kpopreviewed

[Review] Diamond Girl – MXM

January 10, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged MXMLeave a comment

Did your favourites win at this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards? If you haven’t checked out the winners yet, click on the link here to find out who ultimately won!

MXM have made their return with Diamond Girl. This is their first comeback since their debut last year with I’m The One. For those who may have missed their debut, MXM is a duo consisting of Lim Young Min and Kim Dong Hyun.

Diamond Girl is an extremely funky track that gets you grooving along to it. It is super catchy, as you would expect with something so funky and retro. The instrumental consists of many components that give off that retro vibe, such as the high pitch synth (sounds like a traditional synthesizer sound) in the chorus (at 0:54), the many examples of brass and the good old cow bell. I also loved that coil sound at the end of the bridge. Not sure if you would say that is retro but it was definitely attention-grabbing for me. The repetition of the ‘Diamond Girl‘ feels so energetic. I thought the vocals were really nice. But once again, the raps stole the show for me. Particularly the raps that featured in the second verse. Overall, the song was really cool and definitely landing on my playlist.

For the music video, Diamond Girl seems to reference the pawnbroker whom in the main character that the MXM boys are trying to impress. She also gives out diamonds in exchange for their property. I guess they want to see her more so they gather everything they own to give to her. I also assume the video is set in space, giving they have flying cars and the freaking purple moon in the background at the end. The video was actually quite nice to watch and felt like it complemented the song. You could feel the chemistry they have together in this video, which makes it even better to watch.

I don’t have any specific comments regarding the performance of this comeback. I do like it a lot. It matches the energy from the song, which is a definite plus.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Don’t Leave – Block B

January 10, 2018January 28, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Block BLeave a comment

Zico from Block B was voted as the Best Rapper of 2017. To see who else was voted as the best for 2017, check out the results for the 2017 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here.

We last saw Block B with Shall We Dance and their mini-album, Montage, in November. At the end of 2017, it was announced that the group would return with a repackaged mini-album, titled as Re:Montage. The repackaged mini-album features 3 new songs, including Don’t Leave (the main title track), a solo song from Jaehyo and U-Kwon.

Don’t Leave is another ballad under Block B’s wing. And while it does sound quite rooted within its emotions, the song fails to capture my attention. It just doesn’t have anything that separates it from some of other songs that are currently being released. Shall We Dance grew on me with a few extra listens after writing the review for its uniqueness in terms of its sound, whereas Don’t Leave just feels very standard. That being said, there are elements of the song which I like. The instrumental starts off as piano-based but it progresses to have a band feel. It definitely has a grand feel to it.. Vocals are quite nice (harmonies were beautiful) but the best part has to be the raps. You can never go wrong in that department when it comes to Block B. The transition between Zico rapping and singing felt flawless and P.O’s segment at the end of the song was definitely the best part of the song.

The HD quality of this music video makes it feel so fresh and crisp. It draws me in when there isn’t much going on in the video. The post-apocalyptic feel that I got from the setting of the video reminds me of Love Song by Big Bang, especially Kyung’s walk along the beach. I do like the various camera angles that make the video feel artistic and aesthetic. The slowness of the imagery in the video does compliment the ballad and slower nature of the song.

[Updated] Despite it being a ballad, Block B manages to fit a choreography routine in. It didn’t feel necessary but nonetheless, it is actually very nice. I love the choreography during the post-chorus repetition moments of the song. Their hands flailing around doesn’t look in sync but it has a nice aesthetic, which is something I like.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 6.75/10 [Updated]

2017 KPOPREVIEWED Awards – Results

January 10, 2018January 25, 2018Posted in KPOP, SpecialTagged B.A.P, BTOB, CHUNG HA, Dreamcatcher, EXO, G Dragon (BIGBANG), Hani (EXID), IU, KARD, Luna (F(x)), MONSTA X, Pentagon, Red Velvet, SEVENTEEN, SEVENTEEN Performance Unit, Solar (Mamamoo), Sunmi, TWICE, Wanna One, Zico (Block B)Leave a comment

**drum rolls please**

It is time to announce the winners of the 2017 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. This is the first year ever that you (the readers) got the opportunity to vote and pick out the winners of each category (excluding a few). Let me just start by saying thank you for all those who participated in the voting process, as you all made this possible.

This will be an EXTREMELY LONG post and it will be gif heavy so it may take a while to load up. If you have a slow internet connection (like me), you can still view the winners (along with the nominees if you missed the voting period/want a reminder) by clicking the link here.

The respective gifs for each category represent the winners which you voted for, while I have put down my pick for the category. I have opted to not do a commentary this year due to the already long length of this post.

BEST MALE GROUP DEBUT

Author’s Choice – Wanna One

BEST FEMALE GROUP DEBUT

Author’s Choice – Dream Catcher

BEST SOLOIST DEBUT

Author’s Choice – Jung Sewoon

RISING STAR

Author’s Choice – NU’EST W

BEST SUBUNIT

Author’s Choice – Gugudan 5959

BEST CO-ED GROUP

Author’s Choice – KARD

BEST MALE SOLOIST

Author’s Choice – Bobby (iKON)

BEST FEMALE SOLOIST

Author’s Choice – Sunmi

BEST VOCALS

Author’s Choice – DAY6

BEST RAPPER

Author’s Choice – Bobby (iKON)

BEST JAPANESE SONG BY A KOREAN ARTIST

onemoretime_bestjapanesesongbykoreanartist — *One More Time* – TWICE

Author’s Choice – One More Time (TWICE)

BEST COLLABORATION

Author’s Choice – Bye Babe (Chen & 10CM)

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Author’s Choice – Gashina (Sunmi)

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Author’s Choice – You In Me (KARD)

BEST MALE GROUP

Author’s Choice – SEVENTEEN

BEST FEMALE GROUP

Author’s Choice – Red Velvet

BEST NON-TITLE TRACK SONG

Beautiful – Pentagon

BEST ALBUM

iuplatte-2 — Palette – IU (4th Studio Album)

And there you have it, the 2017 KPOPREVIEWED Award Winners. Congratulations to all! Hopefully, the artist’s that you picked came out on top and were victorious.

As for the BEST SONG OF THE YEAR award, it will be published in a separate post. For this year, the winning song will be the song that tops the End Of Year Charts (to be published on the 15th of January).
NOTE: YOUR VOTES MAKE UP 50% OF THE END OF YEAR CHARTS, WITH THE OTHER 50% CONTRIBUTED BY ME.

[Review] Secret Garden – Oh My Girl

January 9, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged OH MY GIRLLeave a comment

Oh My Girl have made their return to the stage with Secret Garden, which also shares the same name as their latest (and 5th) mini-album. This is Oh My Girl’s first comeback after the departure of JinE, who was still included in the lineup prior to this comeback despite not participating in the promotions.

Secret Garden is actually a pleasing song to listen to. With just a few listens already, the song has managed to grow on me quite a bit. When I first heard a snippet of the song, I was wondering what happened to the aesthetic or energy filled song that we are used to hearing from Oh My Girl. But I guess I was too quick to judge. Secret Garden is orchestral influenced with its dreamy instrumental. With Oh My Girl’s twist, they added a slight presence of a band to make it more upbeat, suitable to incorporate a dance into their stages. The use of electric guitar during their dance break is quite nice, giving the song some variety rather than just the classical instrumentation. The instrumental particularly evokes nostalgia within me, but I cannot pinpoint where this nostalgia is coming from. Their vocals were extremely clear with this song, which makes the song feel so crisp. I liked their chorus but felt like they could have added harmonies to give it a grander effect. Overall, Secret Garden definitely adds to the group’s portfolio as another standout track, in my point of view.

If it weren’t for a particular YouTube comment on the video, I would have completely missed a major detail regarding the music video. It seems like the music video for Secret Garden includes various details that link the past music videos by Oh My Girl to the present video, which ties in nicely with the lyrics of the song. Essentially, what the song is about is one’s ‘Secret Garden‘, which is a reference to one’s imagination. And the entire portfolio of Oh My Girl music videos have been based largely on imagination. Hence we can see different items shared between the videos. The presence of the deer is a reference to Closer and the clouds outside the window reference Coloring Book, to just name a few. If it is the true intention of the imagery, the videos are clearly thought out and interestingly intertwined. I like the video for that fact.

Fitting nicely with the song is the graceful nature of the choreography. I like how some of the moves are fast and sharp, while others were quite slow and fluid. The best part would have to be the dance break, which like the song, gives the choreography a nice kick.

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

[Review] Tell Me – Infinite

January 8, 2018January 8, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged INFINITE1 Comment

Infinite has made their first return since 2016 with their latest mini-album, Top Seed. This particular album along with the title track, Tell Me, is the first to not feature Hoya, who did not re-sign with Woolim Entertainment last year during the contract renewal. Hence this is the first comeback for Infinite as a six-member boy group.

With the departure of a member, I wondered how the 6-member Infinite will differ from the 7-member Infinite. And the direction that Tell Me went in seemed to depart from that traditional Infinite sound. The traditional Infinite sound is much more jam-packed and intense. Tell Me seems to be a little more spaced out and doesn’t feel as intense, hence why I say it doesn’t conform to the past. It has a more pop-centred sound, which actually sounds nice. The song is quite catchy with the “luv, luv, luv’ post-chorus segment. The fast repetition of the ‘naega, naega’ during the chorus just rolls so effortlessly in the song, it has become the main highlight. I liked the instrumental which definitely gives off a different side of the group. All the members sound nice but I feel like their vocals are as strong as before. It might be the song style but I feel like a tighter set of vocals could have brought more of that intensity and Infinite-esque sound to the song. A similar comment could have been made regarding the rap. But overall, I am really digging this track.

Call me crazy but I am dubbing this as the ‘Infinite’ concept as basically what happens in the video just continues on and never ends. I think the storyline of the video is being stuck in that memory of a chance at love and having to relive that until you finally reunite. The video came out to be aesthetic with the various ways they displayed the concept, such as the never-ending blue triangle corners and the various upward camera angles for the choreography. Overall, it is pretty interesting and definitely eye-catching (in my point of view).

Despite the more spaced out song and less intense nature, we can’t talk about Infinite and not acknowledge the synchronisation between the members. They brought such knife-like moves back to the table, which I think is amazing. Not as impressive, I must admit, but still quite captivating to watch. Woohyun’s solo body roll in this performance is on point (big Woohyun fan here)!!!

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Weekly Chart] 1st Week of January 2018

January 7, 2018January 8, 2018Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Apologies for the lateness of the post. I always aim for the Weekly Charts to be uploaded before 3PM where I live but I was extremely busy today. Welcome to the first week of 2018, which has been shaped with so many new songs already. Artists who have come back and landed them a spot on this chart are: Mamamoo, Momoland, N.Flying, HINT, TRCNG, Amber & Luna (F(x)).

With the first week of the year already passed, it is expected that the order of the charts will also change (aka. turning a new leaf). Mamamoo’s Paint Me and Momoland’s Boom Boom have taken out the top spots respectively, which Seventeen (for their final week) has risen to the 3rd position.

For more of the charts, scroll down below and see where your favourites lie.

	31st Dec 2017 – 6th Jan 2018
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Paint Me	Mamamoo	(new)
2	Boom Boom	Momoland	(new)
3	Clap	Seventeen	(▲ 4) (Final Week)
4	Universe	EXO	(▼ 1)
5	You In Me	KARD	(▼ 1)
6	Hot Potato	N.Flying	(new)
7	Dramarama	Monsta X	(▲ 9) (Final Week)
8	DDD	EXID	(▲ 1) (Final Week)
9	Hands Up	B.A.P	(▼ 8)
10	Lip & Hip	Hyuna	(▲ 8)
11	Peek-A-Boo	Red Velvet	(▼ 6)
12	Beautiful	Wanna One	(▼ 4)
13	Hold Me	Eric Nam	(▲ 11)
14	I Like You	DAY6	(▼ 8)
15	Walkie Talkie	HINT	(new)
16	Heart Shaker	TWICE	(▼ 1)
17	Where U At	1NB	(▼ 3)
18	Runaway	Pentagon	(▼ 1)
19	Charm Of Life	Heechul, Shindong, Eunhyuk (Super Junior) & Solar (Mamamoo)	(▲ 8)
20	Twinkle	Lovelyz	(▼ 8)
21	Wolf Baby	TRCNG	(new)
22	Black Suit	Super Junior	(▲ 9) (Final Week)
23	Glass Shoes	Fromis_9	(▼ 2)
24	Love Is Gone	MAP6	(▼ 13)
25	Boy	The Boyz	(▲ 1)
26	Lower	Amber & Luna (F(x))	(new)
27	I (knew it)	Sonamoo	(▼ 14) (Final Week)
28	Shall We Dance	Block B	(▲ 4) (Final Week)
29	Joy	NCT Dream	(▼ 9)
30	All Alone	DAY6	(▲ 3) (Final Week)

Songs leaving the charts this week (and starting from next week, will not appear on the charts):

DDD – EXID
Clap – SEVENTEEN
Black Suit – Super Junior
I (knew it) – Sonamoo
All Alone – DAY6
Dramarama – Monsta X
Shall We Dance – Block B
Chococo – Gugudan
Remember Me – VICTON

As for the KPOPREVIEWED Awards, check back on Wednesday 6PM AEST. That is the time in which I will be uploading the results!!! Until then and the instalment of the charts, adiós.

[Review] Hold Me – Eric Nam

January 6, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Eric NamLeave a comment

There are a number of songs that were released in the last week of 2017, which I have not looked at yet. Eric Nam’s Hold Me falls into that week, dropping on the 27th of December. While the soloist has been active as a singer throughout the year (via a number of collaborations), it is his first solo track since 2016.

Hold Me is a ballad that tells his lover to continue to hold onto him, regardless of whatever he does. There is some warmth to the song, which makes it an ideal song to listen on a cold Winter’s day. This is partly due to the combination of instruments used in the instrumentation and the vocal work. They all work well together, despite being just there is a background. The main focus is on Eric Nam’s vocals. It doesn’t pierce the music in any way, but rather, is gracefully flowing over the top of the instrumentation. His approach to this song plays to his strength and doesn’t feel overwhelming at all. The way he says “Jebal” (Please in Korean) is extremely striking and powerful in my opinion. Furthermore, that section between the second and third chorus was my most favourite bit because it has momentum, something that the song was aiming to build up to (ever so slightly) from the very start.

There is not a proper music video for this track, from what I can see (and what actually popped up in my Subscription box). But rather the main visuals for the song is a video of the live recording filmed as a music video. The colour palette of the music video makes the video feel warm. I like how they filmed Eric with what seems to be a one-shot. But they manage to include various other shots of the guys in the background playing the instruments, which I guess gave the video a wholesome feel as well.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall – 7.6/10

[Review] Paint Me – Mamamoo

January 4, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged MAMAMOOLeave a comment

Despite still being in the first week of the year, we have already seen some amazing comebacks so far. Joining the growing list is Mamamoo with their new single, Paint Me. From what I can gather, this is just the start of what Mamamoo will be putting out this year. So if you are like me and barely made it through today’s song, I have major concerns for the year ahead. But nonetheless, let’s continue.

Paint Me is an amazing song. The very first second literally doesn’t hold back. Mamamoo’s vocals just come at you. Powerful yet beautiful. It is really intense and you barely know about it. I love how they go extra powerful during the first line of the chorus. It truly grabs your attention. The instrumental pace allows the song to become so flowy and melodic. It starts off with a piano and builds up to include a guitar and (I think) violins. It isn’t much but it is so damn impactful. But let’s return to the vocals for a second because there is a bigger elephant in the room that we have yet to address. Moonbyul put aside her rapping talents and allowed her vocals to shine. FINALLY. I have a soft spot for when these rappers sing in Korean. Their voices are so unique, it draws my attention. Here is a fantastic example of that and it just makes me love it even more.

And the music video is equally as beautiful. Each member looks stunning. I am not qualified in fashion in anyway or form, but each member looked like they are ready to walk the red carpet and receive some prestigious award. I love the boldness of the colours on the black and white. Even some of the other scenes where the light is shone brightly onto them from the back to the light strobes all about, they looked perfectly fine in all the scenes. It is a simple music video (when you think about it) but it works wonderfully.

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

[Review] Hot Potato – N.Flying

January 4, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged N.FlyingLeave a comment

N.Flying has returned with their latest single, Hot Potato and mini-album, The Hottest. This is the band’s first comeback since their return in 2017, The Real (which is one of my favourite songs from 2017). And following their concept for the last comeback, it seems like N.Flying is continuing on with their wackiness, given their title of the title track.

And N.Flying has done it again, with what seems to be another amazing track. It is super addictive to listen to, especially once the chorus kicks in. It has me rocking to it. It seems like N.Flying has found their sound, which is definitely that playful and bright sound which you don’t really hear when it comes to bands across South Korea. There were a few moments that I liked throughout the rock-based The first being the small rock sequence which Seunghyub raps to for the bridge. That was an amazing section of the song. The second part was that extra instrumental at the end, which felt more like a tease. Vocally, the song is on point. So are the raps, which I felt (besides the chorus) is a very strong element to the song. The ‘Hot! A Hot Potato’ line at the end of the post-chorus (at 1:11) is so damn good, it still rings in my head.

Playing to that wacky side, N.Flying plays a group with not much to do (i.e. unemployed bachelors). A lot of the time, throughout the video, is of the group imagining how their lives would be shaped if they were famous. Portable fans vs. helicopters, money vs. bills. The reality vs. expectation scenarios makes the video funny to watch. Some of the sets looked quite cool, particularly the ones where they are performing. The helicopter and red carpet were my favourites. Overall, it was a good video to watch.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Boom Boom – Momoland

January 4, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged MomolandLeave a comment

Momoland has made their return to the stage with Boom Boom and their third mini album, Great! This is their third comeback to date, following their tracks such as Wonderful Love, Freeze! and Jjan! Koong! Kwang!. For those who are not familiar with Momoland and want a taste of what they have to offer, check out their Asia Artist Awards performance, consisting of both Freeze and Wonderful Love. You will not be disappointed.

Boom Boom goes for a somewhat more mature sound with its instrumental and vocal work. It isn’t that bubbly and cutesy as their previous comebacks but it still manages to keep their bright and energetic sound. I am super addicted to the chorus of this song that just keeps on making me come back for more. But the most promising part of the song has to the be ‘Boom Boom’ in the post-chorus. The most unexpecting part of the entire track has to be the rap portion of the song, which breaks down into a few seconds of pure hip-hop sound. Unexpecting but it surprisingly works. Besides that, the song fits neatly into the retro sound that KPOP is often known for. The song ticks all the right boxes for me and tries to be a little different, which is what I like about it.

To me, the video can be split into two. The first being your standard shots of close-ups and choreography, while the second part is their commercial concept, which I think could have been used in a better way. It doesn’t resonate with something that is memorable, so it doesn’t do a good job with its sale pitch. However, that being said, I thought they pushed with that somewhat more mature concept very well towards the end, when we see them in the suits. They all look quite good in their suits and it definitely gave the girls that mature feel.

I also enjoyed the choreography. It isn’t as out there as their past choreography which was more energetic and bubbly. The choreography for the chorus was perfect, with the tempo and overall feel met. They managed to throw in some moves that remind me of their fun side, which keeps them to their roots.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Walkie Talkie – HINT

January 3, 2018January 3, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged HINTLeave a comment

At first, I thought HINT was a newly debuted group gracing the stage with their first song. But after some research (aka. YouTube side recommendation bar), I have come to realize that HINT made their debut a while back (2012) under the name of TURAN. It wasn’t until last year with the release of Tang Tang Tang did they change their group name to HINT. Today’s focus will be on their recent track, Walkie Talkie.

Walkie Talkie falls within the ‘standard KPOP’ genre. And while we are always expecting something a little different with each release, it is always nice to have a look back once in a while. And honestly, the track could not have come at a better time. It is a cutesy song that has a catchy hook and beat. It doesn’t have me singing along, but I can’t help but gravitate towards the song today. The ‘Walkie Talkie‘ repetition was quite addictive. The instrumental seems to fall neatly into the KPOP sphere (as previously mentioned) but it seems to incorporate some tropical house influence with that whistle synth. Overall, the sound is definitely bright, making it a stand out in the recent Winter weather dominated industry at the moment. Vocally, they sound pretty much like other cutesy girl groups. Not terrible but not jaw dropping amazing. I did like how they end the SOS by adding that effect on the song.

Like the song, it is your standard cutesy music video. Unlike the song though, it just doesn’t have that fresh feel to it. HINT takes you to the beach in the video and arranging a nice picnic at some park. The colours are bright in the video, which compliments the overall vibes of the song. The choreography scenes were nice but it does suffer due to that standard look. I did find the onesies scene quite cute and would have like some more of that in the video.

Performance wise, I think their dance is enough for the song. It has that cute feel to it and definitely channels a decent amount of energy fitting for the song. The chorus made me smile with their arms flailing about and their faces all scrunched up into a smile.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Album Review] Universe (6th Mini Album / 2017 Winter Album) – EXO

January 3, 2018January 3, 2018Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged EXOLeave a comment

Welcome to the first album review of 2018 and we are starting off with the last major release of 2017. EXO returned on the 26th of December with their 2017 Winter album, Universe, which has become the fourth Winter album release of the band. The track has yet to be performed on any of the weekly music shows but was performed at the MBC Music Festival that occurred on the 31st of December. This album has caught me off guard with its high quality and has officially become one of my favourite releases of 2017. Scroll down and read the review to find out why I think so!

1 & 2. Universe (Korean and Chinese Versions) – Click here for the full review of Universe. (10/10)

3. Been Through (지나갈 테니) – To me, this is the best song on the entire album. It grabbed my attention from the very start with its addictive nature and the overall aesthetics of the song. The vocals were really smooth, with some of the members using a huskier voice. The use of their voice has an added layer of percussion after the chorus added a nice touch and ‘o-whoo’ was oddly fascinating. The song had a nice launch into the chorus and it leaves you breathless. The instrumental was a show-stealer with its hollow effect and sounds. (10/10)

4. Stay – The song starts off like a ballad but it slowly builds up to something quite upbeat. In a way, this make the song unique because it still manages to hold back its energy and not overwhelm the listener with too much energy. The song has extremely strong chill vibes. The speed of the rap sequences contrasted with the mid-tempo pace of the song but I felt the autotune was unnecessary. The way the song ended with the ‘Stay’ sung by Suho, accompanied by the piano, was haunting but well done. (9/10)

5. Fall – Fall features a guitar dominate instrumental. There were a few subtle synths thrown into the song around the rap part and they surprisingly fitted in well with the song. Once again, the vocals and raps were on point. The chorus was probably the main highlight of the song with its dramatic ‘Fall’ repetition (also my favourite part of the song). The addition of the ad-libs in the second and third choruses kept the song from getting too repetitive. (9/10)

6. Good Night – This is the least interesting song on the entire album. But that being said, it is still a decent song to listen to. It is a soothing ballad, with all the members singing and shining in the song. The ad-libs that were layered on top of the main vocals of the song gave the song a more artistic twist. (8/10)

7. Lights Out – EXO ends their album with the vocals of 4 members (Suho, D.O, Chen and Baekhyun). The song does feel a little stagnant as the instrumental doesn’t really develop in any way. However, the vocals were the main driving force of the entire track. The falsettos which made up the chorus really gave the song some character, while the slight use of the choir in the background made the song feel more intense and aesthetic. Overall, it was a breathtaking song. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9/10

exouniverse — *Universe* Music Video Screenshot

[Review] Wolf Baby – TRCNG

January 2, 2018Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged TRCNGLeave a comment

Kicking off 2018 is TRCNG, who are returning with their first comeback ever. The group previously made their debut with Spectrum back in October 2017. Their latest mini-album, Who Am I, was released today which features their title track, Wolf Baby.

The dynamic nature of Wolf Baby does remind of songs that could have been released a few years back. I am not saying it sounds outdated but rather it does prick something in my memory bank. I like the upbeat rock-dance instrumental, which manages to make you feel energised and positive. There were various moments (such as 1:37 when we enter the second verse and the intro of the track) that gave a really playful sound as well, which felt very fitting for the song. Usually, those parts would have felt childish but they incorporated in a way that works with the rest of the track. The chorus was quite catchy. The vocals were good but I don’t think they are the standout element of the song. Actually, I felt the most memorable part of the song has to be the rap sequence that occurred during the bridge. It was by far the coolest section of the entire song and provided that extra punch of energy from keeping it too repetitive.

The playful vibes from the song are definitely seen visually throughout the video, which made it into a humorous video. These wolves are what you think they are. The mouths aren’t covered in blood but rather the excessive amount of tomato sauce (or ketchup) they drizzle on their sandwiches. The wolves also play with chainsaws but that clearly backfired with the good old fake hand trick. The sets were creepy (in a good way) which goes hand-in-hand with their visuals for this comeback.

TRCNG managed to throw the fierceness that you would expect from a wolf-themed concept and the cuteness that I believe fits their age range together quite well. The performance was definitely captivating to watch. That introduction was amazing with all the handstands and backflips occurring consecutively.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Weekly Chart] 4th Week of December 2017

January 2, 2018January 1, 2018Posted in Weekly ChartsLeave a comment

Welcome to the final charts post for the 2017 period. I have been on break for the main holidays, hence why this is late. I just wanted to wish (belatedly) to all the readers a happy new year and to thank you all for reading my reviews in the past year. 2017 was a great year for KPOPREVIEWED and I hope 2018 will even be better!!

The KPOPREVIEWED Awards voting period has now ended and you will need to wait until the 10th to find out who won the respective categories and wait even further for the end of year charts. Woo!

B.A.P’s Hands Up remained in the top spot after 1 week. Following extremely close behind is Uhm Jung Hwa with her latest title track, Ending Credit. EXO rounds out the top 3 with their Winter single, Universe. Ending the top 5 for this week is KARD’s You In Me and Red Velvet’s Peek-A-Boo.

For more of the charts, scroll down below. Here are some things that will help you denote the chart:
Green (▲) – Song has gone up in ranking
Red (▼) – Song has gone down in ranking
Blue (=) – Song has remained in the same position as the previous week
Orange (new) – Song debut on the chart
Grey (Final Week) – Song appears on the chart for its final week.

	24th Dec – 30th Dec 2017
	Title	Artist	Status
1	Hands Up	B.A.P	(=)
2	Ending Credit	Uhm Jung Hwa	(▲ 15)
3	Universe	EXO	(new)
4	You In Me	KARD	(▼ 1)
5	Peek-A-Boo	Red Velvet	(▲ 11)
6	I Like You	DAY6	(▲ 3)
7	Clap	SEVENTEEN	(▼ 3)
8	Beautiful	Wanna One	(▲ 4)
9	DDD	EXID	(▼ 7)
10	Crazy Sexy Love	ASTRO	(▲ 6) (Final Week)
11	Love Is Gone	MAP6	(▼ 5)
12	Twinkle	Lovelyz	(▲ 1)
13	I (knew it)	Sonamoo	(▼ 2)
14	Where U At	1NB	(▼ 9)
15	Heart Shaker	TWICE	(▲ 3)
16	Dramarama	Monsta X	(▼ 2)
17	Runaway	Pentagon	(▼ 9)
18	Lip & Hip	Hyuna	(▼ 8)
19	Likey	TWICE	(▼ 12) (Final Week)
20	Joy	NCT Dream	(▲ 6)
21	Glass Shoes	Fromis_9	(▲ 2)
22	Remember Me	VICTON	(▲ 3)
23	The Night	Soyou ft. Geeks	(▼ 1)
24	Hold Me	Eric Nam	(new)
25	This Christmas	Taeyeon (SNSD)	(▲ 4)
26	Boy	The Boyz	(▲ 2)
27	Charm of Life	Heechul, Shindong, Eunhyuk (Super Junior) & Solar (Mamamoo)	(▼ 8)
28	Candy	Samuel	(▼ 7)
29	Day & Night	Taemin (SHINee)
30	Chococo	Gugudan	(▼ 6)

Songs that will no longer be on the charts starting next week are:

Want You To Say – PLAYBACK
Likey – TWICE
One More Chance – Super Junior
Crazy Sexy Cool – ASTRO
She’s Mine – VAV

Happy New Year and hope to see you all in the year to come!

[Review] Reboot – TVXQ

December 30, 2017December 30, 2017Posted in JPOP, ReviewsTagged TVXQLeave a comment

This year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards’ voting period will end in a day. This is your final chance to support your favourite artists and songs of 2017. To get voting, please click here.

This is the final review of the four that I wanted to do. Originally, I was going to review another track released a few months back but I have decided to go with a more recent comeback. TVXQ recently came back to the music industry with solo songs after their respective military enlistments. Reboot is their first comeback as a duo since 2015 in both Japan and Korea.

Right off the bat, Reboot will probably suit any Japanese anime as an opener or ending credits. The takes a turn when it approaches the chorus. It transforms into an upbeat musical sound, which works well with its preceding section. The second verse seems to slow down and lies somewhere between that anime associated first verse and just a standard pop track. The bridge of the song is a little off-putting in my opinion. It isn’t terrible but it is the only part that I feel doesn’t fit. It has the basic instrumental layer that runs through the entire song but the rapping just doesn’t connect well. For the rest of the song, the vocals were quite good and it has the potential to become quite catchy. Not fond of the ending, mainly because it seems to be an extension of the bridge. But overall, for a song about ‘Reboot‘, it definitely works.

The start of the music video is like a mini-movie, just there really is no storyline associated with it. The only thing that I can gather is like it tries to make an epic story out of the return of TVXQ. It has the cool factor down but maybe not as attention-grabbing as you expected. I feel like that first portion could have been left out altogether and allow the video to get to the song, which I am sure everyone wanted to hear. But that might just be my preference. I like the various sets of the music video, giving off a futuristic but grand feeling to it.

The choreography is usually the other main aspect of the TVXQ music videos. Reboot has a pretty cool choreography but I don’t find it as amazing as some of their performances that have wowed us. I don’t have any specific comments to make with the performance besides that.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.75/10

As the full music video isn’t officially out on YouTube, I have decided to link the Naver version of the music video, which I am hoping is the official music video. Click here for the video.

[Review] Fly – UKISS

December 29, 2017December 27, 2017Posted in JPOP, ReviewsTagged UKISSLeave a comment

The 31st of December is fast approaching and that marks the end of the voting period for this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you have yet to vote and support your favourites, do so quickly by clicking here! Your voting could be the decider!

UKISS has been relatively quiet in South Korea this year. They released an album (Solo & Unit) at the start of the year, which is also the final release by UKISS to feature Kevin, who departed the group at the start of March. UKISS reformed into a 5-member group and released Fly (the main focus of today’s review) in October. Not particularly sure what some of the members are doing but I am aware that Jun acted in Avengers Social Club (highly recommend this drama) and is participating in the rebooting program, The Unit.

Fly is the third Japanese song that I am reviewing and it is one that I am particularly excited to talk about. What makes this song sound so damn good is the chorus, which is quite unexpected. For my explanation to make some sense, you need to have listened to the song. It starts slow and almost acoustic in nature. The vocals were extremely soft. Once the raps kick in, providing some intensity, the song starts to build up. But the drop/chorus was not what I had expected and it felt much more epic and appealing. It felt aesthetic even though it seems grounded in the pop genre. Each member sounds extremely good, their voices contrasting well with the music. But the member that stood the most for me was Soohyun whose vocals were just right each time I heard him (especially when he does the pre-chorus). The ‘Let Me Fly‘ seems to be cliche lyrics in many songs but it still remains to be an addictive icing on this particular song. The electric guitar during the final chorus is so freaking good and fits in so perfectly. Overall, I really liked this song.

For this particular review, I will be combining the music video and choreography sections together. Why? Well, the music video contained mostly choreography and the music video didn’t have much to talk about. For the most part, the video featured ‘angry and heartbroken’ acting close up shots. I liked the night scenery that they used. The choreography was nice, pairing well with the song. Despite the song style, they went with moves that felt very graceful yet fitting for the electronic pop song. Most of the moves were ‘done before’ but it still felt fresh for this song.

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