[Album Review] SHINee - "Everybody" - The Fifth Mini Album

When I heard SHINee were releasing another album this year I was initially worried. Having released two full albums in Korea and one in Japan I was worried that SM might scrape the bottom on the barrel with this one or there would at least by some Korean remakes of Japanese albums tracks. How wrong was I. SHINee have created one of their most cohesive albums yet full of unexpected twists and turns click through to read my full review...

Everybody
The album opens with the title track and single - you can read my review of the single here. Not their best single ever but the performance is perfect and makes the song better. Definitely check out their performance on Inkigayo if you get a chance. 7/10

상사병 (Symptoms)
SHINee might be best known for their semi-experimental title tracks but what they do best is RnB. With production from The Underdogs and lyrics from Jonghyun himself this might be my favourite track on here and one of my SHINee tracks ever. Each member provides smooth vocals over piano and percussion. The way the drums punctuate the chorus - incredible. You can feel the emotion here. I true achievement for this band and it's lovely to hear this kind of stuff in k-pop. Near perfection. I wish this was a single, some visuals for this would have been awesome. 9.5/10

빗 속 뉴욕 (Queen Of New York)
Probably best described as old school with a modern twist. Love the vibe of this one. Nothing special here but SHINee do it well. 7/10

1분만 (One Minute Back)
Another favourite from the album. The production here is flawless. Minimal precussion on the verses and them synths that punch you in the face on the chorus to then suddenly going into whispering. The very short rap verse comes from no where for about a 2 seconds with a very interesting flow. Then a quiet bridge, then another chorus punch to the face. On first listen it may seem chaotic and messy but it's not. Each section has been perfectly thought out. This is the type of song you only see SHINee or maybe f(x) doing and I love it. 9/10

Destination
I can imagine this is a favourite amongst SHINee fans. Usual powerful harmony on the chorus, super catchy, good verses, good rap verse. Everything needed for a good album track. We've heard this type of song many times from SHINee but I'm not complaining 8/10

닫아줘 (Close The Door)
Ah, the dreaded obligatory k-pop ballad. Often filler, lacking creativity and all follow the same formula. This however, is not one of those. SHINee really do have some of the best voices amongst idols and this song shows that. A slightly old school sound again here with those synths. I was listening to this in whilst doing my grocery shopping and I had a bit of a eureka moment and I was jamming in the aisles - "wow this is really good" 8/10

Colorful
Happy synths dotted pop track - it screams "COLORFUL!"in your face and except it. "I think your'e magical, I think you're wonderful, because of you, my heart is colorful!". We also hear Key rapping again which is nice. Another fan favourite no doubt. In fact this might be song directed at the fans. 8/10

SHINee have really created something special here. The collection of songs has a direction, something that k-pop albums often lack, they swap from genre to genre with nothing to tie them together. "Everybody however has a theme and is executed with near perfect results in some places. Symptoms is seriously amazing and one of the best tracks to come out of k-pop in a while. SHINee should have DSBK as five level popularity but they don't. What has been created here is one of the best releases of 2013 so far. 

Make sure you listen to: The whole thing to be honest. 

Score: 9/10