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So that in mind, I've decided to this playlist will highlight songs that do just that! Some rules I made for myself in choosing songs
- It can't be the comeback single. It feels like cheating but interestingly, this knocked out a lot of mainstream Kpop tracks. I’ve honestly never noticed this pattern before.
- It can’t be an intro or prelude to the next song. This one hurts the most because that eliminated some of my favorite album openers from VIXX, Infinite and Agust D.
- No singles because that is blatantly cheating.
Now we have the rules, let’s get to the songs!
SHINee -- All Day, All Night
I don’t think we’ve ever heard this version of Shinee before. We’ve gotten close with “Trigger” or “Live” but this? With the chanting/singing booming chorus with the pulsing bass in the back? Never. Another moment of me holding on to dear life, wondering where this came from?
This song is an absolute roller coaster. It starts off calmly with birds chirping but just punches it during the chorus, leaving you invigorating and stunned by the end. This intro showed that despite them recovering from a devastating tragedy, Shinee was not down for the count and would heal and grow stronger.
ELO -- Wax Mannequeen
Clocking in as the shortest song on this list, this song absolutely starts this album on the right foot. We hadn’t heard much from Elo before his 2016 debut beside his inclusion in the all-star crew VV:D. Still, with Wax Mannequeen, he paints a beautiful picture of his sound and what he brings to both VV:D and his company, AOMG.
An earnest and mournful start and ending with a powerful ad-lib, this album opener hooks its listener, leaving us eager for what the singer will give us next.
It was a draw between this and “People Scare Me” from their We’ve Done Something Wonderful album. I went with this because this intro feels as much for their fans as for their haters. After signing with YG, their next album got some lackluster responses. Worried that they’ve been infected with the patented YG Sound, the group went to the drawing board and bounced back with this.
This intro looks to the past, both reflecting on their past struggles and sampling The Miracles but to their future, reassuring their fans of their return and warning them not to tell them that it’s all over. The show goes on.
Primary and Infinite's Sunggyu's Drama
Oh, where do I start with this one? While all of these songs are admittedly great, this one just has my heart. I’ve already touched on my love of the producer, Primary so I’ll focus on Sunggyu’s part in this.
Leader and main vocalist of the group, Infinite, Sunggyu has shown off his singing skills in songs like “BTD” or “The Eye” but this is my first time hearing him solo. The narrator is trying to convince someone to leave their neglectful boyfriend for him. By the bridge, however, he realized that he doesn’t stand a chance and the song is him, mourning what could have been. This is a tricky narrative to sell in a song but Sunggyu pulls it off. You can hear his love, his frustration, his resignation and he never loses steam as he goes though these emotions. It almost makes me feel guilty about how I can’t stop dancing when I listen to it.
This song gives us a taste of hearing singers in new ways and more of Primary’s skilled compositions. I highly recommend this album.
Xiah Junsu -- Reach
Hear me know, Xiah Junsu is too powerful. He can sing, dance and pull off all of the hair colors. I’m not saying he’s a wizard or witch but if he is, I won’t be shocked. I’m trying really hard to give you an articulate breakdown of this song but I just can’t. It’s too ethereal to put into words. This man brought it to church and had the full band and choir with him! When we all know he’s going to be tweaking during his live performance of Out of Control. HOW DARE HE?
Much like Drama, this is a man’s earnest declaration to a lover, this time for them to forgive him and to come back. He has such charisma and control of his voice, he could make the simplest things sound world-shaking.
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