Year: 2017

[Review] Dinosaur – AKMU

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AKMU has made an unexpected return with their Summer single, Dinosaur. AKMU previously made their comeback at the start of the year, with their second album and the title track, Last Goodbye.

For some unknown reason, I had always thought the duo would not go down the EDM route, like how every other group is doing so. To me, AKMU is more about individuality when it comes to their music. But I was wrong in my thoughts. While AKMU did go and conform to the EDM genre for this release, they kept their individuality and made it their own style. Even as an EDM song, they managed to strip the unnecessary synths and kept it very light. It was definitely refreshing and easy on the ears. The song itself is catchy and the build up to the drop was as simple as it needed to be. But what I loved the most was how they kept their well-known vocals pure and allowed it to shine through the instrumental. Many EDM tracks tend to smother the vocals into the background or lace the vocals with autotune to allow it to fit in with the rest of the song. But that didn’t happen here, which makes the song stand out to my ears.

This is another amazing video to watch. From what I can tell Chanhyuk is bullied due to his interests and Suhyun is a loner. The two are siblings and both use the power of their imagination to create a world for themselves, where dinosaurs and various different creatures exist. The dinosaur aspect was what Chanhyuk is obsessed about, while Suhyun’s mind created those fuzzy dust balls. This new world allows them to escape reality and have a little bit of fun without the judgement of others. The love how everything felt genuine when you watched the video. We already know their sibling love was real, so it makes the story behind the video even more real. I also got a little Stranger Things vibe from the music video, through the tent in the basement and the bikes that you see the siblings ride throughout the video. Even Suhyun was rocking a dress with a denim jacket, much like Eleven from the TV series.

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

[Review] Rain – KNK

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Dropping their comeback today is KNK, who returns with Rain. The group previously made their return with Sun, Moon, Star a few weeks back, which was the main track from their second single album, Gravity. Today, the group has dropped the repackaged issue of Gravity, which has been retitled as Gravity, Completed, which also serves as their 3rd mini album to date.

The track follows nicely from Sun, Moon, Star, in terms of style. They honestly could have returned with any style of the song of their choice, but they kept it consistent, which made me very happy. I think it is because you don’t hear this sound often anymore since the music industry has now been overrun with electronic synths and influences. I love the instrumental of the track. The use of the saxophone made the heavy instrumental feel a little lighter and gives it a more dynamic appeal. Like the name, I can see myself listening to this one a rainy day. The vocal work of this track is commendable, where each member shone brightly. Seungjun’s part right after the first chorus was my favourite. The verses could have been more memorable, as it was easily forgotten when it jumped to the chorus or when I watch the performance. What made me laugh (even though it was my fault) was that I misunderstood the English in the song. I honestly thought it said ‘I’ll cancel tonight’, which to me made sense. But when I watched the performance, the lyrics were actually ‘I can’t sleep tonight’. That’s my short story that bares no relevance to the review, but overall, it was one amazing song.

As suggested previously, how else to set this music video but with lots of rain. That’s exactly what happened here. It seems each member got into a breakup and the scenes show how they react to it. Some of them end up sulking, while the others end up running after. It is a pretty self-explanatory video and it does have a few KPOP cliches in it. For example, why is there a piano at the end of a tunnel and why do KPOP idols look so detached from the world when they cut themselves? But what I really liked was how each member had a dramatic contact with water, it was edited so they look like they fell into a large body of water. The editing there was amazing and it looked pretty cool. While it did feel like a cliche, I thought it add to the emotional vibes that were coming off from the song.

There were a few artists that made their comeback today. But what got me to write the review for this particular one first (over the others) was the choreography. I freaking love it. I love their use of the umbrellas to aid their transitions and it just perfectly clicks with the song’s style. The performance (from today) left me speechless and this could possibly take my vote for the best choreography of this year.

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

[Review] Hola Hola – KARD

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After 3 pre-debut singles, KARD has finally made their official debut in South Korea with their first mini album and title track, both titled as Hola Hola. Boasting singles such as Oh Na Na, Don’t Recall and Rumour, fans have been looking forward to the debut of the co-ed group for some time. They are currently under DSP Media and the group consists of BM, J.Seph, Jiwoon and Somin.

And like their pre-debut singles, Hola Hola continues on with the group’s notable tropical house sound. And like the name of the track, it curves their once serious tropical house sound into something that fits wonderfully into the Summer season, making it an ideal release for this time of the year. That complaint about their repetitive sound is out the door, with this fresh Summer sound. Out of all the songs released thus far, the vocal work and the rapping in this song from each member are on point. And their best effort yet. What threw me off guard was Jiwoo’s unexpecting rap, that sounds amazing. I love the incorporation of the ‘Oh Na Na‘ into the song, giving you flashbacks to their first single. But most importantly, my most favourite part was the bridge. It made the already catchy song, even more interesting. You can definitely expect me to continuously hit the replay button in the future.

Fitting that Summer sound was definitely the music video, which shows scenery that they shot while they were on tour overseas. For the most part, it was simply shots of them having fun on a nice sunny day. So there isn’t much to talk about. Their choreography shots look amazing. From the video, I think I can see a huge stage presence because their stares just captivated me, all the way through the video.

From what we can see are the incorporation of their key dance moves from Oh Na Na and Rumour. It is also said that Don’t Recall will also be incorporated but I haven’t seen it yet. That would genuinely make the dance interesting and I am already loving their key point for the Hola Hola dance as well.

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

[Review] That Girl – Jung Yonghwa (CN BLUE) ft. Loco

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After a 2 and a half year wait, Jung Yonghwa has finally made his solo comeback with That Girl. The main vocalist of CN BLUE previously made his solo debut in January 2015 with One Fine Day. That Girl is a track from the mini-album, Do Disturb, and the track itself features Loco, a well-known rapper and hip hop artist.

That Girl attracts similar comments to his solo debut tracks, Mileage and One Fine Day. While it doesn’t appeal to my personal tastes, what I did like about the song was the confidence that Yonghwa exerted via his lyrics and the vocalist’s vocals. The brighter sound compliments the catchy sound of the chorus and the melodies are pretty good. But besides all of that, the track just doesn’t seem to hook you in for long. Instead, the verses, which should have continued the momentum from the chorus ended up lacking that energy. Loco’s raps were a big no-no to my ears. It felt foreign and unexpected, which didn’t work with the rest of the track. Actually, his parts felt like a completely different song entirely. Although I only just listened to the track a few times (which means there is room to grow), I can’t stand his final remarks at the end of the song. It was 100% cringy and awkward to listen to. Overall, I guess you can categorise the song as ‘okay’ based on my comments.

The music video wasn’t too bad. I liked the colour and I thought the colour suited the atmosphere that the song had. The confidence, which I mentioned previously in the song part of this review, was portrayed nicely by Yonghwa throughout the video. It was totally evident once he entered the bar at the start of the video. But the side of Yonghwa that needed a little more confidence was Yonghwa in the choreography segments. Though I am not writing a section for the choreography, I can say that it looks pretty good. I know Yonghwa isn’t a dance idol but you could see it was very awkward for him to dance in the video and it made it awkward for us to watch. He starts off good, but that confidence or energy just disappears, which is disappointing. But overall, it was a good video to watch.

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

10 Favourite Choreographies (Part 1)

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It’s been a number of weeks since the last ‘Favourites’ (segment name still pending). In the last two week’s I have been doing more specific posts that relate to myself and the site, such as a recap of the number 1 songs of the past year and my personal favourite songs from the first half of 2017. Today’s post focuses around the amazing and jaw-dropping choreographies that KPOP is known for. So, in no particular order, the first 10 favourite choreographies are:

Neverland – UKISS

I first learnt about UKISS via this particular song. But what I totally liked about their comeback was the accompanying choreography, which still looks really cool and tough. At the time, there was no performance that could compare to it. And til this day, it is a key KPOP choreography that I remember.

Very Nice – Seventeen

One of the best performances from last year. While the use of suspenders are heavily present in this particular list, it wasn’t the exact highlight of the choreography. But its complexity and the fact that everyone was in sync made it rise to the top of performances in 2016.

Everybody – SHINee

The helicopter part of this performance probably sums up the entire comment I am going to write. Intense, extremely difficult (I don’t think I saw any other idols cover the entire choreography before) but extremely cool to watch.

Hard Carry – GOT7

Hard Carry is quite intense, which matches the song quite perfectly. Usually, the chorus has the most memorable dance moves but the verses and the leadup to the chorus were also distinctive. I also really enjoyed the transition between Jinyoung and Youngjae during the bridge. It was a small detail, but it left a huge impression on me.

Voodoo Doll – VIXX

Voodoo Doll‘s original choreography was banned for being too violent. It consisted stabbing, which was understandable. The revamped performance, which was allowed for the stage, didn’t have the same level of aesthetic but was still amazing. What was cooler was the throwing of Ken at the start, which was a key move that landed it on this list.

The Grasshopper Song  – Sunny Hill

This particular choreography kept true to the song title’s name. The Grasshopper Song had many references to grasshoppers and I thought that was very smart at the time. It was a very simple choreography overall but on the stage, it was very polished. I actually learnt this dance, which is a true testament to its simplicity.

Expectation – Girl’s Day

Girl’s Day made suspenders look sexy. And it became an iconic choreography with many covers from fans and idols alike. It was their first ‘sexy concept’ which proved to be a huge success, given the huge amount of popularity they gained during and after the promotions ended.

Dumb Dumb – Red Velvet

I thought this turned out to be one really amazing looking performance. Red Velvet has continually amazing choreographies that fans love. Dumb Dumb is probably their best (with a recent contender not too far behind). It wasn’t a Dumb Dumb dance, as I enjoyed watching it quite a bit.

Like This – Wonder Girls

Another choreography that I decided to learn. The song itself already hypes you up to join in, so I thought why not. While it proved how unathletic I was, it is a totally fun dance that was reflected from both the song and music video.

Poison – Secret

Secret’s Poison was definitely lethal with its extra sexiness. It doesn’t have any flashy moments nor did it become iconic, but it was the first ‘sexy concept’ choreography that started my pursuit and love for the said concept. It also felt perfect for the song, which another reason why it grew to become my favourite.

[Review] Ko Ko Bop – EXO

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EXO has made their return to the stage with their brand new fourth album, titled as The War. The main title track for the album is Ko Ko Bop. Unfortunately, Lay was unable to participate in the album due to his schedule in China, hence why he is missing from the promotional activities. This album alone has already broken a record, prior to the release of the album, proving to everyone the group’s popularity and fandom’s dedication.

The song was disappointing at first glance. A number of listens later and the same perception still holds. I am not exactly into the reggae style that they went with, but I am not turned off by it, as well. It gave the song its unique side. There were some catchy moments, but I don’t think there was enough to make me fall for the song immediately. While the breakdown did make the track interesting to an extent, it just didn’t work with the rest of the track. Their vocals don’t seem that great this time around, which was a disappointment. I was expecting some sort of intensity from the members, but the energy felt very lacking. I know it was a more chilled song, but that doesn’t mean the energy has to be low. The only member I felt did a good job was Chanyeol, whose rap suited the song. I may not have enjoyed Lotto, but this does make Lotto seem like a decent song.

I feel like the music video would raise a few eyebrows. Not referring to the abs or the chest exposure, though, which I am sure would have fans replaying the video purely for observation purposes. But how the video seems to allude to some ways of ‘having a good time’. I am referring to how some of the members look a little stoned. I honestly hope that I am looking at the video is a completely wrong way, but that is what I am getting from it. I say that because of the perception of drugs in South Korea is extremely looked down upon. Personally, I thought the video was could have been better. The guys displayed a carefree and hippy-like image, which I thought was okay. When I look at other EXO videos, I do see more flashy or intense concepts, so this seemed like a step back, though they may not be a bad thing. It seemed fitting for the song, but I am not sure if it is a concept that suits the members. Not a major fan of some of their outfits or hairstyles, as well.

Although we only saw glimpses of the choreography, I think I can say it is quite good. I will return to this part once a stage performance has been uploaded. And while I did not like the breakdown music wise, the accompanying dance for it looked amazing. It calls for some intensity and I think the parts I saw brought just that.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

 

[Album Review] Flight Log: Departure (5th Mini Album) – GOT7

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GOT7 and JYP Entertainment recently announced that their subunit JJ Project will be making their return and over the weekend, it has been confirmed for the 31st of July. While it does make a little more sense to revisit JJ Project’s first release, I decided to go with GOT7’s Flight Log: Departure mini album, which was released in March of 2016. It went on to win the Album of the Year (for the First Quarter) at the GAON Chart Music Awards.

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Flight Log: Departure Album Cover

1..Fly (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Fly (8/10)

2. Can’t (못하겠어) – This song showcases their vocals quite nicely. All the members sounded crisp and clear as a whistle in the track, applicable to both the vocals and raps, which I liked. The instrumental of this track was easy to the ears. It is relatively quiet with the drum, violins and horns added to give it some character. It was easy to get into but very difficult to get out of your head once you are in. (9/10)

3. See The Light (빛이나) – See The Light has a nice mellow sound, which contrasts nicely with the rest of the tracks. Like the previous song, this one also shows off the abilities of each member. It was the slowest song on the album, but it still had a level of energy to allow it to fit in with the other tracks. If I were to describe the song in my own terms, it is the type where you sway along with its sound, soothing and very calming. (9/10)

4. FISH – Yes, let’s take this small moment to acknowledge the title of the track. How odd. But let’s move back to the content of the song. I personally liked the song. However, there were things that made it awkward. The first verse felt very quiet, in comparison to the rest of the song. JB and Youngjae give it the needed energy through their explosive vocals, which did kick start the experience for the rest of the song. Everything else felt just right, just exclude the chorus. It wasn’t necessarily bad, I just thought a better drop and some sort of melody could have given a more polished feel to the song. (7/10)

5. REWIND – From the get-go, the song blew me away. Parts of the music reminded me of the bands back in the late 90s, such as N.Sync and Back Street Boys. But there was a modern twist, in the form of that epic breakdown. Their vocals and raps were shown off nicely, as well. It was super addictive and catchy, giving me more reasons to return to the track every now and then. (10/10)

6. Beggin On My Knees – Out of all the songs, this one felt like it had the most energy and it did not fail one bit with that aspect.  It had a bright atmosphere, which I thought made it a unique track on this album. What makes it an even more unique track is the lyrics tell a completely different story, which completely contradicts the bright atmosphere. This track provided a knockout with the combination of the instrumental, raps and vocals. (10/10)

7. Something Good – Like the name suggests, the track gives off a feeling that you could describe as ‘Something Good’. That was my bad attempt at making a pun. It has a very smooth sound, which I like. You can imagine yourself in a cafe or bookshop, listening to the song. Their vocals/raps were nice but it wasn’t the standout example on the album. (8/10)

Image result for Home Run got7 cover
Home Run Single Cover

8. Home Run – Click here to read the full review for Home Run (8/10)

Overall Album Review – 8.5/10

got7departuretease
Flight Log: Departure Teaser Image

[Review] Jelly – HOTSHOT

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After over two years, HOTSHOT has finally returned with their latest single, Jelly. The group made their debut in 2014 with Take A Shot. They were fairly busy in 2015 with multiple releases but has been absent from the scene since then. The group resurfaced this year with two members participating in Produce 101 Season 2, to which member Sungwoon ranked in 11th place and made it into Wanna One. Hence, the current line-up promoting Jelly is Junhyuk, Timoteo, Kid Monster, Yoonsan and Hojung.

Given the title of the song, I did not expect the song to take the route in which it did. You would associate Jelly with a vibrant and sweeter sound, like the desert itself. However, the song felt quite the opposite. It was definitely a lot more serious and it felt monotone. But this is the one time that the monotone nature did work in the songs favour. The dance instrumental felt very neutral throughout, which brought small bursts of colour to the song, which I thought was a really strong aspect of the song. That small ‘jelly’ break before the chorus starts really gives a moment of suspense, before the chorus starts, which actually does grow on you. After a few listens, I noticed tension in the song, which makes each replay, even more, better than the previous. I would like to say more about the song, but my comments are mainly centred around the instrumental and the overall sound. The member’s vocals and raps felt very neutral. It fitted the instrumental, making it into a good track, but they could have added or done something to the vocals/raps to transform the song into something even better.

I will be honest about the video. It was boring. There were aspects of the video which I liked but I don’t think there was enough to carry the video. The darkness matched the tension which I mentioned earlier. The choreography scenes were quite good. Their close-ups were the boring parts. They did their bit but I am quite sure they could have boosted in some way. The ‘Jelly‘ cut-ins looked good, but for some reason, they make me giggle every time I watch the video.

Like the music video, the choreography could have been better. The dance can already be described as quite good. The sharpness was there, the charisma was also present. The dance just felt sluggish in some parts and lacked energy in other.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Weekly Chart] 2nd Week of July 2017

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I am quite sure I promised myself to post these charts earlier in the day. Somehow that promise slipped for this week and I am now writing this week’s chart post (this post) as fast as I can. I plan to knock off a review for tonight and hopefully I don’t get too distracted. University restarts next week for me so you might see a decline in reviews. I will try to keep up, but like we all know, comebacks are coming left, right and centre.

You know that I do write various posts for this website, not just review. My schedule will be following this for the rest of the year unless specified:
Reviews – As soon as possible
Weekly Charts – Sundays (weekly basis)
Album Reviews – Mondays (weekly basis) – Starting 31st of July
Special/Favourites – Wednesdays (weekly basis) – Already following

Top 5 this week is made up of the following groups: DAY6, Mamamoo, APINK, Red Velvet and T-ARA. But what are their specific order? Scroll down below for the full charts!

Next week will be an extremely busy one with the debut of K.A.R.D and the highly anticipated comeback of EXO. Jung Yonghwa, KNK, Jenyer, Snuper and AKMU are also scheduled to make their respective comebacks. HOTSHOT, who returned on Saturday with their new single, may make their debut on the charts next week, as well.

Also, 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 debuts on the chart
Grey (Final Week) – Song appears on the chart for its final week.

9th Jul – 15th Jul 2017
Title Artist Status
1 Red Flavour Red Velvet (new)
2 Yes, I Am Mamamoo (=)
3 Hi Hello DAY6 (▲ 10)
4 Five APINK (▲ 3)
5 What’s My Name? T-ARA (▼ 4)
6 Shine Forever Monsta X (▲ 5)
7 Anti Zico (Block B) (new)
8 As If It Is Your Last BLACKPINK (▲ 4)
9 Remember Nine Muses (▼ 5)
10 Camo BOA (▲ 6)
11 Runner UP10TION (▲ 7)
12 Why, You? Park Boram (new)
13 Happy Cosmic Girls (▼ 4)
14 Getting’ By ONE (new)
15 Heyahe ONE (new)
16 Baby ASTRO (▼ 8)
17 Here I Am HALO (▲ 5)
18 Don’t Wanna Cry Seventeen (▼ 15)
19 Party Time Favorite (▼ 13)
20 Why Don’t You Know Kim Chungha (▲ 4)
21 Critical Beauty Pentagon (▼ 11)
22 Artist Zico (Block B) (new)
23 I Smile DAY6 (▲ 5)
24 Wind FT Island (▲ 2)
25 Young & Free Xiumin (EXO) & Mark (NCT) (▼ 6)
26 Cherry Bomb NCT 127 (▼ 5)
27 Archangels of Sephiroth Stellar (▲ 4)
28 Sun, Moon, Star KNK (▲4)
29 Shangri-La VIXX (▼ 6) (Final Week)
30 Signal Twice (▼ 5) (Final Week)

I know I haven’t updated last week’s charts for this section due to the lack of data. And this week, I won’t be able to post the table format of the ‘exiting songs’ for the same reason. However, I can make a small impromptu list for you all. These are the songs leaving the chart this week (and hence won’t appear in next week’s chart):

  • Shangri-La (VIXX)
  • Signal (Twice)
  • Suddenly (Roy Kim)
  • Egoist (Roy Kim)
  • Like You (HONEYST)

Sorry about the various temporary changes to this week’s post. They all should be updated soon and we should expect the original format next week! See you all then!

[Review] Kiss Me – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

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WJSN (Cosmic Girls) has made a surprise to the music scene, just weeks after the end of their promotions for Happy. The new single, titled as Kiss Me, continues on with their Summer sound. The music video itself is also an advertisement for Kiss Me Cosmetics.

I usually do not review songs that come under the advertisement realm. Not that I am against it, but rather I find some of the songs very cheesy. That being said, there are always exceptions and this song is obviously an exception (hence, I am writing this review). Over the entire song, there were many aspects of the song that felt very standard. Their vocals were good, but not amazing. The instrumental gave off a cute and Summery atmosphere, but it wasn’t different in any way from a standard Summer song. But it stands out for different reasons. The cute and sweet sound is a little different from their usual portfolio of songs. Kiss Me felt very warm and lively. The chorus itself felt very catchy. While it was standard in nature, it could have been easily passed as a normal track on their albums. It didn’t necessarily feel like an advertisement. The ‘Kiss Me‘ brand was used in a non-obnoxious way, which I thought was pretty nice.

Once again, there were no obnoxious product placements in the video, which is something that I thoroughly enjoyed. While the cosmetics did get a small section in the video, it felt like a small detail. Hence, I find the music video similar to the song, in a way, it could have been passed a Summer music video. And there was a plot line in the video, which made it more interesting. First of all, the guy in the water park takes notice in one of the members (don’t know the names, my apologies). The girls each take notice in the same guy, but they don’t know that until they share the pictures. Then they start to compete (my assumption) to get his attention. In the end, the guy finds the girl he was after. Okay, maybe it wasn’t an overly interesting plot-line. But when I watched it, it did not feel like a music video centred over a brand. There was some choreography to the video, but I think it would be considered a minor aspect of the video, hence it won’t get its dedicated part. But it looked very simple and feminine, which goes well with the song.

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

[Review] Why, You? – Park Boram

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Park Boram has returned with a brand new single, Why, You? and second mini-album, Orange Moon. The title track also features Samuel Seo, a well-known producer and rapper. Park Boram last release was Dynamic Love, which was released in April of last year.

I am going to be brutally honest. The song was boring. I hate to start off by saying that but it was the most pressing thing that I felt about the song. It doesn’t help that I am writing this review while being extremely tired. I felt the jazzy instrumental contributed to the blandness of the song.  But it as if the producer of the track felt the same thing. That short insert after the chorus to change up the song a bit provided much-needed relief but due to its limited nature, its effect was very limited. That being said, the change up was pretty good. It did make it somewhat interesting for a second. Furthermore, her vocals were pretty good in this song. It was such a pity that it felt slow and sluggish. Once the chorus was reached, the song did get a little better, with the addition of the backing vocals. Samuel Seo’s rap sounded pretty good and suited the song without going over the top. But while I do make small praises here and there, the same initial comments still hold.

Right off the bat, the aesthetics of this music video made it look amazing. It made me so happy. Throw in the magnified sounds of watering the plants, stirring coffee, squeezing the oranges,  and I am thoroughly impressed by the music video’s quality. Not a big fan of the extra effects that are added on, but they did add to the aesthetics. While I was disappointed by the song, I thought the video was excellent.

The performance felt slow and sluggish, much like the song. While there is choreography, it felt like there was not much going on, on the stage. Given the genre, that was given. You can’t have a flashy choreography with a slow song, without going over the top. But with this song, the choreography made the song feel lacking and empty.

Song – 4/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 4/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10

[Review] Anti – Zico (Block B) ft. G.Soul

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Yesterday, I wrote my review for Zico’s other recent song, Artist. After finishing off my review, I found out that Zico also released Anti‘s music video. I decided to write a separate review for Anti because the music video seemed like something that is worth talking about and it was a little late for me to make it a double review. So, while it is a day late, here is my review for Anti.

Anti, first glance, sounded like a great song and it gets better as you listen to more of it. I personally think the instrumental was pretty good. Firstly, it suited Zico’s rap and G.Soul’s vocals. It did feel a little lacking at times, but for the most part, I thought otherwise. I like it how the instrumental changes up slightly as the song went on, by adding an extra element to the instrumental. It keeps it from getting boring. Zico’s raps felt very dead at the start, but as it progressed you could feel some energy flowing from his lines. If I had felt that energy from the start (or earlier in the song), I think I would have liked the song even more. G.Soul’s vocals were perfect for this song, with the chorus being the main highlight of the song. There were two things that irked me though. The first was the pronunciation of the word ‘Anti‘. It sounded more like ‘Auntie‘, which would have been a completely different song. Secondly, it was the abrupt ending that felt like an edge of the cliff. It doesn’t do it for me. But overall, still a great song!

When I said the video seemed decent, it looked amazing. Definitely got the mysterious and eerie vibes in which the video was presented from the very start. The two ladies standing on the road reminded me of American Horror Story latest season. Zico seemed to be shot in the video and he is shown to travel to hell (hence the burning room) or heaven (which I think was the toilet seat scenes). The video halts before G.Soul comes in to replace Zico. I think, in the end, he was just watching a film on the television, which he ends up turning off. And the ending serves as the start of the Artist video. It is a very confusing video but it has great aesthetics and suited the song quite nicely.

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

[Album Review] The Red Summer (Special Summer Album) – Red Velvet

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The Summer is already in full swing and Red Velvet has emerged with their latest release to help fans cool down and put some Red into the atmosphere. Following their mini-album review at the start of the year, Red Velvet becomes the first artist to get a second album review from me. So before we sweat all the water out of ourselves, let’s move on.

Image result for red velvet red summer album cover
The Red Summer Album Cover

1..Red Flavour (빨간 맛) (Title Track) – Click here to view the full review of Red Flavour (9.5/10)

2. You Better Know – I love this track. Besides the title track, I felt like this was the best track on the album. You Better Know is an EDM track that has a great instrumental. Sure, it may have sounded typical in the realm of EDM, but it did its job at delivering the Summer feel to the ears of the listener. The chorus was catchy and the beat drop felt like a burst of bright energy. When the girls sang together, they sounded spectacular and when they sang on their own, they sounded amazing. (10/10)

3. Zoo – Following the EDM sound is the tropical house song, Zoo. Like what the name suggests, the song incorporates sounds you would associate with zoos, for example, animal sounds. The chorus is a little awkward with its delivery. It is short and sweet, but the way they end their lines seemed a little out there. I did like the rest of their vocals throughout the song. Just the rap didn’t sound that great and it could have been tied better to the rest of the song (7/10)

4. Mojito (여름빛) – Mojito feels like a song that you would expect to find from an F(x) album. The song is slower, compared to the previous songs, but it still a strong track in its own way. It felt refreshing and very calming. Their chorus here is amazing and it becomes better when they sing together. It may not have the hype factor, which drove me to like their title track and You Know Better. But it definitely has enough to make it a song to listen to after a long day. (9/10)

5. Hear The Sea (바다가 들려) – The track throws you back to their One Of These Nights. Sadly, the same can be said regarding both songs. The style isn’t my cup of tea. But the song is boring and painfully slow at times. Their harmonies during the chorus are the only thing that I like regarding the song, which does make it feel disappointing. (5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8/10

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The Red Summer Teaser Image (Source: ALLKPOP)

recommended red round grunge vintage ribbon stamp

[Review] Artist – Zico (Block B)

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Zico, the main rapper from Block B, is back with a brand new mini-album, titled as Television. The main title track of the release is Artist. Alongside Artist, Zico did also release another music video for Anti, which features G.Soul. I actually finished this review and then just found out about the Anti music video so I will write a separate review for it tomorrow. The video looks promising.

Artist takes you back to the more upbeat and rap centred tracks that Zico was initially known for. While there are many singing segments to this song, Zico’s return to rapping felt much needed. Sure, he has many great tracks where he had a more melodic centrepiece but Zico rapping in a solo song felt like a distant memory. Obviously, his vocals and raps are amazing, per usual. It might have been an artistic choice but I did feel like the delivery of the rap was a lot weaker. It did fit the song, but it needed a little more energy to make it sound bolder and more distinctive. Artist had a fun and bright vibe, which (and I say this a lot) suits the current season. While you can tell there was the obvious hip-hop influenced moments in the song, there were other parts that felt more pop-like. But that might be my ears telling me otherwise. Overall, I thought it was a great song.

This video does a pretty good job at trying to be quirky. The individual scenes seem to be pretty tame standalone. But once you put them together, it is a little more out there. I thought the interaction between Zico and the people around him added more energy to the video, which felt needed. I say that because the video felt very standard and neutral for the most part (i.e. there was nothing that made the video stand out). The dancing school girls did catch my attention. Their facial expressions throughout their parts made me laugh. The bright and outdoor feel seems to suit the song’s sound quite nicely. You may notice that there was a small bit of choreography in the video. While I don’t think a stage version will be available anytime soon, it looked fun.

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

[Special] Favourite Songs from 1st Half of 2017

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Can you already believe it? That we are already in July. Half the year has gone by and it felt like a blur. A lot has happened in the last 6 months that has just past. So, as a treat, I have decided to compile a list (my top 10) of the songs from the first half of 2017. There is no ranking or charting system that has allowed me to come up with this list (though, you might notice it may correspond with the Weekly Charts that I publish every Sunday). This is all just my personal preference and it is simply my opinion. So, in no particular order whatsoever, here are my top 10 songs from the 1st half of 2017.

Don’t Wanna Cry – Seventeen

Hwi Hwi – Laboum

Never Ever – GOT7

Beautiful – Monsta X

I’ll Be Yours – Girl’s Day

Don’t Recall – K.A.R.D

Beautiful – Pentagon

Hobglobin – CLC

Dance Dance – DAY6

I Wish – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

 

 

[Double Review] Heyahe & Gettin’ By – ONE

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Joining the YG Family is ONE, the first male solo act to debut under YG Entertainment in 14 years. ONE, whose real name is Jung Jaewon, officially made his solo debut today with two new tracks, Heyahe & Gettin’ By. For those who don’t remember or know, ONE used to be part of a duo with Samuel Kim, known as 1PUNCH, but they disbanded as soon as they debuted. Samuel was recently seen on Produce 101 Season 2 and will be making his debut next month.

The first song, Heyahe, fits more into the YG domain. It is rooted into the hip-hop and RnB genres more, which has been YG’s thing for the past decade or so. What I personally like about the song is its upbeatness. It gives off a little more energy that way, which makes it sound better. The roughness when he delivers some his lines is pretty damn good. He is also a decent singer and you have his singing parts in the song to prove that. Overall, it is a pretty decent song. Hip-hop is not entirely my thing, but this is still a good song to listen to.

The second song is Gettin’ By and it is much slower song, compared to Heyahe. The hip-hop vibes aren’t that strong in this song, but they still are present to an extent. ONE also does a sing-rap in this song, which sounds great. But overall, I thought the song doesn’t really separate itself from the rest of the songs currently out.  The song is more melodic but doesn’t really capture my attention, as much as I want it to. His raspy voice does do wonders to the song, which does appeal to me, but not enough sadly.

When looking at the music videos, I think Gettin’ By is a much better video. The editing was awesome. It has to be one of the best edits I have seen in these videos. An example of what I am talking about is when the girl is swimming, but ONE is sitting in a cafe. The rolling balls in the video serve as a great connection between scenes as well. The video was well suited for the slower but more mellow sound the song featured. That being said, Heyahe isn’t a bad video entirely. It’s a lot darker and in many other ways contrasts with Gettin’ By. The darkness fits the song quite nicely as well and the editing here is also quite good. But it doesn’t amaze me. Instead, the editing helps with the aesthetics of the music video, which turned out really well. But Gettin’ By just manages to nudge ahead with its odd nature, in my opinion.

Knowing YG Entertainment, they are going to slap a dance on these two songs for the stage performances. Hopefully not because I don’t think it is necessary, but I shall update this section once performances are uploaded.

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

Gettin’ By
Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10