Category: KPOP

[Album Review] Running TOOgether (2nd Mini Album) – TOO

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It is time for another album review. And today, I am going dive into a 2020 rookie’s album. I am talking about TOO’s second mini-album, Running TOOgether, which was released around a month ago. It features the title track Count 1, 2 and four additional title tracks. It is my first time reviewing an album from this group. Previously, I was going to review their debut mini-album (Reason For Being: Benevolence) earlier this year, but ended up dropping it from the list due to timing. I might return to that album some time in the future but that might be a while away. For now, here is my album review for TOO’s latest album release.

Running TOOgether Album Cover

1. Count 1, 2 (하나 둘 세고) (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Count 1, 2. (10/10)

2. Step By Step – TOO continues the bright upbeat vibes with the groovy and retro Step By Step. The song is a lot more jam packed and intense, as a result. This is no complaint though, as I find this song to be ideal for a good ‘let loose’ session. The song seems to have various influences from the 70s through to the 90s, including synth drums, brass and disco elements. Everything comes together to be a lively and undeniably catchy track. The chorus is super catchy and memorable. And the energy of Step By Step just extends the song’s appeal even further. The vocals were amazing and the rapping was effortlessly merged into the song. Everything in this song just comes together so well. Even better that it leaves me with a gigantic smile once it wraps up. (10/10)

3. Better – Better is your typical slow pop ballad. It is a nice number to settle to after two awesome upbeat tracks. The instrumental isn’t that ground-breaking as it follows most pop ballads with a drum and piano prominent instrumental. The ending brings in some minute rock influences, but I wished them somehow brought some of this influence a little earlier to give the song some additional life. Vocally, Better really sounds good. The harmonies were the element that initially drew me into the song. TOO definitely boasts solid vocalists and rappers as evident in this track. I just wished their debut track did a better job of highlighting this. (8/10)

4. Taillight – Taillight kicks it up a notch, going for an R&B number. Unfortunately, I found most of the song to be plain. That would be the concise way to describe the song. It just felt like an extension of the preceding track. Other than that, I don’t want to blab on, given that I didn’t notice much in the song. However, I do want to make a short note regarding Taillight’s melody. It was good and soothing. (7/10)

5. Dancing In The Moonlight – Based on what I am reading, Dancing In The Moonlight is actually a remake of 1972’s Dancing In The Moonlight by King Harvest. TOO and the producers of the remake did a really good job of modernizing the song for 2020. I really like the addition of brass to give the song a prominent retro feel and how they all sing together for the chorus. It really bolsters up the song. The trap-based rap sequence in the second verse was probably the most unnecessary inclusion in this version. It just doesn’t tie in with the rest of the song. The rap sequence that featured during the bridge was much more fitting for the retro and brass elements of the song. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

Running TOOgether Teaser Image

[Review] BOY – TREASURE

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I break the catch up transmission with a review for a new release! TREASURE officially makes their debut with the release of the title track BOY. This is YG Entertainment’s latest addition to their company, consisting of 12 members (Hyunsuk, Jihoon, Yoshi, Junkyu, Mashiho, Jaehyuk, Asahi, Yedam, Doyoung, Haruto, Jeongwoo and Junghwan). The group itself was formed through the 2018 trainee survival show, YG Treasure Box. The show formed two male groups to join the YG Family and was collectively 13 members earlier this year. However, Yoonbin left the group prior to their debut and the decision was made to merge the two groups together to form Treasure. The group’s debut was teased since January 2020 and Bang Yedam debuted as a solo act earlier this year as well with Wayo (to be reviewed).

Previously, YG Entertainment has been heavily associated with hip-hop music in the KPOP industry, with some noticeable exceptions. And I think TREASURE, based on BOY, is another one of those exceptions. They stray away from their company’s heavy reliance on hip-hop and goes down more of the pop route for the group’s debut single. I am basing this observation on one song, so there is a chance that the group might end up going for something more towards YG roots in future releases. That being said, the producers still employ a notable YG element in BOY, which I predicted was coming. More on that later. BOY is quite dynamic and intense. I actually felt this at the very start of the song and they managed to continue this throughout the song. I also find the EDM drop (the genre of EDM is so familar but I cannot pinpoint its exact name) in the chorus to be very profound and refreshing. Their vocals and rapping adds to the song’s dynamism and energy. I really like that they were very clear and crisp throughout the song. The song’s memorable hook ‘I just wanna be your boy‘ was handled by Junkyu and Yedam, who both together form a very powerful duo. Definitely members that I will keep an eye out for. However, the song isn’t perfect. The song starts to unravel after Hyunsuk’s shouty bridge. BOY could have done without the anthem-like ending. It is a very overused YG tactic, so it is very plain and boring. It was good the first few times. But since it is now overused, I just roll my eyes at it. It is done to give the song one last hype moment, but I just felt it overwhelmed everything that came prior to it. But apart from that, BOY is definitely a strong debut song.

The music video definitely has great visuals. From the members to the sets, everything looked exciting. On a side note regarding the sets, there seems to be a lot of depth in comparison to other YG music videos. I say this because compared with this video, other recent YG music videos end up looking more like box sets now. The music video does follow a closeup and choreography formula. But there is a lot of dynamism in the music video as well, so I am not as fussed. I really liked the special effects they added during post-production. They helped heighten that level of fun we get from the visuals in the music video, which compliment the song in a variety of ways.

From what I can see, the choreography is going to be superb. The air guitar-like move and the footwork during the chorus looks very impressive. They seem to use their space very well, as seen in the second chorus. The dance break we get as part of the bridge also looked really cool!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

[Review] 2 KIDS – Taemin (SHINee)

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Time to continue this week’s edition of review catch up. Next up on the reviewing list is 2 KIDS, Taemin’s pre-release single for his upcoming comeback. Originally scheduled for July 2020, his comeback had to be pushed back due to an injury. But with the release of 2 KIDS, it seems like we will be seeing him very soon again through his comfirmed two part third studio album, Never Gonna Dance Again. There is no confirmed date for this comeback just yet, but I will endevour to review it as soon as it is released, unlike this review which is many days late. In other news, this Taemin’s first solo comeback since the release of WANT.

While 2 KIDS doesn’t deliver anything epic or powerful as his previous releases, Taemin’s 2 KIDS still manages to fit his discography. Given that this is Taemin, it clearly doesn’t have a wow factor to be given that title track status. And so, it comes off as an ideal side track for his upcoming solo album. The new release features an electronic pop instrumentation that opts for lighter and simpler vibes. Yet, there is an elaborate nature to it that enables Taemin to show off his vocals and performance skills (I will touch on this later on). There is an airy nature to the song, making it perfect song to put on while taking a stroll on a breezy and sunny day. His vocals are breathy throughout the song, which definitely compliments this. This combination is quite refreshing. Taemin’s sentimental and reflective vocals were stunning in this song. You could feel the emotions in his voice as he sings about young love. However, I did feel that the chorus was a little too heavy handed with the autotuned backing. I wished that it was a little lighter in this regard. But it at least gave the song some interesting textures to play with. I also wished that he had more ad-libs towards the end of the song, as this seems like the perfect track for Taemin to show off some of his ad-lib skills. In addition to the ‘wishes’, I wanted the song to be less repetitive. The repetition dried out the song and left it boring, especially towards the end. But overall, 2 KIDS is a solid effort and a definite strong teaser for what is to come.

For this review, I will be combining the music video and performance parts of the usual review together. Why? Well, the music video is essentially a performance piece. We don’t see much choreography during the verses. Instead, we see Taemin act throughout the verses. It looks like he is wandering the streets right after an argument with his lover and is reminiscing about his young love. The choreography comes into play during the choruses. And it is just so captivating to watch. I also love the European city setting of this music video. It just adds such a refined and comforting atmosphere to the video, which contrasts nicely with his pain and emotions that he channels through his choreography.

Song – 8/10
Music Video / Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] DUMDi DUMDi – (G)I-DLE

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Apologies for my absence over the last two days. I will explain myself later on once I get pass the many releases have been left un-reviewed during my absence. Let’s restart the reviews! First up is a Monday release from (G)I-DLE. I actually tried to write a review for DUMDi DUMDi on Monday, but ended up running out of time (as I needed to sleep for work the next day). And here is the review, finally! This is the female group’s first release since their epic Oh My God comeback earlier this year and online concert, I-LAND.

I personally wondered where the group would go after releasing Oh My God. DUMDi DUMDi was not what I had expected. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. First off, it is a very bright and energetic song. And I will compliment the song for that. It is definitely suitable for the Summer season. Secondly, I felt that the song’s instrumental was pretty good. The song does feel quite plain and quite slow during the verses and it doesn’t become exciting and energetic until we reach the chorus. And the EDM we get in the chorus really makes up for the slowness and plainness we got in the verses. The African drums and music influence during select parts added a little something different to the song and it allows the song to standout in the sea of releases we have gotten recently. One of the letdowns of DUMDi DUMDi actually is associated with the instrumental itself. Reflecting over the song retrospectively, it seems like the instrumental is a bit hectic and messy. I wished there was a little bit of more consistency throughout the instrumentation. It sounds good, but it needs to be tied up better. The rapping was probably a skippable section. Sorry Soyeon, but I felt your part was the least memorable in the song. As for the vocals, I am a bit torn about them. Miyeon, in particular, brought an interesting vocal sound to the chorus which makes the song’s chorus memorable. But the more I listen to the song, I can’t help but find the chorus becoming more and more whiny. DUMDi DUMDi has some good and bad aspects. But overall, it is still enjoyable.

The video starts off with a very long ‘context’ preamble, where it specifies that six souls (the members) converge to a motel in the middle of nowhere to spend their ‘most exciting’ day of their lives. Of course, it was fluffed up to be mysterious. But it went by too quickly to actually read while the video was in play mode. The video then begins what seems to be the longest minute and half in KPOP ever. Like most Western films, I felt the entire introductory sequence that introduced each member converging to this motel to be incredibly boring. The Western music did not help. The producers of this video could have directed more time to showing us how the members came together to actually fun. It just feels so random that the members went from being strangers to best friends in a matter of seconds. The rest of the video was essentially of them having a great time, which ties in nicely with the Summer theme. I do have one additional complaint. During some of the solo shots of some of the members, it was quite obvious that the other members were told to sit there and be pretty. I wished they did something in the background rather than sit there and stare at one another or look off into the void.

I can’t but think there are some moves in this choreography that brings me back to their previous releases such as Oh My God and Lion. I am not sure if my eyes are playing trick on me. But other than that observation, the dance was quite fun and energetic, which defintiely suits the song and Summer season.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Review] Who U Are – Kang Daniel

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And now, we return (and kick off) the normal schedule of reviews for new releases this week. First up this week is Kang Daniel, who officially returns with Who U Are, the lead title track off his third mini-album, Magenta. I have opted to write his review first as I was a few days late with his pre-release single, Waves (featuring Jamie and Simon Dominic), last week. I am hoping to avoid that with his actual title track release.

I personally expected Kang Daniel to make his solo debut with a strong and masculine sound. As this is something that would definitely suit his image. But for his solo debut and first comeback, we have seen different and brighter sides of him. And with those tracks, he has definitely solidfied his footing in the industry. So now, he can go back to do a sound/concept like Who U Are, which one might argue to be typical and standard. But despite that, I think Who U Are is great song, just with one major letdown. It starts off with horns that really set the dark atmosphere to the song. We are then thrown into a verse made of a heavy bass drum and a mellow flute sound. When it comes to the chorus, he hits it hard and we are blasted with an amped and slightly angsty version of the verse. I really liked the use of those vocals as part of the instrumental for the post-chorus instrumental hook/dance break. A technique used often, but it is also something that maintains the momentum and energy from the chorus in a trendy manner. The second verse more or less goes with a similar set up, though its bouncy opening is a definite killer part of the song. We are treated generously to his vocals throughout Who U Are. We are also treated handsomely to his powerful rapping, which I don’t remember being a part of his previous solo releases. But while powerful rapping is well suited for this strong sound, I wasn’t impressed with the trap-based backing that his rap segment got. It was pretty generic, cringy and just counteracted the flow of the song. This is exceptionally disapppointing as I was enjoying the attention-grabbing ‘Levitate‘ at the beginning of that sequence. I do commend that the transition back into the final chorus was handled well, though. Apart from that rap sequence, everything else in Who U Are is definitely a solid hit for me.

While the song was about wanting to get to know someone in a bold fashion, I didn’t really under stand the apocalyptic setting that the music video was set in. While it definitely compliments the bold side of the message and the strong sound, I just found the setting to be extreme. Putting that thought aside, Kang Daniel was shown as a masculine figure which I am sure will makes fans excited. I liked the play of colours, going from white to red to blue. I just wished the music video was more than just a closeup and choreography formula.

The choreography for this comeback is really good. It brings out that strong side of the song really well. I liked all the twist turns that he does during the chorus. I also like the one stomp that starts off the chorus each time. That was a powerful moment in the music video and will definitely be a powerful moment on stage. The entire final chorus looks really good as well.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] Paradise – Eric Nam

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Let’s kick the week off by catching up with reviews for a previous release! Don’t worry, I will be typing up reviews for the new releases of the day as per usual. But for now, the focus will be on Eric Nam’s return to the Korean music scene with Paradise, the title track off his fourth mini-album, The Other Side. This comeback comes after his first English album, Before We Begin, which was released at the end of the last year. It also comes after Eric Nam kick started his first world tour, which has been postponed due to the ongoing global pandemic.

If I had to think of one word to describe Paradise, I would pick ‘pleasant’. Everything instrumentally feels quite balanced. This dance song isn’t heavy, but it isn’t too soft. Even during the song’s most loaded section (i.e. the zippy post-chorus instrumental hook), everything felt balanced. And that is a really positive thing to say, as this song could have easily underwhelmed if it didn’t develop at the right moments or add to itself as it went on. I also feel that the instrumental had some really strong moments. The first most notable instrumental sequence has to be the that keyboard-like synth that kicked off the song. That alone was quite new and fresh, opening the song up with promising feelings. The second notable instrumental sequence has to be that post-chorus instrumental hook that I mentioned. There was a bit going on texturally and gave the song an extra boost of warranted energy. As for his vocals, they were very clear and crisp. I really liked how low he went during the bridge. To me, it gave the song that something different to keep it interesting and also enabled some contrasting with the rest of the vocals in the song. I have to be honest that the song isn’t mind-blowing or completely unique. But it has enough to be a pleasant track to put on during the Summer.

The music video seems to be quite confusing. But I think I got a story out of it. Mind you, this is my own interpretation of the music video. It seems like Eric Nam is a bit bored in his usual desk 9-to-5 job at the start of the video. So he purchases a Paradise switch, which he uses to visit a different reality or ‘paradise’. In this alternate reality, or ‘paradise’, he meets another version of himself, who hands him a note that says ‘Live Your Life’ in French. He then finds himself in a bedroom that is growing into a jungle, lost in the darkness and within the TV, in an anti-gravity workplace and finally a movie theatre watching a movie about himself. All of this stops once Eric Nam switches off ‘paradise’ or this alternate reality and returning to his usual life. Based on what I am reading, this video seems to be linked to the current lifestyle we are all living in. Life currently is the ‘paradise’ depicted in the music video, where things aren’t as normal as it was months ago. But eventually, we will return to that normal from months ago, as shown by Eric Nam at the very end of the video.

Eric Nam claims to be horrible at dancing. And while he does look a little stiff on stage, he manages to dance his way through this stage in a way that we have never seen him before. The start of the performance begins with a little illusion of Eric being pulled into the ‘paradise’ and ends with him leaving the ‘paradise’. Everything in between was quite good and I liked how that post-chorus instrumental hook came to look on stage.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Album Review] 回:Song of the Sirens (9th Mini Album) – GFriend

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Today’s album review will be a deep dive into GFriend’s ninth mini-album, 回:Song of the Sirens. This was released two weeks ago and features the group’s latest promotional track, Apple. This comeback is distinctively different to their previous comebacks (such as Crossroads on their eighth mini-album, 回:LABYRINTH, which was released earlier this year). This is another highly reccomended album release from the female group, with a lot of great side tracks. See what I thought about each of the songs below and check them out to see if you agree with me!

回:Song of the Sirens Album Cover

1. Apple (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Apple. (9/10)

2. Eye of The Storm (눈의 시간) – The explosive start of Eye of The Storm really got me hooked to the song. It had Labyrinth (an awesome sidetrack from the group’s previous mini album) type of vibe to it. Unfortuately, the song does not keep to that type of vibe throughout. Such a bummer, as I would have loved a Labyrinth 2.0. Instead, Eye of The Storm opts for smoother pop melody that truly feels like the calm eye of the storm. It feels like an anime OST track, which is an appealing thought to have. I like how the song just keeps going with its fast tempo. It is quite dynamic this way. As for the vocals, I give them a big thumbs up. Their vocals are fluid, flowy and calming, which essentially compliments the title of the song. The melodies are also quite stunning. Overall, a really great start to the sidetracks on this mini album. (9/10)

3. Room of Mirrors (거울의 방) – This time, the start of Room of Mirrors reminds me of the early days of the modern era of KPOP. It actually has a bright and Summery start. As the song enters the first verse, you can feel that the song is a lot moodier than originally thought. The song is more in familiar territory for GFriend with the classical instrumentation. It alone is quite stunning. Paired with the melodies and you have a pretty alluring and beautiful song that is equally as dynamic as the preceding song, in its own way. We get a bit of an electric guitar solo during the bridge just to add to that GFriend familiarity, though the electric guitar does give off slightly different vibes. As like the last song, thumbs up to the vocals. It too is a stunning element of the song. But it is Sin.B’s rapping that really caught my attention and is what really solidified that idea of nostalgia in this song. (9/10)

4. Tarot Cards – One element of Tarot Cards that I like is it just doesn’t stop to take a breath. It might be an overwhelming song to some, as the song literally throws itself at you with its different routes and sounds. But I quite like it due to its exciting and thrilling nature. The start of the song starts off calm, before we are thrown into the fast-paced nature of the song with an opening that feels like the chorus (but it isn’t!). We are then taken on a rollercoaster ride of a choppy yet cohesive first verse that feels like it can be split into 3 distinct parts before being dropped into the actual chorus. And that is just the first verse. The rest of the song follows a similar set up. What makes everything quite cohesive that it collectively comes together to form another anime OST-like song. There was some really memorable parts in this song such as the ‘Shuffle haebwa’ just before the final chorus and the ‘la la la ta ta ta’ post-chorus hook. A definite strong song, in my opinion. (10/10)

5. Crème Brûlée – Crème Brûlée is the ‘odd ball’ song on this album. It doesn’t fit in any of the categories of anime OST or familiar GFriend territory. It is definitely has a playful tone and feels experimental. Good on GFriend for trying something a little different. The only issue is that I find the song to be quite boring. The song has this really dulled wooden xylophone start to it that is quite similar to other instrumentation that we have heard from other artists in the industry. The chorus infuses some trap into the song, but that is also something we have heard quite a bit. Their vocals are quite crisp in this song, so I would give the song that. I will also applaud Sin.B and Umji’s rapping in this song, which is another drawing factor in this song. I want to hear more of this rapping in the future, especially since Sin.B has established herself in a previous song. (7/10)

6. Stairs in The North (북쪽 계단) – We have finally reached the final song on the album and it is a beautiful song to end the album with. Stairs In The North is a classical rock ballad that ticks a lot of the boxes for a nice ballad. Firstly, the rock instrumental is quite refreshing and different to usual ballads. The instrumental break we get as part of the bridge where the electric guitar takes centre stage was a killer part! Secondly, the melody is makes me sway along to the song, which is always a sign for a good ballad. Thirdly, their vocals are stunning in this song. Fourthly, I love how the song felt like it was ending for a brief moment, but they instead got the song to fade out with an extensive instrumental break that I found quite captivating. So far, it is shaping to be a perfect song. However, I am not keen on one small detail. That is the sudden transition between the first chorus and second verse. But apart from that, this is such a pleasant and soothing song to finish up with. (9.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

回:Song of the Sirens Teaser Image

[Review] Gotta Go – Soyou

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The next release that I want to review is Soyou’s solo comeback, Gotta Go. The release came on Tuesday on this week, so I apologise for the delay with the review. However, as I always say ‘better late than never’. Gotta Go features a different sound from the former girl group member and follows the release of her previous solo singles, The Night in 2017 and All Night in 2018. Since 2018, she hasn’t been active much as a solo artist on her own, but rather through collaborations, such as Rain Drop (with Ovan).

I want to break this paragraph into two parts. The first part is based on what I remember of the song from the few times I have played it while it sat on my ‘to review list’. Admittedly, the only thing I could remember from Gotta Go has to the ‘Gara Go‘ that Soyou sings as part of the chorus. This one thing should not be seen as a bad thing, however. It is super catchy and memorable. Unfortuately, the rest of the song was forgettable and I just wished that it lived up to the same standard that the song’s main hook had set. From this point onwards, everything I mention is based on what I note from relistening to Gotta Go. The song contains a fair amount of sass that gives it a interesting colour. The instrumental is quite upbeat in the verses, which add to the that interesting colour. It mainly delves into the tropical genre that is quite common to the Summer season. Though I admit that this direction was a little unexciting, it was still quite decent. I also didn’t enjoy chant bridge. It just felt over the top and the transition to said part from the second chorus was too sudden, so it was pretty overwhelming the first and current listens. I did like the ‘return to the roots of the song’ that followed in the second half of the bridge. Soyou’s vocals were good, with her husky voice being put on full display in this song. Overall, another decent but different style song from Soyou.

The music video for Gotta Go is really good. It starts off with Soyou has part of a fashion show crowd. And while the attention was on the runway, Soyou grabs attention by joining the fashion show without security jumping at her. Interesting. I do like this set up though, as the runway soon becomes her stage for the first chorus. As we dive in the second verse, we are taken behind the scenes of the fashion show. I really like it when she is dancing in the midst of the hectic behind the scenes shots of the fashion show. It just feels very different from most videos and works the choreography shot so naturally into the music video. I also like how she returns to the runway for the final chorus, bringing the video to a close with her walking off the runway. I enjoyed this video and everything looks good. Soyou also has a really sexy figure that she shows off throughout the video, which works with the theme of the video, as well.

The choreography looks good. I liked the use of the piece of fabric. She wraps it around herself and she uses it almost like a curtain during some parts. The chorus also had a memorable move, which was quite nice. I won’t be doing it when I think of the song in the future. But I will definitely imagining the move!

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] Now or Never – APRIL

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It is time to catch up on reviews that I should have reviewed during the week but was unable to for whatever reason. First up is APRIL’s Now or Never, which is the group’s first comeback single since LALALILALA earlier this year. The single is featured on their first special Summer single album, Hello Summer. Prior to this comeback, Naeun was swept in a bullying controversary, which has since been proven to be a lie (as confessed by the person who spread the rumours). It was announced that Naeun would not be promoting this single due to shock. But from what I could see on the group’s comeback stages, Naeun is well and continuing her duties as a APRIL member.

APRIL’s take on a Summer single is pretty much what we have heard previously from other female groups. But that impression changes once we get to the chorus. The surprising incorporation of brass during Now or Never‘s chorus was a pleasant one. But I just wished that it was better mixed into the instrumental. To me, the brass seems like it is between two layers of instrumentation. It comes off alright, but it does not feel as explosive or energetic as the many examples of brass I have heard in KPOP previously. For example, I felt the brass in the song’s pre-chorus was nicely mixed into the instrumental. The brass that faded in the pre-chorus was a great teaser and buildup to the chorus (I had no issues with this). Their shouty ‘Now or Never‘ hook was pretty catchy and I really like the brightness that comes from this element. I also really like the ending, which (to me) added some classy style to this bright and upbeat track. Their vocals were good, but I wished the melodies were a lot more memorable. So far, everything I have described seems positive and neutral. Unfortuately, there is one bad element to the song that I felt was unimaginative and unnecessary. I am talking about the rapping. The short rap line at the end of the chorus is not the issue here though. I find that to be a good addition to the song. The issue is regarding the rap sequence that follows the first chorus. It just felt unneeded and cheesy with its trap-based setup. But apart from that part, Now or Never is still a decent track to bring some freshness to Summer.

The video was nailed perfectly. It is pretty hard to stuff up a Summer themed music video as the things we would associate with the season is quite obvious. Water, sun, sand and smiles. This video had it all. The bright lighting and colourfulness of the video is probably my most favourite aspect as everything just pops right out at you. In terms of content, there isn’t much to the video. Though for a Summer video, you can’t really expect for much, other than the members having fun.

Unfortuately, the choreography for this comeback wasn’t that impressive. Aside from the chorus, the rest of the choreography just didn’t seem as interesting. What I enjoyed in the chorus was that subtle bounce that made it look appealing. That was lacking in the rest of the performance.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Album Review] Monster (1st Mini Album) – Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi

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It is time for another album review. Today’s album in focus belongs to Red Velvet’s first unit, Irene & Seulgi. This duo debuted on earlier this month with Monster as the main promotional track. Two weeks later, the duo followed up with Naughty, which wowed fans (including myself) with its awesome sound and jaw-dropping dance. Both Irene and Seulgi also had solo videos, with Seulgi’s solo video also doubling up as a music video for her Uncover solo that is also on this mini-album. All the links to the songs I mentioned are below. And while listening to each song, why not read my deep dive into the album and the side-tracks.

Monster Album Cover

1. Monster (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Monster. (7/10)

2. Naughty (놀이) (Follow Up Track) – Click here to read the full review for Naughty. (9/10)

3. Diamond – I really like the sensual vibes that we get from Diamond. It is that sleek style of R&B that reminds me of their rendition of Be Natural (previously released back in in 2014). In comparison to that song, Diamond has a bit of more energy to it, thanks to the beat in Diamond’s instrumental. While the instrumental is already quite weak, the song gets stripped at the bridge. Its placement really helped prevent the song from being too consistent, which is a common occurrence with R&B songs like this. The vocals from both members were quite nice throughout this song. They really do suit the R&B style as proven by this track. I also like the diva-vibes that come off the ‘Diamond in the rough’ repetition that opens and closes the song. (8/10)

4. Feel Good – Feel Good continues the R&B sound from the preceding track. This one has more of a kick to it when it comes to the chorus. While there is a consistent backbone that runs throughout most of the song, the chorus features a suitable but typical selection of synths. While the choice of style made sense and felt natural, it lacked uniqueness and memorability. And hence, it did come off as a bore to me. This is quite a pity, because I liked the direction in which the verses and pre-chorus was taking, especially the ramp up to the chorus. I just wanted a little more to the chorus. Not too much to throw the song off balance, however. The vocals were good. They sounded emotionless at times, but I felt that was appropriate when I went through the lyrics about feeling indifferent to their ex-lover and ruining their ex-lover’s life. (7/10)

5. Jelly – I expected Jelly to be a lot more upbeat regardless of their choice of genre. And that was delivered. In fact, I find the instrumental to be teasing us with its playful nature. It is subtle, but likeable. Once again, the vocals are quite good. I liked how they bolstered themselves up by singing together. It added a bit more energy to the song. I also enjoyed the use of brass in the song. It adds to that subtle playful nature that I mentioned. But it does so in a refined way that fits the R&B sound we get on this album. I would have enjoyed the song more if had stronger hooks and melodies. I felt the song lacked memorability due to the two lacking components. I did find the high pitched ‘What’ just before the chorus to have a bit of that memorable factor. But it wasn’t enough. (8/10)

6. Uncover (Seulgi Solo) – Uncover was the special track on the album and performed only by Seulgi. A music video was released for Uncover during the same week when we got the Naughty music video (I think was last week). As expected, Uncover takes on R&B. It is an aesthetic song, based on its abstract and choppy instrumental. I really like the small details in the instrumental, which adds to that aesthetic appeal and some textural components to the song. Her vocals are really nice in this song and adds a smooth flair to the song that the instrumental lacked due to those small details I just mentioned. It isn’t the most memorable song the album, but it definitely is a strong one nonetheless based on music and vocals alone. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.9/10

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[Review] INCEPTION – ATEEZ

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Without a doubt, ATEEZ is one of the groups to look out for during 2020. After a successful year of promotions and non-stop releases, the group rounded out their Treasure series earlier this year with Answer. So what was next for the group? Well, they were meant to embark on their Map The Treasure world tour. But that has been postponed due to the ongoing global health pandemic. And since then, we haven’t heard too much from the group, aside from virtual concerts and some special stages. But that all changed yesterday, after they returned with their fifth mini-album Zero: Fever Part 1. On this mini-album were two tracks (INCEPTION and THANXX) that fans got to vote to become the title track. In the end, INCEPTION was announced as the title track for this comeback.

The entire Treasure series has really built the group a powerful and explosive reputation. That is what I remember and think of the most when I hear of ATEEZ. INCEPTION, to me, felt like it stepped back from this reputation. It felt underwhelming and relatively safe. While it did have a powerful and explosive profile, it neither rivaled or exceeded their past releases, which is disappointing. Take that instrumental break we get after the first chorus. While its placement dared to be a bit different, it felt very weak thanks to the use of unexciting hollow drum synths. That section would have been a great catalyst to amp up the rest of the song and increase the intensity by many magnitudes. But it just fizzled and didn’t really help boost the song. And hence the rest of the instrumental stayed relatively linear and didn’t get exciting as it could have been. The song did have some positive aspects, however. These mainly revolved the members. Its quite a vocally-centric song. The melodies have a pleasant ring to them and I find them to be potentially catchy (I need more listens to confirm this). The rappers did a really good job of increasing intensity in the song. And both aspects come together to form a powerful bridge, which was my pick of best moment. But at large, INCEPTION has all the elements to be their next big track, but it unfortunately underwhelms.

I am confident to say that there is a plot line in this music video, given that the fans got to see story line previews prior to selecting the title track. From what I got out of the lyrics and visuals, it looked liked the members are trying to get back into a dream they once had of their lover. But each time they do so, the setting gets more worse, as if foreshadowing how dangerous this lover is. The music video starts off in a brightly lit classroom (kind of an innocent dream). But later in the video, we see the classroom supposedly ‘lit’ on fire. It gotten so bad that Hongjoong entered a dream of nothing (and from the ending, it looks like he is stuck in that dream). I wonder how the next music video will link up. Everything looked quite good, though I must question whether Seonghwa’s abs reveal was necessary for this particular music video.

Performance-wise, INCEPTION delivered, as well. You can tell that they were extra powerful with their performance given the energy and effort you could see behind each of their moves. I liked how they split into two groups for the second chorus. I also surprisingly enjoyed the dance break they had during the instrumental sequence that I previously described weak. When I listen to the song by itself, it definitely comes off weak. But when you see the moves they put together for that part, it actually helped the sequence come off intense.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Waves – Kang Daniel ft. Simon Dominic & Jamie

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Before I can proceed with any reviews for the newer releases of the week (starting tomorrow), there is still one more Monday release that I need to review. I am talking about Kang Daniel’s pre-release single, Waves, which features both Simon Dominic and Jamie (Jimin from 15&). This is just one of the songs coming our way once Kang Daniel unveils his Magenta mini-album on August 3rd. This comeback is the second of three Colour comebacks that he is embarking on. The first was titled Cyan (and featured the title track 2U) back in March of this year.

Kang Daniel manages to bring together hip-hop melodies and a subtle Latin influence to form Waves. And it is honestly a good sidetrack that really helps grow the anticipation for his upcoming mini-album release. Yes, I specifically mentioned ‘sidetrack’ for a reason. I don’t think the song has what it takes to be given ‘title track’ status, given that it doesn’t have much impact or heft to it. So, its status as a sidetrack is ideal. As mentioned in the introduction to this review, the song features both Simon Dominic and Jamie. It might seem to be a bit much for a song that only lasts three minutes, but Waves is surprisingly balanced and evenly split between all three artists. And each artists had their own thing unique thing to contribute to the track. Kang Daniel kicks off the song with a really cool rap speak delivery of the first verse. He also takes on board the chorus, given that it is his song and that makes the most sense. His vocals seem sleek and matches the sensual vibe of the song. Jamie follows Kang Daniel in the first verse with her nasally voice. She also got an opportunity to rap in the second verse. It isn’t anything intense, but it gives a little teaser of a new side of her that she hasn’t really shown off in her own music just yet. Simon Dominic rounds out the first verse with a short sequence, before returning with a heavier sequence for the second verse and bridge. The deepness in his voice threw me off the first time around, as it contrasted so greatly with the chilled and light nature of Waves‘ instrumental. Overall, Waves is a pretty good teaser of what is to come in less than a weeks time.

The music video is quite good. First of all, I am glad that both Jamie and Simon Dominic are in this music. A lot of the time the featuring artist is not included due to scheduling conflicts or various other reasons. So to see both featuring artists made the video worthwhile to watch. Secondly, how good does Kang Daniel look in this video? His solo shots were very captivating and his outfits (particularly those suit jackets) looked really cool. Thirdly, the sets look unique. Some of the sets look really elegant. Others seemed to be modeled after sewage pipes. Not really a cool place to be. But Kang Daniel, Jamie and Simon Dominic all really make all the sets seems like the place to be. The ending looks a little sinister and might foreshadow next week’s main release.

What I could see from the music video, the choreography looked really promising. I liked how they split off into females and males dancers for the second chorus, while they were all mixed together for the first and second choruses. I couldn’t really focus on a particular move given the unfocused nature of the music video. Though I did detect some attitude mixed into the moves, as I could see from the end of the performance.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Album Review] Sherlock (4th Mini Album) – SHINee

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Last week when I realized that I hadn’t reviewed a particular group in the PAR (Past Album Review) segment, I had a quick search around to see which groups I hadn’t reviewed in this segment yet. And that is how I identified SHINee as the artist to review this week. I wanted to review a studio album from SHINee (as that is what their discography is predominately made up of). But I ran out of time to draft the review up, so today I opted to look at a mini-album instead. And when you think of SHINee, you think of ‘SHINee’s Back‘. So today, I will be reviewing the Sherlock mini-album which was released way back in 2012.

Sherlock Album Cover

1. Sherlock (Clue + Note) – Originally, I gave a 9.5/10 for Sherlock, factoring the song, video and performance. Given its iconic status and very powerful appeal, I have decided to bump Sherlock to that 10/10 rating. Click here for the full review of Sherlock (Clue + Note). (10/10)

2. Clue – For those who don’t know, Clue is one of the tracks that was mashed together with another on this album to form Sherlock. The title track made Clue’s ‘SHINee’s Back’ whisper and instrumental introduction forever iconic. It is also the birth-song of Sherlock’s first verse, the second part of Sherlock’s bridge of the title track and majority of the instrumental. With the rest of the song, the melody of the sections taken to Sherlock was continued. What I didn’t like about the song is that it doesn’t really feature a chorus. You could argue that what served as Sherlock’s pre-chorus was Clue’s chorus. However, I would say otherwise as it just wasn’t memorable enough to be a chorus. Though this might be my favouritism for Sherlock speaking. Regardless, Clue felt very incomplete because of this ‘missing chorus’. Two other aspects (one is positive and the other isn’t so much) of the song stood out for me. The positive aspect was Jonghyun’s adlib in the first half of the bridge. That felt cool and really added a colourful tinge to the song. The not-so-positive aspect was the abrupt ending, which is an element that I don’t like in any song to this day. (8/10)

3. Note – Note is the other ‘half’ of the mashup that formed Sherlock. When it first started, it felt like a completely different track as it had a slightly different instrumental. But as the song progressed, we approach the familiar sequences we can also find in Sherlock, such as the choruses, the pre-choruses, Key and Minho’s rap sequence that follows the chorus, the first half of Sherlock’s bridge and the closing sequence. As this song has a chorus (or the chorus, depending on how you think of it), it felt more complete. And since the chorus is quite powerful in both songs, the rest of Note reflected this by incorporating powerful vocals in the other parts of the song (i.e. the verses). I don’t really have much else to say regarding this song as nothing really stood out for me. But Note was still a good song. (8.5/10)

4. Alarm Clock (알람시계) – The next track on this album delves into the R&B genre and delivers an impressive display of the group’s vocals. Every member sounds superb in their own sections and I really liked how the members came together for the chorus. Their voices also do an amazing job of showcasing the song’s stunning melodies, which in turn helped the song become memorable and quite flowy. I also like Minho’s deep tone rap sequence at the end. It was so suitable for the song’s dramatic and emotional atmosphere. It was also served as an impactful ending for this nice song. I did think Alarm Clock‘s instrumental was a little standard for the genre. But it served as a great canvas for the member’s voices. I also really liked the twirling effect/sound they had going in the background, which added something different to the otherwise straightforward R&B instrumental. (9/10)

5. The Reason – The Reason follows a similar setup to the preceding song, where all the members contribute to the chorus by singing together. But some of the members do get an opportunity to shine amongst each other during the chorus. Regardless, all of these vocals and techniques come together to create one of the best sidetracks EVER. I admit that it has been a while since I have heard the song. But that makes relistening to The Reason so much better as it just blows me away, especially as the song approaches and enters the first chorus. The song is a ballad, but the instrumental is a little more modern with the use of electronic synths on top of a standard classical instrumental. It also features a substantial guitar solo that is just the icing on the cake for this song. I would love the opportunity to hear this song live one day, as I am sure it will be even more blissful in that setting. (10/10)

6. Stranger (낯선자) – From my understanding, Stranger was a single from one of the group’s Japanese album and also served as an OST for a Korean, Japanese and Chinese series. Stranger is okay as a sidetrack. I really liked the nostalgia that the song with how it started with the vibrating synths. The melodies remind me of OST of various dramas that I have watched while I was younger, so there is that sense of nostalgia as well. I also found it to be quite addictive and catchy, as a result of those melodies. But in comparison to the other songs on this album, Stranger feels quite weak vocally. It didn’t have that impressive vocal oomph that the other song had. I know the song may not be suitable for powerhouse vocals. But given that is what I have heard so far on this album, Stranger, unfortunately, feels like the odd one out. (7/10)

7. Honesty – The album ends with an acoustic track that puts the limelight on their vocals. While it isn’t powerhouse vocals, what we get in Honesty suitable for the acoustic nature of the song. And even then, SHINee pushes themselves in that direction. It is a casual song and is a lot lighter compared to the rest of the album. With that mindset, I find Honesty to be a pleasant album ender. It might also be different to the rest of the album as Stranger had also felt. But its placement was well thought out and the song served its purpose wonderfully. I love how the song ends with both Minho’s rapping, Jonghyun’s ad-lib and the fade out of the acoustic guitar. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

Sherlock Teaser Image

[Review] Lonely Night – Yoon Do Jun (HIGHLIGHT)

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It has also been a while since we heard from HIGHLIGHT. That is because HIGHLIGHT has reached that stage of their lives where they needed to enlist into the military, a hurdle that all male KPOP idols have to overcome. Yoon Du Jun finished his enlistment earlier in the year and is currently awaiting the return of his fellow members before promoting under the name of HIGHLIGHT once again. But while he is waiting, Yoon Du Jun jumped right back into music promotions with his solo debut! Today, Yoon Du Jun released his first mini-album, Daybreak, which features the title track, Lonely Night.

Given that Yoon Du Jun has been active in the music industry through his works with HIGHLIGHT (or Beast), I wasn’t exactly sure what direction he would take his solo work with. Lonely Night seems to be a R&B dance track and I have concluded that this really suits him. There is that sleek feel to the song which one would commonly associate with R&B. But the rest of the instrumentation indicates something a little heavier and more upbeat, like a song that you would associate with choreography. And the combination of the two that results in Lonely Night creates a classy atmosphere and an engaging energy that draws my fingers and mouse pointer back to the replay button. What I also really enjoy in this song is his vocals. I never really picked up on Yoon Du Jun’s vocals during his group promotions before. But here, it sounds like he has been the main vocalist of his group since forever and that I have completely overlooked him. His vocals have a subtle husky nature to them that I really enjoyed. During the chorus, his harmonies with his own backing vocals was superb. There was also interesting melodies/delivery, such as the opening sequence to the second verse. Overall, Lonely Night was a great debut track and does Yoon Du Jun’s vocals justice.

The song is about the loneliness that he feels after a busy day. The feeling comes during the night, as during the day he has to pretend that he is okay. Throughout the video, we see Yoon Du Jun throughout the night, all alone. The way I see this video is that regardless of what life he lives, he will always be lonely. The first half of the video makes it looks like he is rich and he gives off movie star vibes. It looks like he was just part of a fight, so I am assuming he is an action movie star. But at night, he goes to the bar and drinks alone, which draws our attention to his loneliness. The people around him looks in his direction because I presume they recognise him due to his movie star status. The second part of the music video shows Yoon Du Jun living a humble ordinary life in his apartment. There isn’t people there to highlight his loneliness. Rather the director chose to have everything around him frozen in midair, while Yoon Du Jun moves about normally. That was a clever way of showing his loneliness in a more profound and explicit manner. The rest of the video showed Yoon Du Jun alone in multiple contexts, all complimenting the song’s lyrics.

At this stage, there is no choreography for this comeback. I am not entirely sure whether he will be promoting his solo debut. I do hope he does and if we get a stage version of this performance, I will come back to update the review accordingly. For now, I will keep the ‘overall rating’ focused on the song and video.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

[Review] MIL (Make It Love) – Song Ji Eun

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It has been a while since we have heard from Secret, one of my favourite female groups in the KPOP industry. The most recent news of Secret (as a group) was the unfortunate news of their disbandment, which occurred in 2018 when Song Ji Eun (and fellow member Jun Hyo Sung) left TS Entertainment. Since the news of her departure and the group’s disbandment, Song Ji Eun has been active as an actress. For the most part, she has been absent from the music scene, with her last release being the 2016 Bobby Doll. However, that all changed yesterday with Song Ji Eun returning as a solo artists yesterday with the title track MIL (Make It Love) and her third mini-album, Dream.

If you travel back in time on this blog, you will notice that I was a super duper big fan of Song Ji Eun’s solo releases. My personal favorites have to be Hope Torture and Don’t Look At Me Like That, while Pretty 25 (which I reviewed as a bad song initially) has grown tremendously on me. But that’s a brief trip down my memory lane. With her most recent release, all I can do is yawn at MIL. MIL lacks all character that she had built up previously. Sure, she may have decided that she needs a new sound, since those previous releases are quite dated (going back in 2013). But she could have picked genres that are a lot more exciting and different, as her previous releases have been just that. Instead, she opts for an overused tropical synth based instrumental. It is something that feels very mid to late last decade. On a slightly more positive note, MIL has nice and easy to follow melodies. And the hooks were catchy. However, I do feel that the instrumental weighs these more positive comments down. The most positive comment I can give regarding this song (that is untouched by the instrumental) is that I like her voice. Personally, I miss her voice and MIL gives a nice dosage of her voice.

The lack of choreography in the music video suggests to me that Song Ji Eun isn’t promoting this song. That kind of stuck out at me, as I was hoping to see more of her in the coming weeks (so I can admire her beauty and continually remind myself of the good old days of teenage me fanboying over her). Instead, MIL features a bunch of cute shots of her singing and having a bit of fun. But this music video is a good opportunity to refamiliarise ourselves with the solo artist and her good looks (she literally doesn’t look like she has aged), it felt dry to watch. I wanted more people to be in the video to make the fun look more convincing. I wanted a memorable atmosphere to be created and help compensate the lacking points of the song. For example, a poolside party concept would be suitable. It works with what she already has planned here and it creates a more enjoyable and fun atmosphere. And a poolside party would compliment the tropical synths we had heard in the song. Don’t misunderstand, there isn’t really any issue with a music video of just her. I am just extending the idea of the video to make it go one step further.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Overall Rating – 5.4/10

[Album Review] Equal (1st Mini Album) – WOODZ

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A month ago, WOODZ (aka. Cho Seung Youn) returned as a solo artist with his first mini-album, Equal. It featured the title track Love Me Harder (link for it down below). And now a month from its release, it is time for its album review. I hope this comeback has not been swept under a rug. Both the song and album (which I can say from today) is very underrated and needs more attention! But for those who may still be unfamiliar with WOODZ, here is a quick introduction. He is a member of UNIQ (the group currently on hiatus, and each member is focusing on solo activities) and was formerly apart of X1 (which has now disbanded). He has been active previously as a solo artist during the time between UNIQ and his appearance on Produce X 101, where he placed 5th overall. But the difference now is that his popularity has skyrocketed as a result to Produce X 101 and X1. And now, here is the review!

Equal Album Cover

1. Lift Up – For an opening track, Lift Up basically holds my attention hostage from whatever I was doing prior to listening to the song. I find that to be a very positive feature of the song, as that is what I want with the first track on the album. The start features a heavily autotuned deep voice, breathy sounds and dramatic strikes of instrumentation. We then move into the verses, which is probably what I want to describe as the ‘calm before the storm’, with the storm being the shouty chorus we get in Lift Up. It might be overwhelming the first time around for some, but I really like the thrilling nature. I liked the rough texture his voice brings to the song and the different textures we get in the background throughout the song, as well (such as the barking dogs and the flute in the second verse). It adds something different and captivating around each corner. I would have liked it if his pronunciation was a little clearer in the chorus. It didn’t occur to me that he was singing/shouting English lyrics until I searched up the lyrics. This was the only issue I had with Lift Up, otherwise it would have been deemed a 10/10 song. (9.5/10)

2. Accident – Accident is a smooth R&B track, placed cleverly after the intense and possibly overwhelming start to this album. It provides relief but does so in a way that continues the R&B momentum of the album. It starts off with a rock sound and it brews with that mindset. But it settles for the R&B as it progresses and loses that idea of going in a rock direction. Sure, this track may not be as powerful sounding song. But the lyrics are definitely quite heavy and may be as abrasive as how the preceding track sounds. Based on what I can understand, it seems like there is a toxic relationship, where pain is inflicted by one side and the other side accepts the pain as an ‘accident’. Not really a good message to put forward but it shows how willing one would go to get to know someone (but alas, in a twisted way). Aside from that, Accident show WOODZ’s vocals in a very memorable and epic manner. You can sense desperation and willingness in this voice, which would suit the twisted message that the song has. (9/10)

3. Love Me Harder (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Love Me Harder. (9/10)

4. NOID – For some reason, the start of this song takes me back to Mamamoo’s HIP. Though, NOID is a lot darker and sinister. Once again, it delves into the R&B genre. But there is a groovy and subtle upbeat energy to the song. What the song does best is it shows off WOODZ’s vocals in an impressive manner. It compliments that subtle upbeat nature that I had mentioned just before as his vocals provide a slight kick to the song as well. And altogether, it is a good song. But in comparison to the rest of the album, I felt NOID was a little safe. This is more of an observation and I personally don’t mind this ‘safe’ connotation. It helps keeps the album grounded and doesn’t overload us with sounds or songs that could overwhelm us. (8/10)

5. Waikiki (ft. Colde) – With R&B being the main genre on this album, I was wondering when the sensual R&B vibes would kick in. Well, Waikiki answers that question. There isn’t much to the instrumental other than the clapping percussion and that very low humming we get in the background. We get more instrumentals added to the song as its progresses, but it isn’t really a massive difference. Despite its minimalist sounds, it is the artists that give the song its sensual vibes. Waikiki is driven by the melody that both WOODZ and Colde brings to the song via their delivery of their lines. I also found the contrast between the two artists to be very intriguing. WOODZ was at a somewhat higher pitch, while Colde stayed relatively low with his autotuned voice. It gives the song stability and really compliments the minimalist vibes. It isn’t my personal cup of tea, but it was very well executed. (8/10)

6. Buck (ft. Punchnello) – Buck is very different to what we have heard so far on this album. It is very energetic and packs a subtle punch. It also feels quite experimental. It takes more of a hip-hop profile rather than the R&B we heard on this album. It feels playful and carefree, in a way. The beat also seems very jabby. Nothing feels elongated or lasts for a substantial amount of time (relative to the length of the track). And I quite like this effect. Buck also features Punchnello and he brings a fast tempo to the song with his delivery, whereas WOODZ sounded mid-tempo. I also like it when they reach the back end of their verses, which featured a little more energy and urgency in their delivery. It adds more energy to the song in a way that compliments their rapping delivery. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I find Buck to be a hidden gem on this album. (10/10)

7. Memories – WOODZ continues the divergence from the heavy R&B nature of the album with Memories. It is a ballad, as I had somehow expected from the title. I just had a feeling with such a sentimental title. What Memories (and this album, at large) has proven to me is how versatile WOODZ is. And this isn’t an observation of the songs. Even his voices have changed in each song, showing that he is fitting for many styles. In Memories, he sounds very blissful and his harmonies are breathtaking. Especially since he is rapper in both his previous groups. The instrumental is a little typical, going with a piano and drum set up. What I also enjoyed is the use of electric guitar throughout. It doesn’t make Memories unique, but I find it as a centerpiece to be quite refreshing. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

Equal Teaser Image