Author: kpopreviewed

Hi, my name is Tony and I am the man behind the site, kpopreviewed. Currently an university student who wants to introduce people to KPOP and if you are already into KPOP, different groups and bands.

[Review] No Oh Oh – CLC

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CLC has returned with another comeback this year. They previous returned to the KPOP industry with High Heels, at the start of the year. This is also the first official comeback by CLC which includes Eun Bin, who was a participant on the Korean TV show Produce 101.

The song is not honestly bad, but it is not the type of song that will get them known in the industry. There is a hip hop vibe that runs through the song, that I think is great. But I don’t think it suits them. I do love the heavy drum “bam bam” (technical term here) sounds throughout the instrumental and also the whistles. They made the track appeal to me and also made it quite catchy. Mentioning the hip hop vibe before, I did like how the chorus turned the song into a typical KPOP song. The vocals in the song were pretty good. I do have to say that the rapping was bad in this particular song. It wasn’t the awful kind, it is just not up to par with other girl group rappers at the moment.

The video is okay. I watched it a few times already, but I don’t really remember much from it. That kind of speaks out to me as a video that doesn’t have an appeal or isn’t memorable as I wanted it to be. The video is simply the dance, plus close ups and throw in a little snippet of them acting cute in everyday scenarios. That (like many videos out there) are pretty standard and I feel like I was let down by that. The song makes me expect the video to be quite appealing. Beside that, I don’t have much to say about the video.

The dance was pretty cool. Loved the clock arms and the whistle imitation that they have in the dance. The chorus was a major let down. It just didn’t fit the rest of the dance and the song. Like it matched the beat, but not the vibes coming from the song.

Overall, I thought it was okay. It could have been loads better. CLC is probably still trying to find its own personality and flare in the industry. 5/10

[Review] Windy Day – Oh My Girl

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A sudden return for this girl group. But I am not complaining. Oh My Girl returned with Liar Liar in April and have made a sudden comeback with the repackaged version of their album. Their newest track, Windy Day, is a song that you will listen to every single day, not just on a windy day.

I just want to say how freaking amazing this track is. I am jumping for joy as we speak. I have been jumping for joy ever since the song was released. This song probbaly has to be my vote for Best Song of the Year. I love everything about this song, from the lyrics to the instrumental, to the vocals. Everyone sings at such a high note in this song, it amazes me. It blows my mind. There is a  very nice ethnic feel to the song, when the beat drops. It gives a fresh feel to the song and isn’t something that you find often in the industry. The song itself resembles the weather. It starts off calm, but as the chorus kicks in the weather starts to get a little breezy. Once that beatiful ethnic sound comes, the breeze turns into 100 km/h winds, that blow you away. Hahahaha…. I sing along to it everytime I listen to it and it is a song that I have yet to get tired of. By far, one of the best songs of the year so far. And probably an example of the “perfect song”. Oh and it sounds like the summer sequel to Closer, which is also by them. Listening to the song, I get the same goosebumps that Closer gave me.

The music video has the Alice In Wonderland feel to it, with a side of craziness. But first of all, let’s look at the beautiful scenery that this video has to offer. It looks very beautiful and breathtaking. Not a big fan of the dark filter placed on top of the shots, but hey, it adds to the breathtaking view. The shots are a little incoherent. I make no sense of the girls in red and the girls in white; some with antlers; while others love the wind and some find it an inconvience. They come together for a reason though, but I have no idea what. I checked some comments, and no one knows what is going on. Like what I said about the weather in the previous paragraph, the song and weather idea fits in with the video. Also love, how the introduced the wind into the video. The use of the gun and opening the box to release the 1000 year old wind. Even though I could not make any sense of the video, I loved it nonetheless.

The dance is defintely amazing. It fits the song quite nicely and I have no complaints. It picks up appropirately with the song and slows down when it is required. It fits the sweet and beautiful nature of the video. The moves themselves look hard, along with the formation that they use.

Overall, one of the best songs, videos and dance put together. Overall, it makes me smile and speechless at the same time. 10/10

 

[Review] Swagger Time – MAP6

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MAP6 has officially made their first comeback with a brand new song. The track titled as “Swagger Time” was released on the 23rd of May. For those who don’t remember or know MAP6, they are a 5 member group from Dream Tea Entertainment, who made their debut at the end of last year with Storm.

For those who don’t know, I have a very hard time processing and understanding the word “swag”. For some reason, it is one of the few words which I don’t really get and it sounds like an ear sore to hear every now and then. So, let’s say, in my books, the song started off on a bad foot. However, it is a pretty decent song. The hip hop (mashed up with pop) sound is channelled throughout pretty nicely and the use of the brass instruments in the instrumental give it a catchy vibe as well. The song is much brighter than Storm and I feel like that is something that fits the particular season they are making their comeback in. Vocals and rapping were pretty good as well in the song. The song did remind me a lot of MYNAME’s 너무 Very 막 quite a bit, which also has a similar sound and style. Overall, it is a pretty decent song that does get them notice on my radar.

The music video fits the song’s sound. Watching it from a foreigner’s point of view, I am a little confused with the video. It seems like they are hesitant at first, but at the climax of the video, all hell breaks loose and the set is destroyed (or made better?) with the graffiti that they put up. They were hesitant at first due to people around them, but then they just give no care to the world and proceed on what they were doing. That is essentially the summary of the video and I don’t see anything deeper than that. I guess the video fits in with the lighthearted and brighter sound than their last video, so I guess that is a plus. I do like the sets, where they dance and all. They look cool (even though, some of them looked very familiar).

The dance itself was pretty cool. Not amazing, but I thought that the amount of “swag” as young people would say nowadays, managed to be presented well inside the choreography. I did like the fun aspect and the chorus, though, with the matching to the instrumental.

Overall, it is a decent comeback. Not sure if I prefer the bright or the dark version of MAP6. What do you think? 7/10

 

[Review] So So – Baek Ah Yeon

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It has been a very long time since I lasted talked about Baek Ah Yeon. Actually, I have never talked about this gem in the Korean industry. Baek Ah Yeon does not fall into your typical South Korean group. She is a solo artist who was formerly a contestant on KPOP Star, making it to the top 3. While her early days as a solo artist failed to put her out there, the previous two years have been highly successful for her. She made her comeback (in 2015) with Shouldn’t Have, which featured Young K of DAY6 and earned herself a position on the charts. With this comeback, she has gone further and topped charts with her single, So So.

Baek Ah Yeon has a pretty good discography of songs that I like. This is just another addition to the list. I am usually not into these flowery ballads, but her song is just so amazing. To me, Baek Ah Yeon has the voice that will fit this song. Probably no other artist will ever do a rendition of the song that will make me feel satisfied. There is a perfect balance between the vocals and instrumental.  None of the two overpowers the other and that is a sign that a good ballad (and song). The lyrics are easy to understand and I think make the song relatable to everyone. Those feelings of your past relationship lingering around to the point, where you don’t know what love ever felt like. That is the essence of the song. The song is also very easy on your ears, but that is expected of any ballad. Nothing felt over the top and I think that is why I liked the song a lot.

One of the ways to make an excellent video is to simply take the lyrics and form a video from it. This particular video does just that and I think that makes it an amazing video to watch. We have Baek Ah Yeon, admitting herself into the hospital because she feels “so-so”. It makes sense and is logical.  She doesn’t understand why nothing feels the same anymore, so she undergoes treatment. The hospital brings good food, but just can’t taste the goodness in it. They find (or he happened to wander to them) a handsome guy, but he failed cure her heartbreak. However, who let the dog out? She manages to focus her attention on the dog and at the end, when the dog leaves, she follows after to the owner, who we all suspect “cured” her heartbreak. This is a storyline that matches the lyrics and made the video feel right (for once). I find the scenes of her playing with the dog extremely cute. It makes me want to get a dog.

Overall, amazing song and video. I just want to continue praising it. Take all my compliments. 10/10

[Review] She Is – Jonghyun (SHINee)

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Jonghyun made his solo debut last year and has officially made his first solo comeback after more than a year. For those who don’t know or remember, he made his debut with Deja Boo and Crazy. Now, he is back with another album and has released She Is as the title track for this promotional run.

This song kind of reminds of his past releases. Not that they are the similar standard tracks as I called them last time, but the variety and different sounds he has going on, in his songs. And this song is not standard. It is so much more vibrant and modern in terms of sound. His English may be a little troublesome. It sounds a lot like “Shits” rather than “She Is”. Where is that break between the words, when you need Korea??? His vocals this time around rolled off the tip of his tongue quite nicely. The vocals matched the instrumental quite well. The song flowed quite nicely, despite the use of the disjointed electronic/ synth dominated instrumental. The song does seem to limit his talent, as I feel like a lot more could have been showcased in the song. HI ad-libs are quite artistic and fitted the song quite well. Overall, I think it was a much better song than his debut songs, which I didn’t think they were good.

Not sure about the odd filter placed across the video. It made me sleepy. But I guess it was to counteract the bright clothing and colours that you could tell were there. I just thought the video looked a little too dark. The use of yellow though in the SM Entertainment videos for the past few releases have been a little evident and emphasised. It seems like he is a guy with many jobs (I need a job, hire me). And he doesn’t seem to be that happy, with everyone going to him. It is a quite confusing song. I do like this style of video, but sometimes it is quite repetitive. But it is the director’s style after all. This one was a little confusing and I can’t really tell what is going on. SO, if you know what is going on, comment below. Enlighten us with your knowledge and deciphering skills.

As for the dance, I was unimpressed. The stages were pretty boring and the dance didn’t really draw my attention, though. In terms of style, I feel like he went backwards more than anything else with this dance. Backwards, as in “not improving”.

Overall, it was a pretty solid comeback. A lot more could have been improved on, but what we have already can satisfy different fan’s needs. 6.5/10 PS. Check out White T-Shirt. That track on his album is really good.

[Review] All In – Monsta X

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Monsta X have made their comeback with an improved and mature sound/look. They made their debut last year and have soon become one of the hottest rookies in the industry. Their comebacks have each showed improvement. I say this to about just every group out there, but Monsta X is a prime example that there is so much potential underneath what we actually see. They have the likes of becoming one of the biggest groups in the industry in the future and it seems like they going down the right path.

As I mentioned above, each track of their’s gets better and better. All In showcases a more mature sound to the guys, while still maintaining the style of the music that they debuted with and made comebacks with. The track itself boasts a really hard and deep sounding trap-genre instrumental. Vocals were so-so in my opinion. There wasn’t anything regarding the vocals that had me going “wow” or “amazing”. However the rapping in the song had the opposite effect. I was blown away with the rapping. The times where the rapping were integrated into the song were spot on and if made the rest of the song fall into place. It was as if the song was built around these rapping parts. But hey, whatever they did managed to work and I liked it a lot.

The music video has an interesting storyline to it. But I barely can decipher what is going on in it. From what I can get, the guys are standing up towards resistance or the troubles that they are facing. Some are facing  violence issues, while others are struggling with their sicked love ones. In the end, they seem to group together and take on these issues themselves, which seems like their own option due to the heavy police presence. The video is in parts, which makes it harder to decipher. I am going to link you guys a post (by another writer: ADATB) which does a complete breakdown of the music video’s plot (better than what I have done and what I will ever do). But overall, the cinematography and even the imagery in the video (like the use of the masks) was pretty smart. They draw you into the video and make you ask questions. The has to be a part 2 to the video though. It only makes sense. We are left at the end with that odd looking heart floating mid air at the end of the video, which intrigues me (and you guys as well!). This mini album is only part 1, so it all makes sense for the development of part 2.

As for the dance, they are pretty much going down the route of sexy. The exposed backs and body rolls pretty much have every fan swooning. I personally watch of these performances with a straight face, but Monsta X’s made me go wow. As for the dance itself, the guys were in sync and I could barely see any flaws in any of the performances. The standards just get higher and higher with every band.

In summary, the comeback was amazing. It made me speechless and amazed at the talent they are pulling out. Fingers cross for that part 2 of the video. Maybe, then I can understand everything. 9/10

[Review] Aphrodite – B.I.G

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It has been over a year since I last reviewed B.I.G. Last year, they caught my attention with Between Night n Music. They later went on to make a comeback and released Taola, which also caught my attention (I just didn’t have time to review it). Now, they have released their first mini album, with Aphrodite as their title track.

And they did it again for. That is, catch my attention. The song itself reminds me of B.A.P’s No Mercy, with less of a hip-hop beat to it. The traditional drum beats and the use of the subtle sirens in the instrumental made me think of B.A.P song. Let’s move back to B.I.G as this is their review. Instrumental had the “edge of your seat” experience, with the drum beats and electronic sounds. As if I had no idea what was going to come next. The song is definitely catchy and features a different style than any of their previous singles have. I particularly thought the rapper who did the “Fly Fly Fly” part in the middle of the song sounded amazing. Actually, the raspy voices of the rappers (regardless of the autotune) and the smooth vocals of the vocalists made the song sound so much better. The combination of the two at the end was pretty amazing and brought the song to a close quite well.

The music video is a dark and it is a style that I think many boy groups are now going for. It seems like the cute concept is officially dead and only one or two groups could succeed with the concept nowadays. Anyway, for a dark video, the use of colour makes it seem very vibrant and alive. It gives an added depth to the video. Besides the video falls into the “typical” folder. The boys are simply dancing in a few rooms. Throw in a few close up shots and that is essentially the video. And guess what, that means it can be categorised as a “typical KPOP video”. I feel like an extra something could have been done to set the video apart and throw it into the “unique” folder. Like a little more action or content to talk about. Well, it won’t necessary mean it will go straight into the “unique” folder, but hey, it would give us fans more to talk about.

As for the dance, parts of it seemed to be really good, but other parts seemed to be weak. The dance break was probably the coolest part of the whole choreography. The simultaneous kicks looked amazing.

Overall, it is a solid comeback and I thoroughly liked it. 7.5/10

[Double Review] Fly + Love Me The Same – Jessica Jung

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I’m back. I just finished my final exam for the semester have the next few weeks off. So I am going to jump right into it and start on the long list of songs that I have to review. I also plan to bring out some new content during the next few weeks (including those charts, which I am going to do and see what you guys think of it). But let’s move along now. Jessica Jund, the former member of SNSD, has made her solo debut with Fly as her title track. Even though she is not promoting, her debut has garnered a lot of attention, placing third (which is apparently hard, according to everyone, if you do not promote) on the weekly charts. Since departing the group and SM Entertainment, she has been actively busy in China and has signed with Coridel Entertainment.

Fly is a really ordinary song, but it is quite catchy and it suits Jessica’s style. There isn’t anything that sets it apart from other songs out at the moment. The song has a really nice pop sound to it, that isn’t too fast or too slow. It is has a great balance between the tempo. Even the balance was evident in the instrumental. The rapping was a little random to my ears, but its addition kept the song flowing. Fabolous (the featuring rapper) himself is a pretty good rapper. Moving along to Love Me The Same, which is a ballad (well, technically, I don’t think it is meant to be a ballad, but its sounds a lot like a ballad/pop mashup). Not that big of a fan of this song, though. She has a good voice, and I don’t think this style fits her voice well. It is a good ballad, but her vocals don’t seem to portray the emotions properly. Listening to the song, a large section of it has no vocals and is just instrumental, which kind of disappoints me somewhat. I did like the drum beat in the ballad, though. It isn’t often you hear drums in a ballad (usually, it is more of the classical instrumentals), so it gave a nice fresh sound to the song.

The music video for Fly really fitted in with the meaning of the song. In the video, Jessica receives a postcard from some snowy world. The thing is Jessica lives in the desert and hence once receiving the postcard, she falls in love with the idea of snow. She dreams of going to an icy wonderland and starts to preparing for it. Jessica is not a normal person however, she stands out with her bathtub in the middle of nowhere and she is not ashamed of it. And that is the point of the song. Regardless of how wacky of a dream it is, you should just “fly” for it and not look back when going forward. It was a very nice video and concept to show the message. The video for Love Me The Same fitted the tone and tune that we got out of the song. From colour tones in the video to the close-up shots of her, everything seemed to fall into place for this video. Loved the cute pancake scene.  Even the fake clouds looked really cool.

Didn’t see much of a dance for Fly. What I saw did fit the song (somewhat). Cute bobbing and hair fluffing. Would have loved to see her promote her music on the stage, though. There is a dance for Love Me The Same, but I feel like the dance could have been omitted. The dance makes no difference whatsoever.

Sorry for the short review and somewhat confusing review. Writing this on a minimal amount of sleep. And honestly, most of this was written weeks ago. Just never had the time to look over it. Hence I finished it off and some parts may sound disjointed.

Fly – 7.5/10

Love Me The Same – 6/10

[Review] Good Luck – AOA

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AOA has finally returned with a new track and they are not getting the attention they deserved. AOA started off their promotions for Good Luck, on a sour note, with two of their members somehow wounded up in a controversy regarding a lack of historical knowledge. One comment on that: History will never be everyone’s strong point, regardless if you come from a country that prides itself for its history. AOA (along with KBS’s Music Bank) was questioned for their win for first place, which was later confirmed by KBS that it was a mistake and that Twice (AOA’s contender that week) should have won. Again, it made their promotions sour ever further. AOA’s company ended  AOA’s promotion suddenly and said it was not related to the latter incident. I let you be the judge for that one.

But honestly, I thought it was a really good song and that AOA does deserve the win (especially given my thoughts towards Twice’s song). It was the perfect way to enter the Summer season. It was an upbeat track with a really nice and refreshing EDM style instrumental. Their vocals were pretty good (but the line distribution was a little skewed). I have to say, for once, I am starting to like Jimin’s rapping. It was ideal in this song and fitted in well. AND it DID NOT feel whiney whatsoever. It was a really catchy track and sounded really sexy at the same time. Much better than Heart Attack, and probably can be declared as my most favourite AOA song to date.

This is not a music video. It was a Sprite commercial. Get it right! Regardless of how I watch the video (while I am awake, extremely busy, just woken up etc.), I can only see the Sprite bottles. That is exactly what a commercial is meant to do. Draw your attention to the product being marketed. That whole start of the video, that mimcked Baywatch (and included Sprite) was not necessary. In other words, this whole video was a big mess and is asking for the wrong attention. Toyota and Jimin’s boob was also marketed (but both got blurred out or removed) in the final video that was released. Also, you go to Guam for their beaches and bars, not to their fire department. I don’t why, but half the scenes shot could have been taken out and we would have gotten a much better (and more relevant video) with the shots on the beach remaining.

Dance wise, more sexy than anything to talk about. Really disappointed in that, but then again, what did I really expect with this dance? The chorus part looks unimaginative and as if it was slapped together 5 minutes prior to them releasing the video.

Overall, I like the song a lot more than the rest of the comeback package. I think that sums up my review quite nicely. 5.5/10

[Review] Still I Remember – Woohyun (Infinite)

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Another solo debut that has been deemed as long awaited. Nam Woohyun, the main vocalist of Infinite, has officially made his solo debut with the new mini album,Write…

Song was disappointing at first, but it grew on me. Woohyun has a really nice voice, regardless of the song he sings. This ballad really brought out his voice really well. It was the first thing I noticed when I first listened to the song. The song just failed to appeal to me, at first. However, soon after, the song started to become catchier and I slowly got into it. Okay, so back to his vocals. It sounds so emotional. An excellent singer can convey his or her emotions through the vocals in the song. Woohyun did just that and I am amazed at the outcome. You can definitely hear the sadness in the song. The instrumental consisted of soft drum beats that were pretty consistent and gave the song that extra dimension, in terms of bass. The chorus, by far, was where he sounded the best. And those parts after the chorus where he sings “끄덕끄덕” sounds freaking amazing. 

Another video which I have yet to watch. So more initial reactions. Woohyun returns to a house to find an old camera. And of course, the camera holds a lot of memories. I guess literally but also mentally as well. He slowly goes through old images, which gives us flashbacks, to when he was an intern/assistant for some camera man. He was distracted and loved a girl who was a customer to the camera man. Turns out that she also liked him and that Woohyun failed to see these feelings. So technically, the girl thought he wasn’t into her, so that is why she left. After he realises, he turns into a man full of tears and regret. Beautifully shot video. Loving the filter and colours in the video. Interesting thing is that we never actually see her face. It is always hidden and I don’t exactly why, but my guess that it could be so that people can relate to the video. I definitely can. Not that I have turned into a man of tears and regret yet, but I have a feeling I am getting there. I should really just man up. Hahaha… Moving back to the video, Woohyun’s acting (well, crying mainly) in this video is quite nice to watch. Not over the top and over dramatic.

Overall, the song was quite good and the video was excellent. A great solo debut for him. 9/10

[Review] I Just Wanna Dance – Tiffany (SNSD)

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It has been a long time coming (both the solo debut and this review), but Tiffany from SNSD is finally here. After the success of Taeyeon with her two widely known singles, Tiffany has officially made her own solo debut, the second member (well, it is more like the third) to branch out onto the stage as a solo act. It was a much high anticipated solo debut that everyone had been waiting for.

I like the song. I listen to it and I can’t help to sing  or tap my foot along with it (at the bare minimum). But to be honest, it was a little underwhelming at first. Tiffany (like Taeyeon) is known for her vocals in SNSD, and I thought she would go with the ballad concept. However, I was genuinely surprised to hear the dance track. However, it just did not feel like it was right for her. It’s grown a lot on me, though. Vocally and musically, it was pretty a. But then I realised, this song sounds a lot like the song we got back in the day from pop artists in America (before the industry got saturated with autotune and mediocre tracks). This song definitely throws it back to the 00’s, which is the era of American pop music that I really liked. It has that nostalgic feel to it and without even blinking, I can tell an American producer made it. Tiffany is also American, and it kind of makes sense she would go down that path. The electronic and dance elements this song had was pretty damn good. It also sounds sexual without going too far or making it sound like it is over the top. I don’t mean the song is sexual or anything, just her voice sounds like sex to my ears. And with this instrumental, I feel like I am on cloud 9.

Little confused with the music video. Given SM’s last few artistic and abstract videos, this really misses the mark, unfortunately. It is a really bland video, slapped together quite quickly. Dance scenes and closeups of Tiffany. Describing it that way makes it sound boring, but honestly, that is what I got out of the video. It has that nice American feel, though. And I guess there was a plot to it. Boring Tiffany sleeps and enters the world full of colour and fun. She then wakes up, bringing her back to boring land. Really disappointed, because SM’s video have been really good these past few comebacks. It just feels like more a party scene would have fitted the song more. Her solo shots made her look good, but it just doesn’t have that EDM, electronic feel to it. In other words, the video was pretty much detached from the song.

Dance wise, it was pretty good. Not many KPOP artists get down and lie on the floor. I can think of a few, but not many. Definitely had the American channelling through it.

Overall, the song was pretty good. Disappointed that she didn’t win much with the song. Towards the end of the promotional period, I thought she should have won more with the song. 6.5/10

[Double Review] Re:Bye + How People Move – AKMU

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AKMU has finally returned to the stage after two years. It has been a very long time and probably every fan of theirs squealed when they learned of the news. I started to like them a lot towards the end of their last promotional run. It was somewhat disappointing that they did not make a comeback in 2015 (but what else do you expect from YG Entertainment?).

Re:Bye is a somewhat soulful and retro song. It has that classy feel to it and I really like that aspect of the track. Their vocals were superb in this song. I just found that they were limiting themselves a lot on the track. Chanhyuk’s rap just did not feel like that youthful or bright, for example. But I guess I am used to their more upbeat tracks. Actually, this song displayed a more mature side of the members. I just didn’t connect with the song like I wanted to. AKMU to me is a playful duo and this was the opposite of that. How People Move is a much better track in my opinion. From the very start, it was lively and upbeat. The song I would prefer any day. Of course, they sounded wonderful in Re;Bye and their past ballads, but I feel like How People Move showcased more of them than any other song. It was catchy and it actually made me want to bounce as I listening along to it. The opera mashup was amazing and completely different to what we hear often.

The music videos are pretty good. I do prefer the video for Re:Bye more than How People Move. The way they told the story in Re:Bye was completely in full. I got everything from start to end, which is pretty rare in my experience of understanding the plot for these Korean videos. It is made to look like the duo are sabotaging the “lead female” in the play. But in the end, the duo was trying to protect the lead female and catch the sabotager. How People Move was a more weirder video to understand. There were some fables that the video had going on in there that mashed up into a nice and bright video. The other half of the video was probably my worst nightmare. When Toy Story decides to hit back and scare the daylights out of you. I actually did like the sets in this one more than Re:Bye.

In terms of the dances, I like How People Move. Love the bouncing effect. My favourite out of all. It also suits their more lively and bright charms. It wasn’t spectacular or anything, but it fitted with the song pretty well. Re:Bye’s dance more of a classy feel to it but did manage to fulfil that youthful side of the duo pretty well.

Overall, I did like How People Move more. Re:Bye is still a song that you should check out,  because it is still equally amazing. But which AKMU song did you like more? Vote below!!

Re:Bye – 9/10

How People Move – 9/10

[Double Review] Fire + Save Me – BTS

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I am so sorry. These should be separate reviews, but due to the amount of time I have left between their releases and now, I am very behind. So, to catch up and to prevent you guys from waiting any longer, here are my thoughts on BTS’s latest comeback. I know, they released a total of 3 music videos (someone should have given me the heads up) but I had to cut their prerelease one because of time constraints. Maybe when I have time, I will get back to it? Anyway, BTS has finally wrapped up their trilogy after promoting I Need U and Run last year. Now, Fire and Save Me is the ending and I am as confused as ever.

Fire is a dance anthem song that everyone probably wants to dance to when it is played at a party. It is a fun, loud and much brighter song than any of their past releases. The electronic sounds (especially the dubstep) is a little too heavy for my liking, but hey, it is still a good track. Not impressed with Rap Monster’s rapping in this song sadly. Save Me is more of the electronic track that fits my style (if I ever had one). This song fits more nicely into the trilogy than Fire did (and it was probably the actual song to end the trilogy). But this song is much calmer (okay, somewhat) and to me, is much catchier. I really like the chill sound that the song was going for. The rapping (from all three members) was pretty solid in this song and I thought overall, Save Me was a much better song in terms of, well, everything. It gets a tick for vocals, rap, rhythm, instrumental, the lot. Don’t want to start anything, but the instrumental does remind me of Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean?

On to the music video. Fire and Save Me both had very appropriate videos. Fire was more of that party anthem style. Very wacky and different to the rest of their videos. And of course, there is a lot of fire in this video. I guess you can say that the boys were “lit” the whole time. I have to say, whoever applied makeup to these guys, over did it. Love how they went wild with the flames in the video and that ending where the shots were overcrowded with dancers in the background. Looked amazing, to be honest. Save Me was a calmer and colder video, in terms of colour. Fire was bright and loud, but Save Me was darker and well shot in a much colder place. The chillness from the song carried over into the video quite nicely. Save Me focused on the dancing aspect of the group more and  I liked that contrast between the two. (And their epilogue focused more on the vocal and rapping side than anything else).

Dance wise, BTS has literally done it again. I wouldn’t be surprised if BTS started some flames with their footwork in Fire. Because those stages were insanely amazing to watch. Save Me had (once again) a much chiller and more artistic dance to it. Both showed BTS capability of performance and these two combined probably put BTS in a very high position in terms of best dancers in KPOP.

Okay, I have 5 minutes until midnight. And this was a very short double review. But both were pretty good. But which do you prefer? Vote below!!!

Fire – 7.5/10

Save Me – 9.5/10

[Review] Tinkerbell – APRIL

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April has finally returned with a brand new song, Tinkerbell. For those who don’t remember, April is a 5 member girl group which debuted under DSP Entertainment last year. They made their debut with Dream Candy and made their comeback at the end of the year with Muah!. With their second comeback, one of the members (Hyunjoo) had gone onto temporary hiatus to recover from some health issues. Just note that she hasn’t dropped out of the group and says she will return once she is all better.

The song is pretty cool. All these bright and cutesy songs all remind me of the days where girl groups made their debuts and comebacks with aegyo sounding sounds. Only now, they seem to be more ambitious and creative, in terms of style and sound. The song is really addictive and I lipsync to it (and I am proud of it!) every time I hear it play. Probably a song I managed to replay constantly when it first came out. It has been a while since their comeback, so the song has naturally settled. Their vocals were on point on this song and since their debut, they have grown vocally. I have said I am a sucker for high notes, but honestly, I have yet to decide whether the “high notes” at the end of the song are actually high notes or just someone yelling into the microphone. Don’t get me wrong, it sounds really nice. Just sometimes I feel like it is a little excessive. Chorus is catchy. The bright tone and pop based instrumental really brings out the smiles when I listen to it. I think that what makes the song so great, that makes you feel good and smile more.

The music video was too boring for my taste. I feel like there could have been so much room for creativity with just the title “Tinkerbell” and they just release a music video full of flowers in a forest? However, they got the small size of the character and also the beautiful (yet childish) looking dresses. They acting is okay in this video. A lot better than in their previous videos. The sets look nice, though. I just think the video is very boring and that doesn’t fit the bright and happy tone of the song.

The dance overall is pretty nice. It was literally what I wanted to see when I first heard the song. It isn’t an amazing dance but it fits perfectly with the song.

Really sorry for the short review. They are going to be short reviews for the next few weeks, though, sorry to say that. Exams coming up. Overall, the song was pretty good. Music video could have been much better. 6.5/10

[Review] Cheer Up – Twice

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One of the power rookies of 2015 has finally returned with their long awaited comeback. Yes, I am referring to Twice (if you completely missed the title) and they have managed to do it again with their latest song: Cheer Up. Since release, it has stayed at the top of the charts and managed to crush any artist who dares to even attempt to compete for first place. They have managed to receive multiple certified perfect all kills and won many weekly music show charts. Just more to add to their power rookie status which probably has flung them into the ranks of the artists that took many years to gain momentum and popularity.

While many people are feeling this song, I am quite disappointed with what they release. We all expected a song that was even more addictive and catchy, a song that could top Like Ooh Aah. Some people do think it is a track that can do that, but I don’t think it is a good enough track to top their debut single. This song isn’t bad or anything, it just didn’t captivate me as Like Ooh Aah did. First of all, these girls can sing, but their pronunciation of the words threw me off. Cheer Up sounded a lot like “Turn Up” or “Cher Up” (with a heavy c sound). I have a very big problem with artists who can’t even pronounce the name of the song with bad pronunciation. Call me harsh, but honestly, I am sure the main vocalist can do a better job. The rapping fell below expectations and that the song wasn’t catchy enough. The “Shy Shy Shy” part was ridiculously embarrassing and childish, and I don’t even know why everyone like that one line. And that “Be A Man” breakdown during the bridge just did not fit in with the song. It felt disconnected. Their vocals were good though (just something needs to be done with their live voices) and the song was equally as bright as Like Ooh Aah. From everything you have read thus far, you can probably see that the song doesn’t sit well with me and the flaws (in my opinion) outweigh the good.

I didn’t like the cheerleading concept they were going for, but I loved the rest of the video. I would have been fine if just one member did the cheerleading concept, like how every member had a different theme (or movie reference) and then the girls regrouped for a different movie reference. I liked it how everyone had their own thing. Refreshing and different from every other video. The girls each parody another female movie character who became iconic female characters in a variety of genres. I would list the different movies out, but I can’t actually the list of the movies anymore (Yes, I have been browsing the comments on YouTube). The music video was much brighter and fitted the season more, than their debut video, which had a bright song but a dark video. Only thing creeped me out was the camera dude. Much creepy. But overall, I liked the video a lot.

The dance was underwhelming. Not as catchy or cool as Like Ooh Aah. This dance had the awkward rope pulling dance for the chorus and that just looked a little too weird. Also, the breakdown at the bridge  was a little too unfitting for me. I have no trouble with what they are going for, but I thought they could have been a little more creative. Well, that last point really is what I felt when I watch the performances.

Sorry Twice. I had a lot of high expectations and Cheer Up just did not live up to those expectations. But congratulations on the success. You girls definitely deserve it after last year. 4/10

[Rewind] April 2016 & May 2016

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Yeah… I know May hasn’t ended yet, but to avoid posting another late ‘Rewind” post 3 weeks after the month finished, I have decided to April and May together. This one is going to be a little informal in terms of format for a few reasons that will appear apparent. And before we move on, just a little reminder that I will try to write and release reviews every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Okay, moving along:

Leaving the Group?

We became shocked with the disbandment (or what we dubbed at the disbandment) of Kara at the start of the year. However, it seems like certain groups are facing member line up changes after one of their members had decided to not resign with their company and have since departed ways with their respective groups. Former member of 2NE1, Minzy, and former member of Miss A, Jia, have both decided to leave their successful group and go onto their own paths.  Minzy will (hopefully) make her solo debut in the near future after confirmation came from her new company in which she signed. Jia was announced today that she would be leaving the band after her contract finished. Miss A and 2NE1 faced disbandment rumours from these two events, but both their companies have stated that is not the case. Not only girl groups are facing these changes, but A-Jax (if we all remember who they were) recently lost 3 members (Sungmin, Jaehyung and Jihu). But the list does not end there. Hyunseung departed from Beast, leaving the group with 5 members. It was kind of expected after the numerous articles and petitions asking for his removal. Hyunseung is expected to return as a solo artist in the near future and is still signed with Cube Entertainment. It is always disappointing to hear these news and it has obviously shocked the industry a lot. These members have been with their band since the beginning, so it is always hard for fans. Hopefully, there won’t be any more of this and I wish the former members luck in their future endeavours (because that is something we all should do and not call them selfish).

Descendant of the Sun

Now this is something we all have heard about. The drama has taken Asia by storm and has been proven to be highly successsful. It stars Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Ko, as the main characters. Before you all die from shock, I have yet to watch this drama. So, no spoilers. But I don’t actually have any plans to watch the drama. Because I am not one to enjoy romance and all this lovey dovey sh*t. I just don’t watch the genre (or any mainstream and popular dramas). I prefer the cringeworthy daily dramas. Now, why am I talking about this drama? Well, the OSTs for this drama has literally taken over the charts each time they were released. Not complaining here, but the songs were really good. Like, I really enjoy listening to them and this is probably the first time I have been impressed with the OST for a drama. Anyway, the OST contains songs from Davichi, Gummy, K.Will, Yoon Mi Rae, Chen, Punch, Mad Clown, Kim Na Young, Xiah, MC The Max, Lyn and SG Wannabe. In OST terms, this is pretty much the star studded red carpet. Each song released topped the charts instantaneously and I can see these artists winning the Best OST awards at the award ceremonies already. That is all I am reporting on… Hahaha…

Comebacks and Debuts

For the past two months, many artists have made their comeback and they include ): Block B, Seventeen, History, April, Twice, AOA, Akdong Musician, VIXX, Lovelyz, Up10Tion and so many more.

For debuts, NCT is the big debut for April.  I.O.I is probably the major debut for May. However, we have seen new soloists emerge in KPOP in the past two months. Notably, Jung Eunji from APINK, Woohyun from Infinite and Tiffany from SNSD had their respective solo debuts in the last two months.

Top 5 songs of April

As per normal, these are my top 5 songs of April:

  1. Pretty U – Seventeen
  2. Journey to Atlantis – Laboum
  3. Dynamite – VIXX
  4. Queen – History
  5. Toy – Block B

Top 5 songs of May

May hasn’t ended yet, but it is about to. I will add other May songs to the June list (when I get around to it).

0. Pretty U – Seventeen (I have to. I have been trialling charts and Seventeen has been popping up every single week as the top song for the week).
1. Good Luck – AOA
2. Save Me – BTS
3. Nodding Nodding – Woohyun (Infinite)
4. I Just Wanna Dance – Tiffany (SNSD)
5. Fire – BTS

This one was a long one and I tried to keep it short. I am really behind in reviews and will get them out slowly. It will take me some time to catch up. Bad news is that I have exams coming up and I am going to be slower. I will review every major release eventually, so give me some time. Enjoy the rest of May and see you tomorrow!!!