Rock is back in the house with FT Island's "Return"...

The boys of FT Island --- (L to R): Song Seung Hyun, Lee Jae Jin,
Choi Min Hwan , Lee Hong Ki, Choi Jong Hoon

Just like CN BLUE, I first encountered FT Island through the drama "You're Beautiful". FT Island's lead singer, Lee Hong Ki starred alongside fellow music superstars Jang Geun Seuk and Jung Yong Hwa. Hong Ki was absolutely funny in that drama, and wore his character well both in light and dramatic scenes. When I realized that he was also an idol star, that led me to read more about his group, FT Island.

It's an exciting time for FT Island since they just recently topped the Oricon charts in Japan (together with 2PM) with the release of their Japanese album "Satisfaction". They also recently released their Korean comeback album, "Return" last Tuesday.

For those who aren't familiar with FT Island, their name stands for "Five Treasures Island", with the five treasures being the members of the members of the band --- Choi Jong Hoon (guitar and keyboard), Lee Hong Ki (lead vocals), Lee Jae Jin (bass and vocals), Song Seung Hyun (guitar and vocals), and Choi Min Hwan (drums). I've always made strong comparisons between FT Island and CN BLUE mostly because they're both pop rock bands that have straddled both Korean and Japanese music scenes. Don't get me wrong though... although they're both in the same genre, both bands have a distinct sound that I equally appreciate. A good example of that sound can be found with their new album, "Return".

Compared to CN BLUE's strong western influences, FT Island has a stronger and discernable Asian sound --- somewhat comparable to Siam Shade and L'Arc en Ciel, two of my favorite Japanese bands. They often experiment with fusing rock together with Asian and folk rock elements. It's an interesting brand of pop rock that's catchy without being trite and cliche' (which pop is usually guilty of, right?).

The first salvo off of "Return" is their first track, "Hello Hello", which features their classic sound (strong rock elements combined with slight hints of folk rock with the guitar work). The song is a profession of love playing around with the word "annyeong", which means both "hello" and "goodbye".

As for the MV, it's an interesting play on deja-vu, where the events seem to play over and over again in a seeming loop of memory flash type scenes, which sort of meet a climax with the group jamming together while performing the song. Took me a while to get a feel of the theme of the MV since everything seemed so random... hehehe!

"Hello Hello" by FT Island (MV with Eng Subs)

Another good song in the album is the third track, "I Will Have You". It's a straight-up pop rock ballad mixing harmony and rap. It shares a similar theme to "Hello Hello" (being a profession of endless love), but it tells about winning back love lost.

"I Will Have You" by FT Island (Audio with Eng Subs)

The next track, "I'm Going To Confess", slows down the pace of the album, and it continues where "I Will Have You" ended. This time it's an apologetic love song that expresses the hope of better times ahead.

"I'm Going To Confess" by FT Island (Audio with Eng Subs)

I remember a friend of mine telling me that true artists are great story-tellers. FT Island's "Return" is an interesting album with a strong theme to it, and the tracks tell about a great love story of love lost, fought for, and gained back. Definitely a joy to listen to!