[轉貼]Billboard樂評:首張正規專輯 Teen Top追求新的高度 @ Princess × Love = 甜蜜糖

TEEN TOP Aim for New Heights With First Full-Length Album

首張正規專輯，Teen Top追求新的高度

Despite debuting in 2010, it wasn’t until 2012 that TEEN TOP hit their stride as a major K-pop force. The six-member boy band struck gold with a trio of Top 10 singles last year—“Going Crazy,” “To You” and “Be Ma Girl." Each crafted by super-producer Brave Brother and sectioned them as high-energy, club-ready, party boys. The formula worked and TEEN TOP finally found success atop the charts and on music programs.

雖然2010年出道，Teen Top直到2012年才作為K-pop的中堅力量充分發揮他們的力量。這個六人男子組合憑藉著去年三首op 10單曲三重奏才贏來了好運－"要瘋了(Crazy)"、"To You"和"和我交往好嗎(Be Ma Girl"。每一張都是由頂級製作人勇敢兄弟製作，並將之打造為活力四射、擅長派對、喜歡熱鬧的男孩子。這樣的策略非常奏效，而Teen Top終於在排行榜和音樂節目上獲得了成功。

For 2013, the group opted for change. Buzz single “I Wanna Love” explored new ground with its sound, lyrics and video. TEEN TOP eased us into a sonic shift with a tune that was still for the clubs, but incorporated unique elements to stand out from any run of the mill bangers. With musical breaks in the verses and an emphasis on harmonies, the slightly melancholic, yet still danceable, track sent promising vibes. Even the lyrics of the song suggested TEEN TOP was ready for a change with the repetitive chorus line, “It’s time to move on, here we go TEEN TOP.” The group changed things up for the music video too, opting to film outdoors with no choreography rather than their usual set designs with intense choreography.

2013年，這支組合選擇了改變。先行單曲"想愛(I wanna love)"在音調、歌詞和MV中都開闢了新領域。Teen Top小心的嘗試了聲音的變化，雖然音調仍然屬於派對式的，但是其中加入了獨特的元素使其與其他一般舞曲區分開來。由於在歌詞上音樂性的突破以及對合聲的強調，即使依然是偏向舞曲風格，但是這支帶有淡淡憂傷的樂曲營造出了期待中的氣氛。連這首歌的歌詞中不斷重複著的合唱“It’s time to move on, here we go TEEN TOP.”都體現出Teen Top即將的改變。他們在MV中也得到了提升，選擇了沒有任何編舞的外景拍攝而放棄了他們以往慣常的激烈編舞。

Fans embraced the the simmered energy with the pre-release single debuting at No. 18 on the K-Pop Hot 100 indicating big things for the lead single.

粉絲已經在先行發行的單曲中感受到了即將爆發的力量，這支曲子在K-Pop Hot 100中排行18位，這對先行單曲來說意味非凡。

For their official single “Miss Right,” TEEN TOP plays things safer while still showing evolution. On yet another Brave Brothers production, the song is a high-energy dance track but incorporates funky disco elements, a walking piano line and a fun earworm of a hook. Not a complete departure to set TEEN TOP apart from the many male groups promoting at this time, but also not at all a complete miss. The music video once again sees the boys back to dancing on a music video set, but this time with a jailbait theme. The video’s highlight is a sight too often missed in K-pop where the boys look to be having genuine fun—especially towards the end’s pillow fight.

而至於他們的官方單曲"長直髮的她(Miss Right)"，Teen Top雖然仍展示出一些變革但表現得更加保守。作為又一個勇敢兄弟的作品，這是首非常具有激烈的舞曲但又結合了時髦的迪斯科因素－第音行進的鋼琴曲段和有趣的對音尾的音樂幻聽。它使Teen Top完全和許多現下正當紅的男子組合區別開，而且這絕對不會是一個錯誤。在MV裡，我們又看見這些男孩回歸於MV形式的舞蹈，但這一次其中又蘊含著犯罪主題。這支MV的亮點是這些男孩看起來證真正的在享受，特別是在最後的枕頭大戰裡，而這正是K-Pop通常忽視的。

The video has “only” amassed 373,000 views at press time, after three days of release, which is surprising given their popularity. Yet, it should be noted TEEN TOP’s “Miss Right” was not carried by a major distributor like LOEN Entertainment making it harder for fans to find an official version.

這個MV在本篇文章發稿時，也就是發行後三天裡，"只"擁有了373,000個點擊率，這對於他們的知名度來說有點難以置信。然而，必須要提及的是，Teen Top的"長直髮的她(Miss Right)"不是由諸如LOEN娛樂公司來作為主發行商，這此粉絲們更加難於找到一個官方版本。

With "No. 1," TEEN TOP's first full-length album, the rising boy band create mostly enjoyable tracks that should satisfy all types of K-pop fans. Those who are nostalgic for the straight-up club sounds of their past hits should check out “So Sweet.” The anthem-sized dance-pop track puts a spotlight on the boys' falsettos in the hook and is reminiscent to Avicii’s global smash, “Levels.” It would not be surprising to hear that the group considered choosing it as their comeback track in place of “Miss Right.” While it may have been a hit, it may have been a bit too similar to their past hits and risk TEEN TOP cornering themselves as one-trick ponies. “No. 1” and its singles wisely show there is more to be seen with TEEN TOP and we may be just on the cusp of some K-pop brilliance.

在Teen Top的首張正規專輯No.1裡，這些成長中的男孩組合獻上的主要都是很有意思的歌曲，相信會令所有類型的K-Pop粉絲都感到滿意。對於那些想念過去Teen Top直白的迪廳音樂的人來說，他們應該去聽聽"甜甜的(So Sweet)"。這首聖歌般的舞蹈pop曲著重於他們在音尾的假聲，能讓人想起Avicii的全球熱門曲目"Levels"。所以他們曾考慮拿他而不是"長直髮的她(Miss Right)"來作為自己的回歸曲的話也沒甚麼好奇怪的。雖然他可能會紅，但是又有些和他們以往的熱門歌曲太像了，這有可能會使Teen Top局現在一條道裡。"No.1"和他的單曲很好得讓我們覺得Teen Top還有更多的東西值得期待，而我們或許正處於一個K-Pop巨星的轉折點上。