Month: April 2017

[Review] Hole In One – VARSITY

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

VARSITY is a 12-member boy group currently under CSO Entertainment. They previously made their debut at the start of the year with U R My Only One, which I ended not reviewing due to time commitments. However, they did appear on my Weekly KPOP Charts, peaking at 19th position. This is the group’s first comeback since their debut.

Hole In One is a complete change, compared to their debut single. U R My Only One was a much darker song, which sounded more dramatic and tough. However, their new single is bright and vibrant. While I do prefer the darker and stronger sound from boy groups, there have been many instances where boy groups have put out iconic bright songs that everyone loves. In this case, however, I am torn when it comes to the song. This song falls in the “not bad” category, where most of those cute songs end up.  Their vocal work is pretty good but their raps are the standout in the song. I was blown away from the raps. There were some parts of the song that had a nice chill vibe going through, such as the post-chorus section. While it did manage to appear on my radar in the past week, the song isn’t catchy enough to remain on my radar for much longer. For the most part, it felt flavourless and didn’t have much of a hook. The instrumental also could have been a little more vibrant or at least faster. The song felt sluggish and slow for the most part, which didn’t present well when I first listened to it.

The video is okay, more typical than anything else. The guys essentially find a cute girl and end up following her to the golf course, where she eventually teaches one of them golf. Though it drew on the song title, it was a sad attempt of incorporating golf into the story line. I am also suprised that she wasn’t creeped out by 12 guys following her around. Anyway, I didn’t mind the choreography scenes in the video. I thought they looked quite good. As for those random scenes where some girls were just dancing along to the music, I honestly do not get why those scenes were included in the music video. It didn’t really fit with the rest of the video.

As for the dance, it was good for the slow tempo that the song had. It, too, matched the song’s bright and vibrant energy, which shows another side of the group to the audience.

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

[Weekly Chart] 4th Week of April 2017

Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Welcome to the final week of April 2017. Once again, I hope you all have had a great week. Just a heads up but I am currently bracing for the final weeks of the semester, so the release of the reviews for the month of May maybe a little awkward. From what I hear, the first 2 weeks of May is going to be a little empty due to the elections in South Korea, so that will provide me with the chance to catch up.

Laboum maintains their throne at the top of the charts for the second week in a row. Monsta X and SF9 rise into the top of the charts of this week, in fourth and fifth position respectively. As for second place, K.A.R.D’s latest single, Rumour takes over this position, while third place goes to IU with her collaboration with G-Dragon, Palette. All of the top 5 songs from last (aside from Laboum’s Hwi Hwi) saw a drop in the charts. Some drops were quite drastic, so scroll down and see where they are!

As mentioned before, a few news outlets have mentioned that due to the South Korean Presidential Elections, companies will be avoiding this week (and possibly the following week) and few artists will be returning. The weekly music shows have been confirmed to not be airing next week. However, that being said, there will some artists releasing some new content including Triple H, Lovelyz, VAV and Junhyung from HIGHLIGHT. In addition to them, but BoA’s, VARSITY and Secheskies’ releases from the previous week will be included in next week’s charts.

Here is a legend to help you understand the chart’s status column below:
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.

23rd Apr – 29th Apr 2017
Title Artist Status
1 Hwi Hwi Laboum (=)
2 Rumour K.A.R.D (new)
3 Palette IU ft. G-Dragon (Big Bang) (new)
4 Beautiful Monsta X (↑ 2)
5 Easy Love SF9 (↑ 19)
6 Across The Universe JungGiGo (new)
7 Night Rather Than Day EXID (↓ 4)
8 Through The Night IU (↑ 36)
9 Never Ever GOT7 (↓ 2)
10 Coloring Book Oh My Girl (↓ 1)
11 I’m Serious DAY6 (↑ 3)
12 Really Really Winner (↓ 4)
13 Pattern Lee Hae Ri (Davichi) (↑ 38)
14 Love Is Teen Top (↓ 4)
15 Back:Hug Snuper (new)
16 Wonderful Love Momoland (new)
17 Rollin’ Brave Girls (↓ 2)
18 How Can I Say DAY6 (↑23)
19 Ending Scene IU (new)
20 A Girl Like Me Gugudan (↑ 9) (Final Week)
21 Between Us CN Blue (↑ 7)
22 Ninano Gong Minzy (↓ 9)
23 2GETHER INX (↑ 15)
24 Will You Go Out With Me? DIA (new)
25 I’ll Be Yours Girl’s Day (↓ 23)
26 Lonely Jonghyun (SHINee) ft. Taeyeon (SNSD) (new)
27 Hate That I Miss You Lee Hae Ri (Davichi) (new)
28 Plz Don’t Be Sad HIGHLIGHT (↓ 11)
29 Steal Your Heart Unit Black (↓ 13)
30 Make Me Love You Taeyeon (SNSD) (↓ 10)

Songs leaving the chart this week (and will not appear starting next week):

Title Artist Peak Position No. Of weeks in Top 30 Final Week’s Position
Let Me Love You JungGiGo & Chanyeol (EXO) 18 1 55
Circle’s Dream Subin (Dal Shabet) 27 1 –
WoW! Lovelyz 7 (x2) 7 40
Love Line HIGH4 32 – 56
Reminiscing Ailee 31 – –
A Girl Like Me Gugudan 5 (x2) 9 20

Someday

 BTOB 23 3 54
Fine Taeyeon (SNSD) 3 4 39

See you all again next week!!!

[Review] Spring Rain – BoA

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

BoA is finally back with a new single, in the form of  SM Station release. It has been a while since we heard from the soloist. Last year, she also participated in another SM Station release, No Matter What, which also features Beenzino. Prior to the release of Spring Rain, she called her company out for writing her name incorrectly on the teaser image.

Spring Rain is another experimental track that goes nicely with all the other SM Station releases. The song also delves into the R&B genre. I have probably heard this style before somewhere but there is something that makes this song quite unique and fresh. The first is her voice. The song really allows her voice to shine. From the chorus to the long note at the end, everything sounds amazing with her voice. The second aspect is the instrumental. It is honestly quite calming and refreshing. The song’s lyrics aren’t exactly bright as other Spring songs, such as Would U by Red Velvet. However, the instrumental has a bit brightness to it, while still complementing the darker lyrics. It is honestly a type of instrumental that I wouldn’t mind listening to by itself. There are whispers at the start and the end of the song. I don’t mind them and they seem to contribute to the aesthetics of the song. However, they really don’t do much to the rest of the song and sound like it belongs elsewhere, rather than this particular single. That being said, the song overall sound pretty good, as well.

Once again, SM Station has gone with a video with a lot of aesthetics, which works well with the song. I personally love videos with odd camera angles and the way filters were applied to the video makes it look urban and industrial. It is like they took a whole bunch of stockpiled videos and manage to work it with their idea of the music video. The video itself shows a couple at the start of their relationship and (what I assume) the breakdown of their relationship. While the video was edited to be in slow-motion, the acting the video is quite good. Their scenes together don’t seem to do much, but when they are by themselves (i.e. the lady walking around and the guy just laying on the bed), the scenes become stronger and adds more meaning to the video. Overall, it was a nice video that went well with the song.

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

[Review] Wonderful Love – Momoland 

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Momoland has returned with their first comeback and Wonderful Love. The group debuted with Jjan! Koong! Kwang! at the end of 2016 and the song has since grown on me. The group has added two new members, Daisy and Kim Taeha, bringing the total members of the group to 9.

Wonderful Love packs a punch. The song a very grand feel, which follows on nicely from their catchy chorus in their debut song. Like their debut song, this one has me singing along. It’s really catchy and within a few listens, it has me coming back. I love the instrumental, with the grand orchestra feel that I am always a sucker for. The cutesy sound doesn’t feel like it is over-the-top. Instead, it feels lesser than what we heard before. I love the dynamic chorus. While the song does fall in the cutesy category, the chorus gives the song have a much grander feel and it is quite dominating. It’s another song that makes me smile, especially the lyrics of support. Overall, the song is made to grab your attention and that is something that the song definitely does. It is definitely a strong song, one that is unexpected from the pool of cutesy songs that I am used to. And it is one song that is worth listening to.

The music video is okay to watch. There isn’t much to talk about the video at the start but once we get to the end of the video and song, the epic feels of the song are channelled nicely in the video. The video largely consists of choreography shots and close ups. However, the video does mix in scenes where the girls hang out and have fun around the theme park, which the video is shot in. What makes it epic (for me, at least) was the final choreography shot which brought in many backup dancers to join in. It made the video look pretty cool. I know, probably doesn’t look that epic. But with the music, it came off as cool and epic to me.

Now, the part of the review that I was wanting to write. It is ‘dab-central’ with this dance routine. Quite unexpected and quite ridiculous. But it is extremely fitting for the song and I love it. It may be an odd combination but I continually find myself going back to the performances, which means they have done something right.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Lonely – Jonghyun (SHINee) ft. Taeyeon (SNSD)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , , Leave a comment

Jonghyun has returned with his newest compilation album. The album titled, The Collection: Story Op. 2, is a follow-up to his previous compilation album, The Collection: Story Op. 1, which contained the main track End of a Day. The main track from the new album features Taeyeon from SNSD and is titled Lonely. A compilation album, for those who don’t know, consists of songs that have been previously released or recordings that have not been released before. Some of the tracks have been unveiled on Jonghyun’s radio show before, while some are new releases.

The song falls into the ballad category, as expected. And it is a good ballad. The song opens up with a simple piano tune and it remains a simple sounding song throughout. There is a small dose of catchiness in the song that makes it goes a long way. I cannot resist the urge to sing along to the “I’m So Lonely” lines. The vocals of both Jonghyun and Taeyeon dominate the songs, however still maintaining the balance with the instrumental. Their voices compliment each other quite nicely. The only thing that doesn’t fit right in the song is the emotions in their vocals. It is a sad song, judging from the lyrics and the overall tone of the song. And while I can hear the emotions in their voices, it was subtle and at times lacking. While I am glad that it is not “in-your-face”, it made the lack of emotions made it feel dry and generic at parts. Furthermore, the song really didn’t seem that memorable. Besides that one line (mentioned early on in the paragraph), I don’t really remember much from the song after listening to it.

The music video fits the loneliness that the song presses on about. Only Jonghyun features in the music video and he looks lonely. There were some scenes that were powerful, especially the one with the tallies on his arm. Overall, the aesthetics of the video made it looked cool, despite it being slow and empty. An example would be the camera shots. Rather than focusing on Jonghyun, they focused on his mouth, which occupied only part of the screen. It probably doesn’t look that fancy but I thought it looked cool. You would think I would find boring, but rather I thought it complimented the song quite well. Besides that, there isn’t much else to talk about (and I am stopping myself here before I start rambling on about other irrelevant stuff).

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

 

[Review] Back:Hug – Snuper

Posted in KPOPTagged Leave a comment

Time to add another already-debuted group to the site! Snuper is officially back with their first comeback for 2017, with the title track Back:Hug and the mini-album, I Wanna?. The six-member boy group (currently under Widmay Entertainment and debuted in 2015) landed on my radar after the release of It’s Raining. Other songs from the group’s past discography also include You=Heaven, Platonic Love and Shall We Dance.

After their groovy track, It’s Raining, I expected a track equally as groovy and catchy. Back:Hug attempts to get there, but it just doesn’t feel right. The instrumental is EDM based, more precisely the tropical house style of music. It was good, but it felt flat, with no parts attempting to flare up and stand out in the song. The same could be said with their vocals. Some parts sounded good, other parts felt very dull and disconnected to the rest of the song. Honestly, the two seemed like two separate layers coming together, with little attempts at making them match or blend with each other.  The raps were pretty good. I could tell that they tried to follow the same structure as It’s Raining though, which is pretty smart. However, all of what I have said so far could be thrown out of the window. A similar structure could simply be the selling point for me. I can see this track growing on me, mainly because it reminds me of their previous track. However, for now, the song overall falls short of reaching the goal of topping It’s Raining for me.

There isn’t much going in the video for Back:Hug. The video consists of many close up shots, which are all shot in different areas and choreography scenes, which how most videos go nowadays. There really isn’t much appeal from the video, which does disappoint me. The camera work was interesting, which the camera shots angled abstractly, which made it look trendy. There is an aspect of the video which I didn’t really understand. But some parts were slowed down for just a few seconds, which really made the video feel dragged out. All of that being said though, I don’t mind the video. I don’t find it overly boring, which is a big plus, given what the video compromises and how it doesn’t really stand out in the crowd.

Those few seconds of slowing down made the video feel dragged out, but they also slowed the choreography down. So I tried to watch a live performance of it, and I think I can say that for the majority of the choreography, the dance feels just right. However, the verses felt a tad slower than the tempo of the music, which stood out. Their dance break was quite good. Short, but cool to watch.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] Rumour – K.A.R.D

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

No, it is not a ‘rumour’, but K.A.R.D is officially back with another single. K.A.R.D is a four-member coed group who previously released Oh Na Na last year and Don’t Recall earlier this year. They have yet to make their official debut but have been using these pre-debut singles as a way to build up a fanbase and get some recognition, similar to what Mamamoo did before they debuted.

Similar to their other singles, the group has gone for the tropical house genre again, but this time mixing a reggae sound into it. It suits the upcoming Summer season in South Korea. While I do like their song this time, it does feel a little flat. There is enough for me to know that they can be somewhat versatile with their music, but unless they start changing up their sound entirely (such as moving away from the tropical house sounds), they are going to get boring fast. I personally don’t enjoy autotune that much, but they didn’t seem to overuse it that much here. Instead, it allowed the guys to open the song and actually sing, besides rapping, which is a little different from their past tracks. I also liked how they merged into with the girls. There is a small part at the end of each chorus where the guys start to sing, then the girls join in and the 4 of them finish off that one line. The instrumental break is cool and the vocals/raps overall were probably their best thus far. The question is, did I like it? Not initially. It seemed generic (hence my comments) but a few listens in, I can see it getting a bit more addictive. Give me until the end of today and I probably am just going to be playing this song non-stop.

I personally liked the music video. It’s dark but not too dark, so each time I am watching it, I am trying to see if there is anything new. So far, I have noticed a few things that I haven’t noticed in the few times I have already watched the music video. Their visuals here are no joke. Each of them looks amazing in the video and the lighting just showcased their visuals even more. The only thing that I thought was odd was the mobile phone frame for the video. It looked cool but it just felt so limiting.

It seems like K.A.R.D will continue to put out key point dances for all of their choreographies. This one is quite easy, unlike their last one, which involved strong ankles. I have no idea what it is called, but it fits the reggae and tropical vibes of the song quite nicely. The rest of dance looked quite cool as well, from what I could see from the music video.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

 

[Double Review] Hate That I Miss You + Pattern – Lee Hae Ri (Davichi)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , Leave a comment

You may recognise Lee Hae Ri as one-half of the powerhouse duo Davichi, who debuted in 2008 alongside Kang Min Kyung. Skip forward almost 9 years, and Lee Hae Ri officially made her solo debut this year with the release of her first ever solo mini-album, h. Pattern is the pre-release, while Hate That I Miss You is the mini album’s title track.

Hate That I Miss You is your typical ballad. I expected that Lee Hae Ri would go down the ballad route and this is exactly what I had in mind. I did expect a little more to the instrumental, but this is still good. The song’s instrumental is only a piano in the background, which does make it interesting to an extent. But it did become dry quite quickly. But what kept the song going was definitely the vocals. It dominated the song and her voice just blows you away, especially those high notes at the end of the song.
To me, Pattern was the song that stole the show. As I mentioned before, I had expected Lee Hae Ri to release ballads for her solo, since that is what she and her group member is known for. But instead, we got this indie and upbeat track from her that was something completely unexpected from her. Still falling under the umbrella genre of a ballad, the song is amazing to listen to. Her vocals are shown off here as much as they are in Hate That I Miss You but the instrumental gives it a better kick. The song has a very nice melody. Her launch into the chorus and the chorus sounds like a different song altogether from the verses, but they were pulled together with a consistent instrumental, which I loved. It is a simple song (as well) when you listen to it, but it hits all the right notes.

The video for Hate That I Miss You is pretty simple. The artist is just sitting in a room, playing the piano while singing to the song. There isn’t anything else to talk about in the video, besides it is visually a nice video with the camera shots but it doesn’t have much to captivate me with.
Pattern‘s video shows an edgier side to Lee Hae Ri. The visuals and aesthetics in this video are really good, which suits the unique side of the song. There were moments where she maintained eye contact with the camera, which was tad creepy. Throughout the video, she reminded me of a doll. From the way she had a blank facial expression to the way she sat throughout the video. Altogether, the video comes off as pretty creepy, which (to me at least) makes it interesting to watch, although I don’t know what is really going on.

Hate That I Miss You
Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

Pattern
Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.5/10

 

[Album Review] Palette (4th Full Album) – IU

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged 1 Comment

I said a few days ago that I would write an album review for IU’s latest album, Palette. And everything went perfectly okay until Ending Scene was released with a music video on Monday. Which reminded me that we also got a teaser for Jam Jam, which probably means there is a music video of Jam Jam as well. So the issue is now, when shall I do Jam Jam‘s review? Ultimately, I have decided to not do another full review for Jam Jam and will only do the song review part here as part of the album review. Let’s get this show on the road!

Palette Album Cover

1..Now (이 지금)  – The instrumental consist of classical instrumental which makes you remember the music of the past. It is a very bright song overall, with a cuteness element mixed into it somewhere. However, her voice does bring some elegance to the song, with its mature tone. It is instantly a song that makes me smile and I like it a lot. (9/10)

2. Palette (팔레트) ft. G-Dragon (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Palette (9.5/10)

3. Ending Scene (이런 엔딩) – Click here to read the full review for Ending Scene (9.5/10)

4. Can’t Love You Anymore (사랑이 잘) ft. Oh Hyuk (Pre-release Track) – Though it was a pre-release, I actually never got around to reviewing it because there was no accompanying music video. But it is another track off her album that sounds amazing. There is a nice jazzy sound to it and right off the bat, I wouldn’t mind listening to this song in a cafe somewhere, with it playing softly. Oh Hyuk’s vocals fit very well into the song and it goes nicely with IU’s breathy vocals. Put the two together and you have another spectacular collaboration off this album (9/10)

5. Jam Jam (잼잼) – Her breathy vocals come into the play once again in Jam Jam. The song has a more upbeat instrumental which had disco vibes, which I liked quite a bit. I love the way she whispers for the pre-chorus and that launches into such a catchy chorus. I really want to see a live performance for this song because while it does have a distinct uniqueness, there is a Kylie Minogue feel coming from certain parts in the song. An artist that I grew up with because Kylie was constantly on TV when I was younger.(10/10) 

6. Black Out – This is going down as a personal favourite. There is something about this song that makes it so good. I am not sure if it is her vocals in the song. She is half singing and half talking for the most part. However, especially during the chorus, she lets her vocals out and they do all the modelling in this song. The instrumental is quite nice. Nothing too overpowering, almost relaxing. (10/10)

7. Machimpyo (마침표) – Another ballad joins the mix. This one sounds like something off the soundtrack of a popular movie that made everyone cry. It sounds like the background song for remembering someone you were extremely fond of. Her vocals were softer here, but the emotions were still strong. (10/10)

8. Through The Night (밤편지) (Pre-release Track) – Click here to read the full review for Through The Night (10/10)

9. And So Love Is (그렇게 사랑은) – Boy, this song sounds sad. But it stills my breath away. The instrumental comprises of only guitar. With her emotional vocals in this song, the two elements leave a haunting sound. Even in the brief moments of silence, you can hear her voice echoing (probably was filled in my own mind) but it leaves a big impression on me. And it also proves her capabilities to anyone who still questions her in any way. (10/10)

10. Dear Name (이름에게) – The final song on the album is also another ballad. This one reminds me of Machimpyo (above) because it too sounded like it came off the soundtrack of a popular movie that made everyone cry. The orchestral feel in the song makes it sound so much more amazing. If it means anything, it is another song that gets me swaying along. And it took my breath away. (10/10)

Image result for Palette IU teaser image
Palette Teaser Image (Source: ALLKPOP)

Overall Album Rating – 9.5/10

recommended red round grunge vintage ribbon stamp

[Review] Ending Scene – IU

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

I am currently writing up the album review for IU’s fourth album, Palette. She previously announced her long-awaited comeback back March. And since then released two pre-release singles. Last week she finally dropped the album and the title track, Palette, which features G-Dragon. On Monday, she unveiled the accompanying music video for Ending Scene and hence the only reason why I am writing a separate review for Ending Scene.

IU has done it again with another ballad. Her voice suits ballads, so it is hard to find any fault in her songs (you know what situation I am in once my album review is released later today). Her vocals in this song seem to drift side by side, matching the swaying that my head can’t help doing once I start listening to the song. They are emotional, which you can hear throughout the song. The only issue if I were to overly critical with this particular song is that the instrumental sounds pretty generic. But the combination of her vocals and instrumental makes the song so impactful. It makes me want to go back and listen to it again and again. It’s another good song to add to the list from IU. And it is another good song off her latest album, which joins the other 9 songs on the album….

But as I mentioned earlier on, the reason why I decided to write a separate review for Ending Scene is the music video. I think it is an amazing video. It features Kim Soo Hyun, who previous stared alongside IU in the drama Producer. The video shows IU and Soo Hyun tied up in the clouds together, preparing for their breakup. They spent time watching the memories that they made together. Throughout these memories, you see Soo Hyun lipsync to IU’s voices, but with messages that “You will be able to sleep well soon” and that everything will soon feel better. As they watch, IU seem to have second thoughts on their breakup. In the end, we return to back to the scene where they are tied up again. And IU begins to cut some of Soo Hyun’s string and you see him start to drop, while Soo Hyun does the same to IU’s string. Cutting the strings symbolises moving on. Falling out the sky was the final step and after that, they could say they moved on. Soo Hyun administered the final snip, so he doesn’t make her feel burdened and we see him fall down. We then see IU attempt to cut her string, but the screen blackens before we see it happen, possibly suggesting she didn’t cut them. IU probably didn’t want to or wasn’t ready to move on. Overall, it is a very impactful video and it was quite interesting to watch.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating –  9.5/10

 

 

[Review] Across The Universe – JUNGGIGO

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

JungGiGo has returned with his first full-length album since his debut over 8 years ago! His full album titled as Across The Universe features the title track of the same name and the collaboration which was released early this year with Chanyeol (EXO), Let Me Love You.

Across The Universe is a really good track. It is quite calming and relaxing to listen to. The song has its roots in RnB, but the instrumental makes it sound like pop. Overall, the instrumental adds a nice upbeat feel, which you don’t commonly associate with RnB. His vocals are on point throughout the song. Not once wavering despite singing at such a high pitch. It is quite catchy and addictive. Honestly, while listening to the song and writing this review, I have been bouncing along to the sound. The song itself has a romantic meaning to it. The lyrics are like a confession that makes you go “nawwss…” when you read them. It’s the type of song that I won’t mind listening to constantly and it is the same type of song that puts a smile on my face when I listen to it. And that is just from the tone and melody of the song itself! Highly recommend!

The music video simply contains shots of a couple going on dates and hanging out together. It is a simple video, which matches with the simplistic sound that comes from the song. The shots were taken quite nicely, with the aesthetics shining brightly throughout the video. That is quite ironic because the entire video was quite dark. Not too troubled by it since it contributes to the aesthetics. It is also the first video in the history of KPOP and Korean culture that has made me feel lonely. Not sure if that is a good thing, but hey, it meant the video was impactful! Overall, the video was very nice to watch.

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

recommended red round grunge vintage ribbon stamp

 

[Review] Will You Go Out With Me? – DIA

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

DIA has returned with their first full-length album, YOLO. The title track off this album is Will You Go Out With Me?. This is their first comeback since Mr. Potter, which was released last year. DIA also collaborated with Hong Jin Young and Kim Yeon Ja for their pre-release. This is also their first comeback as a 9-member girl group, with the recent addition of Jueun and Somyi.

I have not been much of a DIA fan since their songs haven’t really caught my attention. I am on the fence for this one, which I guess could be considered as a start. The song is made to sound overly cute, which annoys me to an extent because it sounds exaggerated. However, through that overload of exaggerated cuteness, the song has its moments.  The “어머어머어머어머” or “eomeoeomeoeomeoeomeo” did catch my attention. The chorus was also quite catchy. The instrumental doesn’t stand out, but it adds a little more liveliness to the song with its consistent and bright sound. However, there were parts that I didn’t really enjoy. First of all, that exaggerated cute sound I was talking about. Secondly, the opening rap sequence just sounded odd. Thirdly, those small speaking segments in the middle of the song. I just am not a fan of them and their use just doesn’t change it (awkwardly sounding). Overall, it is an okay song. I can’t say it is terrible, but at the same time, I can’t say it is a good song.

The music video shows the members in Tokyo (I think). The majority of the video is having them wander around the city and show shots of them having fun. Chaeyeon is the main member of the video and she wanders the street, wondering if she should contact her crush. She does have a few scenes where she does contact him through messaging and they were cleverly inserted into the music video alongside the scenes shot outside. The video reminds me of their debut music video, which also showed them wandering the streets in Hong Kong. Overall, I thought it was a pretty nice video to watch. It was smart and it worked. Not too sure on their marketing for this comeback though.

The dance was actually fun to watch. I see hearts everywhere in this choreography, which is pretty cool. Their first heart formation during the chorus was really hard. Let’s just say, it looked cool and it looked easy. But I tangled my arms and that is probably another reason why this review is out a few days late…

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] Easy Love – SF9

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

SF9 has returned with their second comeback this year. They previously made their return to the stage with Roar. This time they are promoting Easy Love, from their second mini-album, Breaking Sensation.

Easy Love is probably their most solid song to date. I didn’t mind the group’s past title track, but they were dominated by synth sounds that I sadly never got to connect with. I hate to say that the instrumental was more ‘traditional’ sounding, but the group opted for a less synth dominated instrumental, which made it easier to get into the track. The song also had a cleaner melody, which I enjoyed. It sadly did sound generic at times, but I liked it for its cleaner sound. The chorus was probably the best part. It was catchy and definitely was the kick the song needed. The verses didn’t captivate me. But once the chorus kicked in, it gave me nostalgic feels, as it made the song sound something that could have been released back in the 2009 or 2010. The raps were quite good here, which is similar to my comments in their other reviews. However, the vocals have been parts that I was never fond of. But this time around, the vocals sounded a lot better. Both the raps and vocals style here give the group a more mature side and both showed me the level of improvement of the group since debut so far. The start of the song probably left the biggest impression for me, which made it quite memorable. And in combination with the chorus, it makes it hard to not go back.

The video is full of anger and angst, which matches the lyrics of the song quite well (the song is all about how cruel love can be). Hence the video is made up of closeup shots of the members stuck in the moment and can’t get over their breakup. So, there isn’t much going on in the video. The choreography shots are probably the only thing that has me coming back (more on that later).

The choreography is really good. It is fitting for the song. There really isn’t much to talk about, but it looks good. The dance may not be sharp or extremely powerful. Instead, the anger I mentioned before is subtly there and it goes a long way, making the performance look cool.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Weekly Chart] 3rd Week of April 2017

Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

April is almost up. And Easter has already gone past us. Damn, this year is going too quickly. I hope you all have been well. I was sick during the week (hence my absence for two days) but I am all better now. Just a sniffle here and there. There are some songs that I missed out due to my absence, but I will get them out this week. I have two extra day offs this week, so I will hopefully write and post them then.

This week’s top 5 is all dominated by girl groups. Girl’s Day and EXID are the only two groups that remained in the top 5 from last week. Girl’s Day takes the second position on the chart, while EXID remained constant at no. 3. Dream Catcher rose from 7th to 3rd this week. The number one spot went to Laboum, with their newest track Hwi Hwi. Berry Good took 5th place with their song, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.

My prediction for next week will be the rise of IU’s two early releases and Palette, her title track off her fourth album. DIA and Lee Hae Ri’s title tracks were meant to be new debuts this week, but due to me completely missing the tracks, they will start their 9 weeks off this week instead. Joining all of them also are Jonghyun, Snuper, K.A.R.D, Changsub and Momoland.

Here is a legend to help you understand the chart’s status column below:
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.

16th Apr – 22nd Apr 2017
Title Artist Status
1 Hwi Hwi Laboum (new)
2 I’ll Be Yours Girl’s Day (↓ 1)
3 Night Rather Than Day EXID (=)
4 Good Night Dream Catcher (↑ 4)
5 Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo Berry Good (new)
6 Beautiful Monsta X (↓ 4)
7 Never Ever GOT7 (↓ 2)
8 Really Really Winner (↓ 4)
9 Coloring Book Oh My Girl (↓ 3)
10 Love Is Teen Top (↓ 1)
11 Fool Winner (↑ 2)
12 Wee Woo Pristin (↑ 4)
13 Ninano Gong Minzy (new)
14 I’m Serious DAY6 (↓ 6)
15 Rollin’ Brave Girls (↑ 7)
16 Steal Your Heart Unit Black (↑ 19)
17 Plz Don’t Be Sad HIGHLIGHT (↓ 3)
18 Paper Umbrella Yesung (Super Junior) (new)
19 It’s Still Beautiful HIGHLIGHT (↑ 7)
20 Make Me Love You Taeyeon (SNSD) (↓ 10)
21 Would U Red Velvet (↑ 7)
22 She’s A Baby Zico (Block B) (new)
23 Take Me Home Baekhyun (EXO) (new)
24 Easy Love SF9 (new)
25 Fingertips Gfriend (=)
26 Hibernation Yesung (Super Junior) (↑ 30)
27 WoW! Lovelyz (↑ 12)
28 Between Us CN Blue (↑ 5)
29 A Girl Like Me Gugudan (↑ 1)
30 Dream In A Dream Ten (NCT) (↑ 2)

Songs leaving the chart this week (and will not appear starting next week):

Title Artist Peak Position No. Of weeks in Top 30 Final Week’s Position
I Got Love Taeyeon (SNSD) 5 4 43
Knock Knock Twice 2 6 39
Should Have Held On To You Astro 23 3 49
Sketch U 100% 10 5 36

Hope you all have another amazing week and hope to see all you back next Sunday.

[Review] Palette – IU ft. G-Dragon (Big Bang)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , Leave a comment

The digital queen is officially back. This is her first major release in the last three years. On top of that, this is her first return to the stage in four years. Who am I talking about? It is IU, of course. And with her already (and always expected) chart topper, she is bringing out the big guns with one of the most unexpected collaborations to date. G-Dragon features on her title track and that will be reviewed today. And don’t worry, I will be getting an album review out for her fourth album, Palette, sometime next week!

Her last song was titled as 23, due to her age. This song seems to be an extension of that idea, but this time, IU is 25. However, the sound is completely different in comparison to her previous track. It’s a slow track that doesn’t much going on it. It doesn’t rely on a heavy instrumental. Instead, it is very minimalistic. The song reminds me of a white room or a blank canvas. Sure, it may sound boring to some people, but it can mean a lot and be interpreted differently by others. And with that minimal sound (or white room or blank canvas), it gives her vocals the chance to shine. We already know of her vocal capabilities, but with this song, she displays a much more mature sound that we haven’t heard from her. Her higher pitch during the chorus and the slowness of the song makes the track sound so much better. Furthermore, the song is addictive and extremely catchy. I have already replayed it a number of times and I am singing along (in my awful voice) every time the chorus kicks in. Finally, G-Dragon’s rap sequence sounds pretty cool, I can’t really deny that. It was extremely fitting and added an urban sound to the song. Something that brings the song down a bit, since IU was singing her parts at a higher pitch before G-Dragon came in. Overall, it is an amazing song, so do check it out.

I mentioned the idea of the white room before. And the video was shot is a white room, as well. And yes, while a white room may be boring, but it is what IU does in the room (besides stealing the spotlight, of course) does fill it up. It’s an odd idea and it’s one that didn’t occur to me until I started writing this part. But her presence fills the room. And in a sense, that does paint on the white walls. It is just a thought that I had while writing this, but it made me go back and watch the video a couple more times. We are also shown other shots. One that stole the show was when she appeared in her Good Day outfit (I think. It’s the one where she is wearing the pink dress with her name and the age ’18’ written at the bottom of the video). It shows how far she has come. From Good Day, which was her big breakthrough in the industry, to her current video and matured style. I think the video is amazing. Like the song, it is minimalistic, but that does speak volumes in certain cases and this is one of those cases. Watching the video many times already and I have yet to feel bored.

[UPDATED] The accompanying choreography isn’t a big part of the comeback. She only dances during the chorus of the song and it is that little segment seen in the video. It wasn’t needed but I didn’t mind it. It too showed a more mature side to IU, matching the mature sound of the song. She also rapped G-Dragon’s part for her first stage. That blew me away. Search up the performance to watch her perform Palette!!

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8/10 [UPDATED]
Overall Rating – 9.5/10 [UPDATED]

 

[Double Review] Paper Umbrella + Hibernation – Yesung (Super Junior)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , Leave a comment

Yesung from Super Junior has made his return to the stage with a brand new mini-album, Spring Falling. Hibernation was the pre-release single from the mini-album, while Paper Umbrella served as the main title track. It has been a while since we heard from him. He last promoted Here I Am back in April of last year. He also participated in the drama, Voice, earlier this year.

Yesung’s two songs delve back into the ballad genre in music. Hibernation has a nice melody but it fails to reel me. The percussion in the song felt dominate and did take the attention away from his vocals, which should have been the highlight of the track. His vocals are good but they don’t sound as emotional as his other songs. It just wasn’t as memorable. There were actually other tracks on his mini-album which could have easily served as a pre-release single instead and left a stronger impression on me than what Hibernation did.
Paper Umbrella is a much better ballad in comparison. The orchestra based instrumental makes the song sound grand and elegant. His vocals are much better here. You could feel the emotions in his voice. There was also a nice buildup in both the instrumental and Yesung’s vocals in this song. However, similar to the Hibernation, Paper Umbrella fails to capture my attention. It sounds good in the moment, however, it just doesn’t have me coming back for more.

Hibernation’s accompanying video was boring to watch. There wasn’t much to it. Yesung was singing, while the lead actress in the music video went about on her day. There was no interaction between the two in any form. However, the video does seem to suit the song.
Paper Umbrella’s video was far more interesting. The video shows a Yesung and his former lover on a rainy day.  The two seem to remember when they were younger and how they spent their rainy days together. There seemed to be other couples in the video (not too sure about this though). The use of colour in this video is excellent. The present day where they have separated, the clouds are grey and there is barely any light when they meet up on the bridge. Meanwhile, their memories are of days where there was a nice golden glow from the sky and the colours are much brighter overall.

Hibernation
Song – 5/10
Music Video – 5/10
Overall Rating – 5/10

Paper Umbrella 
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10