8 Reasons Why SNSD's New Album Isn't So Bad After All

It has nothing to do with the leg-spread. This is just for eye-candy.

SNSD has never been an album-driven group. I'd know since I own a few of their albums. After their debut album, things went downhill in the non-title track departure right up until they had their least-favoured song, "I Got a Boy," where all the other songs on that album (minus those two ballads) were pretty good. However, after all of the hate this album has been getting, I feel the need to stick up for it since it is one SNSD's much better albums.

1. No Shitty Ballads

A main complaint I hear from people about SNSD's albums is that there are just too many damn slow ballads on them, dulling out the album. I like a couple of SoShi ballads, but let's be real: Most of them are just bland filler, the same melody looped for four minutes with nothing else going for it. But, there really is no ballad on this album. No, seriously, even the song you think is going to be a ballad trolls you @0:22:

2. We Finally Get Another Bossa Nova Jazz Track from Them

"Day By Day" and "Talk To Me" are a couple of those well-loved songs from SNSD, and I admit, they're a couple of the best from their Oh! album. So, if you did want an SNSD ballad on this album, then this is as close as you're going to get; however if you're like me and you wanted another upbeat coffee house chiller, then this should please you well.

3. A Korean Version of "Show Girls"

This is basically their "Show Show Show" concept only switching out the Euro-pop sound for a '20s swing/jazz sound and giving their peep-show stripper costumes the flapper makeover. It's just as great.

4. We Get a "Red Light" Album Left-Over

We've gotten f(x) taking on SNSD, but we've never really gotten what SNSD taking on f(x) would sound like. "Sign" is that song. f(x)'s "Red Light" album is great, and "Sign" sounds like it was one of those songs that was originally for "Red Light" but was booted off at the last second and given to SNSD. I mean that as a compliment.

5. An R&B Baby-Maker, Not an R&B Snoozer

Like many people who legitimately enjoy Trey Songz's music, I'm a sucker for a good R&B baby-making song (despite not doing any actual baby-making). And a lot SNSD's more R&B-ey songs tend to be snoozers with maybe one exception, but they finally get it right with the body rolling "Talk Talk" (and no, not THAT "Talk Talk" or the other version of it.) "Talk Talk" actually tries to keep your attention; hell, they even borrowed PE's tea kettle idea.

6. The Three Title Tracks Offer Something For Everyone

This is especially true for international fans, since most of them have some sort of concept complex where concept=song quality. Why? I don't know. But if you're one of those fans, then the three title tracks have something to offer for someone who is a fan of the different styles of SNSD. You like girly SNSD with light-weight pop songs? You have "Party." You like cutesy SNSD with retro-grade bubblegum songs? You have "Lion Heart." You like badass/darker SNSD with an empowering song? You have "You Think." If you like all three? Well, you get thrice the treat.

7. It Shows SM is Still Trying With The Group

Ever since "The Boys," people have been saying that SM has just given up on SNSD, and to an extent, that was true. They are the top girl group, they don't need to try as hard to stay No. 1 as nugu groups do, and they honestly owe it all to "Gee." However, I only considered that when they released "Mr.Mr." Sure "The Boys" and "I Got a Boy" probably traumatized a lot of people, but at least SM tried to do something with those songs. "Mr. Mr." was just bland; sure I'll sing to it when it comes on, but after it's done, I don't remember anything outside Tiffany's high notes sounding pretty. Not to mention, the music video could have been done a whole lot more better; yes it's pretty, and yes SM claimed they lost footage. But you mean they couldn't have spent like two or three more hours trying to find or re-shoot it? I honestly just think SM and YG were in cahoots with each other and were playing promoting SNSD with 2NE1 at the same time to laugh at the fanwars between SONEs and Blackjacks. "Lion Heart"/"You Think" is actually being promoted as a full album verses just having one good song with the rest being mostly filler and having SONEs call it revolutionary and praising every song no matter how much they truly feel.

8. A Special Appearance From Jessica

Are you a Jessica fan that just had to hear Jessica's voice one last time on this album? SM got you! Because I swear I hear her in "Green Light." A lot.

Now look, it's no album of the year, and I am by no stretch a SONE; however, I do enjoy SNSD as a whole. I admit I was side eyeing this album before its release, but now that I've listened to it, it's not as bad as it could have been. SNSD may always pale in comparison to f(x) in terms of album quality (just like f(x) will always pale in comparison to SNSD in terms of main-stream popularity), but this album is one of their stronger outputs. It had at least some thought put into it, and I appreciate that.