Quick Reviews: Beenzino’s “Nowitzki”, Jeon Jin-hee’s “Without Anyone Knowing”, and Odd Eye Circle’s “Version Up”

Beenzino – Nowitzki

Release: July 3, 2023
Label: BANA
Distributor: Kakao Entertainment
Genre: Rap, hip-hop
Score:

For all the hype that arrived with Beenzino’s first album since 2016 – including having its title known for years –  Nowitzki isn’t something that we’ve never heard from the rapper, but it’s close to the best version of what we have heard before. Beenzino’s usual down-to-earth writing and the warmth that emanates from it flow easily into this new phase of life as a married man; his wife Stefanie is the album’s constant, shaping its stories and being its muse. Beenzino’s albums have never been heavy on money swag, but in Nowitzki in particular, his boasts merely underline the life of luxurious tranquility that he’s sought and seems to have found.

But perhaps unexpectedly, Beenzino doesn’t tone down the technical side of his delivery at all. SoundCloud legend “Monet” still dazzles with a pounding first verse alongside the beat drop, while the first part of “In Bed/Makgulli” features relentless flow in its depiction of suffocating stress before it’s soothed. He also experiments more with lyrical form towards the end, in wistful “Change” and “Just One Day” and “Radio”, though this latter section sometimes sags a bit due to loosened focus. Even Beenzino’s hook-making prowess proves alive and well in tracks like “Travel Again”. (I do think “Coca Cola Red”, “Like a Fool” and nearly even “990” take the hooks to a point of absurdity.)

A fitting decadence adorns the album’s production, which is powered by the rich jazz and acoustic beats that Beenzino thrives in (most notably “Stinky Kiss” and “Trippy”) and some trendier numbers by the likes of Farhot, R&B artist Mokyo and BANA’s own star producer 250. What allows for the fidelity of really complex beats like “Crime” to fit in next to even the simplest sound is not only the level of sophistication, but also the album’s mood. It convinces you, with every note, of its – Beenzino’s – inner peace and contentment. If relaxation could be infectious, it’d be found in Nowitzki.

Tracklist (recommended tracks in bold)

1. Stinky Kiss (Intro)
   Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Stoic, Bardo; arranged by Beenzino
2. Monet
   Lyrics by Beenzino; composed and arranged by Beenzino, DPR Cream
3. 침대에서/막걸리 (In Bed/Makgulli)
   Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Amarah Beats, AJ Green; arranged by Beenzino
4. 여행 Again (Travel Again) (Feat. Cautious Clay)
   Lyrics by Beenzino, Cautious Clay; composed by Cautious Clay; arranged by Beenzino, Cautious Clay
5. Dope As (Interlude)
   Lyrics by Oygli; composed by Holyday
6. Coca Cola Red (Feat. Oygli)
   Lyrics by Beenzino, Oygli; composed by Farhot, Sharafat Parwani; arranged by Beenzino
7. 990 (Feat. Kim Ximya)
   Lyrics by Beenzino, Kim Ximya; composed by Argov; arranged by Beenzino
8. Lemon
   Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by 250; arranged by Beenzino, 250
9. 바보같이 (Like a Fool) (Feat. Y2K92)
   Lyrics by Beenzino, Simo, Jibin; composed by Beenzino, Simo; arranged by Simo, Jibin
10. Trippy (Feat. Lance Skiiiwalker)
    Lyrics by Beenzino, Lance Howard; composed by Beenzino, K. McKirdy; arranged by Beenzino, Lance Howard
11. Crime (Feat. Bek Hyunjin, 250)
    Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Katlego Tladi; arranged by Beenzino, Bek Hyunjin, 250
12. Camp
    Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Mokyo; arranged by Beenzino, 250
13. Sanso (Interlude)
    Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Shin Jung-hyun, Dicio, Ben Esser; arranged by Beenzino
14. Change
    Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Stoic, Pilotkid, Eeryskies; arranged by Beenzino
15. 단 하루 (Just One Day)
    Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by 250; arranged by Beenzino, 250
16. Sandman
    Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Slom; arranged by Beenzino, Slom
17. Radio
    Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Farhot, Dicio; arranged by Beenzino
18. Gym
    Lyrics by Beenzino; composed by Stuart Moore; arranged by Beenzino

Jeon Jin-hee – 아무도 모르게 (Without Anyone Knowing)

Release: July 4, 2023
Label: Self-produced
Distributor: Poclanos
Genre: Pop, ballad, new age
Score:

The star of Without Anyone Knowing might be Jeon Jin-hee’s piano, even more than her breathy and evocative singing. The piano and the voice provide sole company to each other for long stretches of this album; aloof yet reassuring, the keys gently brush out the vitality and love that Jeon sings of. Though these prove sufficient to construct beautiful melodies like that of “Words of a Song”, the Ravie Nuage leader does bring in reinforcements when they help the album. String play courtesy of With String opens up the emotional range of “Don’t Say You Love Me” as much as Park Ji-yoon’s expressive depth does; those same strings engage in mesmerizing dialogue with Jeon’s piano in “Flow”; and the fuzz of Lee Young-hoon’s guitar immerses “Unable to Speak That We Miss Each Other” in nostalgia. With this little ensemble Jeon Jin-hee explores the gap between veneer and heart, what we can and cannot bring ourselves to speak outwardly, in a vulnerably, honestly written album.

Tracklist (recommend tracks in bold)

(All tracks written, composed and arranged by Jeon Jin-hee; additional arrangement credits for Jangdeulre, Eundohee, and Kim Chang-sub)

1. 노랫말 (Words of a Song)
2. 떠날까 (Should We Leave)
3. 사소한 이야기 (A Trivial Story)
4. 내게 사랑한다는 말 하지 말아요 (Don’t Say You Love Me) (Feat. Parkjiyoon)
5. 아무것도 아닐 거면서 (It Won’t Be Anything Anyway) (Feat. Deulrejang)
6. 우리는 보고 싶다 말하지 못하고 (Unable to Speak That We Miss Each Other) (Feat. Lee Young-hoon)
7. 흘러가는 것 (Flow)
8. 아무도 모르게 (Without Anyone Knowing)
9. 선물 (Gift)
10. 노랫말 (Words of a Song) – Instrumental

Odd Eye Circle – Version Up

Release: July 12, 2023
Label: Modhaus
Distributor: Kakao Entertainment
Genre: R&B, dance, electronic
Score:

After a contract dispute and legal battle so tumultuous that one needs an entire Reddit post just to keep track of what happened, the 12 members of Loona overcame unlikely odds and each found footing to continue their careers. Sub-unit Odd Eye Circle, who ended up reuniting with Loona’s original creative director Jaden Jeong at Modhaus, is the first act to kick off the group’s post-Blockberry Creative era. OEC is somewhat unique in that despite having just one previous album (and repackage) in 2017, it carries a vaunted reputation among both fans and critics; and so the involvement of old-time crew like G-High and Artronic Waves alongside Jeong in Version Up belays a desire to at least appear to honor that musical legacy.

And to their credit, Version Up sounds distinct enough – both from full-group Loona and just other idol pop in general – to make the case. Title track “Air Force One” glows in high-pitched synths and hopping vocals, its upbeat mood accentuated by a nonstop barrage of bells and whistles; it’s a ton of fun when its submerged bass and background synth pop out for the first time in the chorus. It’s hampered by an uninspired lyric-less refrain, as well as the dense, indulgent arrangement being packed into a very short play time (which ironically makes the track more fatiguing to listen to despite less substance). But as a collection of delightful and even surprising moments, the song does its job. “My Secret Playlist” takes a similar energetic approach, if a touch slower, with more conventional melodies.

“Je ne sais quoi” is the EP’s clear star, a velvet-smooth jam with a clubby pace that injects urgency into its narrative of precarious, consuming attraction. While the other tracks are not as impactful (“Love Me Like”‘s steely prechorus is perhaps the best moment of the entire album, but it’s let down by a deflating chorus), the album as a whole is well-executed, in particular seeming to ask much more out of Kim Lip, Jinsoul, and Choerry as vocalists than Max & Match did and getting that out of them. Still just two albums in, Odd Eye Circle’s got plenty of room to discover what their discography will sound like, and Version Up is a promising step in that direction.

Tracklist (recommend tracks in bold)

1. 기다렸어? (Did You Wait?)
   Composed and arranged by G-High (MonoTree)
2. Air Force One
   Lyrics by Kim Lip, G-High, Jaden Jeong; composed by G-High, Janet Suhh; arranged by G-High
3. Je ne sais quoi
   Lyrics by Park Sohyun, Jaden Jeong, San Yoon, Maria Marcus, MLC; composed by BADD, San Yoon, Maria Marcus, MLC; arranged by BADD
4. Lucid
   Lyrics by Maverick, Haeil; composed by Gionata Caracciolo, Rasmus Thallug, Farida Bolseth Benounis, Maverick, Haeil; arranged by Gionata Caracciolo
5. Love Me Like
   Lyrics by Alice Vicious, 9june9; composed by Artronic Waves; arranged by Artronic Waves
6. My Secret Playlist
   Lyrics by G-High, Jaden Jeong; composed by G-High, Yelo (MonoTree), Liam J. Dowell; arranged by G-High

Album cover images from Bugs Music (1) (2) (3). Lyric translations by author ([email protected]).

Spotify links: Nowitzki, Without Anyone Knowing, Version Up

Related writing:

• Beenzino – Up All Night [review]
• Ravie Nuage – 겨울노래 (Winter Songs) [review]
• Ravie Nuage – 바람부는 날 (Windy Day) [2015 In Review selection]
• Ravie Nuage – 새벽녘 (Dawn) [2019 In Review selection]
• Loona/Jinsoul – Singing in the Rain [2017 In Review selection]
• Loona yyxy – Beauty & the Beat [review]
• Loona – [+ +] [review]
• Loona – [X X] [review]; [2019 In Review selection]
• 250 Greatest Idol Group Songs of All Time 2020 feature:
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  • Loona Odd Eye Circle – “Loonatic”, “Sweet Crazy Love”