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[Weekly Chart] 3rd Week of September 2020

September 20, 2020Posted in KPOPLeave a comment

Another Sunday and another Weekly KPOP Chart post. It is going to be a quick one today, as I want to get today’s album review out since I already missed out (and hence cancelled) the album review on Friday. That will be published shortly. I have already written everything up. I just need to quickly format the post to make it look like every other album review on this blog. But in the meanwhile, here is the weekly KPOP charts for the past week – the third week of September 2020.

One thing that I have been doing a lot lately is looking at the song’s that experienced the biggest jumps each week. For this segment, I consider a rise in 30 positions or more a ‘big jump’. For this week, the big jumps belong to Taemin’s pre-release single, 2 KIDS, and Super Junior-D&E’s latest release, B.A.D. Outnumbering the big jumps are the songs that have remained steady between last and this week’s weekly charts. These include YooA’s Bon Voyage, Taemin’s Criminal and Lovelyz’s Obliviate.

And now it is time for the Top 5 breakdown. Starting for the fifth and fourth position this week is Taemin’s Criminal and YooA’s Bon Voyage (respectively), which we have established to be steady from last week (see above). The rest of the Top 5 are new songs that were released during the week. fromis_9’s Feel Good (SECRECT CODE) debuts in the third position. ASTRO’s first subunit, Moonbin and Sanha, debuts in the second position with Bad Idea. And finally, Stray Kids’ Back Door takes the throne for the third week of September 2020. For more of the charts, scroll down below.

	13th Sep – 19th Sep 2020
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Back Door	Stray Kids	(new)
2	Bad Idea	MOONBIN & SANHA (ASTRO)	(new)
3	Feel Good (SECRET CODE)	fromis_9	(new)
4	Bon Voyage	YooA (Oh My Girl)	(=)
5	Criminal	Taemin (SHINee)	(=)
6	Helicopter	CLC	(▼ 3)
7	I LOVE YOU	TREASURE	(new)
8	RIDE	KNK	(new)
9	Flame	CRAVITY	(▼ 7)
10	Where The Sea Sleeps	Even of Day (DAY6)	(▲ 12)
11	I Miss You	B.O.Y	(new)
12	GUNSHOT	KARD	(▲ 4)
13	Obliviate	Lovelyz	(=)
14	Not Shy	ITZY	(▲ 22)
15	MADE FOR TWO	VAV	(new)
16	B.A.D	Super Junior-D&E	(▲ 37)
17	Sacrifice	Han Seungwoo (VICTON)	(▲ 26)
18	Open Mind	Wonho	(▼ 9)
19	Sukhumvit Swimming	ONF	(▼ 11)
20	Ice Cream	BLACKPINK ft. Selena Gomez	(▲ 11)
21	2 KIDS	Taemin (SHINee)	(▲ 43)
22	Bad Guy	JENYER	(▲ 23)
23	THANXX	ATEEZ	(▼ 17)
24	ULLAELI KKOLLAELI	1TEAM	(▲ 8)
25	DBDBDIB	SATURDAY	(▲ 9)
26	Beautiful Scar	Lee Eun Sang ft. Park Woo Jin (AB6IX)	(▼ 16)
27	nanana	MCND	(▼ 8)
28	Oh Ya Ya Ya	LUNARSOLAR	(▼ 9)
29	TO BE OR NOT TO BE	ONEUS	(▼ 28)
30	Favorite Boy (Goblin)	A.C.E	(▼ 18)

Songs leaving the charts this week are:

Naughty – Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi
Dessert – Hyo ft. Loopy & Soyeon ((G)I-DLE
What You Waiting For – Jeon Somi
HOLO – Lee Hi
Time Turner – The Man BLK

See you in the next post (that album review that I mentioned at the start).

[Review] I LOVE YOU – TREASURE

September 19, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged TREASURE2 Comments

Making their first comeback literally weeks after their debut is TREASURE, with I LOVE YOU. This hastiness to make a comeback is quite rare in YG Entertainment’s world, given that their artists tend to go for months and years on end with no signs of a comeback. That being said, YG Entertainment have already confirmed plans for an ambitious end for 2020 with confirmed BLACKPINK and AKMU comebacks and it is rumoured that iKON, WINNER and BIG BANG will be also making their comebacks before 2020 wraps up. Today, the focus is on YG Entertainment’s latest addition to their family and their comeback single, I LOVE YOU.

In my BOY review, I noted that the group stepped away from YG’s strong association with the hip-hop genre, going with what felt like a pop sound instead. I am not sure if I LOVE YOU confirms that observation, as it seemed to take a step back towards the hip-hop genre. It isn’t strong throughout the track, but it prevalent during some parts (i.e. the second verse). Personally, I don’t mind this as both BOY and I LOVE YOU manages to breath some freshness into their company’s discography. I LOVE YOU‘s opening verse promises more of that pop feel. I really like the lightness of both the guitars and their vocals. The pre-chorus brings about a build up that felt typical, but makes total sense given the fast-approaching epic, deep and abrasive drop for the chorus. I personally enjoyed this drop as it totally throws your expectations for the song array. I liked how the chorus doesn’t stay in this rough gear for its entirety, instead emerging out of the deep and abrasiveness nature to help bridge to the other parts of the song. The second verse was a typical trap-based rap sequence. I am not entirely against this trap-rap sequence, but it did feel dry and unoriginal. Skipping forward to the bridge, we return to that pop feel briefly before we are launched right back into the pre-chorus. The one part of I LOVE YOU that I am not a fan of is the anthem-half of the final chorus. It is very YG to do an anthem at the end of the song and (as I have mentioned before) it is pretty cliche. I wished that they just made the second half of the final chorus be the actual final chorus. I would have been fine with that. They could have also thrown something dynamic into the mix to change up the final chorus if they wished. To sum up, a good followup to BOY in my opinion.

The song talks about their feelings towards their lover and the music video was a pretty good representation of that. There were a lot of love hearts and youthful visuals throughout the video, matching with the song’s innocent theme. I wasn’t a fan of the closeups of some of the members during the second half of the rap sequence. It felt a little try-hard and mis-matching. I actually preferred the visuals and choreography closeups during the first half of the rap sequence, as it binds nicely with the rest of the music video. My favourite bit of the entire music video has to be any scenes in front of that huge screen. Especially when it came to the chorus and the screen showed this huge wave and a really nice blue/green hue to it.

The choreography is fantastic. I liked how powerful they made the chorus feel from just the moves alone, emphasizing the bass and power that the chorus had musically. The head bopping and finger hearts was definitely a killer part in my opinion. This might just be a visual component in the music video and not necessarily replicated on stage, but the dancing in the water looked epic.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] RIDE – KNK

September 17, 2020September 18, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged KNK1 Comment

Another group who has been absent from the stage for a year and three months is KNK. It has definitely been a while since we have seen this group as well, with their last comeback being Sunrise in July 2019. Today, the group returns with RIDE and the mini-album, KNK Airline. Here is a fun fact related to this comeback: this comeback is funded by fans after the group and their company started a MAKESTAR project earlier this year. This makes it KNK’s second comeback funded by fans, with Sunrise and KNK S/S Collection being their first! To me, that is pretty cool and shows how strong Tinkerbell’s (their fandom’s name) is.

Something that I find common with KNK comebacks is that they never fail to draw my attention. It is the same case with RIDE, instantly drawing me into the song from my first listen. You might think that I am easy to satisfy, which I agree to a degree. However RIDE manages to have a few tricks up its sleeve that I personally did not expect. I have to begin by saying that RIDE does feel significantly weaker as a whole compared to their previous title tracks. This is partly due to the generic nature of the instrumentation that doesn’t really have much boldness or character to it. However, it is what they add to the instrumentation that gives the song life. Firstly, let’s focus on both the vocals and the melodies in the song. While they aren’t explosive or powerful as they could have been, the choppiness to the melody was pretty unique. And it is more interesting, as the rhythm to RIDE made this choppiness feel smooth (which is contradictory, but KNK and the song’s producers struck a fine balance between the two and I like this very much). The melodies also make this song quite catchy. Secondly, the rapping adds some stability to the song, in my opinion. They help keep the song grounded (or anchored), while the rest of the vocals and melody provided upbeat energy that made the song feel like it was floating about. Thirdly, the energy that I just mentioned was pleasant and enjoyable. It isn’t as hard-hitting as I expected and I thought that was quite nice. Overall, I enjoyed listening to RIDE. It may not be up to par as their past comebacks, but they managed well with it.

Another music video with strong visuals from the members during their closeups. But aside from adopting that same choreography and closeup formula that I have mentioned time and time again, there isn’t much else to the music video. I personally do not understand the setting of the music video. The members are dressed up as pilots and do some choreography on the airplane runway. That makes sense. But it is the desert scenes that I have question marks over. There might be a reference to the desert (or some place isolated and away from civilization) in the lyrics, but I haven’t picked up on anything yet.

The start to the RIDE choreography with Heejun being lifted into the air, after he ‘levitates’ off the ground by holding onto the member’s legs is really cool. There is a subtle smoothness to the choreography that I really enjoyed. I also liked the fast paced nature of some parts, matching the tempo of the music quite well.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Feel Good (SECRET CODE) – fromis_9

September 16, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Fromis_91 Comment

Next up on the comeback list this week is fromis_9, who makes their return for the first time since their FUN! comeback, one year and three months ago. Such a long gap between comebacks is not ideal, especially for a group who was starting to gain momentum following their Love Bomb and FUN! comebacks. However, as I always say on this blog, it is better late and than never. The group returns today with Feel Good (SECRET CODE), their third mini-album, The Little Society, and a eight-member lineup (as Seoyeon is sitting out of the promotions due to an injury).

Whilst Feel Good is track filled with funky guitar riffs (and hence complimenting current trends to a tee), the track is interestingly not as retro as I had hoped for. While I believe that fromis_9 would have one of the few female groups currently active that would have nailed the retro style and sound, Feel Good opts for a clean, modern and quite refreshing spin on the whole idea of a funky sound. There isn’t much going in the instrumentation apart from the funky guitar. In hindsight, it is rather plain (This was a thought when I first heard the song, but it has long disappeared from my mind now). However, that isn’t really an issue as the members really do help cover it up this barely noticeable flaw with their vocals. The rapping isn’t as great as I felt they wasted an opportunity to go down a more dynamic route for Feel Good, which could have been incorporated into the song via the actual rapping or instrumentally. But the vocals are really well thought out. They go with a lower tone for the verses, which I think gives the song a mature flair on top of the funky instrumentation. I really like the ‘Woo Hoo Hoo‘ that we get in the pre-chorus, for no other reason other than it felt classy. Once we got to the chorus, the members sang at a much higher tone, adding a subtle but appreciable amount of energy that doesn’t overwhelm the listener, complimenting the instrumentation. The chorus itself is also quite catchy, thanks to the vocal melodies and hooks.

The music video has nice visuals. But other than that and the choreography/closeup formula, it is incredibly plain to watch. I liked how they held back with the colours though, which suits the song style. But from what I have seen in KPOP music videos over the years, the producers could make the video a lot more dynamic and visually appealing whilst also complimenting the song’s style (as they have with the colour choices). A much strong balance between these two elements would have made the video more appealing to watch.

From what I can see in the music video, the choreography looks good. There isn’t anything ground breaking or new in it. But it works well with the music video. There seems to a mature feel to the choreography, as well. It is subtle, but it feels different for the group, especially since fromis_9 has been known for more cutesy and innocent concepts in the past.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] Bad Idea – Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO)

September 15, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged ASTRO, Moonbin & Sanha (ASTRO)2 Comments

Yesterday, ASTRO launches their first duo unit with Moonbin and Sanha joining forces to bring us Bad Idea, which is featured on the pair’s first mini-album, IN-OUT. This comes after the entire group returned with Knock earlier this year.

It seems that funky is now the norm in KPOP. Bad Idea continues the ongoing trend of reemerging funky and groovy numbers in the industry, a trend that KPOP has definitely experienced in the past. Some of the best and widely known KPOP tracks over the years fall into this category! While Bad Idea does fit in with that particular crowd of songs (based on genre alone), it just needed a bit more to potentially be given that status. And that ‘bit more’ could have easily been a rap sequence. Sure, the addition of a rap sequence would have been cliche move. But I felt that Bad Idea was missing an element to give the song a kick and some additional intense energy. The entire song is vocally centric, which makes complete sense given the vocalist label that both Moonbin and Sanha carry whilst promoting with the rest of the ASTRO members. There isn’t anything wrong with that. I just believe it is missing that oomph to bring it to the next level. But aside from that, what we got was perfectly nailed. Both Moonbin and Sanha did amazing with the vocals, especially when we got to the falsetto pre-chorus. That pre-chorus was super sexy sounding, admittedly. The chorus was quite simple and catchy. The instrumental has a nice bass feel to it and the guitars work very hard to bring the funkiness to life. Maybe that ‘bit more’ could also have been delivered with a bit of a change up in the instrumentation, but it would have been most effective as a rap sequence (in my opinion).

The music video for Bad Idea is super interesting. The pair take on a dark sensual concept with their choreography and solo shots. That itself is something quite exciting, as it takes ASTRO’s previous concepts a step further. But that is embedded throughout a time-loop story line, where Sanha constantly dies after drinking a poisoned drink and wakes up right after. He becomes confused and lost. Moonbin isn’t the centre of this time-loop, so suspicion is on him almost immediately from the start. It is revealed towards the end that Moonbin indeed did poison Sanha, causing him to die. I think Sanha had shot Moonbin in the past, which might give Moonbin a motive. Though I am not sure why. That is just my take on the music video though and I am sure other theories have determined by Moonbin is killing Sanha and how Moonbin better fits into the story line (i.e. I didn’t understand meaning behind the fire and broken glass scenes).

The choreography looks quite good. I liked how they carried that dark sensual concept from the music video into the choreography. I really like the move that did when they repetitively sang ‘Bad’ during the chorus. Their chemistry was also note-worthy during their duo moments!

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

[Review] Back Door – Stray Kids

September 14, 2020September 14, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Stray Kids7 Comments

At the very end of the music video for their previous comeback (God’s Menu), the members of Stray Kids were seen walking through the Back Door, which is also the title for the comeback title track they just dropped a few hours back. This means that Stray Kids and their management had planned this comeback and teased it since the beginning of their God’s Menu era. It astounds me how much planning goes into these comebacks, especially when they are all interlinked like this. Back Door is featured the repackaged version of their first studio album, GO生, which has been renamed to IN生.

Opening up Back Door is a very groovy background instrumental piece. It isn’t profound or something that the members pushes to the forefront of the song. Instead it remains in the background and feels subtle, which to me makes it more powerful. They keep the groovy background for the majority of the first verse. Why is this of significance? Well, it is a change up to the usual intense synth-heavy sound that Stray Kids has been going with through their title tracks and it is definitely intrigued me with the direction in which Back Door was going in. When we enter the pre-chorus, the funkiness dissipates and we are slowly brought back into Stray Kid’s usual intense style in time for the chorus. The main centrepiece of the song is made up of thumping synths and percussion, which works hand in hand with the idea of the door knocking we get at the start of the chorus and is quite catchy. I also really like the shouty vocals part of the chorus, which brings a more dynamic feel and additional depth to the song. While I am on the topic of the vocals, I feel like the chorus was the best showcase of the vocals in the song. Unfortunately, I did not care for Seungmin, Bangchan and I.N’s parts (i.e. pre-choruses and bridge), mainly because their parts of the song were incredibly plain. Back Door felt more like it was well set-up for the rappers, who were able to show more of their intense delivery style without the need for the intense instrumentation. Overall, I am liking the grooviness in the verses and the catchy nature of the chorus. I just wished there was a better bridge between the two parts to make this a more dynamic song.

Back Door is a song that invites you through the back door for a party. And they essentially do that with the actors from their previous music video. We have the scientists, the masked people doing measurements (not exactly sure what profession they are meant to be representing) and the school girls from God’s Menu. They are among the suited people in the art gallery, who do not like the idea of the part and continually switch off the lights preventing the members from partying. But that doesn’t stop the members as they turn on the lights and continue on with their dancing. In the end, the members get their epic party going with everyone in the background dressed in white hoodies. I wasn’t a fan of a number of things in this music video though. Firstly, the tan coloured tops they wore underneath their outfits looks pretty cheap. And secondly, the overuse of the shaky camera effect. It just makes those scenes look exaggerated.

The choreography was awesome. I really like the whole chorus routine, especially the second half of the routine (i.e. some of the members intensely knocking on the door, whilst the rest paired off and acted like arches/doors that spun around the knocking members – that sounds complicated just in words). The first half was equally as cool. The door knocking and that whole final sequence when the funky backdrop comes back was memorable.

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

[Album Review] Lived (4th Mini Album) – ONEUS

September 13, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged ONEUSLeave a comment

As mentioned earlier today, there is another album review coming. And here it is! The album that I wanted to focus on today was ONEUS’ fourth mini-album, Lived, which was released less than a month ago. At the forefront of this mini-album is To Be Or Not To Be, while ONEUS’ Road To Kingdom finale single, Come Back Home, was also featured on the release. In addition to the two tracks, there are another four (including an introductory track) which I will have a closer listen to below.

1. Intro: Lived – Lived (the mini-album) opens up with Lived (the introductory track) and features lyrics, landing itself a spot in this review. It is a nice opener. Lived eases you into the album with a simple instrumentation. It is a style that we have heard before and it isn’t the most groundbreaking or suspenseful introductory track that I have heard. However, it is pleasant opener (even though the members do weigh up the worse of two options – dying and the fear of being wiped from their lover’s memories). (8/10)

2. To Be Or Not To Be (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of To Be or Not To Be. (10/10)

3. Dead or Alive – Dead or Alive continues the momentum from To Be or Not To Be. To me, Dead or Alive has this subtle funk to the verses, which I am digging. In addition to that subtle funk, the song has an epic dubstep chorus drop and guitar riffs throughout the verses to add depth and textures throughout the song. Interestingly, the two merges together to open the final chorus (which was really cool) and help set up a different climax form, which was extremely effective than your usual high or soaring note climax. I also really like the electric guitar riff solo we get just prior to the final chorus. As for the vocals and rapping, I give them a big tick as they sound so clear and crisp, even throughout the noisy nature of the dubstep chorus. Overall, Dead or Alive was pretty dynamic and definitely a track worth listening to on this album. (10/10)

4. Dizzy (혼란하다 혼란해) – We get more guitar riffs and a peppy form of modern hip-hop/pop in Dizzy. As soon as you play the song, you can register a much more cheerful and happy tone to the song, which stands out after two intense dance tracks. It is also super catchy and very addictive. I really like how they executed the title of the song at the very start of the chorus. It was bold and it almost felt like they were stomping their foot down, but with their voice. Their vocals and rapping made this happen and it felt like their strongest effort on this album, as there wasn’t much instrumentation for them to hide behind or bolster up the track for them. I wished the final chorus was more of all them singing. I felt that was appropriate, despite it being a pretty cliché move. We did get some, but they soon reverted back to one member singing. Aside from that one lacking element, Dizzy is a fun number to listen to. (9/10)

5. Airplane – Airplane continues that bright tone we got in Dizzy. However, the song falls into the pop realm, as opposed to the hip-hop like influence the previous song centred around. I personally think that Airplane is the best song instrumentally on this album. This is thanks to the vibrancy we get into the electrifying chorus. It is a pretty catchy instrumental hook and feels well-suited for the Summer season. Vocally, the members sound quite nice and the rappers add a further dynamic touch to the song. I would really like to see a live performance this track, as the song enables for a fun yet grounded performance suitable for ONEUS. (10/10)

6. Come Back Home – Click here to read the full review for Come Back Home. You will need to scroll down a bit for the review. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.2/10

*Lived / To Be Or Not To Be* Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 2nd Week of September 2020

September 13, 2020Posted in Weekly Charts2 Comments

You know the drill when it comes to Sunday. Here is another Weekly KPOP Chart post. Also coming your way today is the third album review for this weekend and another song review post. Before we move onto the charts, I want to address a promise that I have not been delivering. Over the last few weeks, I mentioned that there are many reviews that I am catching up on and should have posted on the weekdays. Unfortunately, I have been unable to keep this promise as I have other things going on in my life that really tires me out. Plus I have to prioritize the new releases of the week. So I have decided to stop promising you reviews and I will post them as soon as possible when I have time to sit down and write them. I am mentioning this in case you are awaiting a particular review. I will update my ‘Coming Soon’ page shortly and regularly so you have an idea which reviews are coming your way!

And now, here is the brief look at the charts. Large jumps this week include Wonho’s Open Mind, LUNARSOLAR’s OH YA YA YA (both of these were reviews posted during the week), Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi’s Naughty and Song Ji Eun’s Make It Love (MIL).

As for the Top 5 this week, we have ONEUS’s To Be Or Not To Be in the top spot! It has been three weeks since the song came out. But no matter how late, it was still worthy and epic enough for the top spot! Following behind ONEUS is CRAVITY’s Flame, followed by last week’s top song, CLC’s Helicopter. In the fourth and fifth positions, we have two of this week’s new releases – YooA’s Bon Voyage and Taemin’s Criminal. For more of the charts, scroll down below.

	6th Sep – 12th Sep 2020
	Title	Artist	Status
1	TO BE OR NOT TO BE	ONEUS	(▲ 6)
2	Flame	CRAVITY	(▲ 22)
3	Helicopter	CLC	(▼ 2)
4	Bon Voyage	YooA (Oh My Girl)	(new)
5	Criminal	Taemin (SHINee)	(new)
6	THANXX	ATEEZ	(▲ 15)
7	BOCA	Dream Catcher	(▲ 23)
8	Sukhumvit Swimming	ONF	(▲ 6)
9	Open Mind	Wonho	(▲ 56)
10	Beautiful Scar	Lee Eun Sang ft. Park Woo Jin (AB6IX)	(▲ 1)
11	BIRD	Kim Nam Joo (APINK)	(new)
12	Goblin (Favorite Boy)	A.C.E	(▼ 7)
13	Obliviate	Lovelyz	(▼ 5)
14	BOY	TREASURE	(▼ 12)
15	Hello Stranger	Stray Kids	(▲ 8)
16	GUNSHOT	KARD	(▼ 13)
17	Who U Are	Kang Daniel	(▲ 5)
18	Oh Ya Ya Ya	LUNARSOLAR	(▲ 49)
19	nanana	MCND	(▼ 2)
20	Count 1, 2	TOO	(▲ 15)
21	Now Or Never	APRIL	(▲ 13)
22	Where The Sea Sleeps	Even of Day (DAY6)	(▼ 18)
23	Tiger Inside	SuperM	(▼ 13)
24	Gotta Go	Soyou	(▲ 4)
25	Say Yes	Jeong Sewoon	(▲ 11)
26	Bad Guy	1THE9	(▲ 7)
27	R.o.S.E BLUE	Dream Catcher	(▲ 24)
28	Naughty	Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi	(▲ 35)
29	Make It Love (MIL)	Song Ji Eun	(▲ 38)
30	Inception	ATEEZ	(▲ 23)

Songs leaving the charts this week (as they have completed their nine week run) are:

1 Billion Views – EXO-SC
Apple – Gfriend
Say Yes – Jeong Sewoon
Count 1, 2 – TOO
Bad Guy – 1THE9
AWay – Jeong Eunji (APINK)
R.o.S.E BLUE – Dream Catcher
Villain – ALEXA
LMM – Hwasa (Mamamoo)
Hello Stranger – Stray Kids
Shadow Play – Pink Fantasy

See you in the next post!

[Review] OH YA YA YA – LUNARSOLAR

September 12, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged LUNARSOLARLeave a comment

Remember that I should be catching up on reviews? Well, they are slowly coming. I guess I will be drip-releasing the reviews as I finish them. The first track that I am reviewing as I return to the “catch-up” phase is LUNARSOLAR’s debut track, OH YA YA YA. This recently (like start-of-the-month recently) debuted female quartet hails from JPlanet Entertainment and their lineup consist of Eseo, Jian, Taeryoung, and Yuuri. The group has quite an extensive resume, with their lineup being associated to the Produce 101, MIXNINE, The Unit and a number of previous female group including the Korean S.E.T and the Japanese I’S9.

To me, OH YA YA YA is a song that has been heard before. One listen in and it felt generic enough to stop and skip to the next song on my playlist. However, I held onto hope that maybe OH YA YA YA would change and become a little more interesting. But unfortunately, it just didn’t. The song is a mixture of electronic music that we have heard before. Trap and tropical is what comes to mind when I am trying to figure out the exact genre of OH YA YA YA. A combination that we are all quite familiar about. The hooks and melodies, which could serve as the saving grace of this debut song, were okay. But they weren’t impressive enough to compensate for the generic nature of the instrumentation because they are pretty standard themselves. What this song does extremely well, however, is show off the potential of the group. Their vocals and rapping are really strong. It is just a pity that the song didn’t do them justice and give them an opportunity to shine on stage or the charts with a memorable song that impresses. I will definitely put the group on my radar given their skillset, but I wouldn’t be going out of my way to search for this song.

OH YA YA YA was all about breaking free from society and having fun. And the music video shows exactly that with the office scenes. But they don’t show the members as part of the office staff. That would have made the video cheesy. Instead, the members are already inserted into the scene ready to have fun. They just had to break the boring and dead atmosphere of the office. Aside from that and the rest of the music video, there was a lot of references to the group (aside from group/solo shots). I would have been fine with the use of their playing cards that featured the group’s logo. That was actually quite cool. But the insertion of those images that simply flashes between frames is a bit much for my liking.

Performance-wise, the group definitely holds their ground with the live vocals and rapping. Good on them for that! As for the routine, I am rather impressed as their legs seem to be in uncomfortable bend/formation during the key parts of the choreography. I also like their bright energy they bring to the stage via their smiles whilst they performing. Definitely exudes the upbeat energy from the song.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Album Review] Hideout: The New Day We Step Into – (2nd Mini Album) – CRAVITY

September 12, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged CRAVITY4 Comments

There are a lot of albums out there worth reviewing or having a deeper listen to. But the number of albums on that list is accumulating rapidly, so I have decided to review another album this weekend in addition to the two albums that I usually review. CRAVITY is the artist of focus this time around, who recently returned with their first comeback since debut, Flame. The song Flame is featured on the group’s second mini-album, Hideout: The New Day We Step Into. Wonder what I thought of the songs on the album? Keep on reading to fine out. But as a short teaser, each song seems to have a little bit of a typical nature to them. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth listening to.

*Hideout: The New Day We Step Into* Album Cover

1. Flame (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Flame. (7/10)

2. Believer – I feel that the next track, Believer, has what it takes to be an alternative to the title track. At first, it doesn’t feel like an intense dance track. But once we hit the first pre-chorus, that intense profile became prevalent and the rest of the track stayed in that gear. The bass during the chorus was just so ideal, along with that short instrumental break we get right after the second chorus. The vocals and rapping were definitely a packaged deal and really shows off CRAVITY’s potential. I also really liked the flutes that open and close the song. I wished they incorporated that into the body of Believer, but that was more to make the song just a fraction more interesting. (9.5/10)

3. Ooh Ahh – Following up Believer is Ooh Ahh. It is a funky synth track that doesn’t hold back. I find it to be a catchy number, with a lot of character from the members. I really liked how all the elements (vocals, raps, melodies, hooks and instrumental) were bold, amping up the energy to help make it more memorable. I just wished they went a little more outside the box for this track, as it felt like any other funky synth track (and we have been getting many of those lately). (8/10)

4. Realize – The piano at the very start was misleading, but Realize is another dance track. It takes time to get to that realization (lol). To me, the verses, featuring smooth vocals and rapping with a kick, felt like it could have been part of an even slower track. But as we got closer to the chorus did the instrumental start to pick up and made it feel like dance track. The song seems to focus more on the vocals and rapping (take the bridge as an example) as the instrumental felt pretty standard at best. I wished the piano from the start (and the end) was somehow incorporated more prevalently throughout the song, which would have given the song some depth. But it was still a decent track. (8/10)

5. HOT AIR BALLOON (열기구) – I find the HOT AIR BALLOON title to be quite random. That was my first impression to the song and it definitely intrigued me. No surprises when it comes to the music as it is another upbeat dance number. This is time it features a groovy chorus that really stands out. Subtle, but it pays off. There are some really good vocals and the rapping really adds some dynamism to the song. I really like the layering when it comes to the vocals in the chorus. It adds depth and intensity, making this song sleek. I would have love more of the start of the song elsewhere in the body. It was too was intriguing and pulled me into the song. But other than, HOT AIR BALLOON is quite impressive. (9/10)

6. Sunrise – While Sunrise is quite pleasant and is a decent song, it is pretty typical in my opinion. The members work their charm in this song through their falsetto vocals and great rapping. But the instrumental pulls the song back as it is just something we have heard time and time again. This doesn’t mean the song is bad or terrible. It just doesn’t excite me as much. In retrospect, each of the songs on the album do feel typical to a degree, and I easily could have made a similar comment onto them (note that I haven’t given a 10/10 for any of the songs to account for this feeling, even though I have explicitly mentioned it). But each of those songs had a little more to offer. Sunrise just doesn’t go over that line and hence I feel that it is the plainest of them all. (7/10)

7. Breathing (호흡) – The final song on the album is a ballad. That is definitely a surprise, but it is much appreciated especially after all the upbeat energy that has come before it. Since it is a ballad, Breathing is vocally centric and the members do a pretty good job. The rapping does amp the song up slightly, which I am okay about, and it acts as a great segue to add extra instrumentation to the acoustic guitars we get at the start. They seemed to have amped it a little too much with the extra instrumentation. So once the extra instrumentation settles, Breathing loses that soothing and calming nature of the start. I felt that they could have pulled a bit back to make this song stand out from the rest. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.9/10

*Hideout: The New Day We Step Into / Flame* Teaser Image

[Album Review] Way With Words (1st Single Album) – KARD

September 11, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged KARD1 Comment

Two weeks ago, KARD made their comeback with GUNSHOT, the title track from their first ever single album. It is a short release, with just three songs (including the title track). As I am a little tight for time today for the album review segment, I thought I would tick off this short release rather than delay the segment further for a slightly longer mini-album release (I have also decided to tackle another three albums this week and would like to stick to this agenda). You might not consider this an album due to its relative shortness, but I have considered/reviewed single albums in the past (the most recent being Infinite’s Destiny earlier in the year. But enough talk about single albums! We are hear for a deeper listen to KARD’s Way With Words release.

1. AH EE YAH (ㅏㅣㅑ) – The single album opens with this upbeat reggae-inspired Summer track. It is probably KARD’s ‘most pop’ release, given how light and different this sound is (relative their previous heavier tracks that KARD has released). There isn’t anything wrong with it though, as I still liked it. AH EE YAH is quite vocally melodic, with each of the members singing in some capacity. This is quite nice as it strays away from the traditional KARD that we know of. The male members do bring some of their rapping to the song, but I don’t ping them to be as memorable as the vocal sections. I did wish they lost some of the autotune, as the filter felt too heavy for my liking. But overall, still quite enjoyable to listen to. (8/10)

2. GUNSHOT (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for GUNSHOT. (8.5/10)

3. HOLD ON – The final song on this single album is HOLD ON. It is nice and quite pleasant to listen to. Once again, it strays away from the usual intense sound that KARD is known for, opting for a more melodic and flowy R&B. The melody is pretty decent, especially when it comes to the Jiwoo singing the title of the song. But other than that, nothing really stands out on its own. The vocals and rapping are good, but it doesn’t really have much uniqueness. I do appreciate the reduced autotune, which was more palatable. One thing that HOLD ON manages to do well is that it comes together to be quite cohesive and the R&B vibes from this song works with their skillset. Maybe they should explore this side of music more in future releases, just with a song more memorable in some aspect. (7/10)

Overall Album Review – 7.8/10

[Review] Bon Voyage – YooA (Oh My Girl)

September 11, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged OH MY GIRL, YooA (Oh My Girl)3 Comments

2020 has been a very successful year for Oh My Girl, probably exceeding the success the group achieved in 2019. Despite dropping their Nonstop/Dolphin comeback four months ago, the two songs are still ranking high on the digital charts, outperforming many artists and songs released more recently! And now it is time for Oh My Girl to step into new territory with solo promotions. First up is YooA with Bon Voyage!

Through Bon Voyage, it can be agreed that YooA has managed to show the best of herself. It a really great track and it stands out due to its unique sound (relative to other KPOP releases). Bon Voyage is a very airy and light in tone, diverting us away from the synthetic and heavy music influences of today’s music and opts for more a sound and vibe that feels fresh and natural. In many ways, the song feels like the it is reconnecting us with nature. Take the percussion, for example. It sounds wooden-like, rather than metallic and hence man-made. The instrumental also makes use of tribal-like chanting in the background, which also has that natural tinge to it. That being said, there are synths used throughout the song. But they are selected carefully to emphasis and highlight the nature vibes. The lightness of the song pairs up with YooA’s light and breathy vocals, helping create an aesthetic atmosphere overall. To me, the best parts of Bon Voyage are the choruses. They pretty much sum up everything I mentioned above and brings about a memorable feeling. The first chorus reminds me of Shakira’s Waka Waka, whilst the second chorus features YooA’s harmonies with the chanting background and is rather short (but sweet)! I did wish it was longer, so more charm could have been exuded from the song. But despite that, what Bon Voyage already had done before the final chorus was enough to warrant a positive review.

What a visual masterpiece. This music video captivates all possible senses and it is hard to look away when there is just so much going on, despite so little happening in each scene. The cinematography and especially the drone shots were extremely artistic and aesthetic. Definitely a video to watch if you want to see something stunning and are willing to be blown away. Fans have been floating some ideas about the concept of the music video. Personally, I like the idea of YooA reconnecting with Mother Nature, as that is what I initially thought of when I first watched the music video. I think the idea of YooA being a ‘child of Mother Nature’ to also be suitable, but I am unfamiliar with that story.

YooA is the main dancer of Oh My Girl, so I had high expectations for the performance for Bon Voyage. And those expectations were definitely exceeded. While the music video showed a lot of freestyle and interpretive dancing, the routine on stage is pretty much set. But the set routine carries the same vibes over and we get a glimpse of something similar to what we saw in the music video towards the end of the performance. I also like how artistic it looks, overall.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.8/10

[Review] Bird – Kim Nam Joo (APINK)

September 10, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged APINK, Kim Nam Joo (APINK)9 Comments

Following the solo releases of Jeong Eun Ji since 2016 and the solo debut of Oh Ha Young last year, the next member of APINK to go solo is Kim Nam Joo. When I first heard that she would be making her solo debut, I wondered how Kim Nam Joo would differentiate herself from the well-known name of APINK and establish a new image of herself under her own name, with her new solo single, Bird. Well, it is time to have a closer look at both the song and music video to find out just that.

Unfortunately, Bird fails to excite me. If I was being generous, Bird would be considered a ‘decent’ song, at best. But Bird is just so boring and lackluster that I tend to fall to the more negative side of the ‘decent song’ descriptor. Upon first listen to Bird, I could hear the hint of (G)I-DLE Soyeon’s influence. And while it seems like I am part of the minority when it comes to her songs, Bird is probably her weakest associated track yet. It felt like a track originally intended for (G)I-DLE, but the management and group decided it was best to part ways from this flat song. Aside from use of the wooden wind instruments throughout the song and the acoustic guitars in the bridge, everything else just felt generic to me. The instrumental failed to give much hype and the Eastern-influenced chorus could have been more dynamic by a mile. The bird sound effects felt a little annoying, especially as it went on. The song’s melody was pretty weak. Save the pre-chorus melody though, as I felt there was a decent climb within it that alluded to what I had expected to be a good drop. for the chorus (which Bird did not deliver). But that weak melody essentially rubbed off onto Kim Nam Joo’s vocals, which was at large pretty boring throughout the entire song. Hook-wise, the song didn’t have much, so I am pretty sure Bird will be long gone from my memory once I wrap up this review. Bird failed to impress or chirp up my day.

The music video fares a lot better in comparison to the song. Despite going with the basic choreography and closeup formula, the closeups are captivating given the story that I have managed to get out of it. To me, we see Kim Nam Joo wear white in the beginning to represent innocence and a newly born bird. As the music video goes along, we get different evolutions of the ‘bird’, which I could guess represents the many phases we have in our lifetime. But finally, just before the final chorus kicks in, we see Kim Nam Joo in her final ‘bird’ form, which is evidently quite elegant and mature. This represents her ‘rebirth’ (which was what the song was all about) is complete. Aside from that, I really liked how they used the one set at the start and end, but changed the lighting and colours to just give it a complete different feel.

The choreography is pretty decent. This ‘decent’ is more positive, in comparison to my other use of the same word. I really liked how she shows her strength and power through this choreography, and especially how she fits it in with the song she had to work with. Nothing really stood out for me individually, but the performance as a whole did.

Song – 4.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.2/10

[Review] Criminal – Taemin (SHINee)

September 7, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged SHINee, Taemin (SHINee)4 Comments

Within the last month, Taemin has been super busy by being part of four different music releases (including today’s comeback). We first saw him in his 2 KIDS pre-release track, dropping in preparation for today’s comeback. His second release was 100, the first pre-release single of SuperM’s upcoming end-of-September comeback. We saw him again in Tiger Inside, serving as the second SuperM pre-release track which just dropped last week. And now, we find ourselves tuning in with his fourth release – the title track Criminal and his third Korean studio album, Never Gonna Dance Again.

I am just going to get right to the point. Taemin killed his comeback. And this comment is simply based on just one listen to Criminal. He tackles the synthwave genre, a genre that is pretty much new in KPOP as far as I can remember (and one that I am going to need to search up). The song’s instrumental is rather consistent, but there is still a lot going on. I love the slight tick up in energy that the chorus gives up (relative to the verses). It is small, but its impact is quite large. But the most important detail with this synthwave instrumental is that is compliments Taemin’s vocals. He sings rather low and seductively at the start and it slowly builds ever so slightly as the song progresses along, before his vocals climaxes (i.e. gets louder) after the ‘Destroy My More‘ line at the end of the bridge and we get some ad-libs for the final chorus. These pairings of vocals and instrumental just have so much chemistry with one another, creating a sensual and seductive atmosphere that I just want to continue to replay. To me, the best part of the song has to be his vocal climb during the verses. Once again, it is small effect, but it has such a large impact. It just leaves me in awe and it stuns me when I replay the song (even though I know it is coming). The ‘La La La La‘ was also another strong, suspenseful part of the song that I also love. Overall, Criminal is artistic, aesthetic and plays with Taemin’s strengths.

The music video of Criminal looks so good. Based on the lyrics, the song is about wanting to escape an relationship as it torturing oneself. But the more you want to leave, the more you want to stay. It is a similar concept to Stockholm Syndrome, which is where the victim of a kidnapping or hostage situation feels trust, affection and need for the captor to be in their life post-crime in order to survive. It is very interesting to see him play that out in lyrics. But it is very captivating to watch him be tortured throughout the music video. And we don’t actually see the explicit torture that whoever is inflicting upon him. Rather, we see Taemin’s self torture of wanting leave (and even contemplating death at some points) but is unable to do so in the final seconds because of his need for this relationship. His acting is so good and the set design is really stunning.

The music video shows me enough of the choreography to make write this part of the review. And as per my past reviews for Taemin’s choreography, this one is equally as good. I really liked the bounded wrists at the start, showing us that captive situation. We then see him take it off effortlessly before doing to the ‘good stuff’ in this routine, where we see him show off his performance skills. The best part of the choreography has to be the bridge of the song, where the dancer’s engulf him with their hands, seemingly making it look like he is enjoying the euphoria of returning to the relationship.

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

[Review] Open Mind – Wonho

September 6, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Wonho2 Comments

It has been a while since we have heard Wonho. Aside from his pre-release single (Losing You) release last month, Wonho has been absent from the music industry after his abrupt departure from MONSTA X. After his name was cleared from all allegations made about him (which lead to his abrupt departure from his former group) in March of this year, he signed with Highline Entertainment (a subsidy of Starship Entertainment) and started to prepare for his solo debut to the excitement of his fans, whom have been named WENEEs. His solo debut title track is Open Mind and is (obviously) the focus of this review.

Right from the start, you could tell that the driving force of Open Mind is the groovy instrumentation. But this isn’t some standard fun filled groovy KPOP track. It matches Wonho’s style, going down a classy, expensive-sounding and sensual direction instead. I like the pulsating nature at the start and how the song built to accommodate this pulsing effect. When we approach the first chorus, we get some funky guitars and a strong retro-centric instrumentation. As Open Mind progresses and we approach the second and final choruses, we get smoothness vibes from Wonho and lyrics as well! I liked that the first chorus was simply instrumentation, allowing Wonho to flourish with his performance skills, before getting down to business with vocals in the later sections. I also liked his voice in Open Mind. No doubt that the song was tailored to Wonho’s voice. Smooth (as I already mentioned), refined and mature. All great signs for a groovy track like this. Personally I would have preferred a strong hook when it comes to the choruses. The melody is great, but I felt it was lacking that something that we could always associate to Open Mind and Wonho in the future. But apart from that, big ticks for Open Mind.

Whilst it was expected that abs and muscles would be on full display for this music video, Wonho still manages to blow me away with his visual game throughout the music video for Open Mind. Sensual and masculine is the concept and Wonho nailed it! And I am quite sure fans aren’t complaining about the heat coming from this video. Aside from the visuals of Wonho (which are so damn captivating – he is making it hard to talk about everything else), I really like the straightforwardness of the sets throughout the video, which works excellently with Wonho’s visuals (literally keeps on coming back to this).

When it comes to the performance, I don’t think any other KPOP artist can pull off a choreography like this. There is a uniqueness that Wonho brings with this sensual choreography. It might be his visuals (well, well, well), but it could be his charisma and skills that make Open Mind‘s choreography work perfectly for him and just him. The best moments of the dance routine is whenever he moves slowly. There is just a captivating aura when he does just that and it wows me each time.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10

[Album Review] Dystopia: Lose Myself (5th Mini Album) – Dream Catcher

September 6, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged DreamcatcherLeave a comment

The third album review for this weekend focuses on Dream Catcher’s latest comeback, BOCA, which is featured on the group’s fifth mini-album, Dystopia: Lose Myself. It is a short mini-album release, but it is one still worth checking out. All the song’s on this album is definitely of a high quality. Even the introductory track (which I didn’t review and hence include in this album review) is one of the best introductory tracks I have ever heard. Have a scroll down and check out each track whilst also having a browse of which songs I liked (hint – I liked all of them).

2. BOCA (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of BOCA. (8.5/10)

3. Break The Wall – Based on the title alone, Break The Wall felt like it be a full-on song. And Break The Wall lives up to that expectation, with the song’s energy and intensity is delivered by Dream Catcher’s classic rock influence. There were some great parts to this song that I would continually come back to. The rock influence during the chorus was extremely satisfying and checks my cravings for a rock song. Dami’s rapping takes the song a step further going with to a harsh but powerful level that really capitalizes on Dami’s voice and gives the song that needed climax. Finally, I really liked the ending, where we hear Siyeon put her vocals on full display with the prolonging and continuous ‘Woah’ that just keeps on coming at you. It was very bold and dramatic. I do find it interesting that the verses were muffled by autotune. In the live performances, the members hold up megaphones whilst singing their lines in the verses, which I thought was pretty unique. It fits in with the group’s message to rally up and give confidence to those who want to Break The Wall (that has held them back) with them. (10/10)

4. Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind – Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind delves into the EDM side, which isn’t something that I commonly associate with the group. To me, Can’t Get You Out Of Mind features a nostalgic for of EDM (can’t believe I just said that) that reminds me when EDM used to be just drops for the chorus. However, Dream Catcher doesn’t stop there with the chorus, following the drop with some vocals. And these vocals, along with the rest of the vocal work throughout Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind was very melodic and traditional for EDM. Sure, the song could have been more memorable. I think they could have given Dami a rap sequence to amp up the song’s intensity and provided additional depth. They could have also introduced some catchy hooks. But Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind does enough regardless these omissions. (9/10)

5. Dear – Dream Catcher wraps up the album release with the mandatory ballad that most KPOP albums must fulfill. While it is the outlier in terms of sound on this album, Dear is quite captivating. For the first two minutes, Dear is pretty much your standard piano-driven ballad. But after the two minute mark, everything sudden picks up and develops exponentially out of nowhere to become an beautiful orchestral piece. And I am glad it did so, as it made listening to the whole song worth it. In addition to be stunning music piece, the vocals are lovely throughout Dear, drawing me into it with its dreamy appeal. (9/10)