[Album Review] Remember (3rd Studio Album) – WINNER

The album in focus for this review post is WINNER’s Remember, which was released over a month ago on 9th April. This album was confirmed to be the final release by the group before the members go on hiatus and enlist into the military. Jinwoo actually enlisted a week prior to the album’s release and Hoony enlisted exactly a month ago. In the meantime, it was also confirmed that we will see the rest of the members focus on individual promotions before enlisting. Remember, the group’s 3rd studio album, is also the title of the album’s main title track. It also features Hold (a pre-release track), and four member versions of their debut tracks (Empty and Color Ring) and two side tracks from their 1st studio album released back in 2014 (Different and Don’t Flirt). These four tracks will not be included as part of the review. Let’s see how the rest of the album fared.

Remember Album Cover

1. Remember (Title Track)Click here to read the full review of Remember. (9/10)

2. Dduk (뚝) (Jinu Solo) – Jinu is a member of Winner who doesn’t get much attention by himself. I don’t think he gets much solo promotions and this solo track proves that he should have at least gotten something to celebrate his vocal ability. Dduk continues from where Remember left off. It is a ballad with a piano only backdrop. Usually, ballads would start off with just the one instrument and as it progresses, adds to the song to push the song along. Dduk doesn’t conform to this and instead keeps everything pretty much raw, which I thought was cool. This made the song’s melody, both piano and vocal wise to be really nice. You can feel a bit of emotion behind this song in Jinu’s voice, as he sings about splitting up. And I like how he ends each chorus with a short, sharp and spoken form of the title, adding a little interesting detail to the song. (9/10)

3. Hold (뜸) (Pre-Release Track)Click here to read the full review of Hold. (8/10)

4. Just Dance (막춤) – Continuing the more upbeat vibes from Hold, Just Dance has that wholesome, feel-good and fun vibe. It is a song that will make you smile and maybe get a dance out of even the quiet and introverted people. I can imagine a fun music video, similar to how Can’t Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake came to be. The instrumental was quite laid back when you think about it. It never really went anywhere. But consistency probably helped made the song appealing, as you don’t want this going through moments of slowness or have the instrumental stripped away completely, as that would just ruin it. If you took anything away from Hold, it is that they can insert an element of fun to their delivery. And that is what Just Dance continues on effortlessly. (9/10)

5. My BadMy Bad brings a R&B spin to the album. The background of the song seems refined and classy, thanks to the acoustic guitar that features in the background. There is obviously more to the instrumental to get to that point, but the guitar was the main standout. The rest of the song is built on the group’s vocals and a really smooth melody. And they sound amazing in this song. The ‘My Bad’ that features in the chorus (courtesy of Mino and Yoon) of the song brings out a hoarse nature to their vocals which makes the song sound so good. Probably my favourite part of the song. And out of all the members, Mino is the member that shines the brightest in the song. He shows off a great range in this song, switching between a deep tone for the opening verse and chorus echoes, and a falsetto for the pre-chorus. The other members do a good job in the song as well. (9/10)

6. Teaser – Listening to all the songs on the album, I feel like each member shines in a different song. For Teaser, which is a very heavy hip-hop influenced track, the member that shines is Yoon, who had the strongest individual part of the song (i.e. the ‘Baby You-ou-ou’ in the pre-chorus. Note how I pointed out individual. While each person has their individual sections in this song, I thought the combination of rapper and vocalist singing together gave the song some really interesting harmonies and textures. The interception felt unique and felt like a strong aspect in this song. (8.5/10)

7. WellWell is essentially a song in which the members wish that their fans stay … well. The song is quite upbeat, but it necessary doesn’t have that fun vibe. Instead, I find the song has that nostalgic pop vibe to it that felt like it was part of many male KPOP group’s albums in the past. I really like the hooks of the song, which consisted of the title of the song being repeated. I also like the ad-libs inserted for the final chorus, which acted as the icing on the cake. I feel like this doesn’t have a standout member. It feels cliché to say this, but all of them shined when they all started to sing together as part of the final chorus. This section just feels right for this song, adding further to that appeal to fans. (8/10)

8. Serenade (세레나데) (Hoony Solo) – By default, Hoony shines in this song as he is the only member in this song (same for Jinu in his solo track). Serenade encompasses what I think suits Hoony, though I will admit my exposure to him as an artist is quite limited. Firstly, he is a rapper, so I don’t think he would do anything like a ballad, which serves better for vocalists. But at the same time, Hoony never strikes me to do something hip-hop heavy, like Mino’s solo tracks. Serenade binds together pop and rock, creating an upbeat number for Hoony to bring his rap to (and consequently rock to). There is colour and definitely a kick in the instrumentation, which I thought was amazing. I find his rapping to be full of expression in this song and he inputs energy that helps consolidate that this is a perfect solo track for him. I do think he could have gone a little harder with his delivery. But overall, Serenade is a great track. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.7/10

Remember Teaser Image

[Review] Jungle – BVNDIT

Returning yesterday was BVNDIT, with Jungle. This is the group’s 3rd comeback since their debut a year and a month ago with Hocus Pocus. Jungle is the title track of their second mini-album, Carnival, which also features Cool (which I have already reviewed) and Children (yet to review), both of which were released earlier this year. Let’s see what the group has offer with this latest comeback.

Jungle continues that intense sound that the group debuted and returned with in 2019. Their sound and visual concepts have aligned to the ‘girl crush’ realm since debut and they only stepped away from that side for the release of the two singles prior to Jungle. And while the group’s past title tracks have been rated fairly, I feel like Jungle is a step backwards and shows off that intensity in a not-so-good manner. The song goes with a middle-eastern influence within the dance track, which I personally don’t mind. I have praised many songs in the past for going with that foreign influence. What I do mind is that it is always there. Apart from the bridge of the song, it is never stripped away. It is always at a much lower tone so it is barely audible underneath the decent dance beats. This pretty much feels like an unnecessary incorporation, and frankly, it makes Jungle quite messy. I felt like they could have kept it when it was the main centre piece of the instrumental and then replaced it with more dynamic material to give the song some bulkiness during the other parts. I do admit it does give Jungle some colour and some character. It just could have been cleaned up. Another thing that the song lacks is a strong, catchy hook. I think this would have helped give the song some extra definition and made the song more robust. The only good solid part was the final dance break, just before the final chorus kicks in. But I felt like it was a bit too late for that.

The visual concept for this comeback was very strong and this definitely improves the comeback package by a mile. The members stand out throughout the music video, by wearing colours that pop in the various different settings in which they filmed in. There were some visual effects throughout the chorus, which helped make the video more captivating and helped boost the song’s appeal. The video was more of a close-up and choreography styled music video, but I think the video had some good points.

What I think is pretty strong in this performance is that the choreography used a staggered touch to some of the various moves, which I thought made the performance looked good. Unfortunately, the actual moves don’t really have much impact. The only part that looks pretty decent is that dance break just before the final chorus. There was some attitude to it, which I thought was good.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.8/10

[Review] Didn’t Say Anything – Baek Z Young & Ong Seong Woo

Don’t you just love surprise releases? This is another collaboration single, joining the two big releases from last week (i.e. IU ft. Suga from BTS and BOL4 ft. Baekhyun from EXO). This single, Didn’t Say Anything, features Baek Z Young, a well known singer in KPOP, known for her songs such as Like Being Hit By A Bullet; My Ear’s Candy (ft. Taecyeon from 2PM); and my personal favourite, Garosugil (ft. Song Yu Vin). And alongside Baek Z Young in this song is Ong Seong Woo, whom we all know from his Wanna One days and recent solo comeback, Gravity.

I associate Baek Z Young, a lot of the time, to ballads. In addition to that thought, the title just screams out emotion and sadness. So that was my expectation going into the song. And boy, Didn’t Say Anything was definitely a ballad. I have only replayed it a couple of times since it was released. And each time, I have been left breathless and speechless. I miss these types of ballads that are just stunning to listen to and I can guarantee that it will continue that way for a very long time. Take Still Love You by Hwesung from N.Flying and Lee Hong Ki from FT Island, it still sounds amazing and floors me to this day. Didn’t Say Anything leaves me that way for a few reasons and it is usual suspects. Didn’t Say Anything features a very nice orchestral instrumentation that continues to build as the song progresses. And this buildup is paired alongside the vocals of both Baek Z Young and Ong Seong Woo. Both singers belt it out from about the half way point, slightly earlier than when most artists would unleash a high note or two. That high note at the end of the bridge was spectacular. Both artists surprised me with that one. Baek Z Young, sure. Ong Seong Woo, very unexpected. And to show off his vocal abilities further, he handles most (if not all) the ad-libs to finish off the song. But it wasn’t just the high notes that wowed me. Even at a normal volume, the pair sounded amazing. The harmonies were beautiful and Baek Z Young’s voice at the start and end was just velvety.

The song is about not saying anything to each other after a breakup due to the emotions one would feel, causing further heartbreak. For majority of the video, we see the singers alone, being heartbroken alone. But at the end, it was revealed that the two were actually side by side. They were in very close proximity to each other and a word or two easily could have been shared. But you could feel that there was an imaginary barrier between them that prevented them from doing so. And this imaginary line that was formed by their emotional states that prevented them from speaking (i.e. the sadness and the glances we could see them making towards one another). I thought that was an interesting yet clever way of presenting the meaning of the song.

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

[Review] Good Night – H&D

Last month, I wrote a review for H&D’s debut single, SOUL. In that review, I promised that I would get around to writing a review for the second title track, Good Night, on the same debut mini-album, Soulmate. A music video was released for Good Night alongside SOUL, which I didn’t know about until a few days later. Though it seems I have taken a little longer than expected to review it, I finally present to you my review for Good Night. In other related news, both Lee Hangyul and Nam Dohyun have been confirmed to be debuting as part of a male group later this year.

When I listen to Good Night, Leessang is a name that keeps on popping up in my mind. For those who may be unfamiliar with Leessang, they were a duo who delved into the hip-hop and were very popular back in the day for songs like Turned Off The TV and Girl Who Can’t Break-Up and Boy Who Can’t Leave. I find the melody and the beat would be something that could have come from Leessang. Good Night is obviously a lot more upbeat, well suited for a youthful style and modernised. And the lyrics are a lot more innocent and pure. Moving the focus back to H&D, I thought their execution was pretty good. Both the rapping and singing from the duo were pretty strong. The only part that I thought was a little awkward was the chanting anthem sequence that followed the choruses in the song about half way and the at the end. I am unsure how to describe it as I am no musical expert, but it felt like the song become a lot rougher and messier when it came to that sequence, in my opinion. The instrumental of the song was more of your typical tropical island beats, but it did feel rather refreshing and well-suited for the upcoming Summery season that South Korea is about to enter. I personally think Good Night is a good song despite it also delving into a typical domain. I just feel that Good Night has more of a fresh appeal compared to SOUL.

When it comes to the concept of the music video, it is clear that they went in the opposite direction to their other debut music video. This video shows a sleepover concept and it was definitely a lot more lighthearted, colourful and innocent. I really liked how they wrote some the lyrics in the comic style font, in addition to having it act as a visual effect to give the video some extra character. Usually they do this for key English words in the song or just some typical ‘pow’ or ‘wow’ text. Overall, it looked fun and I think this video suited the song well.

To match the casual sleepover concept, the entire performance was done so in pajamas. I liked that they retained this detail, which made the performance feel more approachable and chill to watch. But the moves looked pretty typical and didn’t offer anything new to us viewers on the performance front. I did like the start and end, however, where they used the dancers to lean on, like they are on a couch, adding to that casual detail I mentioned.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10

Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Album Review] Street (1st Studio Album) – EXID

It is time for another PARs (Past Album Review) as it is a Tuesday and I have chosen EXID to be next group to cover. More specifically, the group’s first and only studio album (so far). Street is the name of their first studio album and this was released in June 2016. It features the title track, L.I.E, and the remixes of Hot Pink and L.I.E (which I have chosen not to review). More recently, EXID has gone on a hiatus after not resigning with their company. Each member has gone onto different companies in Korea, but the group has stated that they have not disbanded. So we could potentially see another studio album from the group in the future! But until then, it will be a bunch of PARs for EXID.

Street Album Cover

1. Don’t Want A Drive (데려다줄래)Don’t Want a Drive is a mid-tempo R&B number that eases us into the album. Given the group’s EDM direction for the title track, something easygoing and light would be appropriate to start off the album. The instrumental is very pleasant, despite being somewhat crunchy in texture. I really liked how Hyerin echoes the final section of the segment, easing us out of the song. I also found it interesting that Junghwa and Hani took the reins of the chorus, a role usually reserved for the main or lead vocalist of the group. Junghwa’s vocals do really fit in and give the chorus a bit of spark that would have felt over the top if Solji had stepped in, regardless of how good we all know Solji is. (8/10)

2. L.I.E (엘라이) (Title Track) – My original review stated that I was very disappointed with the track. Four years on, the song has definitely grown me. To the point where I will be bumping the review rating to a 8/10. Click here to read the (original) full review for L.I.E. (8/10)

3. I Know (알면서) I Know comes off with an upbeat tone, where the members ask why they are still with their partner despite the entire world around them telling them to leave. The song has this energetic presence, which really helped make the song much more appealing if they took it in the route of a ballad or R&B song. It utilises EDM synths to give it some life and texture. It isn’t dominant hook like how it is employed L.I.E and feels like artists would usually employ the style in a standard pop track. But it is still nice, alongside the catchy hooks and melody in this song. (8/10)

4. Hello (Hani Solo) Hello is a very jazzy-styled R&B track brought to you by Hani. As all solo tracks, the song is well designed for Hani’s voices. She doesn’t have the power vocals like other members in her group, but she can do a fair job on her own, as indicated by this track. What I really like about this song is its lightness and breezy nature. It is so light that Hani could effortless switch to a speaking style delivery of her singing, which I thought was a very cool aspect of the song. It isn’t a standout or memorable track, but it is definitely a nice song. (8/10)

5. CreamCream is a questionable song. Not for the music however, but rather the lyrics. I won’t go into details due as this is a studio album review, but I am sure that this caught the attention of fans back in the day for its possible sensual connotations. Apart from that, I thought Cream was a really good song. I like the vocal work which was very delicate. The instrumental featured a nice level of funkiness and was driven forward with a guitar which gave the song some class. The saxophone at the end also added a little more just before the song ended. The only thing I did not like was LE’s rap sequence, which felt very unnecessary. (8/10)

6. 3% (Solji Solo)3% thrives thanks to two elements. The first has to be Solji’s vocals. We all know her for her impressive display of vocals through many shows in the past. 3% doesn’t put forward her powerhouse vocals, however. Rather, it puts forward an excellent display of her vocals without going overboard with high notes or loud vocals. The other element that really puts 3% forward is the simple instrumentation. It is just acoustic guitars. It is a nice piece, but it also allows the focus to be squarely on Solji. (10/10)

7. Only One – The song Only One is actually a group version of Hani and Solji’s duet, Only One, which the released in 2015. What differentiates this version to the duet is that it feature a rap sequence by LE, which I think is suitable for the song’s upbeat electronic pop style that dominated most of the song. There were other parts of the song that the electronic pop doesn’t feature, replaced by a nice piano piece. The two styles merge nicely to form what we hear in Only One. I just feel that Junghwa and Hyerin just didn’t into the song as nicely as the song was made for Solji and Hani and I don’t think enough adjustments were made for the addition of these two other vocalists of EXID. (8/10)

8. Of Course (당연해) – The alternative title to Of Course is No Way. The song brings out the 80s flair with this song, with the instrumental featuring a dance beat, some funky sounds, synths and bass. I do think they went a little overboard with the bass in the song, especially during the transitional elements in the instrumental. But despite that, I found the song to be very catchy. I also enjoyed the energy that came from the song. I think the song could have benefited if the rapping was a little more powerful, which would have boosted the song in my opinion. (8/10)

9. Are You Hungry (냠냠쩝쩝) (Junghwa & Hyerin Duet) – The album takes a playful and fun vibe with the disco vibes in Are You Hungry. The vocal parts in the verse remind me of something that T-ARA would have released back in the day to follow up some of their weird tracks. The chorus reminds me a mixture of Nyan Cat (who remembers that? Or would I be showing my age with Nyan Cat?) and What Does The Fox Say?, two of the most annoying songs that have long past their prime. It is a catchy number and is definitely a song for the people who enjoy the wacky side of KPOP. For me, it brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. (7.5/10)

10. Like The Seasons (여름, 가을, 겨울, 봄)Like The Seasons is a group ballad. It was also my favourite side-track from the album when it was first released. The ‘Let the Rain, Snow Fall, Yeorum, Gaeul, Gyeuol Bom’ line in the chorus was very memorable. I find the song to be very flowy and suitable for almost all the seasons. There is something in the lightness of the instrumental that makes it refreshing for Summer, yet warm for Winter. I also really liked the harmonies in this song. (9/10)

11. GoodGood ends the album on a very upbeat note. I just found the song to be very linear in nature and didn’t really have much development as it progressed. The song just lacked that climax that would have helped give the ending a punch, as they had everything else there. The upbeat energy that comes from the track was very desirable. There were trumpets, drums and a 70s/80s synth influence, which makes the song fun sounding. The members all sounded good. It is just that lacked climatic moment that was needed. (7.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.2/10

Street Teaser Image

[Review] I’m In Trouble – NU’EST

Also making their comeback this Monday is NU’EST with I’m In Trouble. This new track is featured on the group’s 8th mini-album, The Nocturne. NU’EST has had a busy year in 2019 with the release of Bet Bet and Love Me (their most recent release prior to today’s comeback). 2019 also saw the long awaited return of Minhyun to the group’s lineup from other activities. Let’s see what the group has installed for 2020.

I’m In Trouble kicks off with the plucking of guitar strings. It took a brief moment before the proper beat to kick in, which end up being more instrumentation contributing to a beat that continues the low deep tone which the song started off with. As it delved into the chorus, I’m In Trouble took a R&B pop approach. I have to say that the song is already quite sleek and classy in an elegant manner. But it never really picked up, which was something that I really wanted as the song progressed. It just stayed in a very neutral setting. I was glad when it came to the bridge that the song inserted that vibrating-like synth. It was an odd addition, but it added some life and variety to the song. But I wished they continue with the additional elements as the song reverted back to the same consistent sound to end it off, which was bland. The vocal work was good, but not their best effort. Interestingly, JR opted for vocals this time around, but I felt a rap sequence of any degree was warranted to give the song some edge. Just enough so that the classy and sleek nature of the song isn’t lost. I think that would provide some extra variety to the sound and give the song some uniqueness. The hooks didn’t offer much, which I thought they could have fell back on to give the song that memorable touch. Instead, their main ‘I’m In Trouble‘ was incredibly plain and failed to gain any interest from me. Overall, it has some good things going in. But it just failed to capture my attention.

NU’EST’s latest music video that accompanies the release of I’m In Trouble is very aesthetic to watch. I really liked the pentagon platform with the partitions that they sit in. That looked really cool. The cinematography was also very good in this video. As for the plot line, I am not too sure what is going on in this video. It seems like the members are playing a game (that looks familiar) where they choose to who to kill (i.e. vote out). It seems based on the teasers and the music video, this game is played at night, while each member goes about their respective days. Who they choose seems to have do with something in their normal life. The members reach out to one another to form an alliance or warn one another of betrayal. In the end, the members voted for JR to be eliminated, though I am not sure why. My best guess is that a person they are all interested is playing a cruel game and this person edges the members on with text messages throughout the day. Though, I am not sure how the teasers fit into the video. My interpretation is very literal and I don’t think anything that I wrote above is part of a proper interpretation, as everything seems mysterious and mine feels a little too lighthearted. Do you have any clue? Fill me in by commenting below.

I thought the choreography was pretty good. The routine looks complicated despite it not really ultilising any crazy movements like in many other choreographies. Instead, this routine matches the song in the sense that it is sleek and refined. I thought the sections in which the members sing the hook (i.e. ‘I’m In Trouble‘ repetition) to be pretty dynamic looking.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] Zombie – DAY6

We kick off this week with the return of DAY6, who we last saw through Sweet Chaos. The band from JYP Entertainment released their new single, Zombie, and the group’s 6th mini-album, The Book Of Us: The Demon. The actual album itself includes two versions of the title track, a Korean and English version. It seems like we will only be seeing the members through the music video and the teaser images, as their company announced that the band would be halting all activities (including promotions) so that some of the members can recover their health, as it has been revealed that some of the members are suffering from psychological anxiety. Let’s all wish the members a quick recovery so we can see them on stage soon.

Zombie is best described as a rock ballad, leaning more towards the ballad side of that pairing. It is a little dry at first. But once you delve into it, you will grow to like it. I liked how the song didn’t conform to the usual routine and structure, which was opposite of the songs lyrics of being stuck in the same routine and hence becoming a zombie for living life on repeat. And this way, it made the rock ballad quite unique as well. Every time we heard the chorus (the lyrical sequence that was repeated), it was paired with a different instrumental piece. The first time around it felt like it embedded in the first verse, which was followed by an instrumental break that felt like it should have backed the first chorus (but was delayed). This instrumental break here felt extremely powerful in the English version and I assume it would have the same impact if you understood the Korean version. The second time we heard the chorus, it was back by what felt like the usual chorus instrumentation. And the third time was actually as Zombie was easing out, with just a synthesizer and then a keyboard playing in the background. The other parts of the song were really nice as well, instrumental-wise. But the vocals were definitely the standout element. You can hear the tiredness of the usual routine and the desire for more in this voices. My favourite section of the song, which showed off the vocals the best (in my opinion) has to be the short second verse. Jae’s ‘This Meaningless Life‘ just comes out so smoothly. Overall, it is a really beautiful song. I don’t know exactly when one would play it, given its message. But it definitely a relatable song.

I thought the music video was cleverly produced. In the video, the main character played the role of a ‘zombie’, which is a guy who lives the same routine every single day. He gets up in the morning and goes to work as a businessperson. I like how the video was shot with everything else moving around him in a fast forward motion, while he is in neutral gear and dragging himself towards his job. Another thing I like is when his apartment is filled with water, this corresponds with the ‘Wanna Cry‘ lyrics. However, I liked how the main character does not care that his home is flooded and just goes to bed as per his routine, showing that he is truly stuck in that same routine. I also liked how the members play instruments within the apartment. The set was very narrow, but they managed to get everyone in there. I also liked how they shot closeup of one member standing close to the camera and the next person standing in the background, so that the camera only need to adjusts its focus to get to the next person (and the video doesn’t need fancy transitions to move along).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Album Review] Hideout: Remember Who We Are (1st Mini Album) – CRAVITY

It is Sunday and it is time for another album review! Today’s album review is dedicated to the debut mini-album that kicks off CRAVITY’s career. For those who don’t CRAVITY is a nine-member male group from Starship Entertainment. They made their debut on the 14th April 2020 with Break All The Rules and this mini-album. The album has since peaked at number 1 on the domestic charts and the group has sold over 100,000 albums since their debut. As mentioned in the song review, I hope the rest of the album was more likable that the title track. Spoiler alert: it is! Let’s see the album now.

Hideout: Remember Who We Are Album Cover

1. Top Of The Chain – What many new artists should be doing is making a statement with their first track. Top Of The Chain does just this. I have been binging on a number of epic sounding tracks as they were featured as part of a favourite TV show and I feel like that Top Of The Chain channels the same epic vibes that I gather from these tracks. The song is a rock anthem and exudes the power that the group claims to have and subsequently deliver through song. The most memorable section of the song, which also showed a strong combination of their vocal and rapping skills is the climb and the moment of stillness we get in the pre-chorus. That being said, the vocals and rapping were definitely strong throughout the song. Overall, Top Of The Chain was bold and a powerful track. (10/10)

2. Break All The Rules (Title Track)Click here for the full review for Break All The Rules. (7/10)

3. JumperJumper continues the same momentum from the two preceding tracks and also features an epic opener. The first few seconds of the song reminds of a theatrical release. The song then launches right into the chorus with a drop that reminds me of Wanna One’s Boomerang. The pairing of these two parts actually makes the drop feel very powerful. Another aspect that makes this song a strong piece is the ‘shouting’ that features as part of the chorus. This helps bold that one liner that repeats throughout the chorus. The rest of the track follows a similar dynamic instrumentation and feature strong vocals and rapping talents. The only thing that disappoints me is that the song felt like it was on a loop. But other than that, good track. (8/10)

4. Blackout Blackout tames those epic vibes that I had written about in the previous songs. But it still that rough dance track, with a stronger focus on melodies and vocals. I really like that vibrating-like synth in the background, which felt very unique and different. I liked the opening vocals that utters the title of the ‘Blackout’ in that really edgy voice. I also like how this contrasts with the smoother ‘Blackout’ that is sung in the chorus. This song, too, shows that the group has a strong vocal and rap line. Whoever did the higher pitch during the bridge sounded really good. The only thing I really didn’t understand is that ‘explosive’ utterance in the chorus. It just got annoying in the background as I enjoyed the rest of the song. But that is just me. (8.5/10)

5. Stay (낯섦) – Despite it too being a dance track. Stay is a lot smoother than any of the tracks before it. It is a good track to really chill to, especially after all that intensity. It laid back tone is very likeable and pleasant to my ears. This track zones even further into the vocal side of the song, as the song has really nice melodies. The song delves into a EDM that we hear very often in the KPOP realm. So it has that typical nature working against it. But what does work in its favour is how suitable the song feels for a nice drive along the coast. Or a walk on a mild breezy day. (8/10)

6. Cloud 9 – There is a bit of grooviness to Cloud 9, which sets this song apart from the rest of the album. But it is also a pop sound that you hear very often from many male groups. So once again, there is a typical nature working against it. But the song is still pleasant and enjoyable. It had a decent beat and it isn’t overly loud in any aspect, which is a good track to put on when you are doing some chores around the house, for example. The vocal work and rapping was a little bland in this song, but it was still good for a lighthearted style. Interestingly, I don’t find the song to be much of a Cloud 9, given that the song is still rooted in a dance track style. It does, however, cast a different and softer light on the group. (7/10)

7. Star (별)Star is another pop song. And I too feel like it fell into the trap of being typical. But it was a much stronger effort than the other two tracks of a similar nature. Once again, the song is very vocal centric, with the featuring soothing and pleasant sounding vocals, which is interesting considering he instrumental was still very upbeat. The melodies were very appealing, especially when it came to the chorus. The rapping was also quite good and fitted in well with the song. I really liked the acoustic guitar during the bridge of the song, which is a change from the electronic synths we have heard throughout the album. It also seemed to start a level of lightness, which made the song and album close out in a pretty and easygoing manner. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.2/10

Hideout: Remember Who We Are Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 1st Week of May 2020

The 1st Week of May 2020 has just passed. We are literally flying through 2020, with the half year mark just a few weeks away. And I think many people will be glad for the fast speed as we go through this year, given that 2020 has been exceptionally crazy given the well known and unique circumstances we find ourselves in. I hope you are all well and staying safe in the meantime. As it is a Sunday, it is time for the weekly KPOP charts.

Remaining on top of the charts this week is Oh My Girl’s Nonstop (and if I considered non-title tracks, then Dolphin would remain in the top spot as per last week). Behind the group is Taeyeon, who returns with her digital single, Happy. ASTRO also made their comeback this week with Knock, which debuts in the third position this week. IU’s collaboration single with Suga from BTS, Eight, debuts in the fourth position, while Chungha’s first pre-release single, Stay Tonight, rounds out our Top 5 this week. For more of the charts, scroll down below.

  3rd May – 9th May 2020
Title Artist Status
1 Nonstop Oh My Girl (=)
2 Happy Taeyeon (SNSD) (new)
3 Knock ASTRO (new)
4 Eight IU ft. Suga (BTS) (new)
5 Stay Tonight CHUNGHA (▼ 1)
6 Spit It Out Solar (Mamamoo) (▼ 4)
7 Leo BOL4 ft. Baekhyun (EXO) (new)
8 Ridin’ NCT Dream (▼ 3)
9 Chocolate Max Changmin (TVXQ) (▲ 16)
10 Soul H&D (▲ 7)
11 Not By The Moon GOT7 (▼ 4)
12 VAVI Girl FANATICS (new)
13 LALALILALA APRIL (▼ 10)
14 Dumhdurum APINK (▼ 5)
15 Oh My Girl (G)I-DLE (▼ 2)
16 BAZOOKA! GWSN (▼ 10)
17 Gravity Ong Seong Woo (▼ 5)
18 Break All The Rules CRAVITY (▲ 1)
19 A Song Written Easily ONEUS (▼ 8)
20 Lupin DONGKIZ (▼ 2)
21 Wannabe ITZY (▼ 6)
22 2U Kang Daniel (▼ 8)
23 Lie IMFACT (▼ 13)
24 Hold WINNER (▲ 3)
25 Spring MCND (▲ 12)
26 Refresh Zico & Kang Daniel (▲ 16)
27 Remember WINNER (▲ 11)
28 Color Eye Park Woo Jin (AB6IX) (▲ 13)
29 ASSA cignature (▲ 11)
30 Q ONEWE ft. Hwasa (Mamamoo) (=)

Songs leaving the charts this week (as they have reached their 9 weeks limit on the charts) are:

  • Color Eyes – Park Woo Jin (AB6IX)
  • Wannabe – ITZY
  • Howling – VICTON
  • Lupin – Dongkiz
  • Lie – Favorite
  • Adios amor – Sunny Hill

Thank you once again and I will see you in the next review.

[Album Review] Chocolate (1st Mini Album) – Max Changmin (TVXQ)

It is time for another album review. Sorry that this is a day late again. I had it written up and ready to go. But I was too tired after a long week at work to actually copy into the editor and insert the videos for the album review. So I opted to Netflix instead, like a professional procrastinator. But without any further delays, here is yesterday/today’s album review post. Today’s focus is on Max Changmin’s official solo debut mini-album, Chocolate, which is also the title of the main title track on the album. This release comes after Changmin had debuted as part of TVXQ 16 years ago.

Chocolate Album Cover

1. Chocolate (Title Track)Click here to read the full review for Chocolate. (10/10)

2. High Heels – One thing that stands out in High Heels is the subtle level of grooviness in this jazzy number. There is also a sleek and classy vibe thanks to the funky guitar and deep bass in the background, all contributing to a strong foundation. Adding to the appeal of the song is Changmin’s vocals, which I find to be quite light. I liked the harmonies between Changmin’s vocals and the background vocals. The sound of the high heels walking at the start and end of the song was also adds an element of curiosity and got me thinking why Changmin would be singing a song by a pair of high heels. Well, the high heels referred to in the song aren’t the actual shoes. Rather, it is referred to as a barrier and that their crush is unreachable. (8/10)

3. Lie (ft. Chungha)Lie steers the song towards the modern sound again. We get a minimalist instrumental in this song, with hollow drums being the main instrumentation we get during the verses. The song adds a dramatic flair and a beat to the chorus, driving the song forward. Lie also features Chungha, who we all know from hit songs and recent release (Stay Tonight). I really like how the song sets up for Chungha’s featuring for the chorus, inserting a squeaky synth into the background and easing us towards a high-pitched yet aesthetic ‘I’m So Lonely’, courtesy of Chungha herself. I like it feels like it is part of the instrumentation, yet at the same time, we know it is her featuring part. She isn’t limited to just 3 words on repeat, however, as she has a vocal sequence in the bridge, which was quite nice. Changmin, himself, sounds amazing in this song. He goes between a standard pitch that somehow just melt into your ears, high pitch and harmonises with the backing vocals that just adds further smoothness to his voice. The pair doesn’t share any sections explicitly, but they manage to develop a really strong chemistry that I just want more of. (10/10)

4. Piano – I don’t know if Piano is meant to come off as a fun number. But that is the feeling that I get from this amazing song. First of all, I am in love with Changmin’s vocals in this song. He goes lows for the verses and I find this very alluring, given the higher note of the piano in the background. His adopts a more powerful vocal delivery for the chorus and this felt very bold due to the contrast with his low tone. Second of all, how aesthetic is this instrumental. It predominately features someone hitting the same key on a piano throughout the instrumental. There is also this low bass beat and drumbeats which adds some character to the song. I also love the dramatic endings to the chorus, which add a zap to the song that really grabs your attention. To sum up, I quote Changmin in the song, ‘I Like It, Don’t Stop’. (10/10)

5. Me, Myself & I – Setting up the tone and direction of this R&B is an unanswered song and the line ‘I’m so freaking over you’. Changmin barely enters a different vocal range in the song unlike his other tracks, staying low and bringing out a raspy sound in this voice. It almost feels like he is whispering to himself. This R&B track features acoustic guitars and drum beat that pushes the song along. While it does sound like all is lost in his opening line (which is the opening line to all choruses in the song), there is a glimmer of hope and that is why you could feel a little warmth to the way the song came together. Unfortunately, I did find the song monotone to a degree and hence didn’t enjoy as much as the other songs on the album. (7/10)

6. No TomorrowNo Tomorrow is the song that closes up the album. And it definitely follows the feel at how the songs do not sound alike in anyway. It is upbeat thanks to the band instrumentation and acoustic guitars. The song also has a very bright profile, which I find every interesting. That might be due to the really uplifting lyrics that Changmin had penned. In No Tomorrow, his vocals are a lot bolder and not held back. Actually, a better way to describe is that Changmin lets loose in this song, without going with a crazy song. It feels refined this way and ends the album on a very bold yet happy note. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

Chocolate Teaser Image

[Review] Leo – BOL4 ft. Baekhyun (EXO)

May is going to be one intense month given the popularity of many acts that have been confirmed a release for the month. And we have just saw the competition get a little more intense with the release of another big collaboration. This one is between BOL4 and Baekhyun from EXO. BOL4 has been a huge artist, dominating the charts over the past few years with songs like Galaxy, Some, Travel and Bom. More recently, BOL4 was reduced to one member (Ahn Ji Young) with the departure of Woo Ji Yoon. Despite that, it was confirmed that BOL4 (now a solo act) would return later this month, with Leo being a pre-release single. Joining her later this month in a solo comeback of his own and Leo is Baekhyun from EXO, who no doubt every knows of due to EXO’s popularity and through his past digital hits such as UN Village and Dream (with Bae Suzy).

As this is a pre-release single for BOL4’s upcoming album, Leo is very much in her willpower. Her unique vocals shine throughout this song from the very first moment we hear her. There is something about that slight nasally voice that just makes many of her songs so captivating. The song has this really light and floating feeling, which really compliments her vocals that doesn’t make it tiring. It pretty much throws you back to BOL4’s early days with the songs in which grew the name and got her to the top of the charts. The song’s instrumentation is jazzy and I find suits the Summer season quite a bit. And Leo‘s brightness compliments the lyrics is about being happy when seeing the person you love. But BOL4 only makes up one half of the song. The other half is occupied with Baekhyun who sounds really sweet in this song. I don’t really have much to say about his voice. But I do find that his voice keeps the song grounded in a way, which was an interesting thought I had. It might have something to do with the contrast between BOL4’s high tone and Baekhyun’s deeper tone. When they sing and harmonise together, I find that they manage to bring the the floating feeling and grounded feeling together quite neatly, creating a very balanced atmosphere and relaxing in the song.

The video only features BOL4, who portrays that happy feeling that the song expresses. It seems like she is a homebody in the music video who doesn’t enjoy going outside. She keeps to herself and practically lives on her own. Not sure why she doesn’t leave her sanctuary. But she has her up and down moments living alone. She has her happy moments when she listens to the little stereo (which is how Baekhyun made a cameo in the video – without even appearing physically – I thought that was very well planned). But she has her low moments (i.e. when she was winding the wool and got board). A butterfly (i.e. something that she loves a bit) flew into her apartment and attracted her attention. From then on, she was quite happy. So happy that she followed the butterfly outside and enjoyed her time. I like how the video sends a simple message of that if you are with someone you love, it will make anything you worry or are scared about meaningless, allowing you to overcome that hurdle. Overall, a nice video.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] Eight – IU ft. Suga (BTS)

You take the digital queen of KPOP. You take one of the members of the most popular KPOP group in KPOP. You put them together in a room and apparently that equates to Eight. If you couldn’t tell about the title of this post, I will be having a looking into the collaboration single that came about when we combine the likes of IU and Suga from BTS. And that collaboration single is set to dethrone every other song at the top of the charts, given the power of the two in the industry. After all, they have already debuted at the number 1 position for two of the domestic charts and they are rising fast on the rest of them. After all, it is what IU and BTS does best.

The song is produced by Suga and IU themselves and it all about being 28 (which is also the Korean age of both IU and Suga this year). The song takes the form of a pop rock track, which already sounds amazing. I liked how mellow Eight started off as and how fast it was to ditch that sound to become an epic pop rock song that I could rock out to. That is really big tick in my books. To me, it is like the song mashes up IU’s pop rock Blueming and BTS’ more modern influence. I do think Eight could have used some electric guitar riffs to really give the final chorus a little something different to the rest of the song. Or would this be a little cliche? The song just felt a little too consistent as I was listening to it after multiple replays. Though, this doesn’t stop me from pressing the replay button. IU’s vocals never seem to disappoint, with this song highlighting her vocal abilities in the same way as her ballads and well known hits have always managed to do. Her voice comes off very refreshing and suits this pop rock style a lot. Suga has a very limited section in Eight, but he comes in with a really cool whisper and he continues the momentum of the song without diverting to a new or different sound. The only other flaw of the song is how short it was. But after all, it is a short but sweet song.

The music video starts and ends off with IU in this futuristic world. It seems like the machine that she gets into is a memory machine that replays memories in her dream. The memory that we see on our screen is what I presume to be an experience at the age of 28. She takes care of a lizard or gecko that she really loves. One night, she has a dream that she is on a plane and her lizard is on the outside of the plane. The plane experiences turbulence, waking IU up. IU runs downstairs to find that her lizard pet has gone into the wild. IU, in another dream, goes looking for her pet. But soon realizes that her pet had evolved into a dragon like creature. Knowing that her lizard pet is well and moving on with its life, she moves on with hers as she flies away to her destination. I thought the video was really cool. I liked how they showed four versions of IU without confusing us as they used a different style of each. They used a human form for Futuristic IU and memory IU, while animated 3D IU (which may have included 3D animated Suga) and cartoon IU for the different dreams. Overall, a fantastic video.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Review] V.A.V.I Girl – FANATICS

Making their comeback on Monday was FANATICS. The group started out as a trio, FANATICS-FLAVOR, back in 2018 with the single Milkshake. The subunit was reformed with new members and the FLAVOR part was dropped from their name. The full group, FANATICS, was expanded to be 6 members in 2019 through the release of Sunday. The group then expanded to a 8-member lineup this year through V.A.V.I Girl (this review) and currently the group’s lineup is Sika, Doi, Chaelin (hiatus), Chiayi, Yoonhye (hiatus), Doah, Rayeon and Via. This is the group’s second official comeback, which features on their second mini-album which is titled (appropriately) as Plus Two.

Right off the bat, I want to say that I don’t mind V.A.V.I Girl as a song. There are a number of elements in the song that I quite enjoy and there are a number of elements that I am not digging. As always, let’s start off with the negative aspects that is dragging the song down. I personally don’t like how they pushed the cutesy style vocals onto this group. I understand that was the more fitting sound given the song’s energetic and lively nature. But I felt it was still quite unnecessary push that ended with the song developing a really typical profile. I think they could have adopted a mature vocal style (allowing for the use of their raspy and husky vocals that I can hear) and this song still would have had the same impact. The instrumental was also quite loud, so they had to push their voices extra hard to be heard over it. This was also an unnecessary step that the producers could have prevented. I usually don’t mind the dubstep breakdown that cuts through songs, but this was pretty ill-fitting. They had to a take what felt like an extra long pause to return the song its original instrumental, a sign of something that just doesn’t go with the majority. But as I said, it isn’t all bad. I thought the instrumental (aside from that dubstep breakdown) was awesome. There was an explosive and punchy nature to the retro instrumental, which was quite addictive. This also made the song very colorful and fun. Adding to the addictiveness of the song was the hook. I thought the ‘V.A.V.I Girl‘ was actually quite smart as it pronounced similarly to Barbie Girl. The main reason why they did this was to avoid being banned from promoting it (as songs with actual brand names have been banned from music shows in the past), as that won’t help to get their name out there.

If you had been reading this blog for a while now, you might have noticed that I prefer videos with a story line or some sort of . It doesn’t have to be a spectacular movie blockbuster style. It just has been something that they can weave into the video so it doesn’t become a typical closeup and choreography style music video, which I find boring. This music video had it, but it was missing a key detail. The members are dolls that have become alive and they go into a toy shop after realizing that the product they used to be part of were not doing well in sales. It seems like they go in play around with some of the toys and go looking for themselves to put in the middle display. We just don’t get to see the part where they find their product, which I think was the whole point of the video. I don’t think they grabbed the ones from the front as they have ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Free’ stickers on the front that you can’t remove without leaving some of the sticker behind. In regards to the rest of the video, it was very colourful and had a fun vibe, matching the tone of the song.

The choreography was good. It didn’t look that impressive at first. But after multiple replays of the choreography on stage, I thought that circle formation they move in for the second half of the chorus was very cool. The music video showed a few black flips (don’t know if they are the actual name of that move) at the end of the video. It was probably for the best given their outfits, but I would have liked to see that on stage as it would added a little wow factor in my opinion.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Album Review] Destiny (2nd Single Album) – Infinite

It is time that I bring back the Past Album Reviews (PARs), where I dive into the albums that have been released in past. In order to be reviewed, the album cannot be released in the current year. So in this case, any album released in 2019 or before may land itself on the review. They will be published weekly (as like last year) and will follow the same format as the usual album reviews. The restarting album to this segment Infinite’s Destiny, which is the group’s second single album. It was released back in 2013 after the release of New Challenge in the same year, which I previously reviewed last year.

Destiny Album Cover

Apologies that I could not find the official audio for the b-sides on this album on YouTube. I have linked to the YouTube lyrics videos that I could find instead.

1. Destiny (Title Track) – My previous review for Destiny consisted of a combined rating score, which I do not use in my album reviews. Upon reconsideration I have changed the rating to 9/10 song-wise from the 7.5 combination rating I had given originally. Click here to read the full review for Destiny. (9/10)

2. Inception – My new headphones are really getting a workout with the recent bass heavy songs that I have been reviewing. And Inception joins that list, opening with multiple deep drumbeats that really gets me intrigued in the song after all these years. Joining the deep beats that is brought in and out of the song, the song has this ongoing squeaky synth that really gets into your head (well, it did for me after all this time). There is also this classy vibe to the song which I thought really helped make this song feel polish and at another level. The vocal work was really good, with the chorus featuring harmonies from the members to give that powerful feel in a subtle way. There is also a catchy melody attached to the song, which helps it becomes a strong b-side that follows in the footstep of Destiny. (9/10)

3. Going To You (너에게 간다)Going To You is pop ballad, leaning more to the pop side. I am always amazed when it comes to Infinite’s ballad. Back then and even now. Going To You has this very wholesome and passionate feel to it, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The instrumental is a balanced mixture of band and classical instrumentation, which gives the song that lean to the pop side of the spectrum. The melody was light and simple. All the members participate as vocalists in this song and they all sound really good. I love how they stripped all the music at the end, giving Woohyun an opportunity to end the song with his effortless vocals. I could go on about this song but I will give two big thumbs up for this song, with hopes that summarises the rest of my thoughts. (9/10)

4. Mother (엄마) Mother is more of your typical ballad. Slow and the instrumental is more classical-centered. Mother is a special song, dedicated to all mothers. The members sing Mother with their own mothers, wanting to saying to ‘Thank You’ and ‘I Love You’ to them. They touched on being immature at a young age and now that they have grown up, they understand what their mothers had gone through while raising them. There is a very warm feel to their voices and you can hear the emotions behind their voices, which is a sign of a good ballad. I liked how swaying the melody was, another sign of a good ballad in my books. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

Destiny Teaser Image

[Review] Knock – ASTRO

Also kicking off the month of May is ASTRO, who makes their comeback with the title track, Knock, and the mini-album GATEWAY. This is ASTRO’s first comeback since the release of Blue Flame late last year and it is also the first official comeback which marks the return of Moonbin, who sat out of promotions for Blue Moon for health reasons. ASTRO, with Moonbin, did release a special single, One & Only, in March for their fourth anniversary. I am also very glad that ASTRO is coming back today as opposed to a week from now due to the intense competition due next week. It gives ASTRO an opportunity to shine, which will help them immensely in this crazy month ahead.

Knock may be the song that pushes the group further into the spotlight. I feel like All Night and Blue Flame did a fine job at putting the group into the spotlight, but it hasn’t been enough to make them the centre of attention based on the resultant reception that I got from my research. After all, the group is charting higher than ever with Knock. I put my finger on a number of aspects of the song that may be helping with this. The first has to be the song’s robust and very dynamic chorus. I like how the song’s main hook (i.e. the ‘Knock Knock Knock‘) felt like mini jabs throughout the chorus that really reeled you in and grabbed your attention. The second has to the be powerful rapping. Both JinJin and Rocky shined in the verses. But once the bridge came, I wanted more and they delivered with an extra powerful sequence. And as a cherry on the top, JinJin had a final section with was rapping overload for me (in a good way). The third has to be the vocals. MJ, Moonbin, Eunwoo and Sanha all sounded really clear and crisp. The powerful dance instrumentation was very loud and I was concerned that the members would be drowned in the midst of the music. The fourth has to be the instrumental, which I have just touched on. I liked how the chorus contrasted with the instrumentation in the verses, which was a lot more melodic and calmer. Put everything together and you get Knock.

The concept of the music video and comeback is dimension travelling, which isn’t a unfamiliar concept in the KPOP world. I am a little hesitant calling it time travelling, even though their image teasers hinted towards it, as I didn’t see much references to time. But what I think I find very unique about the music video is that they focus on the middle region of this travelling between different worlds, which is often not even shown in music videos related to time travelling or going in between worlds. It was stunning video and you could see how the multiple worlds was accessible in this realm or limbo that they are in. The visual effects for the spiraling staircases and the floating planets looked amazing. Even the members looked very attractive and captivating in this video.

The choreography left a very strong impression on me. In an interview published by Soompi, the group expressed how tiring the choreography. And what I saw in the music video looked really exhausting. But it was a very powerful routine that shows off the group’s dancing ability. Just watch look at each moment where they sing ‘Knock Knock Knock‘. There is no resting period in this choreography and it requires stamina. So props to the members for this powerful choreography, especially in the weeks to come.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.7/10

[Review] Happy – Taeyeon (SNSD)

Today, Taeyeon makes her grand return with her single, Happy. This comeback was meant to happen 2 months ago on March 9th, which is also her birthday. But due to her father’s death on the same day, the decision was made to delay the comeback up until a week ago when the new single confirmed its new release date. Before I begin the review or go any further, I would like to express my condolences to Taeyeon and her family for their loss. On a happier note, this is Taeyeon’s first comeback since the release of her second repackaged studio album and the title track, Dear Me.

Happy is the first release of May that will be a tough digital contender throughout the month, as is the case for most of Taeyeon’s releases. And listening to Happy, you can tell there is a certain level of boldness in this song that is needed to achieve high rank on the charts. For Happy, this boldness comes in the form of a deep and loud thumping drum, which not only gives the song boldness but it also adds a little cute flair to the song which makes it extremely appealing. The song is said to combine old school doo-wop and R&B to create such a heartwarming and wholesome song. And it is because of these feelings that just make you want to smile. Adding to the really positive atmosphere that comes from the song are Taeyeon’s vocals. They just feel down to earth and really captivating without the singer pulling out crazy vocal chops. In a way, she keeps to a simple presentation and I quite like this. The melodies were just so flowy and this too adds to the appeal. Altogether, the song manages to bundle happiness in a 3:46 minute track.

I am not too sure if this is the original music video that was meant to be released. But I find the video to be extremely relatable (not including the fridge positioned in the middle of the living room) to the current circumstances that we find much of the world in at this moment. I wonder if this was the intention of the music video, if it was not re-filmed to be applicable to current times. Essentially, we see Taeyeon enjoy her time alone, with what I assume is memories with her love one. We also see Taeyeon in a fake field, surrounded with flowers. This may be an artistic choice, or it could be due to the restrictions in place around the world. I thought this was a great video. The lighting was extremely bright and complimented the happy tone of the song. I would say the music video was simple to a degree, as there wasn’t much going on. But it managed to work with the song.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10