Tablo Fever's End Album Review and Information

Tablo's first solo-album Fever's End was written during a very difficult period in his life. His fame with Epik High was on the rise, especially overseas in America and Canada, when his cousin posted on the articles about Epik High about how Tablo was a liar and wasn't the academic man everyone thought he was. This situation was blown completely out of proportion; people were claiming that his masters degree from Stanford was fake. Later on, people also accused him of stealing the identity of another Daniel Lee. One of the leaders of the controversy declared that they must use violence to get the truth out of Tablo and his family.

*The complete album was released on November 1, 2011. The first part of the album, including Home, Bad, Airbag, The Tide, and Try, was released on October 21, 2011.

My Rating: 5/5

Home with English Translation, Romanization, and Hangul

Home is a sad song about how Tablo couldn't even leave his apartment during the TaJinYo controversy. People were even threatening his family. Tablo had an infant to take care of and felt paranoid when taking her to the doctor because he didn't know if he was one of those anonymous members making death threats. Whenever he left his home, he was anxious and paranoid. Sometimes he was confronted by angry mobs or just given cold looks. Lee Sora's voice is so haunting and depressing at the same time, portraying the emotions in this song perfectly: “Though I try to take a step out, I cry at the doorstep.”

My Rating: 5/5

Bad Music Video

Bad with English Translation, Romanization, and Hangul

Bad expresses the darker side of love that can be obsessive and even abusive: "You became the reason I open my eyes." Love changes a person, but not always for the better. Tablo conveys this in the song by saying that everyone says that you're different, pointing out how you are no longer filled with love and have stopped smiling. This happens when you forget the existence of your friends and family and allow love to consume you, until it comes crashing down. You spend way too much time with the other person and place a tremendous amount of importance on them. The passion and love eventually go wrong: "It became the reason to breathe, but now you block my breathe."

Although it may seem like this song applies to romantic relationships, I think that it can also be about other forms of love among friends and family. Love can definitely go wrong there too as is described in the song.

My Rating: 5/5

Airbag with English Translation, Romanization, and Hangul

Airbag is a very beautiful song about being unable to prevent something bad from happening. In a way you know it's coming, but it's too late to change your course. Therefore, you need something to help lessen the fall you take. You need someone there to help comfort you, but there's no one there when you crash. I love how poetically Tablo tells a story and expresses these emotions in this song.

My Rating: 5/5

The Tide with English Translation, Romanization, and Hangul

A song about the struggles in life. The Tide is full of powerful visual language that makes you really imagine and feel the story Tablo tells you. When he said to breathe a sigh of relief, I did. Then he added that the world is a net, causing me to smile in amusement. (I'm amused easily.) I really like how Tablo ended the song as well by instructing to hold your breathe and then breathe and drown.

My Rating: 5/5

Try featuring Bumkey

Try is about being regretful that you didn't meet your significant other during a better period of your life. If you had met when you are happy, things would have turned out much better. Despite the wrong timing, you are determined to try to make everything up to that person and give them the life they deserve.

My Rating: 5/5

Tomorrow with English Translation and Romanization

Tomorrow is about being stuck in the past as if time stopped for you at one moment. However, the reality is that time stops for no one. This song is also about waiting for that person to come back to you, refusing to move on with your life.

My Rating: 5/5

Trace with English Translation

Trace is about the over-consumption of people in the world, particularly in developed countries. This song points out how many of the products we use and ingest each day came from poverty and deprivation, but how many people think about that or realize it? How many people are thankful? He says that one man's poverty is another man's luxury. I love this song because if you are feeling down about your life conditions, it reminds you that it could be worse. We take too many things for granted, including electricity. Sadly, it sometimes takes losing it to finally be grateful.

My Rating: 5/5

Dear TV, a song completely in English, is about how television feeds on the injustices of the world to entertain people. As the saying goes, people prefer to hear bad news than good news.

My Rating: 5/5

Thank You for Breathing with English Translation, Romanization, and Hangul

Thank You for Breathing is an upbeat song about finally being able to pick yourself back up and overcome the depression that consumed you. You begin to see the good things that are still left in your life. It's a very personal song for Tablo, but I think many people can relate to it and have their spirits lifted by it. Just thinking about what Tablo has been through and came out from stronger, inspires me. I know that if someone can survive that and come out smiling, then I can do the same.

My Rating: 5/5

Expiration Date with English Translation, Romanization, and Hangul

Expiration Date is about being abandoned and forgotten. This is another personal song for Tablo because he lost his fame because of the TaJinYo controversy. Expiration Date is also about the fear that comes with such a situation. I think many people can relate to this song. Who wants to die and be forgotten? Don't you want your name remembered somehow and in some way?