Pentagon(펜타곤) - Genie: us Mini Album Thoughts(Kpop)

   I was contemplating before writing this post if I wanted to make posts about the Kpop albums that I had bought over the past few months. I know I'm never on time so I'm trying to be just a little on time when posting currently. Especially since I haven't even listened to these CDs myself yet. I finally got around to listening to Genie: us by Pentagon today. These boys are one of the few new generation Kpop groups that I got into right as I found them. Not many other newer groups catch my attention like their music did with or without E dawn(I kind of became a fan as his era was ending with the group so yeah…). Pentagon was originally the result of a boyband creator show called Pentagon maker that I cared nothing about. The band has had a pretty successful career- not nationwide famous quite yet but they make top ten on the charts in Korea at least. They have yet to win on a music show either. Let's hope that comes into their grasp soon enough.

Track List:
01. 신토불이
02. Lost Paradise (Hip Hop Unit)
03. 그 순간 그때까지 (Ballad Unit)
04. 에일리언
05. 봄눈
06. Round 1 (Bonus Track)

   Genie: us wasn't an album that I had high expectations for. Wait. let me rephrase this sentence. I didn't have much standards for this album being constant as a full body of work. Yeah… That was better, right?  E Dawn was kicked out(?) of the group one or two release ago and he was Pentagon's main producer to most of their fandom's knowledge. Though all of the members can write their own songs which makes Pentagon's message such a tasteful one to swallow. Tracks from the past to the present have shown Pentagon create a kind of rebellion when it comes to the norm of what Kpop songs are about. These boys actually write about disobeying the rules in order to create a life that you and you alone control. I was very surprised when listening to their older song such as Naughty Boy because the lyrics so bluntly spell out being your own person no matter what anyone thinks of you. Genie: Us continues the same atmosphere only Pentagon grows smarter with each release. The album separates the group into two units, called the rap unit and the ballad unit. I mean they have nine members in the group… More than enough to make this happen. Lost in Paradise was a favorite of mine when I heard the deepness of the vocalist singing the chorus. Male vocalist that have deep voices always interest me. The ballad unit's track did a very good job of not sounding like any old ballad track that was stuck on to the album because the producers felt like there had to be one included. It was a good pop ballad that didn't put a downer on the album but instead kept the energetic flow going even as a slower song. The title track sets the whole mini album off as just a dance number that shows an even balance of dance rhythm mixed together with solid vocals. The album as a whole final product came out in different layers that are diverse for listeners. Genie: us is strictly a Kpop record that keeps the genre more exciting for the future.

   There's even more English lines in this album. I also notice that Kpop songs are becoming more and more relaxed with being ranchy low key. I'm not complaining in anyway shape or form but Pentagon might not want to b saying that "I don't give a fuck" in songs that already are telling people to be outside of the norm that South Korean culture sets up for them. What was funny is how the lyrics in the booklet change the word "fuck" to "aw"! [INSERT ME LAUGHING.] I always felt that Pentagon never wins on music shows because their lyrics are so out there in comparison to what Korean society is use to. The group has plenty of love songs to balance things out however, their love songs even have a hint of rebellion in them. At least Pentagon's albums making the top ten on the chart shows that South Korean youths's mindsets are changing drastically as we speak. E dawn was a bad influence on Pentagon and I love every bit of this.

   Genie: us might be their best work to date as a full mini album. Mostly due to the fact that I didn't skip any songs while I was listening. That says a lot since I'm not easy to please.