10/10 Song Review: TVXQ! - Rising Sun

 Few musical artists can ever touch TVXQ (Stylized 'TVXQ!'/Tong Vfang Xien Qi or written as either 'DBSK'/Dong Bang Shin Ki or Tohoshinki). They may not top Rolling Stone lists and all as they are from pre-BTS Korea, a musical era somewhat ignored by the west until recently. They are easily my favorite K-Pop act ever and after Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Manna Dey, and a few other old singers, my favorite musical artists ever. They have several 10/10 songs that you will probably see in this series later, but 'Rising Sun' is their Magnum Opus, the greatest K-Pop song ever.

The producer and lyricist of the track are Yoo Young-Jin. Like TVXQ for artists, Young-Jin is my favorite K-Pop producer and lyricist with almost no duds (except Ring Ding Dong for lyrics) and one of my favorite producers of all time. As you can see, I love the long list of the group and producer collaborations, Rising Sun was released at both of their peaks in 2005 (arguably you could say their peaks were 2006-08 for TVXQ and 2006-09 for Yoo Young-Jin) and is a perfect example of Young-Jin's new genre, SMP [Soo-Man Performance] (Young-Jin created it himself). SMP emphasizes social commentary lyrics, club dance beat, R&B moments, and a hefty dose of rap-rock.

Rising Sun opens with some engine like industrial percussion, some electronic beats come subtly in, but unless you listen extremely carefully you won't hear the electronic synths. All this feels like we will get a big break out in the next second, we don't. Instead, traditional percussion and strings come in, adding melodic help. The drum plays a nice little tune (repeated four times) while the violins grow in intensity, almost like a pressure cooker begging to erupt. A guitar comes in for a second, 'Rise Up!' is shouted and everything breaks loose.

The instrumental section that plays right afterward is actually the instrumental version of the chorus. And there is so much to break down! The jagged industrial production comes back with a much faster tempo. Contrary to the percussion, the violin comes back with an almost pleading feel of peaceful distress. From what I get, the strings are split into two sections. One plays a slower, more distressed melody (played twice), while the other gives a confident feeling of peace (played once in the middle of those two). This is all held together by some heavy rock guitar. Rock Opera is my favorite modern musical genre, and this Rising Sun opening perfectly explains why. The fact that you don't notice the density of the production when the chorus comes back just shows how much is in this track. It basically is a movie on the scale of the Lord of the Rings trilogy all stuffed into one track.

Afterward, Yoochun arrives with a charismatic rap. There is a quick flurry, in the middle, and it increases in confidence and skill as it goes on. While Yoochun as a person is undoubtedly divisive, there is no denying his talent was wasted. This short rap is incredible. The production fades into just drums at the start of the verse, but after the flurry, violins and guitar arrive, breaking out just in time for Yunho and Changmin's 'rap and yell' section.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Changmin lets out a painful yell of "No!". This screamo rock yell perfectly exemplifies the lyrical themes first half (sin), it is painful yet sincere, and it gives us a small teaser of Changmin will do this song. Yunho then lets out a quick rap line which shows the confidence of the second part of the lyrical theme (redemption). This call and response structure is repeated a few times, with the strings getting more intense each time.

Junsu then sings a line, and the moment it starts, the drums, strings, and guitar suddenly disappear. They are replaced by a very 2000s synth line, something with Animusic elements. Junsu's vocals here feel sad, yet hopeful, just like the theme of the song, wondering about the past of sin. Suddenly, a razor synth (I could find no other word to describe it) splits into the song aggressively when it charges in, allowing the jagged percussion to come back. The synth becomes harder and harder as Junsu nears the end of his line.

The drums come back fully for Jaejoong's line to assist the synths. Jaejoong sings much more aggressively than the passionate line by Junsu, and the contrast moves the song forward. He worries about the future in his line. Suddenly, the drums fade and the synths come back strong, and Jaejoong hits a brilliant high-note, which shows distressed confidence. Now that the chorus is coming next, all eyes are on it. It would either define or destroy the song, and boy is the chorus perfect.

I already talked about the chorus instrumental, which is just perfect, but it is even better with vocals. If you were to ask me which K-Pop boy groups have the best vocals, I would mention Super Junior, SHINee, and NCT, but despite having equal or fewer members than all those groups, the quintet version of TVXQ is in a league of its own. Yoochun has his low bass tone and can belt out powerful high notes if needed (read: 'Love in the Ice' climax), Yunho has sleek and refined vocals, Junsu has emotional vocals which can show pain and growth, Jaejoong can modulate his vocals so well that he is one of the best singers of all time and Changmin is the greatest vocalist of the 21st century without a doubt. When these five voices get together, they can combine several emotions together into one powerful piece. Rising Sun's chorus is majestic, anthemic and perfectly shows the idea of redemption, the vocal harmonizing and layering gives me chills on every listen. The final section of the chorus, the full group high-note "waiting for the Rising Sun" is one of the hardest vocal harmonies I have seen outside a ballad, no group has covered it right yet.

Right after, heavy metal/hard rock guitar enters the fray, Yoochun raps a slower and heavy rap break entirely in English. The English makes it probably the weakest section of this iconic single, but there are so many modern "classics" which could do with a section like this. Yunho continues the rap with a quick-fire section which more than brings us back up to speed. The contrast here is brilliant.

The following post-chorus refrain is one of the song's best moments. It starts with Changmin singing a 'call' line accompanied by some icy synths. Before the response, a rock guitar plays while the members chant "somebody talks", this is followed by responses by Junsu and Jaejoong (Changmin calls twice). Changmin's vocals here are particularly sharp, and I think he is easily the standout of the track.

This is followed by another pre-chorus, this one building momentum with strings. It is ambitious and has the unfortunate condition of being stuck between the two greatest sections of the greatest K-Pop song of all time. Despite this, the instrumentation feels alive.

To quote Nick James of TheBiasList, the following section is "is K-pop’s greatest fake-out moment". I agree, rather than a chorus, we get the high-note. All instruments fade except the strings, which are gorgeous. Changmin hits a high-note (a really high one), then goes higher, than even higher! He then modulates for a bit at a point where most singers can barely last a second. My biggest issue with modern high-notes is their abrupt ending, song-writers seem to want the singers to spend all their energy at the top. Over here, Changmin slowly takes his time to lower his voice and let the strings take over. This is especially impressive with the duo line-up version, as Changmin sings the line right before!

And now the carpet is swept from under our feet, as a mysterious voice mutters "slow down", the song turns into a funk-bhangra break-down. Now normally this should not work, but it is performed with such conviction, and the high-note works so well as a transition too, that this section has become one of the song's most essential.

Yoochun gets into a (rap?) section. This section plays like "What if Michael Jackson did Funk-Bhangra in Korean". We get the 'Ow!'s and swaggy yet gritty delivery, compared to the rest of the song's unsure passion vibe, this breakdown screams confidence.

Changmin sings a quick line, the sole purpose of which is bridging Yoochun and Yunho's rap, but Changmin does so without losing out to his peers. Yunho whispers "Bring it on" and we get a brisk yet aggressive rap. It should not work, but it does. The emphasis on the final beat of the measure does help quite a bit.

Changmin, fresh of a verse, should rest, but no, this is TVXQ. He hits an amazing high-note, ready to compete with his pre-breakdown one. Just like in the aforementioned high-note, he keeps going higher. Unlike in that one, he does not lower slowly. Instead, he yells "rise up!" and the chorus returns for its second and final rendition. Just as magnificent as before. Another post-chorus "somebody talks", and we reach the instrumental finale.

There is so much to unpack here, from Junsu's final line repeating like a haunting memory of the past to Yunho yelling a deep "Rise up", feeling more like a fulfilling triumph rather than a battle cry. The aggressive airy synths stutter forward while the orchestra feels like a more calming companion. When the track finally ends, you probably are too stunned to know what to do next. Last week I reviewed Aate Jaate, and unlike that tracks minimalist approach for emotion, Rising Sun throws everything into the grinder. More than genre-less, this track is a fulfillment of all genres and one of the best songs ever.

Rating: 10/10

Note: From now on, I may not review a 10/10 song each week. I have a few other features I will cover on the weekend arbitrarily (recent un-reviewed highlights, horrid songs, etc.). I still will review 10/10 tracks, just not with the same frequency.

Photo Source: YummyCelebreties