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] Destiny – Lovelyz

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Lovelyz has returned. And I almost forgot about them. Another review for another girl group was meant to come out, but then I realised I forgot about Lovelyz when looking over my agenda (i.e. the list of reviews I plan to make and what day it is meant to be scheduled on). The group is slowly gaining momentum and receiving lots of love from the public. This song is actually their highest chart-topping since debut and just proves to everyone that they can actually become the next big thing in KPOP.

We have always seen Lovelyz attempt a song that actually has that cutesy association along with it. Now according to their company, the group ended their own trilogy style comebacks with their last comeback and would return with a different sound. And a different sound was what we got. This song has a more mature sound than any of their previous songs but still remains on that cutesy side of KPOP.Personally, it is a good song, but I have to admit it does sound like a little dead. I am totally in love with the instrumental and the mature vocals of the girls. It is pretty hard to believe that the Lovelyz last year is the same Lovelyz this year. The song is catchy to an extent, but not enough to make me go replay it. I would have liked more of a hook to the song. Their harmony is pretty good (as heard in the chorus). So to wrap up, like the song, just would have expected something more to appeal to me.

The music video is the main reason to why there is a review to this song. Someone, whoever, give a goddamn award to whoever produced, directed and edited this amazing work of art. I just cannot explain it words, but I will try. The video isn’t just a simple “put camera here and move back and forth with it” type of video. The video spins. Okay, maybe not literally, but the video editing makes it like the camera is spinning around them. The whole video is dominated with circles And the emphasis on the effect of the camera spinning was amazing. The out of focused shots, where the girls aren’t necessary in the middle of the frame but like in the corner or just half their head is featured on the screen, looks amazing. The dance even matches up with the editing and I totally think this is much an amazing video. The music video, in terms of colour, is pretty dull, but whatever the editor and producers were going for, worked amazingly and made up for whatever flaws there in this video. I would have to say, this is probably a highly artistic video and one I willing to give 10/10 for.

Dance wise, it is pretty good for a song like this. Love the start where they form a circle around the member singing and proceed to move inwards to form a straight line and then proceed to then span outwards. The circle is back in the dance as well, seen throughout the chorus and the many other parts of the dance. Add that to the video and boy was I happy.

This review feels a little rushed and I apologise for that. First Monday review in a very long time. The girls did an amazing job and their whole mini album is pretty good as well. Check out 1cm. 9/10

[Review] Pretty U – Seventeen

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Seventeen has returned to the stage after their last comeback last year with Mansae and their debut with Adore U. Now, they have returned with a brand new (and their first) album. And this time around they won a few trophies for their latest release. Proving to many (while some are quite sceptical of this) that Seventeen is gaining popularity.

Pretty U is a pretty ordinary track at first. I agree with many people, it just doesn’t sound as intense as Mansae or Adore U. It lacked a lot of power. It was, at first, a disappointment. But, the song grew on me. I’ll tell you why later on. Anyway, but the song grew on me and now I am pretty much addicted to the song. I tweeted last night about how I have been trialling a chart system (based on my preferences). For the past three weeks, the song has been out, it has topped those three weeks, proving how much I actually am addicted to the song. Vocals were amazing (with some of the members getting their moment to shine). The raps were a little disappointing. They just didn’t hit the right “notes” with the rap. It was only  the end that I pretty much happy with. The rest of the rapping in the song just didn’t suit the members. Seungkwan’s massive IU style high note was amazing (as I said yesterday in Berry Good‘s review, I am a sucker when it comes to the high note). Even the instrumental had a nice ring to it. Overall, a pretty good song. But I still stand by my first statement, it just didn’t have the intensity as their last songs.

The music video was disappointing. I thought it was just not the right video to end off their “trilogy”. They have focused on that school boy look and this video just shows them off as being rebellious and fun. Nothing really connecting with the school boy look. Now I know their trilogy isn’t based on the school boy concept but rather the lyrics of the song. Just, when I first heard trilogy, I heard school boy look. The video showed the boys having fun, but the slow motion and camera work did not reflect that. The tone of the video (in terms of that Instagram-like filter) really dampens the mood. It just didn’t provide that bright or happy vibe that the boys were having. And I reason why I thought the song was really weak at first was the song quality that came with the video. I can’t watch the video anymore because of this. I honestly thought my speakers were broken, but seeing many people comment on this sound quality, I think my speakers are working just fine. Having a party looked quite fun but I did expect them dancing to the song (like a dance version) throughout the video, but I never got that. Honestly, sometimes those fake set videos really do a good job.

Where did I fall in love with the song? Well the stage, of course. The song sounds 100% better than alone or with the music video. Dance wise, I thought it was really good. I liked the sofa and how they used it. Not really unique, but hey, it made the stage look quite fun and enjoyable. I would describe the dance as easy and safe, though. To date, Seventeen has shown great dances, but they don’t consist of anything that I would describe as risky. Maybe it is just the concept talking to me, but I would like to see more variance in terms of the dance style next time.

Seventeen, you are fast becoming one of the top groups in the industry for me. And I think I am a little obsessed. I do have my doubts (namely, your company in general) and I hope you do stay for a long time. 7/10

[Review] Angel – Berry Good

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Sorry, just like 5 weeks delayed here. Berry Good is not a relatively new band in the industry. They actually have been around since 2014 and made their debut with Love Letter. They made their debut with 5 members, 3 of which ended up leaving the band in 2015. They were replaced by three new members and the current lineup includes: Taeha, Seoyul, Daye, Kang Se Hyung and Gowon. Interestingly enough, their latest release was actually crowd funded and this provided the band with surprising results as they overshot their goal. I read an article of it somewhere, and will link it when I find it.

This song blew me away. Well, to be precise, the high notes at the end blew me away. More on that in a little bit. The song itself is already very good. Vocally, Berry Good releases good songs that really bring out their talent when it comes to vocal work. Okay, so their vocals have been talked about. As you all know I am a sucker when it comes orchestra sounding songs, and this just proves it. I loved the instrumental and how it compliments with the pitch and volume at which they are singing at. The more electronic sounds make the song feel a little more KPOP-ish. Minor complaint regarding the song is the chorus. Not troubled by it at all, but it could have been refined further with proper English pronunciation. It does sound a little awkward (the “ooh ooh ooh ooh” parts) and doesn’t really reflect the rest of the song. It is funny, because the last chorus seems to be the exact same thing, yet that last chorus sounded less awkward and more professional. But more than the orchestra instrumental, I am a true sucker when it comes to the high notes and damn were they perfected. We are given what seems to be a whole minute of these high notes (spread out during that one minute though) and it just really captivates me every time I listen to it. The vocalist held it really well and just goes back to singing the next line, just amazing. The ending instrumental was not required and sounded mega different to the rest of the song. Overall, I think the song was really good minus the few issues I identified. Vocally, they are definitely sound great and it is really disappointing that they haven’t got the recognition.

For a low budget video, it looks really good. They took an overused set and made it look completely different from the other times we have seen the set used in the industry. The lighting looks really good and the editing itself is phenomenal. At first glance, you don’t see a low budget to it. Their outside scenes were pretty good as well. Besides that, I can only say that much from the top of my memory. I don’t have a solid internet connection to be able to play the video, but that is what I remember from the video. Hahaha… I really liked the editing, though. Like a lot.

The dance was meh. They are not a dance group, but more of a vocal group.

Overall, I think they handled this come back pretty well. I hope they gained something and don’t have to crowdfund their next release. And they need to be recognised for their talent. 7.5/10

[Review] My Star – Lee Hi

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Lee Hi has returned with part 2 of her second album. Last time we saw her was in March where she came back with Breathe and Hold My Hand. This time, she is coming back with “My Star”.

Unfortunately, this song was not to my taste. The song did not catch my attention nor did it appeal to me at all. I think because the release was so sudden and I have been drowning in so much work, that it became a song that I just could not keep up with. Anyway, regarding the song itself, there is something about Lee Hi’s voice that really can be described by one word, and that is: soulful. Her husky voice compliments a variety of genre from ballads to pop (as we saw from her previous titles tracks such as Hold My Hand and Breathe). This is more of a pop-jazz track than anything else. The song is much brighter and happier than any other song (and is probably a song that people would listen to, just to crack a smile or turn a frown upside down). I just find the chorus really repetitive and boring. The emphasis of each word in the sentence seems to sound the song ordinary and does really set the song apart from other songs out there right now. The bridge of the song did not really go well with the rest of the song, in my point of view. I think the climax was my favourite song, but the rest of it was just a little too boring for my taste. Sorry, I guess. Lee Hi has a great voice, but as the reasons, I cited above, most likely covered the song’s potential.

As for the video, I thought it was a nice concept. Of course, it looks like and it feels like your ordinary KPOP video, but I think the concept is refreshing and somewhat new. You could feel the awkwardness between Lee Hi and the actor to be honest. Their acting isn’t the best, but given the concept and what I got from the video, the awkwardness might have been on purpose. The video suited the song really well. I thought it a great video. It is just unfortunate that I did not like the song as much. If I had, I probably thought the video was amazingly better. The video shows the two go through dating to marrying phase of their life and the somewhat awkward vibe give the video a nice charm. Love the retro vibe the video has going on and the scenes where she is on stage singing in that suit is hella adorbs. She looks so cute on stage and in that pink suit.

Yeah.. so not really the song for me, but it is good from a point of view of someone who is not busy or overloaded with work atm. 5.5/10

[Review] Here I Am – Yesung (Super Junior)

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After so long being on stage, Yesung, one of the main vocalists of Super Junior has officially made his debut as a solo artist in South Korea.  I really like Yesung’s voice, so I was extremely pleased to hear that he would be able to debut in South Korea. While I think it is obvious to everyone that his mini album did not do as well as expected, he still feels proud with releasing his own songs and tells everyone to focus on the song rather than the charts.

The song is really good. As I mentioned above, I am in love with his vocals. His voice just sounds so husky and in this ballad, his vocals were used to his benefit. The song was quite slow at the start but it slowly builds up with the instrumental. Everything is quite soft at the start from the vocals to the piano in the background. However as we hit the chorus, we are flung back into what I think sounds like a powerful ballad. The chorus was honestly very beautiful sounding. My favourite part was probably the bridge of the song. It is the perfect climax for the song that doesn’t ruin or change the song up in any way. From start to the end, the song stayed true to its ballad nature. I have to say this, but I say many songs don’t fluctuate from the “straight line”. This one doesn’t as well, but it is a prime example of how the song can still be amazing.

The music video is quite nice. The story line is very interesting (for a change, something plot worthy to talk about). The video starts off with Yesung packing up his things, ready to move out. People are coming over to inspect the house and he did not expect his ex to come around with her friend. The two become awkward but pushes through anyway, pretending not to know each other. Yesung remembers all these memories of when they used to  be happy while I am quite sure, the girl does as well, as she turns off the faucet, something she probably remembered doing a lot when she was with him. I personally thought her turning off the faucet was a very powerful scene. Slowly the girl is reminded of her happy memories and the two start becoming awkward when they help out with measuring the window sill. In the end, the girl and her friend had to leave. We cut back to another memory flashback of their previous breakup. Ironically, when the scene is cut back to Yesung singing on the street, it is revealed his ex never left, similar to when they broke up. I have to say, the video was shot beautifully. His acting is really good and those tears he gets at the end was just the tip of the iceberg for me. Honestly, check out the video for this. It is a well-written plot line that goes hand in hand with the song.

Overall, a beautiful comeback. Despite his promotions already ending (I think) and that his album did not chart as well, doesn’t mean that this album is terrible. Do check it out. 10/10

Dynamite – VIXX

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VIXX has returned with a brand new concept. The set of three or “trilogy” concept has been on the rise in South Korea with BTS, G-Friend, Seventeen and Lovelyz wrapping up their “set of three” concepts. VIXX will be the latest band to join the ranks in this trend and have promised three comebacks within a year which focuses on Greek mythology. They have always surprised us (or scared the daylights out of us) with their concepts, so it will be interesting to see what they will do next. Dynamite begins the trilogy for VIXX.

And is Dynamite a good song or what? One of the few songs that I am obsessing over these days. It is not your typical VIXX song. Actually, it is not a song that you would associate with VIXX. It is many times more colourful than their previous hits and has more of a bright tune to it. It focuses more on the pop side of KPOP, but the meaning (in terms of the Greek God that they are focusing on) is really brought to life with the song. But I will talk about the concept later. Vocal wise, everyone got a decent part of the pie and showcased an excellent standard. Hyuk and Hongbin particular, shined more in this song, as they have more lines than in the past.  The rap was okay. It felt very underwhelming and just didn’t hit the right feels to make me go wow. Everything else was just great. The instrumental is amazing and that small part that Hyuk has before the chorus is really unique and makes the song very interesting. Definitely catchy (like any VIXX song) addictive. VIXX has managed to do it once again with Dynamite.

The Greek God that they are focusing on this time around is Zelos, the God of Jealousy and Rivalry. And the video shows the concept in a very interesting way. So Ravi said in an interview or somewhere for this concept: “Our lead track, “Dynamite,” is about a guy being blinded by jealousy and willing to turn the world upside down to get his ex back.”. And the video shows just that. The video is quite calm at the start, but as it progressed, it literally looked like the world was turned upside down and all hell broke loose. The flying coloured dust and the camera became even shakier. Talking about the camera, I think this was an excellent example of how a shaky camera could be used to their benefit. It worked really well and was in time with their dance moves. The sets were pretty good as well. They were all quite simple but the guys acting gave each set a lot more definition and meaning. I think the video was amazing overall, as you can tell from my comments.

Dance wise, I thought it was underwhelming. But saying that doesn’t mean I hate it or the dance wasn’t good enough for the song and concept. It was good, it just didn’t live to my expectations. I guess I did expect more of a kick to the dance. Their facial expressions in this dance is pretty much teasing all of us. N’s smile occurring indirectly to the camera and Hongbin’s smirks were my favourite. They do match the concept and made everyone go wild.

Song and video were amazing and top notch. The dance could have definitely been better, but what we got was pretty good still. 8.5/10

Hopefully Sky – Jung Eunji (APINK)

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Before I run out of time, let’s do the final review for the weekend. It has been something that fans have wanted for ages and finally Jun Eunji, the main vocalist of APINK, has officially made her solo debut on the stage. Well, she has had solo stages before and collaborations, but this is her first solo release. She joined up with Hareem, which I believe is a folk musician in South Korea for her song: Hopefully Sky.

It is a really nice ballad. At first, I was weirded out by the song, like all folk songs. But this one grew on me. I hear this song on my playlist and I can’t help to listen to it. First of all, it is very easy on my ears. Move aside heavy dubstep or really slow ballads. This has the right pitch, tempo, rhythm etc. It had the perfect ratio between vocals and instrumental. It was also somewhat catchy. The only thing I would say about the song is that is was very boring. It did feel dry for a while and it still has that dryness factor to it. If I can somehow shake that off when I listen to the song, it would be amazing. It just happened to stay from the first time I listened to the song til now. The lyrics and instrumental remind you of Spring and I think it did an excellent job about.

I have yet to watch the video, so these will be my initial reactions. I just expect the video to be of Eunji staring off into the blue skies and sitting in some sort of green grass patch or flower garden. Cause that is what the song gives off. Okay, watching the video, it just does not seem like that. Instead, Eunji is making most of the Spring weather and scenery in what seems to be her home town (or the setting is meant to be her hometown). Visiting schoolyards, some really beautiful artwork on the sides of buildings. She even sings on top of a rooftop which shows a really nice view of the town in the video. First impressions tell me that this is a very beautiful video, for a very beautiful song.  The cherry blossoms made the video seem much more pretty and romantic. I think it was a very well done video.

Overall, as I mentioned above: a very beautiful comeback. No wonder it topped charts as soon as it was released. 9.5/10

Attention – UP10TION

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UP10TION has finally returned. And this is my first time reviewing them. Wasn’t drawn to their debut song, however, their comebacks are really good and they get better every single time. For those who don’t know, UP10TION is a 10 member boy group who are under TOP Media, which houses Teen Top and 100%. They made their debut last year with So Dangerous and returned in November with Catch Me. The group consists of Jinhoo, Kuhn, Kogyeol, Wei, Bitto, Wooshin, Sunyoul, Gyujin, Hwanhee, Xiao. And yes, a review for this group is way long overdue.

The song is pretty good. Yeah, it is a bit boring, but what was released ended up sounding really good to me. It has this retro vibe that reminds me of some other Korean bands (not naming any, though), but it is quite upbeat. The song starts off soft, but as the song continues, it builds up (kind of). The song does have that monotone sound to it as well. Imagine a straight line. The song just travels along that straight line and there anything to make it deviate and make it sound interesting or better. Their vocals are okay, not amazing. The raps are pretty good as well, probably my most favourite part of the song. This song just doesn’t suit their group as a whole. Sure some members do stand out, but I feel like the majority of the band is holding back when they sing/perform the song. While I didn’t like their debut song, I could tell it was powerful and strong. This, to me, is the complete opposite and borderlines the aegyo side of boy groups.

The music video does have my “attention”, but I don’t think what I am going to say will be complimenting the band at all. I would like this video to be split into two. To me, there are two concepts. Cutesy boys who are happy to see their boyfriend and when they are dancing. Both look like polar opposites and belong to two different videos. One part I see really cool looking dudes who are dancing really well, and then the next second I see someone smiling way too cute and showing aegyo. Their acting is super bad and I think I would know some people who would disagree with me and say they are cute. I do much prefer the dancing scenes only in the video. If they cut out that colour stuff and kept the dance scenes in there, I would have paid a lot more attention to the video and gave compliments rather than my disappointment (such as above). It suits the song more and their image.

Dance is really good. They have always stood out for me in terms of dancing.  Everything in their dance is razor sharp, but also very fluidly. Nothing looks out of place and each movement flows from one to another. Their leg kicks over the members head is really good. I do have to mention this, but some of the members have this awkward facial expression on the stage and that does distract me sometimes, wondering why?

Overall, I think the comeback is great. They definitely get better with every release and I do look forward to what they will be doing next. 7/10

I do apologise for last night release. Last night’s review was meant to be released yesterday and that is what I tried to do. However, as I was writing it up near midnight, I think WordPress miscalculated the time and released on today’s date instead. I ended up check my setting today and found out I set the wrong time zone. I was still in daylight savings mode. Hahaha… Just pretend I released the review on Saturday AEST and this one is the review I released today (Sunday). I’ve fixed it, so I should release all reviews at the right time. WordPress will just record this 2 reviews  being released today. That is all. Thank’s for reading.

[DOUBLE REVIEW] The 7th Sense + Without You – NCT U

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SM Entertainment has unleashed their latest group. The newly debuted group is NCT, and NCT U is the first subunit of the group to debut. Now the concept of the band is ridiculously confusing.  Apparently, they are this large group consisting of an unspecified amount of members. The members are rotated around constantly, so I guess we will be able to see new faces every time they come back. I read somewhere that this is the way the company wants to avoid another EXO dilemma, giving members ample time to rest until it is their next turn. Really confusing and I think there is a lot more to the group that what I have specified. Anyway, NCT U is the first subunit of the group and consists of Taeyong, Ten, Jaehyun, Mark, Taeil and Doyoung.

The 7th Sense, to me, is a terrible song. I avoid listening to this song every time it pops up in the playlist when I am listening on YouTube or iTunes. The song gives me a headache essentially. It is electronic, but then it is really slow and that doesn’t really sit well with me. It does have an exotic feel to it, which is interesting, but it has no appeal to me. The song feels dragged out. Their vocals in this song aren’t that great as well. The song isn’t catchy and I am greatly disappointed by it. Maybe it might because I am not used to the song and isn’t something you find constantly in KPOP, but sadly, it is not a song I am fond of.

Without You is the complete opposite. I love everything about this song. There is nothing that I would look down upon because this the type of song I enjoyed listening to when growing up. It sounds like American bands that were popular back in the 00’s. When I listen to this song, I find myself rocking along and singing along as well. That is the whole point of KPOP right? To make it so catchy that the listeners start listening along.  Their vocals were superb. Yeah, it does feel dragged out, but the tone and tune of the song are just so good, it makes me overlook that tiny detail. And don’t get me started on the chorus.

Music video wise, I actually have not watched any of them. Odd hey? Anyway, the music video for the 7th Sense makes sense. The song is already unique for the listeners, so it is obvious the music video is also unique. It gives off that exotic feel that I mentioned above. Sure the lighting could have been a little better, but hey, that is the charm of the video. The solid colour filters (or did they film the video with red lights?) looked pretty cool. It seems I actually like the video more than the song. Just going to prove how hypocritical I am, but the end where they have a clear colour light or filters, made it look boring I actually preferred the coloured scenes, but maybe they could have gone with one shade of red lighter. Without You is an abstract video. Probably the right word to use to sum up the video. And like everything that is abstract, it is really confusing. The plot seems to show the guys in two realities. One with their girlfriend, the other without her. And somehow they are mashed into one reality. The one thing I would have removed from the video were all the scenes involving the members lip-syncing to the song. It is just really awkward and didn’t fit in with the abstract nature of the video.  Out of the two videos, I do actually prefer 7th Sense. But if someone can clear up the confusion (you can probably crack the Da Vinci code as well) for the second video, then I would be grateful.

Not one to spend too long on the dance part. Only 7th Sense had a dance. Someone really needs to overhaul the fashion for these stages. It seems like there is a complete mash-up of the clothing over different eras. Dance matched the tempo of the song. The dance just doesn’t memorable to me. Without You is simply a band performance.

Overall, I am quite torn about the two debut songs. One of the songs I liked more, but the other’s video more. Dance doesn’t help pick a winner for me. But which was your favourite song/debut package? Vote below!!!

The 7th Sense – 4.5/10

Without You – 7.5/10

Kissing To Feel – UKISS

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No, UKISS has not returned to the stage (yet) but the band did release a song back in February. This is a Japanese release that was not publicised in anyway. Someone contacted me on Twitter asking me to review this and I apologise that it only took me 5 years to actually review the song. Honestly if they haven’t contact me then I would not have known. I don’t actually do requests since the amount of releases is so large, it is hard to keep up with the industry. I try my best to review new bands and old bands, debuts and comebacks from smaller artists, but it is already hard just trying to listen to the latest songs… Let’s move onto the review though, before this review becomes too long.

It is a good song but it just doesn’t captivate me. For a quite upbeat song, the song started off slow, compared to the rest of the song. It wasn’t until the chorus that I felt like it was more of a UKISS style song. The start (in reality) isn’t that slow, it just felt slow. But once the song gets to that peak, wow. Their vocals are not hindered one bit in the song and sounds very powerful, strong and extremely clear. The rapping (per usual) is pretty good. I can see a lot of improvement (and parts) given to Jun.  I always wonder why they don’t do these songs in South Korea. I know South Korea isn’t that big in these EDM dance tracks, but UKISS received a lot of attention from the public when they released songs like this in the past. Okay, finishing praising the song. The song itself really doesn’t draw my attention (as I mentioned above). I feel like an extra element could have been added to the song to give it more depth or dimension (does that make sense?). But overall, I think the song is good. (I need a better way to write these reviews… I started and finished off with the same sentence).

Not exactly fond of the video. If you are a fan of sweaty Eli, then I guess check it out. But honestly, it was rather dark than it should have been. The lighting wasn’t that great in this video. There are two version: one was the normal landscape version, while the other is the portrait version. I have not seen the landscape version on YouTube yet, but I have see the portrait version and damn am I disappointed. It just feels really confined. There are benefits for the portrait version, but I am not seeing them in this video. The set is okay. The question is: when isn’t UKISS in an abandoned room or house.? Like seriously, most of their video consist of something abandoned. Yeah, I am running out of things to say about the video. I just think the video could have included a plot and made some sense over these scenes. There is already a plot here but it just doesn’t seem to be evident. Maybe more scenes of the girl leaving the guys or something would have made the video more interesting.

The dance focus on the sexy side of the band (and I think I actually do prefer this side of the boys). A lot of crotch grabbing and body waves. I really like the slow part of the chorus. And you probably have no idea what I am talking about…. Watch the dance version here? I think the dance is great, matches the tempo of the song and also shows the knife sharp movements of the guys. Once again they did a good job with their dance.

Overall, it was okay. I think that sums it up for me. 6.5/10

Queen – History

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History has returned to South Korea after what seems to be an extremely long void without hearing from them. However, they spent the last year (or since their last promotions with Might Just Die) in Japan. They successfully made their debut in Japan and have released two singles (L.O.S.T and My Love). Both songs were featured as Korean songs on their latest mini album – HIM.

Jaws were dropped in the writing of this review. Why? Because this song is amazing. Minus the pronunciation problem that seemed to get on every international fans mind, this song is really good. The hip hop vibe is extremely strong in this song. Mixed with electronic and dance elements made it seem so much cooler. Heads were banging along and it soon became one of the most played songs. The song (just without any context) around sounds like they are insinuating towards something dirty but the lyrics are just backs that up. “Get on my back naturally and wag your tail”. Given how they were singing (and it was – again –  amazing), I don’t think this was talking about a dog (oh god…). The English is quite questionable. I get that is how Koreans pronounce Queen, but how about “We All Pac Man” and “Crazy Intoxication Historical Criminalization”? No cohesion on my part. The rest of it was okay though. Another thing that I loved about the song is the really sexy sounding saxophones. They added another element to the song and made it sound so much cooler. Despite the English, I think it is an amazing song and am totally digging it. Just waiting for it to be played at some parties.

Music video wise, loving the concept. Really edgy and it seems to push the boundaries… by a lot. Not exactly sure about the rest of the video, but damn their attire (especially the suits) is so good. It is not that I am hating the video or anything, I have played it once or twice and it still confuses me. So I end up just skipping the video and listening to the song by itself. The solo shots of the guys shirtless or drinking alcohol don’t really mean anything to the video (I don’t think). I just couldn’t link A with B in this video and if I did, I don’t think it would have made any sense. They are singing about the Queen and we got towards the end. But was the rest of the video just showing how rebellious and cool they were? Cause that was all I could piece together. I think the video would have been so much better as a performance video. To me, the dance parts were the best and they were the ones that caught my attention more.

As for the dance, 10/10. Damn, so cool. I think I loved just about everything about the dance. The small James Bond move that they managed to put in and Yijeong’s really standout move at the start. I don’t know. It just made everything feel more edgier and more unique. The one thing is that I was watching one of their performance and I forgot which guy (correction: it was Yijeong), but damn. His hair cut was horrendous and the eye makeup was too thick. I remember replaying the video just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Be the judge of it – watch it here.

Amazing song and dance. Video wasn’t that great. 7.5/10

 

Toy – Block B

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It has been a while since we heard from Block B. They last promoted Her back in 2014 as a whole group. They debuted a subunit (Bastarz) consisting of B.Bomb, U-kwon and P.O in 2015. 2015 and the first few months of 2016 have probably been Zico’s year though as he made a highly successful solo debut and each of his songs ended up topping the charts. But finally they are back with Toy and their latest mini album.

I thought this song was pretty dry and dead at first. However, listening to this song continuously makes the song sound like pure heaven. It is honestly catchy and packs a mean message (mean as in cool, to an extent).  I expected something with more of a hip hop vibe to it, since that is what they were doing prior to their hiatus. But we get this ballad and RnB dance track, which I think Block B handled professionally and perfectly. It is pretty catchy. The catchiness isn’t really evident, it just seems to be very subtle and doesn’t really hit us. It just makes me unconsciously go back to the song. I don’t remember my thoughts on H.E.R, but the rapping and vocal work from all the members was amazing. Even P.O (whom I am not that fond of) sounds really good in this song. The instrumental was on point as well. Loved the unique sound that the violins had at the start (Is it unique? I don’t know. It sounds different though, as if they used electronic violins). Especially at the “I’m Your Toy” part in the song. Just amazing.

The music video is pretty cool. Loving how the BBCs (Block B fan club) have called themselves trash and that Block B included them in the music video. It just makes everything so funny. Not that I should be laughing. This is a very serious topic. But the idea of the song and music video goes hand in hand. The girl drags her boys to the rubbish bin after she is done with them, so essentially she is “dumping them”. Hahahaha… The guys end up singing how she will want them back and that they will end up being her toys again. Unfortunately, that will just “land-fill” them back into the bin. Loving this concept. It is just so “rubbish”. Okay, I will stop making you fans and the band feel “trashy”. But seriously, the colour in the video is on point (or the tip of the land fill). Compliments the video really well. Honestly check out the video because it has some good meaning that I “threw away” and decided to substitute these puns in for.

Dancing is amazing. Block B does not really pass as a dance group, and this dance kind of proves that too me. But the whole toy concept was really cool. How they acted like mini robots and those arm flailing in the air for the “I’m Your Toy” part. Oh and it seems like Block B seem to get onto the dance trends quite quickly. Saw them Nae Nae before the whole thing became popular and now they are -dabs-.

I am writing this while I am half asleep. This was meant to be out yesterday, but that didn’t go to plan. I found a little bit of time and decided to finish it off and just get it out there. Check out the song and video below because it just looks so cool. Comeback, overall, was so cool. 10/10

Journey to Atlantis – Laboum

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Laboum has finally returned. They last promoted Aalow Aalow back in November and December last year (which I failed to review). This time around they have returned with a mini album titled as Fresh Adventure.

Probably one of the freshest songs this year. For some reason, there was this “wave of newness” that probably the reason why this song stood out for me. It had that bright feel and make you picture sunflowers and grassy fields. Okay, maybe not that extreme. But every time I listen to this song, it makes me grin so much. Yeah, the song lands perfectly in the typical KPOP song genre but there is a lot more to it. The chorus is freaking catchy and beautiful. Love how they all sing the chorus, giving it that brighter feel. I am just lip syncing the chorus everytime I hear the song. The high notes at the end (both of them) are stunning. The rapping is very limited (and it isn’t really a rap, more like a chant) but it changes up the song. It fits the season perfectly and it is a shame that it is not getting as much love as it deserves. Overall, I think this is an amazing song and definitely think everyone should listen to it.

I think there is one word we can describe this video and that is: cheesy. Lots of cheese. The girls in the video are bored at home and decide to pitch a tent, pretending as if they are in the outdoors. Who didn’t do that when they were younger? Oh childhood, why did you go away? The girls fall asleep and somehow are transported to their “dream land” or the outdoors. And that is about as intense the plot gets. Yeah, very cheesy. But the sets were nice. They are the ones you see every single time a KPOP video comes along, but they have been brightened up and made to look like they fit into the video. But damn, those outdoor scenes (well, I am assuming they were outdoors and not in some studio) look amazing. I don’t have much else to say regarding the video. It just looks beautiful.

The dance is great as well. They are in sync from start to the end. Loving it. I love the chorus and damn, it is very confusing to follow along. Because that is what I do all day… I watch video and dance to them while sitting down. But it fits that fresh and cute concept they are going for.

For some reason, these girls are not getting love. They need love. Because just listening to this song shows me how capable they are. 9/10

Rewind: March 2016

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OMG. I am so delayed. This was meant to be out earlier in the month, and now look at the calendar, April is almost gone. I’m still tweaking this segment, but I don’t know if I should any thing or get rid of anything existing, so if you can provide feedback, it will be greatly appreciated. Lots to talk about, to let’s go.

Major News

EXO’s Kai and F(x)’s Krystal were caught dating and SM Entertainment confirmed that the two were in fact an actual couple. After this confirmation, people started to post pictures online as “proof of Kai and Krystal’s relationship”, which I think are either fake or just a blatant invasion of privacy (but what isn’t? They are watched 24/7). But some of these picture claims to have Kai and Krystal kissing in public in a pool and catch the two “checking in” into hotels. Anyway, while this probably heartbreaking to fans of both, we all should be happy for them. Oh and did I mention Dispatch was the one to tell the world about this couple (once again). Who are your reporters and why are they so good about finding these things?

And the industry has been rocked by news of certain singers suspected of being a part of prostitution, which involves dodgy sponsors. I am not in tune with the whole thing and I am quite sure that the news has died down now. It is very hard to retell everything here, so I will just cut to the chase. These singers either go or are introduced to these sponsors that will make an investment into the singers career, in exchange for you know what. That is my understanding of it, and these singers were caught. They were brought into questioning and the news (of course) leaked a description of a particular artist who recently left her company and faced financial hardship in the past. It is sad that people have to result to this (that is if they chose this path) or just horrible if they were tricked into it, which I believe of some of claim to have been.

Comebacks & Debuts

March saw big name bands make their comebacks. GOT7, Jun Hyosung (Secret), Lee Hi, Fiestar, Red Velvet, Hyomin (T-Ara),DAY6, BTOB, Oh My Girl and Eric Nam are just to name a few.

We cannot forget about the rookies can we? KNK made their debut with Knock, which it garnering a lot of interest in the band, and I am too.

Polls

A few polls (including the ones in Febuary as well). I asked you guys:

  • Which Winner song did you guys prefer? And the results is as follow: I’m Young (30%); Sentimental, Baby Baby & Pricked (20%); and finally Immature (10%).
  • Which Taemin song did you guys like? Both songs (Drip Drop and Press Your Number) received the same amount of votes.
  • Which Lee Hi song did you guys like? Hold My Hand had an overwhelming amount of votes (87%) and Breathe got 17% of the votes.

Top 5 Songs Of March 2016

Here are my top 5 songs that were released in March 2016, taken straight from the amount of plays in iTunes:

  1. Find Me – Jun Hyosung (Secret) ft. D.Action
  2. Fly – GOT7
  3. Mirror – Fiestar
  4. Spring Love – Eric Nam & Wendy (Red Velvet)
  5. Knock – KNK

As you can tell, review releases have decreased so much in the past month. I apologise. Just a heads up, I will be releasing reviews on Sundays Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays (provided I am free and have time on those days). The other days are far too too busy for me. I also mentioned on Twitter that once this semester ends, I will be doing a revamp of the site (much needed), so if there is anything you want to see, comment below. All feedback will be appreciated.

 

You’re So Fine – CN BLUE

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So much work to do and yet here I am procrastinating. It is funny. When I don’t have anything to do but write reviews, I procrastinate then and find work that I have put off for weeks and months. Wasn’t actually planning on writing a review until tomorrow since today was extremely busy, but hey, CN Blue cannot wait. Yep, the band is back with a brand new mini album. That being said and all this talk about being busy, the boys are extremely busy with promotions and also solo work.

It is officially Spring and you can tell by listening to this song. CN Blue usually goes for a powerful rock / pop track. Something with a little more energy and bass is a sound that I would associate with CN Blue. However, this time around, they went with a song that has a mellow feel to it (but in a cheerful sense). This is the song that you would sit outside on a grassy field, with blue skies all over and there is just a nice breeze. That or cheery blossoms. Oh wait the song. I really do like the song. I was kind of shocked when I first heard it, but I grew to like this song. I don’t love and I don’t think it is their best song ever, but it is still a good song. The vocals were great, though the small sections of rap or the short instrumental we got for the bridge were kind of awkward. It has that “throw your hand in the air” kind of feel, but they are just hanging down near my hips. Though, I do love the instrumental. Combining that band feel with the saxophone did wonders to my ears. It isn’t overpowering and the volume of the vocals and the instrumental is just right.

The music video was boring. The guys are in this lobby hotel. Minhyuk is getting his hair cut. Jonghyun is getting this poor kid to polish his shoes. Jungshin accidentally gets locked in the elevator. Yonghwa is the singer by the bar. Okay. A girl walks in and each guy is suddenly drawn to her presence. She some hows manages to interact with all of them indirectly (by giving people around them flowers). Then she goes and gets changed, and each of the guys decide to sit there and wait for her to come down and blind them with her beauty. Might have added that last part. But there wasn’t anything in the video to make me go wow. The video just had me thinking “So what?” throughout the video. It wasn’t climatic and it just didn’t do much to portray that spring feeling. I did like the set, very colourful. And there is what I liked the best regarding the video. Their clothing isn’t that great as well, but very retro.

Overall, great song. I’ll pass on the video though. 5/10

Get Down – Boys Republic

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It has been a long time coming, but finally, I will be reviewing Boys Republic. Yeah… I have been wanting to review these boys for their past few comebacks, but I end up not doing them because of time constraints or I fall behind on the other artist’s comebacks. I know. But this time I will do it and here it is. Boys Republic is a boy group under Universal Music. The group consist of 5 members including: Onejunn, Sunwoo, Sungjun, Minsu, Suwoong. They first made their debut with Party Rock in 2013 and have made comebacks since then with songs such as Hello, The Real One and my personal favourite, You Are Special.

Get Down can be described as a rock anthem infused with dance elements. This song gives off this really masculine, tough and macho edge that is a pretty new sound for them, since they have gone for more of the pop style in the past. The chorus of this song is amazing. The vocals are really strong but the beat made the chorus sound very catchy. The start of the song opens with a really nice (hehehehe) rap. The autotune parts in the song are quite questionable. They don’t sound good. They fit into the song, but not exactly that impressive and sounds really fake (obviously). But at least that part fit the song. The song (as mentioned above) has this really strong and dominate anthem sound to it, which I can hear from the start of the end. The vocals at the end were superb. You can say that this song has a lot of pent up anger and jealousy in it. Just check out the English lyrics where you next watch the song. Overall, I think it was a pretty good song. They should have gone a little easy on the autotune though.

The music video is definitely not for the fainted hearted. I can say that VIXX’s music video for VooDoo Doll looks tame in comparison to this video. Why? Well, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Let’s just say there is a lot of blood and heads in this video. If you are the faint hearted type and don’t want to watch the video, simply highlight the white section that follows and you will get the spoiler: decapitation (heads are getting chopped off).  So I guess it is safe to say that if you are dating the members of Boys Republic, it is best to stick to their side and not go cheat or leave them for another man, because these guys will literally kill for you. Really like the edgy and dark (obviously) vibe they went for in this video. Don’t think smiling guys and puppies would translate well with this concept. Hahaha… But honestly, a really interesting concept where the guys, instead of reflecting upon their mistakes or happy memories, go for revenge.

Dance wise, rubbing hands on your body and the slightest body wave seems to get you a long way in this industry. There are so many ways to do those two movements and make it look original. This dance is one of them. Not exactly memorable, but it is something that I noticed. It also added to the masculine and macho concept they were going for.

Overall, a very dark and powerful comeback, which is an interesting contrast to their past comebacks (because they did not hold back with the darkness here). 9/10