"Where U At" is a polished R&B track with a smooth hip-hop coda. A little too polished for me. Radio-friendly at its most predictable---it wouldn't sound alien in the US Billboard Charts---it is dangerously close to being generic. The quirky breaks or calculated change of pace that oftentimes provide both breathing space and break-it-down bliss feels automated. That is until you see the video and the cool Taeyang we've all come to love finally shines through. 5/10
Ring-ding-dong. Digah-ding-ding-dong. It's a song begging to be a ring tone, and I think it's genius that what should have been electronic bleeps are sung with much seriousness. Strange and addictive. SHINee couldn't have chosen a better single to get back on the K-Pop scene. My head is saying that there are too many things happening, that there is a melody buried under the dancey starts-and-stops, but my heart is saying otherwise: Just dance. 7/10
FT Island's move to pop-rock territory definitely paid off. By jumping off the bandwagon, they've gained a more interesting boyband personality, and the music is definitely less formulaic, allowing more styles to be explored (and hopefully, conquered). "Lie" is a mid-tempo ballad with a solid guitar backbone; the rapping provides an interesting counterpoint to the wrenching ballad vocals. If this is any indication of their work in the future, then I'm definitely on board. 7/10
