A-Jax "Insane" (2013)

An Album a Day

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.

The date is July 11, 2013, and A-Jax returned for a sophomore mini-album. Five tracks, 18 minutes, and a hunger for success. Did A-Jax make magic happen? Find out, right after the drop.

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Hey yall, after reaching top 10 ranks with their debut EP, Im convinced that A-Jax set out to prove something with insane, their follow-up album. It isnt always necessary to provide an album with double-digit track listings, especially when the title track could stand on its own as an instrumental. Its a complete shame that it isnt available as an instrumental somewhere for me to devour, but Ill get back to this song in just a moment.

First on the album is Dont break my heart. Dont let this songs title confuse you, its not a ballad and its not mopy. In fact,its a pulsing, futuristic dance track where the members are telling their love interest that things are over, all the while begging them to stay. I mistook the chorus as saying, Dont go out, but theyre actually saying go, go out. I really enjoyed hearing the conflict! Suddenly, it stops and in creeps Insane, the title track.

Ill say this now, Im truly biased towards this track. Insane follows a pattern that many dance music and instrumental producers, myself included, commit to. There is a drum kit that doesnt let up while synths and other production effects encircle the vocals and its absolutely delicious. The music for the first verse is thick and highlights the lower vocals of the members, and then opens up sonically. The advancing sounds from the 38-second mark until its completion around 52 seconds is this sounds like something I wouldve produced! Its a tried and true escalation and the nuances are so pleasing. Even more unfortunate than not having an instrumental for me to boots-and-cats, in-my-living-room-nightclub dance to is, there is no information about who produced the track. How dare Korean entertainment companies?!?! Yes, I know that their philosophy is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, ??? ?????, ???! (Translation: But seriously, why?!)

The party keeps going with track number three, Dont leave me. This time, A-Jaxs mind is made up from the first song! If you need an idea of what the vibe is, think of the couple off to the side at a party who looks like they think theyre in a movie, drama, or music video, what with the dramatic movements and distressed facial expressions. Imagine 90s R&B hand motions and a drizzle of rain, for added effect. The emotions depart quickly with Fantasy, the fourth track that throws us back into Dance Dance Revolution mode. The guitars on this track are begging for you to acknowledge it, so do so with a thrashing of your body. The guys are somewhat swallowed up by the music in this track but its not a failure.

A surprise for me was hearing the final track, Thank ya, as I immediately remembered hearing it in 2013. It was passive listening on a YouTube playlist, Im certain, but the familiarity really made me smile. Actively listening now, theres nothing wrong with the song except for a groaning sound effect at transitions in the song. I really wish they wouldnt have done that! Its not very distracting but its awkward. Especially given the lyrics, as theyre thanking their partner for being present and open to their love. And then you groan. Eww.

K-pop fans on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being essential listening and 1 not worth mentioning, the A3Day rating for this album is a 5. Its cohesive, high-energy, and genuinely sounds innovative....