Casual reviews of KPOP songs, music videos & dances
Author: kpopreviewed
Hi, my name is Tony and I am the man behind the site, kpopreviewed. Currently an university student who wants to introduce people to KPOP and if you are already into KPOP, different groups and bands.
ONEUS received the honorable mentions in the KPOPREVIEWED Awards for 2019, after a massive debut year consisting of their debut track, Valkyrie, and comeback tracks, Twilight and Lit. Now, the group is back to tackle 2020 with their first single, A Song Written Easily. This comes after the group released their first original Japanese single (808), their Korean fanmeet and Japanese concerts. And just recently, the group has been confirmed to be participating in the TV show, Road to Kingdom (the male version of Queendom). Given how good Queendom was, I will be watching the male version for sure. But that isn’t until the end of April. So until then, lets break down ONEUS’s new song.
Described as a Moombahton dance track, A Song Written Easily seems to take a step back into typical dance music territory, particularly since their last comeback track (Lit) was slightly unique for its heavy usage of traditional Korean instruments in a dance track. But regardless of the direction in which the song steps in, ONEUS manages to do a pretty good job with A Song Written Easily. I found the song to be very refreshing, thanks to the wide reach that the synths employ. None of the synths feel tight or restricted, hence the revitalizing appeal of the song. The track also employs whistling in the instrumental. The melody that we hear the whistle in is reflected in the synths during the chorus and I thought that there was a beautiful feel to it. There is an easygoing vibe, despite the song being a dance track. I wouldn’t be surprised if I find myself humming to the melody after more replays. Both vocals and rapping were impressive in this track, in my opinion. The vocal work sounds pretty good, pairing well with the instrumental. The rapping is the more interesting front, providing the song with an added layer of texture.
The refreshing vibes that I mentioned in the song were translated into the music video. I love the breathtaking and stunning nature shots that featured in this music video. For those who are wondering where this video was shot, I am reading that it was shot in New Zealand. Despite the music video looking stunning, the song is actually a little heavy on the heart. The members sing about how easy a song came together when they thought of their former lover, after everything they had been through. Based on the interpretation of the music video by Soompi, the flowers depict new beginnings and the member’s interaction with the flowers (seen in the teasers) show how they faced hardships in their relationships and how they overcame them.
It seems like due to the ongoing health pandemic, many artists won’t be doing any live showcases for the time being, which is always my first look of the choreography. We do see bit in the music video and I like what I see. I find everything pairs well with the music. There is a bit of intensity and boldness in the choreography, which I haven’t picked up yet in the other components of this comeback.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.3/10
Welcome to the Weekly Chart post for the 3rd Week of March. I know I have been promising reviews lately and haven’t been delivering, as I have been fixated on the news a lot lately (we all know why). I can reassure you that reviews are coming your way still and that I will get around to reviewing some of your favourite releases from February and March that I haven’t done so yet. Please be patient and thank you for your support. Stay safe and keep washing those hands!
Rising to the number 1 spot this week is NCT 127 with Kick It. They just missed out of the Top 5 last week, but Kick It was so good that I listened to it many times throughout this past week to get it to the top! ITZY’s Wannabe was a very big contender, but dropped down to the second position. I reviewed 3YE’s Queen and Yezi’s Home this week and they fill in the third and fourth positions respectively, while Sunny Hill’s Adios amor rose from the bottom of the charts last week to this week’s fifth position. For more of the charts, scroll down below.
15th Mar – 21st Mar 2020
Title
Artist
Status
1
Kick It
NCT 127
(▲ 5)
2
Wannabe
ITZY
(▼ 1)
3
Queen
3YE
(▲ 28)
4
Home
Yezi
(▲ 7)
5
Adios Amor
Sunny Hill
(▲ 42)
6
Break Up
Lim Young Min (AB6IX)
(▲ 35)
7
Dun Dun
EVERGLOW
(▼ 3)
8
My Gravity
Yezi
(▲ 13)
9
So What
LOONA
(▼ 1)
10
My Universe
CRAXY
(▲ 37)
11
Love The Moon
VIINI ft. Lee Soo Hyun (AKMU) & BLOO
(▲ 35)
12
Cool
BVNDIT
(▲ 26)
13
Reveal
The Boyz
(▲ 3)
14
On
BTS
(▼ 11)
15
Scream
Dream Catcher
(▼ 1)
16
Nun Nu Nan Na
cignature
(▲ 19)
17
Hug Me Once
Hyolyn ft. Crucial Star
(▲ 30)
18
Dr. BeBe
Pentagon
(▲ 8)
19
Dazzle Dazzle
Weki Meki
(▼ 7)
20
The Day
IZ
(▲ 12)
21
Just Cry
Lee Hae Ri (Davichi)
(▲ 26)
22
Red Moon
KARD
(▼ 2)
23
Ice Age
MCND
(▲ 2)
24
Lupin
DONGKIZ
(▲ 9)
25
Lie
Favorite
(▲ 11)
26
Hands Up
Cherry Bullet
(▼ 3)
27
Moondance
Jeon Woong (AB6IX)
(▼ 10)
28
Goodbye
Kim Jae Hwan
(▲ 19)
29
Howling
VICTON
(▼ 27)
30
Dive
iKON
(▼ 20)
There are no songs leaving the charts this week. And with that, I thank you visiting my blog and hope to see you throughout the week (with many more reviews coming your way).
It is finally time for me to sit down and knock out some album reviews that has been sitting on my to-do list. First up is for a comeback that occurred in early February, which means this review is almost 2 months late (really sorry for this). For those who may not remember this comeback, iKON returned with Dive at the start of February, their first comeback since the departure of B.I from the group. It was reported that the group had to re-record the album again and hence the comeback delayed to earlier this year. Let’s have a closer (and belated) look at the album.
i DECIDE Album Cover
1. Ah Yeah – Ah Yeah kicks off with a rolling marching drumbeat. It gives the song an epic lift-off. While there was a bit of dramatic flair to it, the song moved into more of a rock sound, which makes complete sense. More unexpectedly was that there was a perky melody and tone to the song, which I don’t mind. But I would have loved for the rock sound to add onto the dramatic flair we got. The group handled the song well, despite it containing parts that we all know B.I once filled. There were two parts that I didn’t enjoy. First the trap-like breakdown for the bridge. We all know how overused this is now and it is becoming more and more obvious with each song. And second, iKON keeps on pulling out the anthem card. It is becoming slightly overused and this might ruin the appeal that card has. (8/10)
3. All The World(온 세상) – We get a blast of 90s energy in this song at the very start, before the song settles for a pop sound. Everything in All The World is very vibrant and lively, a side of iKON that we get to see from time to time. The group’s rapping and vocal delivery really made this song feel so much more energetic and appealing to fans. And based on the comments from other listeners on YouTube, the song’s lyrics add to that regard, as well. Once again, they pull out the anthem card for the end. Here, however, it did feel like it made more sense and helped create a wholesome profile for the song. (8.5/10)
4. Holding On(견딜만해) – Following the same tone and energy as the previous track, Holding On brings in the vibrancy with some brass. Within the instrumental seems to be also some orchestral and classical instruments, all built to form an upbeat and playful track. This is a vocal centric track, containing no rapping sequences. The raspy vocals brought to you by Ju-ne and Bobby was an amazing texture. The ad-libs at the end were pretty good and I loved how the instrumental moulded around them. The chorus was catchy and definitely got me in a good mood (especially since the lyrics give empowerment to those who recently broke up). The song also pulls the anthem card out towards the end, but it was more for a backing rather than straight up singing the final chorus (as previously done in the above songs). (9/10)
5. Flower (너란 바람 따라) – The album ends with a song that is almost like a ballad. When I look at the lyrics of the song, I can’t help but think that iKON is paying homage to their former leader. Lyrics like ‘Hope your way is not painful, Hope you just smile happily’ strongly suggests that mentioned meaning. And I am sure this provokes tears in loyal fans of the group. I really like how the instrumental takes a slightly heavier tone, suitable for the song’s message, as opposed to following the upbeat tone that preceded the track. I also find the instrumental to be rather soothing with the acoustic guitar and violins and in despite the drum beat we do get. Vocally, the group did amazing and Bobby’s rap gave it that little push. (9/10)
The next song on the ‘Coming Soon’ list that I wanted to look at is 3YE’s latest comeback. I recently reviewed first comeback track. OOMM (Out Of My Mind), which the trio released back in September of 2019. That track put them on the map for me and convinced me to give Queen a go. And that is where we find ourselves today. For those who may not be aware of the existence of 3YE, they are a three member female group (consisting of Yuji, Yurim, and Haeun) from GH Entertainment. They made their debut earlier in 2019 with DMT (Do My Thang).
As established in the OOMM review, the group dabbles into the hip-hop dance genre. And Queen is no exception. Many groups are now doing this, as we move to a more mature and darker sound of KPOP (as it seems like fans enjoy this more nowadays than the more cutesy stuff we saw many years back). To me, 3YE manages to make their song feel engaging which is definitely one strong foot forward in this current climate of similar sounds. I love the start of the song, when Yuji is rapping for the first verse. The lines were definitely punchy and there was a decent flow here. The momentum continued for the rest of first verse and the pre-chorus managed to incorporate a subtle buildup. The chorus manages to change the song up by going with a different beat and line delivery. It felt very stripped down and minimalist, despite there being a prominent fast tempo beat in the background. And this helps it become unique, as we don’t get to hear much of this trance-like sounds in KPOP. The sing-speak we heard also makes it memorable. The short dance break that we heard after the first and final chorus felt like the most typical part of the song and felt they could have forgone this if they couldn’t find something more unique to add to the appeal. The rest of the song follows a similar line of comments as I have made already and this all helps the song become engaging as I said before. The members put a lot of attitude into this as well, which is commonly expected from a hip-hop based track. But I felt they added heaps more, which really helped the rest of the comeback.
There are some suspicious dealings happening in the music video, yet only one member triumphs in the end. The story line that I get from the video is that Yuji, the leader of the suit-wearing gang, is working with Yurim (the member wearing a hanbok) and pays her a hefty amount of money. But it seems like Yurim has been feeding Haeun (whom I believe is a no-nonsense cop) information to take Yuji down. Yuji finds out and decides to off Yurim (hence the burial scene at the end and all the suits wearing gang members are suddenly standing in Yurim’s room as opposed to sitting earlier in the video – i.e. they turned on her). Haeun is kidnapped and I presume is offed as well. This is a very dark yet awesome concept, taking girl crush to a much more powerful and scary level. Beware of 3YE. All other aspects of the music video look cool, as well.
There is a bit of everything in the choreography. There is some bounce to the routine, a lot of attitude and sass. It gives off the impression not to mess around with them, as their music video strongly hinted at. While no move was memorable, everything felt right for the song and that is another strong footing to the comeback.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
It is time to get back on the review grind. And hopefully, I can stay on the grind. Kicking things off is Yezi’s latest comeback. It has been a while since we heard from Yezi. For those who may not remember this artist, Yezi was formerly the rapper for Fiestar, up until their disbandment in 2018. Over the years since her debut in 2014, Yezi has released a number of solo tracks (some of which I have reviewed in the past) and participated in Unpretty Rapstar 2. Up until a few weeks ago, Yezi has been absent from the industry since Fiestar disbanded. Today, we review Yezi’s recent tracks, My Gravity and Home.
Seeing Yezi return to the industry, I jumped right to My Gravity as soon as it was released (even though my review is 4 weeks late). And I am glad that I did. I am astounded with such an amazing song. Yezi presents us with a power ballad, something you would not expect from a rapper. But she handles all the notes amazingly. The power ballad has this grand feel, starting off with orchestral-like instrumentation. It remains in this mode up until the final chorus where the synths become a little more up front. I do find the instrumental to be a little hazy. Not sure if it is its true intention, but the haziness holds me from giving the song a perfect rating, unfortunately. It just makes My Gravity feel a little unclear, in my opinion. But that is only a minor issue. Other than that, I would recommend putting this song on in the background, closing you eyes and getting lost in its sound.
Home is a very bold track. The song opens with a soothing instrumental and this stays pretty much consistent during the verses. Her vocals are very refined and polished in this track and everything feels extremely clear, unlike in the latter track. It makes the opening verses more interesting. She does a bit of rapping. But to match the delicate nature of verses, her rapping is quite melodic (rather than her harsh delivery in the past). To me, the verses are the calm before the storm. For the chorus, she blasts with an EDM-pop instrumental and the hooks help transform the song into an anthem-like song. Her hooks in Home are quite punchy and this makes the song super catchy for me.
I do find the My Gravity music video to be poorly processed. If you don’t watch the music video in high definition, you may think the video is very dull and hazy (same complaint as mentioned for the song review). But when you do watch the video in high definition, everything looks spectacular. The nature setting was very beautiful and a lot of the drone shots looked stunning. It is also very artistic and aesthetically pleasing to watch. The video did get boring as it progressed, with Yezi walking in solo motion away from the car one of the driest shots ever. Sorry that I feel that way. Home takes things back into the studio and combines it with some outside shots in a dark laneway (that looks blurry, but I assumed that this was a filter applied post-production). This video is also aesthetically pleasing. The choreography shots were all taken with cool lighting (making way for a pretty cool stormy transition for the bridge) and performed in a very shallow amount of water. But more on that later. You can appreciate Yezi’s beauty more in this music video, in my opinion.
Home is the only track that has a choreography routine associated with it. And it looks amazing. The umbrellas make everything look so elegant. I really like pretty everything felt at the start. The choreography picked up for the choruses. I also liked the mini duo moment Yezi and her male dance partner performed at the end during the final chorus, along when they separated the genders during the final chorus while they perform all at the same time.
My Gravity Song – 9.5/10 Music Video – 8.5/10 Overall Rating – 9.1/10
Home Song – 10/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9.5/10
This is the Weekly KPOP Chart for this week! My last post was for the Weekly KPOP Charts from the previous week, if you are confused why there are double the amount of Weekly KPOP Charts. This one is for the 8th of March to the 14th of March 2020. In other news regarding the site, I definitely plan on reviewing more songs and albums. I will also be updating the ‘Coming Soon’ list, so you will know what is on your way. In the meantime, here is the latest Weekly Charts post!
Making their latest song debut on the charts is ITZY with Wannabe. Definitely a very catchy song that is definitely deserving to be on the top of the charts. Also making their latest song debut on the charts is VICTON’s Howling and do so in the second position. BTS rises back into the Top 5 and the third position with On. EVERGLOW does so as well with Dun Dun, into the fourth position. And finally IZ*ONE does the exact same with Fiesta, into the fifth position.
8th Mar – 14th Mar 2020
Title
Artist
Status
1
Wannabe
ITZY
(new)
2
Howling
VICTON
(new)
3
On
BTS
(▲ 3)
4
Dun Dun
EVERGLOW
(▲ 18)
5
Fiesta
IZ*ONE
(▲ 5)
6
Kick It
NCT 127
(▲ 6)
7
Eclipse
Moonbyul (Mamamoo)
(▲ 16)
8
So What
LOONA
(▲ 11)
9
Without You
Golden Child
(=)
10
Dive
iKON
(▲ 14)
11
Home
Yezi
(new)
12
Dazzle Dazzle
Weki Meki
(▼ 1)
13
Everybody Says
Kim Chungha
(▲ 38)
14
Scream
Dream Catcher
(▼ 12)
15
Jackpot
ELRIS
(▲ 10)
16
Reveal
The Boyz
(▼ 9)
17
Moondance
Jeon Woong (AB6IX)
(▼ 9)
18
Any Song
Zico
(▲ 28)
19
Interlude: Shadow
Suga (BTS)
(▲ 25)
20
Red Moon
KARD
(▼ 19)
21
My Gravity
Yezi
(▲ 15)
22
Crossroads
Gfriend
(▲ 9)
23
Hands Up
Cherry Bullet
(▲ 3)
24
Bouncy
Rocket Punch
(▼ 4)
25
Ice Age
MCND
(▼ 21)
26
Dr. BeBe
Pentagon
(▼ 21)
27
More
Kim Dong Hyun (AB6IX)
(▲ 13)
28
Rockstar
Ravi (VIXX)
(▲ 15)
29
Showtime
Spectrum
(▲ 22)
30
Close The Door
EPISODE
(▲ 21)
Songs leaving the charts this week are:
Any Song – Zico
Dear Me – Taeyeon (SNSD)
Cheeky – Enoi
Black Swan BTS
Interlude: Shadow – Suga (BTS)
Dark Cloud – Younha
Winter Flower – Younha ft. RM
Tender Love – Kim Jae Joong
My First Hero – 2Z
Thank you for revisiting the blog once again and I will be back with another review soon!
Hey everyone. Sorry about this very late post. I was on another break last weekend and could not post it last Sunday as I did not have my personal laptop on me. Unfortunately, I was a bit overwhelmed during the week with personal errands and could not get this post out. Hence, why it is posted today. That being said, I should make this clear. This is not the Weekly Chart post for this week. This was for the week of 1st March 2020 to 7th March 2020. I will post this past week’s Weekly KPOP Chart post later today.
Topping the charts for the 1st Week of March 2020 is KARD’s Red Moon, four weeks after its release. That is a pretty rare feat to rise to the top of the charts that late after its release, but has happened in the past before (Wannabe by Golden Child is the most recent example that I can think of, rising to the top of the charts 8 weeks after its release). Scream by Dream Catcher rises back into the Top 5 into the second position and is followed by Queen by 3YE. MCND’s Ice Age finds itself in the fourth position, while Dr. BeBe by Pentagon completes the top 5 for this week.
1st Mar – 7th Mar 2020
Title
Artist
Status
1
Red Moon
KARD
(▲ 7)
2
Scream
Dream Catcher
(▲ 20)
3
Queen
3YE
(▲ 14)
4
Ice Age
MCND
(▲ 39)
5
Dr. BeBe
Pentagon
(▲ 1)
6
On
BTS
(▼ 5)
7
Reveal
The Boyz
(▲ 17)
8
Moondance
Jeon Woong (AB6IX)
(▲ 21)
9
Without You
Golden Child
(▲ 11)
10
Fiesta
IZ*ONE
(▼ 7)
11
Dazzle Dazzle
Weki Meki
(▼ 2)
12
Kick It
NCT 127
(new)
13
Cool
BVNDIT
(▲ 20)
14
Rose, Scent, Kiss
Lee Dae Hwi (AB6IX)
(▲ 25)
15
My First Hero
2Z
(▲ 12)
16
Lay Back
VERIVERY
(▲ 7)
17
Home
Yezi
(new)
18
Keep Going
VOISPER
(▲ 25)
19
So What
LOONA
(▼ 12)
20
Bouncy
Rocket Punch
(▼ 10)
21
Winter Flower
Younha ft. RM
(▲ 4)
22
Dun Dun
EVERGLOW
(▼ 18)
23
Eclipse
Moonbyul (Mamamoo)
(▼ 21)
24
Dive
iKON
(▼ 13)
25
Jackpot
ELRIS
(▲ 13)
26
Hands Up
Cherry Bullet
(▼ 10)
27
My Angel
B.O.Y
(▲ 5)
28
2YA2YAO!
Super Junior
(▲ 15)
29
Answer
ATEEZ
(▼ 24)
30
Good Guy
SF9
(▼ 12)
Songs that were leaving this particular week are:
Good Guy – SF9
Answer – ATEEZ
Lay Back – VERIVERY
My Angel – B.O.Y
WeBelong – Ong Seong Woo
Keep Going – VOISPER
Wish – Dreamnote
I will be back soon with this past week’s Weekly KPOP Chart post! See you then.
The second comeback of the week belong to ITZY. This four member female group had a smashing 2019 debut year with two massive hits, Dalla Dalla and Icy. And we are all confident that ITZY will do it again in 2020. Kicking off their year is Wannabe, which is featured on the group’s 2nd mini-album, It’z Me. In other related news, ITZY took out all of the new female artist awards during the 2019/2020 awards season, including the 2019 KPOPREVIEWED Award for Best New Female Group. Congratulations ITZY!
The first thing that grabs my attention with ITZY’s new song, Wannabe (like many other songs) is the energy. I said a similar thing in my ICY review, but Wannabe manages to take things to the next level. Paired with the energy is a set of shouting vocals from each of the member. I have mentioned in the past this isn’t a great tactic and can bring a song down. But ITZY manages to commit throughout the song and use this technique to their advantage (even though they sounded pretty strained again at some parts). I mean, they get right into it when the song starts and I think this is fantastic. Otherwise, they would have been lost in the instrumentation. Together, they make the song very bold and defined. When it comes to the instrumental, I think this trap based background is amazing. There are many textures that makes it so interesting to listen to. It doesn’t rely solely on the trap, however. There is a bit of guitar in the mix that really stands out in the sea of synths. Rock vibes and house influences as well. Heck, the start had a very intriguing and eerie music box sound to it, capturing our attention from the very beginning. The song’s hooks are also another strong aspect and it had me singing along as soon as I heard it the first time around.
One way to gauge a group’s popularity nowadays might to see the presence of fan theories (fans need to be invested and dedicated to their group to write lengthy and detailed theories). ITZY’s latest music video has all these fan theories in the comment section. And instead of me interpreting the video, I thought I pick one of those theories as they would explain it better than me. The following was written by the YouTube user mich (so props to them for the theory below).
But I thought the video was interesting even without a theory. You could see what the video was about with just the English lyrics and the visual cues in the music video. I liked the balance between colour and darkness in this video. It wasn’t overly colourful, yet it wasn’t dark like the serious concepts we see in KPOP.
The choreography has two amazing moments in my opinion. The first has to be that music box start. The second has to be the sassy dance break bridge. The routines for each of these sections looked so cool. The rest of the performance looked very intense and energetic, as well. I thought they paired well with the music, especially the bouncy moments of the music. The only minor issue is the lack of smiles throughout the performance. The smiles switched off as soon as the camera diverted away from the members and I thought this brought down the aesthetics of the performance.
Song – 9/10 Music Video – 9/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 9/10
VICTON makes their long awaited return to the music industry yesterday. But what makes this a long awaited comeback? Well, it is the group’s first comeback with their full lineup since Time Of Sorrow in 2018. In 2019, Han Seung Woo placed 3rd in the Produce X 101 and debuted as part of the short-lived X1. With the disbandment of X1, this made way for a full group ‘Howling‘ comeback and this is where we find ourselves today. The rest of VICTON has been active since Produce X 101 and their made a comeback with Nostaglic Night in November last year and earned themselves their first music show win.
I find the way that Howling is styled follows nicely after Nostalgic Night and Time Of Sorrow. Both these tracks are very melodic despite their dance influences and synths that they use. Howling is almost the same but manages to sound a lot more refined. They also give off a modern flair, which I really think makes the track so appealing. The husky-whisper-singing-like vocal style that kicked off the song was really nice, and I liked how the chorus featured some of this as well. The vocal work is very smooth throughout and I think this aided in the refinement of the song. The rapping also follows quite nice and doesn’t overpower the song in any way, which I think was easily given how intense and deep the rapper sounded. The instrumental is pretty standard when you glance at it. But I really liked how subtle the change between the verse and chorus was. Despite it subtle nature, however, the chorus was its own section and you can tell them apart. I think the continuous mellow sound is starting to weigh down on them, however. With the return of Seungwoo, I would have expected there to be a change in direction for the group, especially since how this sound was never really a hit to begin win. For now, I think this is a fine song. But I would like to hear something a little more different from all their tracks so far (without falling into the generic trap, of course!).
The music video for this is one of the many that is made up of choreography shots and closeups. I don’t really see a concept within this 3 minute and a half video, other than dark and depressed. I did think their outfits, while were random, did allow them to shine a bit and stand out in all the darkness in the music video. In addition to that, I thought there were a number of good transitions which did grab my attention. But other than that, I don’t have much else to comment on.
I find it interesting that the choreographer didn’t put Han Seung Woo in the center position as much upon his return. If it was any other group, they would be capitalising on their most well known member by positioning them as the centre of the group. The choreography itself isn’t too bad. There really isn’t anything worth mentioning and memorable, unfortunately.
Song – 8.5/10 Music Video – 6/10 Performance – 7/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
Can you believe that I posted another album review on schedule? It sounds crazy. And another wish that has managed to come true is that Pentagon finally has their first studio album!!! It has been a wish that I (and many fans) have been look forward to ever since their early days and they have finally given us what we all wanted. The album is titled Universe: The Black Hall and this was released early February. The album features Dr. BeBe as the title track and also the Korean version of Happiness (a Japanese single they promoted last year) among other new songs.
2. Asteroid– The song opens up with this catchy squeaky disk-scratching-like synth that plays in my head even after the song finishes. The song, with a title about a large rock in space, does have this space-like vibe to it. What I really like is that the song isn’t that serious compared to Dr. BeBe, which means it isn’t as heavy as a result. The track has a decent dance backdrop and all these instrumental elements and characteristics make the song very appealing. The vocal work was also quite good, but I feel like the rap was the more dynamic out of the two. But either way, it made the song stand out. (9/10)
3. Shower of Rain – To me, Shower of Rain sounds like it is a title for a ballad. So, I was thoroughly surprised with how upbeat the pop track was. It started off with distorted sounds and slowly moved into a fulfilling and loaded instrumental. It peaks during the chorus and really helps give the song that bold effect. I love the way the song manages to strip itself down in the later parts and then return to the loaded sound right after. What also really surprised me was the vocals. I know Pentagon has good vocals, through some of their amazing works in the past. But Shower Of Rain has to contain of their best efforts yet. In additional to that, I liked the way they ended the song by getting everyone together to warn their partner to not leave them. (10/10)
4. Die For You – We get back into grungy and edgy side of Pentagon through Die For You. The instrumental takes on rocks, along with dance track synths. This sounds likes something we have heard before from other artists, but I feel like there is a sense of uniqueness to the song, based on how they layered the two sides of the instrumentation (i.e. the rock seems to come through and is not masked in any manner by the dance synths). The English in this track really stands out and really give off a sense of the dark side of the song. Vocally, the group stood out. But this time around, I thought the rapping was a little underwhelming, (8.5/10)
5. Talk – Pentagon brings out the acoustic guitar for Talk. They pair it with simple synths that give it a little more character that if they went just the guitar along. This keeps the song in line with the dance heavy tracks and ease us away with stripping the synths out completely. Vocally, the song was like a ballad and I thought there was a decent equilibrium that the group managed to strike between the raps and vocals. Both sounded good on their own and went well with the track. The track just didn’t feel like it up to par with the rest of the album. (8/10)
6. The Black Hall– I found The Black Hall to be a classy song when it first started. When the song’s main synths started to come in, I thought this classy vibe would be lost. But instead, the song manages keep the classy feel as it goes along. The vocal work is the main element that keeps this going, with its sensual styling. The way they dragged out ‘The Black’ felt so unique with their breathy voices. Going back to the instrumental, the synths ended up being very appealing. The bridge was also a standout part, as it built up quite fast and help give out a further rush of energy to the song. (9/10)
7. Worship U – While you could tell the song was going to be a dance track, the explosion of energy we got in the pre-chorus and chorus respectively caught me off guard as it just seems to come out of nowhere. And while that may be a recipe for disaster, that wasn’t the case of Worship U. The explosion of energy really helped make the song be addictive and bold. The delayed start to the final chorus made the ending feel so much more defined. I just wished the melodies and hooks were a lot stronger, which would definitely helped the song be more appealing. (8/10)
8. Zoom Up – The lyrics to Zoom Up seem to go in a sensual direction. I found that to be rather interesting. It is paired well with a very intense synth-heavy dance instrumental. It also used a traditional guitar of some sort at the start and end of the song, which I thought was a very peculiar highlight in the song. The vocal work and rapping sounded pretty good, though I felt like they had to compete in order to be heard. Furthermore, there wasn’t much of a separation to the chorus and pre-chorus, which I thought was odd. I was waiting for the chorus to come, but it never did. It wasn’t until I heard more of the song that I realized the Zoom Zoom Zoom Up part was the chorus. But it still works. (8/10)
9. Camellia – After so much upbeat tracks, we finally reach the ‘mandatory ballad’ zone of the album. First up is Camellia. It is a standard ballad in terms of instrumentation. It seems to incorporate a bit of slow rock in addition to the typical ballad nature of the song. But it is the type that makes you sway along to the music, which we know is my official criteria for a good ballad. What I think the group nails perfectly are their vocals. The melody and their delivery were very beautiful. The rapping as well was tweaked amazingly. Last time I felt strongly with a Pentagon ballad was Beautiful, which is still one of my favourite tracks from the group to this day. (8/10)
10. Someday – The second ballad on the album is Someday, which features the main vocalists of the group, Jinho and Hui. It is another beautiful track from the group. The duo relies on a typical orchestral sound for the ballad. But I like the way this wraps around the duo’s vocals in such a warm manner. While we are also mentioning vocals, both sounded spectacular. Each sounds so damn good on their own and their harmonies are really breathtaking. What makes this an even more special song is that the duo dedicated this song to their fellow members, making the meaning even more touching. (10/10)
I have been a little slow with the album reviews for the past few weeks. I apologise for this. Originally, I was planning on posting a series of album reviews this weekend. Bit I have dropped those plans due to another busy week which prevented me from drafting up multiple album reviews. However, I am sticking to the usual schedule of two album reviews, so keep your eyes peeled for them (this one being one of them). Today’s album review is for KARD’s latest album, Red Moon. The album features the title track of the same name and Dumb Litty, which was released last year.
Red Moon Album Cover
1. GO BABY – Kicking off KARD’s mini-album is GO BABY. With KARD’s tracks so far, I enjoy the intensity and explosive nature of their instrumentals, which make their deliver of lines and rap sequences feel so much more impactful and powerful. GO BABY is a step in the opposite direction. The instrumental is very tame and hence it lacks that same reach as their title tracks or my favourite b-sides tracks. The song has a decent melody and hook, but it just isn’t as memorable as their previous tracks. Even the energy suffers and this bores me. (5/10)
3. Enemy – We venture into new territory with the next two songs. The group splits and pairs with the member of the same gender, which I don’t think KARD has ever done before. Enemy is performed by Jiwoo and Somin, the female members of the group. The song opens with a very strong melodic hook, paired with a slight rock influence in the instrumental. Given that KARD’s main sound is hip-hop house, the song takes a few multiple turns, dropping both hip-hop and house separately into the track. And I thought this was a very cool sound. Jiwoo’s rap is definitely slayed, while Somin’s vocals shined. (8/10)
4. Inferno– Inferno is performed by the male members of the group, BM and J.Seph. And like what the title suggest, Inferno is a very intense and powerful hip-hop track. Both J.Seph and BM do not hold back in this track and I definitely like this side of the duo. It contains a growling chorus, which I think is very unique in the KPOP context. I also liked how they had different forms of line delivery, with the help of some autotune. But this helps keeps the song interesting. (8/10)
I spent the start of the week revisiting tracks that I have yet to write reviews for. And this should continue into the rest of the weekend (with some album reviews). But I take a moment to review a new release from NCT 127. The group has returned with Kick It, 9 months after the release of Superhuman last year. Since their May 2019 comeback, the group went on to promote Superhuman, along with other tracks, in the US and achieved a worldwide reach. And we will probably see the same thing for NCT 127 in the near future. Kick It features on Neo Zone, the group’s second studio album. It also marks the return of Jungwoo, who sat out of NCT 127 promotions since August of last year for health reasons.
In my personal opinion, NCT 127 manages to Kick It up a notch with their new track. Pun was purely intended. There are two sides of the track. The first is the very shouting-heavy and noisy hook of the track. Part of me finds it pretty good and sees potential in it to become an addictive section of the part. And while I do enjoy the Bruce Lee homage and the ‘new thang‘ to be suitable for this hip-hop direction, the other part of me finds it annoying and ‘too loud’. It honestly could go either way depending on my mood when I am listening to the track. Thank god that the song has some relief moments, where the vocals are brought in. Part of them is glad for this, as a full 4 minutes of the shouting and noisy chorus would have been a little too much. At the same time, however, it causes a great mismatch in sound and (obviously) cuts whatever flow the song potentially had. At this stage however, I am looking more positively at the track and think it is pretty decent. It does remind me of some of their earlier works, which I didn’t enjoy at the time of review (but they have grown on me considerably). Going I had expected a little less shouting and something more refined, but this was pretty good as it is.
There is no doubt the music video is paying homage to Bruce Lee. For those who may not know who Bruce Lee is, he is actor who was very well known for the martial arts movies he starred in. The music video featured a fair amount of martial arts and the infamous yellow and black combo. Bruce Lee is well known for his yellow and black jumpsuit, an image of Bruce Lee that everyone probably knows of. The music video also has this Asian concept, which I thought was very cool. They managed to give it a modern twist and the members stand out accordingly.
Don’t think there is a live performance for this comeback yet. So we haven’t really seen all of it. From what I can see in the music video, the performance plays on textures to match the more melodic vocal moments and the intense hip-hop moments. I wouldn’t be surprise if it did feature some martial arts in it. The dance break already looks amazing and very powerful.
Song – 8/10 Music Video – 10/10 Performance – 9/10 Overall Rating – 8.8/10
The next review that I am catching up on is MCND’s debut track. For those who don’t know, MCND is a newly formed male group that hails from TOP Media (the home of Teen Top, 100% and UP10TION). MCND previously released a pre-debut single (TOP GANG) earlier in the year with just five members (Castle J, BIC, Minjae, Huijin and Win), with the supposed addition of a sixth member, Yechan, once he returns to the company from 1THE9 promotions. But it seems like that plan isn’t going ahead, as the group proceeded with the five member lineup for their debut. The group made their debut last week with Ice Age as the main title track.
One of the main comments I made about the group’s pre-debut single was that there was a strong bias towards the group’s rap line due to the hip-hop heavy nature of the song. This left very limited material for an introduction from the vocal line. Ice Age seems to step in the right direction for this comeback, with a more vocal moments. To be precise, it was more of a rap-sing type of delivery during the verses, while the pre-chorus handled the actual vocal work. But still a much larger teaser to that side of the group in this song. The rapping, once again, has good momentum and helped give the song a loaded sound, despite the instrumental being a lot more tame than compared to TOP GANG. I find the chorus to be okay. I can see that it might catch on, thanks to its rough exterior but catchy repetition. There was also a sense of attitude, which I liked. But what I definitely wanted was some sort of melody, which would have helped the song be more attractive and appealing.
If they were looking to portray the ice age in their music video, they I think they did a very good job. There seems to be a cold-like vibe coming from the visuals of the music video. They managed to warm it up through the music, but the presence of ice and snow in the video tells us otherwise. And talking about presence of ice and snow, look at how white the video was. It helped make the colours pop and I thought that this was interesting. I thought the post-production of the video was good and their closeups made them look very charismatic in my opinion. Overall, good music video.
I thought the choreography for this comeback was definitely a strong one. The energy that they managed to pack into the chorus made it look very cool. There was also a smooth flow to the performance, which I liked. The first pre-chorus is evident of this, with the two members interacting with one another in dance in a way that I don’t remember seeing ever before in KPOP.
Song – 7/10 Music Video – 8/10 Performance – 8/10 Overall Rating – 7.5/10
Welcome to the Weekly Chart post for the 4th Week of February 2020. Sorry that this was a day late. BTS’s album review took a lot longer to format than expected even though I pre-wrote the post a few days before hand. I also went on to other album reviews instead, which I will posting later this week and over the weekend. But now, with a little time in my day, is the Weekly KPOP Chart post for the 4th Week of February 2020.
As expected from last week’s post, it is no surprise that BTS finds themselves in the top spot with On. Moonbyul’s Eclipse and IZ*ONE’s Fiesta remains steady in the second and third positions from last week. And both EVERGLOW’s Dun Dun and ATEEZ’s Answer rises back into the top 5 from their respective positions last week. For more of the charts, scroll down below.
23rd Feb – 29th Feb 2020
Title
Artist
Status
1
On
BTS
(▲ 4)
2
Eclipse
Moonbyul (Mamamoo)
(=)
3
Fiesta
IZ*ONE
(=)
4
Dun Dun
EVERGLOW
(▲ 13)
5
Answer
ATEEZ
(▲ 7)
6
Dr. BeBe
Pentagon
(▲ 5)
7
So What
LOONA
(▼ 3)
8
Red Moon
KARD
(▼ 1)
9
Dazzle Dazzle
Weki Meki
(▲ 9)
10
Bouncy
Rocket Punch
(▲ 27)
11
Dive
iKON
(▲ 19)
12
Crossroads
Gfriend
(▲ 8)
13
Interlude: Shadow
Suga (BTS)
(▲ 17)
14
Nun Nu Nan Na
cignature
(▲ 24)
15
More
Kim Dong Hyun (AB6IX)
(▲ 20)
16
Hands Up
Cherry Bullet
(▼ 6)
17
Queen
3YE
(▲ 10)
18
Good Guy
SF9
(▼ 12)
19
We Belong
Ong Seong Woo
(▲ 5)
20
Without You
Golden Child
(▼ 7)
21
Black Swan
BTS
(▼ 12)
22
Scream
Dream Catcher
(▼ 21)
23
Lay Back
VERIVERY
(▲ 5)
24
Reveal
The Boyz
(▼ 10)
25
Winter Flower
Younha ft. RM
(▲ 1)
26
The Day
IZ
(▲ 19)
27
My First Hero
2Z
(▲ 13)
28
Goodbye
Kim Jae Hwan
(▲ 17)
29
Moondance
Jeon Woong (AB6IX(
(▲ 13)
30
Any Song
Zico
(▲ 15)
Songs leaving the charts this week are:
Thumbs Up – Momoland
Countdown – TST
Say My Name – ANS
TOP GANG – MCND
Thank you very much for revisiting the blog and I will see in the next review!
Now, since I have taken multiple breaks over the last few weeks, I have fallen behind in the reviews on this blog. And so, starting today, I aim to start reviewing these missed reviews (before I leave them to brew on a list for a couple of months). The first review will go to ELRIS, who recently made their comeback with their fourth mini-album and the title track, Jackpot. It has been a while since I have heard from this group. My last review for the group was back in 2018 for Summer Dream. Since then, the group returned with Miss U and added two members to their lineup just this year.
Jackpot attempts to be a playful tune that suits the group’s youthful charms. I thought it was very vibrant (notice the past tense here) and there is a slight quirkiness in the instrumental to give it that playful tone. It isn’t until I started digging into my thoughts about the song’s element that I started to realize that my intiial impressions may not be as strong as I hoped. The music was relatively plain for the pop genre and I felt the song could have been a lot more dynamic in this regard to give the song some oomph. What did give the song some dynamism were the vocals, particularly around the chorus. I liked how they provided the song with a blast of energy through their voices and melody. And as any song, the chorus was by far the strongest part of the song. The verses was hugely forgettable. I didn’t like how they relied on the rapping for the verses. Some songs/groups can execute this well. But sadly for ELRIS, it feels repetitive and this disappoints me. When the group does switch to vocals, it consistently followed up with a repetitive sounding rap sequence, and this bores me as a result. Honestly, it seems like the weaker aspects of the song outweigh the strong in this case, as opposed to what I had in mind originally.
The music video is very typical. I am trying very hard to find different things to say about the music video. But I find everything just standard. The members try to give off a cute impression while doing some everyday stuff like acting bored or speaking on the phone. This is in no way a new idea and basically every female group who have attempted the cutesy concept has done this already. The lip syncing in this video was pretty poor for current standards. Throw in pastel colours that ended up dulling the video and choreography scenes shot with ordinary camera work, I think you might understand where I am getting with this section of the review.
The opening move when they all pulled each other up looked impressive. The rest of the choreography was very ordinary as well, a definite recurring theme in this review. Nothing else is worth mentioning.
Song – 6/10 Music Video – 5/10 Performance – 6/10 Overall Rating – 5.7/10
There is no doubt that BTS’ return is the biggest comeback of the year so far (or even possibly the entire year – and that might be saying something since we are only in February/March). The group’s fourth studio album, Map Of The Soul: 7, features a whole stack of new songs, their pre-releases tracks from January and the tracks from their 2019 Map Of The Soul: Persona mini-album (which features the title track, Boy With Luv). The group has already sold over 4 million copies world wide and have topped the domestic and international charts upon release, as they have been doing with many of the releases. Let’s see how good their latest album is this time around!
Map Of The Soul: 7 Album Cover
Tracks 1 to 5 can be found on the album review for Map Of The Soul: Persona, which I have previously reviewed. The song ratings I gave in that album review were not considered in the album rating (i.e. only new songs contributed to the this album’s rating).
8. Filter (Jimin Solo) – The first of the few solo tracks on the album belong to Jimin. There is a slight Latin feel to the song, thanks to both the melody that Jimin applies over the predominately acoustic guitar in the instrumentation. But rather than being in your face about, the song manages to keep it on the down low, which I thought was interesting. The song has a very smooth run and Jimin’s vocals seems perfect throughout the song. The song doesn’t reach a peak, however. I think that is the only issue with the song as it felt like it was stuck in the neutral gear. (8/10)
9. My Time (시차) (Jungkook Solo) – Similar comments about being stuck in neutral gear can be said about Jungkook’s solo track for majority of the song. But what My Time manages to do in its final chorus was change its gear and give the song a much-needed peak. Jungkook’s song falls under the genre of R&B, while the instrumental is given a modern feel with its synth basis. Jungkook’s vocals must also be applauded as he gives the song a very mature and captivating feel. I mean, look at the way he ended the song with his constant ‘ah’s and ‘ugh’s. (8.5/10)
10. Louder Than Bombs– I was already intrigued with Louder Than Bombs with just the title itself. I had expected a really pop and colorful track (for some unknown reason). But we got something a lot more interesting, much darker and captivating all at the same time. The thumping instrumental and the mysterious vibes we get from the song really draw my attention in. Throw in the higher pitch vocals from the vocalists and the very deep voices that the rappers channeled, you basically have a recipe that will make me return for more. The way the song built up was very subtle and occurred without you even knowing. This is one of the best songs on the album, I can’t emphasis that enough. (10/10)
12. Ugh! (욱) (RM, J-Hope & Suga) – The rap line is the focus in this song, and you can tell that it is going to be something on a different level. The energy that the trio manages to bring to this song with their line delivery and the hip-hop based instrumental really makes this track a strong one. Suga is fast becoming my favorite rapper of the group and his presence in this track really consolidates his position. However, that isn’t to say that RM and J-Hope were letdowns. They were equally as strong, and I enjoyed the part where they passed the baton to each other at the end. Also, the song became quite explosive at the end with all that gunfire. It drew the song to a close in a manner that really felt like icing on the cake. And it makes me want to see a performance this track, as I would suspect it to be lit! (9/10)
13. 00:00 (Zero O’Clock) (Jin, V, Jimin & Jungkook) – When you think of the vocal line of any group, you would expect them to be singing a ballad as it is easier to show of the vocals in that capacity. I guess the case applies even for BTS. But Zero O’Clock is no slow or depressing ballad. There is some light in this track, thanks to the member’s vocals. The instrumental also this inspirational vibe to it, which matches the song’s lyrics of hoping for a happier day. I thought the unit sounded pretty good, especially at the end when the song reaches the climax. The song also has a melody that makes we sway along, which makes it a good ballad in my opinion (as I have mentioned before). (9/10)
14. Inner Child (V Solo) – V, over the years, have been shaped to be the one with the most interesting vocals due to the huskier tone that he brings to the group. And that hasn’t been focused too much on in the past during the group tracks. His huskier voice definitely is full capitalized in this pop track. You know I love a good buildup and Inner Child has this. The chorus is fantastic, giving us that blast of energy that I think is so good. It makes the song feel so fresh and the feeling remains every time I play the song and when the chorus comes around. This is also one of the best tracks on the album and I highly recommend it. (10/10)
15. Friends (친구) (Jimin & V) – This is another track that has a good blast of energy during the chorus. And the way the instrumental manages to perfectly execute the explosive nature of the chorus makes it so addictive. It is a song that I get stuck on each time I listen to the ballad, unable to move to the next as I am so keen on replaying this track constantly. I just want to kick back, put this song on repeat and nod along to it. Jimin and V reflect on their friendship in this track, so there is a lighthearted and fun tone to it. At the end, when they bring the more inclusive feel to the song with the backup vocals, it just makes the song a lot more wholesome. (10/10)
16. Moon (Jin Solo) – With V, Jin is also an underrated vocalist. And I have mentioned this time and time again in past album reviews. Moon continues the album’s momentum with its energy. At the helm is Jin, which pushes his vocals in a manner that suits the song so nicely. The vocals lay on top of a upbeat beat and some guitar beat. It is a catchy number, with infectious energy. I just feel the instrumental drags it down a bit by being a little too consistent. It needed some definition. But it’s a good song from Jin, nonetheless. (9/10)
17. Respect (RM & Suga) – And we get more of the energy through RM and Suga’s collaboration track. The song throws you back to the 90s with its urban hip-hop beat and the many instrumental effects. The way they shout ‘Respect’ throughout the chorus is a very 90s thing, as well. They delivery is pretty good, with autotune weaving in and out of the song. The energy is also quite infectious, and I love how the energy rubs off on me. I mean, this is the track that you want to play while walking down the street on a good day (to make it better, obviously). (9/10)
18. We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal– The album takes a slight serious turn with The Eternal. It isn’t really a ‘happy’ track, as per the energy that preceded the track. But this one encapsulates where the members are at in their career. They are strong, they are bulletproof. And it all thanks to their fans, whom they thank in this track. This track displays amazing vocals and rapping, on top a very warm, trendy and dramatic instrumental. (10/10)
19. Outro: Ego (J-Hope Solo) – The album returns to its infectious and upbeat energy for the outro track. Performed by J-Hope, I love the fast incline to the fast tempo (and the fast tempo, in general) the song had. The entire track was 3 minutes, yet it felt only like one minute. It just makes the song so captivating and groovy. I find the outro track is also be very festival-like, especially in the last few seconds. Because why not end the album with everyone dancing along. J-Hope’s playful side also got to shine through in this track, with the upbeat nature being an excellent platform. (10/10)
KPOPREVIEWED 