Review Summary: a wild Korean girl group appears!
I still haven't kicked my addiction to Girls' Generation (I probably never will), and now I find myself enamoured with yet another South Korean girl group's album. It's unfair I tell you! While I could easily blame my K-pop addiction to my abnormal fetish, an attraction to Korean girls, that would discredit my musical taste. I have never been one to fall into musical traps, but K-pop is a trap that I've walked into willingly. Quite simply, the Koreans are better at producing pop music than Americans, and until the Western part of the world can adjust their pop music to a similarly acceptable level, I see no reason to listen to such drible. f(x)'s
Pinnochio, on the other hand, I will gladly lend my ears to.
One of the album's greatest aspects is its incredible diversity. f(x) have not nailed down their sound yet, but their spontaneousness makes for a fun, quirky album. For instance, their transition from a cool, sexy spy song, 'Dangerous', into a more moving direction with 'Beautiful Goodbye' should feel abrupt, but the songs are so good that bumpiness never becomes an issue. It's like being driven by a professional driver through town who changes cars every five minutes; it doesn't matter what vehicle f(x) use, because they drive each one with equal proficience. Also, be prepared for smooth twists like in 'Gangsta Boy' where the song seems ordinary until it transitions into a tropical beach through its delightfully Auto-Tuned chorus (I swear, any group that can make Auto-Tune enjoyable deserves a medal).
To be fair,
Pinnochio isn't perfect. There's the typical filler songs like 'Beautiful Goodbye' and 'So Into U' that are certainly good songs, but in contrast to their generally riotous songs, they seem ill-fitting. f(x) have not found their sound, but this is to be expected considering this is their debut album. They may need to work that out, but for now,
Pinnochio is an absurdly fun, cheery album with memorable choruses. This bodes well for f(x)'s future.
