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.

Nice Body – Hyomin (T-Ara)

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Back a few months ago (like last month), Jiyeon from T-Ara was the first member to go solo in the band. Now it has moved onto another member. Hyomin was finally made her solo debut with Nice Body which features Loco as the main rapper for the song, but recently Sungmin from Speed has been featuring in the song to cover Loco during the live performances. Anyway, I think what their management is doing is pretty smart, just let’s ignore the fact that the management caused the big scandal which may have ruined the band’s reputation forever. What? Don’t leave me? Just quoting the news okay? Yeah, sorry. What I said then could be the truth or could be a total lie. This review is branded with a RANT ALERT (something I am going to start adding, if there is a rant)

The song to be honest i quite bland. Though it is catchy, it is not as memorable as other songs. It is quite boring and really does not have much of a hook compared to the other songs out there at the moment. I find the rapper’s addition in the actual song to be very distracting to listen to. I prefer Sungmin’s rapping, but still the parts do conflict with the entire song. The chorus was catchy, but the rest of the song is not that much of a stand out for me to continue listening to. It does have a summer feel to the song, but it is not as strong as newer and past Summer songs. The song talks about the “stereotypes” for the perfect girl and why not be a better time to release the song as it is Summer where everyone wears literally things to define their curves. I like the lyrics of the song, just if the song was not made into much of a dance show off type of feel but more of a mocking type of the song than it could have been a bigger hit. But overall, the song was quite boring.

I haven’t watched the music video is full detail yet. Once again, to me, it is quite boring. I would play the video, say I watch it, but end up going to another tab on my browser. So basically it is about a chubby person who wishes to have a nice body and dreams of  a magical doughnut that allows her to become the perfect girl, but then wakes up to be chubby again. That would be a kill joy right there. It is an okay video, but it just focuses too much on the perfect figure. And I love it how every time such videos come out and talk about the becoming skinnier, it neglects the naturally skinny people. I am one of the latter and absolutely hate being skinny. I get overshadowed and looked down upon by others and we getting treated that we are sick. If you are concerned about your weight, don’t. Be proud of yourself. You are just the way you are and skinny girls and guys with abs won’t help you with that. Actually, they make your life worse. I am so sick and tired of people asking whether I get feed or how I stay skinny. I am a guy and I don’t want to be skinny. I have friends that are girls who find it hard to cope with being skinny. Just be yourself, because there is always someone for you out there to love and bond with you. But beside that mini rant, overall a boring video.

The dance is okay. Not as great as I expected. I have to like the start and the use of the tape measure. I also like the dance where they dodge the punches and stuff. But overall, it just seems like a normal dance that there really is nothing to comment on.

To give an honest score, 3/10. It is okay, just not as memorable and that grand as I had hoped for. But how did you like it? Actually, which T-Ara solo song did you like? Jiyeon’s 1 Minute 1 Second or Hyomin’s Nice Body? Answer in the poll below. 

Memory of Fragrant Summer Wind – AAA

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I would like to take this moment to express my condolences with the recent events that occurred in Ukraine in regards to flight MH17. What happened there was definitely tragic and the whole world will come together to give our support. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by the crash and hope that they will all recover in the way they have been affected.

So today, I decided to review a song with some warmth within it. On top of that, it has been quite a while since I have reviewed a Japanese song and also a song from AAA. Months, I think it has been. AAA is back with a brand new single with the most accurate summery feel that I think everyone needs to hear. To me, this song makes me feel happy inside. Though I don’t understand any Japanese at all, I still have this really nice feeling evolve within me an turn into a smile, and I guess many people really need this now during such times like this.

As mentioned above, this song has a really cool summery feel to it that makes it ideal for a season like this. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere that is. I am too busy freezing down here in Australia, that lonely island at the bottom of the world. Anyway, I really like this song. I think this is the first song ever that the girls actually get the bulk of it and the group has put it up as a promotional single. Usually, the guys would dominate the song leaving the girls with very limited parts, but it seems this time they decided to change it around. I think the change is pretty nice, since when you think of Summer, you associate it with girls more than guys. The vocals in the song are really good. Not sure about the rapping in the song. I get that maybe the rapper can only rap in songs, but it just really does not feel like a song that necessary needs the rapping in it. The chorus is pretty catchy and sounds pretty nice. I have dying to find an instrumental to the song but can’t really. It sounds freaking amazing. To be precise, the whole song sounds freaking amazing.

The music video is a little awkward. Let’s get on with the plot first. It opens with a girl in a kimono in the night scenery that is actually quite beautiful. I love how the lanterns are positioned to give the music video more depth and colour. The girl, at the very start, looks like she is an ex girlfriend or current girlfriend and spots this guy (who in the whole video, we actually don’t get a full look on his face, further indicating that this song is actually based around the girl) and a younger girl. And it looks like jealousy has taken over. Well, it hasn’t. Turns out that the first girl is some kind of guardian angel and looks out for the girl. When the younger girl wants to hold hands with her lover, the angel decides to help and actually scares the younger girl, who turns around and searches for the mysterious person who helped them. However, that poor thing got so petrified that the guy carrying a bucket full f multi colour balls fall over and basically a really beautiful arrangement (or maybe a lot of cgi work) of bouncing colour balls formed. Honestly, this video is quite beautiful shot and fits the feel of the song. HOWEVER. If you watch the solo shots of the members lip-syncing, you will notice that they lip-sing horribly. The rapper and another male member was no where near the right lyrics and it looks like they were singing a totally different song. That or the editor got their parts mixed around with other parts and just managed to stuff up the video. But overall, a beautifully shot video.

I think it is fair enough to give it a 9/10. However I think I might be a little too generous especially with the solo shots in the video, but I totally think the song and the rest of the music video makes up for the painful scenes. I kid, but they definitely make up for the hole in the video.

 

Red Light – F(x)

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F(x) is finally back with a brand new album. Last year they had a very unappealing promotion of Rum Pum Pum Pum, which did record some success, but with a majority of people disliking the song (I was not alone). Now they are back with a brand new song that is described as an electro style song with a mashup of another genre. I have to be this song is much better than their last song and their album this time contains pretty cool song. I really love Paper Heart which sounds amazing. This comeback has also caused a little criticisms to which I will discuss below. And It also seems the girls are back with a more edgier concept, one that I think the girls need to stick to.

This song is freaking amazing. Who cares if their entertainment company bought the song? IT IS FREAKING AMAZING. Must remain calm. To me, this is a good mashup of 10 different songs into one. Like seriously, there are like 10 different songs in this song. Sometimes it is fast other times it is slow. Sometimes there is not instrumental, other times there are. I find the song matches my taste and style. Another thing is their vocals in this song sound quite good. It matches the tempo of the song and I find it is a good thing. The lyrics, to me, make somewhat some kind of sense, but at other times it sounds like something that came out of multiple different books. The lyric is what go them banned however. KBS cited the reason that the song contained the word “Caterpillar” which happens to be a brand of machinery in Korea. WOW. great freaking excuse. Next we can start banning songs for containing names of people. The vocals were nice and I think it manages to show off the member’s talent. Overall, an amazing song.

Their music video has been criticised for burning the Bible at the start. Though is a legitimate excuse to cause an outrage, I don’t think we should be jumping to that conclusion.  Aren’t most of Koreans and the band (well some members, if not all) are people who follow the Church? Anyway, the music video is quite dark and for once the band is having their music video outside of a box. Wow. How amazing is that. A non box-y video. Hahaha… I like the start with the telephone, it sounded creepy. I love it when they are filmed dancing and only their silhouettes are shown. And the inclusion of red lights is pretty smart. Though I am not a fan on the colours effects that they add onto the solo shots. Once again, quite distracting. I just feel that something else is needed in this video. Maybe more of a plot or something to make it more memorable.  That or the plot of the video was the girls were modelling and then started to run away from flashing lights. But I think it was an alright video to watch.

The dancing could have been way better than what we have been presented with. Not that I am saying what we have already is bad, because it is pretty okay. But I think the dance should have been ground breaking and had more of an impact towards it, then it would have secured the girls a really high spot in terms of popularity.

Overall, I give it a 8/10. It is a pretty cool comeback at the moment, but with a few things extra, and the “perfect comeback” would have been established. 

One More – FIESTAR

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Fiestar has finally made their comeback but with a more adult look. They are back attempting the sexy concept and I guess it is doing wonders for the girls, as they have been getting more spotlight recently, but maybe for the wrong reasons. Their last comeback was actually the totally opposite style to this one. If you forgot, their last comeback was I Don’t Know. Now this one ran into a little trouble recently. Well, to be precise, only a few days ago with some of the lyrics, but I will talk about that later. Also, since their last comeback one member had called it quits. Cheska, the English speaking member left the band I think at the start of April. This song and comeback was meant to be for April, however due to the Sewol Ferry Incident, the management and band had postponed at, obviously, it was very inappropriate.

This song is actually pretty good to be honest. It has a really cool disco-like vibe in it that makes it sound so retro, but at the same time there is a modern sound within it as well. The vocals and rapping sound quite great in the song. The chorus sounded really well done and I thought it was very polished overall. The “La, La, La, Hanna Na Do” part sounded really catchy and got me singing along. It also had  Britney Spear kind of sound in it I believe. Cao Lu only had 1 line. Like I expected with one member gone, more lines would be given, but no. Disappointment. Now, the lyrics. Apparently the lyrics are leaning towards to having a threesome. The lyrics in question when translated to English are:

“You and me us two, invite someone who’s done this more than us to our room, now is perfect one, two, three“. – lyrics from One More by Fiestar

That I agree is a little explicit, but out of all the broadcasting stations, KBS has not ban it yet. But it is the first song to deal with something like this and maybe we can start seeing more songs that hint at such suggestive things (I hope not. That is the exact reason why I distanced myself from the American industry). But overall, I liked the song quite a lot and thought it sounded really cool.

The music video as well was pretty cool. Though I have to be honest, it was rather boring to watch. Just let me get one thing off my chest. It is time some people just “Let it Go”. Like seriously. If guys are allowed to take their shirts off or wear sleeveless tops, why are girls consistently criticised for showing some skin. Just because everyone is throwing around the term “sexy concept” does not necessary mean it is going to be something bad. Sadly, people need to make a living and maybe they need the sexy concept, because last year was a great indication, with Secret and Rainbow not being able to reach the same success as they have with Poison or A in the previous years with the cute concept. If they want to do a sexy concept, then let them. Oh and don’t get me started with fans who cause an uproar when a group starts doing the sexy concept and when the same group does the cute concept and then call it stupid. I see you every single time you comment on the videos.

But anyway the music video was boring to watch overall. Unlike some people, I don’t think this whole video is that bad overall. Just them in rooms and then dancing. Though those pants are rather distracting. And the product placement is kind of sucky. I see those Tide detergent boxes. They make no sense at all.

The dance could have been a little more sensual to be honest. But it looked quite good. I was not “sexy” at times but it still lived up to the sexy concept in the end.

Another comeback to which I have been satisfied. Wait… 8/10. Sorry for the little rant, it just took over. Sometime in the future there will be a post for the reasons why I dislike KPOP and this rant is an example of what is on it.

 

Teenager – Jung Joon Young

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Joon Jung Young is a soloist that is very well known in Korea. He is became quite popular after finishing in the top 3 of the South Korean TV Show Superstar K. But he won that show back in 2012. He made his official debut last year with The Sense of an Ending and now he officially made his first comeback with Teenager.  He, when he was younger, aspired to be a rock star and he actually became one. However, he was been ann artists since 2008, releasing various singles and songs and at one point was a part of a band. He had also collaborated with a few artists some of which are quite well known such as Roy Kim with the song Becoming Dust and more recently his collaboration with Younha with Just The Way You Are. That is a little run down on the soloist if you never heard of him.

I am not a big fan of the artist myself. I am not appealed to his songs as much, but this song has to be one of the best songs that I have heard from him. The rock alternative song sounds really good and I think needs more recognition out there. The song starts off quite slow and I don’t think really builds up at all. But when you get to the chorus, it just sounds so amazing. It basically punches you in the face. The use of a rock insturments and then a softer sound like the keyboard really gives it a nice different feel to the rest of the other songs. The chorus isn’t that hardcore but it getting there. His husky voice compliments the song quite well and gives the song that extra hint of emotion. When you read the lyrics, the song encourages everyone to go back and start dreaming again, especially those who have lost hope in the world. I think it is an amazing song and one that you should check out.

The music video shows Jung Joon Young as a typical desk job worker which is deemed as acceptable. He is adult who has to work to be able to live. He is surrounded by people who put pressures on him. His boss and his elders are some examples illustrated in the video. Despite that everyone is looking down on him, he still thinks back to the days when he was a little younger and starts to write a song. Stressful as it already is, his boss comes around and starts telling him off, to which he decides that enough is enough. So he ends up pushing back all the things in his life and return to what he really wanted to be, a rock star. I think it is an amazing video. Everyday we do the same thing and are pressured by others to do that same thing. Yet as soon as we step one foot out of line, we are deemed as a failure and unsuccessful. A message to many people in this video is that you don’t have to have a desk job to be happy. You just need to dream and with many elders nowadays, they look down upon that because it is “not professional” enough for them. I really liked the video and how it told me that. The video was shot in a monotone grey colour, while when he is “young” again, it is shot with a golden glow.

10/10. After all that praising, you think I would dock any points off?

A few review ago, I asked you which Taeyang song was better overall. So many people chose Eyes Nose and Lips, while coming in second was 1AM and then Ringa Linga. Still going to stand by my choice and go for 1AM.

 

Psycho – History

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History is now back with a brand new single. And now they are back with a much tougher image than ever before and probably an image that would get them locked up in a mental institution. Their comeback song, Psycho, is their 4th comeback since debut. This is also their third mini album since debut. And this band is also quite underrated. They have good songs and sometimes they go for concepts that some bands would never even think of going to attempt. I am just saying, but this band really does deserve more recognition.

This song is freaking amazing. I really enjoyed listening to it, Though once again, this song does sound like a typical KPOP song, I feel that there are some highlights that stand out a lot in this song. The “You’re gonna like this babe” part was really seductive and sounds really cool. Their chorus was also quite cool as well. I am just really disappointed with Kyungil’s solo part during the verse. There is far too much autotune on his voice to make it sound good. It just really distracts me from listen to the song. The rapping was quite good, but it problems in it as well. The same thing goes for the autotune in it and it was far too short. Like the rapper gets one line or like two seconds in the song. That really is not cool. I am not sure of the small instrumental only part in the bridge. It sounds out of place and really does not fit in with the song. Actually, the song was pretty cool until it added the pop vibe into it which got me quite disappointed. but overall, a pretty cool song.

The music video is okay. Not the best music video to be honest. The start reminded me of Big Bang’s Monster. And then we get the creepy church theme which is not creepy at all. And then we cut into the song and actual music video. Okay, so we see the guys get up one by one systematically and then they start creepily staring into the girl in the next building. And then they battle each other to see a glimpse and get touchy with each other as a warning. And that picture scene, where the guy hangs up the million pictures of the girl. Did anyone notice that the very big picture failed to have a nose? Just putting it out there. They call her, but she hangs up on them which annoys and angers them. The girl then gets a letter from next door, to which she does not open it, but she physically goes over and just barges through the door. Uninvited… Anyway, the girl starts to wander around and notice that the people who live at this place are stalking her. When someone appears she runs. Great. Good girl. But to her house. How freaking stupid is that. Anyway so the guys go into for the kill and then have some kind of breakdown to which they don’t choke her. Instead it is revealed that the five guys are technically just one mentally disabled person. It is like a typical horror movie with the really lead character doing all the stupid stuff that really does get them killed in the end. I like it how the music video is shot in the black and white filter, but the dance scenes. They ruined the music video. Too bright. I would not have minded 3 minutes of just plot, but yeah.

The dance is pretty cool. It has that really creepy side to it. The hair pulling and all of the dance moves which they actually teach in a separate video which you can view by CLICKING HERE, were really well done. They did a lot in enhancing the song and it looked really good on stage.

I think this was a really good comeback, it just could have been a little longer and a little better in some areas. 7.5/10

Day 1 – K.Will

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K.Will has returned rather unexpectedly with a brand new song. It has been over a few months since we last saw the singer on the stage. We last saw him in November with his song, You Don’t Know Love. That song was proven to be quite successful and now he is back with a different side of him. K.Will has been a singer in the industry for a very long time and have been earning praises from the fellow artists that he shares the stages with from day dot. As always, his songs becomes instant chart toppers and this one is no other.

This song is quite upbeat and shows off the new style of K.Will. It feels like a fresh summer song that we would hear from K.Will because it sounds so good. It does however sound like a typical KPOP song. It really does not carry a unique feel that K.Will is known for. This song is not as catchy as his previous songs, though when you watch the performances, it enhances the song a lot. His sounds pretty good in the song. I like it, but it is not a song that I would go back to listen more and more. What he needs more of is a song that show off his vocals because we all know that he is talented, and some previous songs have highlighted that, just this one, to me, really did not do anything. The instrumental was okay. I think tries to get the message over that regardless of how you look like, there will always be someone out there. “People say I am the best looking, of the worst”. Overall, an okay song.

K.Will makes another appearance in his music videos. I think this being the second one. And this time he is a love counsellor not a theme park operator who gets shot like in Love Blossom.  And he is helping this one young fellow try to get this one girl. We see this guy get ignored by this girl, who is played by Soyu (sorry, the name of the actor slipped from my memory), and that he slowly goes crazy for her, to the point where he starts to stalk her. Like what is with the stalking theme in songs and videos nowadays. Anyway, so basically he tries to get noticed, but gets ignored by the girl, regardless of his plot twist. He tries to impress the girl, but ends up failing, but then he uses the magic flower technique to woo her. Which was quite successful, if we don’t consider that Soyu has been looking at the guy for quite some time and thinks he is quite cute (obviously having feelings for him). But that was revealed when he was going in for a kiss on this date, but was surprised that she always was going in for a kiss at the same time. All those times he was ignored by her actually were times she was looking at him and wanting him as well to be her lover. Nawwwsss.. such a cute video and something that I can kind of relate to. I think it did a great job at telling the story and relating to the lyrics.

The dance is mega cute. I am so sorry. But if you don’t think that way with the head moving, I am going to be very disappointed. Literally every time I hear this song, I just break out and start doing the head dance when the chorus kicks in. And you probably would too as well. Hahahaha…

Song was okay, music video and dance was much better I say it be a 7/10. Still a pretty okay comeback. It just crept up on people.

Mr. Ambigious – Mamamoo

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Mamamoo has finally made their official debut with Mr. Ambiguous. Mamamoo has started off on a strong start, as they have gotten their name out previously with their past songs. Back in January, the girls released a number of songs, but did not promote them. However it seems like their tactic is paying off as the girls are receiving a lot of support from fans and viewers. For those who are not aware of the band, the band released three songs (one of which I happened to review) and they include: Don’t Be Happy feat. Bumkey, K.Will and Mamamoo’s collaboration with Peppermint Chocolate featuring Wheesung and Mamamoo’s collaboration with Geeks for Hi Hi Ha He Ho. The group consists of members Solar, Moon Byul,  Whee In and Wha Sa.

The girls have such amazing songs and this one probably have to top it. This is the first song that the girls have sung on their own without featuring of another well known artists such as their pre-releases have. To me, this group sounds like they have been doing it for many many years. When you listen to the song, you won’t really get that rookie feel from the group, but instead a group that has the experience and talent after numerous amounts of the year. The group sounds amazing in terms of vocals. The rapping was really good as well. The song sounded classy and at the same time oozed with this feminine feel that is quite unique in KPOP. The “Let’s get the show started” sounds really amazing and the chorus is really catchy. I think this is the first group, for me to like the rapper more than the vocalists. She stands out a lot and I love it how the song builds up tot he rap. So yeah, awesome song.

The music video is quite interesting. The song talks about this mysterious guy, too which the girls call him Mr. Ambiguous. And finally a KPOP video does it right by adding some guys in it. We see Bumkey, K.Will, Joon Jung Young, Jonghyun for CN Blue and Wheesung, with the random featuring of Baek Ji Young, to which they have a little hidden camera experiment towards the end, upsetting the girls. The music video to me seemed like a mish mashed of random clips put together. I love it how they used the same technique for their music video from Peppermint Chocolate. I gues the video gives an insight into how videos are filemed. Honestly, this does not look low budget, though I read somewhere it was. The one thing I will complain about, but those hats seem to get bigger and bigger each time a KPOP video is released. It is so massive and looks very distracting. But overall, a cool video.

The dance to this contradicts the “classy” feel of the song. I don’t think I ever seen “classy” girls wobble their legs like that. But it seems to fit the song. Their formations are pretty good as well. And I love their use of the moustaches, especially at the end. Amazing dance.

So I am just going to be bias and say 10/10. Though I did complain a really teeny weeny bit in the review, I still think these girls have what it takes to become a good artist in the future. They have been proven to be popular and if they continue, they will be at the top. Will be keeping an eye out for them in the future.

A – GOT7

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GOT7 is back with a brand new song. They made their debut back in January of this year and after receiving a lot of love, the boys are back with a brand new song. Their debut single, Girls Girls Girls, was not as a great song as I had expected, but they manage to start off quite strong as the newbies in KPOP. Dubbed as the next 2PM, the boys have managed to show off a different style for their fans, and have actually been doing quite well on charts, considering they are seen as a rookie group at this very moment still. However, we can see this group as the next big group in Korea. Maybe not today, but later on.

This song, to me, mirrors 10 out of 10 by 2PM. It has this same style of a fun song that manages to show off the charm of the members. Let’s look at the song. When I first heard the song, I thought the “A~” would become one of the most annoying things on the planet. But instead, I grew to like it a lot. Maybe I don’t find it annoying now, but maybe sometime in the future. I actually find it compliments the song quite well and really does not turn me away from the song. I like the rapping in the this song. Actually, I feel the same way about this song. It feels quite laid back and casual. It is not a very serious song nor is it a song that exaggerates the fun feel of the song. This just sounds like a casual song, where the song is sung in a casual setting, with the summery feel to it. I like the vocals and the rapping in the song. Particularly the rapping, it gives that casual feel to the song. The song, however, was far too short for me. Their lives barely make it over the 3 minute mark, Just a tiny complaint. But overall, an amazing song.

The music video is too quite casual. From where everything is set, to the clothing that they wear, the whole thing feels like a “normal” video to watch. The boys start walking into a diner, and then finds the pretty waitress, which they all decide to hit on. Then everything gets creepy. When she is walking alone on the streets, they follow her. When she goes shopping, they follow her. That is not love. I think that is considered to be stalking by many people. Anyway, the extras in the video really annoyed me. The boys run in and starts randomly jumping around and dancing, and they just continue to eat and eat. If that was ever to happen to me, I would be very annoyed, because they would be interrupting my time with food (forever alone) and also quite confused on what is going on. It was not until the end of the video that the extras started to dance around, and that two looked really awkward. But the video managed to reflect the feel of the song and also the lyrics so it was done quite well.

The dance is quite awesome. It seems to be an easy routine (not the ending though, those moves looks hard), but it also contributes to the simple and casual feel of the whole video which is once again reflected here.

Overall, quite a cool comeback. It is something that KPOP does not really have. That casual feel, that we don’t really see as much in KPOP. 8/10 Much better than their debut song, in my opinion.

Short Hair – AOA

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AOA, after a successful single, has finally returned with a brand new mini album. After Miniskirt, the girls are back shorter hair, in the song “Short Hair”. It also showed off the girls new found popularity after their Miniskirt promotions, ranking in the top 5 of charts for quite some time. The girls have also proved to be a rising girl group with their new song as that too has received a lot of love from fans as their music video is quite high, this performances have been widely supported and many new covers have started to pop up of the people around the world dancing to this song.

I like the song overall. There were some parts where I was quite unsure about. But the start of the song had that Miniskirt feel to it, but it was done in a light hearted way, which I am not sure if I am much of a fan of it. The song was sung really well by all the members, though after listening to it, I can pick out the good vocalists and the bad ones. I still don’t like the rapper’s whiny voice at all. I like the part after the chorus, but that being said, I thought the chorus sounded quite nice. I find the bridge just does not fit in the song, but still managed to glue the song together. To be honest, it is quite a dull song. But overall, I feel like it was a good song, but it was a let down on many parts.

The girls are dressed up as hairdressers, flight attendants, police, cheerleaders, waitresses, business women and mechanic. And I guess they are really bored with their jobs (or just bored in general), so to fix it, they go to a hairdresser to get their hair done. Though it is meant to be a “comical” video, I watched it with a straight face and thought some scenes were kind of boring. And that was when I watched it with English subtitles as well. Not really sure how after they get so angry with that one customer, they remained to dance with the same customer at the end after getting their hair cuts. A few things, but I would never go to a hairdresser where it is the only shop, in the middle of nowhere. Kind of creepy don’t you think. And it sucks how everything was done in a set. I would have expected a few outside scenes, but nope. Stuck inside the box, once again. Needless to say, the video was not as great as expected.

The performance to me was pretty boring. There was nothing as fun with this dance as their Confused dance or Miniskirt (and I found that one boring). Though it seemed they were going for a more of a fun concept this time, it really did not feel like it was that great compared to their previous routines.

6.5/10. An okay comeback this time. It could have been way better but it still managed to do much better than what I think of their last song.

Good Luck – Beast

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Yesterday I reviewed No More, by Beast and now I am reviewing their title track on their new album, Good Luck.Proven to be a hit, the song has earned many awards so far and have many people praising the boys for their talent.

I freaking like this song. Many people are like “meh” but I really like the modern feel of this particular song. Though I do have complaints about the song, I feel was produced to a really high standard. However, the start where Yoseob is singing “Why you leave me alone? I’m still loving you” does not fit the song as well as the rest of the song fits the song. KPOP really needs to move away from the 35964546 song mashup. Some bands make it sound good, while some bands make it sound really awful. This song does not do it as well as I would have liked it. A ballad start and then the rest of the song sounds like a club electro filled song don’t blend well. Minus the little intro, the vocals in the song sound quite good. The rapping was a let down. I just did not feel it from Junhyung this time. His rapping is superb, just the lyrics don’t string together as a proper rap for me. The other members did quite fine throughout the song. The chorus was quite catchy. Overall, a song that sounds pretty cool, minus a few bits.

Boy those teasers were so boring. Though they were used to give an insight into the story, I found the teasers to be a drainer to watch. But anyway, the teasers tell us that the girl is up to something behind each member’s back. Junhyung’s teaser itself has the same story line, but the thing that is different is that is it was done to replicate the “Last Supper”, where the betrayal happened. Here, the girl wants to leave him, so as betrayal, she stabs him. The rest of the video was quite meh, I did not like any of the dance sets. I was also quite paranoid with Dongwoon’s scenes, where he and the girl are making love, but he is the one singing into the camera, and it looks so awkward. Beside that, there is nothing that is worthy to comment on in the video, so yeah. An okay video, I guess.

The dance of this song is said to be one of the hardest dances that the boys have attempted. And according to others, Fiction seemed to be the easiest. Can I say that I still cannot dance to Fiction. Hahahaha… Anyway, this dance was pretty awesome. There is nothing to say about that. The boys are known for their dances, and they delivered with a good dance. I love Junhyung’s part where he was “Like an elevator” and the boys actually went down as if they were on an elevator. Hahaha… I get so fascinated by the smallest things.

8/10. They did quite well this time around. Especially with the competition they now have on their hands. So how did you guys like the comeback? Comment below!

 

No More – Beast

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OMG, Beast is back with a new songs. And they are back on “Beastagram” for their new music video. Wow. After nearly a whole year disappearance from Korea as a group, the group has finally returned to the stage to wow everyone with their new songs. Last time I saw the one of the members on stage was JunHyung’s solo Flower. Now they are back with a pre-release song. It is another ballad, which Beast is widely known for and their ballads have also been proven to be quite successful, because with every single album or mini album , the group have one one award for each of their ballads. Such titles include: On Rainy Days, Will You be Alright and now No More. And they have finally made their comeback, with their title track, being reviewed tomorrow.

This song is pretty okay. I am not much of a fan for Beast’s ballads, mainly because I associate the band with dance heavy songs. This to me, was quite boring to listen to. I like my fair share of ballads, just this one has too much rnb and hip hop smashed into it to make it a ballad for me to like. I did like their vocals in the song. It matched the soft instrumental that they had with the song.  I am not big on raps in ballads, but JunHyung did really well in this song. It is not your typical rap from Junhyung, as it much softer and sounds a lot similar to whispering. So yeah, overall, it is a good ballad, just it did not do well for me.

The music video of this is pretty cool. “Beastagram” was used in this video to tell a really good story and really suited the feel of the whole video. Actually, the way the video was shot was quite smoothed and fitted the song quite well. We see Junhyung and his former girlfriend. Each member had their own profile, and their own little video clip for the video is transition into the next solo. That is pretty smart. The whole thing was also used by the video, to help the two mains of the video of their memories, and that is too very smart, as all of our memories are now captured digitally. And it is through these shots, we get a glimpse of how things used to be.  Then they literally go down “memory” lane by walking down the same path when they were dating, and then they bump into each other. However as they know they can no longer continue, they keep on walking, even though it breaks their heart. It turns out that Junhyung is going to meet another girl, while the girl is busy putting away the things that remind her of him. However at the end, we can see that through “Beastagram” both can still manage to be together. Such a sad music video to watch, but also equally as entertaining and unique.

5/10. Even though I am not much of a fan of the song, I liked the uniqueness of the video, which made the whole thing stand out. That, or I would not have reviewed their pre-release.

 

Obsession – Boyfriend

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Boyfriend is now back with a brand new song and a tougher and masculine image than before. Move away flower boys, because tough men are coming to the stage. Remember when they used to young boys that always did the cutesy concept? Now they are men. Tough looking, scary looking men. Yeah. Anyway, the guys are back with a new mini album after a whole year and a bit disappearance from the stage.   The boys last released I Yah, which they promoted on stage. Then they release On & On which they did not promote and this is their first song since. They have also been releasing many Japanese songs becoming one of the hottest Japanese – Korean artists currently. Anyway, on with the review.

This song is pretty cool. I liked it. It was catchy, the instrumental was pretty cool. The vocals were awesome, though a little more power would have made the song really awesome. The rapping was pretty good. I thought it was going to be another one of those really bad sounding songs so I did not pay attention to them at first, but then I heard the song on one of the kpop shows, and I instantly searched it up and was so surprised. It seems like they know finally how to reel in the fans, by throwing away the cutesy concept and tackling the more dark and serious concept. This song had a lot of power behind it and it made the song sound really good. I don’t think I would complain about the song at all, it was that good and it should just stay that way.

I think I have watched the video before, but I don’t think I paid that much attention to it. From a foreigner’s perspective, those scenes with the really cool octagon library does not really fit the music video. Hell, it does not even match the song at all. Anyway, the boys seem to try to get the girl back, but their plan backfired. Literally. Anyway, so they try to blow the current boyfriend and take the girl with them, which she wants, but unfortunately the current boyfriend holds her captive, with the same bomb that the group placed, and throws her into them, but she ends up dying. Like guys, why did you put the boy in the middle of the room? Why not like somewhere hidden? Another thing, but during those last scenes of the plot, how did the girl and her mysterious boyfriend come in? Cause it seems like they can walk through walls. And last of all, why put a knife in the video, when you know it would be blurred. Overall, I found it quite amusing to watch, but altogether, it was pretty boring.

Out of all the things I am going to say, I would love those light up stools. Not joke. I thought they are a really modern addition to the performance. I liked the dance, though I feel like there were too many people on the stage. I found it really distracting to watch. However, I think the dance was down to a reasonable standard. It matched the amount of power the song had and it looked awesome. I liked the ending and the use of the chairs. It was pretty cool.

7/10. I think this is the first Boyfriend comeback that I have been really fond of since forever. I don’t remember what I gave them last time though, but this probably did top that one.

Last week I asked you which female soloist you all liked. Jung Hyosung claimed the top spot. Congrats. Answer another poll will you? Please? Hahahaha… (It is not Boyfriend related though)

Breathe – Z:EA

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Z:EA is finally back with a new song. It has been their first official group promotion since The Ghost Of The Wind last year and also their subunit promotions for Z:EA Five and Z:EA 4U. It seems like some of the members have been quite successful, appearing on multiple programs since then. I have officially run out of things to say about them. I don’t follow them as much as I do with other bands. With some groups, I can do an introduction so much better, but with a band that I do not follow, I just don’t know what to right about them. Pity, because I really liked this song.

This song is pretty cool. I have been disappointed with their past songs and the band does not appeal to me. However, this song is quite different. The pop feel to the song really fits the band quite well. Though I do have complaints with the song, I actually liked it. It is pretty catchy and sounds really nice. My compliant is with the  line distribution. I know some of the members are weak when it comes to vocals and there are members that have quite strong vocals. However, when listening to this song, you can tell that the focus is on the members who have the strong vocals. Basically, in my point of view, those who have weak vocals (such as the rappers) get 1 line, while the main and lead vocalists get the bulk of the song. It is just so evident in this song. I am not going to diss the band for this, but I think some more equality is needed. But needless to say, the rapping was pretty good, however it should have been longer. The instrumental is pretty cool and the chorus is pretty catchy to me. The song, to me, was quite cool.

This music video, has to be very boring. The music video at the start looked quite similar to Beast’s Breathe, which I thought would make the video have some story line. But no, the girl is rescued and then the boys are happy. Like nothing amazing happens. No evil alien queen coming to skill them? No evil robot who destroyed the Earth is alive and trying to kill them? Okay, maybe not that extreme. I get the sense that planet Earth is destroyed and there is no oxygen to live on the planet anymore, but the buys (well mainly Dongjun) ends up going out and rescuing the love of his life, and then we get videos of the guys staring at her creepily when she was on planet earth and watching her sleep. Amazing hey. The video was “set” in “space” and to me, it just seemed like a Lotte World commercial. It looked cheesy and there was nothing appeal to me in this video.

The dance is much better. Though this band is not that great as dancers, I think their dancing has improved since their last two comebacks. To symbolises “breathes” they move their arms in a way to represents “breathes” which looked awesome, and I liked the intro to the whole stage.

Not that great as a comeback when it comes their music video, but the song and dance were quite awesome. 7.5/10

1AM – Taeyang (Big Bang)

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Yesterday, I reviewed Taeyang’s Eyes, Nose, Lips. Today it is 1AM’s turn to be reviewed. This song was first performed at the SBS Gayo Daejun which occurred at the end of last year. It was then included with the release of this mini album. It also became another title track for Taeyang’s promotions. And I glad it was. Let’s say, this review won’t be as bad as yesterdays one, because, mainly this one is the song that I liked. And this is where I am gonna end my introduction.

In my personal opinion, I like this song much more than Eyes, Nose, Lips. Like 10 million times better. This song, though, still does not fit my idea of Taeyang, but at least this one feels more cheerful and does not sounds like “monotone” in the way he sings it and the way the song is presented. It is also a much more lively song to listen to and I honestly think this vocals in this song is much more better than his vocals in this primary song. The song is pretty catchy. I like those 1 to 2 seconds moments prior to the chorus, where he slows the song down and then enters back with power for the chorus. Though the bridge can have some work on it, this song is totally more amazing. His live vocals are much better with this song than of Eyes, Nose, Lips. The song talks about how he remembers his love at 1AM. Overall, a much better song and probably my favourite off the mini album.

This music video is a lot darker than expected. I think most of the scenes were filmed at night which contrasted the lively feel of the song. Though there is a lot more lights in this video which gives it that really nice feel to the video. I have to say something though, but I am getting pretty annoyed with Taeyang’s hair. I though G-Dragon’s colour change was a problem, but Taeyang’s fat mohwak is terrible. Anyway, the “sex scene” in this video is actually not too bad. Beside the fact that Taeyang is sill wearing clothes while making out with her (like your on a bed, making out, shouldn’t clothes be coming off?). Actually come to the think of it, this video features Taeyang in clothes for once. Like he is not showing his abs for 99% of the video. It seems like he is shirtless 1% of the time, with 99% of the time being clothed. Just an observation. Honestly, I don’t think this video is that bad. I liked it. And I don’t mind it.

There is a freaking dance. LOL jks. Well, there is a dance, just it is not the Taeyang feel that we are used to. It is just not the same, but at least he is up there dancing.

8/10. Honestly love this more than yesterday’s one. Which prompts me to ask this question. Which Taeyang song did you like the most? Was it Eyes, Nose, Lips,? 1AM? Or was it Ringa Linga? Or maybe another song off the mini album? Answer below.

 

Eyes, Nose, Lips – Taeyang (Big Bang)

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Taeyang has finally made his return with a new mini album after years and years of waiting. He, last year, released a single in November, Ringa Linga which was proven to be very popular. This time around, he had decided to tone his comeback down a bit with RnB songs, not his usual dance-heavy songs that we all associate Taeyang with. He achieved an all-kill when he released his album and managed to rank 1st for like 3 days, which from memory is a record for an artist. On top of that, he has also ranked first on many international charts such as iTunes RnB charts. Proven to be quite a successful artist and proves that he still has it, even though his official release was 4 years ago. And he has also won awards for this song as well, doing very well for 2 weeks and we are still counting.

This song, however, was not for me. I understand that Taeyang had other ideas, but I have always associated him being a dancer and even though his last few songs have mainly been RnB songs, this one was to be the worst crappiest out of all. Just listening to this song a few times, I just could not play this song anymore. I just found it boring and odd to listen to. His voice, not sure if it was the desired effect, was very shaky at many moments. His vocals were monotone to me, though he did have some moments. There was nothing in this song that “catches” my attention. I was very disappointed when I first heard this song. I am sure you guys already got that feeling from my previous lines. I just have nothing else to say about this song. Just – shakes head-

The music video, I thought would be good. Boy, was I wrong? Instead, we get a video of a camera zooming out on Taeyang (who is once again shirtless) singing, with a burning picture of a girl in the background. Oh wait, did I just spoil the whole video for you? I apologise for that. Well, I can’t really say anything about this video as well. Because there is nothing in it. Disappointment. Even a few of my friends thought the video was quite boring to watch. And didn’t he used to have defined abs back in the day? Cause his body looks weird for me. Though I am not judging, I cannot get my body anyway near his. Just a very disappointing video.

No dance, so I am going to skip over that part.

Oh look, the end. I will be reviewing Taeyang’s 1AM tomorrow, which has a lot more going on. This is probably the shortest review I have done in a long time. 1/10