kpopreviewed

[Weekly Chart] 2nd Week of March 2019

March 17, 2019Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Hey everybody, another week has passed and it is time to see which song and artist managed to take over the top spot from last week’s chart! This past week was a little hectic for me as my university timetable started to kick in. And because of that, I felt I wouldn’t be able to keep to my current post schedule. So I made a swap between Thursday and Friday, as you can see in the new schedule below. This kicks in starting today.

Now, let’s shift our focus back on the charts (the real reason why we are all here!). Taking the top spot this week is Sunmi’s Noir, rising from the third position from last week. Following them is ONF’s We Must Love, which rose a whopping 15 spots from last week. Jus2 (consisting of GOT7’s JB and Yugyeom) with Focus On Me also rose up one position to take over the third position. The only new song debuting in the top 5 is GWSN’s Pinky Star (Run). Completing the top 5 for this week is Key’s I Wanna Be. For more of the charts, scroll down below!

	11th Mar – 17th Mar 2018
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Noir	Sunmi	(▲ 2)
2	We Must Love	ONF	(▲ 15)
3	Focus On Me	Jus2	(▲ 1)
4	Pinky Star (RUN)	GWSN	(new)
5	I Wanna Be	Key (SHINee) ft. Kim Soyeon ((G)I-DLE)	(▲ 3)
6	gogobebe	Mamamoo	(new)
7	Piri	Dream Catcher	(=)
8	Crown	TXT	(▼ 6)
9	Butterfly	LOONA	(▼ 3)
10	Twit	Hwasa (Mamamoo)	(▼ 1)
11	Spring	Park Bom ft. Sandara Park	(new)
12	Q&A	Cherry Bullet	(▲ 25)
13	Tuxedo	Ravi (VIXX)	(▲ 14)
14	Alligator	Monsta X	(▼ 3)
15	Enough	SF9	(▼ 3)
16	DALLA DALLA	ITZY	(▼ 11)
17	Sunrise	Gfriend	(▲ 12)
18	Only U	IMFACT	(▲ 25)
19	Slow Dance	Park Yuchan (JYJ)	(▲ 1)
20	Gravity	TREI	(▼ 6)
21	I’m A Star	Wooseok & KuanLin	(new)
22	LOVEDRUNK	Epik High ft. Crush	(new)
23	Party Girl	Jang Dongwoo (Infinite)	(▼ 1)
24	What You Waiting For?	R.Tee & Anda	(▼ 6)
25	Senorita	(G)I-DLE	(▼ 24)
26	All Night	ASTRO	(▼ 7)
27	News	Jang Dongwoo (Infinite)	(▼ 14)
28	Because I Love You	Kang Min Kyung (DAVICHI)	(▼ 4)
29	No	CLC	(▼ 14)
30	Home	Seventeen	(▼ 5)

Songs leaving the charts this week are:

Sunrise – Gfriend
Faker – LU:KUS
Loca – FAVORITE
Dream About U – NATURE
Ya – Lee Min Hyuk (BTOB)
Say My Name – ATEEZ
All Night – ASTRO
Home – SEVENTEEN

I am still catching up on reviews today and possibly this week for songs released in the past week. Please look forward to them and any other reviews I post for this week. See you all again next Sunday for the next edition of the Weekly KPOP Charts!

[Review] Pinky Star (RUN) – GWSN

March 16, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged GWSN1 Comment

GWSN is back with their very first comeback! The female group made their debut last year with Puzzle Moon and it featured a very puzzling music video. Now, they return with Pinky Star (RUN), which is the title track off their second mini-album, The Park In The Night (Part 2). They also seem to continue with their puzzling concept with this title track (but more on that later). While it has been fairly quiet from the group since their debut, they did participate in the rookie dominated MAMA Stage held in Korea last year.

Pinky Star is a very interesting song, as there seem to be many separate bits trying to reel you in. The good thing is that it all works in harmony and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the track. It features house-based instrumentation, which was littered with a number of effects to really draw your attention. The wooden xylophone that was layered on top of the house instrumentation during the first verse was very nice. I thought it was rather intriguing how the xylophone came back for the second verse but it was metal instead. It then progressed back to the wooden ones for the dance break (also need to mention the tempo during the dance break. So fast paced). The scratches give the song various textures, which kept the song from becoming too overwhelming. The other interesting bit was the vocals. I love the chorus to this track. The conjunction of those cutesy vocals during the first half of the chorus and the more general delivery of the second half was rather dynamic. The rapping was also commendable, as it felt just right for this track.

As mentioned previously, the video has this puzzling theme attached to it, similar to Puzzle Moon. Unfortunately, my literature isn’t as great and I have no idea what is going on in the video. The video opens up with a line that says ‘ We may be someone greater than we think we are‘ and ends with the quote ‘If you possess unique strength, it must be used for good‘ from The Doors of Perception (There is a good chance that the video may just be based on this book, as I can see some similarities between the video and what I briefly read on Wikipedia. It feels like a reach in my head, however, unless it is a very loose adaptation). But based on a comment regarding superpowers (see below), it seems like the members are awakening and using their members throughout the video (i.e. they become greater through their unique powers and we don’t see them use it for any bad purposes). But the interpretation of the video is still up in the air. Aesthetics though are amazing and I really like the rooftop scenes with the members doing their own thing, along with the performance occurring at the same time.

I am amazed by this performance. It is really good! I really liked the short movements during the first half of the chorus. I thought it was very fitting for the music. I liked how they gave that section a somewhat cutesy vibe to really match what I said about that section above. The dance break was very intense and worked well with the fast tempo of that section.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] gogobebe – Mamamoo

March 16, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged MAMAMOO3 Comments

Unfortunately, I was a little busy this week (particularly last night) to write up multiple reviews (on top of the scheduled album review), so I had to push back the reviews to today. Hopefully, I hope to catch up on them today and tomorrow. But today, we are here for Mamamoo, who returned with their new single, gogobebe, just yesterday. The song is featured on their 9th mini-album, White Wind, which also happens to be the final instalment in their 4 Seasons 4 Colours series. gogobebe joins Starry Night, Egotistic and Wind Flower in that lineup.

Each of the songs we have seen in the series thus far compliments the season in which it was intended to be released. gogobebe doesn’t fit this trend at all, opting for a very upbeat and somewhat fun sounding track, atypical if we were going to consider just the season. Note how I say ‘somewhat fun-sounding’. I felt that it was borderline but there were times where the song (without the aid of the music video) didn’t necessary gave the right colours to be ‘fun sounding’. The track has this slight hip-hop influence, which was rather nice. It is slightly different from what we have seen so far. Another aspect I liked about the song was the chorus. It switches between a’ singing to chanting and back to singing’ chorus and it managed to flow effortlessly. I also liked the post-chorus hook (the ‘illuwa illuwa‘, which was rather catchy to my ears. I also thought that they didn’t use their powerhouse vocals, which I think gives the song a light feel. And this choice allows the song to really flourish more. Personally, I don’t think it is their best song ever but it is still a nice song.

If you are are a MooMoo (Mamamoo’s fanclub name), you will probably have a great insight into their playful and wild personality off the stage. And I feel like the music video does a good job of drawing on that aspect. We see the members have a boring and tiring week and it finishes off with a party invite to house number 99. The members frantically prepare themselves to attend this party (with Moonbyul’s head getting stuck in the pavement in that mess – say what?) and have a little bit of fun in the meanwhile. When they rock up to the ‘house 99’, they crash a book club meeting (which is all very peaceful), whilst a party was very obviously occurring at house no. 66 (right next door). But knowing Mamamoo, they literally started the party in house no. 99, causing everyone to have a great time. It urns out that the girls at the start of the video (featured in Wheein’s solo scene) decided to have some fun themselves and switch the house numbers. It is a very fun and colourful video, fitting with the song.

Like the video, the performance features a fun performance. There was a lot of nice moments to enjoy (sorry I don’t know the names of any of these moves, so I am just going to list the song parts) including the start of the bridge, the chanting part of the chorus and the ‘illuwa’ illuwa‘ parts of the performance. I liked their energy and their smiles make everything better.

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

[Album Review] Focus (1st Mini Album) – Jus2

March 14, 2019Posted in KPOP4 Comments

It is time for another album review and today, we will be looking at GOT7’s latest subunit, Jus2. The duo is made up of JB and Yugyeom, and based on what I know of them, R&B is highly anticipated on this album. They made their debut last week with Focus On Me, the title track off their mini-album, Focus. Interesting fact, Yugyeom is the leader of the unit, as I recently found out. This is particularly unusual since Yugyom is the youngest member of GOT7, which JB is one of the oldest. But facts aside, we are here to see what I thought of their album, so let’s get going!

1..Focus On Me (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Focus On Me. (8/10)

2. Drunk On You – Drunk On You is a typical instrumented R&B track that goes towards a sensual nature, something that I associated with R&B as I was growing up. Body waves for days. The song talks about the scent of their lover and the effect the said scent has on them. And based on the title, the scent is intoxicating. And I think the song does a good job of showcasing that through the final moments where the song becomes drowned out and slowly fades away into the background. Both the vocals from JB and Yugyeom are quite nice in the song, fitting well into the genre and direction. (8/10)

3. Touch – While Drunk On You follows a typical R&B setup, Touch takes on board the sensual sound with more dramatic instrumentation. In a way, it makes the song very powerful (just not in a bombastic way). The instrumental contains various synths to create a dramatic feel. I also thought the slow-paced drum beats were helpful to get this effect. The vocals were nice. It, at times (such as when they went into falsetto), did feel like it was going to be drowned out by the instrumentation. But the duo managed to keep it borderline balance and prevented the ‘drowning out’ from happening. (7.5/10)

4. Senses – Apart from the title track, Senses is the other song on this tracklist that caught my attention. The instrumental goes with this funky deep-house genre, which I think was the main reason to why I grabbed onto this song in my mind. I thought the vocals were rather interesting. Complimenting the deepness of the instrumentation, their vocals don’t really go too far up, staying relatively close to the deep tone of the music. I think this just makes the track even more impactful. My main issue with the song is that it felt too quick and obviously, I wanted more by the time it was over. (9/10)

5. Love Talk – Love Talk takes upon the house genre that Jus2 presented us in the previous song. But this feels more upbeat as it doesn’t feel as deep-toned as the previous track. I also liked how they added more of that funkiness to the track through the electronic/synth-based additions to the instrumentation, which instantly drags my attention over. However, as they had their vocals filtered to give off that electronic effect, their vocals were drowned out. While I think this is the typical consequence of the style they chose, I just don’t find it that appealing and hence, I am a little disappointed by the result. (7/10)

6. Long Black – Long Black refers to the caffeinated drink. But rather a warm drink, they liken their lover to the drink that keeps them awake and gives them energy. I think this was a nice song to listen to. Their vocals do shine throughout the track and I think that is because the R&B based instrumentation gives them the opportunity to do so. It also seems to be their brightest song out of the bunch, so it was nice to end the album without being serious or sensual, which has been the case for the songs on this album. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] Spring – Park Bom ft. Sandara Park

March 13, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Park Bom, Sandara Park3 Comments

We haven’t heard too much from the members of 2NE1 since their disbandment in 2017. But today, we are extremely likely to witness two members in one music release. Park Bom makes her solo comeback for the very first time since 2NE1’s disbandment, her departure from YG Entertainment (she is now signed to a company named D-Nation Entertainment) and the release of Don’t Cry back in 2011. (That means this is her first solo release in 8 years). The track is titled Spring and features fellow member Park Sandara, who I believe is more active on variety shows recently.

Spring is an R&B track made up of standard instrumentation that gives off a remarkably grand feel. I find this fitting with her previous two singles as they didn’t have a mind-blowing instrumental but the song managed to be very appealing at the time of its release. There were a few things within the instrumentation (or background) that stood out for me. The first is the piano, which I thought gave the song a delicate touch. The second would have been the ‘Bom Bom Bom‘ part and how it was accented/emphasised by the instrumental at the very end of the chorus. The third has to be the most appealing aspect of all, the use of background vocals. The way managed to compliment her vocals really boosts the song up a fair bit. Talking about her vocals, I found that her distinctive nasal toned voice wasn’t as present here. And because of that, we got to hear more of her in a way that we really haven’t before. Along with Park Bom, Sandara does an amazing job showcasing her both vocals and rap in her section. I thought her features were rather nice as it serves as a mini-2NE1 reunion but also gives the song something ‘more’ (and hence preventing the song from becoming too linear/consistently plain).

One thing that is clearly absent in this video is YG’s quality. Her past videos have been of a similar typical nature. But with YG’s quality, a typical video could look a lot better. This lacks that and it is just a typical music video for me. I do have to admit though, her presence in the garden scenes and the lighting in this video does make it seem intriguing at first glance. I also thought her outfits were nice and contrasted nicely with the sets that we saw.

To fit the electronic side of the song, there is choreography. However, Park Bom doesn’t really participate much in the choreography department. I guess it is for her to focus on her singing. But I think another factor is her dress. I watched her showcase just now and I was honestly scared for her. I thought she was going to trip on her train/tail. And because of her outfit, her moves come off quite weak. The rest of the choreography was okay. But I am not particularly drawn to it.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Love Drunk – Epik High ft. Crush

March 12, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Crush, Epik HighLeave a comment

After a year and 5 months, the iconic Epik High has returned with a brand new mini-album, Sleepless in __________, and the title track Love Drunk. Though, their absence seems to be for a much longer time period as their last stage promotion occurred back in 2014 (approximately 5 years ago). For this title track, they joined hands with Crush as a featuring artist, while IU and actress Jin Seo Yeon featured in the music video.

Love Drunk is a ballad that starts off with Crush’s delicate vocals over a simple piano instrumental. We also get a bit of Tablo towards the end of the start, just before the song picks up and adds extra elements to the instrumentation to give it a mid-tempo feel while still maintaining the stillness/peacefulness from the start. I find the piano start was very profound for something so little and it works well with Crush and Tablo. But the song kicks up to allow for the rapping of Tablo and Mithra Jin to come into play and they leave us with impactful sequences. While this is usually the case when it comes to Epik High’s ballads, I liked how they didn’t disturb the peaceful atmosphere with their deep tones. My personal favourite part of the song has to be Tablo’s bridge, which I think sets the tone of the song. If you don’t understand Korean in any way, the bridge is a clear taste to the emotional side of the song (The song is all about the first hard breakup and the feelings you may have). It isn’t in a heart-wrenching way, however. The stillness I mentioned previously makes this ballad more powerful and heartbreaking.

The music video, as mentioned previously features IU (who plays the student) and Jin Seo Yeon (the teacher). Seo Yeon seems to be the type of person who is cold and doesn’t want to teach anyone due to her strict standards. IU, on the other hand, wants to be trained by her. At the start of the video, IU is caught spying on Seo Yeon and they have a fight. No one is victorious in this fight as most likely Seo Yeon fought to scare IU away and IU was not able to overpower her. This causes IU to become upset and she screams, attracting the attention of Seo Yeon and breaking a few barrels of water. Intrigued, Seo Yeon starts teaching IU. And during one of these teaching moments (I assume – or maybe it was an actual fight), IU landed a punch which assumingly kills Seo Yeon. This plagues IU’s mind and leaves her devastated, as seen at the end. Rather than playing with a romantic relationship, the director chose a role model based relationship, as this would be the first relationships we, as people, would have. And the loss of this role model would be extremely devastating to us. Overall, I thought it was a well thought out video. The martial arts does throw you off a bit but the underlying plotline makes sense with the lyrics.

Song – 8/10
Music Video 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Album Review] Alone (1st Mini Album) – Sistar

March 12, 2019March 11, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Sistar1 Comment

For this week’s ‘Past Album’ Review, I have decided to go with another disbanded group. Sistar, who used to be a part of Starship Entertainment, made their debut back in 2010 and disbanded after 7 years in 2017. One of their most iconic tracks ever is Alone and it is also the name of the mini-album that I wish to review today. It was released back in 2012 and was quickly followed up with their Loving U promotions From memory, Sistar caused a stir for their very sexy comeback, outfit and dance back in 2012. Do expect a lot more Sistar album reviews coming your way in the future, as I have a lot of albums from the group to review (a gold mine, if you ask me!). So let’s start things off today! (As per previous reviews, I have omitted the intro track, Come Closer, from my review).

2. Alone (나 혼자) (Title Track) – Since its release in 2012, the track has definitely grown on me. Hence, I have decided to bump the review score up to 8/10 (from 7.6/10). A lot of my thoughts regarding the song was very elementary. I find the song very enjoyable now and am very impressed with the many elements within the song. I just don’t think it is as great as their more recent Summer releases before disbandment. Click here to read the 2012 review for Alone. (8/10)

3. No Mercy – When you look back at Sistar’s discography, No Mercy is a pretty good taste to it. It is a normal pop song that uses electronic-based instrumentation. We hear something similar later but what sets this song part is that there is less autotune. Yeah, Dasom and Bora still have autotune but Soyou manages to flourish in this song alongside Hyorin, which was very nice. I enjoyed Bora’s rap-chant section in the bridge, so clearly not all autotune is bad. I thought it brought a dynamic feel to the song. I also thought the chorus, while it was standard, did a good job of throwing more energy into the song and gives it a memorable melody. (8/10)

4. Lead Me – To me, I think this was the first Sistar side-track that I basically fell in love with at the time of its release. I think it was because we got to hear more of the other members (despite Hyolyn still getting the majority of the song). But also I felt that it was very well-polished and easy on the ears. Actually, I think the more correct word is calming. Not only that but the vocals from each member were on point. I thought Bora’s rap was equally as good and I like the intensity she gave the song through her rap section. I also like Hyolyn’s ad-libs throughout the end of the song, which really added a nice level of appeal for me. (9/10)

5. Girls On Top (널 사랑하겠어) – Girls On Top has a funky electronic sound, giving it a somewhat retro vibe to it. Other than that, it is a typical pop song, so it similar to No Mercy. And they keep the electronic theme going by autotuning the vocals. It is fitting, so I didn’t mind too much of it. But my issue is that all the members were heavily autotuned, giving off the impression that they cannot sing. Obviously, Hyolyn is an exception and she was only autotuned (but still not to the degree of the other members) at the start of the song. Her vocals during the chorus were pretty much ‘untouched’. I did like the chorus as she managed to bring a level of fierceness to the song. But since the album is very Hyolyn dominant, I wanted more of the other members to shine. (7.5/10)

6. I Choose To Love You (Hyolyn Solo) – When I say that the album is Hyolyn dominant, I meant it. The album features her solo single, I Choose To Love You, which is an OST track for How To Love Smart 2 (according to Wikipedia). The song is a ballad and it has a nice flowy melody. Actually, if I remember correctly, this is the very song that introduced me to Hyolyn and her group. Her vocals bring a sense of warmness and feel fitting for a cold day. As much as I want the other members to stand out, this song does an excellent job of showcasing Hyolyn’s vocals for the audience. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8/10

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

[Review] I’m A Star – Wooseok X KuanLin

March 11, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Lai Kuan Lin, Pentagon, Wooseok (Pentagon), Wooseok X KuanLin1 Comment

Kicking off the week is a new unit collaboration between two artists at Cube Entertainment. We are all familiar with Wooseok from Pentagon and KuanLin (formerly a part of Wanna One). And they have come together to form the third special unit from Cube Entertainment. Named WooseokXKuanLin, they follow the success of the now-defunct Trouble Maker and Triple H. Their track is titled I’m A Star. This is also KuanLin’s first release since Wanna One’s disbandment and Wooseok’s first release since Pentagon’s Naughty Boy comeback in Korea.

As previously stated numerous times on the blog, I am not a major fan of these hip-hop infused tracks that rappers tend to release every now and then as a collaboration or solo release. Recently, this has begun to change and I can confidently say I have a new appreciation for these tracks when it is done in a very enjoyable manner. I’m A Star is a prime example of this. To me, it is a fun song. Not too serious in any manner. I found the instrumental to be extremely groovy and I personally think the medium tempo made it quite appealing. Despite Wooseok and KuanLin’s voices being rough and deep-toned, the melody of the song gives it a smooth and flowy feel. I thought their vocals, particularly during the chorus and bridge was also quite good. Their rapping, is obviously top notch, as that is what they are known based on their positions in their individual groups. I particularly like it when they come together and rap/sing together. The ‘I’m A Star‘ line in the chorus is ridiculously addictive and, once again, fun. Overall, I quite liked the song.

The music video shows the two members enjoying their time as a star. Essentially what the song is all about. It is a little extra at moments, such as KuanLin as a renowned astronaut floating in space after a successful space mission and actor Wooseok stabbing animals (not real animals but rather people dressed in animal outfits) in his next big role. The scenes give off that fun vibe that I mentioned previously, which is an instantly appealing component. The editing is also quite amazing in this video, especially the window on the floor during the first chorus.

The performance was nice. For everything up to the second verse, it felt very typical for the song. But from the bridge onwards, things get a little more exciting. More footwork is observed and they get into actual choreography. The piggyback ending seemed a little anticlimactic, however.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Album Review] The Dream Chapter: Star (1st Mini Album) – TXT

March 10, 2019March 10, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged TXT1 Comment

TXT, the newest boy group from Big Hit Entertainment, made their official debut last Monday. And due to their association with BTS, we all know that we have to check out their work. Hence, today we will be looking further into their very first mini-album. For those who don’t know, TXT is a 5 member male group consisting of Soobin, Yeonjun, Byeomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Ka. The group’s name, TXT, stands for Tomorrow X Together. Now, let’s get on with the review!

txt-thedreamchapterstar-2 — *The Dream Chapter: Star* Album Cover

1..Blue Orangeade – Blue Orangeade is a fairly light song to kick off their first album release. While the start kicks off in an intense fashion, the rest of the song felt very ordinary. The melody was not that strong, and the song felt repetitive. But while it may be ordinary, it does have some good aspects that do draw my attention to the song. I think the song managed to showcase their vocals and rapping in a decent manner. It matches the lightness of the instrumental and doesn’t feel overwhelmingly bold. I also enjoyed that acapella effect that was built into the instrumentation. It is something a little different to what we hear often nowadays. Overall, I think just wanted more grabbing, like the title track, since this is the first song on their first album. (7/10)

2. Crown (어느날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Crown. (9/10)

3. Our Summer – Our Summer is my favourite sidetrack on the album. It features a nice light tropical house instrumental. But what sets this song apart from the first song (as I described them both as light) gradually builds up and launches itself into an upbeat instrumental that manages to be very appealing. Yes, it is a song of an overused genre, but it doesn’t mean it is a bad song. I liked how peaceful the verses of the song is and how they continue on with the peacefulness and pleasantness in the chorus despite adding more to the instrumental. Their vocals are very refreshing. I think the track would have been nicer with a rap sequence but what we got is already amazing. (9.5/10)

4. Cat & Dog – Cat & Dog has a very neat hip-hop influenced style. It also shares a cute message of wanting to be their lover’s pet, as that way they will be closer to their lover for the majority of the day. And I do like the song quite a bit. It is fun, youthful and inviting to listeners. I do think the autotune was a bit much and that they could have gone easier on that front. I think given the hip-hop influence, their rapping does shine considerably. I also quite like the ending as it is memorable as it goes that extra mile for me. From the ‘I Just Wanna Be A Dog’ line to the barking, the song ends with a unique touch and made me chuckle yet wanting more. (9/10)

5. Nap Of A Star (별의 낮잠) – This ballad starts off with amazing vocals. The breathy nature and the soft volume they add to their usual vocals really give the song impact. The harmonies are also very beautiful, while they also seemed to be heavily utilised in the song to give it some definition. Otherwise, the song would have been very bare. The instrumental is simple, featuring guitar all throughout and some deep percussion, which was added later on. Nothing else was used, so it solely relies on the vocals. The combination of everything really makes it an amazing ballad that ends the album on a very peaceful and warm note. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

txt-thedreamchapterstar-3 — *The Dream Chapter: Star* Teaser Image

[Weekly Charts] 1st Week of March 2019

March 10, 2019Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Welcome back to the charts for this week, the very first week of March 2019. Can we take a moment to have a small breather of the number of comebacks that occurred this week? It was very concentrated around Monday and the comebacks just kept on coming. If you somehow missed out on the past week, here is just a small recap of who returned and debuted! Key (SHINee), Jang Dong Woo (Infinite), TXT, Sunmi, Jus2 (GOT7’s newest unit), R.Tee & Anda and Ravi (VIXX). And those are the ones that I reviewed only. I am still working on other reviews that will be released in the next few days/weeks.

And with these new releases, you must wonder what on earth the charts for this week must look like. Well, managing to survive the onslaught of comebacks and debuts this week is Senorita by (G)I-DLE, who topped the charts for this week. The only other artists to make it up to the Top 5 who didn’t come back this week is ITZY’s DALLA DALLA, which managed to clinch onto the 5th position. TXT’s Crown, Sunmi’s Noir and Jus2’s Focus On Me are the new releases that start off their chart journey in the Top 5, placing second, third and fourth respectively.

For more of the charts, scroll down below.

	3rd Mar – 9th Mar 2019
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Senorita	(G)I-DLE	(▲ 2)
2	Crown	TXT	(new)
3	Noir	Sunmi	(new)
4	Focus	Jus2	(new)
5	DALLA DALLA	ITZY	(▲ 5)
6	Butterfly	LOONA	(▼ 4)
7	Piri	Dream Catcher	(=)
8	I Wanna Be	Key (SHINee) ft. Kim Soyeon ((G)I-DLE)	(new)
9	Twit	Hwasa (Mamamoo)	(▲ 5)
10	TicToc	NEONPUNCH	(▲ 17)
11	Alligator	Monsta X	(▼ 6)
12	Enough	SF9	(▼ 11)
13	News	Jang Dongwoo (Infinite)	(new)
14	Gravity	TREI	(▲ 1)
15	No	CLC	(▼ 9)
16	Clock	Infinite	(▲ 12)
17	We Must Love	ONF	(▼ 5)
18	What You Waiting For?	R.Tee & Anda	(new)
19	All Night	ASTRO	(▼ 2)
20	Slow Dance	Park Yuchan (JYJ)	(▼ 9)
21	Bird	Ha Sungwoon (HOTSHOT)	(▼ 12)
22	Party Girl	Jang Dongwoo (Infinite)	(new)
23	A Song For Me	Hong Joochan (Golden Child)	(▼ 10)
24	Because I Love You	Kang Min Kyung (DAVICHI)	(▼ 5)
25	Home	Seventeen	(▼ 9)
26	Valkyrie	ONEUS	(▲ 7)
27	Tuxedo	Ravi (VIXX)	(new)
28	Lonely Night	KNK	(▲ 9)
29	Sunrise	Gfriend	(▲ 7)
30	Get Away	Seven O’Clock	(▼ 4)

Songs leaving the chart this week are:

%% – APINK
I’m OK – iKON
Lonely Night – KNK
La La Love – WJSN (Cosmic Girl)
Valkyrie – ONEUS
Ring Ring Ring – VERIVERY
Carpet – Yesung (Super Junior) & Bumkey

Thank you again for tuning for another week and hope to see you again after another jam-packed week.

[Review] What You Waiting For? – R.Tee & Anda

March 9, 2019March 9, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Anda, R.Tee1 Comment

It is time for another review for an artist that I have not yet reviewed. Anda is a female soloist currently signed under YGX (a subsidiary under YG Entertainment and owned by Seungri), who made her solo debut back in 2012 under a different company and has since released a number of singles such as Touch, Hypnotizing and Mastering. She more recently appeared in Seungri’s 2018 music video for 1,2,3. On Wednesday, she released her first single as a YGX artist, titled What You Waiting For?, which is a collaboration with R.Tee, a music producer and DJ signed under The Black Label (another YG Entertainment subsidiary).

What You Waiting For? is a powerful dance track that delves into the EDM genre in a very catching manner. Obviously, I am talking about the chorus and its repetitive drop. It doesn’t exactly go in the direction that I had expected based on the melodic nature of the first verse. Instead, it takes a firm beat and repeats in a very addictive way. It doesn’t feel overbearing nor overwhelming, highlighting R.tee’s production. I like the glitchy effect throughout the song, giving some nice texture. I also really liked the dramatic flair that the bridge carried, which was another changeup I did not expect (even though a slowdown of some sort was expected). The other ‘half’ of the collaboration was Anda’s vocals, which I think was very good. I never paid attention to her to before but this makes me wonder what else I was missing out on. I liked how she matched the production by showcasing a vigorous tone. And based on this, I would anticipate any of her future works. The only thing that I was not fond was the ending. It felt like it left us hanging or incomplete. But that might just be me.

The lyrics of the song asks her lover ‘What You Waiting For’ after she observes hesitance in her partner. In the video, we see Anda’s own development, going from unsure to her confident self. We see this through that mirror box she becomes trapped in and the outfit change we see within that confinement. I am not sure about the significance of the very beginning where she wakes up in the unfamiliar technological surrounding and realizes she is microchipped. I also thought seeing R.Tee in the video was interesting. We don’t often see producers in the music video and the way they had him in the centre, with the backup dancers dancing behind him was rather cool and felt inclusive. Overall, I thought it was a nice video with good sets.

The other part of this comeback that stands out is the performance. Anda’s energy adds fuel to the song and I think looks good from an audience standpoint. I also like how she didn’t shy away and matched the male backup dancers effortlessly in the music video. I think the best part overall was her interactions with the backup dancers one by one. It looked cool.

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

[Review] Tuxedo – Ravi (VIXX)

March 8, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Ravi (VIXX)4 Comments

In my quest to reviewing new artists, I decided to write about Ravi’s latest solo release. Ravi debuted as a solo artist back in 2016 and surprisingly, I have shied away from all his solo releases since then. I am not even sure why. It might because I don’t review mixtapes or that I don’t enjoy songs purely of rapping that much. But whatever the reason, I have missed out on opportunities to review songs like BOMB (featuring SanE) and Nirvana (featuring Park Ji Min). But today, we focus on Tuxedo which is the title track of Ravi’s second mini-album, R.OOK BOOK.

Tuxedo has this groovy instrumental that does stand out to an extent. It isn’t something that I had expected from Ravi, due to his work with hip-hop and rap in the past. While I do like the grooviness and funkiness, I did think the song was a tad too consistent. There were trumpets in the chorus that did give a little extra something but I am unsure if it was enough. The bridge did feature a slight slowdown and buildup to the final chorus, but it didn’t feel memorable enough. I did like the melody of the track, especially during the chorus. I would have to say this is his most melodic work yet (based on his title tracks from what I could remember). But the biggest downfall of the track is the autotuned vocals and raps. I don’t understand why the song was heavily autotuned. It just instantly drew me away from the song. If it was used subtly or in moderation, I think the song could have been more attractive. overall, I think it is safe to say I am not a major fan of the song.

The song talks about wanting to break free from a boring life and having some fun. And based on the lyrics, his attire to having fun is in a tuxedo. Very classy. The video features party vibes, which goes hand-in-hand with the lyrics. However, I honestly wanted more tuxedos. Not just the one kind but multiple tuxedos. While it does seem like a cliche move, I wouldn’t mind it and it could potentially have made the video interesting. But overall, I thought was it a well-fitted video.

I think the performance does a good job of bringing those party vibes to the stage. A few things I noticed – the backup dancers looked like they were having a genuinely good time and I didn’t realize Ravi was so tall until I saw how all the backup dancers were shorter than him (but that may be just the camera angle). I also liked how Ravi used his charms to really appeal to the audience.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Album Review] I MADE (2nd Mini Album) – (G)I-DLE

March 7, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged i-dleLeave a comment

(G)I-DLE returned last week with their brand new single, Senorita, which is featured on the group’s 2nd mini-album, I Made. Today, we will be having a closer look at the album and the other tracks that are present alongside Senorita. But if you don’t want to read the full album review, I got you! Just a very quick summary of the review before we get started – everything is fantastic. Not one bad song present, so the album gets my nod of approval (and that ‘Recommended’ sticker below). But if you want an in-depth dive, continue reading below!

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

2. What’s Your Name – What’s Your Name stands out for its heaviness. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing as I cannot pinpoint any song with a heavy instrumental like this (i.e. it is somewhat refreshing). And as the song is quite heavy, they didn’t too much to the instrumental to give it an overpowering effect. Instead, I liked the EDM drop, which gave the song some nice texture and energy at the same time. The build-up was also memorable, partly due to the vocals as well. While we already mention vocals, I thought that they stood out based on this element alone in this song. Their vocals were quite simple, but it managed to work well with the instrumental. Likewise, the raps also get the same comments and I think the more melodic approach with their delivery in time around. (8.5/10)

3. Put It Straight (싫다고 말해) – (G)I-DLE’s approach to a ballad is very interesting. And it is the style that I am very into. The first thing that grabs your attention is their vocals. All members take a husky and low tone vocal approach, which I think was amazingly done. I liked how the music worked alongside the members. Usually, the instrumental is laid down first with the vocals following. But for this song, particularly the verses, the instrumental moulds itself around the vocals. Their vocals also seemed to be emotionally driven and with further inspection, the song talks about loneliness in a relationship. But when you read the English lyrics of the song, you just can’t help but notice how eerie the song sounds as a result. (9/10)

4. Give Me Your (주세요) – Once again, the group changes up style with this song. Give Me Your shares the opposite feeling to the previous song, reflecting upon one’s feeling to their partner. And with that, the song takes a brighter tone, which I much appreciate. The style they went for reminds me of the folksy songs that IU releases every now and then. Once again, no rapping in this as rapping would fit this folksy style. Instead, all the members opt for vocals Soyeon does get close to rapping, but it stays close to her preceding vocal section. I personally don’t mind the song but it isn’t my cup of tea. (8/10)

5. Blow Your Mind – When Blow Your Mind first started, it felt like a very straightforward and serious R&B track. Minnie does a good job of making us think this way. But once the song picks up and the chorus kicks in, the song seems to get a retro influence in the instrumentation. The ‘You You You… Oh Oh’ repetition (my favourite bit of the song) that follows the chorus gives it a quirky nature, becoming the second unexpected changeup. Soyeon returns to rapping in this song and manages to slay her lines remarkably in this song. Once again, I think this was an amazing ending to the album. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

[Double Review] News + Party Girl – Jang Dong Woo (Infinite)

March 6, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged INFINITE, Jang Dong Woo (Infinite)Leave a comment

It is time to look at a solo debut from Monday (I think this is the last of the releases from Monday. Apologies for the lateness of this review). This time around it is Dongwoo from Infinite, the group’s resident rapper. The idol released two music videos for News (the official title track) and Party Girl, and hence I will be reviewing both of songs today in this post. Both songs are featured on his first mini-album titled Bye. In other related news, Infinite recently returned with a special digital single, Clock.

Starting off with News, it is a slow electronic dance track that feels like it loaded with emotions. In fact, the song talks about the emotions you get during a breakup, so it is definitely successful in conveying those emotions. It also seems like the song does a good job of pushing Dongwoo’s vocals. We actually hear more of his vocals than ever before and I sense potential. We do see some rapping and I thought there would be more of this element as this is what he is known for. Furthermore, I did like the dramatic flair to the song through the instrumental, especially the loud crashes which create some intensity in the chorus. However, when I listen to the full track, the is a sense of dryness to the song. It isn’t really that memorable and I don’t find myself wanting more, which is a little disappointing.

Party Girl is a completely different sound. The does start off with a similar feel to News. But as the song slowly starts to build up to its drop, you can tell is rather different. Firstly., the drop is more suited to what the title suggests, a party. The synthesizer used really gives the song that needed burst of energy and is quite ear-catching. which makes the song more memorable for me. And it is because of the chorus, I thoroughly enjoy the song more. The song, too, also showcases his vocals extremely well. The ad-libs at the end were pretty good. Interestingly, there is no rapping. Though I like the song how it is, I think some rapping would be worthwhile.

Fitting in with the serious emotional nature of News, the music video opts for a dark feel. The shade black is used extensively throughout the video. I also like how the cinematography was matching to the instrumental. More the most part, the camera shots are smooth and slow. But when the tiny effect in the instrumental appear, the shots transitions are a lot quicker and timed well. Overall, I thought it was a good video. Party Girl infuses a lot more colour into the video. But instead of being very colourful as a rainbow, the producer/director chose colours that felt more ‘electronic’ if you know what I mean. It is kind of hard to explain but I still like the infusion of colour. Like the cinematography in this video as well. During the chorus, the camera starts becoming shaky and more erratic, fitting in with the energy we got from the chorus.

I liked how smooth his movements were for the News performance. But what I like the most was when he was dancing with the female backup dancer. I thought that was the dynamic part of the entire performance. I didn’t like her inclusion at the start and preferred her during the second verse. However, when it comes to the entire performance, I prefer Party Girl. That is because I prefer things to be energetic and I liked the moves they pulled off during Party Girl. I felt it was dynamic all the way.

News
Song – 710
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

Party Girl
Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] I Wanna Be – Key (SHINee) ft. Soyeon ((G)I-DLE)

March 5, 2019Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged i-dle, Key (SHINee), SHINee, Soyeon ((G)I-DLE)1 Comment

As of yesterday, Key (from SHINee) enlisted into the military to begin his mandatory enlistment. But he didn’t part without releasing some new music. I Wanna Be, which features Kim Soyeon from the girl group (G)I-DLE, is Key’s newest release and serves as a parting present for fans. It is one of the three new songs on the repackaged album which shares the same name as the lead title track. The album was formerly known as Face and it featured One of These Nights (ft. Crush) and Forever Yours (ft. Soyou).

I Wanna Be is a very refreshing pop dance track. I say refreshing as I haven’t heard anything like this before. The instrumental carries some familiar EDM influences but together it sounds like something quite new. There is this slight vibrating synth that I find extremely appealing. I also enjoyed the pulsing beating during the verses, which later became more frequent and bolder during the chorus. Talking about the chorus, I wasn’t sure exactly when it begins. I assume it was when the song became upbeat but the preceding section felt like the start due to the vocals/lyrics. So I am going to label the preceding part as the pre-chorus. I found the pre-chorus interesting as it seemed to feature a female voice behind Key’s. Not exactly sure if it Kim Soyeon’s but I thought the harmonies were really nice. Key’s voice is amazing in this track. I think we can all agree that he has vastly improved since his earlier days. Kim Soyeon’s part was very flowy and I like that a lot. Usually, we see her with intensity, and while I do prefer that, it is nice to see her handle something more delicate.

I really like colour, so I enjoy seeing used in a way that is stylish and sleek. So I appreciate a very vibrant looking video. I Wanna Be‘s music video is essentially that. The use of red and green in their respective sets look amazing and gives off a bold impression. This causes both Key and Kim Soyeon to stand out through the video, which I thought was a great way to really allow them to pop and not become part of the sets. Other than that, I am keen to learn more about the content of the video. He holds the globe in his hands and there were a series of numbers that flash over the TV screen in the video. I don’t know what this all means but it left me intrigued.

The dancing in this video is pretty amazing. Particularly the dance break that follows the choruses. His footwork (or rather knees) look very cool. It is a little disappointing that we won’t see an actual live performance (or dance version) of this track any time soon.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Album Review] Pink Funky (3rd Mini Album) – Mamamoo

March 5, 2019Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged MAMAMOOLeave a comment

Mamamoo isn’t back with a brand new comeback just yet! In fact, they will be returning towards the end of next week with the final instalment of their Four Seasons Project. But that doesn’t stop us from reviewing one of their past albums. Pink Funky was released back in 2015 and it features 6 songs in total, including the title track Um Oh Ah Yeah and the pre-release single, Aah Oop! (links to their respective reviews below). Um Oh Ah Yeah is also the very comeback that grew the group’s popularity due to their unique performances and the song’s very catchy nature.

mamamoo-pinkfunky-2 — *Pink Funky* Teaser Image

1..Freakin Shoes – Freakin Shoes feels like an odd title but it actually makes a lot of sense. Essentially the song likens a pair of new shoes to a person’s crush. Simply, they need to be bought before they are off the market. It is a fun light-hearted song that leads onto the main title track quite nicely. The song features a variety of sounds and vocals from each member, showcasing their capabilities in this somewhat cutesy pop sound (though there seemed to a slight dash of hip-hop influence at the start). When I first re-listened to the song to write the review, I thought the instrumental during the chorus was similar to the later-released Aze Gag. I also thought this song was quite catchy with its chant-like and repetitive chorus. It isn’t overly repeated, which I think makes this track refreshing rather than annoying. (8.5/10)

2. Um Oh Ah Yeah (음오아예) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Um Oh Ah Yeah. (9/10)

3. Sting (따끔) – While the first song deserved its popularity, Sting is the under-appreciated song on the album that deserves some love as well. It is a ballad about realising you still have feelings for a former lover despite thinking you have already moved on. Sting features amazing vocals that really make this song as amazing as it is. Wheein, Hwasa and Solar all do an amazing job with their voices in the song, especially during the bridge which really gave the song that powerful tone despite it being a emotionally driven ballad. If you like Mamamoo for their vocals, then this is the song for you. Moonbyul fans, unfortunately, Moonbyul didn’t have any lines in the version that is featured on the album. However, there are live performances with a special additional rap section, which I thought was fitting and nicely done. (9/10)

4. No No No (갑과 을) – No No No starts adding more funk to the album. It is quite energetic and bright, which I thought was rather fun. Penned by Moonbyul, the song is written to (or in regards) to her ex. It is all about her ex underappreciating back then but now (since she is popular and successful) that they have changed their attitudes about her. I like how the lyrics showcase a more confident side of the girls, which I think is quite appropriate given the background story of the lyrics. I quite liked the vocals of the members, including the rap sequences done by both Hwasa and Moonbyul. The chorus was quite groovy as well. I did notice some Esna influence in some sections of the song and this reminds me of Aah Oop! (8/10)

5. Self Camera – Self Camera takes on a soft R&B sound with some funk mixed into it. And like the first song, this one likens love to a camera. Once again, the vocals of the members stand out in Self Camera, especially in the final moments of the song. I also thought there was an easy-going tone with the song, which does slightly draw some attention to the song. However, I felt the song was weaker than the rest. I didn’t instantly standout, which seemed to be the case for the other songs when I think about it. However, it is still a nice song to listen to. (7.5/10)

6. AHH OOP! (아훕!)) (with Esna) – Click here to read the full review of AAH OOP!. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10