Anyband

Anyband Promo Poster

Artists: BoA, Junsu, Tablo, Jin Bora Release Date: 2007.11.08 Language: Korean Genre: Pop

BoA happens to be a household name for K-Pop and J-Pop fans. Although I’ve always felt that BoA’s current Japanese career isn’t particularly outstanding, I’ve always known that she had a lot of potential, drive and talent. To make matters worse her Korean career has almost been on hold since her 2005 album “Girls on Top”. Luckily for us fans, the rumors of her being part of the new Samsung AnyCall’s advertisement campaign was true, which meant new music with a Korean flavor.

Apart from BoA, three other famous artists were chosen to be the spokespersons of Anycall. BoA was decided to star alongside with Xiah Junsu of DBSK, Tablo of Epik High and Jin Bora, a young piano wonder. Apparently they were chosen to replace Lee Hyori. As well as being the new faces of Anycall, the artists were chosen to collaborate together and perform together as a pop group called “Anyband”.

Rumors started circulating in September when the filming was taking place. Filming of the promotional video and the advertisement were shot in Brazil. The focus of Samsung’s marketing scheme was on the spokespersons’ talent and their success. In November an official site was launched, announcing that the campaign would be unveiled on the 7th November and the full commercial would premiere in Korea. On the 7th, Anyband attended a press conference. Furthermore a concert is scheduled on the 27th November at the Central City, Millenium Hall in Seoul.

BoA promoting Samsung

Considering the fact that Samsung happens to be the second biggest cell phone company, the promotional campaign still happened to be one of the most exciting ones I’ve ever seen. A lot of emphasis was put on promoting a positive image towards unity, happiness, love and music. The motto for this campaign was ‘TALK, PLAY, LOVE’ . Interestingly enough, while several people believe technology does isolate people, Samsung opted to promote the concept that technology unites people.

The promotional video featured both of the new songs and lasted over nine minutes. Moving towards sci-fiction, futuristic setting, this video had an atmosphere which reminded me of “Noir” movies. In some way, this video’s style reminded me a lot of Ayumi Hamasaki’s infamous promotional video “Endless Sorrow”. The whole plot was based on a society which forbids love, fun and communication and is focused on an efficient discipline system.

With this new concept, Samsung might be trying to symbolise a scenario which is reflected on many economically developed nations. People’s lifestyles have changed a lot in the past decades. Presently the focus happens to be on efficiency, discipline, work performance and the endless attempt to keep up with the changing market patterns, brought by globalisation. The result is that people are having less and less time for leisure. Commuting and traveling for work have led people to isolate themselves from their family and loved ones. Samsung brings forward the concept that by using their cell phones, they could communicate to their loved ones and relax from their hectic lifestyle.

All the members of Anyband were part of a rebel movement to overtake the current system and revive the concept of ‘TALK, PLAY, LOVE’. Throughout the first part of the video, the four are engaged in several illegal activities. Contrasting with the regular citizens, Anyband have a wardrobe which suggests a rebellious attitude, with an urban edge. They use their cell phones to record and later broadcast their performance of “TPL”. After the broadcast is interrupted by the disciplinary authorities, Anyband successfully manage to perform “Promise You” on top of four high buildings.

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1. TPL (Talk Play Love)

“TPL” reflects the whole concept behind Samsung’s marketing scheme. A lot of focus was on the motto ‘TALK, PLAY, LOVE’, which was continuously repeated throughout the track. “TPL” contains the same elements of the dance/house genre, with a repetitive composition, while retaining the quality that makes it so addictive. The track happens to have a rather consistent pattern, with a mid-tempo velocity and a semi-sterile, melancholic and hopeless tone.

The vocals happen to bring life to this song and move it through constant evolution. While at least two artists repeatedly sing the same lyrics, the vocals shift from one tone to another, with Tablo rapping and BoA’s spectacular vocals soaring dramatically. She hits the high notes so well that the atmosphere created is almost surreal. These vocal changes completely transform the tone of the song. I really enjoyed how they blended in the vocals together to create a complex arrangement. Jin Bora’s piano solo are featured twice; at the beginning of the track and while accompanying BoA’s solo. It is evident that Jin Bora has talent to sell and her piano solo brings a lot of emotion and colour within this song. I really like how they gave all of the artists a solo piece, which highlights their best musical qualities.

Rating:

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2. Promise You

“Promise You” contains a more upbeat, lively and attractive beat. With a more positive tone, the song highlights dreams, love, trust and music. Basically the song falls within the “feel good” slot. The pop-rock genre fitted perfectly with the video’s atmosphere and the strong message that was being transmitted. The chorus is particularly powerful, especially since various parts of the chorus were layered, particularly with Junsu’s and BoA’s higher notes.

“Promise You” manages to showcase Anyband’s talents much more prominently. More time is allotted for each artist to perform solo. Tablo’s rapping interlude was very powerful and was mostly sung in English, suggesting a possible romance between the characters of BoA and himself. Jin Bora’s piano skills were beyond impressive and Junsu’s vocals brought warmth and hope. However BoA’s vocals were the main focus of this song. She maneuvered the rest of the vocalists, with her strong and emotional vocals, while complementing perfectly with Junsu.

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Conclusion

After a relatively lackluster year for the majority of Japan’s singles, “Anyband” was a very welcome surprise. I was extremely excited to see that Samsung actually released a single, as a part of their marketing campaign. Although this was only released as a complimentary part to the commercial, this single got a first class treatment, especially when considering how Koreans rarely release singles and avoid investing too much effort in them.

Overall it’s quite evident that this single involved quite a lot of effort and contains a lot of quality. The music video is more like a short dramatic movie and the plot was emotional, enticing but retained that realistic atmosphere. The whole concept behind it was quite appealing too, making me want to purchase yet another Samsung cell phone. My only gripe is the fact that this was released only in digital format, because I would have definitely purchased this single. Anyband have successfully managed to collaborate together and push forward their talents

Anyband also happen to bring about a very powerful performance, with a combination of strong vocals and stunning musical talent, leaving the listener breathless. Evidently Samsung have chosen their new spokespersons with care because the result was a huge success in Korea. Hopefully this means even more Anyband releases in the future.

Overall Rating:

Cover Art

CD Tracklist

1. TPL (Talk Play Love)
2. Promise You
3. TPL (Talk Play Love) (MR)
4. Promise You (MR)

Special thanks goes to BoAjjang for translations and news articles which have helped in the completion of this review.

About the author

Rinoa enjoys spending her free time writing articles, most particularly reviews, biographies and news articles. Her favourite artist is Ayumi Hamasaki but she enjoys listening to a wide range of musical talents from all over the world.