Red Moon (a review)
Mamamoo consists of 4 young women: Kim Yongsun a.k.a. Solar (main vocals), Moon Byulyi a.k.a. Moonbyul (main rapper), Jung Wheein (lead vocals), and Ahn Hyejin a.k.a. Hwasa (vocals and rapper). Featured on one track is Kang Seulgi from Red Velvet (lead vocals). Please don't ask me the difference between main and lead because it makes no goddamn sense. In practice, every single one of them is a main/lead vocalist, including Moonbyul.
I have listened to their summer release, Red Moon, enough times to give it a review.
Here's the (English) tracklist:
- Midnight Summer Dream
- Egotistic
- Rainy Season
- Sky! Sky!
- Sleep in the Car
- SELFISH (feat. Seulgi)
Let's start from the top. It opens with a rattle, a music box, some strings, and then Hwasa. As each member chimes in, the melody gradually builds. This is a pretty laid back pop song without anything unusua--I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME that sixteenth note minor lick drops and suddenly I'm in an ethereal realm of funk. Echos of vocals linger as each vocalist sings out rhythmic lines, and Moonbyul grounds it all with her typical rock-solid raps. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME that sixteenth note minor lick drops again, and every time, it just grabs my attention like Yankee Doodle pulling a feather out of his hat and stabbing a redcoat through the eye. What a surprise for a first track.
Next up is the single. The Latin acoustic guitar adds a unique flair for a k-pop song. The verses are okay, and I think there's a 3-2 clave in there underneath all those sounds. But what really sets this apart is the down-tempo buildup to an up-tempo chorus. This song makes good use of Korean pronouns: nuh and na. After all, the song is about someone who thinks only of themselves. Notably, a different member heralds each chorus. Solar: "BRRA" Moonbyul: "NNNG" Hwasa: "Bitcho Malo" (Wheein didn't get one) This track is pretty fire, and it makes for a solid hit in Mamamoo's repertoire. It lights you up like the fluorescent luciferin which burns from the butts of fireflies. I can imagine this song playing in the background of a scene of dancing fireflies. It's a good image.
"Rainy Season" is a pretty R&B ballad. There's really not much to say here. It's a beautiful song but not a memorable one.
The next track, however, is memorable. It opens with innocuous guitar chords, as if you're watching the intro to a travel documentary or something equally trite. Then, suddenly, it picks up into the cascading melodies of Asian pop. Seriously, this must be the most Asian pop of all of Mamamoo's songs. Mind you, these girls won me over with their American pop styles and suddenly they're singing what could easily be Japanese but it's actually Korean. Moonbyul's rap breaks the pop flow, which is kind of a relief because she mixes up the feel. There's even the ringing timbres of a sitar. The guitar chords come back briefly during her reprise, but then the chorus melody jumps back in, moving way too much to be western. I think this is Mamamoo's first Asian pop song. Some of their earlier stuff came close, like "Moderato," but this is another level. Like you spent your entire childhood on the ground floor of an Irvine company shopping center, only to realize as an adult that there is an entire second and third floor but you can't afford anything as the outlets cater to crazy rich Asians. Sophisticated!
What next? How about a ghetto rap??? The title implies that this is about sleeping in a car, but it really paints a sad picture of idol life. Hwasa tells Moonbyul she can just sleep in the car, but Moonbyul replies that sleeping with lots of makeup on is a drag. It's a real throwback to "Taller than You," especially with the repetitive pizzicato strings in the upper register. Again, sixteenth notes are pretty key to the post-funk hip-hop style. Also, this is the kind of track that works better with percussive bells and low brass than airhorns. Best part is they do it live! Work it up! Dance the Bernie! Bangya bangya bangya! The track builds throughout its duration, like a riding a low-rider bicycle up, up, and OVER a seaside cliff! Goodbye cruel world!
As mentioned previously, this album showcases a Mamamoo that has been evolving in an exciting direction throughout the past year. Specifically, Red Moon follows Yellow Flower, and both are color-themed albums in reference to one of the group's rappers. In between the releases, I have to mention, the girls each put out a solo MV. Hwasa's single, "Be Calm," was featured on Yellow Flower. Here, Red Moon concludes with Moonbyul's single, "Selfish." Rhythms on point as usual, and this time, a soft electric guitar accents in the background, conjuring an image of a warm, sandy beach but it's actually cold-ass Korea. Seulgi brings her saccharine voice to help Moonbyul deliver a sweet message of self-love. We all want to be free! Make us feel so good.
Overall, Red Moon is an excellent addition to Mamamoo's catalog. I think, taken together with Yellow Flower and Purple, we're beginning to see a beautiful color non-gradient. To summarize my review, I will assign the record a number.
5453