April 11, 2014

[Bonus] Best Of Girls' Generation

According to my Tumblr dashboard, this will be the 100th post on this blog! Yeah, I know a few were announcement / filler posts but nonetheless, in celebration, I’m going to talk about my favourite songs of Soshi. The reigning queens of Kpop have been successful with “Mr. Mr.”, and are on the verge of revealing every member is in a relationship at this rate.
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10. Gee (Gee)
- The most popular song only lands in at #10, but only because the extremely aegyo-infused song isn’t and wasn’t my style. I didn’t really like this song way back when, and although it’s obviously grown on me, I’d much rather listen to the other Soshi songs over this. Still, out of legacy and impact, Gee stands here.
9. Romantic St. (4집 I Got A Boy)
- Soshi excels at ballads, and Romantic St. takes the “sweetness” element into a new level, with the voices of Taeyeon and Seohyun leading the way. Even then, Yoona and Sunny’s voices blend quite well, too. The bridge is excellent, and overall the airy light tunes are splendid.
8. How Great Is Your Love (3집 The Boys)
- More ballads! How Great Is Your Love is heavier than Romantic St., but the song flows much better and it’s just as lively and sweet. Despite the chorus slightly dragging out, Sunny and Hyoyeon in particular sound their best here.
7. Talk Talk (4집 I Got A Boy)
- This song really “boomerang’d” around huh. After having been discovered however long ago before the “official” release in 2014, this was a ridiculously electronic and catchy song with a sassy tune and a sassy message. I wish this song had been the leading track on their 4th album, since I believe the powerful choreography of I Got A Boy could’ve easily translated over well.
6. Mistake (Hoot)
- Mistake is the last ballad on this list. While there are plenty of excellent Soshi ballads, I can’t really find many that match the level of Mistake. For its pace, there’s a lot to like. The chorus is simple yet the layering of voices gives depth, and the bridge is the sure highlight. There is really good harmony, as the lead and support vocalists balance and synergize well.
5. Girls’ Generation (1집 Girls’ Generation)
- By this time now, a relic in their discography, but an early release that solidifies itself because it’s a very simple, very good song. Vocals are clean, energy is high, and overall Girls’ Generation (the song) presents well. It’s quite moving to see how this group have aged and how their music has evolved, per se.
4. Twinkle (Twinkle)
- While not officially a Soshi song, it’s a song from the first iteration of the subunit so I’ll be accepting. Twinkle is a playful blend of Gee and Genie, providing the light and airy vocals reminiscent of Gee, and the chilling power notes of the main singers. The rest of the songs on the subunit album were really good, but this title track paved the way.
3. Run Devil Run (Oh! Repackaged)
Yeah, I know this song is a cover. However, Run Devil Run was essentially the transition or test song for the group into a more mature theme, similar to what happened with Girl’s Day in early 2013. And if you didn’t know better, a pre-Run Devil Run Girls’ Generation might not have existed in your mind if this was the first video you saw. To note, the use of clashing the RDR Soshi with Oh! Soshi was cute.
2. Trick (3집 The Boys)
- I tend to think of Trick is the perfected version of Talk Talk. The heavy electronic and synth sound along with the sassy support vocals spearheaded by the lead vocalists. All of which is backed by a killer instrumental. Similar to how Talk Talk should’ve led the 4th album, Trick should’ve led the 3rd album. Also of note, is that the English in this song might actually be the best in any Soshi song ever.
1. Genie (Tell Me Your Wish)
- Everything that’s good about Soshi is at a prime in Genie. The lightness of songs like Girls’ Generation and ballads are amplified in the verses, support vocals are enough to pass off, and Taeyeon’s work at the end is nothing short of spectacular. This was from a while ago, so the vocals of Yoona, Yuri, had to work to do but the bulk carries by Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Sunny cover for the former few.
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“Honorable Mentions”
Baby Step (Twinkle)
Chocolate Love (Chocolate Love)
Top Secret (3 The Boys)
Way To Go! (Gee)
Hoot (Hoot)
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I have some other reviews already near completion, but since Soshi is one of the “founding groups” for me, I wanted to honor them with post #100.

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