Released: January 6, 2014 / February 27, 2014
Language: Korean
Genre: Pop, Jazz, R&B
By James Williams
About a month after the release of TENSE, it was announced that the record would be re-released with a three new songs. While this procedure is quite common to maximise album profit, occasionally the new songs can add a new dynamic to make the album even better. Such is the case with this album repackage, titled Spellbound, and the new tracks really highlight the underlying R&B tone of the album.
To promote the repackaged album, the duo released a song by the same title, "Spellbound" (official title is "수리수리", pronounced 'suri suri'). "Spellbound" is the tails to the heads of "Something", both two different sides of their aesthetic but go hand in hand in terms of album promotion. This tactic worked, and roped in more listeners who were perhaps turned off by the somewhat brash qualities of "Something".
The other two new extensions to the album are solo tracks from each member of the duo, and a particularly strong addition to the album is member Changmin's "Heaven's Day". A track derived from PBR&B influences, "Day" adds yet another twist to the album's R&B elements, with a divine vocal performance. Despite what might sound like a rather limited fusion of genres on the surface, TVXQ! have covered a lot of ground for what these genres can accomplish together. There's twists and turns around every corner and by no means a standard K-Pop album.
TVXQ! have become a K-Pop staple over the past ten years, and their influence over the genre is very apparent in terms of multicultural dominance. Despite initially seeming to be a left turn for what was expected of a 10 year anniversary album, it quickly became apparent that this is what TVXQ! do; take things to the next level and do their own thing and wait for the trends to catch up to them. In that regard, TENSE is exactly what this album needed to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment