album review: eric nam + iu
Two albums came out in the past couple of weeks that I thought deserved some more light, so I’m stepping out of my writing comfort zone for today’s Music Monday and doing some album reviews. It’s not something I’ve ever done, so bear with me if they aren’t the greatest.
The first one I want to talk about is Eric Nam’s newest all-English album ‘Before We Begin’.
I’ve always been a casual fan of Eric’s. He has a nice voice, but I don’t tend to like everything he puts out and he usually falls into the category of music I don’t always go to. With this newest album, I’ve become more of a fan. I really enjoyed the album on a whole because of the acoustic R&B vibe. I’ve always thought that Eric Nam’s voice is really suited for it and this album is a good representation of that. The songs aren’t overly complicated or heavily produced, and that lends to an album that creates a really chill vibe. This is the type of album you throw on in the background and enjoy it enough that it can go through a number of cycles before you realize it.
‘Congratulations’ (the title track) is probably the most catchy of the songs and has a really nice earworm chorus, but it even doesn’t go too crazy. It has a solid acoustic intro with a build-up that doesn’t go too overboard when you get to the chorus, and the addition of Marc E. Bassy’s for the other verses play nicely because they both have such distinctly different voices.
I think another one of the major points that need to be focused on is why Eric Nam made it and how important it is that it’s out. Eric has been talking about this in more depth during his press tour for the album. Asian American representation in the music industry has been dismal in the past, but we are at a point with the success of kpop gaining that there is an opening for those to shine that wasn’t an option before. Eric’s end goal has always been to produce in America, and it’s finally happening.
Here’s a recent interview Eric did on the Zach Sang Show. It’s long, but more than worth watching to get a sense of Eric’s background and how this album was developed and why it’s more important than just a new album to him:
I know that his music won’t be for everyone, but I think it deserves a listen. I’ve honestly played it quite a bit since it came out and have enjoyed every song equally. The album is easy to listen to, and all of the songs work well to keep up with the same themes and music elements throughout making it a really good album to not just focus on a select few songs but enjoy the album as a whole.
Queen IU has come out with a new album ‘Love Poem’ and I’ve fallen in love with most of the songs on it.
When the music video for ‘_above the time’ came out it was late at night and I was fighting insomnia and just happened to open up the Youtube app and see it suggested. It’s one of those music videos that I sort of wish I did reactions on my YouTube channel while I was watching it the first time. With her soaring vocal line that she is able to use as a way to help tell the story and the full orchestra, the song is just magical. It has moved to a top spot of the year.
I also absolutely loved the set design of the mv (surprise surprise). The juxtaposition between IU’s set which is spacious and in neutral clean colors in comparison to the small dark house the clockmaker is in is such a stunning visual element. The boat and even small hand props are decorated with sheet notes in IU’s world. Music is all about counting and time, and it’s just a natural fit with the clocks keeping time. The other amazing thing about this music video is that it’s a sequel to her 2011 mv, ‘You and I’ which not only has the same actor (Lee Hyun Woo) but also a numerous amount of similarities such as the pictures on the wall and the goose being in both. The most amazing (in the did they really plan this eight years ago way) is the date that is shown in the ‘You and I’ video when he wakes up. Does this mean we get a full conclusion to the story on Dec 31st?
I know I’m talking a lot about just the one song, and it’s not fair to the rest of her album because it is all so wonderful. Each song has a way of being in a different color, while still keeping with the soft vocal focused feel. ‘Blueming’, the title track, is bouncy and fun and has a really fun 90’s pop vibe to it. ‘The Visitor’ is a nice slower jazzy-acoustic song that is played up by her smoky and long vocal line. With the exception of ‘Blueming’, the album on a whole is softer and focuses more on her voice and lyrics with little instrumental accompaniment in most of the songs. It really is the perfect winter album.
Have you listened to either album yet, what did you think? With it being the end of the year and so much new music already out I know that it’s hard to keep up, I definitely recommend you check both out.