Month: August 2018

[Review] favOriTe – LOONA

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For me, LOONA is now the most anticipated debut of 2018. So I am a little disappointed with the fact that this isn’t a debut but rather a pre-release or taster to what is about to come. For those who do not know LOONA, they are an 12 member girl group who spent the last 2 years releasing solo tracks and subunit mini-albums, whilst also building up hype to their end-goal, their debut.

favOriTe is the title of this pre-release single and it is going to knock your socks off. It is an interesting yet very jam-packed song, featuring what I would call an intense instrumental. I am not sure how to exactly describe the instrumental besides a cluster is synths that work extremely well together. I think each section (minus the pre-choruses) have something different within them, which in turns prevented the song from becoming repetitive, which I was slightly concerned about. For example, the second chorus featured the high pitch screeching (which resembles mosquitoes for me, hahaha…), whereas the first chorus didn’t. While we are on the topic of the instrumental, the very start felt like it was a throwback to a number of the solo releases, with a very LOONA sound being heard. Vocally, the song was quite good. I did expect more rapping though, given the intense nature of the song. I also found the song very easy to get into, which should be hard given the number of synths featured. But hey, if they managed to make it easy on the ears, imagine what else they can do.

The music video was mainly choreography shots in an abandoned warehouse and a number of closeup shots in a grayscale filter. Not a bad video for a pre-release. If I was to be critical, their outfits look very plain and poorly chosen for this video. Sure, they have that supposedly cutesy and youthful side but the song calls for something edgier.

The choreography was amazing. Really enjoyed all the sections that I saw in the music video. The most favourite part was the dance break, which definitely added more of that edge to the performance than any other section. I would like this to be performed on stage (But I believe this was already performed on stage before but I like to see it in more HD – with fan chants).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] Power Up – Red Velvet

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With the major success of Red Flavour last year, it was expected that Red Velvet would make another Summer comeback. And today, the girl group released Power Up and their newest mini-album, Summer Magic (which also features the English Version of Bad Boy – their previous 2018 comeback). And in a matter of hours, the song had already topped charts, reconfirming their status as a popular girl group and potentially the next Summer queens.

Power Up is a very upbeat and brightly filled Summer pop track. That being said, the song felt very  typical. It might be because I haven’t really caught onto the song, as I do acknowledge that it has a cool hook (the ‘Ba Banana Ba Ba Banana nana‘) which I can see growing on me within a few days time. The verses and chorus don’t really have that memorability factor that most KPOP songs are known for. I did notice that the instrumental didn’t change-up as much, which may contribute to the lacking feeling I felt.. However, I do find some moments that I really like. For example, the pre-chorus. vocal work and the rapping were all promising segments of the song. And the previously mentioned hook as well. At the moment I feel like I am on the fence with this song. But knowing me, it will grow on me a fair bit.

The visuals for this comeback are really good. Like all Summer comebacks, the colours in this video are extremely vibrant. They went with pastel shades of each colour, which gave the video a very retro feel. I like how they presented the heat in the music video, shown by the melting props (done through editing). It looked cool and I thought it was rather interesting. And it is also rather different to see the members outside for once, as it felt like it has been a long time since we have seen them outside for a music video.

The performance looked quite nice. Very fitting for the cutesy concept you can say they approached with their comeback this time around. The chorus choreography was also quite good. Overall, I liked the looks of the performance.

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

[Review] My Pace – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids are back with their very first comeback since their debut, District 9, in April this year. My Pace is the name of the title track for their second mini-album, I Am Who, which follows in the footsteps of their rap-heavy and hip-hop dominated debut track. In between the promotions for District 9 and My Pace, the group also followed up their debut promotions with Mirror (a single from their first mini-album).

From the very start, the one word that can describe the song very accurately is ‘energetic’. There is no moments in the song that felt it lacked energy or intensity, for that matter. And that makes it a perfect fit for the most active season of the year. Even the start of the song, the rough and deep ‘NaNaNaNa‘ by Changbin really grabs your attention and kicks the song off with a punch. The rapping in this song continues this momentum with the vocals giving a moment of relief from the punches we keep on getting. The chorus was very simple but works extremely well with the rap heavy side of the song. I really like the very heavy-handed approach on the instrumental which basically goes back to that energetic aspect of the song. My most favourite part was the suspense filled launch into the final chorus which just nudged the song along that bit further. Overall, the song was awesome and impactful.

The various scenes that make up the video are stringed together so well that it made the music video feel that much edgier when paired with the song. I liked how the camera shots got up close and personal with the members, giving us different angles that we don’t see so much of today. The uNDerground street racing concept was really good as well, fitting both the song and their image. Not too keen on the random break we got just before the bridge, because that cuts the energy. But other than that, a really good video.

The choreography reminds me of Block B. Maybe because it has that wild side that I do recognise from the senior boy group. And like the song, the performance does pack a punch, leaving us energy depleted (because listening to an energetic track and watching a very active performance is really energy draining!) and wanting more.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Album Review] Sunny Summer (7th Mini Album) – GFriend

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Two weeks ago, GFriend made their Summer comeback with Sunny Summer. The song features on the mini-album of the same name. Interestingly, the mini-album is also marketed as the girl’s 1st Summer mini-album, which alludes to the fact that there may be more in the future, which definitely sound very interesting and super exciting. But today, we are here to delve a little more into their Sunny Summer mini-album, so let’s just do that!

gfriend-sunnysummer-2
Sunny Summer Album Cover

1..Sunny Summer (여름 여름해) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Sunny Summer. (7.5/10)

2. Vacation – Fitting neatly into the Summer theme of the entire mini-album, the song starts off with sounds you would commonly associate with the beach. It develops into a very bright song and it is the type you expect to be the soundtrack of a holiday music video that KPOP does a fair share of. It is a catchy and lively song, especially with the cute way they spell out the word ‘Vacation’ at the end of the choruses. It also features nice vocals which makes it a very pleasing song. (7.5/10)

3. Sweety – Sweety has a pop sound but it features a very quirky instrumental that is full of various synths and effects that really make it different. These differences occur at varying tempos allowing for a different atmosphere to be present in almost every different section of the song. I must admit the chorus was a letdown, as I didn’t mind it that memorable/catchy. So the saving grace for this song was the instrumental. Vocals were good, overall. (7/10)

4. Windy Windy (바람 바람 바람) – Initially, the song started off with a soft sound but within seconds the song transformed into this upbeat sound. It did end up feeling like a typical pop song from a girl group but there was an unknown element that managed to make it one of the better songs on the album. I did like the melody of the song, but I found the chorus to be quite masked and mashed into the verse, which was a little confusing. Once again, I liked the vocals and really liked the transition between the bridge and final chorus of the song. (8/10)

5. Love In The Air – I think the girls saved the best for last. I really enjoyed how smooth the song was and how it managed to flow overall. There is a nice melody and the instrumental made the song feel promising. It became quite dynamic towards the end (with a number of synths/effects to give texture but maintaining that smooth element. The vocals also contributed to this smoothness, which made it quite memorable. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.8/10

gfriend-sunnysummer-3
Sunny Summer Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 1st Week of August 2018

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Another week has already passed and we find ourselves on a Sunday, so we all know what that means! Welcome back to the Weekly Charts for the 1st Week of August 2018. It is time to see where the songs are ranked on the charts this week. And with a number of new releases that felt me speechless, I am very interested to see where these songs lie on the charts.

Last week’s number 1 song (Oh My! by Seventeen) dropped down by 3 to the 4th position, leaving the top spot for this week vacant for Laboum (with their song Between Us) to rise to the top of the chart for this week! Also rising to the 2nd and 3rd positions are 1,2,3 by Seungri (Big Bang) and I’m So Sick by APINK (who just won’t budge from the top of the charts). Finishing off the top 5 is KARD’s Ride On The Wind.

There were a number of songs jumping up a fair bit. But none of was that impressive when compared to Hyolyn’s jump from 48 to 13 (a total of 35 spots) from last week. For more of the charts, scroll down below!

29th Jul – 5th Aug 2018
Title Artist Status
1 Between Us Laboum (▲6)
2 1,2,3 Seungri (Big Bang) (▲9)
3 I’m So Sick APINK (▲5)
4 Oh My! SEVENTEEN (▼ 3)
5 Ride On The Wind KARD (▲8)
6 Now Or Never SF9 (new)
7 Love U Kim Chungha (▼ 3)
8 Black Heart UNB (▼ 3)
9 Shoot Me DAY6 (▲9)
10 Egotistic Mamamoo (▼ 1)
11 Sunny Summer Gfriend (▲17)
12 Killing Me iKON (new)
13 SEE SEA Hyolyn (▲35)
14 SoulMate Zico (Block B) ft. IU (new)
15 KeePer The Boyz (▲15)
16 BAAM MOMOLAND (▲15)
17 Always You ASTRO (▲8)
18 DDU-DU DDU-DU BLACKPINK (▲11)
19 Complete ONF (▼ 3)
20 I’m So Afraid Holland (▲18)
21 She Bad MYTEEN (▼ 18)
22 Our Page SHINee (▲1)
23 Twenty Something Jeong Sewoon (▼ 17)
24 Retro Future Triple H (▼ 2)
25 Dance The Night Away TWICE (▼ 23)
26 Touch & Sketch Leo (VIXX) (new)
27 Sunset Kim Dong Han (▼ 3)
28 Something New Taeyeon (SNSD) (▲21)
29 When It Rains BTOB-BLUE (new)
30 Let Me Golden Child (▼ 4)

Songs leaving the charts this week and will no longer be on the charts starting next week are:

  • Light -Wanna One
  • DKDK – Fromis_9
  • Lady – Yubin
  • Complete – ONF
  • Take Me Higher – A.C.E

Thank you for reading this post and hope to see you all again next week!

[Review] Summer Night – 100%

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Last week, I decided to review 100%’s recent Korean comeback, The Grand Bleu, instead of the intended Japanese week. With some shuffling around, I will be reviewing their recent Japanese comeback, Summer Night, which is their 4th original single in Japan. The music video for this track was released at the end of June, so apologies for the really late review.

The song has this pretty decent tropical influence club beat as its instrumental which makes the song explosive, particularly around the chorus of the song. It does feel very standard around the verses which seems to show more of that tropical influence. But that isn’t too off-putting, especially with a cool chorus like this that picks up the song just at the right time. However, the vocals are the one aspect that had me diving for more. The way Rokhyun sings the chorus feels very JPOP-like, reminding me of some Japanese pop vocalists that I listen to. The other members do a pretty good job. One way of describing the song is that it is like their Korean vocal-driven songs were smashed with this style of EDM (which works really well). The rapping was also quite good and was another moment that I really liked. Overall, 100% did an amazing job with this song.

As much as I find the colour blue very refreshing, I can’t help but notice how blue the music video was (literally!). It felt like it should have been overused, particularly at the start. But after the first chorus, they changed to multiple shades of blue (in their outfits), which really cuts the heaviness of the blue. And for that, I actually thought it was an interesting of colour. I did like the helipad setting for the choreography, which I still think is really scary yet really beautiful at the same time.

The choreography was good and felt fitting for the song. Not else to say other than that, to be honest.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

 

[Review] SEE SEA – Hyolyn

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It was expected that we would see Hyolyn back on stage during the season of Summer, given how her former group had a really grand reputation for Summer releases and how Summer will be able to give her the opportunity to show off some of her sexiness. She returns with See Sea, which was released mid-July. Hyolyn ends her three singles project with this release (the other two singles were To Do List and Dally).

See Sea is another Summer song released that really grabbed my attention (just don’t ask me why it took me a number of weeks to actually write the review). To me, I don’t think this falls into the broad genre of KPOP. Instead, I personally think the sound falls neatly into the Western market. There is something about it that makes it feel very distinct and refreshing from the usual Summer songs that we get. I am not too sure about what that ‘something’ is but whatever it is, it is doing its job. I really like the chorus, which was quite addictive. The way she sang her lines during the chorus left an impression on me. It was quite melodic but that was delivered through her vocals rather than the instrumental (which was borderline typical for me). The pre-chorus/buildup was awesome as well. Overall, I like the song quite a bit.

The music video was very typical for a Summer release. There was a lot of focus on Hyolyn, who showed a fair bit of skin in this music video (but I am not complaining!). There were also some nice shots of scenery (with Hyolyn) in them which felt very urban. Correct me if I am wrong but it seems like Hyolyn filmed this video somewhere in the US (most likely LA or Hawaii). The video does a good job of reflecting Summer but I am sure she could have avoided the typical route.

The performance was quite captivating. It isn’t an overtly sexual performance, which Dally touched upon. Instead, the performance was quite smooth and I liked the tone down touch fo sexiness. Her use of Western backup dancers confirms the Western influence on the comeback, which I don’t mind.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] When It Rains – BTOB-BLUE

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BTOB-BLUE has finally returned with a brand new single titled as When It Rains. The subunit, which comprises of BTOB’s vocalists, made their subunit debut in 2016 with Stand By Me. While it has been two years since their last release, BTOB’s comeback have proven to be quite popular with Movie, Missing You and this year’s Only One For Me topping the charts.

When It Rains taps into a under appreciated treasure chest. While we do get a fair bit of amazing vocals from the vocalists when they perform as BTOB, you don’t get too many heartfelt vocals. When It Rains allows this to occur and it makes the song quite strong. The song, for the first verse, second verse and first chorus, remains very linear like most ballads. They do push a bit during the first chorus but it isn’t that spectucalr to really dwindle on. But it is the entrance into the second chorus that really comes out of nowhere for me. And it is this section that really grabs my attention. And I like how they maintain this energy through to the end of the song. I like the background vocals and the instrumental, which does get me swaying along to the song. Overall, I think it is a really good song that protrays their vocals in a very good light, which didn’t really occur in their debut track.

The music video opens up on a rainy day with Hyunsik getting ready before the sun rises in his cafe. Throughout the video, we see the rest of BTOB-BLUE go about on their day on the rainy day. There is a lot of staring into the sky and rain, which works well with the song. Interestingly, at the end of the video, we are shown that all the members are converging to the cafe, which is where they all work. I think this was a very interesting plot-twist. I do like how they manage to cut the sadness from the song when they interact together at the end, which was nice.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Killing Me – iKON

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It is rare for a YG group to make multiple comebacks within a year. IKON actually acknowledged this in an interview today. But it seems like YG Entertainment has finally allowed their groups to fully take on the industry with comebacks within months of each other. IKON returned at the start of the year with Love Scenario and Rubber Band. And within 5 months, iKON has returned with their 1st mini-album and the title track, Killing Me.

The song took me by surprise. Not in the sense where I was caught off guard by the style of song but rather how the instrumental just creeps up at you. The song opens up with a very minimal instrumental and it slowly builds up. The buildup isn’t anything that special taking on a more typical approach. However, once the chorus drops, we get this funky concoction that draws your attention in and delivers an impactful blow of addictiveness to your ears. And it is this chorus that really holds me in my seat for the entirety of the song. The vocals were really good and the rapping was superb. The ending feels more like a club and anthem vibe combined together and I think this makes the song feel a lot like iKON’s usual sound. Overall, I thought the song was amazing.

YG Entertainment always releases high-quality music videos. So expectations were quite high for this video. But out of all the music videos I can think of, this one feels the most typical of a KPOP music video. There aren’t any elaborate sets that really make you go wow. And there are no really smart shots or amazing editing that grabs my attention. So I am a little disappointed. I did like the camera work, with the more upbeat parts getting the shaky camerawork whereas the rest of the video gets smoother camerawork.

The performance looks good, from what I can see in the music video. I don’t think there was a live performance yet, as the song just came out. I particularly like how the choreography for the chorus goes as it channels the change of energy quite well. It is a complicated drop but the simple change in the choreography was definitely impactful.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] SoulMate – ZICO (Block B) ft. IU

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This is probably the collaboration of the century. Zico is a very well-known producer known for his chart-topping hits such as I Am You, You Are Me and Boys and Girls. IU is the digital queen, with all her songs taking over the charts as soon as they are released. So it was no surprise that their collaboration rose quickly to the top of the charts. And that is why we are here today – to review this highly anticipated (yet very unexpecting) collaboration.

SoulMate begins with the vocals of both collaborators. Zico’s vocals seem to change a little each time, complimenting the style of the song. IU’s signature husky vocals are definitely impactful here. Together, there is this extremely smooth feel. The instrumental has this subtle jazz vibe, which was nice. I liked how despite the song being notably Zico (as he produced it), it could easily have slipped into IU’s albums. Zico’s rap was nice and I liked how IU sang along with some of the rap lines. The choruses wasn’t that memorable in my opinion, however, it reminded me of Spring, which is fast approaching. My favourite bit of the song was the bridge, where both singers seem to push themselves a little further, allowing that section of the song to resonate with me. Overall, the song does really speak volumes when you listen to it as a whole and with this quality of music, it is no wonder why they always top charts.

While this may look like the longest elevator wait ever, you all should come to my university. You will be able to replay the song a few times before any elevator opens up. Putting that aside, I thought the video was a nice way of presenting the idea of finding soulmates. I liked the small cameo that Crush made, with this blue hair being a very obvious giveaway (I know he recently returned but I couldn’t think of anything regarding his song). I was also surprised as both artists appeared in the video, which isn’t a usual case for some collaborations (i.e. one artist is usually absent).

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

 

[Review] Touch & Sketch – Leo (VIXX)

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Leo is the main vocalist of VIXX and he has officially made his solo debut with Touch & Sketch. Leo joins a long list of solo acts whom have debuted over the past few years despite still being active as part of their groups. He is also an accomplished musical actor, as well. Touch & Sketch is featured as the title track on his first mini-album, titled appropriately as Canvas.

I personally expected Leo to go down the ballad route for this solo debut (which I really should stop doing because they never go down the ballad route). So it was a plesant surprise that he went with an upbeat song. But keeping with the aura that Leo has, the song features a decent melody during the verses. I am not too big on the verses because they felt slow, compared to the upbeat chorus which I liked a lot more. However, his husky vocals did give off a smooth vibe, which highlights the sensual nature of the song. I really like the lead into the chorus (I believe the lyrics are ‘Now I feel lips‘) and the small sequence of drums that feels like the gateway to a nice chorus. I like how the chorus goes and its catchiness makes the song quite memorable. While it isn’t Leo’s expertise, I would have liked a rap sequence somewhere in the song. As much as it feels cliche, it needed something more to give it some edge. But overall, Leo’s debut song was pretty cool.

I liked the music video because it shows a side of Leo that I have not seen. I know him to be the very quiet member from his debut days so to see him in this sensual lighting was a little odd for me. But it works well with that aura that I mentioned in the prior paragraph. He likens the idea of love to art, as you you have to be able to feel both to connect with it. I did find some of the editing a tad choppy for my liking, often passing over a scene very quickly. It could have been a lot smooth to reflect well with the song’s smoothness. But other than that, it was a good video.

The performance was good and fitted the song quite well. I like how the chorus had a certain level of fierceness, which gave the performance that edge that the song lacked. He looked super focus, which I guessed works well with the serious sensual nature of the song. And that sensual nature mentioned in the other paragraphs was felt strongest through the choreography.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10