Ever since I heard about Suho making his debut as a soloist, I’ve been excited. Suho is one of the amazing voices in EXO that always gets underrated because there are powerful voices like Chen and Baekhyun. I’m also a little sad because I think that this might be his goodbye gift to his fans before enlisting 😩. I waited to see how many versions there were going to be then I ordered them all. And waited...I waited a lot longer than usual for my albums to arrive thanks to the Corona Virus but they were finally here. I ordered the two versions and their posters. This is what they looked like when they arrived:
I forgot that I ordered unfolded posters this time because the last time I forgot to choose and they sent folded ones which really didn’t do the posters any good.
These are the two versions. The one that has only one Suho on the cover is Archive Version # 1 and the one with 4 Suhos is Archive Version # 2. Each album came with 2 photocards, 1 postcard, 1 poster, and 1 accordion card. I’m not sure if getting two photocards is the norm because on the SM site it looks like you get 1 out of 4 so I’m not sure if I got 2 because I pre-ordered or if this is something to do with Kpoptown (the site I bout the albums from). So let us dive in.
ARCHIVE VERSION # 1:
1. Poster:
2. Photocards:
These photocards are small but because I wanted to show them clearly I scan them and now they are huge lol.
3. Postcard:
I can’t believe how pretty this is...
4. Accordion:
I scanned all the pictures in the accordion card but I will show you its size in a later picture.
Now the actual album.
This is the cover.
Inside the album, there are tabs for each some with the tab page made out of card-stock paper.
Everything about this album is esthetically pleasing.
And this is everything that came with the album in actual size (minus the poster of course)
ARCHIVE VERSION # 2:
1. Poster:
I really love this poster. Suho is a very handsome man.
2. Photocards:
Again not the actual size 😬.
3. Postcard:
I love how the postcards match the album covers.
4. Accordion:
These remind me of a lot of Junmyeon’s Instagram photos.
Now the actual album:
I'm not going to explain each picture again because it is arranged exactly like the other album.
Both albums have beautiful pictures, but if you look at the samples I provided you'll realize that all the pictures are in poses that appear to be self contemplative or meditative even. That is the feel of both albums and they fit the theme of the album really well. From what I hear Junmyeon had a lot to do with the album and it kind of shows because I kept getting Suho Instagram vibes.
Now let us talk about the album songs. I always buy thy digital albums as well as the physical albums because it takes around 2-3 weeks for my physical albums to arrive. Plus I like to support the artists I stan as much as I can. So I've been listening to the album since the day it dropped. I honestly don't have a favorite in this album because depending on my mood it changes. All the songs are just so beautiful. In an interview with Billboard, Suho talked about the inspiration behind the album,
The inspiration was drawn from Vincent van Gogh’s “Self-Portrait.” I first saw it in Switzerland and Paris, and for van Gogh, it probably meant a lot to him as a person. Since I’m not a painter, I wanted to paint something in my album as a self-portrait, per se, similar to how it was for van Gogh to share his own view of himself. "
There are 6 songs in the album, 5 of which Suho helped write and one (the title song) was completely written by Suho.
1. O2
2. 사랑, 하자 (Let's Love)
3. Made in You
4. 암막 커튼 (Starry Night)
5. 자화상 (Self-Portrait)
6. 너의 차례 (For You Now) ft. Younha
There is also a special track called Writer's Note: Behind the Self-Portrait and Suho talks during this title. I'm going to be honest and say that I don't know all that he is saying but I love the way he talks. He is motivating me more and more to really apply myself to my Korean studies.
Take a listen to some of the songs here:
But this is not my favorite rendition. This is...
Again I prefer the live session...
To be honest, do your ears a favor and just listen to the whole album, both the CD version and the live sessions. It is worth it.
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