Korean girl group f(x) has gained fans all over Korea and all over the world thanks to their unique look and unique combination of singers. With the release of their very first official album f(x) is performing and winning awards left and right, but how do their new songs stack up to all this hype? I'm a huge f(x) fan and was extremely excited to get this album into my hands. So here we go.
The album Pinocchio opens with their single Danger. This edgy pop song is quickly gaining views on YouTube and the video has a great style as well as a bright background to highlight the girls changing fashion styles. Its a great song and while it may not be stuck in your head for days, its still worth buying. Some might view the lyrics as redundant but I feel that this factor helps to add to the songs appeal.
Luna's voice really shines through on the song, but its lacking in that Amber doesn't rap more than one line. Her rapping would have helped the song stand out more, instead it falls somewhat flat since she doesn't get a singing part the way the other girls do.
After that is the song Sweet Witches. This very upbeat tone doesn't do much to lift your spirits and the opening synth beat just feels way out of place. f(x) carries a very urban pop feel but instead this song delivers a sugary sweet pop feel that just doesn't fit in with their look, much less their vocals. We really could have done without this song.
Third on this album is Dangerous. This song is more upbeat and less edgy then the title would have you believe and the first verses could easily turn you off, but give this song and chance and you'll find yourself singing along and driving around town like a super spy out on a mission. The high pitched singing voices the girls churn out do seem a little off putting at times though. Listen to it a few times, however, and it proves itself to be a good song. Not great, but good.
Fourth is the song Beautiful Goodbye. As one of only two ballads on the song it doesn't quite reach the same emotional heights as Sorry (Dear Daddy) from the first mini album. However, it does a good job of showing off the girls great singing voices and proves that there are kpop groups out there that can sing instead of relying on overly auto tuned song lyrics. Beautiful Goodbye is a soothing rhythm that shows you how good these girls really are when it comes to singing. The combination comes together beautifully on this song.
Gangsta Boy is up next but instead of the edgy tune in the same flavor as Mr. Boogie it is actually a rather stripped down song with a simpler melody then the first song Danger. I wasn't a fan of it at first but after listening to it a couple times I think its a great song although Luna's staple high note seems a bit unnecessary and the cheesy final bridge/verse will make you bust out laughing rather than actually enjoy the song. The ending ruined it a bit for me my taking the sugary sweet tone that is so out of place with the style f(x) portrays.
The 6th song Love. It may be sweet with a few sprinkles on top but for the first time on this album it actually works out pretty well. It brings back a little bit of the pop feel that f(x) is supposed to have and while it's not the best song I've heard from my girls at f(x), that doesn't mean it isn't worth playing.
Stand Up! falls into the same category as Sweet Witches. It's trying to showcase how cute and pretty the girls are without much success. Its so sweet you can barely stand it. Just skip this one.
Almost to the end of the album we have the funky song My Style to help round out the album. As a reminder of some of their past songs this one is actually a favorite of mine. The verses and chorus are perfect and the girls vocals all make this song a great one. Amber switches things up by rapping entirely in English this time and that gives this one that extra kick it needs to stand out.
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| Pinocchio is here! |
The album Pinocchio opens with their single Danger. This edgy pop song is quickly gaining views on YouTube and the video has a great style as well as a bright background to highlight the girls changing fashion styles. Its a great song and while it may not be stuck in your head for days, its still worth buying. Some might view the lyrics as redundant but I feel that this factor helps to add to the songs appeal.
Luna's voice really shines through on the song, but its lacking in that Amber doesn't rap more than one line. Her rapping would have helped the song stand out more, instead it falls somewhat flat since she doesn't get a singing part the way the other girls do.
After that is the song Sweet Witches. This very upbeat tone doesn't do much to lift your spirits and the opening synth beat just feels way out of place. f(x) carries a very urban pop feel but instead this song delivers a sugary sweet pop feel that just doesn't fit in with their look, much less their vocals. We really could have done without this song.
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| f(x) is ready to add a little Danger to your life |
Third on this album is Dangerous. This song is more upbeat and less edgy then the title would have you believe and the first verses could easily turn you off, but give this song and chance and you'll find yourself singing along and driving around town like a super spy out on a mission. The high pitched singing voices the girls churn out do seem a little off putting at times though. Listen to it a few times, however, and it proves itself to be a good song. Not great, but good.
Fourth is the song Beautiful Goodbye. As one of only two ballads on the song it doesn't quite reach the same emotional heights as Sorry (Dear Daddy) from the first mini album. However, it does a good job of showing off the girls great singing voices and proves that there are kpop groups out there that can sing instead of relying on overly auto tuned song lyrics. Beautiful Goodbye is a soothing rhythm that shows you how good these girls really are when it comes to singing. The combination comes together beautifully on this song.
Gangsta Boy is up next but instead of the edgy tune in the same flavor as Mr. Boogie it is actually a rather stripped down song with a simpler melody then the first song Danger. I wasn't a fan of it at first but after listening to it a couple times I think its a great song although Luna's staple high note seems a bit unnecessary and the cheesy final bridge/verse will make you bust out laughing rather than actually enjoy the song. The ending ruined it a bit for me my taking the sugary sweet tone that is so out of place with the style f(x) portrays.
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| f(x) is out to win the Love of their fans |
The 6th song Love. It may be sweet with a few sprinkles on top but for the first time on this album it actually works out pretty well. It brings back a little bit of the pop feel that f(x) is supposed to have and while it's not the best song I've heard from my girls at f(x), that doesn't mean it isn't worth playing.
Stand Up! falls into the same category as Sweet Witches. It's trying to showcase how cute and pretty the girls are without much success. Its so sweet you can barely stand it. Just skip this one.
Almost to the end of the album we have the funky song My Style to help round out the album. As a reminder of some of their past songs this one is actually a favorite of mine. The verses and chorus are perfect and the girls vocals all make this song a great one. Amber switches things up by rapping entirely in English this time and that gives this one that extra kick it needs to stand out.
As the last ballad on the album you'll find that the song So Into U is one of the best songs off the album. Amber actually gets a chance to sing on this album instead of just showing up to rap a few lines towards the end and then disappearing again. Her part is towards the beginning and will certainly shut up anyone foolish enough to question her singing abilities. Not only can Amber hold a note in tune, but she does it very well. Luna's high note seems thrown in just because she's good at it, but aside from that this is a great song. Not quite at single status but it tries hard to get there.
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| f(x) is winning performances left and right |
Finally we have Lollipop featuring boy band and label mates SHINee. Actually this is the Korean remake of the same song that f(x) did with Chinese group MIC. Much as I love my boys from SHINee Lollipop actually might have been a better song without them. Onew has a great voice and his part is the best part of this song, but the others' just don't quite come together. That said this song is going to be stuck in your head for some time once you listen to it and your finger will keep itching to hit the replay button.
f(x) is a great group that is overflowing with potential, unfortunately this album doesn't do much to prove that. SM Entertainment is known for mixing things up, but they should have stuck with the style that made f(x) popular in the first place.
Overall this album gets a 3.5 out of 5. Pretty good album, but it certainly could have been better.
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