[Review] Juniel ’1&1′

For those who don’t know,Junielis a Korean artist who started her performance career in Japan, and she’s released two albums in Japanese so far. Three of the five tracks from this mini-album were originally released in her Japanese releases. Though it’s not entirely a “new” mini-album as far as originality goes, this should not detract from the album’s high-quality. With much respect to ‘My First June‘, I think ‘1&1‘ is perhaps one of the strongest releases this year in K-Pop.

I’ll be blunt: the first track “Bad Man” ranks alongside my favorite songs released this year. Juniel’s vocal control is absolutely amazing throughout this piece. Is she the vocal songstress that can belt high notes at will? No. But the effortless switches, light whispers, hints of soul, and incredibly controlled falsettos match impeccably with the style of music she is singing. Her lyrical delivery is flawless, her voice matching the atmosphere of each section of the track. This is demonstrated particularly well when her rhythmic articulation of“Baby, I don’t like you” matches the swinging drum set in the second half of the refrain sections.

On a compositional level, this track never bores: it shifts sonic atmospheres every few bars, adding elements that either tastefully build or decrease the space that was performed just prior. However, these shifts are not abrupt, and they combine in such a manner that the song flows effortlessly; the song builds upon itself and never loses any of its energy. Though perhaps my favorite parts of this song are the instances where the producers juxtapose Juniel’s voice upon itself, noted particularly well in the intro when her fluttery falsetto is layered atop her deeper voice.

On a final note, the ending is unexpected. She ends on an incomplete cadence stating the lyrics, “You are a bad person.” This incomplete ending may signal that she is reconsidering getting back with her past love, or that she finally decides to stop contemplating and get rid of him immediately. Regardless of the interpretation, this technique gives an uneasy feeling that is almost never found in K-Pop. Again, I think this song is easily one of the best songs released this year. Though much like the other ones I would rank on the same level, it has not received the consideration that it should have.

The next song “Oh! Happy Day” is quite the switch from her previous song. It’s a much more poppy, uptempo sound that radiates happiness on multiple levels. This is obvious from the lyrical content, a translation to Korean from her original Japanese release in which Juniel constantly speaks of enjoying life in her light, stylized voice. She eats ice cream, drinks coffee, and plays with balloons. This euphoric utopia of a life is summed up by her constant repetition of the English lyrics of “Oh, oh happy day, happy smile, happy sun, happy life.” Despite the toothache inducing sweetness and simplicity of the lyrics, it isn’t a pain to listen to.

While Juniel obviously displays musical similarities to her fellowFNC Entertainmentartists, the fusion of confident lyric delivery, electric guitar dubbing, and flowing pop rhythm bears striking similarities to the JapaneseYUI, which is as good of a comparison that one could have for this type of music. Juniel’s high vocal range is on impressive display here in “Boy“, and she nails the key change at the end of the song. It’s comforting to know this key change isn’t simply auto-tuned, as Juniel comfortably sings in this range in a live performance of this song. Overall, this is another fantastic track.

“Cat Day” is a hauntingly comforting ballad song. The song is built around a simple plucking pattern from Juniel’s guitar, a glockenspiel-like instrument, and a recorder synth patch, all of these meshing together to give the song a childish quality. While it’s a ballad, the song serves more as a meditative piece, as it did when it was originally released in Japanese.

While this song conceptualized a life that a cat may have — one that is naive, simplistic, and carefree — this seems mostly from the Japanese point of view of a cat. A Korean perspective may have a different concept of what the life of a cat is like. These are simply side notes. Regardless, this is a perfect song to just sit back and reflect on one’s priorities in life.

The last song “Happy Ending” is appropriately titled. Aside from “Bad Man”, this is the only other piece that isn’t a re-release from Juniel’s prior Japanese work. The bright child-like pings and pangs of non-traditional instruments carry over from the previous piece and almost give this track a Christmas-y feel. Much like “Oh! Happy Day”, Juniel’s voice is boppy and bright. The song is catchy, performed well, and a strong closing to end an exceptionally well-produced album. It actually is a happy ending compared to the filler-like endings that have been leaving me rather depressed after several recent K-Pop releases.

While only two of the songs of Juniel’s ’1&1′ release are technically “new,” this album is among the strongest that have been released. Introducing some of Juniel’s work to Korea ended up being a smart move, as each of the pre-released songs is simply too well-done to be left in the dust. Props to FNC Entertainment and their continual quality work that is both appealing enough to attract a wide audience, yet sophisticated enough that it leaves even the most discerning ear pleased.

Rating Overview

Pros: Lyrical delivery and sensitivity of performance, “Bad Man” is compositionally interesting — particularly the ending, comparison to YUI, no real weaknesses in any song.

Cons: “Oh! Good Day” can bee toothachingly cheery, not an entirely new mini-album release.

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Reviewer's Rating:(4.7 / 5)

Community Rating: 

(86votes, average:4.44out of 5)