2017 – Page 7 – KPOPREVIEWED

[Album Review] Rollin’ (7th Mini Album) – B1A4

October 2, 2017Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged B1A4Leave a comment

B1A4 has made their return with Rollin’, which is a shared title between the mini-album and title track. This is my review of their album, which I have been trying to post weekly. Things may get a little funky in the coming weeks, but I will put them out eventually. Now, let’s go on with B1A4’s release.

1..Rollin’ – Click here for the full review of Rollin’ (9/10)

2. You Need Me (너는 내가 필요해) – The group continues their electronic sound with You Need Me. This, though, feels more like a B1A4 song and could have featured on their previous albums. The song;s instrumental is quite intense and gives the song that energetic side, which actually catches on quite quickly. The slowdown for the bridge does take away from that energetic feel, but the contrast was nice. This entire track is a standout on this album. (9/10)

3. Love Emotion – Now, for a much slower song. Love Emotion is more of a RnB track with a synth-based instrumental. Unlike the previous songs, Love Emotion doesn’t really yell out to me and it does get hidden within the rest of the album. To me, it would have done well if it followed a track like Sweet Girl. But here, it just doesn’t stand out. (7/10)

4. Smile Mask – The song features a rock style ballad with a strong pop influence. What makes the song more memorable was the instrumental, which has a few different quirks here and there that keeps the track engaging to listen to. The rough rap from Baro, along with the vocals, do give the track some colour as well. Not too keen on the bridge of the song but everything else was fantastic. (8/10)

5. Call Me (내게 전화해) – Another track that does seem to get forgotten in the midst of the other songs. The track has a more subtle instrumental, which does contribute to its underwhelming sound. And while the vocals/rap try to make up for that with its ear-catching deliver, it just wasn’t enough to get it over the line. (6/10)

6. Like A Child (아이처럼) – The mandatory ballad of all KPOP albums has been chosen to end the album. And while it does sound like I dread it, the track isn’t that bad. The song could have used a stronger chorus as there was practically no difference between the chorus and verses. But vocally, they manage to display their skills throughout the song. It was a very touching song to finish off the album (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.5/10

[Weekly Chart] 4th Week of September 2017

October 1, 2017Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

We are fast approaching the end of the year as we have just hit October. But let’s check out the chart for the final week of September 2017.

Jung Sewoon’s debut track, Just U, managed to take out the first position this week. Following extremely closely is Seventeen’s latest ‘unit’ track, Change Up, which features the leaders of each of the three units within Seventeen. BTS’s DNA dropped down to third place, while B1A4 and DIA took out 4th and 5th position this week.

Due to the Chuseok holiday in South Korea this week (and Mid-Autumn Festival in other parts of Asia), you won’t see much activity within the industry and hence my site this week. So far, only Kim Kyu Jong and Seventeen’s Hip Hop unit will be making releases in the next. I do expect to get a third review out during the week, but don’t expect too much from me.

But now, let’s move on to the chart for this week.

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.

	24th Sep – 30th Sep 2017
	Title	Artist	Percentage
1	Just U	Jung Sewoon	(▲ 5)
2	Change Up	Seventeen Leaders	(new)
3	DNA	BTS	(▼ 2)
4	Rollin’	B1A4	(new)
5	Can’t Stop	DIA	(▲ 28)
6	Energetic	Wanna One	(▼ 3)
7	Like This	Pentagon	(▼ 5)
8	Nonfiction	K.Will	(new)
9	Power	EXO	(▼ 5)
10	Last Night Story	IU	(▲ 5)
11	Babe	Hyuna	(▲ 6)
12	Honeymoon	B.A.P	(▼ 6)
13	Whisper	VIXX LR	(▼ 5)
14	Summer Rain	Gfriend	(▼ 9)
15	Tomorrow, Today	JJ Project	(▲ 7) (Final Week)
16	Gashina	Sunmi	(▼ 5)
17	Smile	SECHKIES	(▲ 34)
18	Something Special	SECHKIES	(▲ 33)
19	I Loved You	DAY6	(▼ 1)
20	I Love You	Bobby (iKON)	(▲ 16)
21	Friday Night	Sonamoo	(▲ 9)
22	The Real	N.Flying	(▼ 13) (Final Week)
23	DamDaDi	Golden Child	(▲ 6)
24	Drop	Yunho (TVXQ)	(new)
25	In A Different Life	Changmin (TVXQ)	(new)
26	What Can I Do?	DAY6	(▼ 2)
27	Love Whisper	GFriend	(▼ 4) (Final Week)
28	On/Off	ONF	(▼ 14) (Final Week)
29	Holiday	SNSD	(▼ 17)
30	Runaway	Bobby (iKON)	(▲ 5)

The following songs will be leaving the charts this week and will not be appearing on the charts starting next week:

Tomorrow, Today – JJ Project
Love Whisper – GFriend
Sixteen – Samuel
On/Off – ONF
Where Are You? – CLC
Love City – Nine Muses
Sorry – The Rose
the.the.the – Lungguo & Shihyun
The Real – N.Flying

Enjoy your Mid-Autumn festival if you are celebrating it or have another amazing week if you are not.

[Review] In A Different Life – Max Changmin (TVXQ)

September 30, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Max Changmin (TVXQ), TVXQLeave a comment

The second half of the legendary duo, TVXQ, has finally returned. Max Changmin has returned with his solo single, In A Different Life. The track is also part of the SM Station weekly release and this week’s release also features Yunho’s Drop.

Unlike Yunho’s electronic-heavy single, Changmin went for a more simplified and natural sound. In A Different Life is a pop-ballad that features guitars and a beautiful piano melody. But that doesn’t steal the spotlight. It is his vocals that do and it shines brightly. The way he delivers the lines just make everything sound like you are floating in the clouds. It is not harsh nor rough, but it is soft and mellow. But that being said, the song does feel a tad empty. First of all, it isn’t exactly that memorable. While I did highlight his vocals, the song doesn’t come off as catchy or has any moments that make me go “Wow”. Second of all, I don’t think the song peaked at all. Instead, it just felt very neutral and linear, in terms of its sound. But regardless, I still appreciate the song for its simplicity and softer sound. Comparing the two songs (this one and Drop), both seem to go nicely together. One is pretty much straightforward while the other is unexpecting and complex.

Watching the accompanying music video, it puts the song into a more reflective light. Changmin seems to do just that. And while that is a good thing, I don’t think anyone is really into the whole ‘reflection time’ segments of life. That or it can be just me. It just doesn’t seem captivating and expectedly, the video shares the same fate. Max seems to take in Mother Nature through the many different shots we see him in, which all looked nice. Just the video doesn’t seem to engage me as I would hoping for.

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

[Review] When You Love Someone – DAY6

September 29, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged DAY6Leave a comment

DAY6 have made their comeback for their “October” release, a week before its usual release date of ‘the sixth day of the month’. When You Love Someone features the continuation of the storyline that featured in What Can I Do? and I Loved You.

But before we start looking at the music video, let’s talk about the song. When You Love Someone, is once again, on the slower side of the group’s releases. But while I have expressed my disinterest in their slower tracks earlier on the year, it seems like they have been on a roll with these slower songs more recently. The song manages to get me to sway along, which if you know by now, is something that I like a lot. To be precise, it definitely has a very calming aura, which makes it interesting to listen to. The melodies in this song are quite nice and the instrumental has a very nice pop nature to it. The chorus was exceptionally good, with the group managing to throw in a hook to give the song a memorable moment. But their vocals is what is on display throughout the song and that is why I really like the song. Nothing sounds as pure and crisp as the vocals in this song and every member sounds on point.

With the continuation of the plotline from the previous videos, you can see some progression in some points. But in others, it seemed to stall. Sungjin finally confessed to his girl, but it seems like she isn’t interested. While I am not 100%, she seems to have feelings for Young K instead, as she comes to his aid when he is accused of stealing money from the cash register. Jae is totally into the girl at that cafe, while Wonpil seems to still be coming to terms with his needing to let go. The most confusing character this time around is Dowoon, who doesn’t really get much progression in the storyline. Instead, it seems like he was forgotten in the video. I can’t read Korean but my guess is that his parents (or whoever he lives with) left him to be alone again, which doesn’t seem to phase him. Overall, the director of this series is doing a pretty good job of keeping my attention on the video. I want to see what happens next month and figure out this story once and for all.

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

[Review] Drop – Yunho (TXVQ)

September 28, 2017September 28, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged TVXQ, U-Know Yunho (TVXQ)Leave a comment

After a two-year absent (due to mandatory military service), TVXQ has started to mark their return to the stage with the return of each individual member through SM Station. Yunho is first up with his single, Drop, which was dropped earlier this week.

From the very second Drop starts, the song bombards you with a whole heap of EDM and dubstep sounds. Multiple sections throughout the song are mashed together to form one whole song, which shouldn’t work, especially how volatile EDM can be. But it manages to work wonderfully here. And while I can see why this song could garner some interest for its many sections, I am not that fond of it. Personally, the start was a little disappointing and the song doesn’t really settle down until around halfway. The second half was much better, mainly because its sound was a lot more consistent. The best drop was that super intense dance break, which you get around the 4:20 mark of the music video. That gave the song that punch of intensity and energy that was much needed. Vocal-wise, Yunho does a pretty good job, though it was obvious that some autotune would be required to help him navigate through the song.

The song manages to come off as extremely dramatic, so it was fitting for an equally dramatic video as well. And that is exactly what we got. The concept seems to be military based, which seemed to go well with the intensity of the track as well. The visuals are quite good, with that industrial feel making it seem like an underground thing.

Choreography for this comeback is awesome. While you do see a few great moves throughout the earlier parts of the video, the dacne break around that 4:20 mark is definitely the best bit.

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

[Review] Nonfiction – K.Will

September 27, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged K.WillLeave a comment

K.Will has made his long-awaited return to the stage with a brand new album, titled as Nonfiction, which is also the same name as his title track. This album is the first part of his 4th full-length album. It has been a while since he last promoted on stage. The last being in 2015 with Growing, though he has released singles and collaborations since then.

Nonfiction takes the ballad route with K.Will’s signature husky vocals. The instrumental, along with his vocals, make the song extremely soothing to listen to. I love it when he finishes the lines on a higher note, in the verses. It gives the ballad some variety and colour, which goes nicely with the emotional message in which is trying to convey to us. The song does build up, starting from a soft introduction to a climatic ending using just the same instruments that he started off with. Personally, ballads hit a soft spot for me. And this one does the job perfectly. The only thing that I may say about the song is that there isn’t anything mindblowing or spectacular about it. Instead, it is like every other ballad out there. But if you want a good old ballad, this is the recent release your need to check out.

The music video tells an emotional story, which goes nicely with the K.Will’s singing style. Essentially, the guy works as a tour guide at this old Korean palace and it is the place where he and his former girlfriend used to go out on dates. And while he still remains there, his former girlfriend has moved on. They reunite for a very brief moment when her current boyfriend asks him to take a photo of them. The main guy complies with the request and returns home, only to become more heartbroken. The last few scenes were probably the hardest to get to, as he relives his favourite pastime with his ex (where they dance with each other) but he instead dances alone in his bedroom. I thought it was a very deep and impactful video to watch. And the acting is quite good.

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

[Review] Change Up – SEVENTEEN

September 27, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged SEVENTEENLeave a comment

Recently, Seventeen announced their future plans for the rest of the year, which continues on from their previous comeback, Don’t Wanna Cry. The group kicks off the rest of the year with the release of a track, Change Up, that features the leaders of the group’s 3 units, which is this review. Each unit will be releasing a song in the near future and the entire group will then make their official comeback as a whole.

What I expected the track to be was not what it turned out as. While the song pinches the leaders of the 3 units (Hip-Hop, Performance, Vocal) that make up Seventeen, the song felt heavy handed on the hip-hop side. I honestly expected to see a little flare from each unit, but when I think about it now, it would be hard to combine the three units together. The blaring instrumental literally grabs your attention from the get-go. This is the first time I have heard Hoshi rap and he sounds equally as good as S.Coups. Woozi’s high-pitched vocal parts seem to showcase some contrast with the hip-hop vibe, which I thought had the song more interesting and appealing to listen to. As the song progresses, it seems to hype you up, which leaves you feeling a little empty once the song ends and there is that awkward silence before the next song. Change Up is undeniably catchy, but it could be its downfall as well. While the repetition of the words “Change Up” is keyed into your head by the time the song ends (along with the rhythm), I do see it becoming annoying if the song is blasted on repeat. But that is my personal opinion only. For the time being however, it is definitely on my playlist of songs to put on repeat.

Like the song’s instrumental, the bold colours grab your attention from the very start. From the colour of their tracksuit to the colour of the background, it appeals to everyone’s eyes. There isn’t much to the video. The most I can comment on are the camera angles and the shots of the guys grooving with each other or by themselves. But despite that, I like the video.

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

[Review] Rollin’ – B1A4

September 26, 2017September 29, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged B1A4Leave a comment

B1A4 has made their return to the stage with their latest mini-album and title track, which are both titled as Rollin’. The group made their last comeback in December of last year with A Lie and since then, they have been going at solo promotions.

Rollin’ is a totally great song. It does take a few listens to get into but it easily turns into a song that I can rock out to. The song joins the long list of other tropical house based songs but mixes it with what is described as a ‘band sound’. And that is exactly what we get. The ‘band sound’ takes the song to a new level and I find that very interesting. My favourite parts were the crashing of the cymbals, which gives the song that extra burst of energy. The buildup to the chorus and the drop into the chorus was definitely the best bits of the song. The song, overall, is quite catchy and as mentioned previously, addictive. The “Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ in the deep” gets stuck in your head quite easily and is incredibly hard to shake off. Vocally, I am on the fence. They sound good but I am not exactly sure if that is would be the right word to describe their vocals. Overall, if you want a song that packs a punch, then this is the song for you.

Apparently, they shot the video in Australia and I have to admit, I want to live wherever they shot the video. Look at the clear blue skies and the sun! But where I live, the sky (until just a few days ago) was very gloomy and dark. The cinematography in this video is pretty good, especially how the camera circles around the members during various sections of the video. The shot where they are jamming out to the song looks a little awkward. But overall, the video is quite good and compliments the song quite nicely.

[Updated] The choreography seemed fitting but I thought it lacked quite a bit. They could have gone down a more impressive route for the performance, given the song style. I liked how they let CNU and Sanduel have their solo moments during the beat drops.

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

[Album Review] Love Yourself: Her (5th Mini Album) – BTS

September 25, 2017September 25, 2017Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged BTSLeave a comment

BTS has already broken records in just a matter of hours after their comeback, so it only makes sense to have a closer look into their album. And I am not disappointed with Love Yourself: Her. I can definitely see why fans are really into the music, despite it being a changeup. Scroll down for the entire album review. Please note that for certain reasons, I have decided to leave out their skits once again, mainly because they wouldn’t be classified as music.

btslyheralbumcover — *Love Yourself: Her* Album Cover

1..Serendipity (Intro Track) – While the style of the track isn’t to my taste, Jimin (who is the only singer in this track) opens the album with a breath-taking song. His vocals are amazing in this song, with just the first few seconds branding a deep impression into your mind. It is a song that can be very sensual, given the lyrics and overall sound of it. (9/10)

2. DNA – Click here to read the full review for DNA (9/10)

3. Best Of Me – Following DNA is this track. Out of all the tracks on the album, my favourite vote goes to this one. It has a very Western feel to it and I think that is mainly attributed because this is a collaboration between BTS and The Chainsmokers, who happens to be one of my favourite Western artists at the moment. The beat drop is amazing and that “Haru Haru” part just before the drop just takes my breath away. The only word that can describe the instrumental, vocals and raps: perfect. (10/10)

4. Dimple (보조개) – This is probably another hidden gem of the album. The song only features Jimin, Jungkook, Jin and V. And they did a great job with compensating for the lack of rappers in this song. It gave a chance for us listeners to hear something more hearty and wholesome from the vocal line, which was clearly the intended highlight. I really like the instrumental for this track. (9/10)

5. Pied Piper – This is one track to groove to. You can tell that there is a hip-hop influence, but there was also a little bit of funk mixed into it, which made it very interesting (in a good way). It was easy to get lost in this track due to its great melody and rhythm. Both the vocals and the raps for this song were on point. It could have used some speed, but that may change up the song up a little too much. (8/10)

7. MIC Drop – The one track that was influenced by Barack Obama. That must be the first. I wasn’t much of a fan of the song at first but it grew on me. Quite a bit. It isn’t the first song I think of when I want to listen to the album, but who knows what a few more listens can do. The track itself is a hip-hop influenced but with an oriental/Middle Eastern twist to it, which makes it memorable. The rappers steal the show in this track (originally, I thought the vocalists were also in the song, but luckily I fact-checked myself) (8.5/10)

8. Go Go (고민보다 Go) – By now, you can tell that the album has a been given a huge dosage of hip-hop. Go Go continues on and it is another song that I don’t think of when it comes to the album but it wouldn’t mean I would shy away from this song. I saw the performance of the song, which attracted my attention to the song. The chorus was probably my favourite bit of the entire song as it sounds weird (in a good way) but very intriguing at the same time. (8/10)

9. Her (Outro Track) – The rappers take the reins and end the album (“officially”) with another hip-hop based song. The rappers did an amazing job (once again) but I personally think the highlight of this track is the instrumental. It is my style of jazzy music and the raps that lay on top goes really well with it. (8.5/10)

11. Sea (Hidden Track) – Sea is a very deep track. I praised many of the BTS solo tracks in their Wings album for their lyrics and deepness and this is the equivalent of this album. The vocals are beautiful, as usual, and the raps are equally as impactful. But despite the emotion-filled lyrics and vocals, the instrumental was quite calming and interlinked well with each other (9/10)

Overall Album Review – 9/10

btsserendipity — *Serendipity* Teaser Video Screenshot

[Double Review] Something Special + Smile – SECHSKIES

September 24, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged SECHSKIESLeave a comment

I know I am a few days late but here is my SECHSKIES review for their latest comeback. The 90s boy group is back with an album full of new songs by the boy group, a first for the group since their disbandment in 2000. Last year, they made their highly anticipated return and the group’s performance in the past year so far has proven that they still have what it takes! The two lead title tracks for their album are Something Special and Smile.

Something Special seems to lack that ‘Something Special’. The song is quite nice, let me just say that. It is a mid-tempo Summer ballad-like song that seems to be nice and easy to the ears. The guitar strumming along gave the song a very wholesome feel. The vocals were great. The main issue about the song is that it just didn’t stand out in the crowd. It didn’t have that level of appeal that other groups (at this very moment) are delivering. The song felt like that flat line analogy that I used to speak about. When I listen to the track by itself, I don’t really remember much from it. To sum up, the song just didn’t get anywhere and that left me disappointed.

Smile takes the ballad feels from the previous song a step further by making it a full-on ballad. Unlike the previous song, however, Smile did end going there and it felt like a stronger title track. The instrumental had a nice build up and their voices reflected the buildup quite nicely. But as crazy as it sounds, I couldn’t find that much interest in me to listen to the song. Multiple times, I end up skipping the song before it finished up and I guess it could be because the song didn’t do a good enough job of making it appealing.

Something Special‘s music video was a lot more appealing than the song. The imagery within the song is quite interesting and like many of the shots due to the cinematography. However, some shots looked incredibly plain, mainly the solo shots throughout the video. They felt like last minute additions and incredibly awkward in compared to the rest of the video. Smile‘s music video felt just right for a ballad of that nature. The speed and the fading of the group/people in the video felt perfect and it reflected the atmosphere quite nicely.

The choreography for Something Special was okay but it also felt very awkward. I don’t know why I feel that way, but every time I rewatch the performance, I just can’t seem to shake that feeling off.

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

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

[Weekly Chart] 3rd Week of September 2017

September 24, 2017Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Welcome to the 3rd week of September. Today is going to be another quick one, so let’s get on with it.

BTS’s DNA takes out the first position in their first week on the charts. Following them is Pentagon’s Like This and Energetic by Wanna One. Rounding out the top 5 is EXO’s Power and GFriend’s Summer Rain.

Comebacks next week include: Yunho (TVXQ), Max (TVXQ), B1A4, Seventeen & K.Will. Looking forward to next week once again.

Here is a legend to help denote status column in the ranking chart 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.

	17th Sep – 23rd Sep 2017
	Title	Artist	Status
1	DNA	BTS	(new)
2	Like This	Pentagon	(▲ 1)
3	Energetic	Wanna One	(▲ 7)
4	Power	EXO	(▼ 2)
5	Summer Rain	Gfriend	(▲ 4)
6	Honeymoon	B.A.P	(▼ 5)
7	Just U	Jung Sewoon	(▼ 2)
8	Whisper	VIXX LR	(▲ 25)
9	The Real	N.Flying	(▲ 4)
10	I’m The One	MXM	(▼ 3)
11	Gashina	Sunmi	(▲ 16)
12	Party	SNSD	(▲ 12)
13	Take My Hand	APRIL	(new)
14	On/Off	ONF	(▲ 23)
15	Last Night Story	IU	(new)
16	Only U	Laboum	(▲ 7) (Final Week)
17	Babe	Hyuna	(▼ 1)
18	I Loved You	DAY6	(▼ 4)
19	We Like	Pristin	(▼ 4)
20	Newton	Monsta X	(▲ 14) (Final Week)
21	Like A Flower	BLACK6IX	(▲ 1)
22	Tomorrow, Today	JJ Project	(▼ 4)
23	Love Whisper	GFriend	(▼ 19)
24	What Can I Do?	DAY6	(▲ 5)
25	All Night	SNSD	(▲ 24)
26	Love Me Love Me	Winner	(▲ 5)
27	Love City	Nine Muses	(▲ 18)
28	Swimmng	Hyunsik (BTOB)	(▲ 26)
29	DamDaDi	Golden Child	(▼ 4)
30	Friday Night	Sonamoo	(▼ 19)

The following songs will be leaving the charts this week and will not be appearing on the charts starting next week:

Swimming – Hyunsik (BTOB)
Only U – Laboum
Hot Sugar – Turbo
Fly High – Dream Catcher
Newton – Monsta X
If You – NU’EST W
Amazing – MYTEEN

See you all again next week!

[Double Review] Sleepless Rainy Night + Last Night Story – IU

September 22, 2017Posted in KPOPTagged IU1 Comment

After her promotions of Palette earlier this year, IU has made her surprising return to the music industry with another remake album. Her previous remake album, A Flower Bookmark, was released in 2014. This sequel to the album, A Flower Bookmark 2, features a number of singles. Autumn Morning was unexpectedly released earlier than the rest of the album and the two songs taken into account for this review are Sleepless Rainy Night and Last Night Story.

Sleepless Rainy Night is a remake of the same-titled track by Kim Gun Mo. Her rendition takes the track to a much slower tempo but also gives it a jazzier vibe. Like the original, she gives her tries are sing-rapping or rapping in general in some parts. And like any other IU song, she handles it pretty well. Her vocals make the song sound dreamy and smooth, which is something that I like. It is very easy to the ears. Compared to the rest of the song on the album, this one isn’t the best one. But it is still one pretty nice remake cover.

The original singers of Last Night Story are Sobangcho, a trio who made their debut in 1987. IU’s version is a lot cleaner, in terms of the instruments used, and the modern feel. But the same beat and rhythm seem to remain to the song. The upbeat nature of IU’s version make this song easy to get into and it makes me want to dance. The short instrumental breaks make everything a lot more tempting. Once again, she shines, vocally, in the song.

Unfortunately, Sleepless Rainy Night does not have a music video (that, or it hasn’t appeared in my subscriptions yet). So I will be making my rating based on the song alone. On the other hand, there is a music video (and choreography) for Last Night Story and I love both equally. The video is extremely cute and the choreography is something that I would probably do at a party. No shame there. The video left such an impression on me for its crazy that I could actually put this down as one of the best music videos of the year. I know how it sounds, but I thought the elements (i.e. sets, use of backup dancers, props, IU’s acting) was amazing.

Sleepless Rainy Night
Song & Overall Rating – 8/10

Last Night Story
Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 10/10

[Review] Take My Hand – APRIL

September 22, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged APRILLeave a comment

April has returned during the week with their third comeback of 2017. The girls made their first comeback at the start of the year with April Story and in May with Mayday. Their third comeback is in the form of their 4th mini-album, titled as Eternity and the title track is Take My Hand.

Take My Hand has one powerful instrumental. From the very start to the end, the instrumental has been the standout aspect of the entire song. The mix of classical with the electronic synths sounds really cool. Their vocal work in this song is pretty good. But the song is far from perfect. The first major observation is that the song didn’t have that catchiness that makes many KPOP songs addictive. Going hand-in-hand with that observation is that the song does really peak as well. It remains relatively neutral and it would have been better to have it kicked into a more addictive gear with a hook. The next thing I noticed was that the song seemed to be jammed together. Rather than having small breaks along the way, it felt more like a blur and in combination with the idea that the song doesn’t have any catchy moments, the song does fall behind its competition and the girl’s previous tracks. While there are aspects that I like, the song does fall short.

The few times I have watched the video, I thought it was boring. But after looking into it in detail, it actually became quite interesting. Essentially, the plotline is that the girls are shy and are hesitant when it comes to confessing to their crush. Their crush just seems to brush things off and goes on with his day. Wanting a second wish, they find this prayer that allows them to have a second chance at confessing to the guy, which in the end, they manage to get. Quite an interesting storyline, considering how it fits in nicely with the accompanying English lyrics. The choreography scenes look great but I am not a major fan of their outfits this time around. Not one to mention it, but it was one of the first things to pop into my head when I watched the video the first time around.

The performance is quite nice, but it doesn’t have a memorable move or sequence. I did like their jammed-packed chorus because there was a mix of elegance but also a little abstract from what I can see.

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

[Review] DNA – BTS

September 18, 2017September 26, 2017Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged BTSLeave a comment

BTS has made their return to the stage with their latest mini-album release, titled as Love Yourself: Her. The lead title track from Love Yourself: Her is DNA. Ths is their first major release since winning the Billboard’s Top Social Artist award and Internation Artist at the Teen Choice Awards. Congratulations to BTS once again for their wins but for also representing KPOP at the big stage!

Once again, BTS has put out a great song. It is their most upbeat song, in my opinion. You can tell from the song’s brighter start with the guitar and pop-based instrumental. The whistles at the very start capture your attention and give a little mysterious vibe to the song. Interestingly, the song takes a turn and becomes EDM based, with a pretty good drop only after the chorus. I personally thought the mix between the two was quite nice and refreshing even though it seems a little mainstream nowadays. Per usual, the vocals and raps were quite good but they don’t seem as captivating as their previous songs. I am in love with the bridge where V, Jin, Jungkook and Jimin slide in for their parts and that jaggered instrumental that followed for the final chorus was amazing. Overall, I liked the direction in which the song was going, up until that point. The “La La La‘ that followed was the most awkward part and didn’t fit in with the rest of the song. But minus the disappointing ending, the song was amazing overall.

This is their most colourful video to date. The colours that they used in the background popped out to grab your attention, which was like the song. I also liked the member’s interactions with the camera, which I thought was pretty cool. Even Suga smiled for a second in the video. The camera work was definitely another wow factor, especially the tricks used to film the V to J-Hope transitions at the start. And while I have only watched the video a few times so far, I wonder how they told the story this time. A part of me like BTS releases because of their concepts and storylines. And the fan theories, which make the video different each time you view them. So if you know cool ones, pop a link in the comments below so I can read about them!

[Updated] The performance for DNA is exactly as we all expected. All very cool moves and quite sophisticated in some parts. My favourite part was when they tangled their arms together and moved their arms as if an electric wave was passed through their arms.

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

[Album Review] Demo_01 (4th Mini Album) – Pentagon

September 18, 2017Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged PentagonLeave a comment

If you read or see my album reviews, you can kind of guess which artists I go to the most to write these posts. But don’t assume I listen to the albums of just those artists. I actually listen to many and in the future, hope I can make some time to write more than one per week to accommodate some of those other albums I listen to. This week’s pick is (as you can see above) is Pentagon’s latest mini album, Demo_01, which features the title track Like This. Overall, I was very impressed with every song on the release, which is why we are here today! So, let’s start.

pentagondemo1album — Demo_01 Album Cover

1..Like This (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Like This (8/10)

2. It’s Over – I think this track can take two different routes. It can work as a ballad or a dance song. And both would have been equally interesting in terms of music video and performance as well. It’s Over manages to hit the right notes with the song’s components, like the clear and crisp vocals to the emotional powerful raps that they deliver. The standard instrumental is a little boring but combining it with the group’s vocal and rap style for this promotional round makes it a winner in my book. The melodies for this song is quite exceptional as well. (9/10)

3. Until Today (오늘까지만) – Until Today is a very artistic sounding dance track that delves back into the electronic style of music. I personally thought the chorus was very well done, especially with the tropical house influences for the instrumental breaks. You expect the track to build up somehow, but it remained relatively flat. However, that isn’t a major concern because it ended up quite consistent and addictive to listen to. (8.5/10)

4. Cool Rap (멋있게랩) – For those who have been visiting this site for some time, you may know that I am not that much of a fan of rap-based songs. Hence, why you don’t really see that much K-Hip Hop on this track. But this track is completely different. It features the 3 main rappers of the song only and it truly displays their skills and talents. Its instrumental was extremely captivating. And while I usually don’t describe songs as ‘lit’ that often, I think it is the most appropriate and hipster way to describe the song. (9/10)

5. When I Was In Love (설렘이라는건) – Another vocally satisfying track from the group and an amazing way to end the album. The RnB based song is probably the least interesting on the track in comparison to the songs that preceded it, but it is still a damn good song. The chorus was incredibly dreamy, almost. The start of the chorus felt like they were easing us into whatever was going to come next. The rappers also shined in the song, with their short but perfectly fitting sequence. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10

pentagondemo1teaser — Pentagon *Demo_01* Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 2nd Week of September 2017

September 17, 2017September 17, 2017Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Welcome all to the 2nd week of September. I know I have said this before but the year is going way too fast for my liking. I am almost finished my semester and I only remember starting it. Everything else has been a blur!!! But despite that, I have taken some time out of today to write the weekly chart post, so let’s get going!

A slight reshuffle of last week’s top 5, with a few knockdowns and some re-entry. Jung Sewoon rose to fifth place this week with Just U. GFriend took out fourth place with their previous title track, Love Whisper. Pentagon moved up to third place with Like This and EXO’s Power wasn’t enough to hold them at the top spot for a second week, as they dropped down to second position. Honeymoon by B.A.P came out as victorious and took out the top spot this week!

Major comeback next week! BTS is making their return with DNA (and I am super excited for it). Joining BTS as well are April, Eunkwang (BTOB), Seches Kies and Niel (Teen Top).

And now, scroll down for the weekly Top 30 charts!

But 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.

	10th Sep – 16 Sep 2017
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Honeymoon	B.A.P	(▲ 2)
2	Power	EXO	(▼ 1)
3	Like This	Pentagon	(▲ 1)
4	Love Whisper	GFriend	(▲ 12)
5	Just U	Jung Sewoon	(▲ 12)
6	Jelly	HOTSHOT	(▲ 16) (Final Week)
7	I’m The One	MXM	(▲ 47)
8	Can’t Stop	DIA	(▲ 2)
9	Summer Rain	GFriend	(new)
10	Energetic	Wanna One	(▼ 3)
11	Friday Night	Sonamoo	(▲ 1)
12	The Stars of Stars	Snuper	(▲ 15) (Final Week)
13	The Real	N.Flying	(▲ 20)
14	I Loved You	DAY6	(▼ 9)
15	We Like	Pristin	(▲ 28)
16	Babe	Hyuna	(▲ 7)
17	Rolly	Good Day	(▲ 38)
18	Tomorrow, Today	JJ Project	(▲ 1)
19	Star	Boyfriend	(▲ 11)
20	Runaway	Bobby (iKON)	(new)
21	I Love You	Bobby (iKON)	(new)
22	Like A Flower	BLACK6IX	(▼ 4)
23	Only U	Laboum	(▲ 29)
24	Party	SNSD	(▼ 11)
25	DamDaDi	Golden Child	(▲ 6)
26	Rain	KNK	(▲ 12) (Final Week)
27	Gashina	Sunmi	(▼ 18)
28	What U Like	Lee Gikwang (HIGHLIGHT)	(▼ 26)
29	What Can I Do?	DAY6	(▼ 8)
30	If You	NU’EST W	(▲ 15)