Archive for February, 2026
Music is love: CNBLUE’s 3logy album review
This album dropped just when I needed it, as the US government descends further into fascism and lawlessness. The fatigue from daily bad news is grinding so it’s nice to have a small respite from domestic terrorism at home and war crimes abroad. Music can’t solve the world’s problems but it can provide small relief from day-to-day rage and anxiety.
There has been so much CNBLUE content the past few years that I’ve been very negligent in reviewing all of their releases. But their latest album, 3logy, is so good that I would be remiss if I didn’t write about it.
3logy is CNBLUE’s third full-length release in South Korea (with many mini-albums, or EPs, released in between) and it showcases a clean, stripped-down sound that reflects CNBLUE’s focus on their live concert performances. Whereas previous recent releases have variously included strings, horns, trap beats, electronic percussion and the like, 3logy relies almost completely on band instrumentation–drums, guitar, bass, and a bit of keyboards. The result is a fresh sound that brings the band’s songsmithing to the fore.
The first song, Ready, Set, Go, is a high-energy track that jumps right in, with a hooky chorus and Yonghwa flexing his gorgeous power pop vocals. Lee Jungshin’s fast-paced, bouncing bassline effortlessly travels up and down and the chorus is wildly hooky and addictive. The title is a tribute to both Billy Idol‘s and L’Arc En Ciel’s respective Ready Steady Go tracks, and appropriately enough the song is a blend of 1970s UK power pop and classic J-rock.
The album’s title track, Killer Joy, continues in the rock vein.Words like infectious are overused but this hella catchy track is nothing short of virulent in the best possible way. All of the elements are there: Yonghwa hitting the high high falsetto. Earworm guitar riff. Singalong chant. It all combines to create a throwback to classic rock with punk undertones, with a driving beat, wailing guitars, and Yonghwa’s snarling rock vocals. I’m gonna say more about Yonghwa’s range in a little bit but just hold in your mind the way he sings on this track versus the way he sings on other tracks and you’ll begin to see how broad and deep his vocal technique and mastery has become. The way he bends the notes when he sings “And you’re losing your mind” is textbook rock vocals in all its wild glory.
The song’s lyrical metaphor is clear if you look for it. I may have a dirty mind but I’m pretty sure this is all about S-E-X
You, holding your breath, are my target tonight
We locked and loaded then shot (Play on)
Nobody move, hands up high
Sweat running hot, everyone’s out of breath
Going down, you’re shocked
Please note that there is also panting interspersed in this verse.
The chorus continues in this vein:
Killer joy, I pull my melody
Shoot the melody into your heart, shot (Bang bang)
Killer joy, burn it all up, fire
Make it a night of frenzy, just for you, killer joy
Or it’s all about rock music. Which is all about S-E-X most of the time anyways.
Another thing that this song does beautifully is play with dynamics. After bopping along for a couple verses and choruses, following a boisterous singalong chant the song suddenly dips into an ethereal bridge that drops the energy down to a whisper. It then ramps right back up to rock speed, concluding with a reprise of the chorus before it ends with a blast of energy, with Yonghwa growling the English refrain, “My name killer joy.”
The next track, Lowkey, continues with the upbeat energy, but with a totally different vibe. Whereas the first two tracks were rock all the way, Lowkey is an awesome disco track anchored by a rhythmic guitar riff, a touch of horns and strings, and Yonghwa’s breezy vocals.
The fourth track, To The Moon and Back, is one of the strongest on the album. Again switching up the mood and method, this track features a syncopated, jazzy melody. Yonghwa’s vocals again are completely different from the first three tracks, much deeper and more substantial, with gorgeous, textured vocal stacking. This contrasts beautifully with the spare, percolating arrangement, driven by Kang Minhyuk’s precise drumming, which creates a throwback sound that’s both retro and completely up-to-date
I also love the lyrical conceit of celestial bodies orbiting around each other:
Fly me to space just tell me anywhere
I will come to get you even if it is the stained shadow of the moon
I circle around you like a satellite
Oh I just wanna love you to the moon and back
The beginning and the end, the the earth and the sky, you are the reason for my everything my love
to the moon and back
The next track, Bliss, is pure pop heaven, with a sweet, hooky melody elevated by the pause at the end of each line of the chorus and rhyming in English.
Every moment just give me a kiss
Never knew I could feel like this
Will you gift me tomorrow once again?
Cause you’re my bliss
The fact that this is the fourth track and still strong enough to be the title track attests to Yonghwa’s sublime songwriting prowess.
Still, A Flower was released before the rest of the album and it’s a fairly straightforward midtempo rock ballad that’s driven by its melancholy lyrics. The lilting melody belies the serious and somewhat bleak sentiments of the words, which are basically about rising up and surviving after facing crushing adversity. Back when they debuted back in 2010 CNBLUE was strong out of the gate, with chart-topping songs and wild popularity across Asia for several years, but after some pretty serious setbacks about five or six years ago they’ve had to rebuild their brand and their reputation from the ground up. After all of the struggles that they’ve gone through in their careers I’m sure this song hits hard for them.
That name that vanished, love and faith have fallen into the mire
An eternal loneliness that cannot be avoided
But I am, but in the end, a flower blooming in a world held by fragrance
That’s how I am, in the end I’m a warm spring blooming on a tear-soaked ground
Hold me tight, a flower just like you
Flowers out of the asphalt are so tall
Grown amidst the sadness, but it was a flower after all
Yonghwa’s plaintive vocals, especially in the rhythmic prechorus, indelibly etch the song’s mood and message of resiliency amidst adversity.
The next track, Again, is another slower song, and it’s very simply constructed, mostly with rhythm guitar, a tiny touch of piano, and Yonghwa’s gossamer vocals. Yonghwa also belts out an incredible high note in the bridge that makes the whole song worthwhile, His sweet singing here contrasts most strikingly to his powerful rock wailing in Killer Joy and demonstrates his expansive stylistic range. This understated track shows the virtues of restraint, and the vocals and instruments intertwine delicately in the song’s outro. Interestingly enough, all three members are credited with writing and composing this song, which may be a first in their nearly seventeen years of existence.
The Temperature of Memory has a bit of an OST vibe to it, with its swelling, dramatic chorus and angsty lyrics. Once again Yonghwa’s sensitive vocals enliven the song as he plumbs the song’s emotions. The lyrics and composition are credited to bassist Lee Jungshin as well as Klozer, who has become CNBLUE’s regular keyboardist at most of their live shows. Although the band is nominally a trio, the onstage participation of Klozer as well as two alternating lead guitar sidemen (Jung Jaepil and Keun Park), mean that CNBLUE functions as a five-piece in concert. But the rules of kpop means that these sidemen are considered not full members of the band despite their steady and reliable contributions. But I digress–
The pace picks up for the last two tracks, ending the album on a high note. Little Things is another immaculate pop song with a light and cheerful melody and a catchy, bubbly chorus. Yonghwa’s vocals take yet another guise here, joyous and exuberant.
The album closes with the Korean version of Anthem of Life, which was released in Japan last year. It’s another jazzy track full of brassy horns, handclapping, and an uplifting message.
Sing, singing it loud music is love
Filling the world with a grateful heart, shouting until my voice goes hoarse, so it rings out
Believe, loving yourself, keep on singing, more freely than anyone else
Warmly I sing, c’mon now, hear your voice
Although this is a great track, the production is so much busier and denser than the rest of the album that it feels a tiny bit out of place to me. But that’s a small criticism, since it fits the trajectory of the album as a whole and is a buoyant conclusion.
After watching CNBLUE laboriously rebuild over the past few years it’s nice to see such a strong and coherent album from them. The quality of their output is not just consistent, it’s improving and growing, which is a great sign. As a respite from the turbulent times we live in, it’s nice to find artists who are moving forward and creating singular, reliably excellent work.
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