Month: November 2016

[Review] Gorilla – Pentagon

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[This review was written and scheduled a few months back in preparation for my absence in December. The standard posts for the end of the year (comebacks I have missed in November & December, the end of year charts + KPOPreviewed awards will be written and posted after my return. No weekly charts will be uploaded for the last week of November and all of December.]

Pentagon is a 10 member boy group who debuted back in October with the track Gorilla. The group is currently under Cube Entertainment. The members were chosen via the show Pentagon Maker. All of the members selected on the program and a few eliminated contestants went on to form Pentagon. In the end, the group comprises of Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, E’Dawn, Shinwon, Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino & Wooseok.  Jinho was originally a part of SM The Ballad and Hongseok participated in the survival program for iKON (but was eliminated).

Can’t say I like the song, but I don’t hate it. It is a song that I am on the fence about. Considering just the title, it makes me laugh. It is a title that is very out there and doesn’t allude to your typical track. It kind acted as the deal breaker for me. The song (removed from the title in my head) actually sounds pretty good. They have a solid beat that formed the basis of their song. And the song progressed quite smoothly. I would have enjoyed the song a little more if the chanting “Gorilla Gorilla” was completely omitted. (Once again, I just can’t take the title properly). Not many Gorilla references in the lyrics, but some of the lines were questionable: “Everyone wants to pick you like a strawberry“. Hmmm.. But besides, I liked the instrumental. It has a nice pop/hip-hop vibe and I mentioned the cool beat before. Their vocals and rapping was pretty good.

As a concept, Gorilla sounds pretty ordinary. This is KPOP we are talking about. A genre where the concepts that artists go for when it comes to videos and performances aren’t that ‘normal’ in Western culture. While some people seem to be able to piece out a story with the various different scenes, to me, it just seems like a bunch of shots made to string together. They look like they have no relevance and don’t flow from each other. Some relevance to gorillas. while some relevance was directed to the group’s name, Pentagon. The group choreography was well shot but not that focused. I assume to match the craziness of the dance and the music, those shots were out of focus and shaky. Overall thoughts on the video: it is a mess. That or I am really confused.

However, the choreography for this debut is smashing. From what I can see, the group has a lot of potential in this department. The dance at the chorus has to be one of the few dances of the year. It matches the Gorilla concept pretty well and the song. Looks funny but after a while you overlook it and see a great dance.

Rating – 5.5/10

 

[Double Review] Still 24K + Bingo – 24K

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[This review was written and scheduled a few months back in preparation for my absence in December. The standard posts for the end of the year (comebacks I have missed in November & December, the end of year charts + KPOPreviewed awards will be written and posted after my return. No weekly charts will be uploaded for the last week of November and all of December.]

This is my first time reviewing 24K , so let me give you a rundown of the band. 24K is a boy band under Choeun Entertainment, who debuted in 2012. The group has had lineup changes since debut and currently, the seven members of the band are: Cory, Kisu, Jeonguk, Hui, Changsun, Jihong and Hongseob. The band debuted with Hurry Up and went on to release songs such as Secret Love, SuperFly & Hey You.

Still 24K is a pretty cool EDM track. The instrumental is hard-hitting, upbeat and given you are listening to the song with surround sounds, it would  sound amazing. I like the vocals of the song. The rapping sounds rough, suiting the song, but sounds very staged and manipulated. The chorus is quite simple: ‘Still 24K, Still 24K”, but the instrumentals here are definitely the peak of the song. Bingo is another EDM track that has a much deeper and serious tone to it. It sounds like a little bit of rock is also infused into the song. The vocals and rap in this song are okay. Like Still 24K, Bingo doesn’t have much of a chorus but this time around the instrumental where the chorus should be isn’t that good. It is quite underwhelming and doesn’t sound smooth as the instrumental chorus in Still 24K. I like the ending of Bingo, because it is quite like an adrenaline rush. But that feeling should have been much earlier to make it even better. Just by reading this part of the review, I think you can tell which track I like better (Still 24K).

The two music videos join together to form one large story arc. 24K is a gang that, in the video, conducts heist to steal money and jewlery. Previously, they had visited one of these places to check it out and they find out that it is the jackpot. They start planning for the heist. It seems like the girl, who is in a relationship with the guy with greyhair, doesn’t agree that he should be doing this and they get into an argument. He kisses her, but she doesn’t seem too pleased. As they leave, she makes eye contact with brown hair guy and he nods towards her. They successfully pull of the heist, however the two guys I mentioned get into a fight. As they are celebrating the success, grey hair guy gets a message that says his girlfriend has been kidnapped and that the mysterious kidnappers demand more money. Hence the guys go back. However, the police gets tipped off and a massive gun battle proceeds. The gang barely makes it out. However, they end up facing the kidnappers. The gang end up trading the stuff they stole in exchange for the girl. However, plot twist. She starts laughing, which confuses the gang. It turns out that the brown hair guy from earlier is also in love with her and they both decide to trick the others to get more money. That shocks the gang (like really eye bulging shock). The two opposing sides get into a gun battle and the gang is severely killed. The girl and the brown hair guy leaves and live on. Overall, it is a pretty good story to watch. Another one that is almost movie quality. My main complaint falls onto the second video, Bingo. I don’t mind the flashbacks, but since the first music video  focused on the almost unsuccessful heist already, most of the scenes in the second music video were not needed. Maybe one scene for a refresher. I felt the music video became a little too repetitive because the events were later revisited. But that’s just my small complaint.

Both dances are really cool. I just felt Still 24K’s dance was a little weak for the song (i.e. it was performed quite strongly, but the dance moves themselves didn’t seem strong). Bingo’s dance was perfect for the song and revisited the whip a few times.

Still 24K – 8.5/10

Bingo – 7.5/10

[Review] One More Day -Sistar & Giorgio Moroder

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Sistar has made an unexpected return with a collaboration with the legendary Giorgio Moroder, who (for those who don’t know) is a DJ and artist, who started Italo disco and electronic dance music. Yeah… I have heard of him in the past, but I didn’t know who he is exactly. What a Google Search can do nowadays… On with the review because there is a lot to talk about.

One More Day is one amazing track. The instrumental is smashing. And goes very well with the vocals of the group. The verses sound deep and low, but still amazing. In contrast, the chorus stands out for being more brighter and catchy. Bora’s rap segment is quite short (which is a disappointment) but extremely fitting with the song. Everything strings together quite well. The most important thing of all, you can hear the influences of Europe and Giorgio Moroder in the song, mainly because the instrumental isn’t like any other song from my memory. But despite that, you can hear those international influences, the song still manages to fit in with KPOP and Korea. Just I do have another comment to make. Sistar’s line distribution does it again. Bora’s segment was too short and I felt like Soyu would have added a nice touch to the chorus. The vocals just feel like a simple copy and paste.

The music video is one of those videos that is on a whole new level. So what happens? (I will refer to the short hair girl as A and long hair girl as B). The girls, I assume, are just friends at the start. But as the video progresses along, the girls start to develop feelings for each other. However, while this is all happening, A  is in a relationship of her own (with her boyfriend). This makes the B extremely jealous, which A becomes aware of. From what I also see, A seems to be abused by her boyfriend, which angers B. Especially when the three are together and A’s boyfriend acts all lovey with A. After a night out with B, the girls run into the boyfriend and they get into a scuffle. The boyfriend gets angry at A and slaps her across the face. B gets angry and tries to protect her lover. B grabs a brick, while A grabs wine bottles and the two end up killing the boyfriend (or rendering him unconscious). Knowing it is for the best, somehow they pack his body into a suitcase and wheel to it an empty field. They blow up a car with the suitcase inside and walk away.

The acting here is amazing. The chemistry is quite strong. Throw in the fact that the video contains tabooed topics in Korea,  you can see what level the music video is on. It takes on the social issues that videos in South Korea don’t really refer to, in fear the video and artists are criticised for it. Maybe killing people is not the way to go, but hopefully, this video draws attention to these issues (homosexuality and domestic abuse) in Korea and the world.

Rating – 9/10

 

[Review] Milky Way – VIXX

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VIXX has released a brand new song to end their Conception trilogy. The album compromises all the title tracks for the trilogy (Dynamite, Fantasy and The Closer), along with any tracks that were released with the title tracks and the addition of Milky Way.

The song is pretty good. I like it how VIXX does end up releasing a song that more bright and happier than their any of their latest releases. It is a song for the fans, who have supported them. A way to say thanks to their Starlights (VIXX’s fanclub) and other fans. There is a classy and elegant feel that you get when you listen to the song. It is a song that, at least for me, gets my feet tapping along. Everything in the track has this very smooth or sleek feeling. The vocals and even Ravi’s rapping are not hard-hitting, rough or powerful. But each members vocals / Ravi’s rap are shown off and you can definitely hear their talent in this song. The song needs more of a hook, in my opinion. Honestly, it is something that I would forget about it now, but rediscover in a months time and then complain to myself how forgot about this song. But nonetheless, the song is still pretty calming and nice to listen to now.

Since this is a music video for the fans, I don’t think it would be fair for me to be critical about it. After all the track and video itself are presents from VIXX to the fans. The video was shot with 600 fans. It also shows the guys being themselves on stage, with an ocean of fans around them. I assumed the video also uses some of the shots taken by fans. To be honest, given the stories about fans recently, they look very well behaved here.

Rating – 8/10

[Review] White Night – UP10TION

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UP10TION is also another band which had a busy year. They previously made their comeback with Attention and Tonight this year. Now they are back with their 5th mini-album, titled as Burst. Their latest title track is White Night.

It’s one of those tracks, where you won’t get into it by listening to it once. Rather, it will take a few listens to actually start liking it. At first, I thought the song was boring and forgettable. But listening to it a few more times have tempted me on putting this track on replay. The EDM-infused instrumental is amazing. It sounds edgy, tough and strong. It sounds rough (not in a bad way). I liked the “Burning Out” start. That really caught my attention. Started the song on a high for me. The beat seemed to be diminished after that intro. But as you progressed with the rest of the song, everything builds up. I think the first verse felt a little too empty without the added layers in the instrumental present in the later parts. The vocals and rapping were pretty good. The instrumental for the dance break was superb as well. Also, everything seemed a little too fast. Maybe small breaks in the song (particularly after the first chorus where everything seemed to be placed side by side and almost sounded like a blur). But besides that, I really enjoyed listening to the track. Already replayed multiple times.

The video is a little confusing. But using fan theories (from the comments section of the video) and my observations, this is my take on the video. 3 friends (Hwanhee, Kogyeol and Wooshin) used to be best of friends. Kogyeol died in an accident caused by Hwanhee on the ice hockey, thus breaking the friendship up (Wooshin blamed Hwanhee for Kogyeol’s death). Back when Kogyeol was alive, he had a girlfriend played by Somi from I.O.I. After his death, the video kind of alludes to the other two friends competing with each other. However, towards the end, it turns out that Hwanhee blamed himself for Kogyeol’s death, and gave a puck with Kogyeol and Somi’s name on it and his dead friend’s helmet. I guess this is his way to trying to make himself feel better and supporting Somi through the loss. Wooshin, on the other hand, somehow jumps to the conclusion that his former friend caused the accident on purpose, so Hwanhee could be with Somi. Wooshin confronts Hwanhee and they get into a fight. In the end, I think Wooshin realizes the truth on what Hwanhee was actually doing. That’s my take on the story. They showed the beginning at the end and the end at the start and I guess that threw me (and some other people) off. It was a very intense video that seemed like a mini-movie. I think it is a really good video to watch.

The dance is amazing. They have returned with a dance that is fitting for the song. Movements looked cool and very sharp. The dance break was pretty good.

Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] U – KNK

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KNK made their debut at the end of February of this year with Knock. They made their first comeback in May with Back Again. Now, they are back with a new single, U.

U is a very popping and strong track. The son reminds me of their title track. The song tried to feel as intense as their debut track but fell short of that goal. The vocal work and the rapping in the song were okay. The song did feel a little bland and monotone. They didn’t deviate from that straight line analogy and it did become boring. It was as if the later parts of the song were copied and pasted over and over again. There wasn’t anything that seemed different from the first chorus and the last chorus, which is commonly using different lyrics or ad-libs are added to give the song that final peak or impact. [Relistening to the song one more time, there are ad-libs. They were just completely drowned out]. Also the instrumental sounds good but it is as if the producers could not decide on it and decided to join multiple instrumentals. Some parts were fast tempo, others were slow. It just did not flow well together. It was almost sounded as if it was jagged. I do still think the song is still worth listening to as it does share that common ground with Knock and Back Again (i.e. all their songs do remind you of KPOP a few backs and do aim / are intense to listen to).

No music video was released for this track due to poor editing and quality. That is a pretty dangerous move for a rookie group from a small company. I understand that they might not need a budget, but a music video goes a long way.

However, they did release a Performance Version, which I have included below. But that just shows the choreography. And yes, KNK was shown themselves off again with they sharp dance moves and fast footwork. Did you see the “U, U, U” part of the dance?  While I have seen it in the industry before, it still looks amazing each time.

Rating – 7/10

[Review] 11:11 – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Taeyeon has had a busy year with the release of Rain and  Why. However, she has added another single to the list with the release of 11:11 a few weeks back. It seems like SM Entertainment is making the most of Taeyeon’s successful solos with these constant releases.

Taeyeon’s ballads have always been standouts for me. I, Rain and now 11:11 all sound spectacular. They are all different songs in their own right. In my past reviews, I have said I and Rain are both vocally charged songs. There is also a hint of emotion in Rain. In 11:11, the emotions are heard more readily and strongly. Some people may think it is a weak song due to its soft nature, but from how I hear it, the emotions are oozing out of this song. The very simple yet bold acoustics in the instrumental and her dreamy vocals make this a song enjoyable to listen to (despite her singing about a breakup). It’s slow, but not too slow. The “na na na” leaves a long lasting impression in my mind and it makes me go back for more. It is a perfect song for the Autumn/Fall months. Give Taeyeon’s ballads a try because out of the three she has released as a solo artist, there is bound to be one for everyone.

The music video shows a couple breaking up. It threw in some flashbacks when the couple used to be more happy and loving. The transitions between different settings and between flashbacks looked nice. But besides that, the video was quite boring. It didn’t captivate me like how the song captivated me. There wasn’t much appeal to it. I’ve mentioned slow-motion recently in many of the past reviews. It matches the tempo and beat of the song. But it slowed everything down here and it dragged the video out for me.

Rating – 8.5/10

 

[Weekly Chart] 3rd Week of November 2016

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Hi all,

I have decided that this chart will be the final chart of the year. I realised that I do not have enough time this week to do a whole heap of final reviews, get ready for my trip and do the charts. The charts will be back next year!!!

In the meanwhile, you can refer to my announcement. You can also complete the survey to allow my to improve the site. More info in the announcement post.

A lovely reminder of the what the colours in the status column mean.
Green (↑)  – Song has gone up in ranking
Red (↓) – Song has gone down in ranking
Blue (=) – Song has remained in the same position as the previous week
Orange  (new) – Song debuts on the chart
Grey (Final Week) – Song appears on the chart for its final week.

 13th Nov – 19th Nov 2016
Title Artist Status
1 Decalcomanie Mamamoo (=)
2 TT Twice (↑ 2)
3 The Closer VIXX (↓ 1)
4 Paradise Hyorin (Sistar) (↑ 9)
5 TIAMO T-Ara (↑ 4)
6 Very Very Very I.O.I (↓ 1)
7 I’ll Be Your Man BTOB (↑ 1)
8 Skydive B.A.P (↑ 3)
9 Playing With Fire BLACKPINK (↓ 6)
10 Confession ASTRO (new)
11 Hard Carry GOT7 (↓ 1)
12 Tell Me What To Do SHINee (new)
13 Hey Mama EXO-CBX (↓ 10)
14 Blood, Sweat & Tears BTS (↓ 2)
15 Feel So Good IMFACT (new)
16 11:11 AM Taeyeon (SNSD) (↑ 8)
17 New York Mamamoo (↑ 12)
18 Don’t Believe Berry Good (↓ 2)
19 Better Day 100% (↓ 1)
20 The Rain Ladies Code (↓ 5)
21 The Eye Infinite (↑ 4)
22 I’m Fine VICTION (↑ 9)
23 Bingo 24K (↑ 17)
24 Fighter Monsta X (↓ 4)
25 It’s Raining Snuper (new)
26 Besides Me Davichi (↓ 3) 
27 Stay BLACKPINK (↓ 13)
28 Gorilla Pentagon (↓ 21)
29 Only One APINK (↑ 3)
30 Make It Rain Bastarz (Block B) (↓ 1)

Some songs won’t make it to 2017 and technically will be removed before hand. It’s a pretty long list, so I might as well specify them now:

  • Dancing King – EXO x Yoo Jae Suk (Peak: 6)
  • The Eye – Infinite (Peak: 3 (x2))
  • Stand By Me – BTOB Blue (Peak: 11)
  • Bobby Doll – Song Ji Eun (Secret) (Peak: 1 (x2))
  • New York – Mamamoo (Peak: 13 (x2))
  • Only One – APINK (Peak: 4)
  • Doo Doom Chit – Crayon Pop (Peak: 10)
  • Hard Carry – GOT7 (Peak: 1 (x3))
  • Fri. Sat.Sun – Dal Shabet (Peak: 2 (x2))
  • Fighter – Monsta X (Peak: 2)
  • Stay As You Are – Sandeul (B1A4) (Peak: 13)
  • Home – Ailee (Peak: 12 (x3))
  • 1 of 1 – SHINee (Peak: 3)
  • Fanfare – SF9 (Peak: 18 (x2))
  • Blood, Sweat & Tears – BTS (Peak: 4)
  • Gorilla – Pentagon (Peak: 7 (x2))
  • Besides Me – Davichi (Peak: 3)
  • Better Day – 100% (Peak: 14)
  • The Rain – Ladies Code (Peak: 1)
  • Love Is – Davichi (Peak: 13)
  • Fall – Crush (Peak: 19)
  • Give It To Me – Se7en (Peak: 8)
  • Very Very Very – I.O.I (Peak: 1)
  • Bingo – 24K (Peak: )
  • TT – Twice (Peak: 2 (x2))
  • Love Like This – Hyorin (Sistar) ft. DOK2 (Peak: 30)

[Review] Blah Blah – Kyuhyun (Super Junior)

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Kyuhyun has returned with a new ballad. This is his third round of promotions as a solo artist. He has released mini-albums in both 2014 and 2015, with both becoming extremely successful. His latest release has 2 title tracks: Blah Blah and Still (which I will not be reviewing).

Blah Blah is the type of ballad that gets you swaying to the music. As soon as I play it, my head just starts swaying. That is a sign of a good ballad. Hahaha… Honestly, if the verses had a little something to make it interesting, I would have dug into this song a lot sooner. But as mentioned, the verses are quite plain and that gives the song a weak opening. But as the song proceeds to the chorus, Kyuhyun starts showing off his vocals and it sounds wonderful. I love how his voice starts off literally soft and then it increases in power and volume as the song goes on. The lyrics tell a story of nervousness in front of a lover when trying to confess. The use of “Blah Blah” as the title put me off, but overall, it made sense in terms of the lyrics.

Come watch an Asian guy get a hair cut and have his beard shaved. The majority of the video is essentially that. Kyuhyun gets a hair cut in slow-motion. While it is shot in slow-motion to match the speed of the song, it is incredibly boring to watch. The other parts of the video include flashbacks to Kyuhyun wanting to confess to his friend/crush (implied from the lyrics). Finally, the video shows a car crash, where Kyuhyun’s car is flipped. The video made it look like he was on his way to confess. That makes it a sad video to watch. The hair cutting scenes filled in the start but also added to the ‘getting ready’ for the night, which does make it sadder. The video was shot nicely and overall, was also nice to watch.

Rating – 8.5/10

 

[Review] Tell Me What To Do – SHINee

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SHINee has returned with the repackaged album of their 5th album, 1 and 1. Their title track this time is Tell Me What To Do. Their previous title track, 1 of 1, was deeply rooted in the retro sound. They returned with a more modern and contemporary feel with this track.

Tell Me What To Do is a far better song that 1 of 1, in my opinion. I personally like it a lot more than their original track, which as mentioned above, is more retro. This time, the guys settled for an electro-pop song, which (if you haven’t got the message yet) sounds amazing. On top of that, their vocals here are probably one of the best in the year so far. I was blown away when I first heard the song. It has a catchy catchphrase that literally echoes in my head every time I listen to it. The track is also quite addictive to listen to as well. But while I probably am kind of referring to the song as a perfect song, it isn’t. The only segment of this song which I want to remove and erase entirely is Minho’s rap. It is by far the worst rapping sequence that I have heard of this year. There doesn’t seem to be a rhythmic base to it, which annoys me. His rapping is not horrible and we have seen that through the years. It is just that one part that has let me down. But besides that, I would personally recommend this song to anyone who wants to start listening to KPOP or SHINee.

Briefly, the video is as follows. SHINee and this girl form a group of friends. They kind of do everything together. However, Minho and Taemin both form a crush on the girl. Minho makes the move first, which makes Taemin jealous. So when Minho and the girl get into a car to have so fun (or go somewhere), Taemin rigs the car, which then bursts into flames, killing both his friends. The rest of SHINee try to save the pair, but it is too late. Taemin ended up killing his crush as well in the accident, and he takes his life. It is a really dark plot to write out and to portray. Everyone in the video acted really well in the video and I think that also made the video so much better. The closeup shots and visuals of the members were also nicely shot. Overall, the cinematography was amazing as well.

I’ve only seen one performance so far. Vocally, it is amazing. The dance doesn’t have that same effect, however. It does look anaesthetic in my point of view (in regards of the ribbons). The rest of it looks okay, but a tad weak for the song.

Rating – 8/10

[Review] Feel So Good – IMFACT

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IMFACT has returned with a brand new song. They made their debut at the start of the year with Lollipop. This is their first return since their debut.

IMFACT’s debut put them on the map for me. Feel So Good is a complete change around and it does take them off that map. They went from a completely bright and fun sound to a dark and boring feel. Usually, I listen to songs multiple times before even attempting a review (hence why my reviews are like 5 weeks behind schedule), but I have only listened to the song a total of 3 times (give or take). So what is the song? The song is a deeply infused hip-hop song that is trying to go to underground and failing miserably. The only part which I like about the song is the vocal part just prior to each chorus. The chorus itself consist of a deep and slow sounding “Feel So Good“. The chorus either feels dragged out too much OR completely empty (literally). I didn’t like the change to ballad/RnB for the bridge. Vocals were okay. Rapping was a little too try-hard. I feel completely terrible with this review. But that is what I feel about the song. Disappointed.

Someone do something about the dreadlocks. WHY??? Why are you doing this?? TThey clearly went back in time and collected their entire wardrobe from the 90s. Maybe back even further. I don’t even get why one of them is bearing a beret. I guess this is what you get for wanting to be fashionable to everything you go to. Even nightly fights. Oh, right, the plot. The video consist of slow motion running, planning and fighting. It seems like they are infiltrating a base of some kind, but you don’t really know what is going on because everything (minus the choreography scenes) is edited with slow motion slapped across it. It makes the entire video painful to watch.

Okay, I feel exceptionally mean today. But let’s move onto a part of the comeback which I think is a solid effort. The choreography. Given how the song is, the dance moves all fit the song quite well. Slow dance moves for the slow chorus. Fast dance moves for the more faster parts of the song.

Rating – 2/10 (I apologise)

Announcement + Survey

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Hello all,

A few weeks back I said that I would have an important announcement to make. I should make that announcement before I completely forget about making it entirely (because I think I said it would be up last week).

Well, the announcement is basically as follows: I will be going away for the entire December month and hence will not be able to review any of the comebacks during the last week of November and any comebacks in KPOP that occur during December. Now that doesn’t mean that I will stop reviewing. I have scheduled a lot of reviews and wrote them ahead of time. They carry a message to inform you all that I wrote them a few months back. They will be mainly tracks or comebacks that I missed or passed over due to time constraints.

This will also mean that I will not be able to do any of the end-of-year charts or KPOPreviewed awards until after I return, which will be in 2017. Once I return, I should also attempt to knock out the reviews for December as fast as I can.

In the meanwhile, I ask for your help. I am looking at ways to improve the site in the new year. I just need some feedback or thoughts about this site and the reviews I write. It is a simple survey that as basic questions about you (nothing too personal hopefully –  I just want to know about my demographic that I am writing to). I also ask questions about my reviews and the weekly charts. I’d appreciate it if you complete the survey and look forward to reading your responses.

Click to access the survey here

Enjoy, Troy.

[Review] Confession – Astro

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Astro is back in the season of Fall with a brand new song, Confession. This is their third mini album to date since debut, with their previous releases including Hide & Seek in Spring and Breathless in Summer.

To me, Astro’s songs keep on getting better and better. Currently, they are probably one of my few picks to be the best rookie of the year. The song boasts a very strong and defined instrumental that shows off guitars and drums (aka. a band). The vocals and rapping by the band are superb in this song. None of their parts seems to be awkwardly placed or irrelevant to the song. The combination of the song and vocals make it feel as if it is an anime opening song. More on that a little later, though, but sounds perfect for an anime. There is just one thing that disappoints me and that is the ending of the song. It is too sudden. Just by writing this review and playing the song in the background, I honestly thought that YouTube crashed or something. It’s quite disappointing since the song is quite good and is left hanging like that. As if the producers had no idea how to properly end the song and left it as it is. The song peaked (for me) at the end, so the ending pretty much ruined the upbeat and happy feels that I was getting from the song.

Now, about that anime opening. I am reading everywhere that this video reminds people of the drama W(which I believe is anime or manga as well). I haven’t watched W yet but I know enough to agree with some people who say both drama / video are similar. Not saying one copied the other, just very similar. Essentially what happens is at the start of the video, the girl confesses to a guy with her drawings but is rejected (quite harshly, may I add). She then goes around being alone. Astro is part of her drawings and follows her around. Not sure if she sees them, but they are a part of her imagination. Towards the end, when all the members are gathering around her, Eunwoo remains behind and sheds a tear. He probably realises that he is just a fragment of her imagination or an image on several pages, and that means he will never be with her. I enjoyed watching the video. The way it was shot looked really cool. The close up shots looked as if they were introducing characters in a TV show or anime as well.

The dance by the group was quite cool. This time around, the group still went with that playful vibe and added a cool vibe as well. Their movements are a lot more precise and in sync with each other.

Rating – 8/10

[Review] Paradise – Hyorin (Sistar)

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It has been 3 years since the release of Hyorin’s solo debut album, where she promoted One Way Love. After 3 years, she has returned with a brand new mini-album, It’s Me, which features the main title track, Paradise. Along with Paradise, she released 2 pre-releases: Love Like This (featuring DOK2) and One Step (featuring Jay Park). She also collaborated with Jooheon from Monsta X on another track on the album.

I find the track quite underwhelming. It isn’t terrible. It may sound stupid, but since Hyorin has amazing vocals, I am still waiting for that one track that blows us all away. This track, plus her previous solo track have not done that yet, and that disappoints me. Out of all the songs that I say the singers are holding back, this song probably will top that list. Some parts sound good with her voice, but she needed to do a little more towards the end. Capping the song with more ad-libs (but not overdoing it) could have made the track a little better. What we have here is good, but sounds limited and tame. Honestly, the song, despite being catchy, felt dull and repetitive. The Latin-inspired instrumental remained the same throughout (minus the dance break) and that dulled the song quite a bit. The producers managed to change it up quite nicely at the bridge with the beat drop (which was quite unexpected, but I like it) but they just went back to original beat straight away and that didn’t captivate me or give it that wow factor. Also the “Yeah, I’m different, Uh, huh, my temperature is different” (during the chorus) sounds forced and quite uncomfortable. Overall, disappointed with the track.

The music video was okay. There wasn’t much to it, besides Hyorin being sexy and dancing. Some of the sets look amazing. I know I have said that I dislike the projections that appear in the video in the past. But the projections here were pretty good. That sets plus a few others gave the video a very nice elegant and classy feel. Some of the other sets, like the shower one, were hideous in my eyes. And they didn’t show a classy or elegant side. I have to agree with a few comments on YouTube, but the stylist this time didn’t do a good job. As I said in the past, I have a hideous fashion sense, but even some things in the video have me going ‘huh?’.

The choreography looks boring and uninventive. There is also a very uncomfortable look that she has while performing the song. I don’t know if she is uncomfortable with singing the song, dancing to it or performing just by herself after so long, but that did affect the performance for me.

Rating – 4.5/10

 

[Review] TIAMO – T-ara

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T-ara has finally returned with a brand new mini-album. Their latest mini album titled as Remember, which features the title track, TIAMO. It is said that this song will be a ‘mid-tempo, warm and sensual’ track.

Like what was promised, the song is a lot different from their past releases. It has a softer sound, suiting the upcoming cold season in the Northern Hemisphere. I actually like the song a lot. It is something a little different than what we normally get. But T-ara has proven themselves to be a girl group that is versatile with the various music that they release. They sure know how to bring the catchiness out of their songs, even when you don’t think it will be a great song or a song that won’t be catchy. There isn’t anything about the song that disappointed me. Everything within the song was pretty good. The vocals from all the members were superb and flawless. The line distribution is usually off when it comes to T-ara but I guess the line distribution this time around can be described as fair. As I said the song fits the upcoming Winter season and this can be credited to their soft vocals and a very warm feeling from the instrumental.

The music video is pretty boring to watch. Jiyeon standing in a field with a mirror floating about. She basically looks into her reflection clutching her mobile phone, which shows her love is ringing her. We cut into a scene where she is on the other side of the mirror and I assume is looking for a way out. There are keys on the trees around her and a lock on the door. I assume she is trying to a find a way out but realises she can’t. Now, Ti Amo is Spanish for ‘I love you’, so my guess is that this video is talking about holding on. I not entirely sure if that is right, but that is my guess. It just is very dull and boring to watch. Besides that, the girls all look very pretty in this video. The sets did a pretty good job at emphasising and highlighting their prettiness. Oh and the sets look pretty good as well.

The dance was also fitting, but at the same time, bland and boring. I think I am watching their promotions this time around for their vocals and song, rather than dance.

Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Skydive – B.A.P

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B.A.P has finally made their return with their second album to date, Noir. They came back this year with Feel So Good and That’s My Jam. Unfortunately, Bang Yong Guk, the leader of B.A.P was unable to participate in the promotions for Skydive due to health concerns. You could feel that his presence was missing during the comeback stages and I hope  that Yong Guk will get better soon to return to the stage.

Skydive is a very powerful song. There is no doubt about it. It’s instrumental is quite fierce and aggressive, especially during the chorus, when the song reaches its peaks.  I also quite like it, but I am a little disappointed at times. Let’s start off with what I like about the song. The line distribution is quite equal this time around. Daehyun, who usually gets the majority of the lines in B.A.P songs, has fewer lines than Youngjae. This is definitely a great opportunity for Youngjae to use his vocals, which he did pretty well. Jongup and Himchan also saw an increase in the amount of lines that they usually get.  The vocals are also quite amazing as well, fitting the fierceness of the song. Jongup, once again, shows a great improvement in vocals. His raspy and hoarse vocals were just one of the highlights of the song. The instrumental is really cool as well. A bit of rock, EDM and hip-hop can be heard in the instrumental. I also liked the small dance break instrumental at the bridge. Let’s move onto things that I felt was disappointing. The rapping sounds tame for me. It felt underwhelming. Also, the ending of the song sounds a little too messy for my liking. Listening to the song off the album, that isn’t the case, but every time I watch a live performance, it feels like everyone, at the end, is clashing together and that doesn’t sound good. Maybe they aren’t hitting the right notes, but it is something that stands out to me.

Another mini movie in the music videos. So many these days, I spend a lot of my time trying to decipher the story nowadays. Anyway, the cinematography  in this video is top-notch. The acting was a little awkward at times, but it wasn’t bad that is ruined the video. Let’s move onto the plot line. Hahaha.. The plot line is far too long to write here, so you can click the link at the end of the paragraph to access my interpretation or shocking retell of the video. This gives you guys a chance to watch the video and see for yourself. Of course, there are spoilers, so be sure to watch the video first. It is an excellent storyline. The entire video is awesome. The movement between the plot line and close up shots of the guys dancing and singing wasn’t that distracting and I thought they added more depth. Usually, I don’t enjoy them, but this time around, it kind of heightened the suspense for me. I do have one thing that would have improved the plot of the story into a stronger story, and you can see that at the end of the synopsis/interpretation, by clicking below.

To read about the plotline and some pointers that I point out regarding the video, CLICK HERE!!!

The dance is very strong and fits the song perfectly. I am a little confused about the start, which Himchan is furiously looking into the camera. But besides that, I think everything looked cool. From the chorus to Jongup’s solo dance break, this is a performance that everyone should see.

Rating – 9/10