candy album review
2022-12-27 11:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bestfrenjunwhat is to be said about this song… firstly: the loser-coded lyrics are so nct dream. also this song being called candy and associated with the holidays for no reason at all despite it being a (failed) breakup song. why! why!
vocally, i really love how sweetly they sing the lines. it’s so dream, for lack of a better way to put it, and perfectly fits in with their discography. kenzie really did her magic when rearranging it for them—removing the dance break instrumental and splitting up the overlaid rap/bridge were great choices (it took me reading the genius page to realize that this song does have a bridge ♡). as for it being a cover of the h.o.t version: i like it a lot better than the 1996 version LMAO it is a lot clearer and enjoyable to listen to For Me. it also doesn’t have that… i’m unsure how to describe it, but intonation and nasal-y delivery.
i wrote in my initial point-form reaction notes that, to quote, “the hyuckle part is very good”, which was in reference to the music video where haechan joins chenle in singing 그래, 그래, 너는 내 앞에 서 있고. i also want to point out how i noticed that the line distribution is unnoticeable. aside from chenle being all over the chorus (deserved), every member gets their own time to sing. the only person i wish i heard more from was jisung to balance how high the vocalists’ range is.
this song is going to be in my spotify wrapped for 2023 because of the amount of times i’ve listened to it for this write-up. and in general. it’s a good song!
favourite parts
다신 너 혼자 아냐 / 너의 곁엔 내가 있잖아
you’ll never be alone / here i am, by your side
renjun my sweet meow meow… lyrics about being by your side (and honestly any ㄴ- 곁에 variation) are soft spots for me as woman whose favourite shinee song is best place. the juxtaposition of this being the ending line of the song compared to how the song starts with haechan very happily singing “honestly today’s the day i’m going to break up with you.” not an ounce of seriousness or spine in this group!
anyway, really like this as a singular piece of lyrics, but hilarious in the context of the whole song whose message is. ??? lost on everyone.
oh boy… in case anyone didn’t know: long-term emotional manipulation WORKS. i hope whatever pain and uncertainty the members felt about the graduation system and their future as 7 has dissipated—especially mark. i want to hug him so bad. i was reminded that jisung would’ve graduated this year if the system actually went through and y’know what? i wish i didn’t have that information in my consciousness.
important question, though: why is this the song that immediately follows candy. it’s like that meme of the pink and black house… visual representation of candy and graduation on this tracklist. i need to speak to whoever made this choice.
as a song, this one isn’t my vibe. i’m not a big fan of rainbow and never goodbye (although the latter grew on me a bit). i knew going into this song that it wouldn’t thematically or musically be my vibe, but i respect its ability to be heartwrenching and capitalize on the very real Emotional Manipulation that dream and their fans experienced in 2019-2020. some bits:
- i love how prominent renjun is during the chorus
- the production in the verse immediately after the first chorus is great. we love electric guitar on this blog.
- jaemin…… polarizing voice. i really dislike the way he delivers 외계인
- again, i asked myself why this song is on a winter album—i got my answer after reading the translation. the light + snowstorm + outer space/star imagery is very in-line with dream’s other songs and this album.
favourite parts
영원히 네 곁에 머물 수 있을까
can i stay with you forever?
renjun pulling at my old fandoms IT’S ALWAYS KEYWORDS FOR ME… forever/영원히 is one of those lyrics that always catches my attention and like. this specific line is sad in the context of this song being both about growing up naturally and knowing what’s ahead.
훨훨 보내주려 해
i’m trying to let you go
love both this lyric and the way haechan sings it ♡
모두 떠나보낸 그다음 남은 건 / 따스한 손의 온기 그리고 우리
what’s left after we let them all go is / warm hands and us
peak emotional manipulation is ending the song with this line AND having mark, the sole graduate of dream, sing it. what the hell.
immediately upon hearing the highlight medley i knew this song was specifically For Me… and i was right! very lex-coded and up my alley, especially the funky instrument (didgeridoo???) sound at the end. at first listen i didn’t quite understand how this classified as a winter song but the lyrics totally make sense!
recently i’ve Noticed sm’s reliance on all-member choruses. it’s a musical staple to their songs and one of the characteristics that i look for, but a little switch-up would be nice! all nct units are victim to group choruses (the 127 dingo live made me more aware of this than ever before). the different tones across the members in each group allows them to get away with all the group-sung bits: you’re still able to hear individuals because, fundamentally, each member sounds unique enough from the others that they won’t get lost if they’re all singing at the same volume.
tangerine love does have an all-member post- chorus (달콤하게 울리는 tangerine love) but otherwise they’ve layered chenle/renjun/donghyuck forward enough to hear them through. speaking of vocalists: the haechan high note couple with chenle’s adlibs in the chorus afterward… mwah! beautiful.
favourite parts
달달한 basis / 설렘 한 겹 아래 상큼한 tasty 더
sweet basis / under the fluttering layer, more tasty sour
jeno is getting soooo much better at singing i am vocal lover and hearing him get more singing lines lately is great ♡ jenkarma is real
깊숙이 빠져드는 중
falling for it deeply
chenle! that’s it. that’s all there is to say. lovely lovely lovely
차가웠던 맘에 따스하게 번진
warmly disperse in my cold heart
another point for the rapper-to-vocalist pipeline. i’ve been saying this forever but jisung maknae ace, he will grow with time and opportunity à la taemin. his voice provides such a nice balance to the group.
낯선 이 감정을 품에 안아보면
strange feeling, if i hold it in my arms
same melody as jisung’s in the prechorus… maybe i just like this line and the fact that they gave this very quiet, subdued delivery to the rappers. mark lee is a problem for me he is
my least liked song on this album, which is a shame because i like the lyrics. they tell a clear story which is thematically is adorable (shyness and inability to confess your feelings to a person). the chorus is very muddled with the… idk how to describe it, but the three beats. to me it sounds like smashing a midi keyboard. this would be fun song to perform, i can see a wintery stage and very cute fanservice.
favourite parts
this song captures a Very Specific Feeling of walking in the cold with the person you like but you don’t know if they know you like them/unsure if they like you back… if you haven’t experienced this feeling Specifically during the winter when it’s like, -5°C or lower and your cheeks have windburn. idk what to say. clearly i have experience in this subject!
차가워지는 공기 / 추운 이 거릴 / 너와 걸어 / 마치 우리 둘은 연인
air becoming colder / in this cold street / i walk with you / we both are like a couple
i like the subtle layering of mark’s voice during 이 거릴 and his “so shy” adlibs.
Yeah 그럼 뭐해 / 어색하게 굳은 채로 / 두 볼만 빨개져
yeah, then what’s the point? / frozen awkwardly / both cheeks becoming red
is it blush or is it windburned cheeks
my favourite parts of the song are the prechorus, both lyrically and musically <3 when vocalists are vocalists. yeah.
계절 사일 걷는 me and you / 하얀 눈은 자꾸 녹는데
walking in between seasons, my and you / white snow continues to melt
MEOW MEOWWWWWW the overuse of 하얀 ___ in this album is incredible. snow and winter are white… thank you nct
날 보는 까만 네 눈을 볼 땐 / 온통 얼어붙게 돼
when i look at your black eyes looking at me / i freeze completely
this jenle moment was for natasha
서롤 향해 걷는 me and you / 겨울 한가운데 있는데
walking toward each other, me and you / in the middle of the winter
둘만의 성급한 봄이 오게 / 네 곁에 붙어 설 게 yeah
so that our rushed spring comes / i’ll stand by you
AGAIN WITH THE “STAND BY YOU” LYRICS love-hate it here…. the season mentions have me all uwuuuu cute
can’t lie so i stay quiet
mood mark! relatable!
funny story: i had to pause my first listen of this song to search “moon mark cut” because i was in pure shock. my godddd i cannot believe sm has been holding out on giving us mark’s vocals. he’s a great rapper but C’MOOOONNNNN.
i’m not typically a ballad liker but i enjoyed this one right away because i could hear everyone sing and they all sang well. allow me to have a broken record moment but jisung continues to sound sooooo soo good and rounds out the group very nicely. i want to hear more of him. and mark. mark lee is a problem for me.
other tidbits i liked:
- renjun as a person. i love him sooo much my meow meow
- the jeno-haechan harmonization
- the jaemin-renjun moment. pov you are a winner!!
favourite parts
ignorance is bliss and because i wasn’t paying attention, i didn’t realize this song’s title was 문 like. the korean word. and not “moon”. so when i read the lyrics at first i was a bit ???? and even now i don’t fully understand this song or the story?
lyrically i thought i would love this more than i do but the door-heart metaphor has gone over my head. i love this song purely for the vibes and vocals.
있잖아 눈이 내려
you know, it’s snowing
renjun and mark singing this line was for me, a targeted attack… short phrases. the grammar of this line is cute
everyone be grateful for an adrian mckinnon track on this album!!!!! the 90s-ish vibe in this song was, again, For Me. this song is a follow-up to walk you home and i have to admit that i do… not… care for that song lol. it’s cute but i never go looking for it and lyrically haven’t paid attention, so the references made in walk with you are over my head.
the way this song is structured feels very NCT Dream™. the change of pace for the bridge is very pleasant and—knowing that this song was partly written and composed by adrian—a familiar change. my brain is a little mushy but i really, really like this song’s strong Story and sweet lyrics.
favourite parts
추위에 약한 널 / 잡을 두 손 따뜻하게 해
you who can’t stand the cold / i’m going to keep you warm by holding your hands
SOOOOO SO SWEET no bitches jisung singing about warming your hands. tears in my eyes.
약속했잖아 널 데리러 가
i promised you that i’m going to pick you up, didn’t i?
giggling kicking my feet right now. another line where the korean grammar is cute To Me
나오자마자 볼 수 있게 앞에 서 있을게 / 손 흔들며 인사할게 / 품에 안기면 돼
i’ll stand at the front so that i can see you immediately as soon as you come out / i’ll wave my hands and greet you and you can just go into my arms
no exaggeration: this is my second favourite Part of the whole album. i loooove the way chenle delivers it, his voice is so clear and the lyrics have my heart. i am a sucker for the gesture of being picked up after work/school/etc. so this part were very sentimental.
내 발자국 옆을 채워줘 / 서로 발을 맞춰 걸어보자 walk
fill in my footsteps beside me / let’s walk while matching our step with each other
crunch crunch footsteps in the snow… i’ve been convinced that winter love > summer love
this album released on a day i booked off for vacation, coinciding with the cottage weekend i had with my friends. that whole ordeal was a disaster but the silver-lining: i brought a bluetooth speaker and played this album while cooking longganisa on saturday morning. also slipped nct dream into the playlists during the two hour drives. candy (the song) made me feel happy and comforted when i was very stressed and mentally checked out. the magic of k-pop boys.
my personal song ranking is as follows:
- walk with you
- candy
- moon
- tangerine love
- take my breath
- graduation
which feels like an injustice because i like the first four equally! walk with you has the lyrics and moments that i adore. candy is very replayable and catchy. moon is a vocal flex (especially for mark) and tangerine love is lex-coded. it’s unfair to rank them against each other.
whoever chenle had to convince in order to get this album: i’m glad you listened ♡
