Vocals: 8 / 10
Only 15 seconds in, and Changmin is powering through some kickass belts already? I am going to like this song. Or so I thought, until I remembered the teaser was all sorts of high energy dubstep and so was tentatively waiting for the dubstep to kick in. And so the dubstep enters and I’m like “Okay, I could still dig this.” but then shortly after it returned to the original ballad theme. Couple minutes later and we get a rap to dance bridge akin to the dubstep and back to the chorus and one final hurrah with the wubwubwubs. The way the song presented itself was very confusing to me, and it would have been so much more appealing if the entirety of it was either dubstep or ballad, not some bizarre mixture of both. But there are major saving graces here. Yunho’s voice is actually a perfect compliment to this specific ballad style / tempo, which is great since I never found his voice that strong. Not much really needs to be said about Changmin, he holds a permanent slot on the top 10 male vocalists in all of Korea, hitting those high notes like it’s a walk in the park.
Appearance: 8 / 10
Not many male singers can pull off having lots of hair, and Yunho is no exception. Bring back the shorter hair, man! On another thought, maybe it’s not necessarily the length of the hair as it is the style, maybe I just don’t like it. Also, both members have one set where their hair kinda just drops down on their faces like mops which makes them look pretty silly. Changmin being a hero and saving the day though, looking good in the blonde. Somewhere along the lines of “incapable of looking bad”, someone scribbled “Max / Changmin” into the crevices. The backup dancers also don’t look quite as creepy as they did the last time around in “Keep Your Head Down”. Cut your hair, Yunho, and you’ll have a perfect score for your next comeback. Or something.
Dance: 7 / 10
To be honest, this dance really isn’t even that appealing. While it is great to see TVXQ depart to more of the duo style choreographies (not simply a mirrored or back and forth version of each other), It’s more or less a collection of straightforward movements / sequences with some powerful moves that are overexaggerated by flashy camera effects and lighting. The seemingly unnatural high amounts of repetition also did little to help this score. The choreography of the chorus is really good, but everything else after that is “ehh, it’s alright”. Additionally, the dance bridge was rather underwhelming compared to the rest of the song. The inconsistency of the song also affects the choreography, leaving slow fluid movements for the verses and chorus but powerful moves for the dubstep and bridge parts. They play together like a whole unit with their backup dancers, though, leaving no one behind. All in all it’s a good dance, and I’m sure I would’ve been more impressed had there not been any of the flashing lights / splashing water / slow motion camera pans.
Rap: 7 / 10
I am willing to give this rap said score for Changmin’s brilliant vocals and fierce expression. The bridge isn’t half bad with Yunho’s even paced raps that almost make me forget how bad he was in “Keep Your Head Down”. The “push and pull” between Yunho’s low rap and Changmin’s high power notes sound strong together. Furthermore, Yunho’s voice matches well with the song and dubstep portions, something I mentioned earlier. It’s a little repetitive but nothing too far on the negative aspect.
Music Video: 4 / 10
Not only are TVXQ still stuck inside interestingly designed rooms, but this time they only got one other new room to play with. I counted one other set that was significantly different than the others, of which were just the same room with some minor changes and different lighting. TVXQ’s rooms / sets for their solo shots don’t even count. The earlier ones are merely extensions of the main dark room and the later one is literally the same for both members. At least in “Keep Your Head Down”, they had unique ones and the MV for “Before U Go” was actually interesting. The one save I like is that the outfits are identical for Yunho, Changmin, and the backup dancers, making both members seem more incorporated with the dancers and vice versa. In “Keep Your Head Down”, it was a little awkward seeing Yunho and Changmin rotate with outfits that stood out from the others. Yunho and Changmin have some good charisma throughout the video though, just for some minor saves.
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Overall: 68 / 100
Man, I remember “Before U Go” and thought “Wow SM can actually make a good video!” Those days are long over, and it’s back to same formula. I am convinced SM loves their slow motion centralized camera pan just as much as YG loves spitting “EH” in 2NE1 songs and JYP loves…well himself LOL. Good song, but I know everyone is just waiting for the live performances, myself included.
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