soap&diamonds

by Soap

Preface

I’m not a professional in music in any way. Just a casual listener. Also, I mention autotune in my reviews a lot. Perhaps the parts I find to be autotune aren’t actually autotune but occur due to poor reception from the mics when the singers sang or weird editing of the vocals; however, I’m just going to say those parts are affected by autotune because they take me out of the song entirely. 

Personally, I find that the best songs have an element of fantasy behind them. I have to be able to close my eyes and imagine a scenario where I would play this song. For example, I can imagine hearing Fragile and Haunted by Laufey in a grand ballroom, or in the rooms of a castle, as a sophisticated royal. When listening to Hustle that Cat by RuPaul, I can imagine strutting down the runway (like in Drag Race!) and exuding casual confidence. So, if I don’t like a song, a partial reason may be because I can’t imagine a scenario where I can use it. 

Also yes, I am a CARAT (a SEVENTEEN fan) with my personal biases. But I don’t think this review is super biased from my biases. 

And, unfortunately, I do not speak Korean. So I will be judging these songs based on pure vibes. 

Ranking Guidelines

S and A tier songs are in my liked songs! B and under are not…

S tier are 100/10 songs that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. A tier songs are generally 10/10 solid songs which are solid examples of the genre they cater to. B tier songs are alright, but definitely a tier lower than what I believe are the best songs on the album. C tier songs I will probably never listen to again after this review (unless it’s uncensored Bad Influence!!! Seriously, the uncensored version is amazing!) 

Individual Song Reviews

HBD [B]: A rock-inspired track, with drums and electric guitar carrying the instrumental and an EDM-inspired bridge/party chorus. 

• After first listen: As expected, the chorus did make me cringe. I think any attempt to interpolate(?) common holiday/event songs (jingle bells, nursery rhymes, etc) generally end up sounding tacky (except Stevie Wonder’s version of Happy Birthday, which provides enough groove to stand out as its own song). 
• After ruminating a bit: Okay, this song isn’t that bad. The instrumental gives punk rock in a good way for a good majority. And the bridge/end part is like a party chorus, where the last chorus is rhythmically more energizing than the beginning of the song. But my first comments are very valid- the chorus is the worst part of the song. Overall, I feel like this song could’ve been so much better if SEVENTEEN weren’t tied down by the “happy birthday” concept and instead just made the concept of this song fit with the instrumental’s vibe. 

THUNDER [A]: Very much a song for partying, for the clubs. 

Very fire. Personally, I categorize some songs as “danceable”, which sound brash and assertive in a good way, and this song is very much that. There aren’t any parts that I find off, and the vocals sound good. As expected for a title track!

Bad Influence [C+]: A very unique song dedicated to showing the sultry side of SEVENTEEN. (Thank you, Pharrell Williams!)

I loved listening to the original when it came out!! But, WHO DECIDED THAT A CENSORED VERSION OF THIS SONG WAS A GOOD IDEA???? Seriously, don’t waste your time. Go on Youtube and search for the MV for this song instead. I am not going to waste my time trying to listen to this song and cringing at all the gaps in the lyrics. 

Skyfall by THE 8 [A-]: A song also for the clubs that leans more EDM. 

Originally I was put off by the lack of lyrics/singing and autotune, but after ruminating for a bit I realized that this song very much fits the category of energizing but intimate. The song itself is quite dramatic: soft, dreamy verse and pre-chorus at the beginning, with an energetic beat drop and chorus. The chorus sampling suggests exploration and longing. The second verse is also more energetic before going back to the soft pre-chorus for a bit. Overall, the melody is very catchy. The beat drop in the bridge unexpectedly breaks up the song in an interesting way, and the ending soft portion ends the song nicely. A song with the same vibes as this one is Orbit by The8! 

Fortunate Change by JOSHUA [S+++++]: A laid-back, chill, relaxing poppy song. 

Unexpectedly, probably the best song on this album. I did not expect to hear something new, but here I sit typing this surprised! From the start the strong bass hooks listeners in. Added with the calming instrumental, the whole song makes the listener feel like they’re sitting on a cloud. This song is very relaxing, like I could fall asleep and feel okay. 

99.9% by WONWOO [B-]: An upbeat, poppy song.

• After first listen: Look, I have no beef with this man. But the autotune jumps out at me! I really hate when songs release with heaps and piles of autotune when they would sound so much better without autotune. The jagged quality of the autotuned vocals strongly juxtapose the smooth effect that the song tries to emulate and personally distracts me from the song’s more redeeming qualities. 
• After ruminating a bit: The song’s alright. The autotuned qualities of the vocals are somewhat buried in the instrumental, but still noticeable. The instrumental itself is quite energetic, catchy, and charming. The chorus is the best part of the whole song, because for brief instances I am not distracted by the autotune! Additionally, Wonwoo’s switch to falsetto in the chorus brings a lot of welcomed emotion. I think this song has a lot more potential with better vocals. All in all, I have no desire to listen to this song again. 

Raindrops by SEUNGKWAN [A]: An emotional rock ballad. 

Yes yes yes! I am so glad that his vocals do not sound heavily autotuned! I feel very moved listening to this track. Seungkwan definitely shines in emotional songs. I don’t care whether other people say ballads tire out after a while. I love when songs sound both happy and sad at the same time; having that quality brings a layer of dimension that enhances the listening experience. I will keep this song close to my heart and listen through tough times. Thank you Seungkwan for blessing us with your beautiful voice! I only have one qualm: The long belted notes near the end of the song sound kind of off. But overall, 10/10!

Damage by HOSHI (Ft. Timbaland) [S+++]:  A cool-sounding pop song.

I LOVE THIS SONG! Honestly, I’m just a big fan of songs where the singer sounds cool, confident and sultry. The simple instrumental has bass, percussion, whatever in all the right places. I can’t quite perfectly describe what makes this song so successful. Just listen to it, I swear it’s amazing! Another song similar to this vibe and genre is Spider by Hoshi.

Shake It Off by MINGYU [A]: Another song for the clubs!

• After first listen: I like this song! However, I have some qualms. I understand that the pre-chorus sounds so different to build tension that releases in the chorus. That doesn’t mean I have to like the pre-chorus. Honestly, Mingyu sounds like a mosquito! There had to be a better vocal sample to put there. 
• After ruminating a bit: Despite my first-listen complaints, overall, this song is very fun, very cool. I like how the synth samples (? not quite sure how to describe them, but the more melodious part of the instrumental) stands out against the percussion of the song. It’s bound to be a hit at the clubs!

Happy Virus by DOKYEOM [C]: A pop song with acoustic guitar. 

To me, this song sounds kind of safe and boring, like the whole song was made to try and encapsulate the image that DK tries to give off, instead of what he actually fits the best. For the songs I rank higher, I can clearly feel that those genres of songs align with what the singers actually feel passionate about. I suppose singing a song which is centered around the singer being a source of comfort for others would be hard to pull off. Moreover, I can’t gauge the depth of emotions from this song very well. Fortunate Change and even 99.9% did a lot better at presenting a happy song with some sort of depth, and I don’t believe this song tries to be happy in any different, distinctive way. Additionally, during the bridge there are some very obvious instances of…guess what…you guessed it…autotune!!! Overall, I don’t particularly feel any desire to listen to this song again and again. I would suggest listening to Go!, which is also a song sung by DK and provides a more enjoyable listening experience than this song. 

운명 (Destiny) by WOOZI [A-]: An emotional ballad.

I originally didn’t care much for this song, but now I’ve found the melody and specifically, the chorus, to tug on my heartstrings. The instrumental does a good job of incorporating more instruments as the emotions from the verses to the chorus change. Additionally, Woozi going from a softer tone in the verses to a stronger, more supported belt into the chorus works especially well as the song grows in energy. There’s a bit of noticeable autotune but it’s sort of complimentary instead of distracting. I think it adds to the feeling of unreal longing that the song implies. 

Shining Star by VERNON [S]: A rock-inspired, from-a-band song.

This song slaps! The instrumental sounds full and the autotuned vocals actually fit the genre of the song. Overall, all parts of the song mesh together very well. The energy of the song hints at rebellion, while the major-key melody allows the listener to have a good time. A similar song is Black Eye by Vernon, which has darker themes throughout the melody.

쌍둥이자리 (Gemini) by JUN [C]: A slightly happy, slightly longing song made for dancing. 

I don’t particularly want to listen to this song either. The melody doesn’t build up to anything amazing, and I’ve never been a huge fan of Jun’s vocals, autotuned or not. I don’t have much else to say, as I’m rather indifferent about this song. Jun has some solos out if this vibe interests you, but I haven’t listened to those either. 

Trigger by DINO [B+]: A pop song with darker tones. 

The production is great, the singing is great, the melody is great; everything is great. It’s just not a style that I can see myself wanting to listen to over and over again- a little too angsty for my taste. When writing this review I enjoyed listening to this song, but I think if I added it to my liked songs it would be a skip. I recommend fans of this song to check out his other solo, titled “Wait”. I believe Trigger is better, but “Wait” has less vocals but is of the same genre as this one. 

우연 (Coincidence) by Jeonghan [C]: A calming song.

I have no strong impression of this song, as it’s kind of boring. There’s also a lot of unwelcomed autotune that does not suit the genre of the song. Having listened to Raindrops and Destiny before this definitely undermines the effect of this song even more. I would recommend listening to “Better Half” instead, a song where Jeonghan collaborated with a Japanese band called Omoinotake and sounds a lot more interesting. 

Jungle by S.COUPS [C]: Trying to be a cool-sounding rap song, but the instrumental makes it more suitable as a dance song.

I also don’t really have a strong impression of this song. It’s pretty repetitive, as the beginning of the song is just the chorus with some effect on the vocal, and the chorus is repeated at least three times. The rap in itself isn’t rhythmically or melodically interesting enough to make the repetitive instrumental interesting. 

Final Ranking (in order) 

S: Fortunate Change, Damage, Shining Star (3)

A: Shake it off, Thunder, Raindrops, Skyfall, Destiny (5)

B: Trigger, HBD, 99.9% (3)

C: Bad Influence, Jungle, Coincidence, Gemini, Happy Virus (5)

And that’s it! I know I’ve never posted anything this long before (nor have I posted an album review before), but I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts! As a treat, I’ll let you know who my biases are, and you can judge for yourself whether I have included bias in my ranking. My Top 3 biases are The8, Dokeyom, and Jeonghan! I might post other album reviews in the future as well! Comment other albums you enjoy below  if you wish, and maybe I’ll review them!

Thank you for reading!

Soap