[Kpop] Dong Bang Shin Ki- TRI-ANGLE
This is Dong Bang Shin Ki (also known as TVXQ, Dong Bang Shin Gi and their Japanese name Tohoshinki) debut album released on 2004-10-21 in Korea.
I believe starts the album off. It is an OK opening song: a slow ballad with a slight RnB beat. The whole idea of “I believe” is fine (the lyrics are pretty romantic), but sometimes those lines sung sound annoying. The vocals are lovely though, and the song has a good beat and a nice relaxed, romantic feeling to it. Overall the song sounds pretty bland- It isn’t the most unique or stand out track. Although it is definitely saved by the beautiful and sincere vocals which add some good emotion to the song that combined with the decent instrumentation, helps to make it pleasant to listen to.
Next is Thanks to which another ballad but with a slightly more prominent RnB sound. It’s got quite nice instrumentation and the vocals are pretty lovely in the chorus and yeah, they sing sincere. But the song still annoys me. There’s something about this song that really annoys me, I think it’s the chorus where all 5 sing in heavy accents sounding a little whiny and annoying. For me personally, I’m not a fan of this song at all.
Track 3 is performed by DBSK, Boa, and Trax and is definitely interesting. At first I laughed and totally wrote it off but…somehow it grew on me…and grew on me…I began to like it…and finally I kind of love it. TRI-ANGLE is a gritty pop-rock song, leaning heavily towards the heavier rock sound and filled with angry attitude. The lyrics are sometimes preachy and annoying, but other times OK. The instrumentation is interesting, starting with a rather catchy dramatic synth string and other synth sounds (very dark and kind of post-apocalypse sounding) before it switches and introduces the heavy rock part and finally the powerful vocals of DBSK. The song goes through many other changes and variations, all with a prominent darker sound to it. Boa and the TRAX fit in real good to the song and in a way make it. They definitely add something cool to the mix. It really is a cool song, with brilliant instrumentation, vocals and it’s very catchy. There are some weird bits, such as a bit of over-exaggerated singing and the screamo bit which sounds a tiny bit out of place and OTT. Otherwise, it’s a cool song. I love the darker feeling to it. Really, it’s hard not to like it…
An uptempo ballad Will you be my Girlfriend? follows the rather heavy TRI-ANGLE. The instrumentation is very pretty, with a lovely piano part and a good beat. It’s not slow and sad, but rather upbeat and hopeful. The vocals are soft and sincere and totally beautiful. The bridge especially showcases DBSK’s powerful and emotional vocals. I just love how they overlay all the different vocals parts too. Overall this is a very pretty song with gorgeous vocals and instrumentation. Not to mention a wonderful hopeful and romantic feeling to it.
Next is Whatever they say(Acapella version). I’ve never heard the original but this is a nice rendition. As I always mention, DBSK have beautiful vocals and work together well- which really helps in this sort of track. They also keep time very well too. It’s a beautiful and calming accapella track.
Time for a laid-back, sexy RnB track with Million Men which has good instrumentation and brilliant vocals. DBSK make use of their powerful voices, and they present a smoother sexier side of their vocals for this track too. The track is a lot different from anything the album has presented so far- with a much heavier beat, great use of synth and a more prominent “sexy” feel. It’s still pretty catchy with a great feeling to it.
At first track 7 Like Now sounds like it will be a ballad, but it builds up to have a heavy RnB beat yet still retain that sad kind of ballad feel to it. It’s got a lot of emotion and powerful vocals but it feels boring and drags in the middle. It’s not bad at all, but overall it lacks anything interesting about it and quickly gets boring. Even the build up at the end barely saves it from being a rather boring, so-so track. Wait, the ending really is quite pretty ^^.
A lovely piano part starts the next song I never Let Go off, introducing the strings then a soft laidback RnB beat. It’s pretty similar to Like Now, and feels just as boring despite the fact it’s not annoying, not really bad or anything. Just feels like it’s already been done- and I’m bored of it. However the following song Ggomaya is much better. It immediately hooks you with a very nice synth opening, leading to rather smooth vocals from DBSK. The chorus compared to the captivating opening kind of ruins the mood, as it somehow sounds out of place. Ignore the chorus though, or get used to it, and it’s a calming mid-tempo ballad with rather smooth heartfelt vocals and relaxing instrumentation. For the most part DBSK work well together. The one speaking bit is very sexy too.
Track 10 You Always has great instrumentation, which although a little odd maybe is pretty interesting and definitely grabs my attention. The song is pretty upbeat after many ballads, but has a bittersweet feeling to it. The vocals are lovely throughout, very powerful at points and I like the subtle use of adlibbing and I think there’s even a soft rapping part. The chorus compared to certain others, fits in nicely and sounds rather beautiful. It’s a gorgeous song with a wonderful feeling. I love all the interesting variation, and the subtle little effects that totally add to the song.
A rather odd sort of heartbeat song opens number 11, Hug, combined with that RnB beat and some very nice vocals. This is a very well known DBSK song, which I’ve never really properly listened to…woops. It’s a rather nice, laid-back RnB song with a very smooth, romantic feeling and is very interesting how it changes at points. DBSK’s vocals are truly sincere and so powerful at points. Their vocals really make the song, although the instrumentation isn’t bad it sort of fades into the background allowing DBSK to drive the track forward with power and emotion. I really should have listened to this before, cause’ it’s a great track.
Following it is My Little Princess which opens with a smooth RnB beat, synth and some very sexy speaking. It’s a laid-back RnB track with that ballad feeling to it. I don’t find anything real interesting about it, although it’s very relaxing to listen to and of course, it’s DBSK so the vocals are stunning.
Another sexy RnB piece The Way U Are is next. The Sexy RnB beat and vocals and a bit more upbeat sound make this a hot dance track. There’s great use of synth and it has that sexy feeling and catchy beat to it typical to boyband pop/RnB. This is boyband pop/RnB done pretty well though. The vocals are wonderful, changing to suit the RnB sound and sounding pretty damn sexy. The instrumentation is great too. Overall it’s just a really hot RnB dance track.
Lastly is the DBSK version of Tri-Angle. However compared to the original it isn’t quite as good. Boa and TRAX really helped make TRI-ANGLE. This version isn’t bad. It still has that heavy rock sound and all that synth. Just now it’s DBSK on their own. Their voices are powerful enough on their own, although a part of me does miss Boa and TRAX. Overall it’s not much different really…
Overall Rating: 9/10 (Great. Recommended)
Favourite Tracks: TRI-ANGLE, Will you be my Girlfriend?, You Always, Hug, The Way U Are
I’m becoming a huge fan of Dong Bang Shin Ki’s- and their debut album wasn’t bad! Not the best thing ever and definitely had some weaker tracks: but had some real good tracks on it too. Overall it really showed their potential as a rather unique and talented group even though in ways it was far from the polished and mature sound today. Still, this album is promising. The album presents a wide variety of songs, from sexy RnB numbers like “Million Men” and the hotter dance number “The Way U Are”. There’s also soothing ballads, which bore me for the most part but also some rather uptempo and beautiful ballads like “Will you Be my Girlfriend?”. “TRI-ANGLE” has to be the most unique thing on here, being a very heavy rock number. It’s a great title track though. All these genres just prove how versatile DBSK are as a group. On this album none of the tracks are annoying, even if a track isn’t stand out it’s still pleasant to listen to. For sure, it helps the vocals are stunning and always sincere- pretty powerful too. DBSK have shown just how talented they are, and honestly with this sort of album I can say they were off to a good start to their career.
Tags: DBSK, Korean pop