Year: 2017

[Review] Pinwheel – SEVENTEEN Vocal Unit

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In the past few weeks, SEVENTEEN have been busy with their unit releases. The Leader unit kicked things off with Change Up. A week later, the Hip Hop unit made their release with Trauma, while another week after that, the Performance Unit made their release with Dance of Month 13. Lastly, comes this week’s release, which is from the Vocal unit of the group.

The good thing about Seventeen’s work is that they don’t play around. Regardless of the direction the group (or the units) go in, everything plays out nicely for them. Pinwheel is a clear example of this. Despite the unit releasing what could easily have been described as a ‘usual ballad’, the group manages to put their vocals in the forefront of the song. And it is an undeniable strong effort from the unit. First of all, the vocals were soft, which plays well with the emotions that can be heard strongly throughout the song. The instrumental was bland but there was that soothing nature within it. The main thing that I felt was missing was the peak of the song. Everything sounded good but it just didn’t reach that climax that it needed. It might have been the soft nature of the song but I was quite confident that high note leading into the final chorus was going to be it. Besides that, everyone shined strongly in the song.

The music video was a little dry to my standards, but it seemed to be shot in a similar manner to their Don’t Wanna Cry video. For the most part, the members are pretty depressed throughout the video, which I think actually helped the emotional side of the ballad to come out. The cinematography was also quite nice. The major difference with this video, compared to the previous videos, was that montage towards the end. Does that give some hint towards the future release? I don’t know. On a completely different side note, I confused Jeonghan for Wonwoo a couple of times throughout the video. Was anyone else seeing things with me?

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Missing You – BTOB

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BTOB is back with their brand new full-length album, Brother Act. The album is their first major release after Movie earlier on in the year. Since then, however, they embarked on giving a different side of themselves through solo releases. This project, known as Piece of BTOB, started in April and ended in September. I did a quick review of each track and you can find that review by clicking the link above.

Missing You is described to be a ballad and it turns out, it is a really good one. BTOB has flaunted their skills through their ballad trilogy in the past but there is something about this one that makes it sound better. The instrumental is already a big plus in my books. The guitar and the soothing nature of it just make me feel warm.  But the bigger winner when it comes to ballads are the vocals. Listening to the track, you can feel the emotions that oozes from the song. And don’t get me started on how good they sound. The raps actually give off an interesting feeling. While they add a little more variety to the song, it also adds a contemporary feel and uplifts it, to an extent. But what got me was that final chorus, where everyone chants the lyrics. It caught me off guard and I had to take a moment to settle myself down from the grand feel I got from it. Overall, amazing song.

Personally, it was a good video to watch. It opens up with Hyunsik playing the piano and writing some music. For some reason, the scene was quite haunting but the notes he played were so familiar. The video then shows each member reflecting on losing a loved one. A lot of screaming and anger ensues. They end up coming together and have a walk in the desert, which was interesting but confusing at the same time. The darkness and brown hazy colour palette of the video made it make serious and emotional to your eyes. Their acting is phenomenal and probably made the video much more enjoyable to watch.

[Updated] Due to some requests and more information coming to light regarding the performance, I have decided to redo my updated performance review. BTOB had incorporated sign language into their choreography, which definitely makes the whole performance more intriguing to watch. The way they managed to include the language was incredibly smooth, fitting right in and flows well with the other elements of the comeback.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10 [UPDATED]
Overall Rating – 9.5/10 [UPDATED]

[Review] Can Be Better – HIGHLIGHT

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HIGHLIGHT is back and this time they are “celebrating” their 8th year since their debut in 2009. Oh, how fast has time been. Their latest mini-album is titled, appropriately, as Celebrate and features the title track, Can Be Better. This is their first comeback since their repackaged album, Calling You.

Continuing their run with their more cheerful and vibrant songs, HIGHLIGHT manages to nail it once again with Can Be Better. Actually, they might just have hit the bull-eyes with this song. From the very first listen, the song was so upbeat that my body just wanted to get up and dance. It was catchy and definitely addictive to listen to. Little did I know that in a couple of hours, I actually played the song so much more than any other song today.  There isn’t anything that special about the song’s instrumental. But the atmosphere that the vocals and the raps add to the song gives it such a lively background. Though I do miss the darker side of the group, I have to admit the brighter side is doing wonders for them.

The music video reflects well with the song. It has a more humorous side to it, which makes it more appealing to watch. And I think it ties in well with their message. Essentially, it doesn’t matter if you are having a bad day. It happens and you just might not know what will happen next. It did get confusing towards the end with how each of them manages to step into the freezer and somehow get stuck inside that. I would like to see the aftermath of all the events, but I think the party scenes seem to be what followed.

[Updated] The dance matched the song in terms of that cheerful and bright side. It looked like the dance was choreographed based on wanting to have fun and that was portrayed very nicely. It was also the type of song that could have any dance and the only element required was the fun side of it.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 9.5/10 [Updated]

[Album Review] 7 For 7 (7th Mini Album) – GOT7

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GOT7 is officially back with their latest mini-album, 7 for 7.  While this is their latest release to date, I have plans (over my Summer holiday) to go back and review some of their past releases (like what I have already done with their Departure album). And this does not apply to just GOT7 but other artists as well!! But until then, here are my thoughts on GOT7’s 7 for 7.

got77for7album
7 For 7 Album Cover

1..Moon U – This particular song can be described a very smooth track, which is perfect for the start of the mini album. And while does sound great with its synth dominating instrumental and the clear vocals/raps, the song is relatively plain. It doesn’t progress much and it did make me yawn a few times. (7/10)

2. Teenager – I’ll admit it, Teenager is not my song style. But I actually think it is one of the few stronger songs on the track. It starts off with the same tempo and smoothness as Moon U but it quickly builds up at the pre-chorus. Once the beat drops for the chorus, a catchy hip-hop beat captured my attention. The vocal parts in the midst of the “You make me teenager” lines by the rappers are probably my most favourite parts of the song. (8/10)

3. You Are (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for You Are. (8/10)

4. Firework – Firework is a low-key hit in my books. Everyone sings. And hence it shows off a different side to the group, which has basically been dance and hip-hop centred in majority of their tracks. The sound effects within the song along with the instrumental give the song some momentum. Firework sounds like it should be a song that blows up (pun unintentional) when you listen to it but its subtle nature here makes it a standout instead. (9/10)

5. Remember You – The song centres between a subtle RnB track and a ballad. The vocals were quite good but those raps sounded so dreamy. The song doesn’t really capture my attention. It does feel dry and (once again) doesn’t seem to get far. There was a moment where the song does manage to catch me off guard (i.e. the sudden jumps in the bridge and before final chorus) but they didn’t continue with that surprise and went back to the boring side. (6/10)

6. To Me (내게) – This is where things start picking up, once again. The track could have done with a more interesting instrumental, to be honest. It felt very bland and colourless throughout the song. The vocals and the raps were pretty good, which in turn gave some colour to the song. But I don’t think there was enough to do the track justice. (6/10)

7. Face – They left the best song (besides the title track) to the very end. The song starts off slow but it was temporary. The song manages to launch itself into a strong chorus with a really catchy hook. Like the others, the song manages to show the vocal and rapping talents of the members. Jinyoung and Yugyeom managed to wow me with their vocals in the bridge. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.5/10

got77for7screenshot
Screenshot from You Are music video

[Weekly Chart] 2nd Week of October 2017

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Welcome to the 2nd week of the October. This is going to be another quick one this week as I am a little stressed due to exams. It will remain so like this for the next few weeks until I finish my last exam for the year. Reviews will be pumped out (to the best of my ability) as soon as possible.

There was no doubt that GOT7 was going to take out this week’s top spot, given their track record with all their new releases. Following closely behind is NU’EST W latest song, Where You At. BTS holds on tightly to 3rd position, while the Performance Unit of SEVENTEEN and B1A4 take out 4th and 5th positions respectively.

Next week will be busy, just like this past week. We start off with comebacks from HIGHLIGHT, BTOB and Taemin. JBJ, A.C.E, Seventeen’s vocal unit, Wheesung and Epik High will also be releasing content.

I present you this week’s chart and here are 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.

8th Oct – 14th Oct 2017
Title Artist Status
1 You Are GOT7 (new)
2 Where You At NU’EST W (new)
3 DNA BTS (=)
4 Dance of Month 13 SEVENTEEN Performance Unit (new)
5 Rollin’ B1A4 (▼ 4)
6 Just U Jung Sewoon (▲ 1)
7 Gashina Sunmi (▲ 18)
8 O Sole Mio SF9 (new)
9 Nonfiction K.Will (▼ 5)
10 Good Night DIA (new)
11 Honeymoon B.A.P (▲ 1)
12 Summer Rain GFriend (▲ 4)
13 When Someone Loved You DAY6 (▼ 2)
14 Friday Night Sonamoo (▲ 21) (Final Week)
15 Trauma SEVENTEEN Hip Hop Unit (▼ 13)
16 Juliette Rainz (new)
17 DamDaDi Golden Child (▲ 16)
18 Like This Pentagon (▼ 9)
19 I Loved You DAY6 (▼ 9)
20 Going Crazy UP10TION (new)
21 Power EXO (▼ 15)
22 Spectrum TRCNG (new)
23 Can’t Stop DIA (▲ 4)
24 Purple Rain Minhyuk (BTOB) ft. Cheeze (▲ 12)
25 I Loved You Bobby (iKON) (▲ 4)
26 Drop Yunho (TVXQ) (▼ 21)
27 Babe Hyuna (▼ 1)
28 I’m Da One MXM (▲ 6)
29 Take My Hand April (=)
30 Runaway Bobby (iKON) (▼ 16)

Songs leaving the chart this week and will not appear on the charts starting next week are:

  • Ice Chu – Gugudan OguOgu
  • Friday Night – Sonamoo
  • Wake Me Up – Tayeang (Big Bang)
  • Darling – Taeyang (Big Bang)
  • We Young – NCT Dream
  • Canvas – Junho (2PM) [Leaving Early]
  • Instant Love – Junho (2PM) [Leaving Early]
  • Pow Pow – ELRIS [Leaving Early]
  • Something Special  – SECHKIES [Leaving Early]
  • Smile – SECHKIES [Leaving Early]

Until next week, have a great one!

[Review] Juliette – Rainz

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Rainz is another brand new group formed from Produce 101 Season 2, which is clearly a fresh start for these new trainees with some of them gaining recognition for their skills and looks. Rainz is fan requested and comprises of 7 members: Kim Seong Lee, Ju Won Tak, Hong Eun Ki, Byun Hyun Min, Lee Ki Won, Seo Sung Hyuk and Jang Dae Hyun. It was reported that their contract will go for about a year.

To me, Juliette is a return to that old KPOP sound that I fell in love with when I first listened to KPOP 7 years ago (time does go too fast). The instrumental is just a pure retro beat that does lack some bass but delivers well when it is paired with the vocals/raps. Listening to it, I couldn’t help but have a dance in the chair I am in. The vocals and raps just show that there is clearly potential for this group and its individual members. If you want proof, just listen to the entire song. I don’t think there was one weak moment in terms of the vocals/raps. If there was anything to say about the song, they could have gone for a catchier chorus, which would have made the song more memorable. But overall, great debut track!

Even the sets of the music videos remind me of videos from three or more years ago. The virtual reality girlfriend concept seems to be something from that era (or even further back). The acting the video is just plain cheesy. Honestly, I found the video quite dull to watch. There wasn’t much happening within it that makes me want to speak about it.

The choreography seems to be stuck between the soft delivery of moves and the sharp delivery of moves. The moves during the verses seem to fit that soft side of the spectrum, while the post-chorus “Juliette” chanting features that sharpness. Though, I think the dance aims to be somewhat cutesy to appeal to their own ‘Juliette‘.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

 

 

[Review] Good Night – DIA

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DIA has made their return to the stage with their repackaged mini-album and the title track, Good Night. They made their last comeback a month ago with Can’t Stop, which has become my favourite track of the group since their debut.

Good Night is not their worst song but it is not their best song. It brought a smile to my face the first time around when I listened to it. And it suits the girl’s vocals quite nicely. But to be frank, that smile isn’t going to last. I can literally feel it dying off. Why I say that? Well, the track is their attempt at the tropical sound that has dominated KPOP for the past year or so. And while I do find their attempt appealing to an extent, the song doesn’t really get far. They were on a roll this year but it might just have stalled with this song. The tropical influence, I have to admit, is in your face. There is no escaping it. I don’t find it catchy nor does it have that element that makes me want to go back to it like Can’t Stop. There is an interesting mix of people doing vocals and raps this time around. Personally, I think the song could have done better in the Summer season and to appeal to listeners, despite it being a little cliché, they could have done something for the Fall season.

The video is incredibly boring. I don’t find much captivating about it. The girls are having a bit of fun and hanging out with each other. There really isn’t much else to say about the video. I did notice Chaeyeon seemed to get a large bulk of the video, espeically at the start of the video, while some members didn’t get any screen time until the end of the video. And while I have nothing against her, I think the company should start looking at other ways to get the girls well known (I already know two members are in The Unit but maybe look for other things for the other members to do during their non-promotional periods?).

The dance seems to be just fan service for their fanbase. The girls act cutesy in a cheesy way basically for the majority of the video. There is a set routine but it doesn’t feel like much for the song.

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

[Review] O Sole Mio – SF9

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Joining the mass comeback lineup for this week is SF9 with their latest track O Sole Mio.  The boys previously made their comeback with Easy Love a few months back, which has become one of my favourites of this year.

O Sole Mio is a Latin-infused dance track that manages to captures the listener’s attention. As Latin isn’t a much of an influence in KPOP, the idea of it and its overall sound was very fresh. And they didn’t mess around with the infusion, going straight to the point with its instrumental. The mix of dance electronic seems to give it a more modern and keeps grounded as a KPOP dance track. It actually took a few listens to actually become comfortable but it got there in end nonetheless. The vocals were solid but I think the winner in this song has to be the rapping. I don’t know why but I associate a rough and deep voice when it comes to songs like this and the rappers delivered with that. The most disappointing moment in the song would have to the “Oh ya ya ya” part midway into the chorus, which felt like it cut into the chorus a little too much. Overall, it is a solid song from the group, adding to their list this year.

The music video is a little confusing. One moment they are in the desert, the next inside a church, the next inside a pretty nice looking hallway, next minute they are in a plane graveyard. I don’t know if they were going down the apocalyptic route with the video, it felt like that. But besides that, everything else in the video looked decent. The filter that was placed on top of the video kind of made things hazier, which I think indicated the presence of heat. And as stereotypical as it sounds, the Latn sounds go well with the heat and desert imagery throughout the video. Once again, not entirely sure what is going on in the video, but it was a nice one to watch.

The choreography for this comeback was pretty good. It wasn’t as amazing as expected, but it had the aesthetics appropriate for the song. There use of their outfit throughout the performance is commendable. It looked cool in the music video due to the wind, so I am wondering how they are going to replicate that same effect if they can’t use fans.

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

[Review] Going Crazy – UP10TION

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UP10TION has returned with a special mini album and the title track Going Crazy. They were last on stage with Runner, earlier this year. I am under the impression that they will promote this song but I am not 100% sure.

While the industry has been focusing heavily on the tropical house genre of EDM, it has been a while since we heard something a little purer. Going Crazy tackles the house genre and I think it does a pretty good job. The chorus is incredibly intense and it gives off a nice feeling when you listen to it. My body just wants to get up and dance to the music. And while the vocal and raps are quite good (you can hear it over the actual music and they don’t seem to be hindered by unnecessary autotune), the song lacks one aspect, a catchy hook. Everything else is great, I just don’t remember the song for its lyrics or its catchiness. And that isn’t the end of the world, just my overall feeling of the song. I really liked the pings at the start of the song as they made the song more intriguing. Overall, great song.

The music video worked in my opinion but I felt like the producer could have done more to it. It looks really cool and trendy. But the idea of these videos has been seen time and time again (when it fades between the members singing and dancing to the aesthetic use of props). Likewise, I am sure the flowers and disco balls have a cryptic message that I would never be able to crack  The black and white sets look good and the isolated colours do look bolder this way.

[Updated] This choreography is probably on the better ones out at the moment. The dance style was pretty cool (chorus was my favourite part), with all the members remaining in sync which looked even cooler. The moves aren’t impressive or mindblowing but the bigger picture made it looked amazing.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 8/10 [Updated]

[Review] Spectrum – TRCNG

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Following the likes of Secret, B.A.P and Sonamoo, TS Entertainment has finally debut TRCNG, a 10 member boy group with the average age of 15 (way to go for making me look and feel old). The name of the group stands for ‘Teen Rising Champion in a New Generation’. Their debut features the title track Spectrum.

Without doubt, TS Entertainment wanted to replicate the same wow factor that Warrior brought for B.A.P without making Spectrum feel too similar to the other song. And while that impact is there, the song remains in an awkward position between meh and wow. And while that is a broad spectrum (hahaha), it just shows that part of me feels like this song is great but the other part felt like it could have been better (which is something I have been noticing about myself for the past few reviews). The intensity can be felt throughout the song. It has this very tough but at the same time, somewhat innocent vibe from the young age group.  The main issue is that I didn’t feel like the song peaked. Instead, from the start to the end, it remained fairly neutral and linear. It could have gone for a catchy chorus but I don’t mind it. Moving along, it is the vocals and the raps that give the song that needed colour and make me go wow. I don’t think I heard any disappointing vocals or raps throughout the song, which is quite promising for the group. Overall, I would say this song ranks towards the other end of the spectrum and that if they put out a song that showed a little more variety, I think they could go a long way.

The music video is a tad confusing. To me, it feels like they are in alternate realities and what they do in one reality, the exact same thing happens in the other. Which doesn’t necessarily mean an alternate reality, but hopefully you get what I am trying to get at. The darkness of the video fits the edgy and tough vibes that they are going for. Besides that, there isn’t much else to the video that I find worth talking about.

[Updated] In response to my previous comments, these young boys managed to pull off a performance that I could not even dream of even trying.  The toughness that they had going on was good but I thought that it was borderline exaggerated at times. But overall, it was a decent choreography to watch.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 8/10 [Updated]

[Review] Where You At – NU’EST W

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After gaining a considerably large following through their Produce 101 Season 2 days, NU’EST is officially back with Where You At. Despite this, however, the group is unable to make a comeback with all 5 members (Minhyun was chosen to be in Wanna One). Instead, the remaining 4 members have formed a subunit, NU’EST W. This also marks the group’s first return since Love Paint last year. Where You At is an incredibly strong song that the welcomes NU’EST W back to the stage.

Where You At is an incredibly strong song that the welcomes NU’EST W back to the stage. The song starts off with a strong beat, which does leave you a little towards the edge of your seat. Then we approach the first half of the chorus. The slow-paced and ‘stripping of the instrumental’ caught me off guard. I was expecting a massive drop but instead, they chose to delay that. And that delay made everything sound ten times better once the real drop came. It definitely gave the song more intensity and power that way. And made the song more appealing. Their vocals are pretty good and the rapping was on point. And while I do praise the song, I feel like there could have been more to verses to match that same level of impact. The verses become forgotten in the midst of the chorus, so that is why I am suggesting that. But overall, the entire song just blows me away every time I listen to it (and it has been replayed many times despite its release 3 hours ago).

Following their past videos, the accompanying music is definitely made to be aesthetic and there seems to be some sort of plotline mixed within the video. While I should read the lyrics, my initial assessment of the storyline is that the members are all one person and they seem to be held captive by the demon (the lady), who may represent their ex (or something like that). Every time they manage to escape, however, she manages to recapture them and make it harder for them to escape (i.e. Aron had access to the key at the start but the end, there was no key in the draw). That is just what I saw and there could have been many other clues hidden throughout. The camera work in this video is amazing and it contributes to the aesthetics that I was mentioning about. It is definitely a video to check out for.

[Updated] I will be honest. The song is so good that I pay attention to it more than anything else. Personally, it is another great dance that sums the epicness felt from the drops of the song. Best part was that drop just before the chorus. 

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

 

[Review] You Are – GOT7

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GOT7 has made their return to the stage with their brand new mini-album, 7 for 7 and the title track, You Are. This is the group’s first comeback since wrapping up their Flight Log trilogy with Never Ever at the start of the year. Since then, Jackson made his solo debut in China, while JJ Project made their long-awaited return with Tomorrow, Today.

I am going to be honest, I think this is their weakest song yet. The group’s previous tracks have been centred around strong concepts and sounds. This upbeat dance track just doesn’t seem to fit that pattern. And while I am not too fussed about that aspect, there are elements that keep me from saying that this is their best track yet. The verses were bland and dry. They didn’t seem to captivate me as much as I hoped. The pre-chorus seemed a little awkward. It just didn’t fit in with the rest of the song, in my opinion. The chorus was probably one of the few decent parts of the song, but it wasn’t that intriguing. Instead, it was relatively straightforward. However, I do think the chorus suggest the group went for a more vocal approach, as their vocals seem to be the spotlight even more. The raps seem fitting for the song, though it could have gone for more energy. The lyrics seem to point towards a more cheerful side of the song as well, which is a nice change. So far, I can say the song has grown on me considerably and maybe a few more listens will change my perspective of the song. But for now, what I wrote above seems to be my views.

The music video is quite refreshing to watch. Though I do miss that tough and strong side of the group, the video gives off a more relatable and nice side of the group. The scenery in Hong Kong makes this a cinematic video to watch. The camera angles and the drone shots not only capture the members but also the incredible views. Though we have seen those windmills in the past, they still look amazing time and time again. The sunset scene, where they perform the choreography looked quite nice as well. I thought their incorporation of their chain accessories (what do you call them?) into the video was quite interesting.

The choreography was also quite good. It suits the upbeat nature of the song and I thought the moves during the chorus was quite impressive. When the members did the many turns for the final chorus, I was impressed.

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

[Review] Dance Of Month 13 – Seventeen Performance Unit

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Seventeen is continuing their unit releases this week with the return of the Performance unit. The Leaders of the group released Change Up, while the Hip Hop unit released Trauma last week.  This isn’t the first release of the Performance unit, however, as they previously released a music video for Highlight at the start of the year.

Dance Of Month 13 is a little different to what I am used to. It is definitely an interesting song that tries to captivate your attention but I think it just misses its target. The song is a musical mess if you can describe a song like that. Let’s just say if you took multiple electronic and dance style songs and combined them together, you will get this particular track. And even then, you are not exactly sure what you are listening to. But somehow it ties together nicely and comes off as a single song. But what did impress me when it came to the song was the vocal work. Sure, some it was masked by autotune. But it wasn’t a bad example off autotune use. Instead, it felt fitting. But it is the pure vocals that blew me away. Jun and Hoshi’s high pitch lines were unexpected highlights for me and Dino’s talk-rap was amazing. I am still on the fence regarding the song but it is another strong effort from the unit.

The music video and performance section of this review will be mashed together. I am not entirely sure about the people in the background of the video (or well, behind the camera). Part way into the video we see them staring at the unit as if they are hypnotised, while at the very end, we see them all lying on the ground. It made no sense to me. But besides that, the rest of the video focused on mainly the choreography. And you will not be disappointed. They are all in the Performance Unit of the group for a reason because their dancing style is just so cool. And this video just proves it. I love the start, where their arms resemble a flame, and during the chorus where they do something along the lines of the helicopter with their legs.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video / Performance –  9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

 

[Weekly Chart] 1st Week of October 2017

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Welcome to the 1st week of October. The business end of the year for me due to exams and assignments. However, I am still going to churn out reviews and these charts to the best of my ability over the coming weeks, so be prepared. They may be released on at a reasonable pace or dumped all on one day. I’ll try not to result to the latter, but just a warning (just in case).

I realized while writing up this post that there was an error in last week’s post. While I do change the errors immediately, I rather not change the published charts a week after it was published. All Night by SNSD should have been in 28th, which bumps down ONF, SNSD and Bobby one spot. That means SNSD’s Party becomes 30th position and Bobby’s Runaway becomes 31st. My apologies.

But there is no error in this week’s charts, with B1A4 taking out the top spot with Rollin’. Seventeen Hip Hop Unit’s Trauma makes their debut in second position, while DNA remains in third (as last week’s).  K.Will and Yunho both rose from their respective positions last week to 4th and 5th position, respectively. For more of the charts, feel free to scroll down below.

And here are 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.

1st Oct – 7th Oct 2017
Title Artist Status
1 Rollin’ B1A4 (▲ 3)
2 Trauma SEVENTEEN Hip Hop Unit (new)
3 DNA BTS (=)
4 Nonfiction K.Will (▲ 4)
5 Drop Yunho (TVXQ) (▲ 19)
6 Power EXO (▲ 3)
7 Just U Jung Sewoon (▼ 6)
8 Change Up SEVENTEEN Leader Unit (▼ 6)
9 Like This Pentagon (▼ 2)
10 I Loved You DAY6 (▲ 9)
11 When You Love Someone DAY6 (new)
12 Honeymoon B.A.P (=)
13 Energetic Wanna One (▼ 7) (Final Week)
14 Runaway Bobby (iKON) (▲ 17)
15 Like A Flower BLACK6IX (▲ 23)
16 Summer Rain Gfriend (▼ 2)
17 What Can I Do? DAY6 (▲ 9) (Final Week)
18 Last Night Story IU (▼ 8)
19 Summer Storm Jessica (▲ 24) (Final Week)
20 All Night SNSD (▲ 8) (Final Week)
21 Holiday SNSD (▲ 9) (Final Week)
22 Ice Chu Gugudan OguOgu (▲ 13)
23 In A Different Life Max (TVXQ) (▲ 2)
24 We Like PRISTIN (▲ 9)
25 Gashina Sunmi (▼ 9)
26 Babe Hyuna (▼ 15)
27 Can’t Stop DIA (▼ 22)
28 I Love You Bobby (iKON) (▼ 8)
29 Take My Hand APRIL (▲ 3)
30 Island Winner (▲ 15) (Final Week)

Many songs leaving the chart this week (and they will not appear on the charts next week):

  • Party – SNSD
  • All Night – SNSD
  • Love Me Love Me – Winner
  • Island – Winner
  • What Can I Do? – DAY6
  • Energetic – Wanna One
  • Summer Storm – Jessica
  • I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend – Weki Meki
  • Star – Boyfriend

Until the next post, have a great day!

[Special Review] Piece of BTOB

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With BTOB making their return in a week or so, I thought it would be nice to take some time to look at some of their solo tracks that they have been releasing since April. Piece of BTOB is a project where each member released a song each month (or so). While I could have reviewed the songs as they were released, I decided one massive post once all the songs are out. And without further ado, here are the short reviews for all of the Piece of BTOB project singles.

At The End – Changsub
(Release Date: 24th April 2017)

changsubatthend

To start off this review, I have to declare that this is my most favourite single out the entire project. Despite this being out for longer, the pop-rock track is extremely addictive after just a few replays. I love the build-up in the background with the instrumental. But it is Changsub’s vocals that make me come back for more.

Fancy Shoes – Ilhoon
(Release Date: 30th May 2017)

ilhoonfancyshoes

Ilhoon brings his signature raps to the table with Fancy Shoes. And we know how good he is, given his track record through the many BTOB releases. But it seems like I am the only person who thought the song was a little disconnected. Like the instrumental and Ilhoon’s rap doesn’t seem to go with each other. Compared to the other songs, I just didn’t feel a connection to the song.

That Girl – Peniel
(Release Date: 27th June 2017)

penielthatgirl

Out of all the members, I wanted to listen to what Peniel would release, mainly because there has never been a chance for the rapper to shine in the main title tracks. That Girl is entirely in English (yes, I can finally understand) and it was a catchy track to fit in the Summer season. I was caught off guard when Peniel went into the chorus singing, as we know him to be a rapper. He has pretty good vocals and it gave the song that refreshing feel.

Swimming – Hyunsik
(Release Date: 24th July 2017)

hyunsikswimming

The ‘Alternative’ genre is very rare in KPOP, but it does exist. And since it has been a while, Hyunsik’s Swimming is a very fresh sound. The alternative rock sound makes the song implant the feeling that you get when you float on water into your mind. It is almost dreamy. I have only stumbled upon Hyunsik’s vocals more recently and this song just further proves his vocals skills to me.

Purple Rain – Minhyuk ft. Cheeze
(Release Date: 10th August 2017)

Minhyuk’s solo is the only release that has a featuring artist, Cheeze, who brings her husky vocals to the song. Minhyuk does a mixture of singing and rapping, which does sound awesome. Paring the two together, you get quite an intense track. Cheeze brings an emotional sound, while Minhyuk brings intensity. Personally, the track was quite good but it just doesn’t have that addictive nature, like other ballads in this mix.

Paradise & Tell Me – Sungjae
(Release Date: 30th August 2017)

sungjaeparadise

Paradise is an upbeat love confession type of song, which I think fits Sungjae’s personality nicely.  The sound just feels very cheerful and bright, something that you come to associate with Sungjae. His vocals just don’t stand out in the song. The more emotionally centred ballad, Tell Me, seems more suitable for his vocals. It is the song type that gets you swaying alone, which is something I like I lot in ballads.

One Day & That Time – Eunkwang
(Release Date: 19th September 2017)

eunkwangoneday

Ending the entire projects is Eunkwang, tackles the very big feat with two ballads. That Time is a spectacular ballad that drew my attention with Eunkwang’s vocals and the impactful instrumental. It ticks all the right boxes in my books for a great ballad! Especially, the choruses which blow me away each time I  listen to the song. One Day seems to replicate that exact same feeling, despite it having a different melody and sound. The chorus is equally as impactful and Eunkwang’s vocals are just spot on.

[Review] Trauma – Seventeen (Hip Hop Unit)

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Last Monday, Seventeen released Change Up, a single which starts off their project for the final part of the year.  That particular single features of the leaders of each Seventeen subunits. This week, the Hip Hop unit of Seventeen has released their single, titled as Trauma.

As many of you may know, I am not a major fan of the hip-hop genre. And while I may have that bias working against this song, I don’t actually mind it. Like the name suggests, the song is a lot darker and more serious, compared to Change Up, which was also hip-hop based. Mingyu takes the reins for the vocal parts of the song, which showcases his rough voice, which felt fitting for the rest of the song. He doesn’t sing that much in past songs, so it did feel a lot different then usual. The rest of the team gave it their all in rapping, which I thought was fantastic in this song. There were parts of the song which I hoped they could have rapped a little louder because I found those parts a tiny too soft for my personal liking. But they weren’t as troubling as other songs. Overall, Trauma is pretty good, even though I am not one to listen to the genre as much.

The music video was definitely quite good. Per usual, I like the coloured backgrounds, which evidently gave the song more colour. Due to the tension from the song, they could have gone down that dark route, but they seemed to have gone with some colour to give the music video some life. Not exactly sure of the props that are used (such as the pile of sand or fans) or the way some of the members are positioned throughout the video but you can definitely tell that there is a level of aesthetics associated with the video. It wasn’t as captivating as expected but it did the job.

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