When I hear a new album from a YG artist is on the way, there are a few things I expect. A sound that doesn't quite resemble other artists is at number one. Big Bang, 2NE1, Lee Hi... you don't get many people in the industry quite like them, and the fact that they're pretty much in a league of their own makes their singles all the more enjoyable since you rarely feel like you've heard them before. I also tend to expect hip-hop leanings, genius creativity (those lyrics better mean something or sound epic), and a very polished sound that comes along with being on a big three label.
When I heard K-Pop Star winners Akdong Musician (AKMU) would be debuting with YG, I was surprised, but not at all upset. The hip-hop leanings are technically only a small part of the company: what's more important is that YG focuses on artistry and musicians with unique talents. That pretty much sums up Chanhyuk and Soohyun, the two angel-voiced and charming sibs who took home the grand prize on K-Pop Star during their season. Unlike many, I wasn't too worried about YG messing with their style, since CEO Yang Hyunsuk enjoys working with artists, song writers, and producers, and by that point Chanhyuk had already proved that he had a gift for words in the lyrics of his songs.
So how did the final album pan out? Here's my take:
Give Love: If you hadn't heard of AKMU prior to their debut, this song is a great introduction to both the group and the album. First you have Chanhyuk, the song-writer, male vocalist/rapper, and guitarist, and next there's his sister Soohyun who has a delightful and fluid vocal that was practically designed for harmonization. "Give Love" pairs both of their skills together for an upbeat and cheery anthem that starts the album off with a strong taste of how well these two individuals work together musically. My only problem issue with the song was that I wasn't as big of a fan of Soohyun on the rap parts as I think her voice is much better suited to the more melodious areas of the song, but at the same time, the fact that it wasn't perfect gave those parts the air of a brother and sister simply having fun together, which in the end is a huge part of what AKMU is about.
200%: With Chanhyuk's opening lines, you can definitely tell that this is the same company behind artists like G-Dragon who can deliver swag in their words completely naturally. There's just something so confident and self-assured about his delivery that it's hard to believe that this is a debut single from a rookie group. For her part, Soohyun also performs with a maturity far beyond her 14 years. She seems to have a clear understanding of just what her voice can do, so when she goes for higher notes or tricky harmonization with her brother, they come across as effortless. "200%" is an infectious lead off single with plenty of quirks to make it unique and refreshing. Most K-pop groups are dance pop based, but this duo is what I would call a healing group. Their music simply makes you feel good with its folksy flair, and there's something to be said for that kind of tune.
Melted: Following up on 200%, "Melted" was AKMU's second MV release, and while "200%" may have had a lot to offer vocally, it honestly has nothing on what the Lee siblings do on "Melted." Soohyun has both the delicateness of singers like Lana del Ray and the raw power of her labelmates Lee Hi and Bom, and for his part, Chanhyuk has a very rich tone when accompanying her that I'm more used to hearing from classically trained musicians. The upbeat nature of "200%" made it the better choice for the lead off single, but the slight hauntedness and gorgeous instrumentation of this track made it my personal favorite.
On the Subway: As a New Yorker, being on the subway is a less than thrilling experience, but these two manage to capture some of the whimsy of the different kind of people you see on the train in this relaxed-paced track. Once again, the word healing comes to mind for this track. It takes a special talent (or perhaps youth) to make magic out of what most would consider to be a mundane daily experience.
Hair Part: It's funny how much little changes mean when you're in love with someone! This one feels a little bit like a character track for Chanhyuk given how well it suits his gentler style of rapping, and Soohyun gives some beautiful support with her higher range vocals. At this point, I'm wondering if there will even be a single bad song on this album, and I'm also very happy they debuted on YG and got to do their own thing. This kind of group deserves the kind of boost YG brings, but what matters most is that their natural talents shine through!
Artificial Glass: The fact that you can hear birds chirping in the background of this track essentially sums up what I'm beginning to love about this group. Listening to this album feels like having a picnic on a warm day in the sun, so it felt just right for those outdoorsy sounds to be there. Along with Chanhyuk's acoustic playing, this group received excellent instrumentation on this record, and those violins make me want to jump for joy. In the rest of the K-Pop world, dubstep is still fairly hot, but this is just so much better.
Don't Hate Me: I was expecting a cover of Epik High's song of the same name at first, but this is a much slower paced number, even though it borrows on a similar theme. "Don't Hate Me" has an interesting melody which seems to change throughout the song and takes the atmosphere to a different place from where it began (even though the songs couldn't sound more different, I had a similar feeling from SHINee's "One Minute Back," as an example). It's a solid track, but others on the album have a greater catchy factor, so this one falls a bit more off the radar to the first few songs in spite of its unique progression.
Little Star: This song brushes close to being a ballad at the beginning much like "Melted," but is just upbeat enough to keep from being a true one. As much as I would like to hear a slower high-note fest from these two at this point, I still enjoyed the softer elements of this song, especially Soohyun's scat and the lines "please let my star rise on your night," which are delivered with the kind of gentleness I associate with other artists I love, like Leslie Fiest or A Fine Frenzy.
Anyway: Okay, this album seriously needs one weak song, doesn't it? Guess not, because this one is a sweet as pie and consistent with the vocal chops we've been hearing so far. If you aren't charmed by AKMU by now, you should probably stop listening since they've done quite a thorough job of it so far.
Idea: Another solid offering, particularly thanks to some new vocal tricks we haven't heard thus far from Chanhyuk (and a great high note from Soohyun which concludes which reminds me of Daesung's from "Fantastic Baby" thanks to the digital bit at the end of it). This would have been the ideal place for a true ballad if the album was going to have one, but AKMU seems geared towards slower paced numbers that don't quite veer into ballad territory, though they do come close in places.
Galaxy: Ah, Kris's hot issue word! I like this a lot as a closer. It's short, sweet, and to the point, as it has plenty of vocal goodies in the brief three minutes. A great acoustic number for looking at the stars, right?
Overall, this album earns an A, with its only major flaws being similar pacing throughout and the absence of a whammo ballad to truly showcase those truly golden vocals of Soohyun's. It's not the style of K-pop most girl-group and boy-group fans are familiar with, but it's beautifully relaxing and will appeal to the kind of fans who got into Soyou's "Some" this winter.
That being said, I'm already a bit vexed that one of the first tags that came up for this group on Last.fm was "better than big bang". Really? Do they even sound remotely alike other than that they're on the same label? Do we really need that comparison? Let's just enjoy the uniqueness of both and be YG family friends!
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