Year: 2017

[Review] Sketch U – 100%

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100% is back with a brand new mini-album, Sketchbook. This is the group’s first comeback since their return from hiatus last year with Better Day. During the time since their return, 100% debuted in Japan with How to Cry.

The group has returned with a more vocally centred song. While the group has continually returned with songs that are more dance centred, their last comeback showcased a very big improvement in vocals. Likewise, this comeback showcases even a larger improvement of their vocals. The song itself sounds is a ballad mixed with rock and orchestral sounds. The instrumental itself is quite good to listen to. However, as mentioned already, their vocals are the main show. They sound amazing in this song. Particularly the chorus, where they sing in falsetto. It gave me chills the first time around and it probably will do the same thing to you guys. The rap sequences fit very nicely into the song. I am just not of the fan of the jump from the second (and last) chorus of the song to the rap sequence at the end. It felt a little awkward. But I think that is me being a little picky. Talking about second choruses, the song ended surprisingly fast, which does let me down a tiny bit. But they probably decided to do that to save their vocals because I am quite sure it is not normal or healthy to sing like that 3 times in a short span of time. But regardless, the song is something that you guys need to check out because it sounds amazing.

The music video is a little less impressive. There are no “high notes” here. The video is quite fitting with the song, however, playing towards the emotional side of the song. The majority of the video is split into two. One side shows the guy (with the girl) when they were together as a couple and the other side shows the guy after the breakup (which was the first thing we saw). It was quite interesting to see the two sides of the video interact with each other (like when the post-breakup guy holds out his hand when the girl approaches the guy pre-breakup). It adds a little twist to the story, something that hasn’t been done before, I believe. The video features the same set used in KNK’s U performance video. I am not troubled by that, just pointing that fact out. The set looked a lot cooler with the piano at the centre and 100% situated around it.

There is no choreography for this comeback. Just them singing their hearts out on stage, which suits the song a lot more than any choreography that they could have intended to include.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Kiss On The Lips – MelodyDay

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Two weeks ago, I reviewed the pre-release for MelodyDay’s latest mini album. The pre-release, You Seem Busy, featured Jung Ilhoon from BTOB. Now, they have released their mini album with the title track of Kiss On The Lips.

Kiss On The Lips is a fair attempt at the reggae genre, with a more tropical feel to it.  It isn’t terrible but the release for it is a little off. This sound suits more a summer feel and it is barely Spring in South Korea. Moving away from that, the song gives off the same vibe as Why So Lonely by the recently disbanded senior group, Wonder Girls. The song has a few nice rhythmic portions, such as the “Ringa-ringa-ring” parts in the song (and is one of the catchiest phrases of the year). However, the song just doesn’t seem to stand out. To me, it sounded like the girls held back with their vocals. They needed to give the song a boost of some sort (either vocals or a build up within the instrumental) but everything felt too consistent. There wasn’t much of a buildup in the song and that did leave the ending to be quite lacking, as that tends to be where songs peak at. The ad-lib at the end was present and it could have given the song that powerful boost (provided they had built up appropriately to it). But instead, it sounded distant. It was as if I was listening to the song (with no ad-lib) on the train and someone from the next carriage started to randomly hit that high note. Overall, in my personal opinion, if they managed to give the song a boost and geared towards a release date during hotter months, the song would have been better received.

The music video was lacking as well. As much as the song didn’t stand out, the same goes for the video. But there were things that I liked in the video. First of all, it reminded me of the Wonder Girl’s Why So Lonely video. Not sure if MelodyDay is doing it on purpose but the vibes from the two videos are quite similar. Moving along, I like the colour filter that they used. Surprisingly, I thought the dullness and pastel like effect matched the song quite nicely. That might come across as a criticism but honestly, it is a compliment. The fake set was obviously and it is unavoidable to notice. But the use of lighting in the video, alongside the set, was something that I thought was quite cool. Especially the dance scenes on the beach. The lights are usually on the singers, but instead, they highlighted the background. It gave it a very sophisticated and polished feel. Everything else felt like a bore, though.

The dance was the best part of the comeback. The girls have gone for a more sensual dance, something that we haven’t seen from the girls. While the dance moves aren’t necessarily new, the moves seemed to match the song perfectly. Especially for the “Ringa-ringa-ring” parts.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10 
Performance – 8/10 
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Rain – Soyu (Sistar) & Baekhyun (EXO)

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Another collaboration between two of the biggest idol names in the business at the moment. Soyu (from Sistar) has many collaborations to her name, such as Some with JungGiGo and Stupid in Love with Mad Clown. Baekhyun (from EXO) collaborated with Suzy for Miss A for Dream and have participated in OSTs for popular dramas in the past. All the collaborations and songs that the two have participated ended up being successful and high charting songs.

As expected given their portfolio, the two went with a ballad. It is one of those extremely slow ballads that people tend to shy away from. Even I do that to some of the songs of that nature sometimes. The combination between Baekhyun’s sweet vocals and the huskiness you hear with Soyu’s vocals is something you expect to be fantastic. And for the latter half of the song when they sing together for the final chorus, we got that fantastic feel. But the start of the song just didn’t have that same feeling. You could hear their vocals in the purest form (i.e. there is nothing shadowing or covering their respective parts) and that is good. But with a slow ballad, that seemed to drag out the song. While I am not too troubled by that now, it was something that I had to get used to after multiple listens to the song. But there is something else. Changing from Soyu to Baekhyun felt too instant and too fast. There was a second of silence and that was it. That silence felt like it two songs were ‘joined’ together as the two have different voices. A nice transition that eased in Baekhyun’s part would have made the song nicer as I felt the song needed that transition.

I am not a big fan of the video. There wasn’t anything of interest in the video. I just play the video mainly for the song. But you guys may like it. The video simply shows a young girl wandering around in the rain (or course with an umbrella). We do see that she is thinking about someone as shown via her drawings in her book and on the blackboard. While the video is not my cup of tea, the video is beautifully shot. Just by watching the video, you can’t help but smile when the girl in the video is happy and joyfully jumping around, which is quite cute.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Knock Knock – Twice

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Source: https://0.soompi.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/16070312/twice-knock-knock-mv-teaser.jpg

Twice has returned with the release of Twicecoaster: Lane 2 and the title track Knock Knock. The group previously made their comeback in October last year with TT. Twicecoaster: Lane 2 is actually a reissue of the mini album released in October, with 2 new tracks. Since TT promotions ended, the group has also performed in a few concerts and swept the end of year awards ceremonies with Cheer Up as the Best Song Of The Year.

Knock Knock is your generic pop song with guitar riffs and a nice retro sound. Out of all their title tracks, this song feels the most vibrant and colourful. And that is something you would associate with Twice, given their personalities (seen through shows and videos) and past hits.We were given a small snippet to this song at the end of the TT music video. The same part was present at the end of the video was present at the start of the song. While I loved the way it sounded, the song took an unexpected turn and ended up being vibrant and colourful. Is that a necessarily a bad thing? No, but I would have loved to hear something a little different from Twice. Moving along, like all their previous songs Twice has used the catchphrase of the song to be the way to sell the song across to the listener. It was successful as “Knock Knock Knock on my door” seemed to be the catchiest part of the song and it was constantly replayed throughout it. I actually like their vocals because they are all clear. None of the member’s voices seemed to be hidden behind autotune in this song. From the raps to the singing vocals, each member did a really good job with no hitches. But then we run into another problem. While I have described a pretty good song so far, a part of me felt the song was too generic. There really wasn’t anything that amazing or necessarily captivating about the song. It just felt overdone and dull. But then again, I said similar things regarding Cheer Up and that song grew so much on me. So I guess only time will tell.

The video was quite generic but not to that extent like what I felt with the song. This video has its up and downs. Some parts felt dull and boring while other parts were funny and actually managed to get a joyful response out of me. The tie in with TT was pretty nice but it didn’t seem amazing. It didn’t blow my mind and I wanted something to blow my mind. Instead, they got locked out of their house and the book somehow changed them (or cursed them) into the characters of TT. Yeah… not really a blockbuster storyline hey! But I loved the humour the girls have. The scenes where the girls are coming down the lines. I recently (today actually) saw a picture that compares some of the moves they pull off while coming down the stairs are actually moves they pulled off in Like Ooh Aah. Likewise, if I was to choose a spirit animal from one of the girls coming down the stairs, it would have to Jungyeon. And if Park Ji Young came over to my house for a sleepover, I would have had the same reaction (I laughed at this part. They looked so disappointed when they saw him). Come over anytime, just not when there is a sleep over or I am preparing to snore in bed.

As expected from the title, there is a lot of knocking in this dance. Nothing that impressive, though the very start of the performance when Nayeon starts singing looked cool. The penguin dance intro looked really cool and cute as well.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Don’t Recall – K.A.R.D

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K.A.R.D has returned with a brand new song. For those who don’t remember this co-ed group, they released their first project single, Oh Na Na, last year in December. Since then, their popularity has gone through the roof, as evident at a number of views the video released to accompany this Don’t Recall and their ranking on iTune charts around the world. This track does not have a hidden figure and is actually a present to the fans for their response to Oh Na Na.

Like their first single, Don’t Recall delve back into the world of RnB and hip-hop. The song is a lot melodic than Oh Na Na, which was heavier on the raps and hip-hop vibes. BM doesn’t sound like he is rapping but rather singing using his raspy and husky voice. While his vocals are limited, he does a pretty good job. The other members stay within their comfort zone and like BM, do a nice job at each of their parts. Moving away from the vocals, I do have to admit, though, the song does feel a little dull compared to Oh Na Na. Not sure if it is the vocals/raps to blame (because they don’t show much variety) or if there isn’t anything catchy within the song. The one part I really love and think it is what makes the song more memorable is the short instrumental breaks after the choruses. Those parts sound very striking and very ear-catching. It usage after the choruses and as the instrumental for the final chorus gave the song a much-needed boost and gave me the reason why to go back and continue listening to it.

I would love to interpret the video myself but I would probably do a really bad job of it if I had a time. But during my crusade of trying to work out what happened in the video, I came across a theory uploaded onto K.A.R.D’s YouTube channel, which tries to make sense of the video. While they claim that they might be wrong, I think everyone has gone to accept it as the real thing. The audio of the video is Korean but make sure to turn on the CC (closed captions) to see an English translation of the guy talking in the fan theory video.

Watching the video kind of made my mind throw everything I had initially thought out of the window. But even if I didn’t watch the theory video, I would still have noticed the tension and darkness present in the video. The camera shots and camera angles really make this video quite good. While these have been seen elsewhere in KPOP, it’s the actual meaning behind the video and objects in the shot that makes it feel refreshing and different each time.

The choreography here is really good. That short instrumental break dance routine looks amazing and something that would look really amazing on stage. It’s a pity that they haven’t gone on stage (as in on the weekly music shows) to perform this.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] I Got Love – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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It has been confirmed that Taeyeon would be releasing her first full solo album on the 28th of February (exactly 1 week from now). However, Taeyeon has unveiled a pre-release for her new album over the weekend, titled as I Got Love. Given her portfolio of hit songs ranging from I to 11:11, we can obviously expect great things from her pre-release and full album once it is released.

With that final statement, she has delivered with a completely different and unique track. It isn’t your traditional sounding track, but regardless, it sounds amazing. Like most of her songs, her vocals stand out here. That is expected now when Taeyeon releases a song. But what stands out equally is the instrumental. The instrumental oozes a very grand and fancy jazz sound. But it is also quite unconventional because it isn’t the normal jazz sound that we are used to.The chorus is non-existent. Instead, it is replaced by a simple deep drum beat mixed with a very hollow sounding tuba (I think). While this is ‘chorus’ is quite short, it goes straight to the point without dragging anything out or boring us. It can also be referred to as the highlight of the track. The buildup prior to the ‘chorus’ sounds amazing and melodic, something that you would not think would build up to this song’s chorus. But it works. Everything flowed (It sound a little disconnected but after a few listens, you realise that the sounds indeed do flow). My one major complaint with the track (and it technically is a compliment) is how fast this track was. It didn’t feel like 3 minutes at all and I was left wanting more. Maybe that was the point of the pre-release (to make me feel hyped for the full album!).

The video suited the song. What more do you need? With a much edgier sound, Taeyeon went all out to deliver with a darker and more sophisticated concept, which she successfully did in this video. Taeyeon essentially says one thing with this video: glamour. Everything from her dresses to the diamonds in the video just yells that one word out. Her gazes are hypnotising and very alluring in the video. There is a sense of mysterious already present in the video but her gazes add to it. While the diamonds do add and yell glamour to the video, I don’t really understand its backstory in the video. Could Taeyeon be releasing her secret to everything about her? Gasp… Or the diamonds could just be a physical representation of love.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Overall Rating – 10/10 (You might think my maths is off here. Something that I have never said before but I do round my calculated scores to the nearest whole number or half decimal. The calculated score here is actually 9.8/10, which is a near perfect score, hence the 10/10. If you think I should post the calculated overall rating with no rounding, let me know in the comments).

 

 

 

 

[Review] Not Today – BTS

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Unlike the title of the song, it is a review that needs to be released today!!! For this repackaged album, BTS returned with two title tracks. The first, Spring Day was reviewed last week as its accompanying music video was released. With today’s release of the music video for Not Today, I can now review their second title track for their repackaged Wings album.

Not Today is a very intense track. Literally, it doesn’t hold back with its intensity. To me, it feels a lot like Fire’s sequel. It is as if they felt they didn’t do justice with Fire (which they obviously did) and decided to go with a track with that same intensity, but with a much cleaner and consistent sound. The instrumental is all EDM based and it standing alone packs a punch. Throw in their (per usual) rapping and vocal work and you can guess what type of track this would be. That being said, due to the intensity and instrumental, the vocals (including the rapping here) did feel a little inferior, as opposed to Spring Day, where the vocals/raps were at te forefront of the song. But regardless, I am totally digging it. I have been replaying it constantly this past weekend and getting hyped for the music video release. I love the transition between the rapping and vocals in this song. While EDM does have a reputation for not being smooth at times, the transitions give it a very smooth feel. And even though it feels smooth, the buildup of the track is something that catches your ears. But what makes this song so good is the ending. Even though it returns to the exact same chorus that we have been hearing in the song, it ended perfectly and left me at the edge of my seat.

My assumption is that Not Today and Spring Day will go hand-in-hand with each other since Spring Day provided us with a 1 or 2-second teaser of the Not Today video. Knowing BTS and Big Hit Entertainment, there will be some sort of connection that I am going to need help interpreting. I rely on fan theories for BTS music videos because there is so much to research and make sense of. The video starts off with them running (along with a group of ninjas or what I am going to assume – their bodyguards). And they are running away from someone or something that is out to get them. And that is all I have. Maybe they are trying to say “you will not catch me, not today”. But even though the plot doesn’t make sense, the video is still good on its own level. Why? Well, have you seen the cinematography and camera shots in this video? They look spectacular and stunning. You wonder how an underground car park or concrete slab can look good? Well check out this video and you will find out!

Like the song, the choreography is equally as intense or even more! The choreography that I saw in the music video has left me speechless and I can’t even get my thoughts for this section into words. But regardless, I smell a potential ‘Best Male Dance Performance” award for this. They have set the standard for 2017 pretty high.

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

[Weekly Chart] Third Week of February 2017

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Welcome (once again) to this week’s (the 3rd week of February 2017) chart. How was your week, all? Melbourne is being weird again with its weather. Last week we had a few hot days (perfect for shorts and short-sleeves) and then the next day it becomes winter-like (which means I am wearing a jacket and socks in Summer). That’s my weekly update hahaha…

This week saw the comebacks of BTS, K.A.R.D, B.I.G, MelodyDay and the release of the collaboration by Soyu and Baekhyun. They all made their debut this week (see chart below, except for MelodyDay, who made their debut this week at #34). BTS also went forward to claim the top spot this week. Both Red Velvet and NCT Dream rose to the occasion and claimed the second and third positions. Interestingly enough, MASC and SF9 (last week’s second and third placed songs) dropped quite a bit this week.

In the next week, Taeyeon, Twice, Astro, 100% and Jungigo & Chanyeol will be releasing (or have released) new songs. It’s going to give the songs already on the charts a run for their money!!! It is going to be another big week in KPOP.

But with further ado, scroll down below for this week’s chart.

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.

12th Feb- 18th Feb 2017
Title Artist Status
1 Spring Day BTS (new)
2 Rookie Red Velvet (↑ 2)
3 My First & Last NCT Dream (↑ 11)
4 Not Today BTS (new)
5 Black or White Cross Gene (↑ 19)
6 1.2.3 B.I.G (new)
7 I Wish Cosmic Girls (↑ 9)
8 If You Wish Hard, It Will Come True I (↑ 20)
9 Hobglobin CLC (↓ 8)
10 I Wait DAY6 (↓ 4)
11 Don’t Recall K.A.R.D (new)
12 Don’t Say No Seohyun (SNSD) (↑ 1)
13 Roar SF9 (↓ 10)
14 Yes No Maybe Suzy (Miss A) (↑ 7)
15 You Were Beautiful DAY6 (↓ 7)
16 Highlight Seventeen (↓ 5)
17 Excuse Me AOA (↓ 10)
18 Chase Me Dream Catcher (↓ 6)
19 Honey Bee Luna (F(x)) & Solar (Mamamoo) & Hani (EXID) (↓ 2)
20 Mysterious Hello Venus (↑ 2)
21 Oh Na Na K.A.R.D (↓ 11) (Final Week)
22 Tina MASC (↓ 20)
23 Bing Bing AOA (↓ 18)
24 Downpour I.O.I (↑ 8)
25 April Story April (↑ 6)
26 Rain Soyu (Sistar) & Baekhyun (EXO) (new)
27 Last Goodbye AKMU (↑ 10)
28 Draw Me Wonder Girls (↑ 8)
29 Me & You Jung Joon Young ft. Jang Hye In (↓ 2)
30 Crossroads Sunny Hill (new)

I start university again the week after, so I have one more week of freedom before the daily grind of trains, lectures and assignments begin. So obviously, I am going to make this week worthwhile. And so should you! Make this week yours and I’ll see you next week.

[Review] 1.2.3 – B.I.G

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B.I.G has returned with a brand new single. Last time we saw them they were promoting Aphrodite, which had a much darker concept than their latest release. If you remember clearly, B.I.G is actually a five member group, but you may have noticed that only four members participated this time around. That is because Minpyo is taking a break due to health reasons. Hopefully we will see him return soon.

1.2.3 is a pretty good song. While it is different compared to their past releases, as it goes for a more disco pop sound than hip-hop (which they have done in the past), the song really does suit them. I really like their vocals in this song. While they have shown us their powerful vocals in the past, this time around they show it off on a different level. I like the differences between the verses and chorus. The verses is a little light on the bass and the instrumental isn’t as heavy. But when the chorus comes to play, they through the bass and make the instrumental feel a lot heavier. Knowing me, I probably described as an dysfunctional transition. But instead, it works really well. The chorus is extremely catchy and addictive to listen to. I love the way Benji drags out the words at the end of each chorus. It adds an interesting element to the song. Also really enjoyed his ad-libs, but as I said before, I really like vocals of all the members. Even the rapping was great. They toned that part down but it allows the rapper (Heedo) to shine with his deep voice. If you are looking a new group to get into, check these guys out. Some of their past releases have also been my favourites as well!!

The music video was quite disappointing. I don’t think it lived up to the standard that the music had set. The guys discover a girl on TV and is basically amazed by her beauty. And then they start following her around, which was where the video become confusing. I feel like the video is there to provide some comedy in some scenes (such as Benji’s high note) but then the rest of the video felt like a normal music video with nothing much happening.

The choreography was great. It adds to that more vibrant concept the guys went for and they did a pretty good job. Their costumes does make them look like they were stuck in time but besides that, their dancing was great, like their song. But sadly, no memorable moves.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 3/10 
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] I Wish – I (Cha Yoonji) ft. Tiger JK

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Source: https://0.soompi.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/11071947/i-cha-yoon-ji2.jpg

I (not as in me but as in Cha Yoon Ji) made her official debut last month on the 11th of January. Another a debut and review that should have been released a month ago. It is disappointing that it has taken so long to review this song, but better late and never. Cha Yoon Ji is currently under WM Entertainment, which also houses B1A4 and Oh My Girl. Interestingly enough, Yoon Ji was a potential member of Oh My Girl and her big brother is Baro from B1A4.

Just by listening to the song you can tell that is it a very unique song. From the very start, you can tell the song is holding itself back. You do expect the song to start “dropping the beat” or to pick up, but it doesn’t. And I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing for this song. Her vocals sound amazing but that held back electronic sound hip-hop sound really fits her vocals. It does feel underwhelming at first, but after a few listens you do warm up to it (well, at least I did). Tiger JK featured in this song (and for those who do not know, Tiger JK is a well respected and influential rap artist in South Korea). And his featuring really adds a breath of life of the song. It kept it from feeling dull and boring. Her short English lines at the very end of the song did the exact same thing as the rap sequence, ending her song quite smoothly. The rest of the song, while I do like it, felt too monotone and could possibly give off a dull feeling to someone who plays it once or twice only. If there was a little more flare in the instrumental or maybe possibly her vocals, the track would have been even better.

The music video shows Cha Yoon Ji living an ordinary life and is someone who wishes she would become a singer (or famous) like the person (who is also Cha Yoon Ji) on the television set. In the end, her wish came true as she is sitting on the bed in a very glittery shirt (unlike the pyjamas she wore earlier on) and in the corner, you also see the same scene on the television. Obviously, the song ties in very nicely with the song. “If You Wish Hard, It Will Come True” is the alternative title of the song (it was shortened due to its long nature) and that also makes a lot of sense. While the dull pastel colour filter seems to fit well with the video, I think it does dull the video quite a bit. The speed of the video was a little too slow for my liking and it wasn’t as memorable as you would want a debut video to be. You obviously want something impactful and memorable to get people to like the video. But then again, debuts sometimes don’t work out but a later release might hit it big.

Like her video, her performances aren’t that memorable. I watched a few but really haven’t gone back to them. Her dancing is something to look for but there really isn’t much to remember. Instead, I have avoided them. I only go back to play the performances for the song.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 3/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10

 

[Review] Get The Treasure – SHINee

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Source: http://www.allkpop.com/upload/2017/01/af_org/SHINee_1485622735_af_org.jpg

I want to delve back into JPOP releases and hopefully extend my review base to artists who are not KPOP originated groups. It’s a promise that I have been making each year. While I don’t really see myself keeping that promise due to my commitments, I do want to keep doing a few JPOP reviews each year. And since SHINee just made their Japan comeback two weeks ago, why not? This is their 5th full album, titled as 5. SHINee has also released songs in 2016 that form part of the album.

Get The Treasure is something you expected from SHINee. Their Korean tracks have been more experimental in the last few years and the few Japanese tracks I have heard seemed to more consistent, with Get The Treasure fitting SHINee’s portfolio quite nicely. The song starts off abruptly. Not a big fan of that. It just felt too sudden and odd, compared to the rest of the song. Another part that I am shaking my head to (as in saying ‘no’) is the rapping sequence for the bridge. It felt disconnected and doesn’t flow well with the rest of the song. But everything else is pretty good. I love the grand and classy feel that the song has going on. It suits the casino concept that the video featured. The instrumental was spectacular. When they launch you into the chorus, they do not hold back with anything. Horns blaring and their vocals, being the forefront, was particularly strong and powerful. The instrumental here gave it a really nice funky and almost jazz-like flare. The verses did feel a little underwhelming, but it didn’t affect the overall listening experience. The chorus was the main show and they did manage to wow me during the main show.

One thing did jump out at me when watching the video. Their lip-syncing sucks. Not exactly sure if it is the language, but some of them barely moved their lips. But besides that standout issue, everything else in the video was really cool. First of all, the guys look really cool in their suits and black outfits. The mannequin challenge or the ‘pausing of everyone else’ while SHINee roamed around looked amazing. The editing done here has to be one of the most complicated processes ever. And also one of the best. I really enjoyed the choreography scenes. The chandelier dropping and then pausing midway just so the guys could dance with the glass pieces flying about really looked cool. Obviously, they did hold back in the video making process as well. Not even shooting guns could stop these guys!

The dance looked cool and fitting for the song. But it wasn’t as memorable as any of their past dances.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10 
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Spring Day – BTS

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BTS has returned with their repackaged version of Wings (title track was Blood Sweat & Tears), which was probably one of the best albums of 2016. Spring Day is their title track off the repackaged album. The group will also be releasing a music video for Not Today (another track off their repackaged album), which I will review next week (once the video is released on the 20th). I was also planning on doing an album review for their repackaged. But since I am already reviewing 2 of the 4 new songs and I think it probably too late to do an album review for the entire Wings album, I’ve decided to cancel it instead. My apologies if you had expected it.

Spring Day is a lot different to the group’s past hits. This time, they went with a song that is more vocally centred. And they do a smashing job of it. The song is something right up my alley. It has a really emotional melody, which you can hear through both the softer instrumental and vocal work. The instrumental is toned down (as already mentioned) quite a bit, almost resembling a soft electronic track infused with a ballad (also really like the drums). Even the rappers, who are known for their extreme toughness and power raps, have toned it down. The star of the show has to be the vocals of Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin. Their vocals work, in the song, is amazing. You can hear the emotions in the vocals, being consistent throughout the song. J-Hope seemed to get the short end of the stick. When I first listened to the song, I noticed that I could not detect J-Hope’s voice anywhere. It turns out that J-Hope was the backing vocals for the chorus. While that does seem a little unfair, once you notice it, you can’t really unhear it. Now when I listen to the song, I move my focus between the different vocals, especially during the chorus. His backing vocals do a really good job of echoing the member who was singing at the time (usually Jungkook). It added a level of complexity and depth to the song. And honestly, if you strip J-Hope’s backing vocals from the song, the song would have felt empty and too simplified.

Let’s all put forward our best theories, shall we? Hahaha.. As per usual, this BTS music video is confusing as heck. So I decided to do some reading and watching, trying to see what others make of it.  I found a video that really explains the story quite well. Watching the music video by itself made no sense. But with someone breaking it down (and basically doing the hard work for me) made more sense and more understandable. Now, I am unfamiliar with the story of Omelas (the name of the motel in the video) and will probably do a shocking job at explaining it. So for an explanation of the video, CLICK HERE!!! I think what BTS (and when I refer to the band, in this case, I am also referring to the producer, director etc) has been doing with their reference to these mythological stories is really cool and unheard of (as a series) in KPOP. Now moving away from the plot, this video is beautifully shot. Everything from the camera angles, wide shots to the quality of the video made it look amazing. It makes the video look stunning and worthwhile to watch.

[UPDATED] The dance for this song is amazing. I am not too sure, but I am assuming they did a form of interpretive dancing and every time I watch the performance, I am in awe at their stage presence and fluid motions. I loved how the song is more on the softer side, but their dancing is leaves a very strong impression on you. It might be a tad early, but this is worthy of a Best Dance award already.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10 [UPDATED]
Overall Rating – 9.7/10 [UPDATED]

 

[Review] Black Or White – Cross Gene

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Source: https://0.soompi.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/07070658/cross-gene.jpg

Cross Gene has finally returned to South Korea after over a year’s absence. They last made comeback with Noona, You in January 2016. That didn’t mean the group went MIA for the year. They did release their first Japanese album in April 2016 as well. Moving forward to 2017, the group released their Mirror mini album, which features Black or White as the title track.

Cross Gene has made releases with an edgy sound and concept before. But this release takes thing a lot further. And it sounds really cool. There are a lot of horror influences with the instrumental and song in general. The use of rock during the verses, the howling wolf in the background at certain parts, a grunting sound from one of the members etc. The instrumental tries to pack a punch. For the most part, the electronic-based instrumental succeeds in doing this. But there are segments where they remove the intensity and replace it with a hip-hop sound. It kills the mood, which is disappointing. The difference was far too noticeable to avoid talking about. The vocals of the song, along with the rap, was quite good as well. It built and gave the song the intensity it needed. I guess this is the song you would listen to if you want to be sitting on the edge of your seat. On a more personal level, it sounds really cool (as I specified above), but it doesn’t amaze me. I do read other reviews to see what people think of the song and I do agree with a majority of them when they say the song has a familiar sound and has been “done before”.

The music video is quite graphic and if you are not into gory stuff or violence – do stay away from the video. Essentially, the video is similar to the Jekyll and Hyde storyline. Each member has an innocent side (which we will refer to as the good side) and the creepily insane side (which we will refer to as the dark side). The dark side taunts the good side and ends up killing the good side as well. Let’s just say stabbing, drowning in blood and strangulation are involved. The other methods that were used to kill the good side are a little too graphic to even put into words. The odd thing is the good side ends up living again. As if the dark side never even touched them. Or everything was just in their head. I have to say the guy who ended up being drowned did a good job at portraying the good and dark side. He looks really innocent one second and then insane the next. I feel like they should have ended with the dark side just in the background, while the good side is just to come to grips with what had happened. It would give a video a more eerie and ominous look (even though they got that covered). I thought the video was well shot. Some of the acting looked a little awkward but still bearable to watch. Overall, I liked it. It just isn’t for the faint-hearted.

The performance was generally quite good. They split the group into smaller groups of three. One being the white group and the other being the black group. The dance is also split amongst the two groups. Either group performed by themselves, with little interaction between the two groups. While this has been done before, the separation here looked more obvious made everything seem a lot edgier.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

 

 

[Review] My First and Last – NCT Dream

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NCT 127 kicked off the year for NCT with their promotions for Limitless. Now NCT Dream has returned with a brand new song, My First and Last. NCT Dream made their debut last year with the super cutesy and youthful Chewing Gum, a completely different vibe from their 127 or U counterparts.

My First and Last follows that same notion of setting Dream apart from 127 and U. The song still delves into that cutesy but with a more mature sound to it. Actually, the correct word to describe the song is ‘youthful’. It’s a simple song. Not saying that in a mean way, but rather, I am referring to the overall sound and structure of the song. The song is super addictive and catchy. For a dance track, the instrumental is very soft but still enough for you to notice it. Many KPOP songs nowadays rely on a more heavy or hard sounding instrumental such as in dubstep or for a tougher vibe. Instead, this song relies on a more pop sound. Their vocals are the main focus. They stood out with the soft instrumental. The harmony during the chorus really does wonders with the song, bringing out that youthful side. The rapping was pretty good. I am a big fan of Mark’s “Let’s talk about love” rap than the one situated as the bridge. There was a lot more colour in the favoured rap sequence. But regardless, the two main components, vocals (including rapping for this point) and instrumental, goes hand in hand with each other and really make the song quite enjoyable to listen to. Give the song a try and see if it works for you.

The video recently became under fire for sexualizing the female teacher in it. But I think those people (ah netizens) are over-reacting. Just because she is wearing tight clothing and walking in slow-motion doesn’t mean they are sexualising her. And besides, most people have had an attractive teacher before. So, there really isn’t anything wrong about it. Essentially, the teacher are the guy’s first love and try to get her attention. They indeed fail because her eyes are set for the husband she marries and the child she has, which was revealed at the end of the video. But the way they get her attention is quite interesting. First, they try the “let’s misbehave in class” method. That didn’t work, so they decided to build functioning carts out of cardboard. Because everyone would want to drive or get picked up in a really cool car (or cart in this case). Honestly, someone give these guys an A+ for their technology, woodwork and science classes. Trust me, because I am half way through university and there is no way I can do what they were doing. Overall, the video is quite cool to watch.

Another amazing choreography. And this time, they don’t need hoverboards. Instead, the dance portrays the youthful side once again. I am quite sure the dance at the second chorus was meant to invoke childhood memories. But the highlight of the whole choreography is when the members hold onto each other’s legs (while lying on their side) and pull themselves closer to each other. That looked cool!

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

[Review] Last Goodbye – AKMU

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Hmmm.. I really need to get on top of some songs.I have been planning to review AKMU’s latest song, Last Goodbye, from their album, titled as Winter, which was released on the 7th of January. So that means this review is a month overdue. Whoops, I apologise for that. Last Goodbye is not their only title track from the album, with Reality being their second title track from the album.

Last Goodbye is a ballad with a really nice acoustic based instrumental. The later parts and chorus of the song focus more on the orchestral sound, but the verses are mainly guitar based. The guitar really brings out a really nice country-side feel. The song sounds like a night spent around a fire, regardless if you are in the comfort of your own home or outside in the wilderness. Their vocals are brought out quite well, with the emotional side of the song sounding very prominent. Each member of the duo alone does an amazing job with their own vocals. Harmony and sophistication can be heard when they sing together. The chorus, for this reason, sounds amazing. The chorus is also quite catchy. It is another song that makes you sway along with the instrumental and vocals of the members. The only problem was the verses. While they led to the chorus perfectly, they did feel a little underwhelming. But besides that, it is a really good song to listen to.

Like what I mentioned above, the music video was sung around an open flame on a camping trip. Perfect! The video is simply them singing. Nothing much is happening. There are scenes throughout the video that tie this video with their “Musical Short Film” (which features their second title track, Reality). The good stuff is in the short film, so there isn’t much to talk about here.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Weekly Chart] 2nd Week of February 2017

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Welcome back to this week’s chart for the second week of February 2017. I finally got around to doing some housekeeping with the site. Mainly organise last year’s charts into a page and update the links for the ‘Weekly KPOP Charts‘, which will archive the 2017 charts. You can see the changes by clicking on ‘2016 Charts and Specials‘ for the 2016 charts and other special posts in 2016 or ‘Weekly KPOP Charts‘ for the 2017 chart links (plus updated rules for the chart), which you can find on the top of the page in the menu bar.

CLC takes out top spot this week. This is their second week at the top with Hobglobin. They made it to the top during the 4th week of January. However, they were hotly contested by two newer groups that both made their first comeback this week: MASC and SF9.

The charts this week can be described as erratic. I have never seen so many big drops or songs jumping up so many places. Sure I have seen songs doing large jumps on the chart, but they were usually the only one or two for the week. In total, 1/3 of the chart experienced large jumps (either up or down the charts). Also, there are a lot of debuts this week (as you can see on the charts).

I hear BTS, B.I.G, MelodyDay, Soyu (Sistar) & Baekhyun (EXO) and K.A.R.D are making their respective comebacks next week. Throw in Wonder Girl’s final song into the mix and I am quite sure the charts next week is going to be even more erratic. In the meanwhile, scroll down for this week’s chart.

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.

5th Feb – 11th Feb 2017
Title Artist Percentage
1 Hobglobin CLC (↑ 1)
2 Tina MASC (new)
3 Roar SF9 (new)
4 Rookie Red Velvet (↓ 1)
5 Bing Bing AOA (↑ 5)
6 I Wait DAY6 (↑ 2)
7 Excuse Me AOA (↓ 1)
8 You Were Beautiful DAY6 (new)
9 Yesterday Block B (new)
10 Oh Na Na K.A.R.D (↑ 11)
11 Highlight Seventeen (↑ 1)
12 Chase Me Dream Catcher (↓ 7)
13 Don’t Say No Seohyun (SNSD) (↓ 12)
14 My First & Last NCT Dream (new)
15 You Seem Busy MelodyDay ft. Jung Ilhoon (BTOB) (↑ 20)
16 I Wish WJSN (Cosmic Girls) (↑ 2)
17 Honey Bee Luna (F(x)) & Solar (Mamamoo) & Hani (EXID) (↓ 6) 
18 Pretty Pretty Pentagon (↑ 5)
19 Goodbye 2NE1 (↑ 20)
20 Love Affair Niel (Teen Top) (↓ 16)
21 Yes No Maybe Suzy (Miss A) (↓ 14)
22 Mysterious Hello Venus (↓ 9)
23 I Think I Love U Sonamoo (↑ 1)
24 I’m Fine Vromance (↑ 15)
25 Black or White Cross Gene (new)
26 Limitless NCT 127 (↓ 17)
27 Me & You Jung Joon Young ft. Jang Hye In (new)
28 If You Wish Hard, It Will Come True I (↓ 14)
29 Fxxk It Big Bang (↑ 1) (Final Week)
30 The Song Zion.T (↓ 14)

Once again, thank you for visiting the charts and my site. I hope you all have a wonderful week!!