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[Album Review] Letter From Secret (4th Mini Album) – Secret

April 9, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged SecretLeave a comment

Originally, I was going to do a full album review for Secret for this week’s ‘Past Album’ review. However, a few things popped up last minute and I decided to go with an album with fewer songs, instead. After all, I already skipped the album review on Sunday, so I didn’t want to miss out on this one. Secret release Letter From Secret back in 2013 and it was a return to the group’s cutesy concept. Unfortunately, the album and title track didn’t do too well when it was released, so it never got that much attention. I find the songs on their album to be very nice and today, I will be sharing this album with you.

secret-letterfromsecret-2 — *Letter From Secret* Album Cover

1..YooHoo (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of YooHoo. (9.5/10)

2. Daddy Long Legs (키다리 아저씨) – The title of this song is rather odd like it isn’t the first title that comes to your mind when you hear this sweet ballad-like song. After some digging around, the song title seems to allude to someone with a fatherly figure. While this could easily be applied to a lover, I think the song is more directed to the member’s fathers. After all, the song has quite an innocent sound (or at least I assume it is). I really like the melody of the track and the guitar in the background, which gives off that swaying effect that I look for. I also enjoyed their vocals in this song. If it were to be memorable for anything, it would most likely before its touching lyrics towards their fatherly figures. But it is still quite pleasant, overall. (8/10)

3. ONLY U – Only U is a rather bittersweet song. The song is once again another ballad. While the lyrics seem to be about regretting letting someone go (let it be a past lover or a friend who they friendzone and now regrets), the song is still quite light. Rather than being straightforwardly sad, the song sits in a weird limbo based on its light tone and their sweet style vocals. However, I do hear the hints of sadness in their voices, which does complement the song’s message. I like Jung Hana’s rap sequence is the entire verse section of the song. The only downside to the song is that Sunhwa sounded like she was straining herself in the bridge and this didn’t sound as pleasing compared to the rest of the song. But to me, it is another great ballad. (8/10)

4. B.O.Y (Because Of You) – Out of the three ballads on the album, this one probably is my favourite. Unlike the other two which used a softer approach in its sound, B.O.Y used a harsher mix of instruments and this made the song feel more vibrant out of the rest. I would say that B.O.Y could be taken as a ballad, but it can also have some dance moves to it. But don’t let its vibrancy fool you. The song isn’t a vibrant song when you consider the lyrics. It is another emotional song that talks about how they cannot move on after a breakup. Once again, their vocals do a fantastic job of portraying these emotions and I also liked the harmonies during the chorus. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

secret-letterfromsecret-3 — *Letter From Secret* Teaser Image

[Review] I’m Home – Minho (SHINee)

April 8, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Minho (SHINee), SHINee1 Comment

Another very late review is coming your way! Out of all the SHINee members, Minho has yet to release any solo songs in this career. Instead, he is the most successful member in acting. And as many of the members were nearing the military enlistment age, we have seen an influx of releases of from member. Minho joins this influx and made his solo debut on the 28th of March, through the release of I’m Home. The single is released as part of the SM Station Season 3 project, which has seemed to be focusing on solo tracks more this time around.

I’m Home is a mid-tempo ballad. SInce Minho isn’t known for this vocals, I wondered how a song of this nature would play out. Rather than being anything negative, I’m Home manages to be quite pleasant and easy on the ears. The song opens with some whistling, something that you would associate with a breezy type of song. The instrumental is predominately acoustic guitar, with the incorporation of percussion for the vocals. His vocals are quite impressive. They were rather clear and it basically throws out on whether Minho could handle the ballad genre. His high note was very nice, as an example of his style. Nicely incorporated into the song is a rap sequence. To me, the song plays towards Minho’s strength. It isn’t the most memorable song out there. But for longtime fans of Minho and SHINee, I think this would be a very nice and well-deserved treat.

We start off with Minho walking up to the sound of both his alarm clock and the phone ringing. His character in the video is a businessman, who is basically working 24/7. However, based on his expressions and posture, it seems like Minho is longing to be with his partner, who is not in the picture at the moment. This goes nicely with the song. Every time he takes a rest, the alarm clock or phone (or another person) is waking him up. This just constantly reminds him of his loneliness and forces him to live with that feeling. I think this forces to him a move at the end, where is running to probably propose to his partner. I really like how he is singing in the midst of everything, which I think was a creative thing to do. I also like the golden appearance of the video and that slightly hazy effect.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Weekly Chart] 1st Week of April 2019

April 7, 2019Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

How fast is the year going? We are already in April and Easter is literally around the corner. But before we have the realisation that one quarter of the year as already passed, let’s have a closer look at the Weekly Charts posts for this week!

Knocking Park Bom’s Spring off from the top of the charts is KARD’s Bomb Bomb, which rose a mega 28 places from its 29th position last week. DIA moves up one spot with Woowa to retake the second position, which they previously held two weeks ago, while IZ*ONE’s comeback with Violeta falls into the third position for this week. EVERGLOW’s Bon Bon Chocolat remains steady in the fourth position, while Stray Kids’ Miroh completes this week’s Top 5.

Scroll down below for more of the charts!

	31st Mar – 6th Apr 2018
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Bomb Bomb	KARD	(▲ 28)
2	Woowa	DIA	(▲ 1)
3	Violeta	IZ*ONE	(new)
4	Bon Bon Chocolat	EVERGLOW	(=)
5	Miroh	Stray Kids	(▲ 15)
6	Crown	TXT	(▲ 5)
7	L.O.V.E	Park Ji Hoon	(▲ 8)
8	Help Me	Block B BASTARZ	(▲ 47)
9	I’m So Hot	Momoland	(▼ 4)
10	From Seoul	Block B BASTARZ	(▲ 45)
11	Pinky Star (RUN)	GWSN	(▲ 5)
12	Sha La La	Pentagon	(▲ 2)
13	Don’t Close Your Eyes (D.C.Y.E)	Lee Gikwang (HIGHLIGHT)	(▲ 30)
14	Because I Love You	Kang Min Kyung (DAVICHI)	(▲ 37)
15	Spring	Park Bom ft. Sandara Park	(▼ 14)
16	Beautiful Goodbye	Chen (EXO)	(new)
17	Butterfly	LOONA	(▼ 8)
18	Feeling	Jeong Sewoon ft. Penomeco	(▲ 10)
19	Piri	Dream Catcher	(▼ 11)
20	Alligator	Monsta X	(▲ 19)
21	She’s Fine	Heize	(▲ 20)
22	Noir	Sunmi	(▼ 9)
23	Kill This Love	BLACKPINK	(new)
24	Senorita	(G)I-DLE	(▼ 1)
25	I’m Home	Minho (SHINee)	(▲ 22)
26	Hakuna Matata	DREAMNOTE	(▲ 11)
27	We Must Love	ONF	(▼ 3)
28	I Wanna Be	Key (SHINee) ft. Kim Soyeon ((G)I-DLE)	(▼ 21)
29	Slow Dance	Park Yuchan (JYJ)	(▲ 2)
30	Do Better Do	VANNER	(▲ 25)

Songs leaving the charts this week are:

We Must Love – ONF
HALA HALA – ATEEZ
Love Dunk – Epik High ft. Crush [Songs leaving the charts early]
Master Key – ARGON [Songs leaving the charts early]
She’s Fine – HEIZE [Songs leaving the charts early]
So, It Ends – HEIZE ft. Colde [Songs leaving the charts early]

Thank you once again and see you all next week!

[Review] Blooming Future – ASTRO

April 6, 2019Posted in JPOP, ReviewsTagged ASTROLeave a comment

It is Saturday, which per the post schedule means a Japanese review is coming your way. I was originally going to do another release from a few weeks back. But ASTRO dropped their Japanese debut, Blooming Future, just this week (It did feel a little out of the blue as I did not see any news or teasers beforehand). And to avoid any delay, I decided to write the review for it today! Blooming Future is featured on the group’s first Japanese mini-album, Venus, alongside the Japanese version of Baby, All Night and Always You.

Blooming Future (or Hanasake Mirai) is a pretty decent beginning for their Japanese career. I felt like the direction they were going for was really good, with it fitting both ASTRO’s youthful charm and the typical upbeatness we tend to hear from Japanese releases. However, listening to the song, I felt like it lacked definition. The song felt very consistent throughout and didn’t seem to depart the synth sound that they were aiming for. I feel like if there were some bass or background vocals during the chorus, for example, the song would have had that added definition to really make it sound better. Apart from that, the song was pretty good. I liked the vocals and the funkiness that the Rocky and JinJIn brought to the song through their raps. The instrumental was actually quite good., apart from what I mentioned above. I did like the lightness during the verses. But like I said, the chorus could have had more to it.

I guess to fit in with the lightness of the track is a very minimalistic vibe to the music video. There wasn’t a whole lot going on during the music video, especially when we talk about the sets. And this allows the individual members to really pop out. The video consisted of solo and choreography shots. I did feel the editing could have eased on the number of cuts throughout the video (i.e. when the scenes change to the next one). They felt very sudden and cut the flow of the music video, especially in the chorus, which prevented me from admiring the members (hahaha…).

From what I can see in the music video, the choreography looks decent. But due to the magnitude of cuts (mentioned above), it was really hard to really focus on anything. Unfortunately, we don’t have a live performance of it yet, so I guess I will have to rank according to what I saw in the video.

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

[Album Review] Newtro (5th Mini Album) – DIA

April 5, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged DIALeave a comment

DIA returned two weeks ago with Woowa and their latest mini-album, Newtro. Unofrtotuately, the group’s latest comeback hasn’t got much attention from what I have noticed. And from what I understand, the physical albums were delayed and hence this impacted their chart performances. Very disappointing. But that is why today’s album review is here! I enjoyed all the songs on the album and I want to let you guys know about these songs as well!

1..Woowa (우와) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Woowa. (8.5/10)

2. No (안할래) – Following right after the addictive Woowa is No, which is another favourite track of mine. I find the song to be very dynamic with its vibrant use of that squeaky synth during the instrumental. Usually, I would find such a thing annoying, but it really popped well in this song. The lead up to the chorus was probably my absolute favourite part of the song as it gave the song a little flair in a memorable way. I also liked the keyboard that featured during the bridge of the track, which I think flowed really well with the rest of the song. The vocals were also extremely nice, another highlight to No. (9/10)

3. 5 More Minutes (5분만) – 5 More Minutes begin with a sing-rap sequence which was rather nice. Based on this, you can tell that this was going to a typical pop song. The chorus practically confirms this with no unexpected changes in the music. It is a sweet song that managed to bring about a smile, which I think the main aims of the lyrics were to do. The song focuses squarely on the vocals of each of the members. I personally won’t say DIA is known for their vocals but this was a fair effort and I really liked how innocent they sounded in this song. I also like how they didn’t go down the sad ballad route, which was a nice change up to normal expectations. (8/10)

4. Crescendo (손톱달) – While I liked most of the song, Crescendo started off with this really odd synth that really sounded like it was off-tune. Apart from that, everything else about the song was rather likeable. It sounded like it started off with a sweet sound, like what we were presented in 5 More Minutes. However, the second verses bring a bit of trap into the song. Interesting and not entirely misplaced. Once again, the vocals were at the forefront of the song, with the members singing at a higher pitch and in falsetto. I also think this song showcased the best harmonies from the members than any other song on this album. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Kill This Love – BLACKPINK

April 5, 2019April 14, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged BLACKPINK4 Comments

The biggest comeback of this week has to go to BLACKPINK, who returned today with Kill This Love. But when it comes to BLACKPINK’s comebacks, do you know what makes this one better? The fact that we also get three new songs (so an album review is coming your way!). We last saw BLACKPINK through the extremely popular DDU-DU DDU-DU. We also got to see Jennie through her solo promotions of SOLO at the end of 2018, along with promises from YG for future solo promotions for the other members (hopefully!).

Kill This Love starts with blaring horns, which really encapsulates the group’s fierce style within the first few seconds of the song. It also hints towards a military-style concept, which will become apparent quite soon. Following this, the group launches itself into a hip-hop infused verse, before settling on a vocally-centred pre-chorus. The blaring horns return for the chorus, which definitely had an added dramatic flair. At the end of the song, we get this military-like rolling drum beat that pretty brings the song back full circle to the same feeling that we got from the start (and it is probably my favourite bit) However, there are a few aspects that leave me rather disappointed with the song. The chorus was underwhelming, with a very mediocre approach for its catchiness. I also think the song was rather muddled with its many sounds. The presence of the extended pre-chorus right after the fierceness of the hip-hop verse really lost the flow of the track and it failed to make the chorus drop in a satisfying manner. Overall, I am not really feeling the song this time.

As usual, the music video is amazing. I say this with any YG Entertainment music video and will probably say it countless more times in the future. Each set looked amazing, especially the massive bear trap set. Though, I am never sure about the meaning behind every scene and how this relates to the lyrics or the rest of the video (sometimes, they feel quite random). I did find this video that did a good job of describing the scenes so I will post this here if you want to hear about a possible theory. I really like how edgy the members look with their outfits and on the sets. The military concept also carried over, with pretty much the ending being a massive military march.

The performance was really good. Fierceness seems to be the big word of the day, with it being an adjective throughout all the aspects of this comeback. The chorus looked amazing but my favourite choreography moment has to be the end with the marching/rolling drum beats. I enjoyed the rush of energy during this part.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Universe – Minhyun (NU’EST)

April 4, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged HWANG MINHYUN, NU'EST3 Comments

Out of all the members of the now-disbanded Wanna One, I think many people are excited for Minhyun. His group went onto Produce 101 as a final attempt to get themselves recognition. And it paid off. NU’EST returned as NU’EST W and continually topped charts with their new releases. Minhyun went on to be part of the popular Wanna One. And now that chapter has closed, it will be interesting to see what direction NU’EST will now take. And we will slowly find out from today, as Minhyun’s solo release (in preparation for a full comeback in the near future) was revealed.

Universe is the Minhyun’s solo track’s name. It is an R&B track but it diverts from that traditional slow tempo to a more upbeat pop and dance influence. And it is this diversion that really gets me into the song. A solo release will also get the member to shine and Minhyun does it effortlessly in this song. So altogether, the song does stand out for me. I find this particular route is very foreign for NU’EST, so it is quite refreshing when I reflect upon the song at the end. I really like the melody, which I thought was calming in a way, despite the upbeatness. Maybe it was the clearness in his voice or its rather easy-on-the-ears instrumentation. Talking about his voice, I really like the falsettos that he attempts at towards the end of the song. It did feel like it was missing something. It didn’t feel complete to me. I think I wanted a rap sequence somewhere to give a little more variety. But that would completely shake up the track, so I guess I understand why that didn’t occur. But overall, Universe is a really good track to kick start Minhyun’s return to the group.

The music video was shot in Budapest and is connected to NU’EST’s previous music videos (Overcome and Love Paint). It is a little confusing, but here is my attempt at the storyline. Minhyun used to be in a relationship but it ended badly (i.e. she leaves him). I think this break-up was a bit harsh on Minhyun, who becomes ‘soulless’ as we saw at the start of the video. However, there is an old man living in the apartment across from his and he comes by daily with a crystal (the same crystals shown in Overcome), that when connected to a machine, relays the good memories of a person. In this case, Minhyun relives the relationship, as we see the days repeat themselves. And this old man is always nearby to control the dosage (I guess) of the crystal. But on one particular day, he isn’t there and Minhyun uses more of the crystals, which unlocks the white Queen (the same Queen from the Overcome music video who went missing). It seems like Minhyun was still on his quest to find the Queen all along, as he bows down to her at the end of the video. Though we don’t know what happens after he reunited with the Queen. My guess is that this ending leads us straight into the forthcoming videos from NU’EST because the storyline doesn’t seem to be completed just yet. I am also unsure how Love Paint play into this (maybe another music video theory post idea?).

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

[Double Review] Bom + Stars Over Me – BOL4

April 3, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged BOL42 Comments

It is time for another double review. However, this one features two songs from the very popular duo, BOL4 or Bolbbalgan4, which were released yesterday. The way they got popular made me think that they were going to be a one-hit wonder. But they managed to enter the limelight every single time they return, which goes to show that influence that BOL4 has over the Korean public. The two songs, Bom and Stars Over Me, are featured on the group’s latest mini album and are currently on top of the charts in South Korea. This is also their first comeback since Travel and Starlight.

And there is a reason to why Bom is currently on the top of the charts. Bom is a love song and its sound is very typical of this season. And if you don’t know, Korea really loves love songs during the Spring months, given the fact many love songs have trend during this time of the year. I found the song to be very sweet. But not overly sweet that gets me cringing, which is obviously a good thing. I like its instrumental. And the vocals were quite nice, which is expected from BOL4. The combination of two, however, makes we smile a lot and I can’t but think of spending time with the person I like while listening to the song, which is another reason to why I think it is successful.

To me, Stars Over Me is like Travel but more suited for the Spring season in which the release is in. But rather like a love song, the song focuses more on friendship (but it could still go either way). I like how more acoustic this song is, which I find it more in line with their previous releases. I also enjoyed the English in the track. It wasn’t 100% correct but it was still a fair effort on their behalf. It also seems like Jiyoon also had the opportunity to harmonize with Joyoung in the song, which I thought was also nice. Once again, there wasn’t anything that special about the song but it was still nice to listen to.

Bom’s music video is very twisted. While the storyline of Jiyoung (Cupid) using her arrows to make her crush love her is very fitting for the song, the way he comes back to her is essentially a case of Stockholm Syndrome (i.e. he remembered of those fond memories that she forced upon him by forcing him to love her). I did like the very start of the storyline where she missed two arrows and it ended up hitting Jiyoon instead. Stars Over Me is also like the song. It focuses on the friendship between the two members and showing them have fun at various places. I liked how the lyrics popped up on the screen every now and then, giving it more of that fun nature.

Bom
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

Stars Over Me
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Album Review] The Secret (2nd Mini Album – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

April 2, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Cosmic Girls, WJSNLeave a comment

Unfortunately, I have run out of my ‘stockpiled’ past album reviews, so I had to write a fresh one up today. And I couldn’t decide which artist to pick from since there are so many. I have done two male groups in a row, so I thought I refocus on the female groups. And so, I picked WJSN’s second mini-album, The Secret, which was released back in September 2016. This was the very first era that WJSN caught my attention with and since then Secret has been a longtime favourite of mine. So it only makes sense to see what else the mini-album, which Secret comes from, has to offer. So let’s get onto it!

wjsn-thesecret-2 — *The Secret* Album Cover

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

2. BeBe – BeBe is a very memorable track. Unfortunately, it was more about the fact that it was the song that followed Secret. But listening to it now, the track has a very bright pop feel that I don’t mind. It does follow a youthful approach without going overboard in the cutesy domain, which I am glad did not occur. It is quite enjoyable, with nice vocals and the single rap sequence was nice. The track was relatively fast pace and it could have slowed down a tad bit to be a little more favourable. But overall, BeBe is a nice track. (8/10)

3. Would You Kiss Me? (우주키스미) – Would You Kiss Me? is a nice sweet pop track. Well, it started off with that thought. And it carried that idea for the majority of the track. But like many listeners, I find that trap breakdown very mismatching and ill-fitting for the tone of the track. I guess it was something formulated to fit the experimental trend. But other songs work because they come together well, which is not the case for this track. If I were to talk about the sweeter moments alone than I would have enjoyed it. (6/10)

4. Prince (짠!) – Prince sounds like a standard sidetrack. It is a good track, heavy-handed on the synths in the instrumentation. There are trap-like breaks in the song, which I thought was fitting for the heavy use of synths. But the song does feel weighed down and hence it doesn’t have that necessary pop to be considered as a title track. The vocals are good, but they felt overshadowed by the instrumental. On the other hand, the rap sequence really shined and was my personal favourite part of the song. (7.5/10)

5. Robot – Robot is probably my pick for most memorable sidetrack on this mini-album. I liked how they departed from their pop sound and went with something a little more electronic. I think the instrumental was very catching, even though it was quite repetitive. It reminds me of those retro sounds you often got in games. There are some squeaky effects towards the end, which I thought kept the song interesting. The vocals were nice in the song and the rapping was quite cool. I actually liked the high-pitch echo that followed Exy for the rap sequence. It may not be the sound I drift towards, but they pulled it off well enough for me to do so. (8.5/10)

6. Good Night (이층침대) – It is time for that mandatory ballad on most mini-albums. And while sometimes the mandatory ballads are pretty good, other times they are a miss. Unfortunately, Good Night falls under the latter. Like the title, Good Night makes me drift away from the album. I forget about it and hence the ending is also forgotten. The vocals were nice but because it was so light, I didn’t feel a connection with it. (6/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.7/10

[Double Review] Help Me + From Seoul – Block B BASTARZ

April 2, 2019Posted in KPOPTagged Bastraz (Block B), Block B1 Comment

Last week, Block B BASTARZ (comprised of U-Kwon, B-Bomb and P.O) made their comeback with their third mini-album, I’m A Mess, since their subunit debut. Apologies that it took this long to review a song from this new release. Within the album, Help Me is the title track. But as the pre-release track From Seoul also has a music video, I will be reviewing both today. This is Block B’s first release since the departure of Zico last year from the group.

I am not a major fan of BASTARZ’s releases (I honestly do not remember their last one), so I wasn’t expecting too much the first listen in. However, Help Me takes a sleek approach with a jazz influence on the hip-hop based foundation that the song is supported on. And it is safe to say that I am loving it. I really like how focused the song was on the vocals, which was all fantastic. The most striking part of the song has to be P.O’s first half of the chorus and it is the very thing that got me hooked to this song. It is very unique, so it ended up being very memorable (and extremely addictive).

From Seoul continues the jazzy influence, but this time the foundation is an R&B track. The song isn’t as heavy as the previous. In fact, it is lighthearted and talks about having a good time with friends. I like how the jazzy influence was more profound and the vocals were lower in tone, which made the song quite smooth as well. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that striking about the song so it isn’t really a memorable piece for my personal taste. It is still quite good but unfortunately, Help Me outranks From Seoul.

Help Me is a more emotionally driven song but the video is quite twisted in a way. Kicking off the music video, it is landed a 19+ rating, which gives us a foreshadowing of blood and cigarettes. Tame to what I am used to, but remember this is stuff that Korea doesn’t have much of. The video shows the members disoriented (for whatever reason) but it clearly caused by the breakup with their partner. They find themselves in sticky situations like a car crash, a murder scene (I presume) and in the middle of a forest, so they have to beg for help (hence, the title). They also seem to be dressed for a wedding, given the flower on their lapels. Maybe they got stood up? From Seoul departs from the darkness in the other video and matches it lighthearted sound with a video consists of the trio having fun around Seoul. And it too was a nice video as it goes well with the song.

Help Me
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

From Seoul
Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Violeta – IZ*ONE

April 1, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged IZ*ONE3 Comments

It is time we turn our attention to one of the biggest groups to debut last year. IZ*ONE, for those who may not remember or no, was formed through Produce 48 and debuted with La Vie en Rose. And while the industry is in full swing for the next season of Produce 101, IZ*ONE makes their long-awaited Korean comeback with Violeta. The new track features on the group’s second mini-album, HEART*IZ. In other related news, IZ*ONE made their official Japanese debut earlier this year with Suki to Iwasetai (or I Want To Say I Love You).

It has taken me a few listens for me to warm up to the song. And while I am still warming up to Violeta, I am liking the song. One of the reasons why I haven’t really warmed up to the song yet is due to the first verse. It didn’t feel as captivating. But from the pre-chorus onwards, I am quite into it. Talking about the pre-chorus, I like the dramatic flair. I also enjoyed the rush of energy that the chorus gave off. It makes the pop and tropical mix very intriguing. The vocals were nice, especially during the chorus. The rappers, however, were amazing. I know they didn’t have enough definition to their part but the fact that it stepped back from the high energy filled chorus was ideal. I also like that dubstep effect at the end of the song, which really gave the song a little interesting effect to end on (and not be too repetitive). Maybe a few more listens will do it for me. But so far, it is looking (or sounding, in this case) good.

The entirety of the video has this pale colour tone to it, with some emphasis on the violet colour due to it being part of the title. While I do think anything pale is a little old fashion, there is a swing towards this at the moment in the industry, judging by the pale colour tones in music videos over the last few years. The video, from what I have read, is based on the ‘The Happy Prince‘ book. I know of the book, but it isn’t my first pick when it comes to literature. So since I haven’t read it, I don’t feel confident making connections. But this may be something to look into for a future Music Vidoe Theory post. I did like the choreography sets and the scene with the solo member dancing in the water looked really cool and trendy.

The choreography was quite nice. I enjoyed the majority of it. The first and last chorus (when there is that rush of energy) was probably my favourite parts. Unfortunately, the butterfly effect that started off the second chorus was not that great and I felt like that was a mismatch to the fast paced section.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Beautiful Goodbye – Chen (EXO)

April 1, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Chen (EXO), EXO4 Comments

As groups progress with their careers, we see a lot of the members branch out into solo careers. EXO is a fine example, with many of the members excelling at their solo careers, such as acting, collaborations and OSTs. What we have not yet seen from the members in Korea is actually a solo album! Lay took the honours as the first member to have a solo album, but that was released in China. But today, Chen will be the first Korean member to release a solo mini-album, April, and a flower, today. The title track from this mini-album is Beautiful Goodbye.

Given Chen’s amazing OSTs in the past, it was highly expected that Chen would go down the ballad route. And Beautiful Goodbye is a breathtaking ballad. A few reviews ago, I mentioned that there are the types of songs that you have to stop what you are doing and listen to it that way in order to fully appreciate the song. This is another perfect example of this. Beautiful Goodbye features only piano in the instrumental. As it is the only instrument in the song, it is extremely striking especially during the moments when the song ‘builds up’or peaks. Chen’s vocals compliment the piano. It doesn’t push himself in this domain nor does he reach ‘powerhouse’ mode. Instead, I find his voice to be very moving and also well-balanced. This combination works in harmony and it leaves us with a fantastic song to listen to.

I also like how aesthetic the music video is. It isn’t artsy in any way but rather it is simplistic. It is all shot outside, with a very large tree-trunk like structure in the centre of the video. Within the centre, we find Chen and a piano player, whose piano is embedded into the structure. Surrounding them is are many female dancers, all dressed in a pale pink-ish colour that really works well with the setting. That is pretty much it to the video. I came across a news article today that stated that the video took 6 hours of filming and that Chen was concerned about whether he conveyed the right emotions. Well, those 6 hours paid off and Chen did wonders in the video.

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

[Album Review] Spring (1st Single Album) – Park Bom

March 31, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Park BomLeave a comment

It is time for another album review! Today, I wanted to review someone who deserved an album a very long time ago. After waiting for 9 years, Park Bom has released an album for the very first time. Unfortunately, it is only a single album made up of 3 songs. But it still better than nothing! The lead title track is Spring, which features fellow 2NE1 member, Sandara Park. Despite her hiatus for a while now, Park Bom has proven to still be extremely popular with both her album and single soaring towards the top of the charts. So it definitely makes sense for us to check this album out!

1..Spring (봄) (ft. Sandara Park) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Spring. (9/10)

2. My Lover (내연인) – My Lover is a little brighter than Spring in its sound. I would say that the song has a ‘Spring’ in its step. It is also a mellow sound, which I think is quite nice. And because of this, the song falls towards the pop spectrum. I really like the piano but thought it could have been more prevalent over the rest of the instrumentation (which drowned out the piano). It is one of those songs that get you swaying along, despite it being a tad upbeat. And if you know me, swaying earns you ticks! I think Park Bom vocals are quite nice in this song, especially around the bridge of the song. Sometimes I felt like she was pushing a little too hard. (8/10)

3. Shameful (창피해) – Shameful is a dance track that takes upon the more typical trend of music currently (i.e. tropical). It was a little unexpecting, but it gives us a little more variety. And this is quite effective, given how she hasn’t released music for 8 years now. Though, I don’t think we will see any dance performances any time soon based on her Spring performance. While it is typical sounding for today’s standard, it was a fair song. The instrumentals popped, and I thoroughly enjoyed her vocals in the song. More impressively was her attempt at rapping. It isn’t exactly the best execution that I have heard from a vocalist, but it wasn’t terrible. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

parkbom-spring-3 — *Spring* Teaser Image

[Weekly Chart] 4th Week of March 2019

March 31, 2019Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Welcome back to another week of KPOP. Unfortunately, I am a little pressed for time for a few other things going on today so today’s post will be a very quick one!

Topping for the charts for the second week in a row is Park Bom’s Spring. This is also the first song of 2019 to top the charts for then one week, so congratulations to Park Bom and Sandara Park! Mamamoo’s gogobebe rises to the second position and swaps places with DIA’s Woowa. EVERGLOW is proving to be a strong debut with their debut single Bon Bon Chocolat rising to the fourth position. Completing the all-female Top 5 for this week is Momoland’s catchy I’m So Hot (which I am also playing right now as I type this post out).

Scroll down for more of the charts!

	24th Mar – 30th Mar 2019
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Spring	Park Bom ft. Sandara Park	(=)
2	gogobebe	Mamamoo	(▲ 1)
3	Woowa	DIA	(▼ 1)
4	Bon Bon Chocolat	EVERGLOW	(▲ 18)
5	I’m So Hot	Momoland	(▲ 8)
6	Awake	JBJ95	(new)
7	I Wanna Be	Key (SHINee) ft. Kim Soyeon ((G)I-DLE)	(▼ 2)
8	Piri	Dream Catcher	(▲ 18)
9	Butterfly	LOONA	(▼ 5)
10	Suffering In Love	EDEN	(▲ 29)
11	Crown	TXT	(▼ 3)
12	Get Away	Seven O’Clock	(▲ 38)
13	Noir	Sunmi	(▼ 1)
14	SHA LA LA	Pentagon	(new)
15	L.O.V.E	Park Ji Hoon	(new)
16	Pinky Star (RUN)	GWSN	(▲ 5)
17	What You Waiting For?	R.Tee & Anda	(=)
18	Gravity	TREI	(▲ 30)
19	Thrilla Killa	VAV	(▼ 9)
20	Miroh	Stray Kids	(new)
21	DALLA DALLA	ITZY	(▲ 19)
22	Still Loving You	100%	(▼ 15)
23	Senorita	(G)I-DLE	(▲ 26)
24	We Must Love	ONF	(▲ 22)
25	Allure	Hyomin	(▲ 26)
26	In The Rain	Yoon Ji Sung	(▲ 26)
27	Tuxedo	Ravi (VIXX)	(▼ 11)
28	Feeling	Jeong Sewoon ft. Penomeco	(▼ 13)
29	Bomb Bomb	KARD	(new)
30	Enough	SF9	(▼ 10)

Songs leaving the charts this week are:

No – CLC
TicToc – NEONPUNCH
WiFi – SATURDAY [Song Leaving the Charts Earlier]
Why – Kim Hyun Joong [Song Leaving the Charts Earlier]

Thank you once again and have a great week!

[Review] Wakey-Wakey – NCT 127

March 30, 2019March 31, 2019Posted in JPOPTagged NCT, NCT1272 Comments

Before we tick over to Sunday, it must be time to have a closer look at a Japanese release! The last we saw NCT 127 was through Simon Says in Korea and Chain in Japan. But as we are fast approaching mid-2019, we break the short NCT drought with Wakey-Wakey. This is the title track off their very first Japanese album, titled Awaken and is due for release mid-April. But due to the nature of the Japanese market, we are given the treat (and some long hair) a few weeks ahead of time.

Wakey-Wakey seems to take on the Black On Black side of NCT which we saw early last year. I would say both songs are quite similar in effect when you listen to them side-by-side. But by no means are they the same song. Wakey-Wakey focus on more brighter sounding instrumentation (with a lot less growling), featuring a lot of trap synths and a slight touch of R&B when you consider the vocals and the very start of the song. It suits NCT 127’s style remarkably. I think the very first thing that really grabs your attention with the song is the squeakiness of the instrumental. You may think this would be an off-putting element for me but I was actually fond of it because it gave something extra to the song. As mentioned, the vocals are nice and we are also treated to the return of Haechan (who only participates in the audio and music video for this comeback). I think the raps were also quite cool but I wanted more intensity alongside it, similar to the intensity brought upon by the dance break at the very end of the song. Likewise, I didn’t really fall for the verses as much as compared to the rest of the song.

Matching the brightness of the song, the music video was intentionally colour for the most part. I thought the sets were elaborate, especially during Haechan’s scenes. He doesn’t get to interact much with the other members but is still centred, which I thought was interesting. There has to be a reason for that right? (My assumption is that the members are trying to wake him up). Regardless, glad to see him back. What I am not too glad to see is Johnny’s long hair. I try my best not to comment on looks but sorry, it had to be touched on. (This is similar to any mullets or dreadlocks we see in KPOP. It just doesn’t work).

The choreography was quite cool Going back to the start where I said the song sounded like Black On Black, the performance also reminded of Black‘s performance. Similarly, the start reminded me of EXO’s Tree of Life (I think that is what it is called) that featured during the group’s Wolf promotions. But they put their own spin on it.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Suffering For Love – EDEN

March 30, 2019March 30, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged EDEN3 Comments

It is time for another ‘catch up review’, which is what I am now calling these reviews that I should have completed earlier on. Eden is the next artist to have a review done weeks after his release. His single, Suffering For Love, was released on the 15th of March, alongside his 2nd mini-album, EXHALANT. However, you probably have never heard of Eden (I didn’t until the day of release!). He is actually a music producer who has composed tracks for GFriend, BTOB and ATEEZ! So he already boasts big hits under his name. And maybe his single might just join this list!

Eden doesn’t fit the profile of artists who I write reviews for. Firstly, he is a solo act. Unless they come from a group, a well-known company or have a particular history in KPOP, I would gloss over them. Secondly, he is a producer. Not that I have anything against his profession, but I don’t review songs from many producers (unless it is a collaboration with another artist). But his song is very good. I’d say it is a modern R&B ballad. I feel like the R&B side is very prevalent but the modern side is through the use of the synths to create a very emotional driven atmosphere. The chorus is by the far the most memorable bit, with his verses coming a close second. I really like the blast of energy that the song delivers through the chorus, creating a seemingly fitting chaotic atmosphere that is probably an accurate representation of his mind. Just the English lines ‘I just want to love you, touch you, be with you…‘ and ‘I just want to leave you, hate you, erase you…‘ really summarises how torn he is in the song and why he is suffering. The verses were quite nice because it was like the ‘calm before a storm’. Overall, Suffering In Love is a very tragic but great song to listen to!

The music video shows two sides of the world and the only thing connecting them is a mirror. One side, which is full of light and brightness is the calm zone. We see this often during the verses (i.e. the calm before the storm). The darker scenes feature his partner and more hurtful emotions. It is seen predominately during the chorus. He goes out of his way to keep the mirror covered but at times takes off the covering. This shows that while part of him wants to keep the hurtful side of his life behind him, another part wants to revisit due to his love for his partner. I think this is a very smart and well-present concept and goes extremely well with the song.

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