[#28] DBSK/Tohoshinki - "ANDROID"

From: "ANDROID"
Format: Single
Released: July
Territory: Japan
Previous Best of Appearances: #1 - "Back to Tomorrow" (2011) / #3 - "Before U Go" (2011)

Writing about DBSK has always been a challenge for me, because if the ideas don't just all flow out like they usually do, I'm stuck try desperately to find new ways to explain why I think their talent and their mastery of the material they deliver makes them an outstanding ground. At the end of the day, what really matters to DBSK is the fact that regardless of their material, they always manage to carry it outstandingly.

"ANDROID" is no different. I genuinely like the song to start with (even if I know other people don't), and their delivery just makes it even better.

I like how the song as a whole could've sounded so gritty and rough because of the nature of the melody, and how the contrast between that and the synth-laden instrumental could have been -- but the song turned out neither. The vocals are as smooth as smooth can get, half because of their treatment, and half because of the nature of Yunho and Changmin's voices, and instead of fighting the rest of the song, there's a balance to all the elements.

It's not a gritty song, but it's a very sharp one. Changmin's vocals and the melody at the chorus give it this sharpness that's strong enough to resist being buffered by the very rich, antiseptic nature of Japanese production.