4 Member Girl Group: Ga-in, Jea, Narsha, Miryo
Hit Singles: L.O.V.E., Abracadabra, Sign, Sixth Sense, Cleansing Cream
Albums: Your Story, 떠나라 미스김, Sound G., Sixth Sense
MY THOUGHTS
Another day, another review about the past year in music. And this time - another girl group. However, no one can say that the Brown Eyed Girls are just another girl group. They are quite simpy the most unique girl group in the K-Pop scene. Beginning as soul vocal group, these 4 unique girls began singing simple R&B numbers and although there weren't flopping, they weren't hugely successful. 2009 rolls around and the K-Pop scene cannot avoid Brown Eyed Girls. Their 2009 mega-hit "Abracadabra" was simply the biggest hit of the year and became an instant classic in Korean music history. Brown Eyed Girls single-handedly begun the pop-dance craze in Korea. And after a 2 year hiatus, the girls finally returned with their fourth album - "Sixth Sense". But instead of releasing an "Abracadabra" part 2 to please the fans and the current market, they do something completely different.
Just as "Abracadabra" shook up the music scene in 2009, "Sixth Sense" shakes up the dance-heavy system that dominates Korea in 2011. "Sixth Sense" is still an uptempo number that you can dance too but the song doesn't require computer generated beats or electronic beeps to make it danceable. Heavy on percussion and strings, the song is reminiscent of Bond theme song. The instrumental alone is a fantastic piece of music but it is the vocals of the 4 girls that breath life into the song. Narsha and Ga-in take the verses, with their breathy and husky vocals, and Jea's belting vocals take on the majority of the chorus. Miryo, the rapper of the group, tackles the breakdown of the song with a rap comprising of Korean, English and Spanish. The result = a strong, powerful song that is unforgettable. Oh, and don't forget the cat miaowing and Ga-in's and Narsha's Mariah Carey-esque whistle note - all adding to the dramatics of the song.
If the song wasn't dramatic enough, the visual for "Sixth Sense" is astonishing and hands down the best music video of 2011. It's not set in a disco or a wierd, bright disco room. Instead, it's a video comprising of various dark and powerful scenes - water, chains, cages, the army, dictators, tabloids.
Although "Sixth Sense" may indeed be the best song on their 4th album of the same name, I can submit this post without nodding my head to the album tracks. "Hot Shot" is pure class, "La Boheme" is sensuality in a song and "Lovemotion" wouldn't sound out of place on their "Sound G." album. With songs like "Countdown" and "Vendetta" too, we really feel what Brown Eyed Girls are about - confidence, sexiness and incredible soulful vocals.
I hope we don't have to wait another 2 years to see what Brown Eyed Girls will bring out next. No doubt, it will something completely different to both "Abracadabra" and "Sixth Sense".
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