Here are my credentials (again):  Put simply, I’m a ShaWol, absolutely, and have been since 2020. But more deeply, finding SHINee was really the final step that made me the k-pop fan (and blogger) that I am today. I was a casual fan already, through first Blackpink and then Red Velvet, but SHINee was the first group I full-on stanned. I love all the members individually, Jonghyun especially, but together? They may just be my favorite k-pop group of all time. So why am I doing this? Well, I’ve already done all of their solo careers. But also this will be the 50th group I cover, and seeing as we’re coming right up to their 16th anniversary, it felt like the perfect moment. So, let’s do this!

(Part One) (Part Three)

Album #3: The Misconceptions Of Us

Why So Serious, obviously, is the name of this blog, and so I’m sure my opinion of it is pretty clear. Going full throttle into a rocky, angsty sound while still managing to have a fantastic time while doing it, it just never stops moving, and the members likewise never stop driving it forward. It’s one of my favorite singles from SHINee, and the electric guitar spikes in the background and smash of a chorus only make me adore it more. The bow they take at the end is very much deserved.

Dream Girl is the second single from this album, and though I don’t think much could eclipse Why So Serious, it’s pretty solid in its own right, tapping into that funky, synth-based, maximalist sound so common in the 2nd gen and making that its own. I didn’t even mind the rapping in the bridge, which is often a big thing for me. I love the choreography with the standing microphones, too although the costuming is…not it, guys. Sorry.

From the full album, The Misconceptions Of Us, I had a lot of hidden gems: the joyful, bright Beautiful, the incredibly vocalized Selene 6.23, and the bold, brash energy of Hitchhiking. I also enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of Spoiler, the pulsing dance-floor energy of Punch Drunk Love, the gliding doo-wop of Aside, the powerful beat of Dynamite, and the great vocalized hook in Dangerous.

This album is, genuinely, excellent. It’s one of the strongest I’ve ever seen in k-pop, and in my opinion, should be discussed with the likes of f(x)’s Pink Tape. It’s cohesive yet genre-hopping, classic yet experimental, and led by such great voices that I liked practically every song.

EP #4: Everybody

Everybody has one of the most perplexing openings I’ve seen in a k-pop music video, having the members appear like toy soldiers in an army. It blends the usual sounds of k-pop with a rapid-fire complextro beat and the members’ great vocals for a surprisingly good track. Though it gets a bit too experimental at points for me, overall I really enjoy it. I will say though, Taemin’s outfit makes me cackle every time, because, how did it come about? Someone was like “Guys I’ve got it. He’s Catholic, let’s have him wear leather pants and a fur coat with nothing underneath but fifteen necklaces with crosses on it.” “Perfect!”

From the EP, Everybody, I enjoyed the slow start of dramatic Symptoms, the chanty post-chorus of Destination, and the distorted electro beat of Colorful.

Album #4: Married To The Music

View, for such a subdued song, was a huge sensation in the industry when it came out in 2015. Not only penned by Jonghyun with beautifully evocative lyrics but embodying another shift in SHINee’s genre, it goes against the maximalist trends of the time with a breezy, deep house sound perfect for summer. Its music video is also unusual, feeling down to earth and a bit hazy in the way that it’s shot. Considered by many to be ahead of its time, it’s inspired a lot of what’s now incredibly popular in the industry. Just ask New Jeans. 

Married To The Music is the other single from this repackage, and while it didn’t make as much of an impact as View, it still holds its own quite well. Shockingly for its strangeness and definite Halloween energy, this was released in August. It feels a bit like Red Velvet’s RBB in its sense of humor and fun-creepy aesthetic, and a bit like Michael Jackson’s thriller in its dancing style and very 80’s sound. I especially love the bridge, which asks “are you married to the music??” before heightening the sound for the final chorus. The entire time, though, I was so befuddled by what was happening in the MV that I couldn’t help but laugh.

From the album, Married To The Music, I enjoyed the R & B throwback sound and Replay references in Love Sick, the combination of the hard-hitting hook and softer vocalizing in Trigger, their great voices in power ballad Farewell My Love, the brassy, fast-paced funk of Woof Woof (my hidden gem, despite the dumb name), and the jaunty electro of Black Hole.

Album #5: 1 And 1

1 of 1 seems like another attempt to return to SHINee’s debut, with its 90’s throwbacks and reassurance to the audience that she’s “one of one”. The outfits are still somewhat horrifying, but hey, at least they’re delightfully so. The song itself is solidly new jack swing, and swing it does, with a percussive underlying beat, some of their brightest vocals, and an understated but still decidedly poppy sound. Just listen for yourself and try not to shake your shoulders along to the tempo.

Tell Me What To Do was SHINee’s last Korean release as five members, which only makes what’s already a sad song even more gut wrenching if you know anything about Jonghyun. It features both the then-up-and-coming actress Han So Hee and some of their most affecting vocals. All of the members get their time to shine throughout the song, but I was personally most drawn to Key’s and Jonghyun’s voices, the former in the bridge and the latter in the chorus’ most affecting moments. Though it’s not something that I (or probably anyone) could listen to every day, it’s one of their strongest works and proof that you can make a ballad gripping.

From the album, 1 and 1, I enjoyed the gentle strings in Wish Upon A Star, the uplifting lyrics and light piano of Beautiful Life, the smoothly jazzy Lipstick, and the bolder sound of So Amazing. This was a more ballad-heavy album than their others, so while it’s good, it’s not as much my style.

Since this was their last release with every member, this felt like an appropriate place to stop. Next time, we’ll be back with their work post-2017. Tschüss!

(Part One) (Part Three)