Part Two: Still Interesting, Still Not Impressive...
Automatic's base problems continue in Ice Cream Cake. This one has the additional problem of being achingly similar to B1A4's Solo Day... I wouldn't consider it truly plagiarized, but the aesthetic is just too similar to discount. They're not achieving the same effect, but with Solo Day only being a few seasons old... it just seems like another of SM's shortcuts. Which isn't criminal exactly, but is certainly not admirable.
On it's own, Ice Cream Cake is quite lovely. I like the tie to the red velvet cake that comes up at the sound of the band's name, and the song itself is fairly good. There's a delightfully eerie cutesy-ness to it that I deeply enjoy. It's a nicely rounded song that moves fairly well and it's quite catchy. I like it much better than I do the Red Velvet tracks I've heard. The music-box element is especially delightful. I like the styling and the choreography, insofar as I can like anything generic. It has a cool twist of imagery though, juxtaposing the sweet charm of the visual against the track's eerie cant. The overt sexiness laced within the 'cute' imagery gives the visuals the same eerie feel as the track has. I enjoy that, though I'm not sure it's really what SM was going for. The only social comment I can pull out of it is that it's creepy as hell to sexualize little girls, and equally creepy to infantilize grown women, both of which are things that SM has never seemed to have any sort of problem with... So I'm at a loss.
In short, the MV is full of recycled material and packed full of a vague, artsy ambiance that seems to be more akin to what SM has attempted to promote f(x) with (which is yet another slight against Red Velvet's sunbaes that SM is forcing them to commit). The ending is abrupt, and jarringly dissonant in a way that lacks a satisfying cadence. It's a catchy track with strong choreo, so I count it as a solid release.
On it's own, Ice Cream Cake is quite lovely. I like the tie to the red velvet cake that comes up at the sound of the band's name, and the song itself is fairly good. There's a delightfully eerie cutesy-ness to it that I deeply enjoy. It's a nicely rounded song that moves fairly well and it's quite catchy. I like it much better than I do the Red Velvet tracks I've heard. The music-box element is especially delightful. I like the styling and the choreography, insofar as I can like anything generic. It has a cool twist of imagery though, juxtaposing the sweet charm of the visual against the track's eerie cant. The overt sexiness laced within the 'cute' imagery gives the visuals the same eerie feel as the track has. I enjoy that, though I'm not sure it's really what SM was going for. The only social comment I can pull out of it is that it's creepy as hell to sexualize little girls, and equally creepy to infantilize grown women, both of which are things that SM has never seemed to have any sort of problem with... So I'm at a loss.
In short, the MV is full of recycled material and packed full of a vague, artsy ambiance that seems to be more akin to what SM has attempted to promote f(x) with (which is yet another slight against Red Velvet's sunbaes that SM is forcing them to commit). The ending is abrupt, and jarringly dissonant in a way that lacks a satisfying cadence. It's a catchy track with strong choreo, so I count it as a solid release.
I Give it a 6/10: Good Job. |  |
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