Girls Generation - Lion Heart (Album Review)

NOTES: While I do still deeply miss Jessica, I'm glad to see that SNSD's music is still fabulous without her. Additionally, this is one promotional cycle in which Tiffany is absolutely SLAYING. She's honestly never been a bias of mine, but she's been popping up on my radar all over the place in this cycle. I love it when promotional cycles end up showcasing members in a way that makes me love the ones I used to be ambivalent about. SM had me worried with Catch Me If You Can (the choreo was fun and I love hearing EDM in pop tracks, but it just wasn't up to SNSD snuff); and even Party wasn't quite up to the standard I was holding out for. Fortunately, the pre-release didn't set the standard for the album as a whole and honestly, this is quite solidly one of my very favorite SNSD full-album releases ever.

TOP TRACK: 
                     Green Light

FINAL SCORE: 9/10

Promotional Tracks:

Lion Heart - The first time I listened to it was with the video release, and honestly, I wasn't sure what to make of it. Once I warmed up to the retro feel, I found it quite enjoyable. The lighthearted bubbliness of the rhythmic decorations has an undercurrent of energy that makes the dreamy harmonies and the smoothe melody feel bright and engaging. I found the 3-act aspect of the MV interesting, but odd in that the same song was used over and over, even though the tones of each chapter was very different and there are suitable songs to use included in the album. I think SM missed an opportunity there to get viewers hooked on the album's other tracks. I have to say, the Lion Heart Choreo is adorable and I would LOVE and official dance version. I Give it a 7/10: Me Gusta.


You Think - This one I had a knee-jerk reaction towards delight. It throws back to the Boys in just the right ways to make me squeal, but differs substantially enough to make You Think it's own fantastic experience. The glitz and glamour of the glamour shots in contrast to the streetwise slickness of the tunnel shots is GORGEOUS. In the same vein as Lion Heart, the dreaminess of the verses and the chorus is weighted by the energetic rhythmic elements playing just under the vocal tracks, the difference being that in Lion Heart the percussion adds a bubbliness and in You Think it brings a sassy insistence and a snarky push towards drama. SooYoung's rap breaks the smoothe lay of the melody up in a way I find a bit jarring, but that's a rather small complaint and it's the only one I have worth mentioning. HyoYeon's rap follows it up well and allows for the bridge to slide neatly into place behind it. Over all it's an aggressive and energetic track that's dripping with sophisticated sass. I Give it a 9/10: Blissful!

Other Tracks:

Party - As a pre-release track, it was okay. It felt a bit lackluster to me when it first came out, but over all it's a bubbly bright summertime celebration that has a great slide of casual energy that makes it delightfully appealing for just about any summer setting. It's beautifully spatialized and the harmonies move the melody sweetly along over the relaxed but still engaging bass and percussion lines.
One Afternoon - The first of the slower, softer songs, One Afternoon has a low key energy and a warm, jazzy softness that lets it slide over the ears in a way that's pleasantly casual. There's nothing in it that demands attention or makes your heart pound, but it's a sweet breath of easy listening that serves as a moment of calm on an energetic album.
Show Girls - This track tricks you into thinking it's going to be another clam track to follow One Afternoon, with sweet brassy tones that play well with the warm tones of the vocals. Then it drops into a high energy bustle with sassy swing of the unexpected with a refreshingly unique charm, before sliding back into the brassy cabaret vibe. It flips back and forth with a carefully timed playfulness that gives the track a delightful whirlwind feel and keeps it from feels scattered or cluttered. I didn't like it as much in the Japanese, but in Korean it's good.
Fire Alarm - Another of the softer tracks, but this one has no shortage of sass or aggression despite it's dreaminess and the halo of warmth in the harmonies adds to the undercurrent of energy by pulling the vocal line away from the thrum of the bassline, adding a stretch of tension that contributes significantly to the punch of the coolly engaging vibe.
Talk Talk - Taking off from the softness of Fire Alarm this track slows things down further, but it amps up the tension and creates a demanding aching in the swing of the melody. The way the sound of the rain falling and the sound of the object of the singer's affection are compared is very sweet, being that both are rhythmically powerful, deep, and comforting. It's a sentiment that rings through the track with the slow and smoothe evolution of the rhythmic elements. The sharp and clean movements of the vocal lines add tension in smoothe waves that belies how narrow the vocal range is. Keeping things confined, keeping the sound of the piano acting as bassline right within the vocal range with the deeper bass being kept to undertones and synth-y echoes, and keeping the high whine of the synth below the highest notes of the vocals, makes things feels deliciously calm and close; like the wrap of a blanket around your shoulders in a thunderstorm. Of the slower songs, Talk Talk is easily my favorite.
Green Light - We move from my favorite slow song on the album to my favorite over all song on it. I suppose I have a weakness for SNSD and the words 'beep beep' because the last song they focused on those words remains to this day my absolutely favorite SNSD Japanese release. Green Light is a bouncy press of melodic excellence. The energy and tension is ramped up by the redoubling of the lyrics, each set of two acts as echos that get closer and closer together; and the sets come in a series with each couplet having more syllables than the last, and then sets of two become sets of three, all of which adds energy while keeping the line on a single note (it's due to the fact that there's no tonal change that the rhythmic change is felt so acutely). And then the note following the rapid syllabic redoubling is a swing up to an octave above the chorus, which makes it feel reaching and tense while keeping it smoothe and sweet.
Paradise - In a synthy slowdown, Paradise moves with a relaxed hum of energy that nicely compliments the album's songs in higher gear. Like Fire Alarm it's a smoothe and undemanding track that stands as something easy to listen to but otherwise a bit unremarkable. It's a great low key track and the bridge is absolutely lovely, giving the track a burst of energy it came close to lacking.
Check - Released with Party this track had me worried that the whole alum would be a lower key, more relaxed sort of release. With the context of the high gear tracks around it to settle my concerns, Check is a chill track worthy of attention. It's cool and collected, moving at an unhurried pace that feels quite alluring as it rides the funky beat below.
Sign - This track keeps the funk of Check in play as it amps up the energy and pulls in the synth-riddled vocal harmonies from the rest of the album to add depth to the spatialization. It's an interesting track that's well worth listening to, but it rests on the edge of experimental in a way that doesn't actually push any bounds, but doesn't feel wholly normalized either. I think it's a track that gives a cool aesthetic to the album, but I would guess that it might feel more at home on an f(x) album than an SNSD release.
Bump It - This one is set to finish off the album and it successfully makes sure that Lion Heart wraps up strong. It's another one that seems like it's going to be a slow set, but it pulls in the energy and ties all the aesthetic points of the album together with huge harmonic swells and funky rhythms in both the vocals and the percussive decorations. On it's own it's a solid track, energetic and sassy, but lower key than it could be and cool with a clean brightness. As the final wrap up of this particular album, it's absolutely fantastic. Every single stylistic throw or experiment touched on in the entire album makes an appearance here in a succinct and delightfully connected reprise of the release. It's delightful.

I Give them a 9/10: Blissful!