First Impression - Review #6: Super Junior M Album - Break Down

These opinions are based from the sounds of the songs and not the lyrics or MV, though I may comment on the English sometimes. Also I am Super Junior M biased, but I will try to be as unbiased as possible when writing these.

When I first listened to the album, I thought it was unbalanced because it seemed like the upbeat songs were too overpowering, and there wasn’t that kind of tranquility like there was in Perfection with “Destiny,” “Love is Sweet,” and “My All Is In You.” 

Ballad Songs: (3) Goodbye My Love, (6) Distant Embrace [Zhou Mi solo]

Upbeat Songs: (1) Break Down, (2) Go, (4) A-oh!, (5) It’s You, (8) Stand Up

Not Really Either: (7) Tunnel

[Instrumentals not included in this]

In my opinion, Tunnel shouldn’t really be considered a ballad with its beat and moderate pace, but it’s not a dance song either, so I didn’t put it in either category. So just from looking at the songs in simple categories, SM is either trying to promote more dance songs for Super Junior M now, compared to previously, or maybe it was Super Junior M’s choice. Either way, I found it almost disappointing, because I really liked previous ballads from them.

1. Break Down

Overall, I liked the entire feel of the song because there was a general consistency but then an interesting change later at Kyuhyun’s. However, I thought the auto-tune was a bit much at points and the dubstep in the background distracting and disrupting, specifically at the chorus. But, since this is a dance song, it all fits in, and there are lots of places where their voices still shine. 

The song starts off with Henry and a cleaner beat, joined by more and more layers of sounds, until “break down” into the chorus. I really liked the parts before all the choruses where there is no instrumental, it makes the chorus more dramatic and we get to hear their voices as well. The chorus is also really catchy (which is definitely a plus). 

Then the song slows down again at the next verse. There is a part in which the members alternate singing, which I enjoy. Those two lines in the alternating part are the only lines Sungmin has in the entire song, which I suppose makes sense because he doesn’t know Chinese as well, but his voice sounds nice, so it’s kind of disappointing to not hear him as much.

After the next chorus, Ryeowook and Zhou Mi sing, and I really like how their voices sound at this part. Even though the dubstep and all the beats behind are distracting... this transitions well into the dance break! Then I would have to say, my favorite part of the song is the “break down” when Kyuhyun starts to sing again afterwards, acapella first, and then joined by a very simple beat. Then the chorus comes back, which is nicely transitioned because they start off acapella again.

The English in this song is minimal, with the obvious use of “Break Down” (which I think has garnered a lot of puns) and “So Baby Let’s Go..” so it’s almost randomly placed but makes sense because its the title of the song. It makes more sense than the rap in Perfection (even though that was really catchy) so props to that. 

2. Go

Composed by Henry with lyrics written by Zhou Mi, I really wanted to like this song but.. 

Well the song starts off well in my opinion, and I mostly like the song. There is a catchy but simple beat and the melody seems catchy enough. But I think the first verse+chorus and the second verse+chorus is too repetitive. I mean I suppose other songs are like this too, but it seems like even though the song is upbeat, the overall feel of the song is boring. [I’m sorry Henry!] The only part of the song that I can say I like with certainty is the part after the rap when Kyuhyun starts singing again, just because it sounds different and song somehow sounds catchier after this. Maybe I just need to listen to this song more, but its first impression is not that great.

I wonder who is singing/saying the lower parts in this song though..

3. Goodbye My Love

One of the only ballad songs in the album, this song almost has the feel of the ballads in Perfection, except definitely sadder than those. The beginning instrument tune, joined by the guitar sets up this sad theme, which is confirmed with their vocals. It’s initially stripped down to just a guitar and piano but then a slow beat is added in. 

The song seems boring at first but then Sungmin transitions nicely into the chorus which is easily to remember and sing along to. The English here makes sense too! Definitely a plus. But something that I noticed was that the Chinese title and the English title do not translate. The Chinese title translates directly to “A Perfect Goodbye” while the English title is “Goodbye My Love.” I think the English title was written first based on the song lyrics, but then the Chinese title was added to make the title seem more poetic? 

There seems to always be a crescendo into the chorus, like their grief is reaching a maximum point each time and then fades again, almost as if they’re giving up on their love and just saying goodbye instead of trying to make them stay.

4. A-oh!

This song starts off so playfully that it’s hard not to like it and find it catchy. It reminded me of “Wonder Boys” which I just associate with happy times, so I liked this song from the first time I heard it. Wait, but what did someone say at the very beginning? It’s kind of muffled so I can’t make it out, but I will be amused if it’s something like JYP’s whisper.  The “A-oh~” part in the song is repeated throughout and is very catchy. I find that whenever there are “Oh’s” repeated in a song with a catchy tune, then it makes the song more enjoyable because even if people have only heard the song once or twice, they can at least sing to that part! [Ex. Teen Top “To You” or LedApple “Time is Up”]

5. It’s You

It’s all good everybody! Henry has redeemed himself with this song! All joking aside though, even though this song has more auto-tune, it’s not extremely overbearing and makes the song more interesting. It is a classic “party-type” song.

The song starts off immediately with a repetitive but catchy beat that pushes the song forward, and the beginning melody, sung by Henry and Donghae, is extremely catchy as well. Also, when I talk about auto-tune that is not extremely overbearing, I’m referring to the end of Donghae’s line here, and the end of Sungmin’s line. This type of auto-tune just spices up the song a bit more. 

The chorus contains a catchy “You~” which, as I mentioned before, makes the song more enjoyable and fun. The next verse is interesting too because of the “reply-like” vocals between the lines and the vocals underneath as well. 

More auto-tune after as well, but it’s mixed with Kyuhyun’s non-auto-tuned voice, so that part seems more balanced. To be honest, I’m not too sure why I like this song so much better than “Go” but it just seems catchier in my opinion. Maybe because there are more quirky parts.

(I also have to applaud Zhou Mi for writing the lyrics for this song.)

6. Distant Embrace [Zhou Mi Solo]

It’s a ballad in the ocean of upbeat songs! And it’s Zhou Mi’s own solo! I’ve always liked Zhou Mi’s singing and his lyrics, after hearing some of it on Chinese variety shows and I’m glad he got a solo this time. He didn’t write the song, but it still sounds very pretty, something that I can imagine him playing on the piano. His voice sounds mainly delicate throughout, and his falsetto+vibrato adds to that feel. However, his voice gets more powerful and emotional later and that part of the song shows off his vocal strength. 

7. Tunnel 

A smooth sounding song where we can hear their vocals a lot more, something I think the fans appreciate. The harmonies here and there throughout the song add a nice touch and I find that there’s not much to say. Other than.. It seems like a song that sounds like it’s from the 80’s-90’s that you could side-step and clap easily to.

8. Stand Up

This song is maybe my second favorite upbeat song after “Break Down” in this album. The beginning starts off very dramatically and then the song suddenly crackles into a strong beat. This introduction is one of the reasons why I like the song so much. It’s quirky and also not completely out of place, as I’ll explain later on. The beat is also simple and reminds me a little of the beats in Shinee’s “Sherlock.” Very catchy. 

Immediately the harmonies in the first verse make the song nice to listen to. Then the chorus is catchy... I sound like a broken record now. The sounds in the background after the chorus make the song almost seem extra-terrestrial, if that’s the right word.

I like the verse after the chorus as well because it starts off without much instrumental. (Sense a pattern here?) Then, near the end of the song, the dramatic theme comes back again, with a drum, but it quickly breaks down again into the chorus. This break connects the beginning of the song to the end and creates an interesting sound while being consistent. I really like this song, though now I think it’s not as upbeat, but I think I’ll keep it in that category because it’s really not a ballad.

9. Break Down (Inst.)

Not much to say about instrumentals! 1.0 (However, I’m not sure if anyone listens to instrumentals without singing or anything like that, but I do. And I find it interesting to here the patterns of beats and “break downs” in instrumentals. There is an odd helicopter whirring sound that I noticed after listening to this instrumental.)

10. Goodbye My Love (Inst.)

Not much to say about instrumentals! 2.0 (On the contrary, it is also very peaceful to listen to instrumentals of ballads, which I do often as well.)

Things Un-related to Music: I’m really excited for Super Junior M’s comeback since it’s been so long! I can’t wait to see them on variety shows in China again, ah, good times.