SHINee / 2nd album "LUCIFER"

Grade: A+

"LUCIFER" is K-Pop boyband sensation SHINee's second full length album and for this album they tried to create a much more mature and serious image than with their prior releases. The album opens with with the song UP & DOWN, a really cute, dance song. I really like the leader of the band, Onew's vocals on this track and the the song's hook sang by Jonghyun is really fun too. I'm also quite a sucker for Minho's rap. (He's my bias in this group.) Not only does Minho rap on this track but he also raps on the second & title track, LUCIFER. LUCIFER has an undeniably catchy chorus and is a blend of all different types of electronic sound that only SHINee could make work. I heard the original demo version of this song that SHINee would've listened to and it sounded horrendous, but they managed to turn it into the best K-Pop comeback song of 2010! LUCIFER definitely just wants to make you get up and dance and sing along. "Her whisper is the Lucifer~" (The MV for LUCIFER is also super sexy, so you should definitely make sure you catch that too. SHINee have the best dance moves.)

The third track, Electric Heart, took a bit to grow on me, but I think that's just because I was so stuck on LUCIFER for so long. Electric Heart keeps the trend of nice beats and electronic sounds that this album has used so far going but the bands vocals are quite noticeably more elusive on this track and acoustic elements are added in here. A-Yo follows up Electric Heart and here the album starts to feel a little bit slower and more R&B. Onew and Jonghyun sound really great in this track also, and again we've got a really catchy chorus. The verses in this track are its high point.

욕 (慾) (Obsession) is the first true ballad of the album and also one of my favorite tracks. The whole band really sings very, very well on this track and the arrangement of this song is probably the most powerful of any song on the album thus far. The way all the members harmonize during the chorus gives this song that passionate sound and shows off the chemistry that the members have with one another. Up next is another ballad, called 화살 (Quasimodo). It's slower than Obsession is and I find the verses to be slightly bland, but as the song progresses, the chorus becomes more and more enjoyable and despite the feeling that verses may be lacking something, Quasimodo gets a spot as one of my favorite tracks as well. Who ever knew that SHINee could do ballads so well? "Saranghae~"

With the 7th track, 악 (Shout Out), the album becomes more upbeat again. Shout Out is definitely the most hip-hop song on "LUCIFER" and yes, is another one of my favorites. This album is just really, really good! Minho sounds really awesome during the chorus, and Onew joins in with Minho during the rap part of this song. Also if you're paying attention, you'll notice innocent little Onew is making some rather suggestive noises as part of the background during the chorus. haha The only thing that irks me on this track is that it begins with random jungles noises. I don't get it. Track numero eight is called WOWOWOW and it's definitely one of my least favorite songs from this album. The melody definitely has potential but the arrangement is really... bad. It sounds like something out of Diddy Kong Racing for the Nintendo 64 or something. It does have this quirky element that doesn't make it totally worth skipping.

SHINee's very own leader, Onew wrote the lyrics to the next song, Your Name. It's slow compared to the last two tracks and really R&B-ish. It's a sweet little song, but it's a bit forgettable and I'm not sure if it's the boys or not singing all the "lalala's" but if it is.. they sound strangely like girls when doing this, so, eh... yeah. The next song, Life, is another ballad with lots of piano, and in the latter half of the song, strings. All the vocals on this song are really strong, but the progression is kind of slow and the melody is pretty forgettable. I prefer the ballads of the first half of the album to the ballads of the second half for sure.

Only three tracks left and SHINee wants to know: "Are you ready or not?" For the end of the album? No.. but it's been good so I guess it's okay. READY OR NOT is the name of the song and it's my fifth and final favorite from "LUCIFER." The first verses are smooth rap followed by this great little build up to the chorus that definitely makes you want to get up and dance again. If you haven't stood up and moved around a little bit by now, this is pretty much your last chance. Yes, the last two tracks are slower tempo.

Love Pain is the next to last track, and as I already mentioned, it's slower tempo. It's another R&B ballad, but unlike Your Name the mood is a little bit more sad. Your Name would be the "LUCIFER" ballad for during a relationship and Love Pain would be for post-relationship. haha 사.계.후 (Love Still Goes On) is the last song on the album and it's a really good way to end the album. It seems to contain all the elements from all the other songs on the album, sort of summing up the album in one final song. It's not the best song on "LUCIFER" but I really like how it supports the overall feeling of the album. If Love Still Goes On was placed anywhere else on the tracklist it wouldn't work as well at all. I hope what SHINee meant by the title was that their third album will be as great as their second! I'll look forward to seeing them again in the future! This release definitely turned me into a ShaWol!