Released: January 6, 2014 / February 27, 2014
Language: Korean
Genre: Pop, Jazz, R&B
The korean pop (K-Pop) industry is lightning-fast, with constant releases and new trends emerging all the time. In the western world, we're used to our favourite acts releasing albums between every 18 and 36 months, with usually a year or two between album promotions. However, a more realistic wait between releases in K-Pop is rarely more than a year long, and usually only lasts a few months. While this method keeps relevancy and hype flowing smoothly, it can be dangerously taxing for the k-pop acts involved, as each release generally relies on heavy promotion, dance routines, and the occasional arena concert.
Needless to say, many groups and individuals step out of the K-Pop industry once they've had enough, including three of TVXQ!'s members who resigned in the middle of 2009 due to various reasons. While the trio now continue their music endeavours under the name JYJ, the TVXQ! duo put their heads down and continued marketing themselves to both South Korea and Japan, and eventually made it to their ten year anniversary, in which they celebrated with a new album, TENSE.
For any commemorative album, you'd expect the music to be thematically similar to the cause of celebration. For example, an album based on 10 years of previous music would, for the most part, reflect said-music in some sort of way. TENSE takes an odd approach as an avenue for the duo to flex their artistic muscles a little and try something new, and the results are exceptional.
Opening with a simply titled "Ten", the album's celebratory tone is set as the song's main feature, a countdown from 10 to 1, continually counts down and resets itself between lyrics that reference previous album and song titles within their discography. The bouncy "Something", my personal favourite song of the year at the time of writing, kicks things into action with brighter melodies, brass breakdowns, and more. One of the album's more pop-leaning offerings to appeal to a wider audience, "Something" was the album's lead single and the first taste of this new sound and aesthetic for the duo.
The rest of TENSE follows the same aesthetic as the previous tracks, with a lot of pop and jazz influences blended together with R&B undertones. Other highlight's include the multidimensional "Moonlight Fantasy" - full of hooks, 90's-styled disc scratching sections and a gospel choir imitation to top things off - as well as light and breezy cut "Steppin", plus the midtempo ballad "Off-Road". It's moments like these where TENSE really shines, combining energy with a sense of maturity and elegance that naturally places TVXQ! on a pedestal above their contemporaries.
Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2, coming soon.
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