SHINee – 1000 Years, Always By Your Side

I know I’m a bit late posting this (sorry, Julyssa).

However, forgive me for being too enraptured with the actual visual concept of this video to properly express how I felt. As their second official Japanese single, 1000 Years, Always By Your Side (1000年、ずっとそばにいて・・・) is actually quite a powerful PV. It not only showcases the groups vocals — a quality that seems to be overlooked in lieu of intricate choreography, or the decidedly less relevant murmurings about their at times shaky group dynamic — it highlights a pleasantly introspective bit of storytelling.

I’d rather not give away plot or story; however, the power of the images is quite unexpected. With an intelligently subtle color palette, allowing the actual story to unfold without the flash and bang of many of the music video offerings of both J- and Kpop, the video is a decidedly sophisticated step beyond the idol image the group has cultivated. Beyond the story, the video itself is just a classy and mature new offering from one of SM’s hardest working idol groups.