“Ini kerja gila” told Contramen when I pitched the idea of reviewing Girls’ Generation EP. Haha! Yeap,INI KERJA GILA!
Korean Wave is kinda a worldwide phenomenon (well,according to me,in a micro scale). I found out Malaysia is no exception. So what’s with Korean Wave, and what the fuck is Korean Wave? Generally speaking,Korean Wave aka Hallyu is a phenomenon, referring to the sudden increase of interest in South Korean culture (wonder why North Korea is not included-ed) around the globe. So uhh, don’t be alarmed if your little brother or mother suddenly started to watch Korean dramas, or greet you “annyeonghaseyo”. Relax, they are maybe among the million who are affected by Hallyu. Get the idea? An equivalent phenonemenon is Indonesian invasion, which swept our country few years back. Yeah the times when radio stations in Malaysia preferred playing Indo songs over local songs, pesta Malam Indonesia, sinetron, and widepsread usage of Indonesian phrases such as ‘Ya ampun!‘, ‘banget’ and such. Anyways, enough with the definition. So you may ask, what’s with Korean Wave? Well basically Malaysia is also currently affected by Hallyu. No? You don’t agree is it? Then what do you call the Winter Sonata craze? And obviously, K-Pop obsession? But I’m not sure about Korean BBQ though. Looks tasty by the way. Anyway, K-Pop is part of Hallyu, IMHO. And because of that, this time I’m going to review Girls’ Generation EP ‘Gee‘. Hahaha fuck yeah I love Girls’ Generation (aka So Nyeo Shi Dae /SNSD/SoShi)!
Gee is the first EP released by SNSD. It was released in January 2009, a follow up to their first full length ‘Girls’ Generation’. Gee EP was really an instant hit in 2009 and catapulted their name further. Gee EP featured the same line up from the beginning of the group, namely:
That’s kinda a large number for a group, even for a vocal group (but Morning Musume is way weirder, with even larger number of lineup).Anyway, Gee EP consists of 5 tracks namely:
–Gee –Way to Go –Dear Mom –Destiny –Let’s Talk About Love
K-Pop like its Pop music counterpart, relies on catchy choruses and melodies and typical verse-chorus-verse structure…and not to forget good looks (Choi Sooyoung yay!-ed) and dance oriented beats. After all, its a POPular music heheh so it should reflect the current trend,no?
The ever infectious Gee!
Anyway, each tracks in the EP bring a different vibe, which is quite okay to me. At least I don’t get headache after listening to repetitive beats, which I hate. To be honest, I don’t understand a single crap of the lyrics, apart of some the English sentences. But still, if you can’t understand the lyrics, just enjoy the music!Or in this case, the music video. It’s pretty infectious,especially the crab dance (no not the same crab dance of Attack Attack!) movement.
Gee – The killer track of the EP which set the Gee mania phenomenon, worldwide (I guess). Fast paced song and with catchy part “Gee gee gee gee baby baby baby“, which kept playing in my mind for days hahah. Infectious. I was instantly hooked.
Way To Go – A guitar based song. Way To Go have a slight feel of rock in it. I kinda dig it though.
Dear Mom – A slow song, probably dedicated to mothers. A ballad, probably.
Destiny – Now why I feel like I heard this song before? Oh, it’s the typical Pop song! Listen if you dig Pop, skip if you don’t.
Let’s Talk About Love – Yeah, another dance oriented song. I skipped it, I dig Gee more!
I must say the EP artwork is really simple.And the booklet, oh my! 3/4 of the booklet is loaded with their photos! Not that I against this, but the recording label must have invested lotsa greens on them. But then again, maybe it’s a typical for K-Pop album to have lotsa images in the sleeves (mind you I listen to metal, that’s why I have a different perception-ed). After all, they are selling the image as well so maybe that’s why they have lotsa photos. Yes I bought their album during my visit at Bangkok hahahahahahah! I can’t resist it!
Pros: -Like other Pop music, production is squeaky clean. -Infectious hook like Gee track, which keep playing in my head for days. -The album booklet is loaded with photos, which keep any fanboy of SNSD satisfied (no I’m not referring to myself tihihihi-ed).
Cons: -The downside of any K Pop album is, you get tired of the same beat over and over. Get it? The last 2 songs didn’t really caught my attention. -Not all the lineup can really sing I guess. They probably should improve their vocals. Rating:6/10
Listen to them if you want to know what’s the big deal with Korean Wave. Stay away if you are skeptical. After all, if you don’t like the music, you can enjoy the music videos. Damn good I tell you!
