90s so much! I am sure that you miss them, too, although you are much younger than me. Still, it was a very good period. Not so hasty, not so boring. I feel like each innovation could be sensed in a very comfortable way. Nowadays you have to be always updated, always open to new things. And at the end you feel exhausted and empty. But the 90s… were magical!

Sending my love to you,

R.