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.

Darling Of All Hearts – Sunny Hill

Posted in KPOPTagged Leave a comment
Source: http://www.mtvk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/sunny-hill-darling-of-all-hearts.png

Sunny Hill has recently made their comeback with a new, equally as awesome and powerful song. This time, it plays on the the theme “aegyo”, which can be seen throughout the whole comeback. Released on June 20, and since has been ranking very high on the charts, the song does what the band always does. They always find a way to portray and “make fun” in a serious way of a very sensitive topic, which can be seen in Midnight Circus, Pray, The Grasshopper Song and Is The White Horse Coming?. This time, they incorporated their style with folk music, a genre that is hardly done in the KPOP. It had fans uneasy at first, but they in turn found it quite enjoyable.

To me, the song is not the best. It lacked power, which I adore of these girls. All their past hits had a level of seriousness to it and a lot of power which most girl groups don’t actually have in the industry. This song, when I first heard, was a bit kind of, weird sounding. It was too cutesy to my liking, until I realized that it was meant to be that way. It took me a few rounds to get use to their new style which now I honestly like. The vocals were quite great. Seungah, has improved the most. For Misung, the rap was a let down of the song. It sounded odd and “not-quite-there” for the song. I guess I can say, and many others, that the rap was not needed. I love the lyrics for this song. They do have their “special hidden message” in this song as well. This time around, they are talking about how all women need love. Women in love stories, successful business women, lonely women, friendly women. The whole lot. The chorus is surprising catchy. Not the best song of the band, but neverless a great song.

The music video was okay. Not as memorable as their previous comebacks in the past. To me, there is not as much symbolism in this video compared to their past videos. However, on that note, I love the simplicity of this video. It gives us a change of image for the band and their style which is great, especially if you are bored of seeing and watching the same thing over and over again. The lyrics blended well into the music video. As for Jubi’s part in the video, all I caught from there was Uncle Sam and the American Flag, which I found did not really match the lyrics. Maybe I am just overcomplicating the whole scene. I do that a lot, thank you teachers. The dance scenes were very cute and I loved how simple the set was for this.

The dance is not as memorable. It does not shout out “Sunny Hill” to me, however it still fits within the range of their style. That instrumental part of their dance was amazing and they seemed to be quite in sync. The ending was pretty cool. The dance has that feminine side to it along with the cuteness style they have gone for. It is not as powerful when you look at it, but it is still powerful in terms of the message which they are trying to get across.

8/10. This comeback did indeed show a side of the girls which we never knew existed. I know I did not right about the featuring artist, Hareem. I am kind of creeped out, particularly when she smiled half way through the video with the girls spinning around on his glasses.

 

Be Ambitious – Dal Shabet

Posted in KPOPTagged Leave a comment
Source: http://okpopgirls.rebzombie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Dal-Shabet-Be-Ambitious-Look-at-My-Legs-MV-1.jpg

Dal Shabet recently made their comeback with one of the catchiest songs for the year so far. Released on June the 20th, the song has been deemed as inappropriate for the public, however as a fan of the song, I have to disagree. The song was deemed as inappropriate by SBS to be broadcast, so they instead decided to promote the song using a different set of the lyrics on the broadcasting station only. However, am I the only person who did not see the lyrics and the music video as “inappropriate’? They are just lyrics, a bunch of words, that have a deeper meaning than what many of us would think. It is like taking “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” as a literal statement. End of rant. Review starts now!

How freaking amazing is this song. From the start to the end of this song, I was totally in love with this song. This by far, has to be the best song of the year so far. It has this positive feel to it. Everything from the instrumental was great to lyrics to the vocals and rapping. I am in love with the whole feel of the song. It grasped me as soon as I first listened to the song and was totally amazed. It has a cute sound to give off a sexy message, which is portrayed amazingly here. The part just before the chorus is the highlight of the song, and the chorus was one catchy chorus as well. The raps and vocals were superb. As for the lyrics, many people who say “SLUTS”, you must be kidding yourself. Don’t take the lyrics literal. From what I see from the song, I hear “If boys are not players every time they try to impress a girl, why can’t a girl impress a guy once in awhile?”. Just because the girls are saying “Look at my legs, they’re pretty, I wore a short skirt” does not mean they are that type of female. Try reading the lyrics that followed up after it “Look as if you’re interested”. These songs really do steal me heart. Sorry if I am the really cheesy guy. Overall the song was perfect, especially with the high notes at the end.

The music video was amazing as well. It was cute and colourful, just as you expected. It shows the range of roles a girl can be in to impress a guy that they have always wanted from the laundry to the movies to the art class to the dance revolution stage. The only complaint out the whole video si the army scenes. I am a bit confused there, and it actually may give the audience the wrong idea of the song and video. I love the plot twist as when the girls thought they failed at grabbing the guys attention, the guys show that the whole time they have been focussing on the girls. They were just “busy”.

As for the dance, I love it. The incorporation of the dresses and how stunning do the girls look? The dress was made to look like a dress and then bam, you could take it apart to look sexy, to show what is underneath. I also loved the ending. It was different how they ended the dance.

I have to say well though, the whole comeback was different. 9.5/10. Amazing song, dance and music video. Just don’t think dirty alright?

Painkiller – Various Artist (Yes, there are quite a bit)

Posted in KPOPTagged , , , Leave a comment
Source: http://soompi-1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/T-ara-jiyeon-painkiller.png

I have being dying to review this song and “project group”. This song is a ballad and really one of the songs that’s emotion were very big and did a hell of a job to deliver it to its audience. Let’s list all the amount of artists and groups who participated in this label collaboration. These people include: T-Ara’s Soyeon, The SeeYa’s Yoojin, 5Dolls’ Eunkyo and SPEED’s Taewoon and Sungmin. For those who don’t know, all these artists belong to the same company: CCM Media. The song itself, with its music video was released on the 9th of June 2013.

The song is a ballad that talks about how painful love is. Love, in this song, is like an illness that cannot be curable, hence why painkillers can only be taken to be ensure less pain. There are a few lines which I like from the song when translated from Korean to English. I would also like to say that I am very lazy with where I take my translation of lyrics from (kpoplyrics), so I do not cross reference my takings. Sadly. There may be many variations with one line in the song, so what I put on here would not be technically right. You guys should be thankful that I am not using Google Translate. Anyway here are the lines: “Though I’m sick to death, I only think of you” and “Love is love only when it hurts”. The song has a radio like sound start to it and then goes into the full song. Then towards the end it fades into the radio sound once again.

As for the music video, I first thought it would be something horror base, since the video was rather creepy at the start and the music complemented this genre as well. From watching the music video,we can assume that this girl just moved back into the apartment that must’ve belonged to her former boyfriend,as there are many objects in the video that remind of the girl of her past, which causes to become “sick”. Is it me, or my first instinct if this guy or girl cheated on me, making love painful, I would throw out their belongings because it would help me get over the loss? No? Just Me? Okay, then. Also, the stuff looks rather new. Like the mirror has not dust on it. Regardless of the cover or not, there shall be some kind of dust right? We also see her taking some “toxic” drugs which in my point of view, she should’ve died earlier in the video, as at the start (or the first time) taking the drugs, she took a huge amount, more than the recommended amount. Also, the blood looks real as. I am amazed by the special effects. Sad life, I know. At the end, I think she tries to go back into time, but the clock won’t let her. However, it is too late when fate does, as she has taken her final dose of drugs, to kill her. I must commend Jiyeon’s acting. It is amazing. Props to her. You could definitely feel her emotion a lot in this video.

8.5/10. I must say I am quite impressed, especially since I have not be much impressed with the company’s reputation recently.

Ocean of Light – Nell

Posted in KPOPTagged Leave a comment
Source: http://www.mtvk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/nell-ocean-of-light1.png

Nell recently made their comeback earlier this month with Ocean Of Light. Despite the band being renowned for being a Korean Indie group that I think would have to be the most famous of the genre ever, this group really has what it takes to be a KPOP band. Nell has many previous hits before including: White Night, The Day Before and by far my most favourite song by the band, Ocean of Light. Overall, the whole album was quite amazing. Never have heard a better album that any before, which technically these guys are really talented, because I don’t tend to listen to the whole album of any artist, unless they are really good. Anyway, lets go on.

The song is really amazing. I am just going to start of with this and say: listen to the song, regardless of the what you are doing. The group itself specialise a lot in rock, rather than pop, but seriously I think this song is actually more of a pop song rather than a rock song. I really like the start of the song, with the electro shuffle-like beat and the piano. I really like the gradual addition of the drums and the build up it has to the chorus. The chorus itself has the huge impact that I look for within a song. I also quite enjoy how the song from the chorus returns to it slow start and than slowly rebuild itself. The ending itself is quite amazing. I guess this song is more of a “marching band” type of song which I like.

The music video is pretty cool. The small rooms which we find them are pretty cool and awesome. The bedroom, dining room and the bathroom. Also that room with many doors. Yeah, I don’t understand that room. Weird. When the walls open up to allow the light in, the whole scene of the guy hiding from the light was pretty funny. Also the dark scenes, where they play their respective instruments on the platform over a pool or something is pretty cool as well.

There is no dance to this comeback. The guys are a band for obvious sake.

9.5/10. Great song, music video. No dance so really can’t say much there. Hahahahaha.

I Dance – Ivy ft. Yubin (Wonder Girls)

Posted in KPOPTagged , , , , , Leave a comment
idi
Source:http://soompi-1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-10-at-8.31.45-PM.png

Ivy recently made her anticipated comeback with a new style of a song that is one of the most amazing songs of the year so far. The actual song features Yubin from Wonder Girls. Woori from Rainbow took over Yubin after the first week of promotions, for those who don’t know. This song is one of those mashups that we all don’t like of, however this song carries a different feel of the song. This song, I admit, will not be for everyone, however I think it will be one of the hottest songs of the year. Have been quite disappointed with any songs, but I also quite like this one.

I love the instrumental of this song. It is totally amazing. The Spanish feel of the song is totally one of my favourite feels of the year. Well, not Spanish, but rumba or tango, I don’t know which is which. As you see, and probably have noticed, my knowledge of dances are quite limited. I love the vocals of Ivy in this song. It showcases her vocal talent in one go without need to of autotuning. Seriously, why have I not found such a great artist before! Her high note at the end was one of the most amazing notes that I have heard. I totally love the addition of the rap in this song. It fits in with the song and gives that song the extra beat of electro music which I totally love in this video. “I got to keep on dancing, cause tears are coming down my eyes” and the lines of the raps that follow are the actual highlight of the song, for me. It was catchy and kept into my mind. Great work Ivy and Yubin (and of course, the other artists that will join Ivy on stage).

The music video, I don’t really understand that well. The whole idea of technology with the song’s instrumental is kind of “not there”. She seems to be trapped in some kind room with some sort of torturing device that is growing her mad. Also, cameras are taking picture of her and the whole music video solo scenes seem quite quirky when you have the music right there. That or she is a drama queen and is stuck in the corner of her elevator. Also, did you see that nude tone dress with the black ropes (?) around her? Quite extreme in my point of view. Though Yubin’s scene in the music video seem quite appropriate. The ending was a little too much for me. But overall, I think the music video, beside the really weird parts, do quite well. But I am still weirded out.

Rumba or Tango, the dance is amazing. From the traditional dance of rumba or tango to the more modern version of the dance after Yubin’s addition to the song. Also Miss A’s Jia and Rainbow’s Woori have joined Ivy in place of Yubin to be the rapper and all three of them do quite a splendid job. If I want to choose one, it would most probably be Yubin because she sounds most natural, but as I said, all three sound really good.

8.5/10. Only the music video. Blame the music video. But beside that, I love everything else. I have included the music video and the three different rappers into the playlist, so check it out.

First Love – After School

Posted in KPOPTagged , 1 Comment
Source: http://i2.wp.com/24-7KPOP.COM/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/BMHF-dyCYAARmU4.jpg-large.jpg?resize=980%2C654

After School recently made their well demanded comeback since Flashback last year. Released on the 13th of June (just a 2 weeks ago), the girls have made a huge impact upon the KPOP scene since coming back, giving Sistar, MBLAQ, Rainbow, EXO and other widely known bands a run for their money. However that I what the fans think of the whole comeback. I myself, have a completely different view on the song. The comeback itself is unique, but really lacking overall. Though they know how to get a guy excited, for me, it did not do as well. Well, that kind of came out wrong. Don’t think dirty guys. The whole comeback for me is “not as good” as the other comebacks to date. (I like cute girls more).

The song was too freaking slow. Am I only the one that felt that the song was dragged out over the 3 minutes and 40 seconds length? I do see how the song has the bit if addictiveness to it, however the song overall, to me was a complete failure. I do like my RnB music and I do like my ballad music, but these two sound awkward together. The vocals were quite fine, actually. Which I liked about the song and was completely surprised that this song contained no rap but just pure vocals. For groups, I don’t see that much in KPOP. Vocal’s only songs are mainly for soloists. Also, that gospel high note at the end seems out of place but at the same time fits in the song. Crazy, right?However, my ears say “KILL THE GUY!!!”. Which guy? The guy who throughout the song goes “Get Funky, Get Down”. What is a DJ going to do to the song? Appeal to the female demographic? What in the world? And that disk scratching sound. Seriously, this song is meant to sad, so why even? If I wanted to hear a disk scratching, I would go to a club or hear a remix!

The music video is quite okay. It seemed rushed. Any set that had the pole dancing in it seemed quite rushed. Floral wallpaper on the walls and the roof? The used of flowers on the grid like walls? It does not contribute to the feel of the song. However, I totally loved the feel of the closeups of the members. The coloured background added that extra impact and the water dripping down the side of the camera seemed like tears falling down. The members too also look quite sad. But beside that, there is nothing else to say.

The dance does seem sexy. The whole idea of pole dancing seemed quite interesting but also extreme, but the girls seemed to pull it off quite well. After all, pole dancing is a very demanding activity and the girls had 6 month to prepare for the comeback. However, the song did overall ruin the dance. The start of the performance and dance was amazing. How on earth are you meant to be twirling around there, not feeling blisters or being burnt by the metal pole.

3.5/10. Sorry girls. Better luck next time. I actually personally liked their past songs more than this one. Hope they win at least one award, since they are so low on the numbers and jope both Lizzy and Nana get well soon.

Give It To Me – SISTAR

Posted in KPOPTagged , 3 Comments

Sistar has finally made their comeback with one hell of a new song. Give it To Me was released on the 11th of June 2013, being one of the biggest comeback this month by far. I personally quite enjoyed this comeback and its style. The Moulin Rouge theme which they have been going for is amazing. The whole thing, from top to bottom has perfection written over it.

Give It To me has this really addictive instrumental. Though it seems to be too “feminine” for me, the instrumental is quite good. In the whole song, Soyou’s parts were totally amazing and I love the subtle vocals at the bridge of the song, and that epic “bring-me-up”. By usual, Hyorin dominates the song with most of the vocals. Dasom also has a much longer part that really fits the song really well. However, Bora’s rap seemed limited to only a few lines that really does not give her any spotlight during the song, which is totally not great. The lyrics talk about the girls willingness to love again, after a relationship breakdown. The lyrics “Cry, cry all day until morning comes”  is quite concerning. (Imagine I am saying this in the bitchy girl voice) Gurl, if you are cryin’ all day and night, you need help. Phone a friend, go on a shopping spree, have some fun! Don’t knowing if it is sun or moon or day and light is also quite concerning.

As mentioned before, extra points on the idea of the concept, which I really enjoyed. However, the teaser made the whole music video appear much bigger. It feels exaggerated and the video was quite boring. It is just shots of them posing or dancing. There is nothing much to it. Oh and the “ring dance” which Bora was meant to be having in the music video. Where is it? Cause I don’t specify spinning around on a ring as a dance. The lighting, particularly at the parts of the diamond backing or whatever you call it, is quite distracting. The only sequence that I liked from this music video content-wise was Hyorin’s high note part. That was pretty cool and amazing.

As for the dance, I will be sitting here, waiting for the day where Dasom has a scandal where when she through the hat, it hits one of the back up dancers who would sue her for damages. Too much? Too far? Sorry, Dasom. But I love the dance. The clicking, Bora’s glitter throw. I love the fact that they all move to one side of the stage while one member is singing on other side, giving the spotlight away. However, Dasom’s pole dancing is rather weak in regards to the rest of the song. But loving the dance.

7.5/10. Great song and dance. Not so much on the music video. A great comeback, and congratulations on the awards you have all received.

Hyde – VIXX

Posted in KPOPTagged 2 Comments
Source: http://img.ohkpop.com/2013/05/21/ui13yp46.jpg

VIXX recently made their comeback with Hyde, launching them into a much bigger fanbase and huge popularity. Hyde was released on the May the 20th (making this the long awaited review that has been forever to be typed up). Adding more to their gloomy, dark image which they had created for themselves with On and On, released back in March (Review Here). I thought they could not get any scarier, but they did. I remember, in the last review, I wrote that I was scared of them because of their contact lenses, now I am scared of their lips. Their black and bold. Hyde, is not one of your ordinary words that you would find in the 100 most common words list. So here is a quick and easy definition of Hyde. Hyde is a widely known fictional character which basically has the full name of Dr. Henry Jekyll or Edward Hyde. Why? Because of the split personality of the character, which we can see in both the lyrics and music video of the song.

Hyde is an amazing song. I love the creepy instrumental. It’s electrobeat makes the song a whole heap better but at the same time a whole heap creepier. The vocals are quite powerful in this song and the rap was very strong. The love the chorus. It was catchy, addictive and easy to follow. Love the bit after the chorus where they are all like “Can’t Control, Can’t Control”. It has reference to the fictional character that we mention above, (ie. they cannot control when they have their split personality appear). I really like how the song has that split personality feel to it as well. For example, when the singer sings “I love you”, the backing vocal replies with “No I hate you”, giving that even deeper meaning to the song. The lyrics are really something you guys should search for. So overall, love the song.

The music video is quite dark. Not as dark to complain about (cough-MBLAQ-cough). We can see that the guys at the start are all normal and stuff, loving their girlfriends as they should be. But as we approach the end of the video, the guys all turn into “Hyde” and became brutal to their female companion. To the extent, where the evil has gotten to their mind and decide, why not kill her? The video, itself also correspond, with the theme of the comeback, where the guy is struggling to either kill her or stop himself from killing her, by pulling their hand back when they start to turn on her (which can also be seen in the dance). I also like the addition of those scenes on nothing basically, like the snake and the skull. Adds that extra punch to the feel of the video. Just to pull your attention to the end of the video. The scenes where the wings pop out of nowhere on the back of the member’s back seem oddly familiar. I don’t know what video it looks like it is from. Hmmm…. (SHINee’s Ring Ding Dong)

The dance is okay. Not the best and not the most memorable. I like the idea of them struggling against their own body, in the chorus. I guess my most favourite part of the dance is the “Can’t Control. Can’t Control”.

7.5/10. Great song, dance and music video. I think the guys have settled for something very dominate and dark for future releases. Will always be anticipating which fictional being they will become next!

Smoky Girl – MBLAQ

Posted in KPOPTagged 2 Comments
Source: http://www.mtvk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/mblaq-smoky-girl-2.png

MBLAQ has finally made their first comeback since the start of last year, with Smoky Girl, released on June 4. This Is War was their previous title song, promoted in January 2012, which seems to be a very long time ago. That is quite a long time. I know this is not as bad as 2PM, but hell, MBLAQ is one of the top boy bands at the moment. I know they have been busy with a concert tour and  their Japanese debut,but their comeback is long overdue. Completely different to their previous comebacks and songs, Smoky Girl is an updated version of the band. Yes, it is a great song that will definitely ( and hopefully) will win many awards.

The song has that really cool club beat to it, that you want to dance to with. Though the chorus is quite repetitive and I quote “Girl Sexy Girl Sexy Girl. Girl Sexy Girl Sexy Girl Sexy Girl…”, I absolutely the love the chorus. This song is one hell of an addictive song that I urge everyone to try to listen to. It must also be noticed that the song is rather soft, compared to most club beats that we all tend to hear everywhere. The rap fits the song quite well, in my opinion. There is no awkward levels from one to another. The only thing I have to complain with this song is the very start. It was too immediate for me. I guess I am more use to the instrumental part at the start, rather than after the chorus. But beside that, great song!!!!

The music video is quite lacking. The song is quite complex, but the video itself is quite simple, with the black and white feel to it, which is a good thing. But also, the music video was far too dark for me. The colours kind of weirded me out. It was black and white, than just white, than colours spraying everywhere. Imagine the clean up bill with this music video with all that paint! The ending was just too (a) predictable or (b) random. It made really no sense, as the music video did not have much of a plot line. But really, there is nothing much else to say about that music video. I cannot really pick anything out of the music video to talk about that is an extreme or a complaint. But overall, disappointed with the music video.

The dance is not the ideal dance. It carried that “simpleness” with it as well. After typing this review, I am wondering to myself: has enough been put into the comeback? The song is amazing but the music video and dance is not really. I don’t like the suits at all. The cuts out of the back just seem to out there for me at the moment. However, I do think Mir’s haircut has helped him mature quite a bit. The dance itself is not memorable like Fiction by Beast or Gee by SNSD. It just does not carry that greatness, to me.

7/10. Okay. Song was great. Music video and dance itself is quite disappointing. But regardless, congratulations on the comeback and hope you guys win!!!! Now, I will get back to book shopping.

Sunshine – Rainbow

Posted in KPOPTagged 2 Comments
Source: http://i1.wp.com/24-7KPOP.COM/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-3.23.18-PM.png?resize=980%2C545

Rainbow has finally made their comeback, with the second part of their newest album. Tell Me Tell Me (Review Here) was released in March earlier this year, while the latest single from the girls were released on the June 4th. Sunshine is like a direct copy of Tell Me Tell Me, continuing the cute style which the girls have adopted for their first half of the album. Wow, the song is really great. It did lack in some aspects (the song itself, the music video and the dance/performance) however was equally quite pleasant to hear and quite nice to relax to. The girls, truly, did put a lot of effort into this album, which is quite successful as well. Why they have not won any awards yet, likewise to many bands, is still a question everyone asks themselves!

The song itself is much similar to their March counterpart. The instrumental has that violin to it, like what I pointed out in my previous review of the girls. I love the violin in the start. That beat may seem a little lacking, however to me was beautiful. The part before the chorus was amazing as well, giving that song a little punch leading up to the chorus. The chorus itself is pretty cool as well. It has that popish feel to it, which Rainbow has brought in from the To Me and A days. The “Go Jerry Go” part was really cute and nice to listen to. I have to say, if you are into the popish classical mashup of songs, this is a song that you must check out. It has both elements. However, the rap seemed too much for the song to handle. It really does not complete the puzzle as well as I thought it did. Tell Me Tell me had a really good rap sequence, however the rap really was not it for the song. The ending too was okay. Different and unique. However, if I was to sum up the song, I would say this: I like it, but the cute feeling which the song carries is not great. There are other songs on the album which are worthy as a title song that this song.

The music video carries that cute feeling along with it really well. They display the girls as the stereotypical girl: taking selfies of themselves, acting overly cute etc. It is revealed that the girls are some kind of spy agency cracking down on unworthy guys or in the current world, players. They get their weapons are very serious about their job. I absolutely love the scene where the third girl in line is asking for a huge as weapon, but insteads gets a small water gun. Does she cry over her weapon though? No she does not, instead, she makes the best of the weapon. And it was so cute!!!! I also love the last girl, who gets her face as a weapon. Well, obviously the group needs a visual to get the guys. (Why am I defaming guys? I am a guy myself!!!!). Next they discover the poor fellow at a deserted and unrealistic cafe, where one of the girls start to fall for the guy, and despite the other girls pleas, she follows the guy. Talk about being the weakest link. And then, nothing else happened. Wow, that escalated quickly.

As for the dance, it was pretty catchy, particularly the chorus bit. I guess the cute style does fit these girls. I was not much of a fan of their diva moments anyway.

8/10. I think I am quite satisfied with this song. It is catchy, cute and damn right fun to listen to. Here is my question for you guys to answer in the comments: Which Rainbow comeback did you occur? Tell Me Tell Me or Sunshine? I have linked the actual music video, the dance version video, a live performance from Music Core and the Tell Me Tell Me music video. Have fun watching!!!!

The Baddest Female – CL (2NE1)

Posted in KPOPTagged , 4 Comments
Source: http://cdn.idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/28/cl-baddest-female-video-600×337.jpg

CL, the known leader of the very popular band, 2NE1, recently made her solo debut, releasing her mini album on the 28th of May 2013. Though there have been positive feedback, there is always negative feedback. People blamed her for copying Lee Hyori title track, as both songs were titled as “Bad Girls”. CL then was forced to change her title to “The Baddest Female”. Also, not many Blackjacks like the song as I have thought. I too, don’t really like this song. Before this review, I have only listened to it once and I have not touched the link on YouTube for it ever again. Now, that I have to force myself here to listen to it once again just for a review. Hahahaha. Only joking.

The song is awful. To me, that is. There is really no bit in this song that I like. It is the hip hop genre, but how she sang the song, how rapped here, was not the best. Hell, it was not good at all. I don’t like the beat, I don’t like her raps. I don’t like her vocals. I don’t like anything in this song. This si basically a mashed up version of GD’s songs and transformed the mashed up version for a female to sing. The lyrics itself is quite annoying. The “Eonniya~ (woh!) eonni eonni eonni hey~” was the part where I cringed the most in the whole song. The dubstep addition did not make the song nay better. The ending did not fit the start of the song, where it seems the producer got real lazy and made CL record two different versions of the song. Then he (or she) just copied the start of one song and copied the second half of the other and add some horrible effects to make the song sound “good”. To make sure you guys know how bad this song is (to me), I feel quite uncomfortable typing this out here right now, with the song itself. I like YG Entertainment, but this is by far the worst YG song I have ever heard.

The music video looks a lot like GD’s music video. It weird and quirky. Mostly, it is different. But don’t they get a bit tired of making the same thing over and over again. I am quite tired of this randomness that YG enjoy getting into. It is a thing that YG has built and created for someone like G Dragon. CL’s take on this is uncomfortable and weird. It not normal. YG just has to find his singer’s thing when it comes to style. He did it well with Big Bang, Psy, Gummy, 2NE1 even solo artists a part of the bands: G Dragon, Taeyang, Park Bom etc. But beside that I am disappointed with the music video. The amount of gangsters in this video is astounding. I last time I saw this many gangsters is …. actually … never. Awkward. But beside that, more disappointment.

The dance is not good either. Sorry, CL, you flopped in my point of view. Congrats on your award though?

0/10. Did not like anything associated with this solo debut. Hopefully, 2NE1’s comeback right after will be better.

Trap – Henry (Super Junior M) ft. Kyuhyun (Super Junior) & Taemin (SHINee)

Posted in KPOPTagged , , , , , 3 Comments
Source: http://smindotown.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/henrylau2.jpg

Henry was recently unveiled as the newest solo artist of SM Entertainment, releasing his first mini album on June the 7th of 2013. SM Entertainment released some “teaser” images that seem quite abnormal. A body full of tattoos, to me, turns me away from people. Literally, if I were to see someone on the streets, I would literally turn away and walk. But I hardly doubt anyone would walk around shirtless with colourful tattoos on the streets, not my neighbourhood though. The whole idea of Henry having a solo debut is being solo. However SM Entertainment brings in Taemin and Kyuhyun and then dominates the second half of the song. Disappointment.

This song is much better than Wolf. I am glad that this song came back, because I don’t think I have ever been pleased with an SM song (since the start of the year) but SM has had a long run of unlikeable songs. I love the piano feel of the song, which makes it unique and different to other songs with that electronic beat that I have been reviewing, like Want U Back (Review Here) by 100%. It gives off that dramatic feel to the song, which is really great. I never knew Henry can vocalise like that. His voice can actually hit pretty high notes and I love how he changes the tone of his voice, to give off that nice , polished feel of the song. Overall, I liked Kyuhyun’s addition to the song, which makes it more profession. I am not as impressed with Taemin’s part, but it still fits in with the song. However, the featuring artist does make the song feel a bit choppy and whatnot. But I am more impressed with this song than EXO’s Wolf (Review Here), so YAY!!!

The music video is quite confusing. However, aside from that this is the first time where the box set of the music video made sense with the title of the song. A guy, going insane, trapped in a room with no roof with only a piano. He was trapped by this evil girlfriend and towards the end after making friends with a bunch of dancers and two other singers, he managed to find his way out of the room. In style, the first thing he does after escaping, was drive a luxury car and buy a suit. Great, you’re halfway there to escaping, but at least you are getting as far away as possible. However, word of advice, use the door more next time or grab that hair or an object in the room and mash open the window. You did not have to stay in that room for that long. Unless, the girlfriend only trapped him for less than a day. In other words, drama queen.

The dance i pretty cool. I never thought stepping on a piano will be that good looking. Also, like the use of handkerchiefs in the dance. Adds more masculinity to the video, I think. Just don’t dance shirtless, with tattoos over your body. You don’t look cool or great.

7.5/10. Henry’s debut is daebak (Awesome in Korean). Woot!

Want You Back – 100%

Posted in KPOPTagged 1 Comment

wub100p

100% haa finally made their comeback, on the 23rd of May, with a brand new song which updates them to the current century. Seriously, these guys were not the greatest rookies to me, last year, but these guys have improved a lot. I mean, one hell of an improvement. I also was reading an article of their abs (Don’t judge me) and I saw a comment saying “gay”. Well, so apparently if a guy showed abs to the public, it is now considered as a homosexual act. Great, just tell that to all the hetreosexual male models in the world. This is going to go down real well.

The song to me, was really addictive, but not appealing. At first I was yeah, this is a cool song, but after a few listens to the song, I went “meh”. It could’ve been better. There was a lot of autotune in the song, which really does not showcase the vocals that would make these guys more popular. I liked the chorus, which is basically the only thing that I thought was well done. Everything else is quite different and weird. The song itself has that dance club beat to it, which does make the people feel the passion in the song. I liked the instrumental. However, the vocals seemed to be too powerful for the song itself and was kind of a mish mash of the whole song. The rap fitted the song really well. But overall, the song was okay. Nothing fancy.

The music video was quite something though. I can’t seem to piece the story together. So at the start the couple is getting ready to go out, and they seemed to have had a bitter fight. The guy gets out and leave, while the girl finishes putting makeup on. Then, when she is ready, she comes out and stalks another guy. After it seems like they fall in love and she decides to kill her current boyfriend for her new boyfriend. So she collects a lighter, which does not appear anywhere else in the story. Nice thinking. So then we the girl meets with her boyfriend, who she was going to kill, she points the gun at his head and then make love with him. That makes sense. What about the new guy she met stalking? To me, it sounds like a daily life of a fangirl. Also, the flowers in this music video seem quite inappropriate. Not the burning flower, nor the one where the guy is holding it randomly. The whole scene where the guy and girl are holding hands and and laying down in a fake field of flowers. Oh and those floral suits for the dance part. Yay.

The dance fitted the whole song quite well. It had that heavy club, dance feel to it and also it actually matched the tone of the powerful voices, which I have disliked. All the moves were sharp and damn right powerful (the kicks in the air, the stomping, the “urgh, I hate suits” dance and of course, the typical, “It’s getting hot in here, I need to rip my jacket open. Oh, I also have abs” dance.

6.5/10. It was okay, but it soon became overshadowed by other songs that came out.

This Love – Shinhwa

Posted in KPOPTagged 1 Comment
Source: http://www.soompi.es/wp-content/blogs.dir/8/files/2013/05/Shinhwa-this-love-2.png

Shinwa recently made their comeback with a whole new style. This Love was released on the 16th of May, meaning that this review is around a month overdue. Sorry. I would like to start off that I prefer this song only over Venus. Venus was dark and creepy for me. This song has more life to it. Yet, this is also another tragic review that I am going to write. Despite me preferring this song over another, I must warn you that this will be a really crappy review. If you are  sensitive for comments that would put a bad name for Shinhwa. Yeah: Sorry. Once again, let’s continue the review.

The song is catchy. But it is not appealing. To me, this is quite a bad song to be a song for comeback. I actually liked one of the other songs on the album, after this song. However, I disliked this song. Many aspects in this song, video and dance give off that Madonna feel, which sadly, to me is not a great as topic to sing about. More on the other part later in the review. The song was too slow at the start and the verse, however I kind of liked that transition between verse to chorus. But then my feels plummeted down after hearing the chorus. It was just too cheesy. The rap was okay, not great. It did not really fit within the song at all, but did stand out for some areas, but that second rap part. Yeah, did not feel like the song. Basically you just took the first half of a ballad and jammed it with not transition effects to a dubstep track. Not cool. As for the ending. Not that impressed at all. It ended the song well, but not as well as I thought it would be.

As for the music video, it was empty. I can’t really review a bunch of guys just standing around and dancing. I don’t understand the lighting in this video. Especially at the start where the guys in the front row were all in the dark, but the lonely guy at the back had all lights on him and he was not even singing. With that stage feel set, that is seriously not original anymore. The camera shots were pretty cool. I liked that. But as for the set, not really.

The dance on the other hand, was a tragic feel. Props for them trying what is known as the “Vogue” dance which may make them look homosexual, but seriously, they seemed awkward dancing around there and stuff like that. I guess KPOP does not have that kind of openness for “gay” concepts. The poses were not great, and technically, I have not seen a girl pull off a pose like these guys yet at all. I would also like to say: I support homosexuality. However, this dance seems to give the whole issue and idea a horrible image.

3/10? Sorry. Guys. I am really sorry. Don’t kill me. Shinhwa has had better concepts than this. Also, I would like to mention: the jackets and all that in the music video, don’t really help at all. Actually, they contributed to my dislike of the song.

Wolf – EXO

Posted in KPOPTagged , , 6 Comments
Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tXkYa3lPIoA/UadDVbApaiI/AAAAAAAAM-Y/G6uXWfrRj0o/s640/exo.jpg

EXO has finally made their long awaited comeback. Seriously guys? Despite EXO not coming back for a whole year, why are you guys so needy for a comeback and saying that “It has been so long”. I have never seen a more feistier fanclub ever before. It is like if we put Super Junior, 2PM, Beast and Big Bang’s fans in one room. Likewise, SNSD, Wonder Girl’s, 2NE1, 4Minute fans in the room. Okay, I should shut up before some exotics get to me. EXO made a very confident comeback which is quite likely to put their name out in the field, but not really enough to be as successful as their other label mates. What I see is from the perspective of fans. What this review is, is something totally different.

This, by far, is the worst song out there at this very moment. Yes, it had an addictive beat but the song was just a mis-mash of different genres placed together. I was looking forward to this song, however first time listening to it, I was WTF? Second time, WTF? Third time, WTF? Fourth time, WTF? The lyrics are not appealing. The song overall was a tragic mess. I avoided reviewing MAMA for a reason, and actually I regret not reviewing that song now. However, due to the amount of publicity this group has been getting, I guess I had to put the review up. I am quite disappointed. I expected better. I guess SM is doing the same stunts now, like what they have been doing with SHINee and F(x). Horrible management. The only part I like was that part, however, which was the relief bit for you guys, was that part after Kyungsoo (I think that his name is), where the three guys start rapping. That was cool.

The music video was quite horrible as well. Another tragic mess. Another dark video, one that was quite confusing. The set was not as spectacular as I had expected. It did not feature anything that was “great”, and again SM is not putting enough money into the production of these music videos, just a box set and odd lighting. The dance was okay as well. Not great. I thought they were making the crocodile snapping heads during the dance and at the same time I thought, “Wasn’t this song about wolves, not crocodiles?” That was pose must’ve been hard to do, but seriously, it looked random and out of the place during the whole performance. The ending was great, but the start did not appeal to me at all. So overall, crappy music video and a somewhat okay dance.

4/10. At least they scored higher than T-Ara’s Sexy Love? Comforting? No? Also, this is my view on the song, and I actually have friends that agree to how boring and useless this comeback is. So there are people in the world that also share views that are opposite of “Dreamy Kai Oppa” or “EXO is the BEST BAND EVER” or “EXO beats the rest”!

Bad Girl – Lee Hyori

Posted in KPOPTagged 2 Comments
Source: http://www.yam-mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/lee-hyori-bad-girls-mv.jpg

Lee Hyori has finally made her comeback with one hell of a song. Can you believe it? This is how you do a comeback, everybody, because nothing will top her and anything in her way will be crashed. That does also mean 2PM and Shinwa, for your information. Seriously, I have never seen a successful comeback with an really confident artist as the stage performer. Hence, why Lee Hyori is still here with us. Move over scandals. The Queen in back and she is going to make sure that she stays in everybody’s mind. Well, I guess I should let the “bad girl” do the rest. I think I just scarred you with my obviously great sense of humour. But let’s just continue right? No need for compliments here.

Okay, Lee Hyori sounds amazing in this song. She lives up to her name as the Queen. This is the first song since U Go Girl by Lee Hyori that has placed a really good image of her in my mind. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang scared the daylights out of me and sounded too futuristic. Here, we see her adapting to the feel and the genre in which recent and current idols have established for KPOP. Bad Girls is a song that I would compare to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face. I do not want to start a fan war here or anything, but both songs are quite equivalent. I would not be surprised is Bad Girls become of the top rated songs for the year. The song a really catchy beat that I am sure anyone who listens to it would find amazing. The chorus itself is amazing. Actually, come to the think of it, the ending of the song  sounds somewhat familiar. Some beach themed song. Forgot the title, but it sounds quite familiar come to the think of it now. I loved the “Bad Bad Bad Girls” and the “Let’s Do It One More Time”. They both add that Lee Hyori feel to the song, which is again, amazing.

The music video tell the story of how this girl, which I assume, grows up to be a bad girl (aka. Lee Hyori).Her mother dies while giving birth to this child, which in turn the child grew up to be an exact copy of. That, and also the stepmother. But that kids face, at the very start when it is  small baby is quite scary. Oh, I think I hear a horror movie on next door. Seriously, I love the kid’s bitch face. Amazing face. Someone make it into a gif, and send it to me. We don’t know why this little girl becomes so evil in the video. Also, the stepmother gives off that evil stepmother in Hansel and Gretel and also Cinderella. Also, in Year 10, Lee Hyori learns about the quadratic formula. You know that awfully long scary looking formula to find the x intercepts of a parabola or quadratic? Yeah, that one. Well, why the hell are they also learning it in Year 14 and Year 18? If they even exist, should they not be learning something else, rather the same thing. Oh also, why doesn’t anyone want to clean that white board over the period of 8 years. You guys are like learning the same thing over and over again! The ending seemed a bit random, but still made sense in the context of the video. I loved the use of the comic transition and the colours in this music video.

The dance too was really good. It oozed sexiness all over it. From the chorus to the same “Bad Bad Bad Bad Girls” part with the devils ear! Loved it and is hell of a catchy dance as well.

9.5/10. The Queen is back. And this is also the last Lee Hyori review I will be doing. I think 5 reviews for one artist, one after the other is quite demanding and repetitive. So, hands down, the Queen has it. Also, in the playlist below is the music video, the dance version, a live performance, the Miss Korea music video (REVIEW HERE) and her most recent music video to date: Amor Mio.