So, I just headed over to the Tube of You to jump on the bandwagon and add my comment to an ever-growing pile of comments on 4minute's "Cold Rain," their comeback released a few hours ago (to which I was alerted by the lovely -snake-). What I ended up with is this long- comment which I figured I might as well save here for all eternity, and to look back upon my idiocy when I am killed in the ensuing fanwar. XD Anyway, what do you think of their comeback?
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Interesting, to have seen this video and the surrounding commentary since its release, and to see how fan comments and opinions have developed since then.
For me, this is a strong comeback on 4minute's part. I haven't been a fan before this, but probably will be after today. Unlike the flippancy and emphasis on ualization-for-the-sake-of-ualization which, unfortunately, colors some of their other works, this is a much more serious, more refreshing take on the overall concept for the group. Songwise, it's got a very lush soundscape - as others have pointed out, the instrumentals are absolutely gorgeous, with a surprisingly lovely mix between jazz piano and pop drumlines. I for one would have liked a little more development and perhaps emphasis on the instrumentals, although I didn't notice the same drastic instrumentals/vocals imbalance which others did.
The vocals are nice, not bad, pretty average fare for a ballad like this. I would have liked more musical development, more experimentation, here as well - the song never really goes outside its base chords, unlike, say, 2NE1's Missing You (to which some fans were also comparing this song). The "honja" lines in the chorus are nice touches and are beautifully delivered to boot; I like how they add a touch of ethereality to the more solid rest of the song.
The rapping was okay. Not great, just okay. On my first listen-through, I thought it ruined the song. On subsequent listens, I realized that the song can actually survive Hyuna's rap, although it would have been better not to break up her rap with singing in between (whisper-singing, as some fans suggested, would have helped as well). The later rapping section was not so problematic, as it felt it fit in better at the end of the song, and added spice more than jarring the flow of the song.
Overall, this is a nice, lovely, well-delivered concept, and a refreshing break from 4minute's usual garish frivolity. Like some fans have pointed out, I don't think it's really similar to Missing You, but it does have some of the same tone, and it does serve its group the same way in that it is a clear break from their usual style, as well as a welcome one, and will most likely bring in new fans - myself included. After all, what k-pop fan could go wrong with a good old-fashioned ballad from a well-established group? While it may not be groundbreaking in the general scheme of things, it is a reasonably solid, very enjoyable addition to 4minute's already formidable roundup, and it will serve them well. Perhaps it even heralds an excursion in a new direction for the group's concept, a somewhat long-term change from their tried-and-true, yet ultimately disappointing, part-y-part-bizarre moneymaking concept of olden days (see: Bubble Pop, Red, Whatcha Doin' Today?).
In any case, I now know what my next - first - download from 4minute is going to be. Kudos on an excellent job, ladies (and supporting gentlemen).
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There you have it. u.u /runs off to eat corn and watch fanwars/
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