Year: 2017

[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!!!

[Review] Dream In A Dream – Ten (NCT)

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A week has passed since the first SM Station release for the second season. Which means another SM Station digital single has been unveiled for us! Last week, Red Velvet released Would U and this week, Ten from NCT, is the featured artist in the single, Dream In A Dream.

Out of all the tracks that I have reviewed and listened to (KPOP has dominated my life for the past 7 years), I had never heard with a Chinese-influenced sound (as far as I can remember). That being said, the track also infuses calming synths with the cultural sounds. It sounds quite nice and very refreshing. It reminds me a lot of chill-step, a subgenre of music that I enjoy, other than KPOP. The song is mainly instrumental, with a few lines here and there of English lyrics. It might sound boring to some people, but remember that SM Station is a way for the SM Entertainment to play around and experiment with different sounds. That is what they had done here and quite successfully might I add. While the vocal work is limited, Ten’s vocals fit the soothing nature of the song. Once the beat drops and the song start to pick up, it sounds spectacular! It’s a unique song and it’s a style that we probably won’t ever hear again for some time.

The main focus of this release is probably the dancing. You may or may not know, but Ten appeared on Hit The Stage, which gave viewers a chance to view the choreography and dancing abilities of KPOP dancers. Listening to the song, I had high expectations. And those high expectations were answered. While I think we saw Ten perform routines that were more powerful, what we get to see in the video fits the song perfectly. From his time with the back-up dancers to the interperetive couple dance, everything felt just right in this video. The colours did put me off a bit, but it didn’t ruin the experience for me. Also read somewhere that the recent SM Rookie member, Lucas, appeared in the video. Don’t know what for though, because those extra scenes made no sense. The choreography scenes would have been fine on their own. Maybe it was meant to be a confusing dream?

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

[Review] I’m Serious – DAY6

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The 6th of April just passed a few days ago, so guess what that means? DAY6 has returned with a brand new track. The 6th came unexpectedly fast. Maybe it was because I was occupied with my endless amount of assignments, but I just remember How Can I Say being released just yesterday! But who cares! The most important thing is that if you wanted more DAY6, you get more DAY6!

If this song proves anything, it shows everyone how versatile and flexible DAY6 is with their style and sound. While their past songs have been more rock influenced or ballad-like, I’m Serious sounds more upbeat and bright. There is a warm tone, which makes it suitable for the warmer months (which Korea and the Northern hemisphere are approaching). Though I do miss the more powerful sounds, the song is quite nice to listen to. The song also focuses more on the vocals, leaving out any possible rap sequences. All the member sings, even the rapper (Young K) taking the bulk of the chorus, which also shows the versatility of the members. The song itself is quite catchy. You catch yourself nodding along to the song, especially the chorus. But by then, you just nod your way through the rest of the song (with a smile on your face, of course) because you already started. The post-chorus is quite addictive and adds a little more colour to the song. I wouldn’t mind listening to just the instrumental of the song, as well. It sounds quite nice, with the softer and (at times) acoustic music.

The music video just shows the guys having a road trip, down by the beach and singing along to the song. There really isn’t much to say about the video. The idea of it is suitable for the song and it makes sense to go in that direction. The colour palette seemed to be dull, but it probably made things look a lot better than what it really was (the day looked cloudy and not that sunny, like in Summer).

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

 

[Review] Good Night – Dream Catcher

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Dream Catcher is finally back. The group made their official debut at the start of the year with Chase Me, which automatically caught my attention (and the attention of many others) with their unique rock sound and horror concept. This comeback is the continuation of their previous comeback, which video ends with a “To Be Continued” message.

And such, the group delivers again with that rock sound that attracted me. However, they didn’t launch into the song as such. Instead, they used a lullaby as the introduction, which gave the song that extra edginess. Then they launch into the rock dominated instrumental. Like their debut track, the song feels like it came from the OST of Japanese anime, or a song sung by Japanese artists. There were times in the song that I thought the instrumental just wasn’t as intense. It’s getting better as I listen to it more, but there is a little air of underwhelming-ness that I can’t really shake off. However, the vocals and raps of this song made up for that. Their vocals are getting stronger, and they seem more suited for a rock style song this time around. But for me, what stole the show was the rap sequence. Damn, that was quite amazing. You don’t really expect such a deep voice from a person (like the rappers). It was unexpected, but it felt just right. Overall, the group essentially has done it again. There were parts that didn’t feel perfect, but this track still manages to continue on from their debut, which is probably the most important thing here.

This music video is more confusing. It seems like Dream Catcher used to be alive and had a book full of dark magic that could control them. However, they lost it, and it somehow fell into the hands of the guy from the first music video. It seems like he used the dark magic to kill them in their own world (i.e. through the mirror). But somehow, they came back to haunt him and remind him of his wrongdoings (the events in the first music video). It seemed to all be an attempt to reclaim the book and destroy it once and for all, which they did so in this video. That’s my recount of the events in the music video. It definitely makes the storyline more confusing. However, that horror concept still lives on in this video, and it makes it a great video to watch. I personally thought some things looked quite cool, like the forest set. It kind of gave a dark spin on the story of Red Riding Hood. Maybe they were Red Riding Hood and the man was the Big Bad Wolf? Who knows!

The dance this time is quite impressive. I mentioned that Chase Me‘s dance was underwhelming. This time, they manage to fix that and perform a routine that attracts your attention. Their introductory tutting routine with the lullaby started the performance on a high note. The rest of the performance followed on quite nicely. The way they got back into formation in the final seconds to end the song was quite amazing as well.

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

[Review] Make Me Love You – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Taeyeon has returned once again this year with a brand new song. This time around, she released a repackaged and ‘deluxe’ version of her solo album, My Voice, which was released last month. Make Me Love You joins Fine and I Got Love as the lineup of title tracks for the album. There doesn’t seem to be any promotions for this new release, which is quite disappointing.

Taeyeon’s newest song has me screaming approval from the very first listen. It is a simple pop RnB song that stood out of the pack (as in the many songs that were released the same day). While it was simple, it had a very grand production sound to it and the song overall could have described as elegant and classy. Taeyeon’s vocals are beautifully incorporated into the track. The elegance and classy nature of the song are lifted up higher with the presence of her vocals. There is no doubt to why many people say Taeyeon is one of the best soloists in Korea, with this song serving as promising evidence. The buildup to the chorus is worth mentioning. It’s a slow incline but it allows for the chorus to shine very brightly. Once the beat drop, we enter a very familiar chorus. I say familiar because it reminds me of Ellie Goulding’s Love Me Like You Do. Both tracks are quite similar in sound and style. The chorus in Taeyeon song isn’t overly complicated. It’s quite short and comprises of just a few English lines. While this has been done before in other songs, there is something that makes it click. And there is something that makes me sing along to it. I would have liked it if she had a more powerful ad-lib at the end, to give it that ‘cherry on top’. This song is definitely one that I would recommend to anyone!!!

The music video is fabulous. What was done here matched the song quite nicely.  I am glad that they didn’t make her sit in one place and just have that, especially for the chorus. Instead, many different shots of her sitting and walking around (and smiling at the camera) were in the video. I didn’t watch the video first and imagined the video to be exactly that and it was exactly that. The cool chromatics looked quite cool as well. The cinematography makes the video seem like it came out of a movie. While I said that I was glad they didn’t make her sit in one place, the scene where she sits in a room full of flowers (the feature image of this post) was probably the one scene that summed the video up quite nicely and showed off the elegance quite nicely. As I said, the video goes perfectly with the song. It might be boring after a while, but for now, it is definitely worthy to watch.

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

recommended red round grunge vintage ribbon stamp

 

[Double Review] Really Really + Fool – WINNER

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WINNER has returned with 2 brand new title tracks Really Really and Fool. This is the group’s first comeback since Baby Baby and Sentimental, which was released over a year ago. This is also their first comeback since Taehyun withdrew from the group due to health issues. Hence, WINNER has returned as a four-member group instead.

Really Really is a ‘really really’ addictive track. Hahahaha… I had to. The song falls under the tropical house genre and is the more upbeat track out of the two title tracks. The instrumental itself is already quite appealing, and it reeled me in. I absolutely fell for the song with the first listen, mainly because of the instrumental. Chuck in the vocals and raps and you have an almost perfect song. I say ‘almost’ because there is a little concern from my end of how long can the track stay on my radar. While I praise and compliment the track, I do see myself losing interesting in it (as fast as I fell for it). I am not too certain if the hook is strong enough, but we will see as time goes by.

Fool is the slower track of the two. Fool falls into the ballad category. This is also the track that seems to fit in nicely with their past releases, due to its slowness and style. However, it also sets itself apart from their previous tracks. Their vocals are quite impactful in this song, and that makes the song stand out. I have been bored with Winner’s past releases mainly due to the vocals, so it is finally nice to hear two songs (from Winner) where I actually like the vocals. The only problem is that it fails to attract my attention. I enjoy listening to slower ballad songs as much as I like the fast and upbeat tracks, but this one just doesn’t pique my interest.

Really Really looks classy with the black and white filter. However, its track demands attention, and while the aesthetics do the job, the lack of colour does make the video feel dull. The settings where the video was shot looked quite nice. When all the ladies started walking into the filming area and started to dance around the members looked quite cool. It felt simple, but it worked. I find some of other stuff in the video quite cringeworthy. Mainly the dabbing and bouncing cars. But besides that, the video was nice to watch.

Fool felt more like a YG video. Mainly due to the camera angles and cinematography. It was much more interesting to watch, compared to Really Really, due to the many scenes and small details that you find scattered throughout. Actually, after rewatching the entire video, it seems like there is a lot more to the video than what I expected. But don’t ask me what it means, I don’t know. It seems like the members are reflecting on some past actions where they somehow hurt (maybe possibly killed) their partners, which is why the members are singing about themselves being ‘Fools’. If you do have some sort of understanding the video, please do share in the comment section below! But overall, a very interesting video to watch.

[UPDATED] I don’t think Really Really‘s choreography was intended to be ‘fun’. But that is what I got out of it. The main dance during the chorus is simple and has the potential to become the next dance move at a party. There was also a nice sexy vibe and the interaction between the dancers and Winner themselves is quite noteworthy here. Fool didn’t need a dance, but it had one. It was extremely fitting for the song and still beautiful to watch. But it not necessary.

Really Really
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10 
Performance – 8/10 [UPDATED]
Overall Rating – 7.5/10 [UPDATED]

Fool
Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 7/10 [UPDATED]
Overall Rating – 7/10 [UPDATED]

 

[Review] Coloring Book – Oh My Girl

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Oh My Girl reaches new heights with their latest comeback. They have returned with their latest and 5th mini album, titled as Coloring Book. Their title track shares the same title as well. Oh My Girl became a group to look out for back in 2015, when they released Closer. 2016 confirmed their presence on my radar with the releases of Windy Day and Aing~.

And it seems like Coloring Book is another track to add to that list. It is a really good song. The track literally launches right into the energised and upbeat track. There is no holding back. They don’t give us a break at all, but instead they push ahead with it. The song falls into the same category as any of their past songs. Bright, funky and addictive to listen to. What makes the song a little awkward is the chorus. I am not sure if it is awkwardly placed but it seems to be a little premature. But besides that, I genuinely liked the chorus. It’s the more of the progression into the chorus and how they do it that throws me off. Maybe I am just not used to the style as it is different from their past songs and more traditionally structured songs. It’s just a minor detail that honestly didn’t affect my listening experience. Literally, the second listen in and I was bouncing along in my chair.  Maybe I should have left that ‘bouncing’ detail out. Anyway, like yesterday how I mentioned about Red Velvet’s song making you smile, this does the exact same thing. The vocals sound really good in this song. I have enjoyed their past vocal works, but here, they sound like they have worked on perfecting their vocals. Overall, it is a catchy song that, to me, is a worthwhile listening to. Just give it a few tries before you make up your mind!!!

From the title of the song, I assumed that they would start off with a blank canvas. And that is what we saw in the video. Just the blank canvas was a floating house in the sky. And while they attempt to make a cake (a rainbow cake, as shown at the end of the video), they end up colouring or splashing themselves with paint. I honestly want to know how many dresses were stained in the making of this video. They proceed to leave the house and paint more of the world by adding more colour. How they went outside, though, was with a physically impossible bridge. Watching it the first time, my geekiness came through and I just randomly thought “That bridge could not hold according to physics. It wasn’t even complete“. Thinking about the video, it’s the type of video that I would find boring. There really isn’t much in the video to talk about. However, for some unknown reason, I keep on coming back. Maybe Oh My Girl is rising in the list of groups that I stan. Or that the video pops with the rainbow colours that they use. I don’t know, but I am rewatching the video for the fifth time today, which is something that I don’t often do for that type of video.

Something I didn’t mention in the song part of the review, but it is a very intense track. And likewise, the choreography is just as intense. As I always say, it’s fitting for the music and it maintains that cute image that the girls have, without going overboard.

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

[Review] Would U – Red Velvet

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Red Velvet’s latest release marks the return of the SM Station project for its second season. SM Station is a project where SM Entertainment promised the release of multiple songs on a weekly basis for an entire year. The project saw never-seen-before collaborations between SM artists, along with other artists from other companies, something that seemed foreign when it came to SM. The project saw some big hits and some of the songs released were reviewed on this website, such as Rain by Taeyeon, Spring Love by Wendy and Eric Nam, and Heartbreak Hotel by Tiffany ft. Simon D. While I didn’t get around to reviewing every single song, I do hope that I will be able to do more reviews from SM Station project for its second season.

Red Velvet is a girl group well known for their more retro and upbeat based songs. On occasion, they have also returned with much slower and ballad-like songs. While this particular song does seem to fall into the ‘slower’ category, it is a nice mix of style between the slow and upbeatness. The instrumental is quite bright, and it makes you smile while you listen to it. The song uses a sweet melody that is hard to miss. The piano adds a more classical touch to the song. While it isn’t anything new or impressive, its addition makes the song sound a lot better. But the thing worth mentioning in this song are the vocals. The girls sound amazing. Sure, it isn’t powerhouse vocals, or none of the members is belting out a high note. It is simple yet still, leaves an impression on you. Their harmonies sounds amazing and probably the one reason why I keep on returning to this track. Also the “Would U, Would U” is unavoidably cute and catchy as well.

The music video features Irene and actor Kim Min Jae. The video is probably based on a well-known French story that I probably have no idea existed. Essentially, Irene has to find clues on where the mysterious man, who keeps on leavings these clues about. As she solves one, she gets a step closer to the man. I don’t like the video but I don’t mind it. It is very fitting for the song and the video does make you smile, as well. Irene is quite pretty too and she did look like an angel in the video. Loved the use of lights. I think the video was shot outside, but there was the use of artificial light. But the combination made Irene look like she was glowing and it made the video feel fresh.

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

[Album Review] Girl’s Day Everyday #5 (5th Mini Album) – Girl’s Day

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I have been focusing on doing a few album reviews lately. However, the majority of them were albums from boy groups. I have been wanting to do an album review for a female artist or group, so when Girl’s Day confirmed their comeback, I knew it was the one. This is their fifth mini album and the fifth in the Everyday series. This is also their first comeback in nearly 2 years.

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Girl’s Day Everyday #5 Album Cover

1..I’ll Be Yours (Title Track) – click here to read the full review for the title track, I’ll Be Yours (9.5/10)

2. Thirsty – First impression told me that this was a good track. It is something that you would find as a B-side of a really popular artist in America. The instrumental has a nice electronic synth that makes it addictive to listen to. The repetitive clicks and synth work really well with each other. And they work well with the vocals. Thirsty isn’t necessary a powerful sounding track, but their light vocals somehow manage to pack a punch. (9/10)

3. Love Again – This is a very interesting song. I am glad they picked this song as their other promotional track because it shows a more vocally talented side of the group. The instrumental is quite simple, with a simple yet amazing guitar sound. But what stole the show for me were the vocals. As mentioned, it showcased their vocals. Everyone sounded amazing. But the member that stood out the most was Sojin and her high pitch lines. The way they manipulated her voice is perfection to my ears. It is harder to describe her vocals in this song, but do check it out! (10/10)

4. Kumbaya (Come By Here) (Sojin Solo) – Finally, the forgotten vocalist of Girl’s Day finally has a solo track to her name. Once again, it is a simple ballad. But the way Sojin sings it makes it many times better. Her ad-libs sound amazing. It is another song that makes me sway along and fall into the music. The song also managed to leave an impression on me. Not sure if it because it is the first track where Sojin shines or of the nice melody, though. (10/10)

5. Truth (Minah Solo) – I am literally shaking from writing this review because as I listen to each song, I am blown away. Minah’s solo manages to blow me away even more. It is yet another ballad, so no surprises there. But unlike their other ballads on this album, this one has a more grand and orchestral instrumental. They also incorporated electronic synths in the song, giving it a modern feel. But we can’t proceed without mentioning Minah’s breathtaking vocals. It is REALLY breathtaking. Was  I too subtle with that comment? (10/10)

6. Don’t Be Shy – The final song on the mini-album is a dance song. It brings Yura and Hyeri back into the track list and gives a more upbeat ending to the mini-album. The song also manages to showcase their vocals. The auto-tuned was probably not needed but they don’t get in the way. The build-up to the chorus is amazing. I am not too sure how to describe the sound of the song. But the instrumental uses the marching band sound as its basis and then adds extra electronic synths as layers on top. You can tell from it that the song tries to sound powerful and tough, but it misses the intended sound by just a fraction. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.5/10

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Teaser Image

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