Sherlock (EP)

Sherlock is the fourth EP of the South Korean boy group Shinee. The EP consists of seven tracks, including the title song "Sherlock (Clue + Note)", a hybrid remix of the two songs. It was released on March 21, 2012, in South Korea under the label S.M. Entertainment, and was distributed by KT Music. The album was made available online worldwide on March 19, 2012. The EP was Shinee's first Korean release after a year and 6 months hiatus.
The album was commercially successful in South Korea — the title track topped the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album charted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart with about 135,000 copies sold in the month of March, setting the record for most album sales in March 2012. It also placed 10th on the "Billboard" Weekly Heatseekers Albums and 5th on the "Billboard" Weekly World Albums charts.
Background and release.
"Sherlock" is Shinee's first Korean release after a year-and-a-half hiatus since the reissue "Hello" in October 2010. The EP was physically released on March 21, 2012 but was made available online worldwide on March 19 through online music sites such as Melon and iTunes.
The choreography for "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" is characterized by a distinctive style, and is the work of the choreographer Tony Testa.
The music video for the title song was released on March 22. It was directed by Cho Suhyun and shot in early March at the studios in Namyang-ju. Shinee can be see in an 1800s-like museum acting like detectives working on a case. Girls’ Generation's Jessica makes a special appearance in the music video as a mysterious female lead who offers a decisive clue in figuring out the incident. The music video exceeded one million views in a single day.
A Japanese version of "Sherlock (Clue + Note)", written by Natsumi Kobayashi, was included as one of the two tracks on their fourth Japanese CD single "Sherlock", which was released on May 16, 2012 with the Japanese original song "Keeping Love Again" as a B-side.
Composition.
The album consists of seven songs in a variety of styles, including "Stranger", the main theme song of "Strangers 6" with a melody composed by Kenzie. The song was first released in Japanese, as a bonus track on their debut Japanese album "The First". The lead single "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" is a hybrid remix, which means it consists of two independent songs ("Clue" and "Note") remixed together to create a new song. The lyrics describe Sherlock's solving of a crime through logical "clues" and intuitive "notes". The title song combines the lyrics from the two songs to create a single storyline.
"Honesty" was written by member Jonghyun with the help of bandmate Minho, who wrote the rap lyrics, and expresses the group's appreciation towards their fans. "The Reason" features a guitar solo and strings, while "Alarm Clock" was also written by Jonghyun and tells about a man who wants to wake up from the nightmares of a breakup. Minho participated in composing the rap.
Commercial performance and reception.
On March 22, 2012 the group started their official promotions and performed the title song for the first on "M! Countdown". This was followed by appearances on other South Korean music programs such as "Inkigayo" and "Music Bank".
The album sold over 135,000 copies and was ranked number one on the Gaon Album Chart, making it the most sold album in March 2012. The title song "Sherlock (Clue + Note)" topped the Gaon Digital Chart and was ranked at number 10 on the Gaon Download Chart for the month of March, with over 740,000 downloads. The song was named as one of the "50 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time" by "Rolling Stone", which stated the song proves how innovative and experimental K-pop can get. The seven songs from the EP also debuted on the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart: "Sherlock" (number one), "Note" (number 18), "Alarm Clock" (number 23), "Clue" (number 24), "Honesty" (number 26), "Stranger" (number 27) and "The Reason" (number 31).
It became the fifth most sold album of the year in South Korean, with over 180,000 copies sold. The album placed on number five on the "Billboard" World Album chart as well as at number 10 on the "Billboard" Heatseekers chart. In April the group won first place for two consecutive weeks on "Music Bank" and three times on "Inkigayo". Shinee performed their final music stage via KBS's "Music Bank" on April 20 and MBS's "Music Core" on April 21, 2012.
Hwang Sunup of "IZM" magazine gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the experimental attempt to create the title track "Sherlock" by mixing up "Clue" and "Note" as well as the lyrics for each song. However, he was disappointed with the remaining songs on the album, stating these feel more ordinary compared to the impact of the first three tracks.
Track listing.
Credits adapted from the official homepage.