[Single Review] Secret- "Talk That"

I must first mention and send out my wishes for Secret's recovery. As many should know, they were involved in a horrific car accident recently, and Zinger was injured. From recent updates, I'd say that they have coping pretty well, and I hope they recuperate and pump out some awesome tracks for 2013.

That being said, about Secret. I love Secret. Every single song of theirs have been awesome, maybe with the exception of Shy Boy, but they have been pretty flawless. Madonna, Magic, Starlight Moonlight, Poison were all really different, yet really powerful and attention-grabbing. And need I say, their dancing is incredible.

About this song, I have a hard time classifying it as a genre. It is like a mishmash of a dark, pop-ballad and an R&B track, which isn't a bad thing I must add. It certainly is quite different from most of Secret's more powerful, lively tracks, but hearing this song over and over again, I still feel like it's uniquely Secret.

Secret's sound is very lusty, and each member fits their own special role in accordance to their incredibly assorted vocal ranges and characteristics. Jieun's voice has the traits of a powerhouse vocalist, with her soaring notes and occasionally stunning runs. Hyosung's voice is a lot more simplistic, and hit the surface with impact. Her pronunciation is clear with clear distinctions between each octave or note. Sunhwa's supporting vocals are a lot weaker and lighter than the previous two's, focusing less on raw power but more on emotion or pace-setting an emotional template for the rest of the song. Zinger's raps come in short, but intensely stuffed bursts, and her vocals are either used as airy notes for transitional purposes, or simply higher notes to fill in gaps (if any) in their vocal repertoire. Combined, everything sort of complements, yet one can easily distinguish each person, which I think makes Secret unique. You just know its them, when musical harmonizing between almost jarring elements fit almost seamlessly.

"Talk That' is the epitome of such incredible complementary difference.

The song starts off sweetly enough, with the girls barely getting their voices out, before a quicker beat and monotonous chanting of 'Talk That'.

Sunhwa kicks things off with a nice introduction. She doesn't use much tonal variation and sticks to the lighter, more emotional support vocals as she is more used to. It is actually quite a beautiful opener, with the high note at the end almost seemingly like it could go over-the-top, yet being reined in at the last moment, providing an overwhelming sense of mystery. Progressively, the song starts on a quite a high. From the first line to that longer note, the pace and emotions grow subtly yet evidently stronger, like a teaser, being forced back down again. The background bubble-like, electronica synths also complement the song well.

Zinger's next line is actually one of my favourite parts. It is very airy and serves not only as an emotional amplifier, but as a transitional vocal. Almost like Seungri's parts in 'Blue'. It separates the cool vocal of Sunhwa and the hard, more solid and expressive wails of Hyosung, and serves as an apt transition. Without it, the movements would fall apart for they would be jarring but Zinger's line is like a mix of both; soft but fierce in its expression.

That being said, Hyosung's vocals, too, do not disappoint, with the immense soulfulness and really loud but controlled pipy sound she is able to create. At one listen, one can realise that her voice is actually quite one-dimensional, but it is very solid and powerful, making it a really good complement to pretty much any song.

The chrous comes soon. Before reaching here, Jieun has a long note which transfers to the first beat of the chorus. The chorus has a bit more kick to it, with slightly louder bass booms. It is a very sensual sound, with rather European sounding influences. The pattern of high-tease-soft, is repetitive and really gives the song an identity. The importance of the pattern is further amplified in the chorus, where emotions run high before being reined in, giving a successful illusion that the next high was bigger than the preceding ones. Dropping into the tease is actually exciting rather than boring, for instead of going down to a ballad-style vocal, they simply lower the speed and pace, not sacrificing their progression or emotion in the process.

The second half of the song mirrors the first, with the pattern evident and the post-chorus riling away till the forthcoming verses. This is really brilliant song progression, and the usual slow bits are handled brilliantly, with Secret opting for a richer tone to their slower portions, never really letting any bit go to waste. Also, all 4 voices are very different and clearly highlighted in the song; each person has a role and a gap to fill, all of which provide a sense of completion to the song.

In all, a great song, with incredible harmonics between 4 distinct, yet utterly stunning vocalists.

Great comeback.

Random Post- Song Progression 1: The Intro

I'm starting a series of posts regarding some technicalities I consider when reviewing.

This post is not a review, so please do not expect one. It's going to be a clarification of sorts, a cogent piece explaining some stuff which I say quite often in my reviews. It's about progression. I've mentioned this many times before, and why? Because I firmly believe that a good song should be one that draws you in to an emotional experience, a narration where one is able to really feel something from it.

Take a song to be a story, with climaxes, falling actions, build ups, the works. The introduction of a song should serve a clear purpose in the song. It could be used as an artistic effect, like a slow beginning that contrasts with the rest of the song (Eg. I Will Show You by Ailee), that actually melds in with the build-up, resulting in a longer, more drawn out buildup that intensifies naturally. Take note, while I bashed Boyfriend for their dull introduction, my main gripe was not merely that it was really boring, but actually taken into context with the portion after, it really didn't do anything. After the slow and slightly cheesy opening, the pace drops even lower to this awkward rock-piano hybrid which well, I guess only adds negatively to the progression of the song. 

Looking at progression, the introduction, by right, should start of on a low key, before the dramatic build-up climaxes into the chorus that should be the explosion of emotion worthy of everything before it. But can an introduction start out high? If it did, wouldn't the pacing have to be held way up throughout?

Well, no.

This is actually where pacing sets in. With a booming intro, to sustain a narrative would be Herculean task, but one can overcome it with consistent, or better, livelier pacing. With a beat to stick to, or an emotion which we could tag upon for a long duration, one would never feel empty even with a slower track.

Looking back at Janus, the beat after the introduction really dies and seems almost of an alien genre. The emotional transitions are too quick, and comprehending or devoting oneself to the emotions in the story would be perplexing and downright cluttering to musical soul. 'The Chaser' on the other hand, starts really strong and manages to sustain the pace to the chorus by means of drawing the listener to the emotions of being in a chase; the fear, the anxiety, the excitement, all mushed up into a fiery ball of soulfulness that the listener can grasp and attach to. In this case, song progression in the introduction at least, would have the potential to be sustained and developed for the rest of the song.

This is it for the intro, and other sections of the song will be up soon.