Quick Take: Super Junior, "Sexy, Free and Single"
This will be a very quick take because I don't quite know what to make of this song. It has some really good things going for it, like the lower octave synths around the "have a good time, party time" bits (gorgeous - reminds me of Sam Sparro's first album, where he used a lot of those). The song abandons those pretty quickly for some other less engaging effects, but it's still got a bit of R&B swag and I like it. But then throws in this clapping beat for what I assume is the chorus - the song's structure is at the moment a mystery to me - and it just throws me off my groove. I stop bobbing my head, and the magic is gone. They did the same thing with "Mr. Simple" with that weird breakbeat-ish bit with the rapping and the "blow your mind" stuff.
Super Junior got big because of "Sorry Sorry". It wasn't mind-blowing pop music by any means - it was catchy, sure, but it was predictable. That predictability, however, is what made it such an earworm and a fun listen - you knew exactly when to jump in and do the dance, and you could sing along easily and annoy your friends with it. SuJu's last two singles have abandoned that predictability, and I think it hurts rather than helps. Sure, we like to hear new sounds, but not if it breaks the flow of the song in a bad way. There are ways to change things up that are less jarring, but SM's producers must not like them. Too bad, because they lose me as a listener with what they did choose.
Oh, and I don't like the effects they put on Yesung's voice. It's unrecognizable.
The video has lots of swag, and I like the color treatments. That being said, it's just aight.
If I were to sum up Super Junior in these their twilight years before the military, I'd say something like "attempts at uniqueness that often fell flat". I know that they're trying to avoid the "just another k-pop band" label, but their younger competition is doing it better right now if you ask me.
I might listen to the album. From what I've read, though, it might not be worth it.
I agree, I think that the monotone chorus is pretty jarring. However, I'm pleased with the fact that the word "gorgeous" can even be used to describe a current-day SuJu single. The intro alone was like a delicious cosmic lounge martini, with those gorgeous synths in place of an olive. The same can be said for the album track Papillon, and I really enjoyed the direction the group took with those sounds.
ReplyDeleteThat said, you may given the album a listen by now, but if not, I think it is definitely worth one. In these post-Sorry, Sorry days, people tend to write the group off based on their "SJ Funky" title tracks, but although it all comes down to personal taste, I think that their albums have had plenty of great songs, this one being no exception.