[UPDATED] Super Junior goes all-out-glam in their 5th studio album, "Mr. Simple"...

The boys of Super Junior (L to R): Sungmin, Shindong, Leeteuk, Kyuhyun,
Siwon, Yesung, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Heechul and Ryeowook

UPDATED - August 5, 2011 5:48pm GMT +8 
Replaced the subbed "Mr. Simple" vid with the full MV with English Subs. Enjoy ^^,

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm home!!! Got home from Canada a couple of days ago, and I needed some time to wind down from the trip. Yes... a ton of albums have come out, and I have my work cut out for me. Let's begin!

I'm a really big Super Junior fan... I really am (literally and figuratively). I literally gasped when I first saw the teasers for SuJu's 5th album, Mr. Simple, come out. It's been more than a year since "Bonamana", and the boys are more than ready for a follow-up.


The teasers were something else this time around. In the time that I've been watching and keeping tabs on the Kpop scene, I've never seen a male idol group push the envelope this much in terms of fashion. According to the boys, their theme this time around is "uber-sexual"... well, it sounds like glam pop to me, and most of you would agree with me that the look suits the boys.

First row - Eunhyuk, Donghae, Leeteuk, Shindong, Kyuhyun
Second row - Sungmin, Ryeowook, Yesung, Siwon, Heechul

Apart from the pic teasers, SM Entertainment also released a couple of video teasers for the MV for "Mr. Simple". This time around, we're seeing the boys in more chic black attire against white backgrounds.

RANDOM THOUGHT --- One thing was just racing through my mind... EUNHYUK IS SO HOT AS A BLEACHED BLOND! Hahaha!

Mr. Simple Teaser MV 1

Mr. Simple Teaser MV 2

"Mr. Simple" is composed of 13 tracks in total, inclusive of the Korean version for Super Junior-M's hit "Perfection". When I saw their looks I was already seeing electro-pop all the way from Seoul, but there's a good amount of variety in the album --- something I would expect from a veteran group like SuJu. There's everything for everyone --- from the pulsating beats of "Mr. Simple", the laid-back reggae-inspired tune "Walkin'", the retro-acoustic feel of "Good Friends", and ballads in the form of "Storm" and "Memories".

Although the album is solid to begin with and pretty well-made, I have 6 stand-outs that immediately found a place in my playlist...

I pretty much hit the nail on the head when I expected to hear electro-pop when I first reviewed "Mr. Simple" online. The launching single for the album sets our pace on overdrive with stretched high-pitch tones and the fast, rhythmic thumping --- very club friendly (with a little remixing, of course). I absolutely love the message of the song too when it asks for us not to take life too seriously and to take and enjoy things as they come.

"Mr. Simple" by Super Junior (MV with English Subtitles)

"Perfection" would be the only track that was previously released in the album, and falls under this genre. The only thing that made me hesitant in doing a review for this track was the fact that it was originally released in Mandarin. It's a great thing that they've now officially released a Korean version of the song (really sounds better in Korean for some reason... hehehe!).

"Perfection" by Super Junior M (MV with English Subtitles)

"Opera" for some eerie reason reminds of some other Kpop song that I can't put my finger on (hope someone could post a comment and help me refresh my memory). Just like "Mr. Simple", it's a delicious example of the kind of addictive electro-pop that Super Junior is known for. For some reason, it's the kind of song I can imagine being used in a car chase (very "Fast and the Furious"-esque... hehehe!).

"Opera" by Super Junior (Audio with English Subtitles)

The third track in the album, "Be My Girl", is a mid-paced electro-pop track that sounds more like a song that SNSD would sing. Interestingly enough, SuJu pulls off this song without a hitch in their usual playful manner. Add to that some equally playful sound engineering (not sure how you guys feel about that, but hey it's good music), you have a party!

"Be My Girl" by Super Junior (Audio with English Subtitles)

Slowing things down is "Feels Good", another electro-pop track with hints of hip-hop. When I listened to the song online with subtitles, it's interesting to find out that this song is all about a guy who's singing to another guy who unsuccessfully tried to steal his girl away. It's an interesting play of an unusual theme in Kpop; what makes it even more interesting is that I seldom here any electro-pop songs that are mid or slow in terms of tempo. Well, if I wanted to brag about my girl choosing me over another guy, I guess I'd like to slow down and savor the moment, right?

"Feels Good" by Super Junior (Audio with English Subtitles)

Another favorite of mine is "Sunflower". It's the only track that comes near to acoustic R&B in the album, and it's executed superbly! I guess among all of the tracks, this is the one that best showcases how the boys harmonize. Apart from that, it's a light and hearwarming song about love. IMHO, I think it's probably one of the best tracks in the album.

"Sunflower" by Super Junior (Audio with English Subtitles)

The boys of Super Junior have did themselves proud with their latest release. It was hard picking favorites in this bunch, since most of the songs were really good, and I'm pretty sure you'll find your own favorites too among the tracks in the album.

First row - Siwon, Leeteuk, Donghae, Ryeowook, Shindong
Second row - Yesung, Heechul, Sungmin, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk

I'm looking foward to hearing how this album will fare not just in Korea, but also in Asia. Bonamana charted and topped Taiwanese charts for weeks on end, and had also found its place in charts all over South East Asia and in Japan. I'm pretty sure they'll be striking gold in those other markets once this album gets released internationally. They've done it more than once... they'll do it again!