A few weeks back I wrote the review for FT Island’s latest title track, Wind. Now that my schedule has cleared up, I am finally knocking down those album reviews that I have specified that I will write. FT Island also celebrated their 10-year anniversary with this album, which an incredible feat considering the constant break up once the groups reach their 7th year. But we are not here to dwell on those unfortunate events, but rather the high-quality album that FT Island always releases.

1..What U Want (원해) – It’s a tad slow but easily a number to rock to. I love the opening riffs to the song and the lead into the rest of the song. Hongki’s vocals compliment the song really well, launching the song a bit further alongside the burst of energy from the instrumental. The instrumental break here is your typical rock out session but hyped the song up even more (which is expected, but it dragged me to the edge of the seat). It was an excellent song to open up the album! (9/10)

2. Wind – Click here to read the full review for Wind (9.5/10)

3. Travel – It is still a pretty good song, but compared to the first two, it does feel quite generic and dry. One of the other members sing the bridge (not sure though) but from their past releases, their voices bring in a different colour to FT Island songs, which does make it more awesome to listen to. (7/10)

4. Champagne – This is what I would call the “hidden gem” of the album. We all know FT Island for their rock style. Occasionally, they will throw in a different style, like a ballad. Champagne is another mix-up in their style. Keeping the band side of their name, the song experiments with a more funky sound, which I am totally digging. Not exactly sure if there was any Korean in the song (it sounded like it was pure English) and because of that, the song did stand out for me. And Hongki’s raspy vocals are amazing here! (10/10)

5. The Night – If you want another great track to headbang to (but at a slower pace), this is the track to go. Not a big of autotune, but it works well in this track. The drums were probably the highlight of the song, with it providing a very dramatic and western feel to the song. Its solo part was also what I would call the pinnacle of the song. Actually, the whole song feels like it would fit on a Western artist’s album tracklist any day. (9/10) 

6. Imagine You (너를 그린다) – Back to being a sucker when it comes to violins, this track also sounds amazing. It also has that ballad side of the band that I mentioned a few songs back. If I was to be honest, the song doesn’t have that much appeal to it and the orchestral feels only last for a few seconds (though it is still there). (7/10)

7. Save Me – If you are looking for a longer burst of that orchestral feel, Save Me is the way to go. I love the violin overlay with the band instrumental during the chorus and the piano sounds amazing here. The entire instrumental combination gives the song an epic feel, which sounds amazing. (9/10)

8. Still With You – And that orchestral feel gets stronger. This song is a lot more fast pace, which gives a little more speed to the entire album (the previous few songs have been on the slower side of the spectrum), so it was nice to see something more upbeat (in a way) but keeping in line with the songs around it. It’s also the first time I have heard another member have multiple parts (vocally) in the song, which is amazing nonetheless. (8/10)

9. Voice – Another track that shows a completely different style to FT Island’s traditional portfolio. There is that band feel, but it throws in a more electronic sound to the song, which sounds amazing. And while it is nice to hear something different, the song falls short compared to the other higher rated songs. It just doesn’t have the same amount of epicness when the chorus kicks in. (7/10)

10. Parade – Listening to the introduction of the song, I had no idea what was going on. It sounds completely foreign and futuristic, compared to FT Island’s portfolio. The electronic feel is more dominate in this song and in conjunction with the band, the song is much more intense. Not exactly fond of that slowdown and the bridge overall, but the rest of the song was quite good. What the song needed was a more epic beat drop after Hongki’s 1,2,3,4. (8/10) 

11. No Better Days – This song returns to the song that you could rock or headbang to. The chorus doesn’t provide that feel, but the verses do. The chorus leant to more of the intense side of things, but still quite good. The repetition of the “No No No No Better Days” is extremely catchy and gives that extra hook the song needed. (9/10)

12. The Wood (나무) – Another swayable song to sway to. It more of a song for fans, given the audience cheers that faded in and out of the song. There is also a nice hook in the vocals that made this song worthwhile to listen to. Though I don’t tend to read translations for the song when I review them (I didn’t here), I am not exactly sure if I should include my next statement. But the song brought a smile to my face with its melody. (8/10)

13. Love Sick (사랑앓이) (ft. Kim Na Young) – This is a remake of FT Island’s debut single of the same title. Though I was not a big fan of their earlier works, listening to it makes me wonder why I did not. Both of them sing separately at first but when they joined forces, I was blown away. With the orchestral instrumental, it was an amazing and touching way to end the special album. A music video for this particular remake was released prior to the release of the album, which you can view by clicking here. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10