Shuffle And Repeat

Mini-Album Review
2NE1 – 2NE1

2NE1 is 2NE1’s 1st mini-album. It was released on July 8, 2009, and reached #1 in the charts. It sold more than 100,000 copies in Korea.

tracklist:
1. Fire
2. I Don’t Care
3. In the Club
4. Let’s Go Party
5. Pretty Boy
6. Stay Together
7. Lollipop (Bonus Track)

The moment I knew 2NE1 was gonna release a physical album, I got hyped up. Literally. I got so excited, and thought of nothing else but getting this album. But then the 8th of July came, which finally got me to listen to the release. To put my opinions into weird, and unreadable strange words, I’d say that this mini-album is AFSUvbsdripvhwdrhv. Yes, AFSUvbsdripvhwdrhv. xD.

Opening the album is their official debut song, Fire. Just to tell you, I think not even a single word could express how friggin’ HOT this song is. It’s just perfect, and it was soo nice to see something fierce, and different.

Which really gives me ideas of why 2NE1 is such a praised group today. THEY ARE UNIQUE. Not any girl group could bring something up like this, and I believe no girl group could beat how effin’ amazing the girls perform this.

Although, One negative fact about this album is their, um, WEIRD MOOD SWINGS. After the hot Fire, I Don’t Care comes into the picture and gives me an instant “WTF” expression.

Basically, this song is a bit lighter so, why even bother putting it next here? But actually, I Don’t Care isn’t a bad song. It actually was a good track , that’s why it did not make me care so much about the swings. I was actually glad that they used this as the main promo track because they at least, showed a softer side to the audience, and they dropped the fiercer image they had on them. I’d also have to say that they all fit in perfectly with the arrangement because of the perfect quality their voices have. Nonetheless, a great track. Oh, and I hear a VOCODER-LESS DARA! I’m impressed!

Probably the very first song from this album that became a favorite of mines is In The Club. Just by looking at the title, you’ll expect something that’ll be so up-beat, but actually, it’s not. In The Club is the slowest song, and actually is the only ballad in this album. The moment I first heard it, I was so amazed by the girls’ outstanding voices! Not to mention Dara.

As I have been saying a lot recently, Dara has been improving a lot. Seriously. She used to make my ear bleed when I first heard her sing on solo, but now, she has complete control over her voice, and she can reach those high notes without sounding like a total wreck. It was also nice to hear MinJi without the vocoder effect. It made her sound more real, and less robotic. But overall, I really like the blend of the group’s voices because they harmonize perfectly. It fits in with the slow, down-tempoed arrangement.

My least favorite song from the album is Let’s Go Party. I was quite disappointed because I was expecting it to go a loot faster than it already is. It turned out to be boring at parts, but the song is tolerable. It’s just unimpressive when it is placed beside the other songs from this album.

After the one I least liked in this album, comes my ultimate favorite! After the complete let-down Let’s Go Party was, comes Pretty Boy, a song that we may have heard before.

What? Heard Before? Yes. We have heard Pretty Boy before because it was used for the introduction of 2NE1’s debut stage. You know, with the elevator thingy.

But anyways, I actually didn’t expect that such an intro would turn out into such an amazing song like this. I mean, I liked it, but it was such a big surprise to hear it completely. This song probably is the naughtiest song next to Fire because of the attitude they show through their singing. I do wish they give Bom more parts though.

Stay Together ends (?) the album on such an unexpected way. Or at least for me. I’d expect the album to end, you know, with something 2NE1 is best known-for, and I did not have this coming. I guess that’s why they saved this for last because of the “Stay Together” message or something.

But either way, I really like it. The arrangement at first would sound slow, but when everything progresses, it gets a lot faster, which was really interesting. The girls’ vocals really flow perfectly with everything, which leaves me wanting more.

But no, Lollipop does not satisfy it.

I love Lollipop. I really do. But I think it’s unnecessary to put the song in this release because of 3 reasons:

1. The song sounds like Big Bang feat. 2NE1.
2. Does not fit well.
3. It’s better off as a digital single.

Despite those, I do think it’s a catchy song. It just doesn’t fit here. Maybe next time.

So overall, this release was AMAZING. With the exception of two flaws, everything was well-produced, and it gave me an outstanding listen! This mini-album will prove to you how different some girl groups are, and they will slap your face.

Favorite Track:
Pretty Boy, Fire, In The Club, and I Don’t Care

shuffle rating!
A+

Digital Single Review
2NE1 – Fire

Fire is 2NE1’s debut solo single. It was released on March 27, 2009, and has sold a total of 200,000 downloads online.

tracklist:
1. Fire

Despite the fact that this review is really really late, I have to tell you, Fire still is one of my favorite songs as of this moment.

After hearing Lollipop, I actually didn’t know what 2NE1 would bring out next. I sorta knew that they would have a much cooler style compared to the ones they had with Big Bang, but that was all. I then heard the previews lurking around their official site, and I was quite surprised, because not only were the girls cool, They were HOT. And I don’t just mean that because of the song’s title. xD.

It was also obvious that the group has gotten a lot better as time flew. Well, except for CL because I don’t think there’s anything she can improve. She’s like, PERFECT the way she is. Same with Minzy. She’s quite the bomb, especially when you think of her age. >.> Then there’s Bom, who is already great, but still has some flaws. Especially during lives. And lastly, Dara, who needs to improve a lot. I’m not surprised to know that she has the least number of parts at some songs because well, she’s not that much of a mind-blower yet.

Speaking of Dara’s parts, I seriously am in love with them. She may have the least number, but she always has the catchiest. When she sings the “you got the fire” verse, and the “chalang chalang..” part near the end, I’ll have to say that she never fails to make me want to join her sing too.

But anyways, it’s not always the girls that makes things great. Well maybe they are, but there’s the composition.

The compo, mostly made-up of synths and futuristic elements, is twisted with some reggae-like beat to create a unique combination. The arrangement flows perfectly with the group’s voice, especially when all of the girls’ vocals blend in.

Favorite Track:
Fire

shuffle rating!
A+