#6: DBSK/Tohoshinki - BREAK OUT!

BREAK OUT! really marked the beginning of the end for DBSK as five, at least for the next few years. They could've very well given us a ballad parade (which I wouldn't really have a problem with as long as they're gorgeous), but they didn't, and I'm glad this song actually got the chance to be released, because it's brilliant.


I still have a hard time writing about songs by my current favorite boyband, so even if I'm head-over-heels for this song, I apologize if the review gets a little.. whacked out? Anyway.

This is a lesson to all new idol groups that you don't really need to autotune the hell out of songs. A bit is fine, like what they did on the song, because it gives the sound another dimension, but autotune, like anything, should be in moderation, especially around already-gorgeous vocals.

BREAK OUT! was a growth from their The Secret Code-era sound - you could hear traces of Survivor, but they ventured into the realm of autotune for one of the few times. The instrumental was all dark and serious, the arrangement strongly complementing it, the melody floating, and the vocals well-executed.

Even if the song's gorgeous, my biggest regret is that we never got to see them perform this live. I mean it's a fantastic song and a more than worthy recording of it, but knowing that DBSK earned the privilege of performing with a live band on tour in 2008, I can't help but imagine how this would sound like with a live band, and all five of them singing. Let's just say that it's my life's mission to hear all my favorite songs sung with a live band. It's different, and I've talked about why it is.