Welcome to the 4th Week of September 2019. I am a little busy today, so it will be a quick introduction. I have cancelled today’s and Tuesday’s album review due to the same reason. I will be back with song reviews tomorrow and the next album review will be posted on Friday. Now, the introduction is over and we move onto the chart recap!
Topping the charts today is TWICE’s Feel Special. The song has grown exponentially on me, so expect to see it on the top end of the charts in the next few weeks. Devil by CLC takes out the second position this week, while KARD’s latest single, Dumb Litty earns themselves a 3rd place debut. Laboum remains in the Top 5 this week with their Firework comeback, while EVERGLOW (with Adios) rises back into the Top 5 by completing the Top 5 this week. For more of the charts, scroll down below (per usual).
22nd Sep – 28th Sep 2019
Title
Artist
Status
1
Feel Special
TWICE
(new)
2
Devil
CLC
(▲ 2)
3
Dumb Litty
KARD
(new)
4
Firework
Laboum
(▼ 2)
5
Adios
EVERGLOW
(▲ 11)
6
Workaholic
BOL4
(▲ 3)
7
Flash
X1
(▲ 25)
8
déjà vu
Dream Catcher
(▼ 1)
9
How Can I Love The Heartbeak, You’re The One I Love
AKMU
(new)
10
25
BOL4
(▲ 13)
11
Fear
SEVENTEEN
(▼ 10)
12
RED
The Rose
(▲ 6)
13
Spark
JBJ95
(▼ 7)
14
Tiki Taka (99%)
Weki Meki
(▲ 10)
15
Quit
FT Island
(▲ 5)
16
LALALAY
Sunmi
(▼ 13)
17
Regulus
ONEWE
(▲ 17)
18
Bungee
Oh My Girl
(▼ 3)
19
Out Of My Mind
3YE
(▲ 21)
20
1 Minute 1 Second
W Project 1
(▲ 13)
21
Don’t Make Me Laugh
Oh Ha Young (APINK)
(▼ 13)
22
HIT
SEVENTEEN
(▼ 17)
23
Bbyong
SATURDAY
(▲ 3)
24
Your Gravity
UP10TION
(▼ 5)
25
Parallel
VIXX
(new)
26
It’s On You
TEEN TEEN
(▲ 11)
27
ICY
ITZY
(▼ 10)
28
DDD
The Boyz
(▼ 14)
29
Missing
TRCNG
(▼ 18)
30
Blurry
Kim Keok Heon & Song Yu Vin
(▲ 9)
Songs leaving the charts this week include:
ICY – ITZY
Tag Tag Tag – VERIIVERY
Wake Up – D1CE
Thank you once again and I will see you all again during the week.
It is time for another album review and today, we will be focusing on Dream Catcher. The group returned last week with Deja Vu, which was the title track of a special mini-album, Raid Of Dream. The release of the mini-album and the title track was paired with the new mobile game, King’s Raid. And based on my review of Deja Vu, the music video seems to be heavily based on the mobile game. Once again, we aren’t here for the game. Rather, we are here for the album, so let’s have a closer look.
3. The Curse of the Spider (거미의 저주) – When I first saw the title of the song, I thought back to the spider that played a part in their initial four-part music video series that they debuted with. And I think the song is rather fitting for that era of Dream Catcher and Dream Catcher as a whole. It has that dance rock vibe that we associate with the girls and the intensity for the song is great. I also liked the rush of energy that the song gives. The vocal work was pretty good. I did like how Dami turned back to rapping but I think she could have gotten a much better punchy sequence, which was noticeably missing from the title track of this album and present all of their title tracks thus far. (8/10)
4. Silent Night – Silent Night is no Christmas carol. Instead, it furthers the group’s venture into EDM in a very abstract and aesthetically pleasing way. The track is in no way silent, as suggested by the title. The closest to ‘silence’ that we get in this track is the chorus, which is lowkey one of the best choruses I have ever heard. It is subtly intense, and it made the song very ear-catching. I find the melody catchy and I can’t stop humming the tune once the song ends. The actual EDM kicks in at the end of the track, acting out as the outro piece for the track. It is interesting to place to add the change-up in the track. But collectively, I think it makes the song very appealing and furthers that ear-catching business that they had going in the track already. I think, apart from the title track, this is one of their best tracks ever. (10/10)
5. Polaris (북극성) – The album ends with a ballad. And it is a pretty good track. Very melodic and has a nice classically driven instrumental. All the members sing in this track and their display of vocals was nice. And while it was a soothing piece of put on if you want to relax (or take a break from Dream Catcher’s intensity), I find the song doesn’t really tie the album together as nicely as one would expect. This might be the case because it was placed after Silent Night (and I am still immersed in the preceding track) or that the ballad just didn’t exactly blow me away. But I feel like there should have been one more song to the album, following this album. (7/10)
It has been over two years since we last heard from AKMU but they have finally made their return. And despite making their comeback only just 4 hours ago, the duo (consisting of Changhyuk and Suhyun) has already topped the charts with How Can I Love The Heartbreak, You’re The One I Love (hereafter Heartbreak). The last release by AKMU that I reviewed was Dinosaur, which is also their last release prior to Changhyuuk’s enlistment in the military. We can now expect more AKMU releases in the future due to his return.
Since my introduction was very focused on the return on Changhyuk, let’s turn our attention to his beautiful sounding sister, Suhyun. Her voice is very airy in Heartbreak and this makes her voice sounds so perfectly captivating, fitting for the emotive ballad (as you can tell from just the title of the song alone). I really like her voice in the moments leading up to the second pre-chorus the most. The instrumental disappears and gives us an opportunity to hear her vocals without any interference from the music. I also liked how she is at the forefront of the song, which is very surprising at the same time as the duo tends to have even line distribution. That being said, Changhyuk does an amazing job as well through his more limited sections in the song. He was there to help give the song harmonies that melt your heart. And those harmonies are perfection. Listening to Heartbreak, I can tell why they always find themselves at the top of the charts.
I have the feeling that my interpretation of the video will be different from some others. The female actress, whom we don’t see her face throughout the video, is facing the looming break up. The lyrics suggest that every single step she takes is a step towards that direction and that she is meant ‘to love it’ (i.e. her journey to heartbreak). Her presence on the boat seems to be in reference to describing her love is like an ocean (i.e. that she has a lot more to give) and she would only run out of love when the oceans dry up. Yet, notice how she is moving forward while on the boat, suggesting that she is still on the journey towards heartbreak. Changhyuk and Suhyun’s presence in the video is all about artistry. Changhyuk is a painter, while Suhyun is a musician. Both run into some trouble thinking about ideas. But both use the female actress as their source of inspiration to finish painting the blue picture that dominates the video and the lyrics to the song. They are steering the ship but it is the actress that leads their way, while on the ship. It is definitely a video that is up to interpretation. And this is my interpretation of the video.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9.6/10
It is time for another PAR (Past Album Review). Today, we will be focusing on a group that is getting a lot of fanfare in the industry at the moment due to their amazing cover of Lovelyz’s Destiny on the show Queendom. Yes, that is right! I am talking about Oh My Girl. And we will be going way back a bit to October 2015 to have a look back on the album which I think contains one of the best KPOP songs ever. Scroll down below to continue reading my review. Besides that, check out Queendom and support your favourite girl groups including Mamamoo, AOA, Lovelyz, Oh My Girl, (G)I-DLE and Park Bom!
Closer Album Cover
1. Closer (Title Track) – I previously gave this song a 9/10. But I want to add one more point to that. Mainly because Closer must be one of my favourite KPOP tracks. It is also the group’s most underrated and aesthetically pleasing tracks ever. Given their popularity now, Closer would have been a major hit if it were released today. Click here to read the full review for Closer. (10/10)
2. Say No More – Say No More is a very smooth R&B track. The mentioned smoothness allows the song to follow strongly behind Closer. I find the track to be very catchy, especially since they accented the ‘Say No More’ using the instrumental, which they repeat throughout the song. I also think the vocal work in this track is amazing. There is a lot of technique in the song, which really shows off their potential as a group. The song is consistent, which I think was a safe move in this case. I can’t imagine a song like this being erratic in terms of it sound and it resulting as nice as what we have now. (9/10)
3. Playground – You can tell that the group was just starting out. Despite their very mature sounding Closer, the members manage to liken a love story to the playground in this track, which is a very childish and youthful thing to do. But then again, it was their image back then. I think the song is quite good as well. Maybe not as great as the two tracks before it, though. I think the vocal work was nice, especially with the harmonies and the members singing together. I really like Mimi’s rap sequences just before each chorus, as it cuts the more light-hearted pop nature from being too consistent. (8/10)
4. Sugar Baby – I am so glad that they grew out this cutesy phase. Listening to the first few lines of the song, ‘You’re My Snuggly Little Teddy Bear’ is a very cringy line. And the chorus basically follows this as well. The song has this old retro feel to it, which I think was a highlight. I also liked that small build-up we get from the pre-chorus section. Apart from that, I find the song very standard and it doesn’t really appeal to my personal tastes. If you like the cutesy direction of KPOP, I think this song would be a standout for you. (7/10)
5. Round About – I think they started out strong on this album. And I wished the album continued this strong start to the end. Round About just doesn’t recuperate from Sugar Baby and it seems to just dissipate. It is an upbeat pop track that suits their youthful image at the time, so I can’t blame them. Also, they used to the cutesy concept a fair bit back in the day, so they just had to have that influence on their album somehow (especially since this was their second album). I just found the instrumental and vocal work to be forgettable and I felt like there should have been one more song after Round About to really close the album. (7/10)
Making their grand return today is TWICE with Feel Special. Since their last comeback (Fancy) earlier this year, the group has been busy with Japanese promotions (Breakthrough and Happy Happy) and have started their world tour. Jihyo was also revealed to be dating Kang Daniel since then as well. However, it hasn’t been all good news with TWICE as Mina has been noticeably absent due to mental health concerns. While she has returned to participate in Feel Special music video filming and recording, she won’t be around for the promotional period for Feel Special.
Feel Special, once again, shows off their mature side. It is a nice following track to Fancy, which was quite similar. Feel Special does go easy on the techno and electronic influences that the preceding track had. In a way, this does make the song less interesting, as it felt a tad straight forward. But on the flip side, I do find this new track to be fancier than the previous track. I also find the hook to be very weak in this track. Usually, TWICE’s hooks are designed to grab your attention within the first few listens. This one just hasn’t kicked in for me yet. What I did like about this track is that the song does let the focus be on the vocals, which makes the song ‘special’. I also really liked the meaning behind the lyrics, which seemed to be thanking someone for making them ‘Feel Special‘ despite all the negativity they face. Surprisingly, I liked their rapping this time. It is a little more serious and intense than usual. But I think the members did a good job overall.
Something I held back from mentioning above is that the song felt very golden. Though, I am not exactly sure if that was the music video influencing my thoughts. The video is very elegant, showcasing that mature feel that the song had. But in a very classy and sophisticated way. I have been mentioning artists visuals lately and there is no doubt that 2019 has been the year of visuals for many groups currently active. Every member had their own scene and setup, each of which did its job of highlighting the visuals of the members. The dresses they wear were also very beautiful.
That mature feel flows onto the performance. I thought it was a nice routine this time around. It doesn’t have that key move that everyone knows each of their releases for. So in a way, the performance does look a little more complicated than usual. I actually quite like that, as it is time to see something a little more technical from the group. And I think the pairing of visuals, song and choreography is that more technical direction.
Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.6/10
Returning today is KARD, who has dropped their latest digital single, Dumb Litty. Picking today as a comeback date is rather intriguing. It is rare to see a mainstream KPOP group to release their comeback track on a Sunday, let alone a weekend release in general. But it is KARD and I am not going to question why a Sunday was picked. Might as well get a day of exposure before the rest of the competition. We last saw KARD through their Bomb Bomb promotions earlier in the year.
It seems like KARD’s songs are getting more intense as they release them. This is their most powerful release to date. It isn’t really surprising though, as it is something I am sure KARD had kept hidden for a while. Dumb Litty is centred around a lot of rapping, bringing BM, J.Seph and Jiwoo’s talents out in a very trendy fashion. Somin’s vocals do a pretty good job at keeping up, as well. I find the song to be very in your face, which is definitely a good quality. I also liked how they didn’t tone any parts back, keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It seems a little cliche to do that nowadays, so I am glad they stayed clear of that. For the instrumental, the song features a very strong exotic vibe and hip-hop sound, with the combination of both giving the song a lot of character (if the rapping and fierceness weren’t enough). The chorus was catchy and I think something of this powerfulness deserves a lot more listens in the coming weeks.
The concept that the members went with this time around is Greek methodology. The choice of Greek mythology gods and goddesses for the members felt very fitting for each member. BM channelled Zeus and Thor, fitting for his position as leader of the group. J.Seph was Ares and Dionysus. Somin was Aphrodite and Chloris, while Jiwoo was Hera and Athena. And it wasn’t just the concept teaser images that featured this theme, as the members portrayed these strong mythological characters in the video. I thought the sets and use of colour in the video were fitting for the group and characters. The choreography shots were amazing. The highlight would be Jiwoo’s stare at the start of the bridge. They did kind of scared me and I think that will haunt me tonight.
Not really a performance thing. But I like how the lines were slightly more distributed this time around. This gives the chance for cameras to focus on the members in a more fair way, which will make any fans happy. As for the choreography, it is definitely a strong performance. The chorus moves were matching with the song, in the sense that it felt like it was coming at you the entire time. They also look very charismatic, which is hard to pull off when you have moves like this and lines to deliver like so.
Song – 8.5/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.6/10
SEVENTEEN returned on Monday during the week with Fear. Channelling their more mature, dark and fierce sides, Fear follows the like of HIT (which is included in this album) and Getting Closer (released at the end of last year). The group is about to embark on their first world tour and the only fitting way to do that is by releasing their third studio album, which is why we are here today. SEVENTEEN’s albums have been a hit for me, so let’s see how this one will play out.
2. Lie Again (거짓말을 해) – Between the two amazing lead tracks of the album is Lie Again. It is a surprising addition, as it is very soft and delicate, quite the opposite to both HIT and Fear in any way. The focus on the vocals is amazing and I really enjoyed how the rappers were tweaked to fit this soft song. I thought the electronic instrumental was stunning, going with a similar aesthetic to what Home had (their title track at the start of the year). It was also very dynamic in its own way and paired well with the vocals and rapping we got in this song, it is a gem waiting to be discovered by listeners and their fans. My favourite part is the chorus, with the ‘drop’ a subtle explosion of energy. (10/10)
4. Let Me Hear You Say – The album continues with another fantastic song. Let Me Hear You Say starts off like any other song. But as the song progresses, you start to hear the song develop. The chorus is completely unexpected, going with a chanting style rather than vocals which dominate the verses. I find the chorus to be like the chorus in Lie Again. There is an explosion of appeal during the chorus of this song that makes it so appealing. The chanting style was very catchy as well, which made it hard to turn away. Energy is still present in this song, but I am kind of glad it wasn’t as intense as Fear, as it would have been an overload. Let Me Hear You Say is kind of the relief that I didn’t know I needed. (9/10)
5. 247 (Performance Unit) – Now we are getting to the other important stuff. The units make their reappearance in this album through a series of tracks. The first one up is 247, sung by the main dancers of the group. It is interesting because I had expected to hear something a lot more upbeat and intense, like Highlight and Lilili Yabbay (their previous unit tracks). I didn’t expect an R&B track from them which really let their vocals shine. They all sounded amazing. But this isn’t a departure from what they do best, as 247 has a dance routine, which has a routine that is equally as beautiful. Like their routine, I find the song to be smooth, elegant and very well-polished. (9/10)
6. Second Life (Vocal Unit) – The next unit up is the vocal unit, which consists of the main and lead vocalists of the group. While I remember them for ballads, it seems like the units are changing expectations by going with different styles. There is more life in this track, in comparison to their heartfelt ballads. I attribute that to their instrumental, which I thought was very cool. It was simple but intense at the same time. It does allow for their soothing vocals to come through, so I can draw some parallels between Second Life and their past ballad unit tracks. I also find the song to be very relaxing. It is something I wouldn’t mind putting on the background and work along with it. Woozi’s randomly higher note does catch you off guard but the song (and the unit) does a good job of recomposing you and getting the track back on track. (9.5/10)
7. Network Love – We take a little breather from the units by introducing a different unit track. Network Love is sung by Joshua, Jun, The8 and Vernon. I don’t think this is an official unit from the group and is a one-off track with the four members. I find that Joshua, Jun and The8 don’t get to shine as often in the title or group tracks. So, Network Love changes that by putting all three members (and Vernon) in the spotlight. Listening to the track, I feel like this is something the Performance unit would perform to but it would have been a good sound for the vocal unit to try something a little different. Their vocals sound nice and the instrumental was bubbly and vibrant in its own way. Vernon’s rapping felt perfect for the tone of the song, not going overboard or holding back too much. The melody during the chorus was also memorable as well. (8/10)
8. Back It Up (Hip-Hop Unit) – It seems like the Hip-Hop unit didn’t get the ‘change it up’ memo that the other units got. But I don’t mind (though I would have loved to hear them try rapping to a ballad or something different to match the other units). Back It Up is intense and very powerful, something completely up the unit’s alleyway. I find each member of the unit brings a very different style to the song, which I think makes this track so much more appealing. It also doesn’t help that each member is filtered differently with the autotune, further proving my point. I really like two parts of the song. Vernon’s very soft ‘Siren’, which was whispered but due to the autotune, it came off as rough. The second has to be the drop in the second half of the chorus, which gave the song an extra infusion of energy that I didn’t know it needed (but I am glad they brought it anyway). (8/10)
9. Lucky – The whole group returns with Lucky, which is another upbeat dance track. It falls into the pop category but there was a bit of funkiness to the instrumental, which made the track enjoyable. It has a classy vibe to it and this vibe becomes more prevalent as you listen to it. I also liked the fast tempo in the verses and then the slowdown, which Jeonghan and Jun ask us to take during their respective parts. It was kind of fun to have them connect to us in this track this way. While the song is great, there was the constant thought that it did feel really neutral and knowing Seventeen, they could have upped something in the song to make it even better. (7.5/10)
10. Snap Shoot – Snap Shoot comes off as a fun song. It isn’t something to deny. I really like the subtle retro style we got from the track, reminding of The Jackson 5’s ABC. The instrumental also sounded like those really happy gospel-like songs we get in movies and musicals. The vocals were nice and I liked the incorporation of the hip-hop segments for the rapping. I think the song could have been more unique if the members started to sing speak to us and engage us in that manner, which would have been fun and something that feels completely like Seventeen would do. But nonetheless, the energy is infectious, and the song is catchy. This track would definitely be awesome to hear in a live performance as well. (8/10)
This time around, I am not a few days late. For those who missed my mistake, I didn’t hit the publish button last Sunday. And I didn’t realize until Thursday. So the chart post ended up being 4 days late. Whoops. But today, I am making sure I press the button as soon as I am done. Welcome to the charts for the 3rd week of September 2019.
Topping the charts this week is SEVENTEEN’s latest comeback track, Fear. I guess other songs would need to fear this comeback as SEVENTEEN’s return has further extended their influence on the industry. Following them is LABOUM’s Firework, which I think might be sticking to the top end of the chart for the next few weeks. Sunmi’s track (LALALAY) topped the charts the previous week and this week she finds herself in the third position, while last week’s number one song, Devil by CLC, finds itself in the fourth position. And SEVENTEEN’s HIT, which has topped charts twice already, completes this week’s top 5.
For more of the charts, scroll down below.
15th Sep – 21st Sep 2019
Title
Artist
Status
1
Fear
SEVENTEEN
(new)
2
Firework
Laboum
(new)
3
LALALAY
Sunmi
(▲ 1)
4
Devil
CLC
(▼ 3)
5
HIT
SEVENTEEN
(=)
6
Spark
JBJ95
(▲ 14)
7
Deja Vu
Dream Catcher
(new)
8
Don’t Make Me Laugh
Oh Hayoung (APINK)
(▲ 6)
9
Workaholic
BOL4
(▲ 6)
10
Umpah Umpah
Red Velvet
(▲ 7)
11
Missing
TRCNG
(▲ 10)
12
Good Bye
Wheein (Mamamoo)
(▲ 12)
13
Movie Star
CIX
(▲ 14)
14
DDD
The Boyz
(▲ 19)
15
Bungee
Oh My Girl
(▲ 3)
16
Adios
EVERGLOW
(▼ 10)
17
ICY
ITZY
(▲ 11)
18
RED
The Rose
(▼ 6)
19
Your Gravity
UP10TION
(▼ 6)
20
Quit
FT Island
(▼ 9)
21
FACE
Woosung (THE ROSE)
(▲ 21)
22
Bae
M.O.N.T
(=)
23
25
BOL4
(▼ 7)
24
Tiki Taka (99%)
Weki Meki
(▼ 14)
25
Boom
NCT Dream
(▼ 6)
26
Bbyong
SATURDAY
(new)
27
Side Kick
K-TIGERS ZERO
(new)
28
Now
K-TIGERS ZERO
(new)
29
What Are You Doing Today?
Kang Daniel
(▲ 1)
30
Wake Up
D1CE
(▲ 6)
Songs leaving the charts this week are:
What A Life – EXO-SC
Red Sun (021) – GWSN
Movie Star – CIX
Give Me More – VAV
Face – Woosung (The Rose)
What Are You Up To – Kang Daniel
Boom – NCT Dream
Thank you very much and hope to see you again during the week! An album review and song review coming your way shortly.
The last few weeks I haven’t been able to focus on the Japanese reviews due to being a bit busy. But I have finally set aside some time to start attacking the pile that is growing. I am going to start on the more recent side of the spectrum, focusing on the Dream Catcher’s music video release last week. The new single is titled Breaking Out and it is the lead title track on their first-ever Japanese studio album, The Beginning Of The End. The album also features the Japanese version of all their Korean title tracks. The group also just made their Korean comeback with Deja Vu.
When I first heard the first verse, I thought it would be such a waste of an opportunity for the group not to venture into that rock sound that they have maintained in all of their Korean title tracks. Especially since I (and a lot of other people) have described it to be fitting for the Japanese music scene. But I thought too soon, as the chorus is essentially exactly what I wanted. And while the chorus does pack a punch thanks for its rock sound, I found the verses to be very forgettable. It felt boring in comparison to the chorus and I was obviously longing for that rush of energy and intensity. I thought their singing was good but Dami’s rapping didn’t feel like it fitted in well with the rest of the track. I feel like they could have polished Dami’s section in, as it is sticking out a little too much for my liking. Overall, Breaking Out was okay. I just don’t feel like it is up to par with their Korean releases, which is a little odd given my past comments regarding their ability to fit into the Japanese music scene.
I thought the video was nice. I liked the white set and the red strings were felt bold as a result. I think the dull atmosphere was rather fitting, as it gave the girls an edgier look. I know, it isn’t something that I would say when it comes to something dull. But I thought it worked fine in this video. There is a lot of symbolism, but I think I will leave it up to the fans to decipher this video. Overall, I liked it and wouldn’t mind watching it again.
I thought the performance looked quite cool as well. It doesn’t feel as intense as their Korean performances, but I think that can be blamed more on the actual song. After all, the dance can only be created with the song in mind. There seemed to be some elegance present during the slower sections of the song and then a little more fierceness when it came to the chorus.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
SATURDAY is back with a brand new single, BByong. We last saw the group through their WiFi promotions earlier in the year. With the BByong comeback, the group has also seen another lineup change. Chohee, Sion and Sunha announced their departure between comebacks, leaving SATURDAY to reform into a five-member girl group. Let’s hope all is well behind the scenes and that the remaining five members will stay together for future comebacks!
The track opens up with brass that is pretty much in your face and dominant. And I actually quite liked that. It made the track colourful and really reeled me in within the first few seconds. The track also had a subtle fun vibe to it, which I think follows on nicely from WiFi. The vocals were pretty nice and I liked how they dedicated the pre-chorus to really zone into this element. The verses contained a fair amount of rapping, which I thought was intriguing. The chorus was split between rapping and vocals. It too felt interesting and the more I listen to the chorus, the more I am enjoying it. While the song still feels like it has a Momoland influence, due to the use of brass and oddly fitting rap breakdown, I find this track to also have an ITZY influence. Certain parts (such as the melody and the start of the chorus) remind me of ICY. Overall, I thought BByong was another decent track from the group. And given the colour and vibrancy that we get from the track, I think this one will grow on me in the future.
The music video is okay. It goes towards that cutesy side of the group that we saw in their previous videos, so it isn’t anything new. It was colourful and the quality felt like the music, crisp and vibrant. The girls were doing a lot of things in the video, such as soap making, travelling to the future, ice cream eating etc. So, in a way, the video is loaded with content. Just not much to really comment on otherwise.
I just found a live performance for this comeback, so now I can write this section. Just my comments aren’t that postive. It isn’t memorable overall. I did like how the centre member spins during that opening line of the chorus. But the rest of the performance felt dull and boring for the song.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 7/10 Performance – 5/10 Overall Rating – 7.1/10
Last week, I didn’t post any album reviews due to a lack of time on my end. But I preplanned the last few days so I could fit in an album review for today. Today, I will be focusing on FT Island’s latest mini-album release, Zapping. It has been confirmed that this will be the last album release prior to Hongki’s enlistment. Given that the other members are at that age as well, I am certain they will be enlisting sometime in the future. So this will also be the last time we hear from FT Island for a while. Let’s see if their album is fitting for the situation.
2. Hope Again (다시 바래) – When I pick albums to review, I give them a listen to see if there was anything worth writing. Hope Again is only the second track on the album. But upon hearing the chorus for the first time, I made sure it was on the list to review. I think this is such an amazing song. The instrumental came across as pleasant yet upbeat for a song about longing for the person they let go. The real winning element in this song is the vocals. Hongki’s vocals were extremely powerful in this track, particularly during the chorus. He went above and beyond what I had expected for the chorus, based on the very verses we got. I was also wondering when the other members would appear on the album as they were noticeably absent from the title track. But in Hope Again, we got both Jaejin and Seunghyun. Their sections were not as well showcased but at least they were there. If you want a track with vocals that blow you away, this is the one for you to check out. (10/10)
3. Day By Day (못 고치나 봐) – Another good song from FT Island. Just it feels like something we have heard before from the band. This time around, Hongki takes that explosive approach he used in the chorus for the previous song and opened Day By Day (this same section ended up being the chorus in the end). I think Jaejin was better incorporated in this song, with his part blending well with Hongki’s. The song also has strong rhythm and is quite upbeat, which made it rather appealing to me. But it was a good track to follow from the preceding perfection. (9/10)
4. No Regret (신기루) (사랑사랑사랑2) – This track is intriguing to me as it is Love Love Love 2 (Love Love Love 1 was released back in 2010 and was a hit). Interesting note, however, is that despite how iconic Love Love Love was for the band, I always thought it was one of their weakest releases. Listening to 2.0, I can hear the influence of 1.0 in the chorus. It just doesn’t feel as memorable as it doesn’t have the memorable Love Love Love line. And hence, No Regret comes off in a similar manner to Love Love Love for me. I felt like Hongki could have been more heartfelt and emotional in this track. I was lowkey expecting Seunghyun to return with another rap sequence but was disappointed that it wasn’t the case once the song wrapped up. (5/10)
5. Don’t Lose Yourself – Don’t Lose Yourself comes in crashing with a strong rock sound, something that we haven’t heard on the album thus far. This isn’t as present in the verses but it makes the return of it during the chorus even more powerful. Hongki’s vocals were superb. The way the lyrics are posed, it felt like it was a farewell song for the band (No, they are not quitting showbiz. They just need to step away so that can enlist as they are at that maximum age to do so). I liked how the song transitioned to be a live song, as towards the end you can hear their fans singing along. I think this makes this song extra special for FT Island and fans alike. And it ends the album on a very strong note as well. (9/10)
CO-ED groups, for some odd reason, just do not flourish in the KPOP industry. There are only a few co-ed groups active at the moment and I have seen many come and go in the past. To me, it is unexplored territory, given the rareness of the groups. And joining the small niche is K-Tigers Zero. Yesterday, the 12 member group (7 males and 5 females) made their debut with Now and Side Kick. The group is from the taekwondo demonstration group, K-Tigers, who has been previously known for their taekwondo infused dance videos and covers.
We shall start off with Now, which I think can be best described as a chilled song. The song doesn’t pack a punch, which contrasts with their more intense sounding Side Kick (see below). The song allows for the vocals and rapping to be focused upon. The instrumental just doesn’t really let the member hide behind, which is something I have seen KPOP songs do quite often. I thought it was a nice track. The vocals and rapping were okay. Not the best in the industry but they just started out, so there is always room to grow. I find the melody to very appealing and I liked that it is chilled and not to heavy. I really like the end, when all the members are singing together.
Moving to Side Kick, the track is the complete opposite to Now. Right of the bat, it is a lot heavier, utilising EDM in its instrumental. This pack definitely packs a punch. The song also zones in more of the rapping, which I think was pretty decent. Once again, I don’t think they will be getting the award for year’s best rapping. But there is potential behind this group. The vocals don’t kick in until the song’s bridge and I thought they were decent as well. It might have been a little too late, in my opinion. But it was a nice way to cut through the intensity that the instrumental was throwing at us. Overall, two good debut songs.
The music videos are the weakest part of their debut package. Now wasn’t that appealing visually. It is all shot outside and I thought they did well with what they had. The camera work was lacking and the members cannot lipsync to save their life. Their outfits were rather odd as well, as it looked like the theme was white and they could wear whatever they wanted, as long it was white. Side Kick was probably the better of the two. I think there was a storyline of one of the guys getting kidnapped and fights scenes were present make it look like they were looking for him. I wished they developed this storyline. Furthermore, I wished they played with the edginess factor a bit more.
There is no doubt that the performance is the winning element of their debut package. I also like it how they didn’t go completely mainstream, keeping their taekwondo roots in it. It was cleverly incorporated and it looked quite cool. Side Kick was probably the more superior routine as the EDM intensity allowed for more intense moves and overall look to the members.
Now Song – 7.5/10 Music Video – 5/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 6.7/10
Side Kick Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.4/10
So I just found this in my draft folder. I thought I had posted it already but it turns out that was just my imagination and deprived mind. Apologies, but here it is now.
Hello everyone! It has been another busy week for me (which explains my lack of reviews). But there wasn’t much to cover this week due to the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which effects some Asian countries, such as South Korea. Though I suspect next week will be busy as there are already several confirmed to return, so prepare for those reviews (and I will try to get them done as soon as possible). In the meantime, let’s have a look back on the charts for the past week.
Landing on the top of the charts this week is CLC’s Devil. And then we see the recurring Top 5 song’s for the last 9 weeks, Pentagon’s Humph! and DAY6’s Time Of Our Life (taking out the second and third positions respectively). Last week’s number 1 song (LALALAY by Sunmi) finds itself in the fourth position, while SEVENTEEN’s HIT completes this week’s Top 5. For more of the charts, scroll down below.
8th Sep – 14th Sep 2019
Title
Artist
Status
1
Devil
CLC
(▲ 7)
2
Humph!
Pentagon
(▲ 1)
3
Time Of Our Life
DAY6
(▲ 2)
4
LALALAY
Sunmi
(▼ 3)
5
HIT
Seventeen
(▲ 6)
6
Adios
EVERGLOW
(▲ 14)
7
Flash
X1
(▼ 3)
8
Blurry
Kim Kook Heon & Song Yu Vin
(▲ 11)
9
Red Syn (021)
GWSN
(▲ 33)
10
Tiki Taka (99%)
Weki Meki
(▼ 8)
11
Quit
FT Island
(new)
12
RED
The Rose
(▲ 17)
13
Your Gravity
UP10TION
(▲ 3)
14
Don’t Make Me Laugh
Oh Ha Young (APINK)
(▼ 8)
15
Workaholic
BOL4
(new)
16
25
BOL4
(new)
17
Umpah Umpah
Red Velvet
(▲ 3)
18
Bungee
Oh My Girl
(▼ 9)
19
Boom
NCT Dream
(▼ 9)
20
Spark
JBJ95
(▼ 5)
21
Missing
TRCNG
(▲ 2)
22
Bae
M.O.N.T
(▲ 20)
23
Sunset
KNK
(▲ 13)
24
Good Bye
Wheein (Mamamoo)
(▼ 7)
25
Call Anytime
Jinu ft. Mino (WINNER)
(▼ 3)
26
Genie
VIINI
(▲ 1)
27
Movie Star
CIX
(▲ 8)
28
ICY
ITZY
(▼ 4)
29
Tag Tag Tag
VERIVERY
(▲ 8)
30
What Are You Doing Today?
Kang Daniel
(▲ 8)
Songs leaving the charts this week are:
Time Of Out Life – DAY6
Sunset – KNK
Humph! – Pentagon
Long Flight – Lee Taeyong (NCT)
Thank you once again for visiting the blog and I will see you once again during the week with the many reviews coming your way.
The number of reviews over the last few weeks have been quite low. I am just so overwhelmed with my work at the moment. But it is always nice to have a break and I thought, why not write one review instead. And that is exactly what I am doing now. Laboum made their comeback earlier today with Firework. It is also the lead title from their very first studio length album. This is their first release since Turn It On, which was released back in December 2018.
Since Yulhee left the group back at the end of 2017, Laboum has gone straight into a mature sound. And while I have liked this change in direction, it seems like it hasn’t really caught on with other listeners. Firework follows the same style and I am not sure exactly how others would receive the song. I personally find the song to have a lot more colour in its sound than their other mature singles. I think that is thanks to their vocals, the rap-like sprinklings and the guitar that dominates the instrumental. Their vocal techniques and the melody was very interesting and very attention-grabbing at certain times. I find the chorus to be very dynamic despite the style they went for. I liked how they upped the volume of their vocals and changed the tempo in the chorus, which both resulted in a lot of boldness and a strong contrast with their more softer verses. I just wanted something a little more explosive, especially with the instrumental, given that the song is titled as Firework. But overall, it was a pretty good song.
With the sound change, their image and concepts have also taken a turn from cutesy to mature. And I think they manage to take it a whole new level with this comeback. It feels a lot stronger in that department. I just feel the video could have been a little more captivating. The video follows the choreography and closeup formula, which can be okay in some circumstances. But I feel like the formula this time comes off bland and boring. I did like their use of lights throughout the video to add detail to the sets or fill up space. But it just didn’t really help out much as a whole.
I think the choreography was nice. Once again, there seems to be a lot of energy in their performance (for the chorus) that was unlike their past mature tracks. I also like the elegance they had during the slower sections of the song. I also think their live performance from today was very strong. From their outfits to the stability of their vocals, it definitely raises expectations for tomorrow and the future performance.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.4/10
Dream Catcher has returned with a special mini-album, Raid Of Dream and its lead title track, Deja Vu. This isn’t your normal KPOP release, as the group’s comeback this time is paired with the debut of the mobile game (something that I have no idea about), King’s Raid. Not sure if it is an English game though or if it is just in Korean. But that is not the main focus of the review. We are here to listen closely to Deja Vu. We also last saw Dream Catcher through their Piri promotions earlier this year.
I think the song is amazing. Barely a few seconds in and I am already in awe of the sounds that were coming out of my speakers. Deja Vu starts off very elegant and very OST-like. Siyeon, the member that opens the song, sounds amazing. Paired with the soft and melodic piano backing, we are given an entrance that is going to be highly memorable. I like the blast of energy that the song gives you during the chorus. It changes the sound up by going toward Dream Catcher’s rock style that we know of. It is intense and it throws a little chaos into the elegant sound that the verses and bridge opt for. Especially, that final chorus. What I like the most is that we are allowed to hear more of their vocals in this track. Even Dami opted for singing, rather than rapping. There was one set of lines that really shot right out at me while listening to the song that I also wanted to randomly touch upon. The ‘So now, I’m holding this pain‘ line is so strong. As a whole, another amazing song from the group.
Matching the song is the video. There is another complicated storyline, which I assume borrows inspiration from the game that they are promoting alongside the song. There were two key endings of the song, each of which showed one side to be victorious in the game. I liked that. Other parts seem to be a bit confusing, such as the ‘funeral’ scene. But as far I can tell, it seems to be the exact same scenario. The members swap positions. Besides the storyline, the video is so beautiful and well shot. The quality is something that really took the video to a whole new level, highlighting the beauty of the sets and the members. This is one to watch.
I think the extra fabric on their arms made the performance fit that elegance that the song and video had going. The moves, overall, looked good. I did like how they ended in a similar fashion to how they started, which was quite cool.
Song – 10/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 9.3/10
It is time for another past album review (PARs). Last two weeks, I have been focusing on groups who have disbanded. And while I could continue that, I want to also focus on the groups that are still active (or supposedly active). Infinite is one of these groups who are in a weird limbo. Some members are actively promoting, while others are in the military. More recently, L moved on from Woolim Entertainment (the company managing Infinite), placing a question mark on top of the group’s future, despite L confirming that he is still part of the group. Nonetheless, Infinite still many albums to look at and that is what we will be doing today. The group’s fourth mini-album, New Challenge, was released in 2013 with Man In Love.
New Challenge Album Cover
2. Man In Love (남자가 사랑할때) (Title Track) – Rereading my past review, I am very confused about what I meant myself. So, to keep it short, Man In Love has grown immensely on me. Not immediately after the initial review, but a few months (maybe years) after the release. It still is a change-up no one saw coming, given their past darker releases that came before and after Man In Love. Vocally, I think the song is fine (now) and the rapping is still a highlight for me. I thought the retro sound was appealing and the upbeat nature was a welcome change after all. These comments are drastically different from what I had originally, but if you want to see what I wrote previously (ignore the hypocrisy), click here to read the original review. (9/10)
3. As Good As It Gets (이보다 좋을 순 없다) – As Good As It Gets is a decent track. It isn’t amazing. But it isn’t terrible. It is like the Goldilocks of the tracks on the album, which I think is rather fitting given the title of the song. It follows the title track in a sense that it is wholesome and lively. At the same time, however, the song doesn’t push itself to be better. It stays very consistent throughout. And in this case, it doesn’t work well with the track. The instrumental takes a rock pop approach, which I was good. It felt very typical, especially in comparison to other songs on the album. But it was a good canvas for the vocals. The singing together for the chorus was a good technique, as it added more colour to the song. The members alone sounded quite nice. The rapping was quite good as well, but it didn’t feel necessary. There are two sides to this track, which is why I label as decent. (7/10)
4. Still I Miss You (그리움이 닿는 곳에) – One thing that I am not exactly sure if you know about me. But I always love Infinite ballad, regardless of the lyrics. Their voices are very versatile and hence can fit multiple genres. And it is always nice to hear them attempt something so strong through their title tracks and then successfully nail their more fragile ballads perfectly. Unfortunately, Still I Miss You is one of those outliers that just doesn’t meet that benchmark. It is a nice ballad, but it doesn’t capture the best of the group. It felt very typical and the melody didn’t feel special. While some members shined, others didn’t really do as well in the song, which I think is another letdown. The instrumental was a lot more lively than the ballads that I listen to often from Infinite, which I guess was required to fit into the album. (7/10)
5. Beautiful – The vocals and instrumental start from the very first second, expressing how their partner leaves them in awe with their beauty. Given their previous tracks, this one follows the title track in being of the unexpected nature. But I guess some brightness doesn’t hurt from time to time. Harmonies are given to us at the start of the chorus and I thought the song zoned into the vocals quite well. Instrumentally, I thought it was a little standard. It felt more like a b-side track than anything else, honestly speaking. So, it wasn’t necessary memorable back then or now. But still, another decent track. (7/10)
6. 60 Seconds (60초) (Infinite Version) – 60 Seconds was previously the title track from Kim Sung Kyu’s first solo album. A song that I do come back to every so often because it is so damn good. So, to hear that the group would be releasing a version themselves was a pretty big deal back then. And it was a version that I enjoyed. The harmonies and the vocals of the individual members were shown off. Hoya and Dongwoo also introduced a rap sequence into the song to give it some additional depth of appeal. The instrumental remained the same between the two versions, keeping it consistently good throughout. (9/10)
7. Inconvenient Truth (불편한 진실) – Opening this track up is a female’s laughter and a very vibrant set of horns. It brings forward a very retro sound, which is Infinite’s forte for this album. The song shows the members in an unimpressed state because of their lover, with the laughter at the start present to tease the members. Despite, the song is very lively and energetic. I thought the chorus was nice, with all the members singing together. It did feel a little childish at times, from my perspective, which is something I am a little disappointed in. I also wanted more to the song, given how it was very consistent throughout. The fading out ending didn’t really wrap things up in a manner that I would have liked it. All of this felt made it feel like there should have been one more song coming right after, so it leaves a gap at the end of the album. (6.5/10)
KPOPREVIEWED 