[ASKKPOP] [Album Review] MBLAQ - 'Broken'
Iremember my first encounter withMBLAQand their music when I was merely at the tender age of eighteen. I don't quite remember how I stumbled upon the musicvideo for the group's debut single "Oh Yeah." Perhaps it was from an article on this website? What I do remember areLee Joon's abs(they looked like chocolate). As for the song, it was just alright. And every other singlethe group has released thus far didn't leave much of an impression—except maybe"Cry." That is, until now. MBLAQ recently returned with a brand-spanking newmini album after their letdown of a single "Smoky Girl" back in June. The minialbum, titled 'Broken,' dropped this past Monday on the 24th. I was abit wary of hearing another single like "Smoky Girl" on this album, butthankfully my fear proved unfounded.
Thefirst full song after the intro is the title track, "Be a Man." Can I just say,yes, yes, yes,a thousand times, yes?Wheesung, thank you for composing this song! "Be a Man" reeked of déjàvu for some reason, inducing a sense of familiarity. At the chorus, I knewexactly why I felt like I heard the song before. It soundsjust like a JT song.Okay, maybe not exactly the same, but the elements are there. Thefalsettos, the string instruments, the beat, and the overall mood of the songsound like they would be the perfect ingredients to aJustin Timberlaketune.Mind you, I love JT so hearing this song was like aural euphoria. "Be a Man" isjust so flavorful, a delightful release in K-Pop that should be receiving more attention.If you are a fan of JT or R&B in general, you are bound to like this track.
Thesecond track, "Between Us," starts out with forlorn whistling. Acoustic guitarand a heavy bass kicks in soon thereafter, playing out as a soulful ballad easyon the ears. Other tidbits of sound chime in near the chorus, befitting for thedoleful melody of the song. The track's lyrics explore a near-brokenrelationship that is hanging by a thread. Both parties in the relationship areburnt out, yet at the same time, neither party wants to end it; hence, thelyrics that go: "What do we do about us? / Youno longer laugh when you see me / I no longer laugh when I see you / I don't knowwhat to do."
"TwelveMonths" is yet another lugubrious acoustic ballad agonizing over the deep painsof heartbreak. By the third track I couldn't help but decode a pattern. Allthree songs use acoustic guitar. All songs express some sort of sorrow overlove that was but is no more. And, of course, all three are sung by the boys (men?) ofMBLAQ. After meticulous mathematical modeling and many a failed educatedguesses, I devised a new breakthrough formula: broken hearts + MBLAQ = amazing acousticballads. Several eons from now, in a K-Pop history textbook, you will see apicture of MBLAQ under this equation. In all seriousness, the song wasn't ascolorful as the first two but maybe that's because I don't much favor slowballads.
"Key"didn't follow the equation above. Instead, I was surprised with a piano balladwith a slightly more upbeat—yet still a lyrically sad—song. Why all the gloom and doom? Irecalled an interview I watched of the members, explaining the 'concept' forthis mini album. Turns out, the concept issupposedto be overly sentimental. That is the main reason why MBLAQ members got intouch with their 'soft' side for this album. I believeG.Oeven said theystudied how to be more emotional. I also noticed thatMir,G.O, andThunderalltook part in composing the songs, with the exception of this track. Maybe themembers were better able to channel their emotions since they conveyed their ownexperiences through the songs.
Withthe final non-instrumental track "Two of Us," we're back to the equation ofbroken hearts + MBLAQ = acoustic ballad. The blue-ness of the song is amplifiedby the subtle patter of rain in the background. This is the perfect song tolisten to on a dark, dank day while you feel particularly moody. The soppylyrics almost made me cringe, but that means MBLAQ has successfully achieved their objective of imbuing in their more sentimental side.
Withsome inspiration from JT and a lot of acoustic guitar, the members of MBLAQsuccessfully expressed heartbreak through a mature and classy concept. It isnot in any way an original or even a fresh concept for that matter, but MBLAQdid it right this time around.