2017 – KPOPREVIEWED

[Review] Reboot – TVXQ

December 30, 2017December 30, 2017Posted in JPOP, ReviewsTagged TVXQLeave a comment

This year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards’ voting period will end in a day. This is your final chance to support your favourite artists and songs of 2017. To get voting, please click here.

This is the final review of the four that I wanted to do. Originally, I was going to review another track released a few months back but I have decided to go with a more recent comeback. TVXQ recently came back to the music industry with solo songs after their respective military enlistments. Reboot is their first comeback as a duo since 2015 in both Japan and Korea.

Right off the bat, Reboot will probably suit any Japanese anime as an opener or ending credits. The takes a turn when it approaches the chorus. It transforms into an upbeat musical sound, which works well with its preceding section. The second verse seems to slow down and lies somewhere between that anime associated first verse and just a standard pop track. The bridge of the song is a little off-putting in my opinion. It isn’t terrible but it is the only part that I feel doesn’t fit. It has the basic instrumental layer that runs through the entire song but the rapping just doesn’t connect well. For the rest of the song, the vocals were quite good and it has the potential to become quite catchy. Not fond of the ending, mainly because it seems to be an extension of the bridge. But overall, for a song about ‘Reboot‘, it definitely works.

The start of the music video is like a mini-movie, just there really is no storyline associated with it. The only thing that I can gather is like it tries to make an epic story out of the return of TVXQ. It has the cool factor down but maybe not as attention-grabbing as you expected. I feel like that first portion could have been left out altogether and allow the video to get to the song, which I am sure everyone wanted to hear. But that might just be my preference. I like the various sets of the music video, giving off a futuristic but grand feeling to it.

The choreography is usually the other main aspect of the TVXQ music videos. Reboot has a pretty cool choreography but I don’t find it as amazing as some of their performances that have wowed us. I don’t have any specific comments to make with the performance besides that.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.75/10

As the full music video isn’t officially out on YouTube, I have decided to link the Naver version of the music video, which I am hoping is the official music video. Click here for the video.

[Review] Fly – UKISS

December 29, 2017December 27, 2017Posted in JPOP, ReviewsTagged UKISSLeave a comment

The 31st of December is fast approaching and that marks the end of the voting period for this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you have yet to vote and support your favourites, do so quickly by clicking here! Your voting could be the decider!

UKISS has been relatively quiet in South Korea this year. They released an album (Solo & Unit) at the start of the year, which is also the final release by UKISS to feature Kevin, who departed the group at the start of March. UKISS reformed into a 5-member group and released Fly (the main focus of today’s review) in October. Not particularly sure what some of the members are doing but I am aware that Jun acted in Avengers Social Club (highly recommend this drama) and is participating in the rebooting program, The Unit.

Fly is the third Japanese song that I am reviewing and it is one that I am particularly excited to talk about. What makes this song sound so damn good is the chorus, which is quite unexpected. For my explanation to make some sense, you need to have listened to the song. It starts slow and almost acoustic in nature. The vocals were extremely soft. Once the raps kick in, providing some intensity, the song starts to build up. But the drop/chorus was not what I had expected and it felt much more epic and appealing. It felt aesthetic even though it seems grounded in the pop genre. Each member sounds extremely good, their voices contrasting well with the music. But the member that stood the most for me was Soohyun whose vocals were just right each time I heard him (especially when he does the pre-chorus). The ‘Let Me Fly‘ seems to be cliche lyrics in many songs but it still remains to be an addictive icing on this particular song. The electric guitar during the final chorus is so freaking good and fits in so perfectly. Overall, I really liked this song.

For this particular review, I will be combining the music video and choreography sections together. Why? Well, the music video contained mostly choreography and the music video didn’t have much to talk about. For the most part, the video featured ‘angry and heartbroken’ acting close up shots. I liked the night scenery that they used. The choreography was nice, pairing well with the song. Despite the song style, they went with moves that felt very graceful yet fitting for the electronic pop song. Most of the moves were ‘done before’ but it still felt fresh for this song.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Turn Up – GOT7

December 28, 2017December 22, 2017Posted in JPOP, ReviewsTagged GOT7Leave a comment

GOT7 is nominated for Best Boy Group and My Swagger is nominated for Best Japanese Song by a Korean Artist fir this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you haven’t supported them yet, do so by clicking here. Voting ends in 3 days, so get voting!

GOT7 recently made their return to Japan with Turn Up, which was released in November. This is GOT7’s first comeback in Japan since My Swagger (released back in May). A month prior to the release of Turn Up, GOT7 made their Korean comeback with 7 for 7 and You Are.

In my perspective, GOT7’s Japanese releases tend to be more centred around hip-hop genre more than their Korean releases. While it doesn’t have feature dominantly the more powerful EDM synths that were present in My Swagger, Turn Up was firmly rooted in the hip-hop genre. It did have some of those EDM synths but there were more in the background, giving a smoother feel to the song. The chorus was definitely the most memorable part, while the verses (including the rap sequences) were the most forgettable part of the song. The overall sound of the song does manage to hype you up or make you ‘Turn Up“, which I think is the point of the song.

To me, the music video attempts to be edgy and cool. And while they did manage to illustrate that, it looks somewhat unnatural. They did look like they were having fun but it just didn’t feel that convincing. Some of the flashy scenes were nice and there was really good editing between various scenes in the video. I actually managed to stumble across BTS footage of the music video shoot and the bottle flip scene was extremely painful to film (interesting fact) and nailing that is admittedly cool.

The choreography was nice, especially the moves during the chorus. I like the simplicity of the ‘Turn Up” part, which gave a more fun vibe to the dance. The ending also looked fun as well.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.7/10

[Weekly Chart] 3rd Week of December 2017

December 27, 2017Posted in KPOPLeave a comment

I hope you all had a wonderful time this past weekend for Christmas if you celebrate it or not. If you want to know why my header image is still Christmas theme (and of bad quality), I bulk prepared my header images months in advance for efficiency purposes during the semester. But things are still festive here and now we are in that awkward week just waiting for the new year to come. But until then, here is another weekly chart post!

B.A.P’s Hands Up rose to take out the number 1 spot on the charts for this week. Following closely behind are Top 5 regulars, including EXID’s DDD, KARD’s You In Me and SEVENTEEN’s Clap. To finish off the top 5, we have 1NB with their latest track Where U At.

For more of the charts, scroll down below. Here are some things that will help you denote the chart:
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 debut on the chart
Grey (Final Week) – Song appears on the chart for its final week.

	17th Dec – 23rd Dec 2017
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Hands Up	B.A.P	(▲ 3)
2	DDD	EXID	(▲ 4)
3	You In Me	KARD	(▼ 1)
4	Clap	SEVENTEEN	(▲ 3)
5	Where U At	1NB	(▲ 19)
6	Love Is Gone	MAP6	(▲ 13)
7	Likey	TWICE	(▲ 7)
8	Runaway	Pentagon	(▲ 5)
9	I Like You	DAY6	(▼ 8)
10	Lip & Hip	Hyuna	(▲ 1)
11	I (knew it)	Sonamoo	(▲ 21)
12	Beautiful	Wanna One	(▼ 3)
13	Twinkle	Lovelyz	(▲ 7)
14	Dramarama	Monsta X	(▼ 3)
15	Peek-A-Boo	Red Velvet	(▼ 5)
16	Crazy Sexy Love	ASTRO	(=)
17	Ending Credit	Uhm Jung Hwa	(▼ 2)
18	Heart Shaker	TWICE	(▼ 13)
19	Charm of Life	Heechul, Shindong, Eunhyuk (Super Junior) & Solar (Mamamoo)	(▼ 16)
20	Black Suit	Super Junior	(▼ 3)
21	Candy	Samuel	(▲ 13)
22	The Night	Soyou ft. Geeks	(▼ 14)
23	Glass Shoes	Fromis_9	(▲ 7)
24	Chococo	Gugudan	(▲ 14)
25	Remember Me	VICTON	(▼ 4)
26	Joy	NCT Dream	(new)
27	Shall We Dance	Block B	(▲ 8)
28	Boy	The Boyz	(▼ 6)
29	This Christmas	Taeyeon (SNSD)	(=)
30	Amazing	IN2IT	(▼ 7) (Final Week)

2 songs will be leaving the charts this week (and will not appear in the charts starting from next week):

Home is Far Away – EPIK HIGH ft. Oh Hyuk
Amazing – IN2IT

Just a quick notice that next week’s chart will be published on the 2nd day of the new year (next Tuesday) as I will not be around during the New Year break. Until then, I hope you all have a splendid new year!

[Review] One More Time – TWICE

December 27, 2017December 27, 2017Posted in JPOP, ReviewsTagged TWICELeave a comment

TWICE is nominated for Best Female Group and Best Japanese Song by a Korean Artist. Have you supported them in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards? If you haven’t, click here for the poll!

This is the start of four reviews for some JPOP songs released by Korean artists. I am going to aim to do them closer to their release date starting next year, so I don’t get around to doing them months later (like these 4 reviews). Today’s focus will be TWICE first original Japanese song. Just prior to their Korean Likey comeback, TWICE released One More Time. This is their first comeback in Japan, after their debut with Signal and TT in Japan.

One More Time ended up being really addictive and catchy in nature, which is something I like, particularly the repetition of ‘One More Time’ throughout the chorus and post-chorus. The song also seems to show off a cute sound but the instrumental keeps the song from going overboard. Out of all the members, I feel like Dahyun and Chaeyoung were the best in the song. Their raps were so fitting for the deep rough electronic synth that featured in the song. The vocals are nice but they weren’t as outstanding as the raps. The autotune at the end didn’t seem it was necessary but it felt fine. But overall, this is definitely a song that has been played multiple times since release.

The music video had this cute feeling to it but overall, it felt rather generic. The video is sports centred with two main matches. Dahyun and Chaeyoung fit it out in a boxing match, while Jihyo and Nayeon get on the court for a tennis match. The other members featured in the background and some other sports. I did like the colour of the sets and some of the camera work. But there isn’t much else to say about it.

Not sure if it is the editing of the music video, but I really liked the scene at 2:13 where Nayeon moves along the line of TWICE members while dancing. It honestly looked quite cool. I also liked the choreography for the post-chorus (at 0:53).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Album Review] Going Seventeen (3rd Mini Album) – Seventeen

December 27, 2017December 23, 2017Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged SEVENTEENLeave a comment

Welcome to the final album review of 2017. While there was one major release yesterday, I am currently on holidays and bulk wrote many of the reviews released this week. You will see that particular album review next week, so please be patient. I thought it would be nice to go back in time to one year ago (December 2016) when Seventeen made their comeback with Boom Boom. That was the title track of Going Seventeen, the focus on today’s review.

goingseventeen17-2 — *Going Seventeen* Album Cover

1. Beautiful – The track features Joshua, Hoshi, Mingyu, DK, The8 and Dino. It is an upbeat track that displays vibrant energy and feels great as a Summer track (despite it being released in Winter). I think all the members that featured in the song showcased their vocals and rap skills very nicely. It was quite catchy to listen to. (9.5/10)

2. Boom Boom (붐붐) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Boom Boom. (8/10)

3. Highlight (Performance Unit) – The Performance Unit ended up releasing a music video for this track and ended up redistributing the lines for the entire Seventeen group to perform on stage. I like the mixture of pop and EDM, which allowed the Performance unit a chance to showcase more of their individual talents (including the dancing and the vocals). The drop made it epic and a standout. I usually don’t like autotune but whatever they were singing during the chorus, it sounded amazing. (9/10)

4. Lean On Me (기대) (Hip Hop Unit) – I liked how each member opened the song up with one line by singing (and this was seen a few more times throughout the song). I also liked how harsh Wonwoo’s raps sounded despite the song being more along the lines of RnB and featuring a jazzy instrumental. Mingyu’s vocals for the chorus were fresh, while Vernon’s part during the bridge gave the song some edge. It has head-bopping potential and extremely appealing. (8/10)

5. Fast Pace (빠른 걸음) – This track features the entire group. The song aims to go for a more mature sound with a strong impact from the very first second. Wonwoo’s intro and Mingyu’s 24/7 lines were the two that I remember strongly. The raps were perfect but I felt the vocals could have been huskier to make it even more sensual. (9/10)

6. I Don’t Listen (몰래 듣지 마요) (Vocal Unit) – Structurally, this is a very interesting song. Jeonghan and Joshua have softer vocals, so they had a soft instrumental to compliment the vocals. DK, Woozi and Seungkwan have more powerful vocals and they complimented the louder and more powerful instrumentals. I thought that was an example of good production. Naturally, the emotions could be felt flowing from their vocals and the ad-libs were amazing. (9/10)

7. I Don’t Know (글쎄) – This particular song featured S.Coups, Jeonghan, Jun, Wonwoo, Woozi, Seungkwan and Vernon. I enjoyed the subtle guitar in the background and ‘Woo Woo Woo’ in the chorus. The contrast between verse and chorus, in terms of intensity, was appealing. It just didn’t seem as memorable as their other tracks on the album. (8/10)

8. Flower Smile (웃음꽃) – What makes this song memorable is the fact that each member got some time (regardless of length) to show off some of their vocal talents. The chorus is also quite swayable, something I like when it comes to ballads. The emotions come in an overloaded form. What seals the deal for me is the guitar instrumental and the strong harmonies (particularly in the second chorus). (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

goingseventeen17-3 — *Highlight* Music Video Snapshot

[Review] Universe – EXO

December 26, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged EXOLeave a comment

EXO is nominated for Best Music Video and Best Boy Group. Some of the members are also nominated in other categories such as Best Japanese Song By A Korean Artist and Best Collaboration. Get voting to support them as voting closes in a few days. You can vote by clicking here!

EXO has made their return with their annual Winter mini-album, which also shares the same title of the lead title track. Universe follows the success of EXO’s previous Winter tracks such as Miracle in December, Sing For You & For Life. The album was originally meant to be released prior to Christmas However, its release was delayed until after Christmas due to the death of SHINee’s Jonghyun.

And Universe lives up to the expectations that were set by EXO’s previous Winter tracks. Universe has a very simple feel to it, especially with the lone piano in the instrumental at the start. The addition of more instruments builds up the song, turning it into a dramatic piece of music. And I totally dig this style. The other major component of this song has to be the vocals, which are breathtaking. I particularly thought the chorus was extremely well done with that “I Search the Universe‘ very addictive for some odd reason, Finally, that slow down in energy at the very end where they ease away from that dramatic sound and taking us back to the very start was very nice. It completes the song perfectly, in my point of view, making this track one of the best.

The entire video has this brown colour type of palette, which gives off a warm feeling and compliments well with the song. The barista and coffee concept also seems to add to that warm feeling, which I think is quite perfect. There are also a number of scenes within the video that show two people being tied together. But that knot break apart and the EXO members go searching the entire ‘Universe‘ for the part of the rope. My interpretation may be a little weak but that is what I could gather from some sources. I really like the how the bass in the song is timed well with the vibrations on the coffee, making the video pair well with the song. It is a really nice video to watch, overall.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10

[Special] Merry Christmas!!!

December 24, 2017December 22, 2017Posted in SpecialTagged Merry ChristmasLeave a comment

If you have not yet voted in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards, do so now by clicking the link here! Voting closes in a couple of days!

This is not a review but rather a simple message to say the following:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

And since this is a KPOP blog, here are some songs that celebrate the season of Christmas for this year.

[Album Review] Twicetagram / Merry & Happy (1st Studio Album) – TWICE

December 21, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged TWICELeave a comment

I’ll make this intro a very quick one due to the length of this post. TWICE has returned with Merry & Happy, which is the re-release of their first album, Twicetagram. Both albums and songs have already topped the charts, showcasing the success and stability of TWICE.

twicemerryhappy-2 — *Merry & Happy* Album Cover

1. Heart Shaker (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Heart Shaker. (8/10)

2. Merry & Happy – Another upbeat Christmas themed track which didn’t feel too loaded. All the members vocally shined in the song and it felt genuinely cute. Besides that, the instrumental could have been better to keep the song more interesting. (6/10)

3. Likey (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Likey. (7.5/10)

4. Turtle (거북이) – Turtle felt like a sweet song. It had a really nice acoustic instrumental which paired well with the vocals. From a song of such nature, the chorus became stuck in my head after a few listens. (8/10)

5. Missing U – Following Turtle is another acoustic song that developed into a somewhat pop-like during the chorus. It also seemed to incorporate some tropical flares in it as well. The transition between the acoustic and electric guitar was nice. In many ways, the song felt quite similar to Turtle, including the vocals and raps. Also, another catchy track. (9/10)

6. Wow – The song features retro vibes that made the song stand out slightly. Besides that, various details stuck out for the wrong reasons. The girl’s pronunciation of the word ‘Wow’ sounded like a dog barking, while the raps were my least favourite parts. Furthermore, the song felt repetitive by the time it got to the final chorus. (4/10)

7. FFW – For those who don’t know, FFW stands for ‘Fast Forward’. Given the title, the song’s tempo does not feel like it fits its name. But it isn’t intolerable. The chorus was quite nice but once again, the vocals didn’t seem to work with it. Come to the think of it, FFW does remind me of a Christmas song for some odd reason. (7/10)

8. Ding Dong – It is the one song on the album that is bound to get everyone dancing. The chorus was quite catchy and upbeat. It goes well with the bright sound that I think you can associate with TWICE. I like how there was an incline during the chorus, which I thought made the track interesting and appealing to my ears. (9/10)

9. 24/7 – The soft start of the song was really well done. Following that was a slight build-up throughout the rest of the song. It is a catchy track with many memorable moments. The addictive chorus, the clean vocal work, the subtle upbeat instrumentation and the cool rap. What more can you ask for? (9/10)

10. Look At Me (날 바라바라봐) – The “Look At Me” lines repeated throughout the song became quite addictive. The raps were also quite nice even though they were of a more standard nature. The falsetto vocals before the chorus and during the bridge were also quite intriguing. The slowdown that made up the bridge contrasted well with the rest of the track. Overall, I thought it was an interesting song. (8/10)

11. Rollin’ – I thought it was a great track but there is a part of me that thinks it could have been better. The greatness is attributed to the retro vibes coming straight from the instrumentals. I actually like the chorus, which reminds of certain songs. The reason why i think the track could have better was that the vocals/raps were underwhelming. (6.5/10)

12. Don’t Give Up (힘내!) – While I thought the instrumental was on the quirky side, there were moments where I thought it overpowered the vocals. The vocals themselves were quite good but it was clear that the rap sequences (especially the one at the end) was the best part of the entire track. The bridge felt like it belonged to a completely different song. It was another passable track on the album. (6/10)

13. You In My Heart (널 내게 담아) – I really enjoyed the fresh feel that the instrumental gave the song but its pop style is something that you hear often. The vocals don’t really add much to the song but they were extremely fitting and clean for the song. I must say that if you want something easy on the ears, this is the song for you. (8/10)

14. Sleep Tight, Good Night (잘자요 굿나잇) – It is time for that mandatory ballad. And it wasn’t as bad as I had expected it. Instead, the track contained nice vocals. It did make me feel sleepy, acting almost like a lullaby. And while that may sound like a bad track, it isn’t. Instead, it is a nice way to say the album is over and to wait for the next release (at least, that is what I got from it). (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.5/10

twicemerryhappy-3 — *Twicetagram* Album Cover

[Review] Joy – NCT Dream

December 18, 2017December 18, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged NCT, NCT DREAMLeave a comment

NCT Dream is nominated in Best Subunit for this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards, while NCT is also nominated for Best Boy Group. If you have yet to support them or any other of your favourites, click the link here to get voting!

SM Entertainment has taken the Christmas season to a whole new level with multiple Christmas and Winter themed tracks for the very fast approaching holiday season. Last week, Taeyeon kicked things off with her solo title track, This Christmas. On Friday, NCT Dream marked their return with their first SM Station track, Joy.

Joy takes my surprise due to its upbeat nature. Upbeat Christmas songs have been done before, so I don’t know why I am so surprised about the idea of it. They managed to incorporate the traditional sounds of Christmas, giving the songs of the holiday season a modern sound. However, the upbeat nature has its down-side. It doesn’t feel right. Instead, it seemed to make the song feel quite complicated and had too much going on at certain parts. The chorus features two widely known Christmas songs, Joy To The World and Jingle Bells, but instead of making a full mash-up with the two songs, they only took the iconic line from each song to form the chorus. Their vocal work was nice and the raps were cool. Though I did have a laugh with Mark’s words during the second rap chorus, mainly because they felt really random at those moments.

The music video was very golden. The choice of colours in the music video created a warm atmosphere, which is definitely a suitable aspect of the video. However, some of the stuff that was occurring didn’t reflect the Winter/Christmas season that accurately. Like you can do face-painting during the Christmas season but it doesn’t feel Christmas-related, which is clearly what the video is aiming for. As for some of the other scenes (such as the glitter scenes), it looked like the director focused more on aesthetics than the actual Christmas season. It isn’t a major issue but it does bug me to an extent.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Album Review] Ego (8th Single Album) – B.A.P

December 18, 2017December 17, 2017Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged B.A.PLeave a comment

B.A.P has returned with their brand new single album, Ego. This is B.A.P’s third comeback of 2017 following Rose and Blue. Thier title track, Hands Up, still follows B.A.P’s traditional fierce sound but their accompanying song on the album feature a somewhat softer sound, making Ego stand out to me. To see more of my review, scroll down below.

1..Hands Up (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Hands Up. (7/10)

2. Moondance – Moondance felt like something that would have fitted very neatly onto VIXX’s latest mini album. But here, B.A.P does a wonderful job with the various twist and turns that the song has. I love the pre-chorus, which gives the song only a second to build-up to a very cool and ear-catching chorus. The vocals in the song were quite nice, giving off a very attractive appeal. The raps were also tweaked from the usual fierce style to a slower pace and becoming somewhat sensual. The instrumental is quite ‘lit’ but in a subtle way. (9/10)

3. Think Hole – I love the bass during this chorus and the very soft yet catchy ‘Falling Falling Falling For You’. The contrast between the vocals in this part and the instrumental was a very appealing part of the track for me. The raps and vocals of the members were highlighted to show off their talents and skills in a subtler way (compared to their previous title tracks), which was something I like. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8/10

[Weekly Chart] Week 2 of December 2017

December 17, 2017Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Have you voted in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Award? It closes on the 31st of December, so make you sure you vote before then (by clicking the link here).

Welcome to back to this week’s edition of the Weekly Charts. Christmas season is in full swing and I partook in present shopping this year, which is a first for me. I know, how adult of me. Just an interesting fact that I wanted to share.

DAY6’s final monthly release, I Like You, took out this week’s top position on the chart, while KARD rose back to take out the second position. Charm of Life (a collaboration between Super Junior and Mamamoo), Hands Up (by B.A.P) and Heart Shaker (by TWICE) took out 3rd – 5th position this week, completing the top 5.

The comebacks are becoming a little scarce as we are reaching the final stages of the year. Mainly Christmas releases will be dominating. As far as confirmed releases go, only EXO is confirmed (as far as I am aware).

Just a heads up, this will be the final Weekly Chart to be released on a Sunday. This is because I will be taking a few days off during the Christmas period for a family trip and will not be able to post the charts on Sunday. I am hoping to get it posted on Wednesday 27th. As for the new year’s weekend, the chart will be posted on the 2nd of January 2018 (the first Tuesday of the year).

And now, I present to you, the charts for the 1st week of December 2017 and the following are some things that will help you denote the chart:
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 debut on the chart
Grey (Final Week) – Song appears on the chart for its final week.

	10th Dec – 16th Dec 2017
	Title	Artist	Status
1	I Like You	DAY6	(▲ 5)
2	You In Me	KARD	(▲ 2)
3	Charm of Life	Heechul, Shindong, Eunhyuk (Super Junior) & Solar (Mamamoo)	(new)
4	Hands Up	B.A.P	(new)
5	Heart Shaker	TWICE	(new)
6	DDD	EXID	(▲ 7)
7	Clap	SEVENTEEN	(▼ 4)
8	The Night	Soyou ft. Geeks	(new)
9	Beautiful	Wanna One	(▼ 1)
10	Peek-A-Boo	Red Velvet	(▼ 8)
11	Lip & Hip	Hyuna	(▼ 10)
12	Dramarama	Monsta X	(▼ 1)
13	Runaway	Pentagon	(▼ 3)
14	Likey	TWICE	(▼ 7)
15	Ending Credit	Uhm Jung Hwa	(new)
16	Crazy Sexy Cool	ASTRO	(▲ 4)
17	Black Suit	Super Junior	(▲ 5)
18	Fantasy	JBJ	(=) (Final Week)
19	Love Is Gone	MAP6	(▼ 2)
20	Twinkle	Lovelyz	(▼ 15)
21	Remember Me	VICTON	(▼ 2)
22	Boy	The Boyz	(▼ 8)
23	Amazing	IN2IT	(▲ 16)
24	Where U At	1NB	(▼ 3)
25	Missing You	BTOB	(▲ 14) (Final Week)
26	Day & Night	Taemin (SHINee)	(▼ 3)
27	One More Chance	Super Junior	(▲ 12)
28	Can Be Better	HIGHLIGHT	(▼ 2) (Final Week)
29	This Christmas	Taeyeon (SNSD)	(new)
30	Glass Shoes	Fromis_9	(▼ 14)

Songs completing their 9 weeks run on the charts and will not appear on the charts starting next week are:

Pinwheel	Seventeen Vocal Unit
Can Be Better	HIGHLIGHT
Missing You	BTOB
Move	Taemin (SHINee)
Fantasy	JBJ
Callin’	A.C.E

See you all next time!!!

[Review] Ending Credit – Uhm Jung Hwa

December 15, 2017December 15, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Uhm Jung HwaLeave a comment

You can actually vote many times for the 2017 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Some categories are extremely tight, while the leading nominees constantly change. So in order to get your favourites to win, make sure you continue voting!

Uhm Jung Hwa is back with her latest track, Ending Credit. She previously made her last comeback at the end of 2016 with the first part of her mini-album, The Cloud Dream of the Nine. Her return 1 year later features the second part of her mini-album, where Ending Credit is the main track. Uhm Jung Hwa also collaborated with Lee Hyori in another track (Delusion) which also features on the mini-album.

I dig this song a lot. It sounds very plain when you listen to it the first few times. But after a while, it caught on very quickly and is soon becoming a song that will dominate my replay list. The song is so smooth and just fits into the genre of music that I am loving. The chill side of the song is so damn good and the first few seconds (before she starts singing) would be fitting for many TV shows currently on our screens. Once she starts singing, you can identify the retro vibes that dance track is trying to portray. Her vocals glide very easily over the instrumental, giving it a very strong (in a subtle way) presence. It isn’t a catchy song, but somehow it manages to become impactful. And even more mysteriously, it has me going back for more.

If a particular music video is 100% retro, then Ending Credit is probably at 110% retro. From her outfits to the lighting, to her hairstyle, the video takes you back to the 80s. And I really enjoyed all of it. Even the hazy filter that was placed over the video looked so damn good. The theatre was a nice place to set the entire video, giving it an aesthetic look. And to complete the video, it featured its own Ending Credit.

The choreography looks nice. Parts of it reminds me of voguing, while other parts felt like a normal upbeat dance. I want to see a full live stage (mainly because the one shown on Weekly Idol looks extremely promising and that full theatrics would make it an iconic stage), but the chorus looks so nice.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

[Album Review] Infinite Only (6th Mini Album) – Infinite

December 15, 2017December 14, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged INFINITELeave a comment

With a rumoured comeback for January next year, I thought it would be nice to have a little trip back in time and look at Infinite’s last comeback. Infinite Only is the group’s 6th mini-album, released in September 2016. This was the last comeback to feature Hoya, who did not renew his contract with Woolim Entertainment earlier this year.

infiniteinfiniteonly-2 — *Infinite Only* Album Cover

1..Eternity (Intro Track) – This track will not be included in the review. It features a really dramatic orchestral piece that is very Infinite-esque that eases you into the title track.

2. The Eye (태풍) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for The Eye. (9.5/10)

3. Air – Song starts off slow and eerie. But that lasts only for a few seconds before you are launched into an epic dubstep/EDM styled drop. It made the entire track become instantly intense. While the instrumental did remain dubstep/EDM based, the chorus sounded a lot like a traditional pop song. The bridge slowed the song down, but it made the song appear nicer. (10/10)

4. One Day – This track is a soft rock style ballad, which is quite pleasant to listen to. I liked how the instrumental was dynamic. Rather it is the minor details that make me think the instrumentation is dynamic. The vocal work is great but I felt the raps stood out, adding a more intense touch to the song. (9/10)

5. True Love – Out of all the tracks on the album, I felt like this one is the most out of place. It has a jazzy sound, which feels like it suits a more elegant tracklist. Not saying that EDM and rock are not elegant but it just doesn’t fit the overall feel of the album. I have to admit, however, the vocal work in this song is the best on the entire album. (7/10)

6. Thank You (고마워) – It is a fan-service song. A way to say ‘thank you’ to the fans. It is very nice on the ears and feels suitable for a warm Spring day or Autumn day. The harmonies during the chorus of the ballad and the lyrics made the song feel a lot more wholesome and warm. (8/10)

7. Zero – The album ends with another epic track. It grabs you from the very first second with its explosive synths and (yet again) EDM based instrumental. I thought the vocals would have drowned out in comparison to the rest of the song but they were nicely balanced. The high note at the end was spectacular. As the final song, it brings you to the edge of your seat and creates an intense finale. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

infiniteinfiniteonly-3 — Infinite Only Teaser Image

[Review] The Night – Soyou ft. Geeks

December 14, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Geeks, SoyouLeave a comment

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With many famous collaborations under her name, Soyou has officially embarked as a solo artist with her solo debut. With the unfortunate disbandment of Sistar earlier this year still haunting us, Soyou has taken this opportunity to show off a different side with her title track, The Night (featuring The Geeks) and her mini-album, Part 1 RE:BORN.

While I did expect something along the lines of her collaboration works, this one has a different sound to what I am used to. It makes sense, given her need to remove herself from the safety of Sistar and her duets with big names in the industry. Her song is quite nice, giving off a warm atmosphere through her vocals. It has a sweet and happy tune to it, which is something I like, mainly since Winter seems to focus largely on ballads. The melody makes the song quite catchy but I wonder how long the song would stick around. The song doesn’t necessarily feel like a song that should constantly be replayed but it is definitely a nice sound. Geeks added a nice touch with their delivery fitting the song’s tune very neatly. It’s definitely not Soyou’s next Some song but there is a decent sound to it.

The music video seems to show Soyou preparing for her date and shows her excitement for the date (as per the information taken from the description box to the music video). At the start, she is rehearsing what she expects will occur at night (i.e. cooking the ramen, drinking the blue bottle alcohol) but it seems her dates takes an unexpected turn as she returns home alone. At the very end, her head somehow lands into her date’s lap, which surprises her. It’s a nice video that makes sense with the lyrics. I like the brightness of the colours and the camera work that featured in the video.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Hands Up – B.A.P

December 13, 2017December 17, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged B.A.PLeave a comment

Did you know that B.A.P is nominated for Best Male Group for this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards? To support B.A.P and your other favourite groups, click here to get voting!

B.A.P has officially returned with a brand new single, Hands Up. 2017 has been a big year for some groups, B.A.P being one of them. With solo work included, B.A.P has already returned with two singles, Wake Me Up and Honeymoon. So their year is completely jam-packed from the very start to end. And to round out that year is this particular comeback.

When I first saw the title, I thought the song would be something like getting hyped for a party of some sort (I guess my mind is in holiday mode at the moment). It was extremely surprising (for some odd reason) when it came out to be a lot serious and leaned towards a darker hip-hop sound. The instrumental remains consistent throughout the entire song. And while it did get a little repetitive towards the end, the consistency works well with the serious nature of the track. It also made the song feel a lot smoother when it came to the vocal parts of the song, which I pretty much liked. The raps are also stand-out sections of the song, particularly Bang Yong Guk’s, which is the most intense part of the track (and his husky voice makes it 100% better). The ‘Go Hands Up’ becomes addictive after a few listens. I just feel the song lacked energy and did not do enough to give it that ‘wow’ factor that I like to surprise me when it comes to this type of music.

The concept reminded me of Young, Wild & Free. Young, Wild & Free’s music video felt isolated but I would imagine a similar video to Hands Up would be produced if they threw in a few more people. It attempts to be edgier than any other video but instead, it felt very standard and plain. I like how they managed to rug the members up in the cold weather but still maintain a look suitable for the music. And I think this is the first time I am going to say this but I am not a fan of the camera work in this video. Some of the shakier shots were distracting.

[Updated] The choreography was nice but it wasn’t that appealing and memorable. Some parts lacked energy (complimenting some comments I made previously) while others parts were more energetic (i.e. chorus). Though, it managed to showcase a tense atmosphere, which I thought made it look decent and right up B.A.P’s alley.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 6.5/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 7/10 [Updated]