paradise lost

This is Smash’s debut mini-album/single released on 2008-08-21. After watching the PV for Emergency I’d say they present nothing new, but they do their genre well even so. The song is very catchy too. So I decided to check out the mini-album.

The mini-album single thing opens with a ballad, Never ending story. After some rather cute twinkling sort of piano the beat comes in. It’s a pretty laid back RnB ballad. Some of the members have really nice voices, and they sound sincere. In the very beginning the one who was singing sounded a little flat though. And the guy in the bridge- who knows what he’s trying to do. This is not a bad song though. It’s got quite pretty instrumentation and a good beat. The vocals are OK- some of the members have really nice voices- and at least they are sincere. The rapping fits in nicely too. I really like the bit just before the end where the song changes. Not a bad song at all. It has a nice feeling to it. Pretty standard and rather forgettable though.

비상(飛上) is a fast RnB dance type song. It’s really infectious. I first went to find the PV for this to try them out and somehow I couldn’t stop watching. In many ways it’s rubbish. The dancing was really cool but they didn’t give enough eye candy. Perhaps they should have had more rain? More close-ups? Better hairstyles, less clothes…somehow their look didn’t appeal. They seem cute enough but it wasn’t really highlighted here. I mean looking at their pre-debut pics they are stunning (so girly <3), the PV did nothing really. Just some guys dancing and nothing to drool, no story…meh. The dancing was awesome though. Loved some of the more technical stuff they did.

And…The song was catchy. Although much like anything I’ve heard from Kpop boy bands it was pretty decent and not annoying- and that’s always good. You’ve heard this sort of thing a million times, yet they do it really well. Their vocals are good, the song has a nice beat and overall it sounds pretty good. The song has a darker feeling too, which is rather interesting. It also relies a lot on vocals with a simple beat giving them a chance to show they can indeed sing pretty well. The song goes through some cool variations throughout too. I really like the electronic effects. Basically despite myself, I find myself really liking the song. The chorus gets me especially : )

The last track on the mini-album is 너로 보인다. It’s a very melancholic ballad with hints of RnB. I really like the opening instrumentation, and throughout the instrumentation is simple letting vocals dominate but still very pretty complimenting their voices. I like the synth and the guitar is nice. It’s extremely pretty and sets a good mood. The boys sound really beautiful, and I love how much emotion they put into it. Their voices sound very light and pure. The rap comes in really well and I love how they distort it slightly. This is a really pretty song- it has a very light almost ethereal feeling but in the more sorrowful way. Gorgeous instrumentation with a soft RnB beat and stunning vocals create a lovely haunting atmosphere. The song really carries a lot of emotion in it which really makes it wonderful to hear. It’s a very sad song, I don’t think it is powerful enough to be called touching but its still extremely pretty.

Overall rating: 7/8 (Somehow I’ve decided I love them.)
Favourite Tracks: 비상(飛上), 너로 보인다

This mini album single thing presents an up-tempo ballad, a dark dance number and a sad and extremely beautiful ballad. Each was tied together with a rather mature sound, and an RnB beat. I think these songs were very nice. Never ending story was the weakest, and the last track was definitely the best. Technically you’ve heard it all before, but they do it well. Their voices for the most part are wonderful (actually apart from some weaknesses in the first song their voices are gorgeous) and they incorporate the rap in their songs nicely.
Overall I’d say SMASH have potential. I think they could either continue to be just OK, or they could start experimenting and start to present something a little new on their next release. I think though this was a good release, but it doesn’t really give them a strong identity and it’s not enough to really get them attention. They have nice voices and a potential to be beautiful… they just aren’t really there yet. Right now they are good- but with all the boy bands around they could just be a little better. I look forward to what they do next though. I really liked this mini-album single thingy.