Ongaku Cafe (The 2000s): Tohoshinki – The Secret Code (March 2009)

The popular Korean boy band who has had a string of top hits in both Korea and Japan has released their fourth Japanese album titled “The Secret Code”. In 2008, the band has had success by breaking into the top 10 and debuting at #1 several times and have repeated their success in 2009. Needless to say, JUNSU, YUCHUN, JEJUNG, CHANGMIN and YUNHO have had a fantastic year and have not shown any sign of slowdown.

“The Secret Code” is an album that definitely shows the group’s maturity but most of all, a confidence with their Japanese vocals and their ability to produce wonderful music. So, you can expect a good balance between upbeat pop tracks and whimsical ballads. Also, the album would feature more International collaborations for the music and not solely by musicians from Korea and Japan. And also an album that would give JEJUNG (HERO) and YUCHUN a chance to write, compose and arrange a few tracks on the album.

There are three versions of “The Secret Code”. One that features just the first disc, another that features two musical discs and a third that features both discs and a DVD containing the music videos. The version I will be reviewing is the two-disc version.

The first track “Secret Game” features a jazzified music track infused with rock, jungle and deep beats. A definitely merging of musical genres and also a near all-English track written by H.U.B. and music by AKIRA.

The second track “FORCE” features a catchy, upbeat pop tracks featuring an arrangement by Beatardz and music by Adam Royce, Adolphus and Jason Gill and lyrics by H.U.B. Overall, a solid track that can easily be released as a CD single.

The third track features the group’s 23rd CD single “Doushite kimi wo suki ni natte shimattandarou” and a popular ballad that has inspired many people all over the world to sing covers on YouTube. My favorite track off the album about a man regretting his former love who is getting married to another man and asking yourself “why didn’t I treat you better” and regretting of letting the love go but in the end, wishing her the best with her future with her new man. Lyrics are by Lambsey and music by Fredrik “Fredro” Odesjo, Sylvia Bennett-Smith and Mats Berntoft. Overall, a wonderful track and their second CD single certified gold and their third CD single to grab the #1 position on the Oricon charts.

The fourth track “Nobody Knows” is an upbeat pop tack by Nao Tanaka and lyrics by H.U.B. Overall, a smooth pop track showcasing the groups vocals.

The fifth track “Beautiful you” is the group’s 22nd CD single and was the first CD single from the group to be certified “gold” by the RIAJ. The song features a smooth musical arrangement by Steve Smith, Anthony Anderson and Joleen Belle. A more mid-tempo, smooth style for the group.

The sixth track “Wasurenaide” features a song written by JEJUNG and music by both JEJUNG and Young-hu Kim. The song is also part of the triple A-sided tracks of their 25th CD single (along with “Bolero” and “Kiss the Baby Sky”) and is a ballad featured on the Menard Cosmetic Series commercial in Japan.

The seventh track “9095” features another track with music and all instruments by JEJUNG and lyrics by H.U.B. The track is another smooth, more drum machine pronounced track.

The eight track “Jumon: Mirotic” is the group’s 24th CD single and another favorite from the album. The track was originally released in Korea and written (and arranged) by Young Jin Yoo and in Japan, the lyrics were by Ryoji Sonoda. A smooth upbeat track featuring the group’s awesome harmonies. The single was the group’s fifth single to reach #1 and certified at gold.

The ninth track “TAXI” is a ballad featuring music by Nao Tanaka and lyrics by Shinjiroh Inoue. A very romantic track featuring Gen Ittetsu Strings playing in the background. Very beautiful track.

The tenth track “Stand Up!” is a western style of pop track featuring music and arrangement by Jan Kask, Luciano Peirone and Peter Mansson and lyrics by H.U.B. A very catchy pop track.

The eleventh track “Survivor” is the group’s 26th CD single. The single debuted at #3 but is certified gold. Featuring a more club-based musical atmosphere courtesy of Iain James, Robert Habolin, Adam Powers and lyrics by H.U.B.

The twelfth track “Kiss the Baby Sky” is part of the group’s 25th triple-A sided single (included “Bolero” and “Wasurenaide”) and features lyrics and music by YUCHUN. The arrangement is also by YUCHUN with Shiniroh Inoue. The arrangement is like a modern spin on early 60’s R&B and was used as a theme song for the Japanese morning show “ZOOM IN”.

The thirteen track “Bolero” is part of the group’s 25th triple-A sided single (which included “Kiss the Baby Sky” and “Wasurenaide”) and is a beautiful ballad showcasing the guy’s vocals. The song was used as a theme song for the film “Subaru”. The track is written by Lambsey and features music by Daisuke Suzuki and Keiichi Tomita and the single was certified gold.

The fourteenth track is titled “9096” and is an instrumental track.

As for the second disc, the second disc is similar to Tohoshinki’s 2007 mix album “TVXQ Non-stop Mix”.

It’s not a remix album in a sense that music has been changed. Pretty much you get a total of 22 popular songs from the group which include previous hits such as “SHINE”, “Choosey Lover”, “Purple Line” and the group’s solo single releases and more. The majority of the song is played nearly in full duration but right at the end, instead of the 2 second gap, it ends in a part of the track with a sort of remix-style of intermission and transitions right to the next song. Overall, for those fans who are wondering when there would be a newer “TVXQ Non-stop Mix”, this second disc is definitely it.

As for the CD insert booklet, you get the lyrics and production notes but also group and solo pictures of the members of Tohoshinki.

With the success of Tohoshinki’s 2008 album “T”, it would seem that the group would have a hard time following up. But since the release of “T”, the group’s CD singles are selling more than previous released CD singles and the group has established such a worldwide fandom that it’s quite incredible what the group has managed to accomplish thus far.

And also, continuing the group’s three album versions with various price points, any of these three releases would be a good purchase. The main album has seven songs from their 2008-2009 CD single releases, the two-disc version has their latest “Non-stop Mix” album and the more expensive version comes with the DVD featuring their seven music videos plus video footage from the group’s “3rd Live Tour 2008 – T -“.

“The Secret Code” is another fantastic album from the Asia’s popular boy band and definitely worth checking out!

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