[MINI-ALBUM REVIEW] Nine Muses - Lost
Who: Nine Muses
Genre: Pop, Ballad
Tracklist:
1. a.m. 3:00
2. 잠은 안오고 배는 고프고 (Sleepless Night)
3. 몰래 (Secret)
4. 쿵치딱치 (Koong Chit Dak Chit)
5. TO. MINE
6. 잠은 안오고 배는 고프고 (Sleepless Night) (inst) [Not Reviewed]
Let's talk about an underrated group.
1. a.m 3:00: Interesting intro. I like when k-pop incorporates at least some classical sounds. I'm not sure why the whole thing is basically repeated twice (though slightly differently), but there's nothing wrong with it stylistically. I actually kind of like it--I don't know why. It's only a minute long, I usually don't have opinions on minute long songs, to be honest. 8.5
2. 잠은 안오고 배는 고프고 (Sleepless Night) [TITLE]: I've got to say, the Korean title (It literally translates to "I can't sleep and I'm hungry") seems more than a little odd to me. But to be honest, there have been worse titles, and I'm sure we haven't seen the last of bad titles. The first time I heard this song, I found it sort of unremarkable. Considering Nine Muses last comeback with "Hurt Locker," and the fact that Brave Brothers have done songs like AOA's "Like a Cat" and "Heart Attack," I expected better from them (though they also do songs for Hello Venus, whose last song, "I'm Ill," was catchy, but extremely flawed, so perhaps it's hit or miss with this guy. This song is fine. There's no real climax (though the rapping was a highlight, for sure), and the bridge isn't overly remarkable either, but I can't pick on anything, so there's that. 8.3
3. 몰래 (Secret): This is more what I expected as the title song. A little more upbeat, with more dynamics in the music. I feel like this song also feels more comfortable for this group. I'm not sure why, but their voices sort of feel more lively. And again, the rapping is amazing. And the singing layered on the rapping? LOVE it. I prefer this song so much more than "Sleepless Night," and I don't know why they didn't have this as the title song, but I'm not the CEO of their company, so I suppose my opinion doesn't really matter in the long run. I do know that for a relatively long-standing group, Nine Muses are still sort of unknown, and if I had made the decision, I would have suggested going with "Secret" over "Sleepless Night" as a title song. 9.2
4. 쿵치딱치 (Koong Chit Dak Chit): The rest of this mini-album is so much more interesting than the title song. That can't be good for their current promotions. This song also has a strange title, but it shows the girls off a lot more than "Sleepless Night." The sound's sort of cute as well, which wasn't what I was expecting. I don't think it would have been the best choice as a title song, but considering that the vocals throughout are relatively powerful, and it has dynamics, it probably would keep people's attention for a lot longer than "Sleepless Night." 8.6
5. To. Mine: For those that don't know, "Mine" is the name of Nine Muses' fanclub. Dedicated songs are always hit or miss for me. On one hand, I get it, you want to show your love and appreciation to your fans, but often times, things get too sentimental for a non-fan. However, this one is cute. I like the seasonal thing, particularly since Christmas is more of a couple's holiday in Korea--it feels as though the group is confessing to their fans, and it may be cheesy, but I'm a sucker for cheese.The song is fine--it isn't the strongest on this mini-album, but it feels like the most meaningful. 8.1
Overall: Why is the title song one of the weakest on this album? That makes no sense to me. Even with a famous producer, it shouldn't have been the title, and honestly, said famous producer should have done better. Though, that seems to be the theme of Nine Muses' career: they release a steady stream of quality things, but something just isn't clicking with the public yet, unfortunately.
