@sarasara Taemin nailed the androgynous look so much on the MV omg I was like gaping when I saw him dancing with that sleeveless turtleneck and that pants omg omg I haven't listened to the whole album but so far I'm really really digging MOVE urgh
anw now I'm listening to sexuality - by Taemin ofc. still a favorite.
YESS He looked so GOOD in the MV omg I'm so proud of hiim
And Move grew on me a lot, it's now probably one of my favorites off the album.
The whole album is available on
Spotify btw! It's really good imo. I don't like it quite as much as Ace and Press It overall, but in general it's a really good album and it shows that once again, Taemin literally never disappoints.
Kinda random but here's my track by track and full overall review:
Move- This one is very sensual and smooth, kinda low-key, but still very R&B and very Taemin. I love the heavy beat throughout, as well as the various countermelodies during the chorus. Taemin’s vocals also sound great here; he sings in his lower range throughout the entire track and it’s very intense. It took a few listens to fully grow on me but now I really enjoy it. I especially like the bridge, the chord progressions in the beat are awesome and Taemin’s vocals sound better than ever. Taemin also looks handsomer than he’s ever been in the MV, he really nails that androgynous look ;))
Love: This is a powerful and beautiful mid-tempo R&B ballad. I really like the chord progressions in the verses, Taemin’s vocals sound soo controlled and on point here too, I seriously can’t get over how much he’s improved. His belting in the chorus is great too.
Crazy 4 U: This one is just really cool. It opens on a somewhat jazzy piano and some cool drums, but then the beat drops about a minute in and the whole feel of the song completely changes. I absolutely love the chord progressions and how Taemin’s voice sounds in the ‘Crazy 4 U Crazy 4 U’ lines during the verses. There are some amazing harmonies in this one too. My definite favorite off the album so far.
Heart Stop: I was fully expecting this to be a ballad but I was very pleasantly surprised once I heard it and discovered that it wasn’t. It’s another super smooth and groovy upbeat R&B banger, Seulgi’s silky and velvety (HAH) vocals really suit the track. Like Drip Drop, it has a bunch of really cool interesting vocal rhythmic figures throughout that make it really stand out IMO.
Rise: Basically Soldier 2.0. The two tracks sound eerily similar, I think they even might be in the same key or something (Okay, just checked the credits and they were composed by the same people, that definitely explains it.) Soldier wasn’t my favorite track on Press It but I definitely understood the appeal and why it was loved by so many, and this one seems like it’s going to follow that trend. I still can’t help but like Love a little bit better though.
Thirsty: More smooth af sensual R&B, gosh Taemin literally never disappoints. This one has a sorta cool trap beat to it as well, which I usually wouldn’t be a huge fan of, but here it works surprisingly well and makes the track groove so much harder. The way Taemin’s voice goes up a little when he says ‘Thirsty’ makes me lol though haha. I really like the bridge in this one too.
미로 (Stone Heart)- The beat in this one changes around a lot, it keeps the track really fresh and interesting to listen to. Taemin’s harmonizations with himself (I particularly like the ones
here) sound really nice here too. This one feels the most Western off the album for me though, especially that ‘Youuuuu” in the Chorus. Only issue is that it ends so abruptly. :/
Back To You- This is the most acoustic track on the album for sure, the guitar instrumental sounds very mellow and quite beautiful actually. Taemin’s vocals also sound very very good here, I really like the way his voice has been developing and maturing recently. The melody of the track doesn’t really stick with me much, but it’s definitely not bad. This one also strikes me as very Western sounding.
Flame of Love (Korean Ver.)- Lol hearing this one is kinda jarring after hearing all the other songs on the album, the vibes just don’t mesh at all (This track has always felt very uniquely Japanese to me, while the rest of the album doesn’t feel that way in the slightest haha). The Korean lyrics are fine and all, but I guess I’m just too used to the Japanese.
Overall, I really enjoyed this album. Like EXO’s ‘The War’ album, SM has seemed to develop a fondness for producing more Western sounding music this year, which I’m admittedly not the hugest fan of, but if it’s all as well produced as this, I can hardly complain. I have to say, I do miss having that one track that Jonghyun helped work on, (Pretty Boy from Ace and Already from Press It), as those tracks have consistently always been my favorite tracks from Taemin, but oh well. :/ The album is very thematically consistent and cohesive (with the exception of Flame of Love) which is great, but I do kinda miss the variety that was present on Ace and Press It. (I was really hoping for another cool funky track like Wicked, or a softer and more emotional R&B ballad like Until Today, Already, and Play Me.). The album kinda feels like an album entirely filled of Drip Drop sound-alikes lol. (And I don't entirely mean that in a negative way).
I’m definitely going to give the album some more listens before I completely make up my mind, but so far I don’t think I like it better than Press It or Ace, but it’s still overall an excellent album and definitely worth a listen. My favorite tracks are definitely Crazy 4 U, Move, and Thirsty.
Currently Listening to:
Taemin- Until Today
Still one of my all time favorite Taemin tracks. I really missed this more emotional and passionate side of Taemin in the new album, this track is literally gorgeous.
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