For those of you who had been six months waiting for Ulala Session‘s album, rejoice — it’s finally here! The winners of Superstar K3 released their debut album this month, and the first part, released last week, has “Beautiful Night” as its title track. Featuring the amazing vocals they are known for, “Beautiful Song” is a rock & roll funky track with a lively MV starring Park Han-byul.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upbAbcTCDwA&w=560&h=315]
Cinematography: 4.8 out of 5
The most remarkable aesthetical characteristic in this MV is the colour. The whole MV is really colourful, especially the party scene. This is not only thanks to the photography but also the wardrobe and the attrezzo (and the pink wings, it is). The amount of hearts in the party scene almost made me cringe, but I have to admit that the first time I saw it I didn’t realize. Back to the colours — the MV somehow manages to show a rich colour palette without hurting your eyes, and looks really pretty. Also noticeable is the last scene, where they use projectors against the walls and the result is quite cool.
Storyline: 4.5 out of 5
The storyline is simple: the Ulala Session members happen to be in a wedding full of people with crazy hairs and funny outfits. And then there’s Park Han-byul, the only one who looks normal, looking all flawless with an (ugly) golden purse. The members fall instantly for her, of course, one of them takes her purse and the party starts. The whole wedding joins in and everybody starts to dance around, while Park Han-byul tries to get her purse back.
I was almost going to give this section a lower mark because seriously, what’s with stealing the girls purse and dancing around with it? It does work as a connecting thread, but seriously? But then someone enlightened me through a YouTube comment (I know, who thought YouTube comments on K-pop videos could be useful sometimes?) explaining that the purse thing actually connects with the lyrics, and that the boys steal it because they don’t want the girl to go home. Well, that makes sense, and it’s nice that for once, a MV has a direct relationship with the lyrics of the song. But it’s still too cryptic for my taste, and I don’t mean just that it doesn’t make sense if you don’t understand the lyrics, because I had actually read a translation beforehand.
It is also kind of weird that wedding guests look so bizarre, especially since the bride and the groom look fairly normal. But well, since they randomly start dancing and singing in the middle of the wedding, doesn’t seem like they are taking the realistic way. So… pass!
Performance: 4.5 out of 5
There are few things that please me more as a viewer than seeing the performers enjoy themselves — and the guys from Ulala Session definitely are. Maybe because they don’t have the pressure of perfect choreography and have some freedom (although there is choreography), their performance feels spontaneous, funky and definitely funny. Being used to rigid choreography, this feels just fresh. Their expressions are priceless; they are just joking around, and that works great for creating a light-hearted atmosphere.
The only thing that bugs me, honestly, is Park Han-byul. I know she’s the actress here, but probably because of that, I think her acting is too stiff and doesn’t really fit with the overall liveliness. She is actually OK at the beginning of the MV, but when the party starts and everybody gets crazy on the dance floor, she just stays there dancing with her shoes in a not very enthusiastical way. I just wish she had gone crazy too — that would have been terrific.
X-Factor: 5 out of 5
Funny is what they go for, and funny is what they get. In a world full of boys and girls dancing in a box, this MV is a breath of fresh air. It’s fun, has a light storyline and doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I’m totally digging the musical style. If after watching it you don’t feel like dancing, or at least have a smile on your face, then you don’t have a heart — or you have the facial expressions of Infinite‘s L.
With an overall score of 4.7 out of 5, I can only add that, if you enjoyed the MV as much as I did, don’t forget to watch their live performances: these guys are not only great singers, they are also funny as hell.
What do you think about “Beautiful Night”, Seoulmates? Did you also fell for its charms?
(CJ E&M, TV Report, Naver)
