After School "Flashback" (2012)

10/06/20 • 6 min

An Album a Day is my exploration into the Korean music scene. This podcast will cover mainstream, indie and some underground artists within the scene and provide both factual and opinionated commentary. The biggest benefit to sharing my thoughts this way is that it will hopefully expose you to more great music and exploration of your own.

One random day in 2012, likely in November when I was consuming more Korean entertainment than any point in my life, I clicked on a thumbnail of a girl group in black fringed attire. The video began with a door sliding open to reveal eight confident women. Moments later, they were stomping in heels across an empty space and I was hollering with excitement. “You better walk, ladies!” could be heard over the house as I had my formal introduction to After School. The song was “Flashback” and today, we’re getting into the single album, right after the drop.

You’re tuned into An Album a Day. Show start.

Hey y’all, I can admit that I did not become a big fan of After School despite my enthusiasm, but they genuinely walked into my area of awareness with the boldness of “Flashback.” The June 20, 2012 single album was sexy, bold, and could not have been released at a better time. For one, the sound was futuristic pop, which was heavy on the scene in 2012. Futuristic elements rest on synths, machinery-inspired sounds, and other experimental accents. Robot voices, gears grinding, all that good stuff? You can throw that in with futuristic pop, too. Second, the album is organized well. Five tracks -- the Korean version of “Rip Off,” title track “Flashback,” Nana’s solo “Eyeline,” group ballad “Wristwatch,” and Jungah and Raina’s duet “Timeless” -- are placed in an order that makes the 17-minutes-or-so mini album experience extremely cohesive.

The group is still reserved about showing different colors vocally. However, as I said in Season 4 Episode 12 (EDIT: Episode 11), “‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ is the standing motif for this group.” While I enjoy great vocals on display, including interesting harmonies and other arrangements, After School stays committed to the power of one voice, per se. If the song calls for chanting, we’re chanting. If the song calls for a soloist here, we’ll put a soloist here. Whatever the music calls for, they accommodate in a “one band, one sound” vocal Drumline.

Random side note but I can’t get my mind off of it. Some time ago, who even knows which episode or live stream it was, I said that the human voice is a string instrument. The voice can be acknowledged as an instrument for what it can produce but it isn’t one in the technical sense -- you can’t go about moving a voice around or have someone else take and play your unique voice-- and it isn’t stringed. It burns me to admit it! It would have to fall within aerophone or wind instruments. I’m vexed! We have to use air to create sounds with the voice and this has so little to do with this group and mini album but I just couldn’t go on living a lie. The nerd in me couldn’t have you believe something so wrong for so long!

Okay, back to the album. Its intro, “Rip Off,” is unexpected and sounds nothing like what they’ve produced on any album before this. Although a bit redundant with its key sound effect, there is a magic moment towards its end where the music opens up and puts the group’s vocals in a shining spotlight. It’s not an overtly dynamic song but it’s refreshing. “Flashback” is dancy and works in a nightclub or aerobics class all the same. The other tracks are within the same vein as past albums, not lackluster but not heavily engaging. I do favor the track “Timeless” as a decent up-tempo closing track, but again, there is not much to differentiate it from the formula of After School’s past works.

For this album most of the music production came from a foreign team. I dug around for information on producers Pitchline and TEXU who created songs for this album, but had a hard time. And with me broadcasting from the United States instead of South Korea right now, I kept pulling up things associated with the state of Texas. I want to share information about the works of production teams more often as it is a part of the success of a K-pop group, but there’s still some aspects of the Korean entertainment industry that prefer to keep individual success private. I get it -- the whole creates the impact -- but there’d be no music to sing without the production teams.

Let’s rank this, yes? K-pop fans on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being essential listening and 1 not worth mentioning, the A3Day rating on this is a 5. They continue to deliver on this high ranking despite not blowing my socks off, but the mini album “Flashback” has come closest to doing so. The #A3Day Highlights Playlist on Spotify is updated and features a few tracks from this album, and things are almost ready over on Apple and Google. As soon as all available pla...

You’re tuned into An Album a Day. Show start.

Previous Episode

After School "Virgin" (2011)

Several days have passed and we’re back with the show. In a world where fast and consistent content rules the land, and attention spans are shorter than ever, I thank you for being a positive audience and your willingness to wait for me. Now, on this National Teacher’s Day, allow me to turn your attention back to where we left off, class. After School’s discography continues, right after the drop.

You’re tuned into An Album a Day. Show start.

Hey y’all, we have reached the debut studio album, “Virgin,” a whopping 13 track experience on both Pledis Entertainment and LOEN Entertainment labels. LOEN is now Kakao M and likely assumed co-publishing responsibilities for this album because of a long-standing positive reputation. While Pledis was relatively new on the scene with a year 2007 founding, LOEN was established in 1978. Interestingly enough, Pledis is almost like the new kid on the block again, as it was acquired by Big Hit Entertainment in May 2020.

Back to the album. The studio album is less than an hour long but delivers a solid experience. Approaching this April 29, 2011 release date began in 2009, thus setting the scene for anticipation. The group’s ninth member, E-Young, was introduced during this era and there were other big moments for After School, such as their leader’s debut solo project and the first full-length album from subunit Orange Caramel. The group was riding a buzz wave and audiences wanted to hear what was next.

Nine new tracks were released, including two as solos for members Raina and Jungah; and three songs were re-recordings. Their third single, “Shampoo,” was added as a radio edit, too. In terms of singles from the album, technically November 2009’s “Because of You” is first and March 2010’s “Bang!” is second. The songs were added to the studio album to create a solid thread, as if to say, “Hey, we know what vibe we want to give you and we’ve been consistent about it for years.” Okay, maybe not to say that specifically but it was clever planning on the production side. By grabbing older tracks and incorporating them into After School’s first studio album, it shows that the direction for their sound, the colors they were intended to create, was solid from the get-go. There wasn’t any experimentation prior that would tarnish the potential of the album “Virgin,” is what I’m saying.

Nonetheless, I didn’t wholeheartedly enjoy it. The music production during this time in pop music was hollow. A lot of music sounded like Norway-founded, Los Angeles-based music production duo Stargate (if you need a point of reference, think Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” or much of Rihanna’s “Good Girl Gone Bad” studio album). They were sought after and produced simple songs that put guitars in the spotlight but not a bass. This production style caters to crafting for lyrics and not for musicality. As a music producer who’s focused on instrumentals, I don’t prioritize space for lyrics, but for the various instruments to do the talking. I acknowledge my bias in this review but I also admit boredom with hearing limitations in vocal arrangements as well for After School. They did not attempt anything too drastic. Suffice it to say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” is the standing motif for this group.

That aside, K-pop fans on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being essential listening and 1 not worth mentioning, the A3Day rating on this is a 5. The energy of the album is consistent and though there is a perceived tendency to end on a mellow track, the closing track brings the continuity full-circle. Some versions will have the radio edit of “Shampoo” as the close while others will experience a selection of instrumentals from the album. Whether in hard copy or digital form, the choices work. I don’t have to be a big fan of the album to acknowledge this fact. Maybe you’ll feel the same way? Give it a listen and then let me know. The #A3Day Highlights Playlist on Spotify is finally updated and features a few tracks from this album! I’ll catch you in the next episode, bye y’all.

There’s sponsored ads and social media hashtags but this show is truly supported by the efforts of my MACGoalas, the most amazing fan base a lil’ entertainer could ever have.

Special shout out to my Patreon patrons -- the Student Body, the Scholars, and the Staff -- who keep my vision of becoming your favorite foreign Korean music historian, exploring all the industry from A to Z a real thing. If you’re interested in supporting the growth of this content, please visit patreon.com/multifacetedacg and for as little as $1.00 a month, you ca...

Next Episode

After School "First Kiss" (2013)

The sixth maxi single, “First Love” was announced almost a year before it was actually released. Though the reasons remain unknown for the delays, I’m willing to guess that the intensive preparation for one of the most physically demanding comebacks yet had something to do with it. Little did they know it then, but this was the beginning of the end. More insight, right after the drop.

You’re tuned into An Album a Day. Show start.

Hey y’all, following today’s episode, we will have final thoughts on After School’s Korean discography. But before we get into my 100% unscripted rambling, I must acknowledge that this album, “First Love,” was the last Korean album before an indefinite hiatus clutched the After School name. “첫사랑” (romanized as Cheotsarang) was released June 13, 2013 and South Korean audiences never heard from the as a group again. Take note of how I said that it was the last Korean album -- they still had a receptive audience in Japan until 2015, but the hiatus reached all angles of After School and sat them down. It’s a bit ironic, as the title track from this album did indeed sit some band members down, literally.

But first, the music. Clocking in at 20 minutes, the album delivers dance tracks and R&B flavor in the style we’ve come to anticipate from After School. Brave Brothers, who we haven’t heard from on their album in a while, hold down the first and second track, “8 Hot Girl” and “First Love” respectively. The first track lets the listener know that the ladies are back after a long wait and bringing something sexy to the scene, then properly falls into the title track. Brave Brothers took complete reign on the title track, actually, what with writing the lyrics and producing the music. He said he’s collecting nothing but wins and I don’t blame him. (Yes, for those unfamiliar, Brave Brothers is one man by the name of Kang Dong Chul and his sound is more familiar to you than you know. We’ll talk about him in depth someday.) Oh yes, “8 Hot Girl” can be chalked up to a Konglish language moment since it’s missing an -s, but this could also be semi-intentional. Remember, I’ve said that After School is “one band, one sound.” Who knows?

Production-wise, the album has a darker tone, especially stand-out track “Dressing Room.” The production team for this, the third track of the album, jumps to-and-fro from Europop and futuristic influences, settling somewhere between rock and R&B. It’s the best sounding song on the album because of its unexpected presence. It’s also the most memorable song with ad libs and attempts at vocal riffs. Track four, “Time’s Up,” has a faster tempo and incorporates live and MIDI stringed instruments, and features more singing in higher registers for the chorus. The rap breakdown has a refrain that’s not bad either. At this point in the album, they’ve delivered two ballads but this one doesn’t feel like their usual formula. Fifth track “Love Beat” brings us back to the pep rally/aerobics class/nightclub pulse that’s fun but missing something. The song constantly feels like you’re waiting for a musical drop -- an extra accent on the 808? An increase in percussion? Something’s missing, seriously! A handclap, something?! Songs that hold you at a standstill are so unkind, as your awareness of how music should work is challenged each minute the song is on. It’s an unfulfilled experience that is relieved by the closing track, “Makeup & Tears.” Live instruments and clear transitions that move the song along, Jungah and Raina sing out about crying over memories while putting on their makeup. The lyrics are directed at someone who rejected the protagonist but it can be loosely interpreted as the entertainment industry rejecting After School. A bit of a reach? Perhaps, but let’s consider some of the things that happened to the group during this time in their history.

First, this album was delayed for unknown reasons. There is no specific news about why the 2012-intended album moved to 2013, but it did happen.

Second, “First Love” genuinely puts them in pain. Both Lizzy and Nana were physically injured while performing this act, one before the choreography was ever performed live and the other after a terrible fall following a performance, and brought the group down to six for promotions.

Third, means of promoting the album had pushback. One music program’s parent company was in conflict with Pledis Entertainment, After School’s label, and after Nana’s horrifying fall, the group never appeared on Show Champion again. There wasn’t a statement that said her accident was the c...