TVXQ's 'Tense' Is A Celebration Of Ten Years Of Musical Growth

TVXQ journeys into uncharted territory with their exploration of genres such as swing for their comeback album, Tense. Tense commemorates ten years since TVXQ debuted into K-Pop and demonstrates the musical evolution of the duo. The album is a strong comeback release for one of SM Entertainment's most beloved acts. While the 2012 release Catch Me illustrated TVXQ's struggle for a new identity, Tense highlights the strengths of Changmin and Yunho.

The full length album contains twelve tracks and maintains a hopeful sentiment. Tense is a refreshing album in that it does not contain any electronic dance music songs, which pervaded many K-Pop releases in 2013. The album opens with Ten 10 Years a track that is a direct tribute to TVXQ's devoted fans. Ten 10 Years delivers word play within the lyrics that reference past hits such as Catch Me and Keep Your Head Down. Ten 10 Years is a soulful R&B track that will definitely become a favorite for Cassiopeia.

The single Something delivers a catchy swing sound which makes the track one of the gems of the album. Funkier jazz instrumentals are featured on the aptly titled Moonlight Fantasy. Your Man is a retro-inspired disco song that is one of the most danceable tracks on Tense. Nineties male group harmonization and instrumentals are prominent on Beside, which helps the track to standout on the album. The Hitchhiker produced track Double Trouble also carries Nineties influences, conjuring images of nostalgia for the early beginnings of SM Entertainment.

Smoky Heart and Love Again are two songs that showcase the R&B sound in which TVXQ excels. The ballads do not sound dated and are complimentary to the emotional range expressed throughout the album. Steppin is uptempo, providing another track to dance to on the album. Tense is rounded out with the power ballad Rise which leads to the conclusion of the album in the uptempo Always With You.

TVXQ makes a powerful return to K-Pop with Tense, an album that illustrates the ten year journey of the artists. 2014 is a year in which there is a focus on veteran artists in K-Pop, as well as many rookies. TVXQ has proven that their legions of fans are their inspiration and will continue to influence their music in years to come. With Tense, TVXQ has delivered one of the first must purchase albums of 2014. Tense is available for purchase on iTunes.

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TVXQ
TVXQ Changmin
TVXQ Yunho
Changmin
Yunho
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