[Jpop] F.T Island- Prologue of FT ISLAND -soyogi-
FT island are a Korean group who debuted in 2007. Soyogi is their first mini-album released in Japan on 2008.06.07.
The album opens with the upbeat pop-rock Friendship. It’s a fast and cheery piece with a hopeful feeling (rather contrary to the heartbreaking ballads they are known for). It’s light and easy to listen to with beautiful vocals, although the backing vocals can be slightly irritating and mean at times the track borders on being cheesy. But it’s not a bad track and such an uplifting track is perfect to kick the album off. It is followed by another upbeat pop rock number, Mirai Jitensha. This track doesn’t stand out at all, and for some reason the vocals sound flat. It’s quite nice but mainly a little annoying.
However the third track Soyogi is pretty awesome. It’s a very romantic track- and it’s got the same sort of emotion I like from FT Island. It’s a lot more subdued than the previous tracks- being a very moving soft rock ballad. It starts quietly with gentle guitar before building up to the full instrumentation all the while remaining very gentle and laid-back with a bittersweet feeling. The song builds up and launches into the louder chorus, where Hongki’s beautiful voice shines. I like how they then layer over the voices after the chorus. The instrumentation is really pretty throughout as are Hongki’s vocals. The song has a gorgeous feeling to it; so filled with emotions. Great rhythm, mood and instrumentation combine here with excellent singing to make this one stand out. It’s a stunning track.
Thankfully the mini-album continues to be awesome with Stars which is another standout track. It’s another ballad, but much more sorrowful than Soyogi was. It opens with the piano and some synth, before the quiet verse begins elevating to the power chorus. The song continues to shift between different dynamics to great effect. It retains the rock feel whilst I also love the use of synth and effects to make the song feel so atmospheric and contribute to the overall mood of the song. The singing is really good too, and Hongki shows off his powerful, pained filled voice well (really, his voice is so pretty). The instrumentation combining the piano, synth and guitar/drums is lovely and the song has such a beautiful feeling; it’s just too moving and pretty. And like Soyogi before it, completely relaxing to listen to.
Track 5 is another calming ballad. A Song for You opens with a slightly jazzy piano, and a steady drum beat before slowly building up and shifting in the same way as Stars. However it’s a smoother, more laidback ballad compared to stars which was a louder and more powerful. But it still sounds so bittersweet. The instrumentation is beautiful and really laid-back- I love the gentle rock combined with the piano, strings and other effects- and like always the vocals are smooth and sincere. Overall it’s a really relaxing and romantic ballad, with great vocals and instrumentation. Another gorgeous track.
Now onto the two tracks, which retain their original Korean lyrics. F.T island starts with obnoxious chanting of their name, but once it tones down it’s quite nice. It’s a rather upbeat and energetic pop rock number of the same style as the earlier tracks. The shouting really ruins it though. The album continues in the same style with Primadonna next. Starting quietly it suddenly becomes an upbeat, pop rock number after a while. It’s an insanely upbeat piece like the earlier tracks were, but thankfully misses out the shouting like FT Island before it. The backing vocals are still mildly irritating, but it’s not a bad track and one of the better upbeat tracks here. Its energy is infectious.
The album ends with an acoustic and completely romantic ballad Always be Mine which is purely in English. The instrumentation is soft and gentle, and the vocals are beautiful and sincere. It’s sweet and cheesy in all the right ways (the lyrics, that is 
) and is a nice, simple way to end the album off.
Rating: 7/8 (Excellent)
Favourite Track: Soyogi, Stars, A song for you
Overall this is a good album. There are some upbeat and energetic pop rock numbers, balanced out with gorgeous and emotional ballads. Sometimes the more upbeat tracks can be annoying, but they aren’t the worst thing ever. My favourites would be Soyogi, Stars and A song for You. And if I had to pick one of the upbeat ones I’d pick Primadonna. Always be Mine is a pleasant surprise, too, as their English was OK. Overall it’s not a bad listen- both the instrumentation and the vocals are always really good and alot of these tracks are very beautiful.
Tags: FT Island, Japanese pop