Vapour

Released in 2009, Genie is the follow up single to Girls' Generation's hit Gee. As much as I'd love to fanboy about how much I love this concept (Sooyoung's and Yoona's hair is just asdfghjkl), I'll try to keep it to a minimum. So without further ado, let's take a look at the album.

Track list

1. 소원을 말해봐 (Genie) - This is the title track and lead single from the album. Whilst at first I didn't find the song to be as catchy as some of their other songs, it's a classic for a reason. It's got a good dance vibe to it and I really like the electronic sound used. The vocals are top notch and will have you singing along in no time. It's my standout track off the album and there's little to fault it for; having some notable parts (DJ put it back on still gets me every time). My only complaint would be the ending which is about 20 seconds of SNSD laughing and repeating "소원을 말해봐" which I find to be a tad awkward and so for that reason, it gets a 9/10. 

2. Etude - Taking a drastic change in theme from the first song, Etude is a cutesy song that still keeps some of the dance vibes from Genie. There's heavy emphasis on the vocals in this song and that helps elevate above the standard cutesy filler songs SNSD has done in the past. The transition in genre is a little odd and doesn't live up to the power of the first song. Nonetheless, it's still a solid song worthy of a 7/10.

3. 여자친구 (Girlfriend) -  Following on with the cutesy feel to the album, Girlfriend is a pretty typical filler type song from SNSD but this time having a little bit of an electronic feel to it. I've not got much to say about this one, it's nothing particularly special and feels a little lacklustre earning it a score of 5/10.

4. 남자친구 (Boyfriend) - If you'd gotten bored of the cutesy songs, Boyfriend might trick you into thinking they'd gone away due to its opening. However this song sounds a bit of a mess, not really sure if it's trying to be mature or cute. It's my least favourite song on the album, thanks to some cringe-worthy English at the start and a really annoying siren sound persisting throughout the song. It never really goes anywhere and never makes its mind up as to what it is. One good thing I can say about it is that the vocals are strong and clear, giving it a disappointing 3/10.

5. 동화 (My Child) - The opening to this song signals that a ballad is incoming, but rather than sticking to a rather standard and generic sound that has befallen other SNSD ballads, this song is actually rather catchy. There's a marching beat throughout the song, uplifting it a bit and an air of happiness surrounds the song. The chorus is a highlight, the harmonising sounds lovely and sends shivers done my spine on each listen. In fact, labelling this song as a ballad would be wrong and I'm not sure what to class it as. One of my favourite SNSD songs and thanks to some good vocals, this song earns a very respectable 8/10.

6. 1년後 (One Year Later) - The true ballad of this album and surprisingly rounds off the whole thing rather well. I wasn't sure what to expect from a duet between Jessica and SHINee's Onew, but the end result is impressive. Jessica and Onew complement each other well; in fact I'm tempted to say that Onew is the star of the song. It's a lovely end to the album, the only issue being that the backing track is a tad generic. Powerful vocals propel this song to a 7/10.

Packaging

The case feels a tad flimsy, leading me to think that if you were constantly moving it, some minor damage could befall it (bent corners, peeling cover thanks to it being a card cover). For some reason, the CD is on the inner left hand-side and the booklet (that is attached to the casing) is on the inner right. This isn't a problem; it's just a little odd. The front and back cover are rather busy, meaning the actual track names are rather small but not impossible to read. I'm not too fond of the jet superimposed on the front cover; it looks out of place; almost as if an afterthought. I do, however, really like the colour scheme and styling, reminiscent of the Soviet Union. The photobook is rather short, but the images it does have are good quality, if only there were more of them. 

Final Remarks

I feel this mini album is an excellent follow up to Gee, having some outstanding songs featured on it. The concept is lovely, leading to some memorable (if in short supply) photos. Unfortunately, there's a bit of a dip in the middle of the track list but is redeemed by the end of the album.  Out of all their mini albums, this is the one I'd recommend the most thanks in part to a solid title track and some decent packaging. If you're thinking about buying it, I'd say go for it although if you're not bothered about the photos, then simply getting the MP3 tracks is probably a better idea since some of the songs may not be worth buying.

Overall rating: 76% - Fantastic