Ever dreamt of actual ballet and pop meshing well together in the form of an idol unit? Electropop ballet group Color Pointe does just that, and they do it well. Comprising four members who have been trained in ballet since young, the group boasts the poise, grace and precise legwork of actual ballerinas. While the girls don't pull off difficult moves in their dance videos, the ease at which they flow through their routines en pointe shows off years of training.
On August 1st this year, Color Pointe put out their debut mini-album, first pointe. Ballet aside, do the girls actually sound good? Let's give the seven-track mini-album a go to find out.
first pointe gets off to a strong start with upbeat number Doga doga. The introduction is sung through a loud hailer, an unusual move that grips the listener's attention immediately. Auto-tuned vocals follow, before the song launches into a catchy refrain. Throughout the track, a steady beat makes the listener feel like bobbing his/her head along to the tune.
Although gentler-sounding, the next song Ren ai Reincarnation cranks the tempo up by a notch. For fans of the idol scene, this song might be the most interesting pick from the album as its rhythm is a perfect match for "wotagei", a type of fan-made cheer dance that can be modeled on a song's tempo.
The moderately paced P.S. comes next, a welcome reprieve after two fast songs. For some, the instrumental portions of P.S. might sound reminiscent of electronica project Owl City's style of music. The girls' vocals are allowed to shine individually in P.S., one of them hitting a particularly sweet and pure note during the song.
Color Pointe picks up the pace again in Lalu lalu, another track well-suited for "wotagei". The song starts off slow, but dives into an energetic synth-filled melody just a few seconds in. It wouldn't be hard to picture the Color Pointe girls executing flawless moves to a well-choreographed dance just by listening to the music.
If the listener feels like writing Color Pointe off as just another typical idol group at this point, the girls will prove him/her wrong with the next song, Paddbre. Paddbre plays out in a fashion reminiscent of classic 60's-80's live jazz shows, a refreshing change after four typical idol-styled songs.
The jazzy vibe continues in Love Panic!, and the girls impress with yet another trick up their sleeves: rap. Although rap might seem a little out of place in idol music, there actually are quite a few rap groups in the idol scene, the most famous of which arguably being Lyrical School. A male voice opens Love Panic!, followed soon after by a light, girlish rap section by Color Pointe. Normal singing ensues, before another rap verse punctuates the song. Love Panic! carries on in the same rap and singing pattern until it concludes with another male-voiced rap.
Magical Land, the last track on the album, boasts music befitting its title. The introduction creates an image of ballerinas twirling to a magical Disney-esque princess theme. Sweet vocals interspersed by funky synth instrumentals paint the picture of a sparkly, joyous magical land where the members of Color Pointe dream of residing in. The song then ends on a high note with a electropop outro.
Even though a song and dance group like Color Pointe is best seen live, first pointe is as good as any studio recording can get. Stellar audio quality and well-mixed vocals and music give the tracks a polished sound that exceeds expectations for a first mini-album. The fun, energetic and general feel-good vibes that roll off this mini-album might even attract listeners who aren't particularly fond of the idol scene. All in all, Color Pointe excels both at singing and ballet, and first pointe is definitely worth a listen.
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