Customer Reviews

Party Around the World

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My first time I heard of Smile.dk (or at the time known as Smile) was when I was in Japan at Sega Joypolis pumping coins into the "Dance Dance Revolution" arcade game. Their song "Butterfly" was a catchy song that really caught my attention a decade ago and since then, their music over the years have been featured on various DDR games and ten years later, the group has a new track titled "Doki Doki" (Panic Mix) which will be featured on "Dance Dance Revolution Universe" for the XBOX 360.

But back in 2005, I remember that there was new going on if the group would continue because the women were married and have become mothers, also the group has changed quite a bit with Veronica Larsson, the only member of the original duo that still performs with the group. Malin Kernby who replaced Nina Boquist (the original member) left the group earlier this year. Malin did take part in recording a few tracks on this album such as "Doki Doki" but left the group due to personal matters and brought in Hanna Stockzell to replace her.

So, the year has been a restart of Smile.dk which now currently consists of Veronica Larsson and Hanna Stockzell, a new start with a new label, new producers and now a new album titled "Party Around the World".

Having not released an album since 2002, Smile.dk has released their fifth album on Oct. 2008 with "Party Around the World" and needless to say, American fans are excited with the announcement that the duo will be performing at the largest anime convention in the East Coast, Otakon in the Summer of 2009.

The duo's album "Party Around the World" features a good balance of European Pop/dance tracks such as "Doki Doki" (which is a Japanese slang for the heart beating). The track incorporates a traditional Japanese style of Koto sound but showcasing the group's sugary pop style.

The album features a few song with a Japanese-related title such as the upbeat tracks "Japanese Boy", "Koko Soko" (Here There) and "Tomoe".

But as the duo is known for their high energy pop tracks, which the majority of the tracks on "Party Around the World" features upbeat, happy pop tracks, you'll find a few songs that really showcase the group's vocals with songs such as the ballad "Nothing's Missing - For Once in My Life" which features legendary Swiss guitarist Lasse Wellander. A beautiful ballad showcasing the group's harmonies. Very well done!

For those who are familiar with Smile.dk's music in the past, you will still find that style of music on "Party Around the World". Despite not having released an album in six years, "Party Around the World" is a solid, enjoyable album featuring fun, enjoyable pop tracks.

But I have to admit that when I heard the track "Nothing's Missing - For Once in My Life", I was really impressed by the duo's vocals and the fact that the song was not a high energy dance track and wouldn't mind hearing a few experimentation tracks of the group trying out other styles of music. In fact, the track "Around the World" is an upbeat track on the album that is one of those songs that don't go the Euro dance pop route compared to the other songs on the album.

Of course, a large part of their fandom are passionate about their Euro dance pop tracks and on "Party Around the World", they don't let their fans down as there are plenty of dance tracks throughout the album to keep fans satisfied.

Tracks such as "Doki Doki", "Koko Soko", "Summer Party", "Its In Your Melody", "Hummingbird" and "Tomoe" are definite tracks that are catchy, fun and all have a similar style to their popular classic hit "Butterfly" that should definitely keep their fans happy.

Overall, a very good, solid album from Smile.dk! If you enjoyed their tracks from the past, then definitely check this album out!

After 7 years or so, Smile.dk is back, and their new album is absolutely AMAZING!!! Almost all of the tracks are good and catchy (just the first 3 tracks make me wanna dance already). Some of the songs in this album are probably one of the best you've ever heard, like "Koko Soko" or "Doki Doki." If you love Smile.dk, this is a MUST-HAVE CD.

They've been gone for way too long. I'm glad they came back just as awesome as I remember them. Its hard to pick a favorite track. If you've liked their other works, chances are very high you will like this.

It has been quite a while since the last Smile.dk album, and it was quite worth the wait. Tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 11 are the best. The new singer blends seamlessly into the Smile.dk style and is a great fit fro the group. If you like Smile.dk, you NEED this CD.

Despite it's powerful tunes and influence on the DDR series Smile.dk isn't the kind of group whose CD's are easy to come by. Thank goodness for Amazon because this CD is a "must have". There is a lot of Japanese references but you don't need to be a manga/anime geek to feel the energy behind their music. It really is a party for all.

Bubble Gum at it's finest, Buy it.

Hanna, the newest member of Smile.dk, is a very talented singer and joins the equally talented Veronica for Smile.dk's 4th and latest album which, as expected by any fan of the group, is of the consistently high quality we know and love.

Comparable to earlier albums, Party Around The World features all upbeat songs with a couple of slower numbers thrown in for good measure. The music is mostly in the same style as earlier albums, although it definitely has a fresh, modern feel to it.

Smile.dk's fascination with Japan continues to shine through the dancey music and the lyrics are great, especially on my favourite track 'It's In Your Melody' ("you are the strain on my guitar" - genius!). You might have to look up a couple of the Japanese words that are thrown in, but this only helps to enrich you culturally!

An utterly awesome album and I hope Smile.dk continue to make us all smile for years to come :)

I really like their way of doing their style of music. I would happily buy any and all of their past, current and future music. I just love their beat.

This CD is very entertaining. It is dance/techno kinda stuff but I am so sick of the sad depressing stuff the Americans are putting out lately. I took a chance and I am glad I did. I bought their other CD from Music Japan and it is even better!

I too agree with the reviews that this music on this cd is bubblegum pop at its finest. There are many upbeat and fun dance/pop songs from the Swedish group Smile.dk on here that every song on this quality cd has creative substance. This is one of those rare cds where every song on the compilation stands on its own. The following are the songs that I would recommend listening to first before playing the whole cd:

"Temptation Island"- A very energetic and fun summer themed song about allowing your free spirit to rein, and allowing oneself to experience all the good things that life has to offer.

"Koko Soko"- A very unique song that has a lovely fusion of Japanese, electronic,dance, and trance music fused together. The song is about making a connection with someone that is very special and brings much joy and light.

"Summer Party"- A great summer-themed musical track about dancing, having a good time, and letting oneself act a little wild and uninhibited (with the use of the lyrics used of "acting naughty").

"Hummingbird"- A great melody about finding ways to feel good in your life regardless of external circumstances (the upbeat music used in this really adds to the positive strength of the song)

"Paradise"- This is a more mellow and calm song. However, both the lyrics and music are very beautiful and give you a feeling of being in your own personal heaven. It is a gorgeous song about creating heaven on earth for yourself, and wanting to "give heaven" to the person that gives those positive feelings of being "in paradise".

I have had this cd since December 2008, and I find it even more enjoyable to listen to than when I first purchased it. I was still in the navy at the time, and I was looking for music to play at work that would put me and others who work around me in a good mood. Please understand that I appreciate my time that I spent in the navy, but it was important to me find music that would help add to creating a positive work environment (especially since I was lucky to work in an area that allowed music). I fortunately found what I was looking for in purchasing this cd because even one of the supervisors at the time found this music enjoyable, and asked me who the group was. Listening to this cd (when I first bought it back in December 2008) gave me an emotional boost regardless of whether I was playing it at work or at home. This cd still is great to listen in order to increase euphoric feelings regardless of the location it is being played. This is an all purpose compilation to listen to whether at work, home, and/or excercising (such as walking or running).

I am not a fan of Smile because their songs are good but the songs get old very fast to me. I do have their old CDs but I can only listen to the songs couple times and I have to put the CDs away. Best to use their songs to make ring tone for your phone though.