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.

Domino Game – Kiss&Cry

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Lets move along to another new band. This is the first female rookie group of 2014 which I will be reviewing and it seems like this group is being a hit. Kiss&Cry is a group under Winning Insight, which is home to the boy group Mr.Mr. There are 4 members of the group including BoHye, Dia, Haena, Soyumi. BoHye, Dia, Soyumi in the past had already debuted into various groups and going solo, while Haena is the only “new” person in the group to the industry. It seems, from the love they are getting, can quite popular. Honestly, I would have overlooked this group, but I decided to do a review because it is probably the first KPOP girl group this year who did not focus on the sexy concept (minus Sunny Hill).

This group has such strong vocals. I am so surprised with the song. I thought it was going to be some kind of boring crappy song that many girl groups debut with, but it turns out to be a pretty cool song. Though the rapping is quite bad, I am not going to complain. This band reminds of Yell.O.w from last year. That band had good vocals as well, but an absolutely crappy music video and 1 or 2 performances. The instrumental is like an army kind of beat to it, which sounds pretty good, which shows a more dominant side for the girls but it seems to be portrayed in a more upbeat way. Honestly, when I read the translated lyrics I kind of get confused about what they are talking about. It seems to be a mish mash of English lyrics, but I guess it would make more sense in Korean.

When I mentioned about the non-usage of the sexy concept, I may have lied. Re-watching the music video, there is a hint of sexy in there, but not as strong to call it a “sexy concept” and hence preventing a repeat of the events of the same story for the past 3 weeks with the girl groups. I think I may need to ban the word “sexy” altogether. You can tell that this music video is quite low budget with the camera. Not being picky here. but Mr.Mr had decent music videos and were filmed with what seems to be a more professional camera rather than a handheld crappy one. Yeah. the sets can be worked on, but hey, every rookie band must go through the same sets before they becoming big. But despite that, it was an alright video. Not much of a plot in it, but I am still completely confused about the whip that girl was holding. Hmmm….

Honestly, the dance is quite boring for me. There really is not much to comment on with this dance. However, I guess they make up in the vocal department since they sound pretty flawless in their performances.

6.5/10. Not too bad for a debut. I think it is time to turn on my radar and keep this band in the memory bank. Hahahahaha…. I am so funny. Not.

Don’t Say Anything – Sunny Hill

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As mentioned in a review a few days ago, Sunny Hill has finally returned to the stage with a brand new ballad. Though fans may be excited to hear that their band will be coming back with the male member, Janghyun, it seems like the excitement is dying off quite quickly, after the true meaning of the song was released. Janghyun, who was just a few months ago, released from military enlistment, had decided to step down as a member of the coed-group and become the producer for the band. He will not be showing his face anymore on stage, but will be working extra hard behind the scenes to provide new songs for fans to hear. As a fan, I am quite sad about the news. Sunny Hill has always been one of my most favourite groups, mainly because they are one of the few coed groups in Korea. But either way, good luck to Janghyun for future purposes and lets hope songs like the groups successful singles will continue to churn out!!!

The song sounds amazing. There is a slow start to the song, but I really enjoy how it starts to build up to the chorus. The chorus itself is much different from the song itself. The song is quite mute and quiet, while the chorus is loud and stands out from the rest of the song. Not only that, but the chorus is quite catchy and those parts after the chorus are catchy as well. There are a few flaws in the song however. Misung’s rap is out-of-place. It actually does not fit with the rest of the song at all. It sounds awkward. As you can tell, I am not a fan of rapping in a ballad, mainly because rapping tends to be fast and a ballad is usually a slow type of song. Not only am I unimpressed with that, but Janghyun. I thought he would have sung at least something in this song, since it is a goodbye song for him. But, instead he literally just speaks two sentences in English. Ummm… Honestly, I am sure he could have squeezed in a line or two for himself or close off the song himself. Hopefully we get to see him on stage though.

Damn this review is long. This is what you get for giving me a pen, paper and free time. I make notes on music videos. Scary right??? Anyway, the music video is quite beautiful. I like the setting of it. Quite bright. I also love the video. When you look into the lyrics of the song, it seems like the person wants to get rid of those good memories to be able to “move on”. In the music video, she brings their memories in the form of balloons. The white ones are useless to her, but the coloured one are her memories of her love. You see scenes where the girls grab these balloons and throw then out, in a way, getting rid of them. That is my way of seeing the music video, the white background makes it look like a flashback or memory as well. Not sure about the black background and Janghyun, cause it looked like they had a blackout during the filming. But I like the music video, so I am not going to complain.

What a long review. I would give it 10/10, but sadly, I am only going to give it a 9/10. It is a such a pity to see Janghyun go like this, mainly because he places an important role in the “coed” band. Hopefully, we will get to listen to more of his creations and he will remain forever faithfully, with the band he debuted with in 2006.

Manyo Maash – Puer Kim

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Source: http://xiahpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Puer-Kim-Manyo-Maash-XIAHPOP-770×472.jpg

Let’s try moving to a lesser known artist for the time being. This one happened to just release a new song just a few days ago and honestly, I have no idea who this lady is. Now, I did a little search, and it was revieled that she is a folk singer who debuted back in 2002. She made recently signed to Mystic89, who houses other famous singers such as Yoon Jong Shin, Lim Kim, Park Ji Hoon etc. I did a little Google search, but nothing really came up, expect for a few covers. So maybe an underrated artist who took time off and then decided to comeback this year with a song that makes headlines? But honestly, have you ever heard of her?

First off the bat, the song really is not that great. She has a seductive voice which is quite husky. The song has this kind of retro feel to it (despite the video saying so). Even though the song was not that outstanding, the chorus had a pretty cool impact. Even though the music video was quite dark, the song did not seem so, which really confuses me, but at the same time, both suit each other pretty well. Now, I don’t know what “Maash” means but “Manyo” means witch in Korean, so something about fairy tales? I honestly don’t know. But they way she repeats each word separately really annoys me. The words are not joined together in the song, but rather scattered around. About the lyrics itself, when it is paired with the video, you get a sense that the video is trying to hint at something else. But the lyrics talking about fitting in and standing out. I don’t know if some people are being a little too picky with the lyrics though. But overall, a good song.

The music video is dark and creepy. Totally opposite to the feel of the song if you listen to it separately. But it matches the lyrics and the voice of the artist. Weird right?? In the music video, there is a clear difference between Kim and the mannequins, where she stands out which compliments the song’s lyrics/ I don’t why, but the video wants me to watch it more and more. It is not an addictive style of a video, but there is something in the video that makes me want to go back and look into. And that little “insult” thing with the SM and YG barcodes. Oh please, does every single song that looks supposedly down on the big company have to go to the firing range of the Korean netizens. But any video ends up going to that firing range anyway. But honestly, the “insults” seem quite credible once you look into the music video. But if they were not intended to be insults in the first place, then that person who designed the barcode needs to do something about their English skills.

7/10. Though it is not as high as other songs, I like the different style. Honestly, this company seems to put together a pretty good showcase of vocalists and can be quite successful. It is always nice to discover a new artist, particularly those who were around for many years and have never been discovered.

Cha Cha – Rainbow BLAXX

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Source: http://xiahpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/rainbow-blaxx-xiahpop.jpg

Rainbow recently unveiled their new subunit, Rainbow BLAXX this month. It is the band’s second subunit after Rainbow Pixie which was a subunit for the cutesy version of the band. Rainbow BLAXX features Jaekyung, Seungah, Woori and Hyunyoung. Now, I am not really troubled with this subunit. Mainly because I really disliked Rainbow Pixie’s Hoi Hoi, which was a terrible song on all levels for me. This subunit is much better than the other subunit to me. On top of that, this is not the first time Rainbow attempted the sexy concept. Though this is a more extreme of the concept compared to their other songs, Sweet Dreams and A were actually sexy concepts. Looking back and now, you can see how far they have come.

Honestly, I actually like this song. Though yes, there are large influxes of girl groups doing sexy, this song to me was not that bad. It did not catch my eye straight away, but I have recently been listening to non stop. Maybe since I am a guy, it will make me fall for it more, but I like it. That “Cha Cha Cha Cha” at the start was pretty catchy. Woori’s rap on the other hand was not as great as I would have expected it to be. I love the line “You feel, I feel, We feel what is coming to us”, I don’t know why but that just makes me happy. Creepy hey. The chorus is pretty catchy as well.The song is quite upbeat than the previous songs that were released this year. Compared to Something, BBB and Miniskirt, this song sounds more fun and light hearted (Not sure if a song like this can be light hearted though).

Okay, I like food. But honestly, this kind of ruined it. I think they went a step too far with the food part, where they took bites and tried to look seductive. Though it may work, I was more interested in the macrons than anything else. I am not joking, I was seriously. The also feed themselves and start being sexy on the chairs. Yeah, I think the music video should have toned it down a little. The music video has really classy feel to it. I don’t but it looks really retro in some parts which is pretty cool. Beside that, I have no idea what is happening in the music video. Like, an old lady comes out and decides to takes diamonds from the girls. And the diamonds come out of the girls by the mouth. Ummm… Say what??? And the old lady acts as if she is rich, when the diamonds are probably fake. Yeah, hmm… I want to erase all images of the old lady making her move towards the girls. The images are overwhelming me, -cries-.

The dance yes I quite too explicit for broadcast. And yes, it was requested by the companies to tone the dance down a little. I like the dance though especially the use of scarves in this dance. From the performance last night, it seems like the boys are raging all about this dance. Hahahaha…

8/10. Not bad honestly, which is great especially the amount of hate for girl  groups. However, I like the pose a question for you: which sexy concept did you enjoy the most this month? Select our answer down below.

Love Actually – Sunny Hill ft. Daybreak

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Source: http://modernseoul.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/sunny-hill-from-love-actually.jpg

Sunny Hill last year collaborated with the band Daybreak to deliver a beautiful love song that had everyone talking. It has been a while since Sunny Hill has released a single, and today actually marks the release of a new single from the band, which I should get to reviewing next week. I won’t discuss too much about the new single, just it sounds amazing and I am sadden to hear the departure of the male counterpart of the group, Janghyun who decided to become a producer for the girls. Such sad news as he was pretty amazing person after all, and brought Sunny Hill a lot of cool and different songs, such as Midnight Circus, The Grasshopper Song and their newest single: Don’t Say Anything.

This song is lovey dovey for me. To the point where I am actually liking it. The vocals of the girls and the guy actually matches up and sounds a like. It seems like these two groups are a match made in Heaven. The song talks about the ideal types of the girls. The song is a song that you should check out. It is a ballad, but the way it sounds make it sound a lot like a happy jumpy kind of song. The chorus is really catchy and sounds amazing. There was a rap in here by Misung and that probably was not a great idea overall, mainly because rapping in a ballad really does not sound as great. On top of that, the girls sung their hit song Pit-A-Pat which was a hit OST song for a Korean drama back in 2011. I like how they managed to slide it in there, but it sounded so different I did not realize after I did some digging into the song last year.

The music video is somewhat satirical. I mean the girls list their ideal types and they include: a guy with a hairy chest, a guy who figure is like a rose and a guy who has so much muscles, that his pants rip by doing nothing. Yeah, pretty much weird. I love it how the girls act all seduced by him and turned on because that is something all guys enjoy seeing. Hahaha… That was pretty rude. Sorry. Anyway, I too like how the band go squeezed by appearing on a tablet randomly. And then the male lead in the music video turns to another girl hahaha… And then Kwanghee turns up and becomes the new ideal type of the girls. Wait what??? Kwanghee? Z:EA? Ummmm.. Honestly a poor choice….. Did I just insult two things at once? OMO! I am sorry ^^.

My use of emoticons on this site is scaring me. Anyway, there is only one live performance of this song and it was shortened!!! WHY????? But there was nothing that special with the live performance. Just then singing and performing.

9/10. A song I encourage you to check out. I tend to like pretty cheesy stuff though, so yeah. K Dramas are considered as extra cheesy. Like you can see cheese oozing out of the drama. As you can see, I am going to run away. I will be back with reviews of the latest songs tomorrow.

Fiction – Beast

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How on earth did I pick these songs? Today I will be reviewing Beast’s Fiction. This was the title track off their first album and was one of their most successful songs. It was released in 2011, when KPOP was quite smaller, compared to now. It has changed so much that I don’t even know what is going on. It is a review that I have being put off for a very long time. Actually, I think it is a review that I had already written, lost it when my computer had to be wiped clean and reinstalled and all of that occurred early 2012. Yeah, there are a few reviews that I believe are hanging around my computer somewhere or on my external hard drive. Which reminds me, I could not copy and paste CN Blue’s review for I Am A Loner. I remember that one because it was the only one that would not publish. Anyway, on with the review.

Back in 2011, I hated this song. Why? Because it played non stop everywhere. All the sites were raving on about it and I was just like no. Fiction now disappeared from the ranks and I am thankful for that. I have no idea what the hype of this song was for. It was another boring song which I never got into. It was not impressive and I know the boys could have done a whole heap better because of their songs that they released prior to this. The chorus was boring and unappealing and there was not one thing I liked about the song. The vocals were so so and I expected a song much better from that band. Honestly, I have no idea why I am even reviewing this song, because by now, you probably will understand what my score will be at the end.

The music video is not actually that great. It is basically about how a guy is completely heartbroken at how his girlfriend leaves him. Yeah, the music video was played so many times that I got sick of Junhyung’s acting. It was good at first, but it was really boring when you watch it over and over again. It was dark in some places which fit the feel of the song, but then there were parts that were super bright (such as the one where he is at the desert, but it did not look like a proper sun light. Sun light is not white…) and then dark places, such as that scene where they are dancing on the roof. And what is that alien ship structure where the whole scene is orange, looks like they were on Mars. Though I liked the plot of the video, it was played some many time, I grew to dislike it.

The dance is called the “penguin shuffle” dance I believe, and it looks easy to attempt. Yeah, I have to dance the dance. It fits the speed of the song which I great, but really lacked the impact of a good performance. And those leather suits or whatever look kind of weird.

I try to be reasonable and rank it as if I first listened to it and watch the videos. 4/10. Obviously not the best Beast song out there. I will update the playlist tomorrow. Currently watching the Seoul Music Awards. ^^

So Cool – Sistar

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Source: http://karelworld.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/socool1.png

Sistar, one of the biggest girl groups at the moment, returned in 2011 with So Cool. Now they are known for big hits like Alone and Give It To Me, which sky-rocketed them to fame. Prior to this is that the girls made their comebacks with a few songs, such as Shady Girl, How Dare You, Push Push. They also before So Cool’s release unveiled Sistar19, which is a subunit of the band which consisted of members Hyorin and Bora. So Cool was not the first song that they won their awards with. They got their first music show award with How Dare You which rose to the top of the charts quite quickly. So Cool followed likewise as well, rising to the top of the charts as well.

Looking back, I really don’t know why I chose to review this song. I was not a major fan of them back in 2011, and this song was really boring for me. It was just a standard pop song for me, which was quite disappointing, because now they release top hits like Give It To Me and Alone. Another string of boring songs. Well, it is not that boring as I still tend to listen to it (It is on me exercise playlist for some reason) and I enjoy singing along to it, bur it really is not a song that I would say is high up there at all. The vocals are okay, not as great and the line distribution was much better than nowadays. The rapping was the only thing I liked in this song, since it really showed off Bora’s style and all I remember from the song is “So Cool like Ice Tea”. Hahahaha… So yeah… Not so much a great song. Its not bad, but not that great either.

The music video to me was boring, but I know a few people who thought this music video was amazing. I did not like the set as much as I wanted to, and those guys were a distraction. I thought they were Brave Brothers, but it turned out that Brave Brothers was a one man band. Anyway, I was not entirely sure about them running in puffy dresses, but at least they were wearing runners. Cause if they were not, wow. What would have had happened to them? I always think something and here we go. I don’t like how the white people are portrayed in music videos. With the exception of YG Ent, the white people always seem to be directors and people behind sets. On top of that, they always seem to be so fake and whatnot. But then again, probably revenge on how Asians are portrayed on the screen in America and other countries.

The dance is okay. The music video one was better, but was not as catchy as I thought it would be. On top of that, how did tail swishing become shoulder rubbing on face dance? I would love to see the thought progress of that one.

6/10. Honestly don’t know why I chose this song to review when I come to think about it. But hey, a review is a review. Not much has changed since 2011 I guess. Next review goes to: Fiction by Beast. Note: I will update a proper playlist tomorrow when I have time.

Hug Me Once – Girl’s Day

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All throughout this week will be me releasing reviews for past songs. It is great to look back on the past and see how everything changed. Oh look at that, Girl’s Day is the first group up with their song Hug Me Once. Wow, did you catch the review just a few weeks ago for their latest release? Something? Well, may I shock you that this is the same band? Hahahaha… It is the same band and they went from cute to a sexy style (which they were still criticised for. They can’t be cute or sexy, so what should they go for then? Serious?)That and they also lost a member who left the group at the end of 2012. But while turning over a new leaf the girls have proven to be a success, picking up 3 awards for their latest release, boosting their ranking up high.

This song is really catchy. So freaking catchy that I keep on singing along to it everytime it is released and it has been freaking 3 years since this song was released. It is so cute as well. The chorus is really catchy and the vocals are amazing. Not sure about the degree of autotune in this song, but it still sounds amazing. I am sorry, if my inner fanboy is coming out. The song itself is really catchy and cute, I just feel like dying. I don’t I ever took Girl’s Day too seriously with their releases prior to Don’t Forget Me. Maybe because I first heard the band through Oh My God! which was a terrible song.

The music video was really pretty cool. I loved the first perspective. I also enjoyed watching the interactive video, which I will link the playlist below. It is a bit cheesy, but hey, I like my things interactive. Like this keyboard, so high definition. You all should check it out if you ever find it. The actual music video are just cuts that you can see, and it looked rather cool, back when the group and its company did not have enough money to actually film a better music video. But it looked fresh. However the dance scenes to me did not fit well with the couple scenes. That is just my preference. But I still liked the video and will not complain at all.

This dance is so freaking cute and so easy to do. Even a guy can dance well to this song. Seriously, these girls, why did you guys not win anything back in the day???

8/10. Pretty cool comeback. It would be amazing to see if the band can go backwards in time and redo something cute. Please Don’t Go was not as successful. If they are a band who can go between sexy and cute, they they will be superstars!!! Tomorrow’s review will be: Sistar’s So Cool!!!Please anticipate.

 

Miniskirt – AOA

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Source: http://imageshack.com/a/img839/385/ma7w.jpg

AOA recently returned to the stage after promotions of Confused back in October with a new single, titled as Miniskirt. AOA is a good band, but I am not much of a fan of them as I am with other groups. I feel like the whole Ace Of Angel’s concept has been lost with these girls. They used to be a  girl group and a band at the same time, but now only a girl group. What happened to the band side of the group? AOA Black, I think it was what the band unit was called. It was pretty original, but it seems the girls just neglected the whole thing. Quite disappointing. Anyway, the group is back with the exception of member Seolhyun, who was injured prior (like a day or two before) to the comeback. On top of that, the girls are finally getting recognition for their songs, with this song topping charts upon release (according to sources).

Yeah, I was not that excited for this comeback as I was with Confused. Maybe because the whole thing really got overshadowed by other artists coming back at the moment. The song was rather boring to me. There was nothing as great in this song as there was in Confused. Some of the vocals did not match with the instrumental of the song and the chorus itself was not as catchy as it should have been. The rapping from the rapper in this band is really whiney in this song. It is so high pitch and it sounds like a child who has a blocked nose. And the high whistle likes sounds throughout the song were pretty annoying for me to listen to. Usually I would fall for the high notes, but after listening to the live performance, yeah, wow. Not impressed. Even not impressed with the song.

Honestly, I still have not watched the music video prior to writing this review. So hence, here is my reaction to it. There is a lot of emphasis on the thighs in this video. Straight from the start, I think I got a good 5 second look at that girl’s thigh. Wow. Then she proceeds to sleep. I am not a major fan of their black colour dresses. But I really actually enjoy look at them in the red mini skirt and white blouse. Cause damn, they look good in that. Major problem with the car though. Umm… I hoped you park because taking your stockings off in a car that is moving and your a driver is not really as safe as I expected it would be. Also, is that a sofa? Like did you use a sofa as the seat of the car? Well. There really is not much to say about this video. Just girls “showing off” their thighs and mini skirts.

The choreography is alright. Not the best, but it will do. I don’t know, but when they shake their bottoms, I had a scene in my head that the girls dressed up as bunnies. Like the bushy tail? Nope? Okay… I like the zip part of the dance. That was probably the best. The chairs, well, I am leaning to the no no side a little too much there.

2/10. Yeah, not really the best song for me. It was too boring to listen to. Their previous songs were much better.

Girls Girls Girls – GOT7

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It is the first major debut of the year from one the big three companies. GOT7 is a 7 member boy group who has been in the spotlight this week for their debut. The group is under JYP Entertainment who we all know manages 2PM, Wonder Girls, Miss A, 15& and many other artists. And it seems like this boy group will be hugely successful because it comes from a company with such big names. Two members of the group debuted as a project group back in 2012, as JJ Project and featured members Jr. and JB. The other members include Mark, BamBam, Jackson, Youngjae and Yugyeom. Their name, GOT7, apparently, showcases their 7 nationalities, but I counted and I could only find 5 (Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thailand, English) , so…

Okay, this thing I want to get off my chest, Sohee, your amazing but that “Omma” throughout the song is really annoying. To the point it is the only think I don’t want to remember, but since the repetition of that one word was so great in this one song, it was the only thing I got out of there. This honestly, was a weak song to debut with. Though it has a bit of charm, it really does not sound like a song that should be promoted. I don’t know if they would do well with such a boring song. The same tone of the song is kept throughout and there was nothing in the song that appealed to as much as I wanted to. I enjoyed Bounce, which was JJ Project’s song, but this song was pretty boring. It really did not have me singing along with it. The vocals and rapping in this song is quite meh and not extraordinary. Though I think the guy who ad-lib in the song is probably a relative on Munjae (Junsu) from 2PM, cause they sound a like. Catchiest part of the song goes to “Girls, Girls, Girls, They Love Me”. But not an okay song for a debut.

The music video once again is meh. But there were some good parts in there which I enjoyed. And then there was those ridiculously part. I like how when the guys were dancing and they had to go away from the group to do something like show off to a girl who looks barely of age, the screen would cut in half. I liked that and thought that was rather original. It gives us two different sides, while we focus on the group, the same time, each person can have a solo. Hence, I also liked the teaser. I like the set that they were in. Even though it was rather dark, but the lighting was pretty good. Nothing too flashy. As for the rest of the video, yeah. What was with the car sounds at the start when they were on their motorized skateboards? A little bit too extreme? I am also not that great with accessories, but what did they drop again? It looked like some earring, but why would a guy carry around earrings around. If it was a bracelet though, it looked rather small. Also, girl. Try calling out before you going around trying to find out where the guys went. You have a mouth. No one in this day in age, would just walk into a shop, go and find the most expensive thing in the story and start feeling it. Well, I hope nobody does that. And the secret door made me laugh. Mainly because the club looked like an abandoned bar.

The dancing is pretty good. It seems like this group is going to rely heavily on their dancing. If the track was better, the group could have danced along to something much more captivating. I don’t think it was rather necessary to cope Sohee’s move, but seriously, doing it over and over again looked really stupid.

3/10. It was too weak for a debut. They are not going to be a group like Miss A who won a award with their debut song. Maybe next time the group can receive a decent song with would showcase their skills and have nothing that is boring.

Age Height – Two Song Place (Song Eun Yi ft. Song Seunghyun (FT Island))

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Source: http://www.soompi.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Song-Seung-Hyun-Song-Eun-Yi-Age-Height-Teaser-Screencap.jpg

A hot new duo collaboration for those who still have not seen their song. Both of the two are under the same company, FNC Entertainment. And it seems like this duo is quite popular from the reaction that they were given recently. One of them, the female, is actually a comedian, Song Eun Yi, who is ridiculously funny and is all over Korea with the many comedy shows that she participates in. The other half, the male, is actually FT Island’s rapper, Song Seung Hyun! This comeback, stage, song and video are really funny and I urge you guys to check them out.

Though I do not understand a single word in this song, the song itself talks about how guys focuses on more of the age and height rather than personality and other factors. So basically, if your hot and beautiful, more guys are going to take notice in you more than those who are less hot or beautiful. I guess there is more of a meaning when the comedian sings this song. Honestly, even though I understand zilch of the song, I actually find it really cute and catchy. After a few listens, you are bound to be singing along with the song. The song’s instrumental is pretty cool, but the start seems rather awkward. I am not going to judge her singing talent, mainly because this is probably her first time singing, but the Seung Hyun’s raps are pretty cool (The raps also seem to be a response to the lyrics. Just my thought)!

The music video is amazing. Not epic amazing, but hilariously funny amazing. Though I don’t think the parodies have much to do with the song, it fits the comedic concept that they have gone for. They had parody many different top Korean artists in this video. The parodies include: Miss A’s Hush, EXO’s Wolf, EXO’s Growl, Trouble Maker’s Now, Sunmi’s 24 Hours, 2NE1’s Missing You and probably many others that I have yet to pick up. On top of that, the music video contains so many famous comedians in the video such as Park Ji Min and Shin Bora. It is funny because they look all awkward dancing around and stuff. You all should check this video out.

The dance is pretty simple and I actually like it. You are bound to start dancing around when you hear this song as well. Or am I seriously the only one?

9.5/10. Really recommend you guys check it out in the playlist below.

 

 

 

Lonely – B1A4

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It has only been 2 days since these boys released Lonely and their second album, and yet I am here reviewing in it. And don’t worry, I am now swimming in my own sweat. Gross huh?Anyway, the boys returned on Monday and since have been performing strongly on charts, hitting number 1 upon release. It seems like these boys are on the rise. Soon, they will take over KPOP and Korea and who knows what will happen then? But it is quite interesting to see the transition between the different concepts for these boys. Remember their first few days, being the cute boys and now, singing mature ballads and whatnot. Amazing. Seems like they are off to a strong start.

The song is amazing. When I heard the teaser I was unsure. But as soon as I heard the song itself, I threw everything down and made sure I listened to each bit in detail. The odd guitar sound sounds pretty good, but I am unsure if they reflect the song. It is odd sound, but I don’t think they fit “lonely” as well as a normal guitar sound would. It is great that the lines are more evenly spread (Gongchan has two parts in this song that are pretty long). But I still have this problem with Jinyoung. You occupy approximately 60% of the song, leaving your other vocalists with a sad 40% of the song. The rapping by Baro is really good in this song. When you first hear this song, you can understand how sad the song and how much pain the boys must be going through. The bridge to me, does not sound good as compared to the rest of the song. It seems to clash with the free-flowing sound of the rest of the song. But overall, an amazing song. And at least their English has improved.  From “I zoom zoom my heart like a rocket” to “I just want to spend  some time with you”.

The music video is quite interesting as well. The music video scenes with Jinyoung and the girl is pretty good. But as for those “lonely” walking scenes, yeah, they kind of distracted me from the rest of the video as there is nothing going on in the video. I love the artistic nature of the couple scene. Jinyoung desperately tries to hold onto his girl, but it seems like his girls thinks otherwise. Every time she tries to get away (i.e. floats up), he holds onto her. Likewise, when he gets the chance to go with her (get another chance with the girl) he holds back and decides to move on. In the end, he goes up as well, not knowing if he would ever get the chance to meet the girl. Now, I have a few problems with this, even though it is pretty good. Where did the balloons come from and why is there no roof to this house? I assume if there is a roof, she would not get very far. Just my logic. Oh and the dance scene with Jinyoung, Baro and Sandeul: Sandeul is a completely losty.

The dancing to this song I am not sure of yet, since I have not seen any live performances (since none of them exists at the moment). But from the scenes we saw in the music video, they are pretty cool. I am just anticipating the scarf dance they have planned.

8.5/10. Pretty good comeback that may earn this band more awards. With the promising start to the year, maybe it is going to happen.

B.B.B (Big Baby Baby) – Dal Shabet

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Dal Shabet recently made their comeback after nearly a year’s absence from the KPOP scene. After success of their last concept, which involved legs and sexy, the girls have gone for an even more sexy comeback this time around. Joining the hype this January with the mad rush of comebacks just at the beginning of the year, the band has made many fans extremely happy with their comeback. I just wish to say if today’s review is a little wonky and badly written. I am currently sweating in 43 degree heat and it is going to get worse during the next few days. Sorry. But still, will try my best to get reviews done. Be right back, my arm is so sweaty, it stuck to the table. Ewww…..

Anyway, when I first heard of this comeback, I would never have expected a retro themed song, which these girls are known for. Honestly, I am quite torn about the clash of concepts. The disco feel of the song really does not fulfil the idea of “sexy”. I don’t know. The song itself is okay. It is catchy to an extent, but I don’t always want to listen to it. It seems like an occasional song to listen to. The instrumental is pretty good to listen to and I am happy with the outcome of it. But the vocals I am quite disappointed in. I am a total fan of the rest of the songs on their mini album, but this song was pretty weak. The song does not have a catchy chorus to make us remember it easily, which is quite disappointing. A catchy chorus would have improved the song so much and sky rocketed the band into even more fame. The only part which I liked in this whole song was the “No, No, No, No” part. Not a major fan of the “Big Babe Baby” part as well. So yeah, my thoughts on the song.

The music video is really boring. A video of girls dancing and being “sexy”. Yeah, you can comment on me being hypocritical and stuff, as Girl’s Day music video was like that. But at least there was something to talk about in that video. As for this video, I don’t think I am ramble on the topic of uses of useless sets (ie. orange staircase twirling thing). Well, I could, but I would just rather advise you guys to go onto the next paragraph.

As for the dance, it is pretty good. I have to say, every time there is a new sexy concept they always find something different to do. Boob rubbing, ass waving, “pulling the pants up”, legs dragging, lip rubbing, butt hitting, hair swinging have all been done. So what is next? A combination of those?

4/10. It could have been loads better. Way better. Maybe next time. And sorry for the extremely boring review today. I am still sweating in this horrible heat and it will continue until next week. 40 degrees all week-long.

Singing Got Better – Ailee

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Ailee has finally returned to the stage with a new song. This time around, she shedded her usual powerful image for a more relaxed and quieter image. The past few songs by the artist has showcased her powerful vocals in a a brighter yet more powerful image. In this comeback, everything seems to have been toned down, but yet she has still managed to wow us all with this amazing song. This song was recorded before her actual debut song, Heaven and has been contended as a comeback song in place of I Will Show You and U&I, however has been pushed back because the other tracks were better. To know this is a song that has been around for quite some time and yet we have not heard it, is pretty amazing. I wonder what other songs she has up her sleeve?

The song this time around is a ballad. It is much different from her previous songs, as they were more of the pop genre. But even though it is a ballad, the song still manages to showcase her vocal ability, proving that she is still the top of the game. Her voice just amazes me everytime she comebacks and I literally believe that everytime she comebacks, her “Singing Got Better”. Too subtle? No? Damn… But anyway, the song is a little slow at the start for me, but that chorus is really good. It is not the best song out there, but this song is pretty high up there at the moment for me. It is great for a change in style for once in a while though. Beside that, there is not really anything to talk about the song. Pretty good!

The music video is okay. I don’t know if this is the correct word to used to describe it, but I found the music video quite “mute”. There is nothing that suggest it is a loud music video. You don’t here what is going on in the video, but we see what is going on in the music video as the song plays in the background. The way Ailee walks as a celebrity further proves this as she walks quietly, without making a loud noise. Or even disturbing society. While the guards are serious about protecting her, she is just in her own world, as if no one is around her. The music video shows her life as a small recording artist and her songwriter boyfriend played by Lee Joon. Poor dude because he always play the role of the player. In Hyuna’s Bubble Pop. He also gets killed in This Is War and Iris. Quite concerning. But anyway, this music video is quite realistic and has a solid plot that I can follow from start to the end.

I am glad she toned her performance down as well. The version you hear when you play the music video is different to the version she sings live. Why? Mainly because I don’t think is needed for her to destroy her voice on stage singing those same high notes day after day.

9/10. Amazing comeback. But seriously, what other songs does she have up her sleeve?

La Song – Rain

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This is part two of the Rain special. If you still have not seen part one (aka. review for 30Sexy), then you can do so by clicking on the link HERE! This is the second song from the pair, with many people finding this new song quite interesting.

Yeah, same goes for this song. Not as great as the hype for it. Though it is mildly better than 30Sexy. I find this song more easily to listen to and it is more pleasant to listen to. But to me, is does not seem to be a style that I would go for. I find it rather awkward to listen at times. For those who have not listened to the song yet, you get this Spanish / Mexican beat to the song, which makes it rather different to the many types of standard songs we have now. I have to say, he made a good effort to make the song sound like it was from Mexico or a European country. But it does not suit him. He sounds good but the chorus seems to put me off. On top of that, the verses does not seem to match the chorus of the song. I think the best conclusion I can make is that the song sounds much better than 30Sexy.

The music video could have been much better. The music video seemed quite dark in feeling for such a upbeat song. Anyway, I have to say: why is twerking the new craze? Like seriously, I thought the Harlem Shake was weird, but twerking just takes internet crazes to a whole new level. People are saying that this song and music video is racially discriminatory, but I don’t find anything wrong with this music video in that sense. Well, beside that scene where the girl’s shadow gets changed. But beside that, all I can see is that the people in this music video are people who really know how to party really well. I see no problem with that. Anyway, the music video is okay, but I would have expected something a little more grand especially for Rain’s comeback and for this song.

The live performance is pretty good. It seems like he sings live, so that is great. And I guess the dance is pretty good. Though this song does not fit his style, It seems like he enjoyed being up there singing this song. Hmmm… I don’t have a problem with this, but he is far too happy on that stage.

5/10. Okay, not that happy with it, but I think it is much better than 30Sexy. Maybe next time I guess?

30 Sexy – Rain

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Rain, back from military service, has finally returned to the stage. It has been a very long while since we all have seen the singer on stage and finally fan girls have been able to see the singer perform. His last comeback was in 2010, with  Love Song, which won many fans over. It seems that with Rain’s comeback, he is quite popular. You probably be in denial if you said he was not popular, because the truth is that is has to be one of the popular male idols out there at the moment.  This time around he came back with two songs: La Song and 30Sexy. The second song will be reviewed first and also, tomorrow, the review for La Song will be revealed. So stay tuned for that. It’s the RAIN special. Woo!

And yeah. I should rather wrap up the review now, than be criticised. Oh sigh. I really don’t like this song. I have never been a fan of Rain and probably never be, but this song is absolutely terrible. The only good songs he had were Rainism and Love Song. And those were not total favourites as well. This song really did not sum anything up. You have been away for 2 years and you give us a song that is high-pitched and unappealing. His voice is meant to sound good, but all I hear is a high pitch screech. I actually like the moments where he is singing in a normal voice, but that is only like 30% of the song. This song is not catchy and to be honest, I cannot listen to this song for more than a minute. If you were to choose between 30Sexy, La Song and Love Song to introduce someone to KPOP, Love Song would be the best choice. This song is quite disappointing and probably a song that I would never turn to ever again.

The music video misses something. Sexy. Now, I know that to some people, this video is very hard to resist, but to me and probably a few others, what the fudge cake is going on? The King Of Pop is back and we get a dark music video with hardly anything to talk about. Well, I can point out that the extra big shoes he got (I am speaking in terms of heels. He is the tallest soloist, I believe, yet he is insecure about his height?) and  that extra short jacket is quite an eyesore. I actually prefer him wearing something like in his dance break, something casual. Anyway, the video is quite dark and with those visual effects going on, I spend more times trying to adjust my eyesight to the different colours (note, there is only black and white in this video) than staring and focusing on him. And why give him such a dull colour and put the dances in colour? Why are they getting the spotlight when this comeback is about Rain, not really about his backup dancer’s though.

I think it would be hard to top Love Song with the body rolls and ripping of shirts and abs. And I guess this dance just proves that. Nothing in this dance is memorable, and it does not reflect the song as I would have expected it. I think his dance break in song was pretty cool, but beside that… Sorry.

Sorry, but this does not cut out for me. Though this is not my cup of tea, I am sure everyone else enjoys it. 1/10. Definitely a song that I would not go back to.