2ne1 is back and not sure what I think

Yesterday on Inkigayo, 2ne1 had their comeback special. I have love-hate relationship with 2ne1. I either really enjoy them or I despise them. Most of this stems from their talent, song choice, and marketing.

To begin, I believe that 2ne1 is actually a really talented girl group. They have a good enough variety of vocal sound and are exceptional dancers. I especially like the youngest member, Minzy. Though she is only 18 years old, she has shown great talent in their videos and live performances. I promised in six years, once she has left 2ne1 behind, she'll be the biggest star in Korea. 

Their songs on the other hand, have always left something to be desired. Their debut song with with Big Bang, "Lollipop," didn't really sell them as well as it should have. The first solo debut song, "Fire," is a definite club banger. The tune is a fast paced reggaeton-electro burner that set them up as the dance hall queens of Asia. The latter songs they had released were the ballads "In the Club" and "I Don't Care."

This brings me to my next point, the Marketing. Yes, I know that it is great to make music accessible to all audiences. I understand the importance of 20-something cool factor and adolescent disposable income, but choose an audience and stick with it. This is one of my problems with all pop music. When there is too large of a demographic everyone is let down.

On Inkigayo, the first song they performed was "박수쳐 (Clap Your Hands)." OK, pick a style and stick with it. They're not John Zorn or Dj Qbert. They don't have to ability to switch from genre to genre every transition from verse, chorus, to bridge. It goes from drummed up club banger to R&B House to reggaeton stomper and back again. I really like the reggaeton part, it's refreshing to here in Korea, where the four on the floor and synth get really monotinous.  You can easily tell the R&B House style chorus was thrown in there for two reasons. First, Koreans need a melody otherwise they won't listen to it. Second, Park Bom is probably contractually obliged to sing on every song. The main riff is good but leaves something to be desired.

My true complains are with the vocal work. In most of the world, Autotune is dying. Thank God! It seems as though 2ne1 didn't get the memo. This track has so much autotune it's almost unlistenable. What is really distressing is that they are actually good singers and they're covering it up. Did they just phone in the whole record? Autotune is so dated now and 5-10 years from now it'll be just a flash in the pan and anyone who relied on it will be forgotten. If Jay-Z says to stop using autotune, you better listen.

The dancing is ok in this video. Minzy obviously out shines most the group. CL tries her best to keep up. Dara keeps it steady and Bom, was she even in there? The usage of the bench is pretty cool and adds an extra dimension to an otherwise lackluster choreography. There was no "you got served" moment. No wow-that-was-ill moment. Some more popping and dancehall moves would have been welcomed.

The costumes are actually really cool. Who ever was the stylist on this did a good job. I really did the combat-ready aesthetic that they were working with and the ninja motif was sweet. I enjoy how they weren't overtly feminized, sexualized, and infantilized. The fake tattoos are a little much but I enjoyed them.

Overall, I give this a 3 out of 5. The lost major point for the autotune.