Month: January 2020

[Review] My Angel – B.O.Y

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As mentioned in a previous post, some reviews may be posted later as I will be moving interstate for work. VERIVERY‘s review was the first to fall victim to my move and now B.O.Y is the second late review that I am rushing to complete. B.O.Y is a duo made up of Kim Kook Heon and Song Yu Vin, both of which released the single Blurry last year. Their duo name was confirmed after the release of their first single. Their comeback from two days ago, My Angel, is the first single under their new name.

When I heard that both Kim Kook Heon and Song Yu Vin would be returning with a new song, I was worried that they were going to keep the ballad side that Blurry adopted. There isn’t anything with wrong a ballad and that the genre can be be very popular if done right. Blurry just didn’t get to that level and was forgotten easily. So when I listened My Angel and heard a more EDM based sound, I became excited. In addition to the dramatic and dynamic synths that the song delivers, the track does borrow emotions from their ballad predecessor, which helps makes the song a little more epic. Their voices did give a captivating appeal to the song, which I personally like. These two elements to the song alone drew me in and got me hooked. The hooks themselves didn’t feel as memorable as you would hope with a dance track. If they managed to do something more with a little spark in this domain, the track would have really stood out. I felt the song could have used a rap sequence somewhere, to up the intensity.

The music video looks like a whole heaps of different were shots put together, with it seeming like there was very little connecting these shots together. However, my guess that this was intentional as we do see the two members come together at the end, showing that they are from two different worlds initially. Kim Kook Heon represents a wolf, while Song Yu Vin represents a horse. I personally don’t know the symbolism of these two animals, so it will be interesting to find out what this is all about. With this, I find it captivating to watch.

Another reason to why I liked the music video is the choreography shots. Like the song, the choreography put together for the duo for My Angel is extremely dynamic and fitting for the epic nature of the song. Their chemistry on stage was pretty good, as well.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Lay Back – VERIVERY

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As mentioned last year in VERIVERY’s Tag Tag Tag review, both Gugudan and VERIVERY have big shoes to fill due to the inactivity of VIXX (as their members are approaching military enlistment age). However, it seems like Jellyfish Entertainment have under utilized them in 2019, with each of these group promoting only one song in the past year. With their debut and two other comebacks, VERIVERY has taken reign as the most active groups under the company in 2019. Despite that, however, I personally hope that Jellyfish actively pushes their two active groups in 2020 to be a better performing company. And VERIVERY’s comeback yesterday is a step in the right direction for the year ahead.

The comeback title track is titled Lay Back and I feel like this could have potentially be a unique track. It just needs a slight boost out of the ‘typical’ domain to really give it that status. The deep house genre could be a little more epic and this would have given the song what it needed. The energy that they had going in the chorus can be stepped up a notch as well. But apart from that, it was a decent track. I really like the whispering rap that featured in the second half of each verse/pre-chorus. That was quite unique and gave the song a smooth feel, contrasting with the more upbeat funky vibes that VERIVERY is widely know for and featured during the chorus. Their vocals were loud and clear, which I really like. I did not care for the rougher rap sequence during the second verse. It did feel a little cliche and added a slightly ill-fitting hip-hop infused sequence to the song when it didn’t feel necessary.

I personally think the music video has a similar vibe to their creepy hide-and-seek theme that they had going on in Tag Tag Tag. This time around, however, the group meet up with their reflections. That creepy vibe is present and I thought that made the video worth watching. The lyrics seem to be directed towards a second person, but I thought it was really clever that the director/producers made the video so that the lyrics are directed to an alter ego or their inner self. Another plus is that the group isn’t always dancing in front of a mirror, which is what I meant by reflection. Instead, the reflections ended up dancing side by side one another, which I thought was cool.

I thought the choreography was quite good. I really like the slight leg bobbing that they do at the start of the chorus. The energy that the song was channeled well throughout the choreography, making this a really good one from the group.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Answer – ATEEZ

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When you thought the Treasure series came to an end, ATEEZ throws another comeback right back at you. Today, the group returned with Answer and the album, Treasure Epilogue: Action to Answer. This is the group’s sixth installment (and possibly final – don’t quote me on that) of the Treasure series. Five of the installments were released in Korea and a sixth was released in Japan last year as well. Their previous comeback, Wonderland, occurred in November of 2019.

Another amazing song from ATEEZ. This time, however, the group pushes you further into the barrel, effectively trapping you in a deeper sound than their already quite intensive Wonderland comeback that they left us with. The song isn’t intense in the moment, in my opinion. Instead, it has that impression once you finish the song, reflecting upon the powerful energy that was exuded from the song. Answer starts off with more traditional instruments, before the hip-hop infused synths kick in. What it is interesting, is that the song manages to keep the two different sound going concurrently. I really liked the flute that was incorporated in the pre-chorus. I also liked the vocals in the song, especially how they keep on layering it on, contributing to the intensity that I have mentioned. The raps were quite powerful, but they sat more in the back-seat this time around. When I listen to the song, I cannot point out any flaws. And that, along with every other praise, earns Answer a perfect rating.

I assume that because it is one series, the music videos have to be interlinked somehow. It is a trend that is ongoing in Korea and I think it applies to ATEEZ’s Treasure series as well. This video is clearly connected to HALA HALA/Say My Name music video, as it features the members in their black hats and outfits. The other alter egos this time are the ATEEZ members in their Answer era. The start and end of the music video, showcasing the white and black masked figures seem to allude to something else. But as I am aware/from my memory, these characters never appeared in the other music videos (though they seem familiar somehow), which may suggest more is coming our way.

The choreography was definitely quite good. The hip thrusts did seem a little wild. But the rest of the choreography was definitely as intense as the song. And this is all expected from ATEEZ after the reputation they have built themselves throughout 2019.

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

[Review] Good Guy – SF9

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It is always exciting to see and hear the release of a group’s very first album. Some groups are much fortunate than others, releasing their first full length album in the second year of their careers, while others have to wait a longer period. SF9 debuted in 2016 and have been releasing mini-album after mini-album. And finally after four years, the male group has finally released their first studio length album titled First Collection. An album review for that will come in the future. For now, let’s focus on their title track, Good Guy.

Listening the synths from the very first second of the song, I had flashbacks to the drip-like synths they had in Now or Never (which I still think is their best track to date). Good Guy changes it up a bit by lacing piano during the verses in the instrumental. It is another clean cut song, as a result. The song builds up nicely to a very bold chorus. I like the repetitive nature of the lyrics for the chorus, which really keys in the song into your memory bank. I also like the intensity of the chorus, which really enhances the sound and makes everything feel so much bolder. The vocal work was pretty good and the rapping really helped provided a rougher tone to the song, as most raps are made to do. What I wanted was a bolder end. Like the song is already quite bold (as I have mentioned a few times). No doubt, Good Guy is an excellent addition to SF9’s discography, sparking a little throwback whilst also remaining fresh at the same time.

The setting of the music video seems to be a men’s club for the elite or rich. Not sure what the correct term for this is because ‘men’s club’ might allude to something else. But let’s not go there. What they do in this club is pretty ordinary (darts, billiards, tennis etc.). But the setting makes feel like the activities they are doing are of the wealthy kind. To be part of this club, each member is seen wearing a gold bracelet. I was particularly wowed at the end of the video when the bracelets come together and the members are dancing under the bracelet structure. Thought that was really cool and definitely a step up from other videos from their past.

The group has gone with another masculine yet powerful choreography, which no doubt fits the group’s image. Them dressing up in suits this time was shows off a pretty elegant and sophisticated side, while their moves tell us a completely different story. Yet the two manage to merge to together so effortlessly once again.

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

[Weekly Chart] 1st Week of January 2020

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As promised from my previous post regarding ‘KPOPREVIEWED in 2020‘, I will be publishing the post for the Weekly Chart segment every Sunday starting this week. There is no change to the usual schedule, just I am not able to restart every segment in 2020 during the same week. It is just a little too much with my move. Starting tomorrow and throughout the week, I will be writing reviews for the new releases and trying my best to stay up to date (as I always promised but never deliver). 2020 is a new year, so it is time to remake that commitment.

To kick off 2020, we have a new song an artist sitting in the throne. Congratulations to Momoland’s newest release, Thumbs Up! The rest of the Top 5 is made up of 2019 releases. Stray Kid’s Levanter rises to the second position, Park Ji Hoon’s 360 rises to the third position and Stray Kid’s Astronaut rises to the fourth position. Mamamoo’s HIP, which have been at the top of the charts since its release back in November, has dropped down to the fifth position, rounding out this week’s Top 5. Scroll down for more of the charts below!

  29th Dec 2019 – 4th Jan 2020
Title Artist Status
1 Thumbs Up Momoland (new)
2 Levanter Stray Kids (▲ 12)
3 360 Park Ji Hoon (▲ 13)
4 Astronaut Stray Kids (▲ 5)
5 HIP Mamamoo (▼ 2)
6 Obsession EXO (▲ 20)
7 Curious About U Lee Jun Young (U-KISS) (▲ 1)
8 You Calling My Name GOT7 (▲ 20)
9 Numb CIX (▲ 20)
10 Psycho Red Velvet (▼ 9)
11 Blueming IU (▲ 14)
12 Wannabe Golden Child (▼ 6)
13 Touchin’ Kang Daniel (▲ 11)
14 Blue Flame ASTRO (▼ 7)
15 The Time I Need Kim Jae Hwan (▼ 10)
16 Momento IZ (▲  19)
17 Countdown TST (new)
18 Mixtape: Gone Days Stray Kids (▲ 4)
19 Winter Butterfly Hyuk (VIXX) (▼ 15)
20 Coming Home NCT U (▼  9)
21 Take A Hike Jiyeon (T-ARA) (▲ 2)
22 Nuna Kim Jae Hwan (▼ 12)
23 Come See Me AOA (▼ 6)
24 Nostalgic Night VICTON (▲ 3)
25 Element JxR (▲ 19)
26 Dumb BVNDIT (▲ 23)
27 Oopsie (My Bad) NATURE (▼ 7)
28 Midnight Sun Seven O’Clock (▲ 9)
29 Flower Shower Hyuna (▲  20)
30 Above The Time IU (=)
This Week’s Number 1 Song – Thumbs Up by Momoland

Song’s leaving the charts this week after their nine week run include:

  • DRIP – HINAPIA
  • You Calling My Name – GOT7
  • I Like That – Lee Jin Hyuk (UP10TION)
  • Nostalgic Night –  VICTON
  • Flower Shower – Hyuna
  • Money – Dawn
  • Dumb – BVNDIT

See you all tomorrow when the first review comes out!

[Update] KPOPREVIEWED IN 2020

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2020 is offically upon us, while 2019 is officially behind us. I think many people might be glad to hear that, since 2019 can be described as one of the crappier years of KPOP. But at the same time, we have been blessed with a lot of amazing songs, debuts and comebacks throughout 2019. With the latter point and based on another strong performance for the blog in 2019, I have no plans on stopping reviews, as I know 2020 will be an exciting year as well.

2020 is going to be a big year for me on a personal level. I will be taking a big step into my adult life. Essentially, I am moving out and starting a new job, which is very exciting and daunting all at the same time. I am telling you this because I do expect this to have an affect on the blog during January and February. While I do endeavor to post reviews for all the “major” releases, they may be a few days late because of my change in environment and system. I think it is best to let you know ahead of time before you think I am picking favourites or think I am being exceptionally busy in this new year.

For some of the current segments that I have on the blog, I will need to schedule in their return as my move will be happening in the next week. The schedule will be as follows:

  • Weekly KPOP Charts – Returning Sundays (1st Weekly KPOP Chart of 2019 will be posted 5th January 2020).
  • Album Reviews – Returning Sundays and Fridays (1st Album Review will be posted on 12th January 2020. Note that no album review will be posted on the 5th, 10th January and 2nd February 2020).
  • Past Album Reviews (PARs) – Returning Tuesdays (1st PARs will be posted on 14th January 2020).
  • Review of End-Of-Year Performances from SBS, KBS and MBC Music Festivals (Returning Segment) – This will be posted on 10th January 2020)
  • 2019 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – Song/Artist categories Winner Announcement (This Will Be Posted on 1st February 2020)
  • 2019 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – End Of Year Charts & Song Of 2019 Announcement (This Will be Posted on 2nd February 2020).
  • International Song Review segment (New Segment – to replace current Japanese Song Reviews) – Saturdays (1st post will be posted on 18th January 2020).

There are also a number of other segments that I will want to revisit including Missed Reviews (for music videos), Music Video Theory Posts, Special Review posts. But these can only be scheduled once I have them in motion and my footing in my new environment. A new segment that I want to bring to the blog in 2020 are Revised Reviews (where I pick some reviews that my opinion has changed and essentially update them). I also wish to revise my Saturday Japanese song reviews into a new International Segment, where I will review any song released by a Korean artist. This new segment will feature a quick review of 5 or 6 songs and will be posted on Saturdays once I have fulfilled that quota.

At the end of 2019, I also promised you to complete a ‘catch up’ of some tracks that I missed. As 2019 wrapped up, I realized that my goal set was not achievable and had to drop it. Throughout January and February, I will be bringing back the ‘catch-up‘ review, where I reviewed 3 tracks in one post. I may need to work on the format of this review to match my current format. This may also become a pernament fixture at the end of month to help cover songs that should be reviewed but I am unable to due to my schedule and other commitments.

But for now, reviews will still be coming your way starting Monday and I will try my very best to stay up to date! I hear ATEEZ, SF9, VERIVERY, B.O.Y, DreamNote and many more are returning this coming week! So a lot of keep up with!!!

[Review] Count down – TST

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And the ball starts rolling with the first release of 2020. TST is one of the first artists to make their comeback in 2020. They returned today with Count down and a four member lineup (K is absent from this comeback for unknown reasons, while it is assumed that Wooyoung is still absent due to health reasons). This is also the group’s first comeback in almost a year, since Wake Up, which was released last February.

Both Wake Up and Paradise (the two songs by the group that I have reviewed) have been acknowledged with high ratings (both tracks earned 9/10 in the song department). Within a few listens, I could tell that Count down will be the third song from the group to earn that high 9/10. Count down has this smooth exterior, which makes the song exceptionally appealing. There is almost a jazzy vibe to the song, which I really like as well. Within the instrumental, the guitar seems to be versatile, used in the foreground in different manners. This made the song standout for me. Their vocal work this time around is so-so. There were some good moments, but I feel like the song could have benefited from some more interesting hooks. The rapping was limited and I wanted to hear a bit more from this department. Overall, another well deserving 9/10 song.

It seems like TST and their company have taken note from their Wake Up music video, where it was shot in a contemporary art gallery setting. For Count down, they went with a more aesthetically pleasing museum which projected art on the walls. This made the video look very elegant and really helped the song become appealing in a visual manner. I also liked how they used coloured lighting to blend the car park into the music video, matching the projections that appeared in the background during their solo and group parts.

There is a mature aura that comes from this comeback that I haven’t mentioned yet. And I feel like this particular aura was well portrayed in the performance. There is also an edgier vibe to the performance that we have yet to see from the group, which was very good. The moves, on the other hand, just felt standard and didn’t really standout.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10