Month: April 2017

[Review] Steal Your Heart – Unit Black

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Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to go through the details of where this boy group came from (BOYS24 – you can check the Wikipedia page for the show. I didn’t really follow it). However, that won’t stop me from reviewing their debut single. This is the first promotional unit from the television show BOYS24, named as Unit Black. The group consisted of Park Do Ha, Hwang In Ho, Oh Jin Suk, Kim Sung Hyun, Kim Young Hyun, Jung Yeon Tae, Yoo Young Doo and Han Hyun Uk. Their debut single is titled as Steal Your Heart.

Off the bat, I would file this under the ‘generic KPOP song’ tab. There isn’t much to set it apart from other songs released currently. Their instrumental is a more tame EDM style, which to an extent is a good thing. However, the majority of songs that has come out in the last year that utilised EDM were quite tame and didn’t overpower the overall song. Their vocals and raps were great. But there weren’t anything in that area of the song that amazed me or made me fall for the song. There were some good points, however. The chorus was catchy. Maybe not too much. But it does enough to get me going back to the track. Also, the melody at the chorus was quite nice as well. Which leads me to my next point, its smoothness is something that stands out for me. From the start to end, you feel like you slide along with the song. The beat drop at the end was typical, but it provided that lift that the song required.

Unit Black probably means that they will be using the shade of black quite extensively throughout the video. If done right, everything would look classy and stylish. And that is what exactly what happened. Some of the sets looked cool, using that black aspect quite nicely, such as their choreography scenes where they wear the red suits. Others relied on the members wearing black, and it didn’t seem to do the job nicely. As for the plot of the video, were they trying to steal fame? Cause that is what I got out of it. Essentially, they devised a plan to steal something, which looked okay at first. But once the mission was successful and they opened the bag, they get teleported to the stage, where they perform for the rest of the video. That looked lame if I was honest. But it does make sense (to an extent – it is something that I would not do – steal fame, that is), because they probably did that to grab everyone’s attention, including their crushes.

Performance wise, they did a good job for a generic sounding song. Without the song influencing my thoughts on the dance, it was dry and dull to watch.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] Ninano – Gong Minzy ft. Flowsik

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It has been a long time coming, but Minzy has finally made their solo debut with the mini-album, Minzy Work 01. Uno, and the title track, Ninano. Gong Minzy is a former member of the popular girl group 2NE1. She withdrew from the group in April 2016. 2NE1 ended up disbanding at the end of 2016.

Right from the very first second, the track sounds very exotic and intriguing. The instrumental is bass heavy, which makes it feel highly intense throughout. There seems to be a string instrument in the instrumental, which dominates the entire track and it is probably the one thing that makes me want to go back to the track. Minzy’s vocals don’t really feel like it was shown off here. The track doesn’t seem to reach a peak, as well. Instead, the track builds up to the chorus and then it seems to settle back down. This is different, and it makes the track interesting. Within the instrumental, there was some emptiness. However, the emptiness should not be seen as a flaw, but rather a medium to help intensify the track. Given her lack of solo songs while under YG Entertainment and as part of 2NE1, I expected a song that really shows her off. The instrumental catches my attention, but her vocals don’t really.   Flowsik’s rap sequence fits wonderfully in the song. It is expected from a person of his magnitude in the industry. It leads to the ending of the song and caps those powerful vibes quite nicely.

The video is pretty good. While it does consistent to just closeups and choreography, everything that I spoke about in the song review was channelled throughout the video. You have the intensity. You have the toughness. You have the powerful vibe. She even added sexiness to the video. Overall, it does the job well done. The editing is wonderful. Though I think I have mentioned how I am not a major fan of some of the transitions between shots in the past, they are used consistently and you can’t really argue against that. The sets are also quite nice. While my review for the music video is relatively short, it is still perfectly suited for the song.

The choreography is as expected with the quality of the song. It is tough, it is powerful and it is sexy. It doesn’t go over the top though. All of those aspects are well balanced.

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

[Review] Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo – Berry Good

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Berry Good has returned to the stage with a song that has probably the most annoying title to write out and pronounce. I am only joking. But seriously, need to send a few words of thanks to the person who created the copy and paste function. Berry Good last year returned with Angel and Don’t Believe, two songs that put the group on my radar of groups to look out for.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo is a change up from their previous songs. This one focuses on more a brighter sound and falls within the typical branch of KPOP songs, something that their previous track did not conform to. However, that being said, the typical KPOP sound did work well in the song. To be honest, it was a mistake to listen to the song while watching the video (more on that later), so my first listen ended with me concluding that the song was probably one to stay away from. But after a few more listens (without the visual presence of the music video), it is a really catchy song. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo is extremely difficult to say on its own, so obviously, it makes it harder to sing that line. But it made the song catchy. The instrumental uses a Summer tone, which made the song feel fun. The vocals were okay, but I don’t think it was their best (Angel takes that crown). The only probably that left me disappointed was the rap sequence. It was not needed. I absolutely hate it when they talk like that in songs because it tends to ruin the mood of the song.  But overall, it is still a pretty catchy track to listen to.

Unfortunately, Berry Good is not a money-making machine for their company. And sadly, their comebacks end up being missed. Which means that their next comeback would have a lower than normal budget. Even crowd-funding was required for this comeback. The lower budget could obviously be seen here and it was such a low-quality video that I can’t bring myself to rewatch. As mentioned before, I watched the video and listened to the song in one go for the first time. And because of the video, I almost decided to not return to the video. It is probably because viewers as myself are more accustomed to aesthetics and better quality videos, that this video felt bland and boring in comparison. On a better note, the use of colour was great, just the camera didn’t catch the boldness the colours added and made very feel dull. If it was shot with a little more money, I could see it being a typical KPOP video. And that to me, would have been an improvement. On another side note, but the teaser look liked it had a much better budget than the actual music video. What happened there?

I saw a live performance on YouTube today for the track. The dance is pretty good. Sure, it doesn’t feel memorable (it is quite generic) but nonetheless, it looks good and suits the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 2/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] Hwi Hwi – Laboum

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Laboum has returned with a brand new song and mini album. 2016 was a big year for the band as they released multiple songs such as Journey to Atlantis, Shooting Love and Winter Story (didn’t get around to reviewing this song, unfortunately), which all help grow their fan base. Now the girls have returned with their second mini album, Miss This Kiss and the title track Hwi Hwi or 휘휘.

Laboum, in the past year, has consistently put out great songs. And they continue that level of success with Hwi Hwi. Just listening to the song for the first time, I could tell it is a part of another league. No, it doesn’t have a new sound or an element to make it stand out. To be honest, it uses very generic and traditional pop sounds. But what makes it sound so good is that it is done right. It ticks off all the boxes as a fun, addictive and fun song. The whistles and level of brightness that the track starts off with really sets the tone of the song from the very start. I love the overlapping between the raps and vocals just before each chorus. Oh, and don’t me get started on the chorus. It is the definitely the part of the song that shines the brightest, especially with the “Miss This Kiss” part. There may not be anything new in the song, but the song manages to cement itself in being one of the top songs of the years. And as a final plea, do not sleep on this song. I recommend it to anyone who wants to listen to a bright song, that actually also prepares us for the coming Summer months.

The music video is pretty good. The video is shot in a similar style to Shooting Love (i.e. camera angles and cinematography made the video look more amazing than if it was shot with a camera moving back and forth). While I do want something more to the video that really grabs people’s attention, the video’s level of brightness and colour really does fit the song’s vibes. The sets look pretty ordinary, but somehow they managed to make it all look good. Watching the girls perform the song in the video alone brought a massive smile to my face. The song did as well, but not to the extent of my grin after watching the video. Some of the props they used did remind me of a few videos released by other girl groups. I don’t know if I overemphasised them in my mind or if it was intentional, but it seemed like a clever.

The dance is also quite simple, but it goes a long way. I am totally in love with it, as I am with the rest of the comeback. It is cute but it doesn’t overdo it, which is a mega plus. It doesn’t necessary standout, but it compliments well with the song.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 8/10
Dance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

 

[Review] She’s A Baby – Zico (Block B)

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Zico, the leader and main rapper of Block B, is finally back. He also happens to be one of the biggest solo acts active at the moment. Zico has a massive portfolio ranging from solo tracks, such as I Am You, You Are Me, to songs in which he produced such as Flower Road by Gugudan’s Sejeong. She’s A Baby has been rivalling IU’s chart-topping songs since its release. Block B also recently made a comeback with Yesterday as well.

Each time Zico releases music, it is always something that is different and doesn’t fit his past styles. And I like that about Zico, the fact that he is not afraid to try. However, this comes at a big risk as it will be hard to satisfy everyone’s taste in music. Sadly, that is the case with this song for me. I don’t really enjoy it that much. The song feels quite bare. There really isn’t that much to the instrumental. The guitar really stands out, mainly because there really isn’t much to accompany it or overpower it. It also makes the song feel jagged and disjointed. His voice seems to tie all the jagged fragments together and the way he sang some parts gave the song a more dynamic profile, something that the instrumental would have usually provided. The tempo of the track is also worth talking about because it makes the song feel quite slow. But somehow the track ends feeling like a 1 minute, rather than the 3 minutes it actually goes for. I wouldn’t say this is a bad song, it just doesn’t appeal to my taste.

The music video seems to be shot in the same style as Ladies Code’s Galaxy. Likewise, I have no idea what is going on in this video. My guess is that Zico and the girl are in love. But Zico finds out that the girl he loves is like a baby, but he finds that cute. So instead, Zico adopts a more caring side rather romantic side. Instead of letting her eat a cupcake with candy sprinkles on top, he swaps it for a carrot cupcake. He sleeps on the floor instead, while giving her the bed. All seem to support what I think. But I would like to hear (or read) other theories. Videos like this are quite nice to watch and fascinating because they make you think about what is happening. Some things are not explicitly shown, and you have to fill in the gaps. The use of colour in this video also makes it look cool. Despite what I said at the end of the song review, I feel like this video did drag out the song. It may be problematic for some songs, but not that much with this song.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] Take Me Home – Baekhyun (EXO)

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Baekhyun’s recent solo release is the third song in the SM Station Season 2 project. Red Velvet’s Would U and Ten’s Dream In A Dream are also other songs in the project. For a review, I don’t think I ever repeated the artist’s name so many times before.

Baekhyun went with a ballad that does a pretty good job at bringing out his vocal’s capabilities. His vocals are on point throughout the song. Take Me Home fits perfectly into the season of Spring, with its more upbeat and brighter melody. Complimenting the Spring season, you can hear the romantic vibes that Baekhyun and the instrumental try to get across to the listener. But the instrumental is pretty standard, and there isn’t anything to comment on. I love how his voice buildups in the song, rather than the instrumental. That, or you can hear the buildup in his voice more apparent here. The song doesn’t have me coming back for though. It is the type of song that you would be happy to listen to, but you don’t necessary go back to replay it. There wasn’t a memorable moment that I tend to look for in ballads. Overall, it is a beautiful song but probably not one for me.

The video compliments the song quite nicely. I expected the video to be more on the dull side, but it wasn’t. The entire song was about how Baekhyun wanted to help his friend (the girl) get over her ex. The whole video shows Baekhyun’s attempt of moving her attention away. In the end, he successfully drags her away from the memories that sadden her by getting her to do a small dance and finally sharing a smile with each other. The end shows him holding the picture and the flower, but no friend was present, suggesting that she had moved on and his job was completed. My initial thoughts of Baekhyun’s attempts to get her mind off of things was that he was flirting and was consistently rejected. I guess lyrics and some fan comments do go a long way. As I previously said, it is a nice video to watch.

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

[Weekly Chart] 2nd Week of April 2017

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Happy Easter All!!! As you can tell, I went a little overboard with the featured image. But then again, you can never have too many easter eggs!! Currently on my week off, but still busy as ever. You are given a ‘week off’ but in reality, you are just catching up on work that you have yet to start or complete.

Girl’s Day returned to the top of the charts this week, with I’ll Be Yours. Monsta X dropped down one position to second place, with their ‘Beautiful‘ song.  EXID and their song “Night Rather Than Day‘ makes their debut at 3rd position. Rounding out the top 5, Winner with their song, Really Really, which was “Really Really” good and GOT7’s Never Ever.  For more of the charts, scroll down below.

Baekhyun released his SM Station song on Friday and I should get around reviewing it today (if I have time) or by tomorrow. The song will be included in next week’s chart. Joining Baekhyun are Berry Good, Zico (I know I mentioned him last week, but I have been busy), Minzy, Wassup, Hyorin & Changmo, Laboum, Yesung, SF9, Jessica Jung, DIA, Lee Hae Ri and (possibly) JungGiGo. Am I going to have time to even relax next week? Or am I going to shook all week?

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.

9th Apr – 15th Apr 2017
Title Artist Status
1 I’ll Be Yours Girl’s Day (↑ 1)
2 Beautiful Monsta X (↓ 1)
3 Night Rather Than Day EXID (new)
4 Really Really Winner (↑ 5)
5 Never Ever GOT7 (↓ 2)
6 Coloring Book Oh My Girl (↓ 2)
7 Good Night Dream Catcher (=)
8 I’m Serious DAY6 (↑ 7)
9 Love Is Teen Top (new)
10 Make Me Love You Taeyeon (SNSD) (↓ 5)
11 Tension Up IMFACT (↑ 36)
12 2GETHER INX (↑ 41)
13 Fool Winner (↑ 6)
14 Plz Don’t Be Sad HIGHLIGHT (↓ 4)
15 Don’t Recall K.A.R.D (↑ 9)
16 Wee Woo Pristin (↓ 2)
17 Movie BTOB (↑ 13)
18 Echo Seven O’Clock (↑ 7)
19 How Can I Say DAY6 (↑ 1)
20 The Spring Eunji (APINK) (new)
21 Spring Day BTS (↓ 3) (Final Week)
22 Rollin’ Brave Girls (↓ 16)
23 Without U Romeo (↑ 22)
24 Wake Me Up B.A.P (↑ 3)
25 Fingertips Gfriend (↓ 8)
26 It’s Still Beautiful HIGHLIGHT (↓ 4)
27 Not Today BTS (↓ 15) (Final Week)
28 Would U Red Velvet (↓ 17)
29 Through The Night IU (↑ 5)
30 A Girl Like Me Gugudan (↓ 22)

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
Spring Day BTS 1 9 21
Not Today BTS 2 9 27
Rain Soyu (Sistar) & Baekhyun (EXO) 14 3 N/A
Kiss On The Lips MelodyDay 9 6 46
Don’t Recall K.A.R.D 1 (x2) 9 15

I hope you are having a wonderful time this Easter. If you don’t celebrate Easter, I hope you have another amazing week!

[Album Review] High Five (2nd Full Album) – Teen Top

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Teen Top has returned with their second full album, High Five. This is their first comeback since the departure of L.Joe and as a five member group. I had previously written a full review for their title track, Love Is. If you had missed that or want to re-read it, then scroll down below and click the hyperlinked link!

High Five (2nd Full Album) Album Cover

1..Origin – As it is only the introduction to the album and lasts around 30 seconds, it will not be included in the final rating.

2. Love Is (재밌어?) (title track) – Click here to read the full review for Love Is. (7.5/10) 

3.  Because I Care (손만 잡고 잘게) –  I think the song is good, but there really isn’t anything that captivates me in the song. It is one of the songs that, regardless how times I play the entire album, I end up skipping it. It sounds very ordinary and is forgettable. The vocals are okay but compared to the rest of the songs on the album, it does fall short. (5/10)

4. Call Me – Probably one of the better tracks on the album. The instrumental is amazing. It probably would sound much better if the bass was stronger and would fit perfectly in the club setting. But it still sounds amazing. The vocals are pretty good, but it did feel constricted. I haven’t judge the song based on its live stage (this song was also performed alongside their title track during the first week of promotions) but the dance gives it more energy and lifts the song to a whole new level.  (9/10)

5. I Love Girl – As a person who English is my first language, I cringe at the title. But after listening to the song, I guess the missing article in the title was intentional. In the song, the “I Love Girl” sounds like “I Love Her”. If my assumption is right, it is quite clever. The instrumental seems pretty standard, with no flashy moments. It seems to be an upbeat form of RnB, which doesn’t sound too bad. However, the song doesn’t really reel me in. Maybe because the lyrics and romantic vibe don’t appeal to me. (6/10)

6. Make Me Sick (화나게 해) – This song is actually quite good. The beat of the song is quite addictive and the chorus almost sounds sensual to an extent. If you listen carefully, you can hear very heavy breathing in the background, which is matching to the beat of the song. But what makes the chorus the highlight of the song is the vocals. They sound so good in this song. There were some processing, but either way, it sounds quite good. The ending of the song sounded more dragged out than it should have been, but that is not a problem. (8/10)

7. July (7월의 만남) – It’s another one of those ballads that make me sway along. We know the more dance and synth heavy version of Teen Top, so this provides a different sound for the group. I say it as if it is the first ballad they have ever done and I am quite sure it isn’t their first. But since I haven’t paid attention much to their B-side tracks before, it was their first ballad, for me, at least. Vocally, the song is strong and showcases their vocals. The same can also be said about the rap sequence. (8/10)

8. High Five (안녕!) – This is one of the more brighter songs on the album. If there was anything such as a “boy next door” type of song, this would probably be it. The vocals are quite good here and the harmony during the chorus made the song worth listening to. The stripping of the music from the end, leaving only the vocals, was probably my personal favourite part of the song. The vocals do add a more dynamic side to the song. They boosted the very generic sounding acoustic instrumental to a ‘high-five’ worthy song. (8.5/10)

9. What’s The Problem (뭐가 문제야) – One of the two personal favourites on the entire album. It may not be your typical synth-heavy Teen Top song, but it fits the group’s style quite nicely. The song, for a while, reminded me of Shinhwa, especially during the rap (I don’t know what to call it) towards the end of the song. The whistles (I think they were distorted but very subtly) made the song more addictive. The vocals and raps in this song were probably their best on the album. I also love the “Why, Why, What you want?” chant, which was catchy to me. (9/10)

10. You & I – This is the other personal favourite on the entire album. Vocals and raps are on point in this song. I love the very simple “You & I” chorus. It makes the song incredibly smooth and it is catchy as heck. I continually replay the song very single day because I just can’t get enough the chorus. Even writing this part of the review, I am having a hard time just go onto the next song. What this song needs? Nothing else, but a live performance would be nice. (10/10)

11. Mirror – The album ends up with another standard song. It is another song that I ended passing by because I didn’t really enjoy it as much. Nor did it have anything worth coming back to. The same comments I made about Because I Can can be applied here. The only good side to the band that it does showcase their vocals quite nicely. But besides that, there wasn’t much else. (5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.6/10

High Five Teaser Image

[Review] Echo – Seven O’Clock

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This is another review that I have been waiting to do, but lately, I have been extremely busy with my studies. In addition to that, an influx of major comebacks meant that I had to push lesser known acts to a later date. Honestly, I was supposed to write an album review today (will be published tomorrow though) but as it is 11 pm and I have yet to write anything, I thought it would be easier to just do a song review. Seven O’Clock are one the newest groups to make their debut (and I am finally writing a review after a month since their debut). Echo serves as the 6-member male group’s debut track, who are currently under Staro Entertainment.

I actually remember listening to the group for the first time when I was on the bus. The instrumental is quite unique, and it literally jumps at you to grab your attention. You have to listen to the song to understand. It becomes really addictive after a few listens. I had to replay the song a few times on the bus that day. However, the only reason why I replay the song is due to the instrumental, rather than the other important aspects of the song.  The instrumental itself delves into the House genre of music, and the chorus comes off as catching. The rest of the song felt very generic. The buildup before the choruses was quite good and the final 30 seconds was quite unexpected, but it worked wonderfully. But besides that, the verses felt very similar to other EDM based songs out there. Their vocals and raps also felt generic. The only standout moments was the instrumental during the chorus and the final 30 seconds. Currently, I am putting them on my radar, but I am not too sure if they can stay on there. Given the generic vibes, it all depends on their next release for me.

The video consists of solo shots and choreography scenes. The backgrounds give off a nice industrial and urban vibe, which does compliment the song to an extent. But besides that, there really isn’t much to talk about in the video. If I had to summarise the video, I had already done so within the first two sentences. And this is coming from a person who overwrites every single time.

Such a strong song. But an extremely lacking dance routine. It started off nicely. You could see the build up as the song went along. But that energy just disappeared, and it made the entire dance feel a little disconnected to the song. This applies to the end of the especially. It was definitely the peak of the whole song, but the choreography at that part didn’t seem to match.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 3/10
Overall Rating – 5/10

[Album Review] Eclipse (3rd Mini Album) – EXID

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EXID has returned with their newest mini-album. Unfortunately, the group is promoting as a quartet due to Solji’s hiatus. The group recently explained the meaning behind the name of their mini album, Eclipse, which you can click here to find out. This album sees the group attempt an entirely different and mature sound, that also shows a different side to the girls.

exideclispe3rdmin.jpg
Eclipse Album Cover

 

1..Boy – Opening the album is Boy, a very different track from what I have heard from EXID (or any artist that I have listened to). I feel wrong for describing a track as ‘creepy’, but this description fits the opening of the song quite well. Once we enter the instrumental chorus, you will understand how good this track is. It is a little foreign, but once you get used to the track, you will love it. I must applaud the vocal work and LE’s rap. Their vocals, along with the emptiness of the instrument (which in this case, is another good aspect of the song) actually contribute to those haunting vibes I was talking about. LE’s rap always sounds the same to me, but yet they fit into any song that you throw at her. (8/10)

2. Night Rather Than Day (Title Track) – Click here to view the full review for this title track (7/10)

3. How Why – Before starting these album reviews, I re-listen to the entire album (regardless of how many times I have already done so). The one track that stood out for me was this one in particular. I love the buildup that LE and Hyelin contribute to during the chorus before the beat drops, and the very catching instrumental sequence is brought into play. The song itself seemed to start off as a ballad, but as the song progressed, it seemed to become more upbeat and brighter. It is easily their best track on the entire mini album. (9/10)

4. Milk (Hani solo) – Time for the obligatory ballad on the mini album. This one seems to be mixed with RnB as well. While it does sound nice and the connection between milk and the lyrics are quite smart (like what everyone is saying), the song is an either a hit or miss. There really isn’t much that makes this song that captivating and was easily forgettable. Her vocals are quite nice. (5/10)

5. Velvet (L.E. solo) – It may not be my cup of tea, but Velvet actually sounds very good. It is a very sensual song and that already compliments the lyrics of the song. The instrumental also felt very smooth, further complimenting the sensual nature of the song. The chorus was also catchy. But there wasn’t enough for me there to really enjoy the track or fall in love with it. (6/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7/10

 

Night Rather Than Day Teaser Image

 

[Review] Tension Up – IMFACT

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There seems to be a possible emerging trend where artists make monthly releases during the year. DAY6 and Loona are currently groups that are participating in this trend. Joining them is IMFACT, who made their debut last year with Lollipop and returned at the end of the year with Feel So Good. Unfortunately, this is my first review of the year for the group, meaning I have missed two of their monthly releases, In The Club (never got around to it) and Please Be My First Love (never actually listened to it). I’ll get around to them though, so don’t worry.

Tension Up serves as a return to their Lollipop days. Feel So Good was terrible and their first two monthly releases ended up being ballads. And this is the type of sound that I actually like from the group. It suits them, more than their other tracks. The instrumental is synth heavy and I wouldn’t mind this song at a KPOP themed party or the KPOP night at the club. It is quite funky and attempts to be hard-hitting, though some parts did feel a little lacking. From the start, the song launches into a very intense sound, which makes you want to get up and dance along to the music. It slows down a bit just prior to the chorus to provide a buildup, but the slowdown doesn’t fit the song that much. They then launch right into the groovy chorus, which where I spent the majority of the time head banging to the song and lip-singing to the lyrics. Their vocals and raps are pretty good here. There is a side of ordinariness to the song, which regardless of how much I want to shake it off, it remains there. If you want a song to just let loose a bit, this one is probably the one. If you enjoyed Lollipop, then I think you would also enjoy Tension Up.

While the song does seem to have that party-filled feeling, the music video lacks that feel. Sure, the setting at the club, flashing lights and the song playing in the background does give that feeling. But the lack of people at some of these KPOP parties in many music videos always confuses me. I don’t see why the manager in the video needed to be tough on the guy. If your club has no patrons, then I would fall asleep, DJ or not. But jokes aside, they actually managed to do a good job at filling the emptiness that I could see in the video. Them having fun looked real and not fake (like in some other videos). I wouldn’t mind going to their roller skates club (though I should pick up the skill first). And the club actually looks nice during the choreography shots. Overall, the video suits the song quite nicely.

Unfortunately, the performance didn’t share the same feelings as I described in the song review. Sure, the routine looked quite intense. But it just didn’t have than fun side to it. The dance itself is not that memorable and it feels like the performance would be lost amongst the other stages.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 4/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] The Spring – Jung Eunji (APINK) ft. Hareem

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The main vocalist of APINK has returned with her first solo comeback. Jung Eunji previously made her solo debut last year with Hopefully Sky, a high charting folk-ballad. The Spring is the title track of her second mini album, Space. As expected from the current time in the year and the title of her song, her track appeals to listeners in the season of Spring.

The Spring reminds me distinctively of Hopefully Sky. That maybe because of the folk instruments used in the production of this song. It stands alone quite nicely, though. It’s another one of those songs where I spend my time listening to it and swaying along with it. Eunji’s vocals are incredibly sweet and a standout aspect of the song.  What also sets this song apart from other songs is the use of the accordion. Here it is calming and compliments the sound of Spring. I have to admit, the song ended up being little catchier than her debut. That’s mainly attributed to the hook where she just repeats “Bom Bom Bom” or “봄 봄 봄”, similar to how Roy Kim’s Bom Bom Bom became popular.  (However, I stress that they are completely different styles of songs). However (hypocritical me is back), they tend to be very similar, and The Spring does fall into that hole. Springtime songs are always beautiful to listen to (popular ones, regardless of release dates, always rise to the top of the charts at this time of the year) in this period of the year, but after a while, they do end up sounding like each other. It may not be some people’s cup of tea, but it is still a beautiful song to listen to.

I personally like the music video for this song. Eunji is a taxi driver, and during her shifts, she drives around many couples, single people and families. While doing her work, she looks at them and wonders what makes this the season of love. We see flashbacks when she was in a relationship and that she still keeps her memories of those time with her. However, the video seems to suggest that they are still together. The entire video, no one sits next to Eunji. But someone (at the end of the video) gets into the passenger seat, and she smiles at said person. There is a moment of seriousness, but then she just chuckles and proceeds to drive off. It’s most likely that after dating for some time, Spring seems to just be another season on the calendar for them. Furthermore, Eunji could just have been reminiscing about those days. That’s my interpretation of the video, though. Cherry blossoms tend to be the representation of Spring in South Korea, and a lot of Spring based songs use cherry blossoms heavily. The use of it seems to be more subtle and not “in-your-face”. I usually don’t like the colour palette used in the video, but it works her. I also thought her smiles were beautiful. Might be one of the reasons why I keep watching the video.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Love Is – Teen Top

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Teen Top has returned with their second album, High Five. This time around they will be promoting Love Is as a five-member group. Unfortunately, L.Joe withdrew from the group due to issues between himself and the company. This is the group’s first comeback since Warning Sign, released at the start of last year.  Do expect a full album review, which will be coming out later this week or early next week.

Love Is reminds me of  Teen Top’s past hits. Compared to Warning Sign, which ended up being pretty forgetful, Love Is is bound to stay on my radar for a long period of time. Why is that the case? Teen Top needed a much stronger song and Love Is serves as that song. Their bass and synth heavy instrumental is really addictive. The second half of the chorus (the “Love is gone away“) is extremely catchy and probably the highlight of the song for me. The rest of the song was pretty good, but it just didn’t leave an impression on me, unlike the second half of the chorus. Their vocals and raps were pretty good. Another moment I loved about the song was that growl heard at the end of the teaser for the music video and the same growl is heard at the end of the first chorus. What the song needed was more of that energy and power. I can see why people say it is an aggressive song due to its instrumental and beat. But that description would have been more applicable if we heard more aggressive sounds (such as that growl) a few more times. It honestly sounded cool and I was pretty disappointed when it wasn’t anywhere else in the song. Overall, it was a pretty good song to listen to and it throws Teen Top back on the listening radar for me.

Like EXID’s music video, it fell towards the boring side of the music video spectrum for me as well. There isn’t much to talk about for this video as well. There were solo shots outside of where the choreography sets but they felt extremely boring. The only worthwhile parts that I enjoyed were the choreograph scenes. The set looked cool. The camera shots were shaky but done so for a more edgy feel. The transitions between scenes made the video even edgier. But the rest of the video felt very “meh” to me.

The one part I look forward to when I write a Teen Top review is the performances. The accompanying performance definitely joins the ranks of their most intense routines to date. I really enjoyed the choreography for the second half of the chorus and their instrumental breaks. Each of them (and the overall performance) looked amazing and it the type of performance that I definitely would want to watch continuously.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Night Rather Than Day – EXID

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EXID has returned with a brand new song. Their latest mini album, Eclipse, is their 3rd mini album. Their title track for this promotional run is Night Rather Than Day. This is also their first comeback since their L.I.E promotions last year and their Chinese debut. Unfortunately, Solji will not be participating in promotions this time around due to her health. Hence why we see 4 members on stage and in the video instead.

For Night Rather Than Day, the group opted for a more retro sound, with a much smoother instrumental. Compared to their past songs, this one seems to be more subtle in nature. That being said, this change is nothing too concerning because EXID handles it amazingly. The question that remains is if EXID can handle performing without Solji, who is the powerhouse main vocalist of the group. Hence, probably another reason to why they shifted towards a more softer tone. Hyerin takes over the reigns of the main vocalist and as heard, she can take on the role with ease.  She might not be the powerhouse vocals we know from EXID, but with a more softer song, Hyerin does a pretty good job during the chorus and ad-libs. Talking about vocals, all members saw an increase with lines and each member did a decent job with their parts. The different tones that each member has give the song depth, which makes it interesting to listen to. The contrast between a low pitch to a higher vocal pitch was showed in the song. LE’s raps are pretty good, but the ending seemed a little awkward. The song was quite catchy. By the second listen and I was already singing along to the chorus.

The video is more on the boring side of the spectrum. There really isn’t a storyline or anything to talk about the video. Their past videos have all had things going on in them that make them worth talking about. Here, they are either on a rundown train, on the street dancing or in their rooms. Things I have talked about in the past, such as the use of coloured filters, cinematography etc., don’t really apply much to this video (from what I see). The closeups, which shows off their looks, are the only things that I remember from the video. But then again, those bold colour jackets are quite memorable, but I am not a big fan of them. I am just going to stop here (just trying ramble now).

The dance is quite good. However, there isn’t anything that is memorable about the dance. All of EXID’s dances have been memorable to date, so it does disappoint me a tad bit. I like it though, because there is a bit of cuteness in the dance, while still keeping things sexy as always.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

 

[Review] 2GETHER – INX

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INX is back with their very first comeback. For those who don’t remember, INX is a 5-five member boy group from NA Entertainment. They made their debut last year in August with Alright, which I did end up reviewing despite reviewing it in December last year. This time, I tried to be a little more punctual with their review.

INX’s latest song may not be the best song out of the mix of songs released last week, but it still quite good. It’s your typical KPOP song. It has a very generic sound, which I tend to just shrug away. However, it seems that today might be a different day. I don’t love the song, but for some reason, I like it. It might be that it has a consistent beat. Something that feels neutral or feels ‘just right’.  It starts off as a smooth song and starts to build-up with its beat and bass. Once the beat drops (at the chorus), those consistency feels kick in. There is enough to keep me listening and nod along to the song. Their vocals are quite good. The rap sequence seems to be thrown in there is mix thing up a bit, but it manages to work with the rest of the song. It doesn’t have the many appealing features of some songs released nowadays, which (for me, at least) makes it a good song to add to my study playlist. Something different to listen to other than slow pieces of music to remain focused. There aren’t any big distractions in the song, making it just right for that purpose. It might not be the biggest release but it works for me.

The music video is similar to the song, in the way of how I described it to be neutral and generic. But you won’t see me returning to the video anytime soon. While I did like the song for its neutral sound, the same can’t be sad for the video (I know, how hypocritical of me). It’s a really boring video. But given how I said the song felt neutral, you can’t really give the accompanying video a dramatic or twisting concept. It just won’t feel right. That being said, the boyfriend concept has been done before, so there isn’t anything new. I don’t have much else to say about the video beside those comments above.

The choreography isn’t bad. Now that I am writing this (and finally getting around to watching their live performance), the entire comeback is fairly neutral. The routine fits the song, but it isn’t impressive. Their moves have become sharper (which is something I commented on for their Alright debut).

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 5/10

[Weekly Chart] 1st Week of April 2017

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April is here (the year is going too quick). My week has been a little stressful, but I am still publishing reviews as always. I have completed a bulk of my assignments in the past week and submitted them the day before the due date. Adding on top the number of reviews I have written in the past week, I think I had a productive week. I hope you all had a productive week as well. Just watch me start to procrastinate now. I have three more days until standing between me and a week off (yeah, it is a little odd).

Taking out the number spot this week is Beautiful by Monsta X. Girl’s Day (last week’s number 1) dropped down one spot to second place. GOT7’s Never Ever remains steady at number 3. Closing out the top five are new debuts on the charts. Namely, Coloring Book by Oh My Girl and Make Me Love You by Taeyeon. Every other debut on this week charts (there are 7 in total) made a strong appearance on this week’s chart!

Teen Top has already unveiled their new song, but I am including them in the charts next week, according to their official release date (10th of April). EXID will also be returning (without Solji this time) but as always, you can expect them to do extremely well. IU & Oh Hyuk’s collaboration and Ten’s SM Station song were released on Friday, but I decided to have them debut on the charts next week instead. Other comebacks next week include Eunji (APINK), Wa$$up, Unit Black (BOYS24) and Zico (Block B).

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.

2nd Apr – 8th Apr 2017
Title Artist Status
1 Beautiful Monsta X (↑ 1)
2 I’ll Be Yours Girl’s Day (↓ 1)
3 Never Ever GOT7 (=)
4 Coloring Book Oh My Girl (new)
5 Make Me Love You Taeyeon (SNSD) (new)
6 Rollin’ Brave Girls (↑ 1)
7 Good Night Dream Catcher (new)
8 A Girl Like Me Gugudan (↑ 18)
9 Really Really Winner (new)
10 Plz Don’t Be Sad HIGHLIGHT (↓ 4)
11 Would U Red Velvet (new)
12 Not Today BTS (↑ 1)
13 Between Us CN BLUE (↓ 9)
14 Wee Woo Pristin (=)
15 I’m Serious DAY6 (new)
16 WoW! Lovelyz (↑ 2)
17 Fingertips Gfriend (↓ 12)
18 Spring Day BTS (↓ 1)
19 Fool Winner (new)
20 How Can I Say DAY6 (=)
21 You Were Beautiful DAY6 (↑ 19)
22 It’s Still Beautiful HIGHLIGHT (↓ 13)
23 Eyez Eyez VICTON (↓ 4)
24 Don’t Recall K.A.R.D (↓ 9)
25 Echo Seven O’Clock (↓ 1)
26 Spring Again Cao Lu (Fiestar), Yerin (Gfriend) & Kisum (↑ 2)
27 Wake Me Up B.A.P (↓ 17)
28 Yeah BLANC7 (↑ 1)
29 Kiss On The Lips MelodyDay (↑ 8)
30 Movie BTOB (↓ 19)

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
You Were Beautiful DAY6 8 8 21
Yesterday Block B 9 3 45
Roar SF9 3 6 39
Tina MASC 2 6 44
Black or White Cross Gene 5 5 42
My First and Last NCT Dream 3 8 32
1, 2, 3 B.I.G 6 5 35

I am currently competing with a storm. Today I aim to get another review out and do some more studying, but if I just get this chart out before the storm decides to play with the power, I’d be very happy. Enjoy the rest of your week! See you all back (hopefully) in a week’s time!!!