KPOP – Page 109 – KPOPREVIEWED

[Review] pporappippam – Sunmi

June 29, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Sunmi5 Comments

The second comeback of the day belongs to Sunmi, who is make her comeback with pporappippam. This is Sunmi first comeback since the release of the LALALAY in August of last year. Earlier in the year, Sunmi released Gotta Go, which is part of the official soundtrack for XX (a Korean drama). Interestingly, this OST has a choreography version, which is rare in the world of OST releases in KPOP. I didn’t get around to reviewing it as it is an OST, but maybe I will be in the future (hint hint!).

What jumps right out at me is the retro feel that pporappippam has. More specifically, its music profile revolves around 80s disco. An upbeat retro like this one in Summer, which sounds very refined and also very Sunmi-like, feels very refreshing and appealing. The violins at the start had a very intriguing feel to them. And I like how the funky guitar peeks through the instrumental verses, before going full blast for the chorus. I also enjoyed the bass during the pre-chorus, which helped build the song towards the upbeat chorus. The bridge revisits those violins from the start and I liked the peacefulness that comes from this section. A very fun and captivating instrumental, if you asked me. As for the other elements in this song, they were also quite good. Sunmi’s vocals are pretty plain in this song but I am sure she (or the producers) intended for it this way so that the vocals do not mask the greatness of the instrumental. But while they are plain, they are also quite light and airy, which helps with the refreshing appeal of this song. The hooks are quite memorable and the melodies replay in my head even after the song had stopped playing. All signs of a great song.

While I like a good plotline in a video, I also do like it when there isn’t one. Though, they have to compensate with interesting visual elements to earn that like. And the prime examples of music videos that do just this are Sunmi’s. There is just always something captivating with Sunmi’s closeups that work so wonderfully on their own. It might be her visuals or her expressionless facial expressions she always put on, such as at the end of this video. Note that she is quite happy and all smiles throughout the music video, which shows experiencing the positive sides of being in love with her partner. I really like how the music video emphasis the colour purple, which she refers to quite often throughout the music video. Doing some research, the colour purple in dreams symbolises intimacy, affection and devotion, which is highly appropriate for her video.

I really like the dancers’ big brim hats. They add a very interesting vibe to the performance. I also like their use at the end of the performance. While her performance during the initial and second choruses was pretty good, I found the bridge and final chorus routine to be the most captivating. Final chorus because more people were present to fill out the stage and help give a strong end to the performance. The bridge because Sunmi walks on her dancers and falls into their arms. It looks glamourous when Sunmi does it.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Maria – Hwasa (Mamamoo)

June 29, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged HWASA (MAMAMOO), MAMAMOO2 Comments

It is one busy Monday with a total of four releases that I intend to review as soon as possible (may need to split over a few days to get them done). First up is Hwasa’s solo comeback. Hwasa made her official solo debut at the start of the year with the hit, Twit. That, however, was only a single and actually features on her first mini-album, which shares the same name as her new title track, Maria. She is also the third member of Mamamoo to release a solo single this year, following Moonbyul and Solar, with Eclipse and Spit It Out (respectively).

If we were to judge the song based on its title, we would be expecting Maria to go full steam ahead with the Latin influence, the trend that KPOP in Summer probably will never escape. Mamamoo too also contributed to this trend with the release of Egotistic in 2018. But don’t be too quick to judge, as the Latin influence is very small. In fact, it localised just to the dance break, which gives off energy in a very fashionable sense for this song. Its presence doesn’t necessarily fit in the rest of the song, but it is definitely needed. The rest of Maria seems like a blank canvas, in terms of its instrumental. Sure, it is an upbeat and, at times, intense track. But apart from a minimal amount of synths, the instrumental is quite plain. It isn’t plain in a dull way though, as the vocals give the song some much-needed action and Hwasa’s vocals help fill in those gaps. I really like her nasally delivery during the verses and her raspy whisper that kicks off the chorus. I also a fan of her vocalisation in the latter half of the chorus, which is where the song gets a little intense and sensual. Together, it forms a decent song that plays towards Hwasa’s strength as a performer and vocalist. Maybe a more captivating instrumental would have been more appealing and made this into a winning track.

The music video reflects the lyrics well. We see Hwasa being hurt by others at the very start of the music video with all the photographers taking photos of her body at a crime scene and all those people providing a lighter for the cigarette she is holding. In the hospital, she is surrounded by all these pencils pointed towards her, as well. But what the music video also shows is that she gets up and stands up for herself. We see that during the hospital scene once again, where she escaped the pointy pencils and walks down the hall as if she never had that encounter. The start where she is serving a heart seems to be her bouncing back as it looked like she just killed the person who hurt her and serving it to other people who are going to hurt her. That is just my take on the video though, so there can be many other views out there. For the other elements in of the video, the sets and the camera work during her solo shots were nice. Some of her closeups in the choregrahpy shots were a little ‘in your face’ for me, as I wanted to see more of the choreography.

The one thing I really like about Hwasa is that she doesn’t hold back. If the performance is going to be sensual, then she will make it happen. We have seen that through her solo stages at award shows. While I am sure this performance will get some flack in Korea, it looks pretty good. There is a fair amount of hip grinding action in the chorus which seems very bold and I liked how the final chorus had a different routine to feature both genders of dancers and end the song with a more powerful vibe.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Album Review] Twilight Zone (3rd Mini Album) – Ha Sung Woon

June 27, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Ha Sung Woon1 Comment

Feature Image of Ha Sung Woon's Album, Twilight Zone

Ha Sung Woon made his return earlier this month with Get Ready, which is the title track off his 3rd mini-album, Twilight Zone. I have already reviewed the song on the day of its release and now it is time for the album to be reviewed. As an overall summary (but not to spoil all my thoughts on the album), it is definitely a high quality sounding album with a lot of great tracks. For more detailed views on each of the song, you will need to continue reading. Let’s see how his sidetracks faired.

1. Lazy Lovers – Opening up Twilight Zone is Lazy Lovers, which is a nice pop track that showcases Ha Sung Woon talents in an easygoing and trendy manner. The track is quite upbeat, features a strong retro rhythm and has a subtle funkiness that eases you into the next song. I also like his voice in this song. He switches between a falsetto and a standard pitch, which gives the song some texture in terms of his voice. The melodies and hooks to the song were also quite enjoyable. While they were relatively mild, there was a decent level of appeal to them, which helped make this song a good entrance piece for the album. (8/10)

2. Get Ready (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Get Ready. (7.5/10)

3. Puzzle – Puzzle is another dance-pop track that has an appealing instrumental. It is also another enjoyable track, though I do not that it just doesn’t get past that ‘enjoyable’ label (i.e. it could have been exciting as a possible next level descriptor). The song features heavy bass during the chorus to give it that driving force and this contrasts with the lighter verse. I also like how ‘jabby’ the chorus instrumental felt, which felt fun and appealing. So were the melodies, his vocals and the ‘Fill in the blanks for me’ hooks, which ties into the song’s message quite nicely (i.e. the person he is singing to is the missing puzzle piece in his life). (8/10)

4. Lie – To me, Lie is the hidden gem on this album. It sounds like a pop-rock ballad, which is something that I really enjoy. Ha Sung Woon’s vocals bring a nice colour to the song and there is a subtle level of emotion that makes it appealing. It isn’t heavy-handed, allowing this song to be a great song to be playing in the background on a relaxing day. I really like the melodies in this song, especially when it came to the chorus. The ‘Lie’ in the chorus was pretty memorable. On a side note regarding his vocals, he sounded a lot like Kim Sung Gyu (leader and main vocalist of Infinite) in this song. It also doesn’t help that the genre is also commonly associated with Kim Sung Gyu as well. I had to do a double-take while listening to this song to ensure I didn’t actually click on a Kim Sung Gyu song. But no, it is Ha Sung Woon and I think this is a great compliment, especially since Kim Sung Gyu is one of my favourite vocalists. (10/10)

5. Curiou’s (궁금‘s) – We now return to an undeniably fun number. In comparison to the other songs on this album, it might feel a little overwhelming to some. But I don’t mind it. Once again, I really like the melodies in this song. The melodies are a lot more playful and refreshing to me, which is a really strong appealing point. I also like the energy that his voice adds to the song. The instrumental feel just right and I liked the textural components to it. To me, it easily could have been a follow-up release to Bird, as it seems to have similar energy (just this one is a lot more amped up). The only troubling issue with the song is the title and the presence of the apostrophe. I don’t think it was ever explained, nor is it referenced in the song (though the Hangul is apostrophed, though I m unsure of the significance of this). So, I am a little confused with it. But other than that, another great song. (9/10)

6. Twinkle Twinkle – The jazzy vibes to the instrumental and the way Ha Sung Woon’s vocals sound during the verses are probably its memorable moments. It is also the only song to really have my attention grabbed from the start, as it definitely puts it best foot forward first. As the song progresses, his vocals get better, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also really like how his vocals are in the forefront of the song. They come off strong and very bold, whilst the instrumental only feels like an accompaniment. It is an odd balance, but one that pays off. It ends the album on a very positive note. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] How You Like That – BLACKPINK

June 26, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged BLACKPINK5 Comments

It has been over a year since BLACKPINK made their comeback with Kill This Love and fans have been wanting more ever since. And after that gruelling long wait, BLACKPINK has finally returned with a new single, How You Like That. It is said that 2020 is going to be a big year for the group, as they are ‘confirmed’ for their album, which will be due in September 2020. Well, at least YG Entertainment claims so. We will have to wait for its actual release to actually believe it, given YG Entertainment’s track record with BLACKPINK’s past releases and the ‘promised’ solo singles for Rose, Lisa and Jisoo (these have been ‘confirmed’ for later in the year). But until then, we have How You Like That to relieve that BLACKPINK itch.

You might already know where this review is heading if I am going to say that the most enjoyable part of the song is the ending sequence. This is where the song delivers an instrumental piece that is both powerful and enjoyable for a number of reasons. The first reason was that everything before that was extremely lacklustre and boring. It failed to excite me, hype me, maintain suspense or capture my attention. The first verse was okay, but it needed a powerful drop once it got to the chorus to enforce the preceding section. Instead, the chorus opted for a dry and bland drop. It was quite emotionless, to put it frankly and this resulted in drying out the first verse as well. I know the final sequence is just an extension of the chorus (as you can hear the chorus behind the increased tempo and heavy beats), but it was something that that I was looking for because it added momentum and energy to the song. The rapping and vocal work were quite good. I liked how Lisa’s rapping really helped make up for the lost momentum of the chorus, delivering some impact. If only the instrumental was more interesting to help support that mindset. I will also give the song its How You Like That chorus hook, for the exact same reason. Another thing that I noticed as I listened to the song for the first time early tonight – I had the thought that How You Like That was a Kill This Love or Ddu Du Ddu Du version 2.0 as it basically went for the same formula. For their upcoming release, I would love to hear something that strays away from the same formula and hopefully is a lot more exciting to this than compared to this song.

It is a YG video and it expected that it will be a good music video. And I feel like they hit that mark, once again. The colours are very vivid, the lighting puts everything into focus and most importantly, the video highlights all the pretty visuals of the group. I really liked how their outfits and looks really had a wow factor to them in this video, which made it more captivating to watch. The same thing can be said about the set design. My favourite looks in this music video include Jisoo’s headwear that accompanies her red outfit, Rose’s casual outfit when she rips off the flower blindfold, Lisa’s red hair, Jennie’s look under the umbrellas, their dark angel dresses and all their outfits for the final sequence.

Dance wise, I thought it was a good routine. There is a lot of attitude in the choreography to support the chorus and this fits well with the lyrics of being better after breaking up with someone who doubted them. I also really like the strut they did as they launch right into the final sequence. Attitude and definitely boldness to kick off the best part of the song. I did think the line was a little odd. But it still worked.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.8/10

[Review] Stand By You – A.C.E

June 23, 2020September 3, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged A.C.E2 Comments

Ahead of the official release of a digital single tomorrow, A.C.E has unveiled the music video for their new release, Stand By You. We last saw the group thought their Savage promotions back in November of last year. Since then, we haven’t heard much from the group. While that is the case for the last few months, it seems like we will be seeing A.C.E more in the foreseeable future. The music video for this release ends with the title card ‘A.C.E: the beginning’, along with the member’s nametags on a window sill. What does this all mean? I guess we will know in due time. In the meanwhile, here is my review for Stand By You.

Stand By You is unlike the songs that I know A.C.E for. For those who are unfamiliar with A.C.E, they are commonly associated with powerful EDM dance tracks. I am not familiar what their side tracks are like, unfortunately, so maybe something a long the lines of Stand By You has popped up before. But for me personally, Stand By You is very different. It is a soft rock ballad that brings out the vocals of all the members. There isn’t much to the song in terms of complexity, which the group is widely known for through their title tracks. The instrumental feels like your typical soft rock track. It isn’t bad in any way. It is rather light and quite calming. It just doesn’t have a unique factor to it, if you were to compare it other soft rock ballads. But this allows their vocals to be in the forefront of the song and the song does an amazing job of showcasing the member’s vocals. The harmonies that come about in the song and the lightness of the song feels very youthful and innocent, which comes into play when I will discuss their music video in a bit. Overall, I quite liked the track. Everything comes together well, giving the song a refreshing tone. Other than the vocals and the instrumental, I don’t think there is enough to make this song memorable. As just a digital single, it could get lost in the mix of various comebacks we expect in the coming weeks. But there is enough for me to enjoy with an occasion listen or if it popped up on my playlist.

The music video is definitely the beginning (or sequel) to something a lot darker. It opens up with Jun narrating over a scene where he is kneeling in the rain, in front of a girl. He says ‘The world rejected me, so I tried to burn it down. But then I no longer had a world. When I opened my eyes, inside the prison that is my heart, I discovered a cactus reflected in a small mirror‘, whilst crying and shivering in the cold. The scene is quite dark, contrasting with the many light scenes that follow. The video then flips to the same girl in a classroom. Interestingly, she is alone and goes to the one table in the classroom. She fumbles around and opens a diary, where a photo flies out. She leans down to pick it up and we then see Jun looking up back at her (and the other members in the classroom). The photo is of all of them wearing coloured skirts and a feathered headband. They plan an outing and we get some sort of indication of the members having a crush on the girl. We don’t know for sure yet, but there seems to be some awkwardness while they plan the outing. The members turn up to school one day with a gold cart and with their female friend, they embark on their trip. The golf cart breaks down and they all set up camp under the stars. It is there they dress up in coloured skirts and a feathered headband. Not sure what this means, but it seems like this all occurred before (based on the photo). The next day, they all turn up onto the beach. While their friend takes in the sights, the members hang back. For a moment there, the members look at her fondly, as if they are all watching over her. She realizes something, turns back and the members are no longer there. She then grabs something from her pocket and becomes emotional about it. This music video definitely brings forward a lot of questions and definitely leaves me intrigued for what is to come.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] ONE (Lucid Dream) – Golden Child

June 23, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Golden Child2 Comments

Recently, Golden Child participated in Road To Kingdom but was eliminated after the first round for having the least amount of points out of all the teams. If you are interested in my thoughts of their performances in the competition, you can view Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the special review series. But while the group did not last as long as we hoped, they announced their comeback soon after and hence why we are all here today. Golden Child returned today with their 4th mini-album, Take A Leap, which features the title track, ONE (Lucid Dream). The group pre-released the music video for this comeback 18 hours prior to the official release, but I was asleep then and was not able to review it. Instead, the group has landed on the top of my review list, so let’s get cracking.

The group has definitely gained attention with their dark sound and mature change, which contrasts greatly from their more brighter and energetic releases. In addition to that, Wannabe and Without You has become some of their best works in my opinion. But it seems like Golden Child hasn’t completely unleashed their new sound as ONE (Lucid Dream) raises the bar even higher than those other tracks can reach. The song’s instrumentation is quite unique and individualistic, something that will definitely allow the group to standout in a sea of typical and generic releases that will be due throughout Summer. The verses are made up of a very strong electronic vibrating synth and strong thumping beats. It feels quite grounded and impactful. The pre-chorus opts out of those two elements and goes for a more floating-like vibe, which really adds some smoothness to the roughened song. The chorus opts for some funky beats that adds character to the song and this fuses with some violins in the second half. The hooks just glide over and this too helps gives the song some smoothness. From where the song’s bridge should have started, ONE opted for with heavily distorted and high pitched vocals that form part of an instrumental break, before throwing us into dance break to end the song. I feel like Golden Child could have kicked it up a notch in this section to give the song a much needed climax. It just feels like a missed opportunity in my opinion. After all, they ended the song without diving into a final chorus. But it is still a very strong piece, regardless thanks to everything they had set up prior. The vocal work and rapping delivery are just on point. I liked how they kept their vocals relatively linear in comparison to the instrumental. This really helps add definition to the background and adds some contrast (that you know I like). My favourite part has to be the whispering in the first verse! Overall, a very strong effort, just a shy away from that perfect label.

So I wasn’t aware that Wannabe, Without You and ONE (Lucid Dream) were a trilogy until I scrolled through the comments to see what some viewers thoughts on the music video were. Why am I always the last one to find out that a string of comebacks are trilogies or a series of some kind? Based on those comments, Wannabe was about becoming the best version of oneself. Without You was getting lost in that idea. ONE is about realizing that best version of oneself was them originally. That is a pretty interesting interpretation of all the music videos. As for ONE by itself, the visuals for this music video was really cool. The visual effects were very strong. For the some of the individual scenes, I couldn’t tell if they were dreams or nightmares, which forced me to watch the music video a few times this morning to try to work it out. Some of them were obvious, others were a little hard to decipher. But I can agree that all of them were aesthetic.

This performance is very captivating. It, in a visual sense, looks very aesthetic as well. I really liked how they made it punchy once the song enters the first verse. I like how there was a lot of twisty formations and ‘over and under’ type of movements as they move around. The moves for the chorus has this subtle smoothness to it which matches perfectly with the music. And the dance break ends the performance on a very strong sense.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.5/10

[Review] Left & Right – SEVENTEEN

June 22, 2020June 22, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged SEVENTEEN2 Comments

Giving us directions into this week is SEVENTEEN. The 13 member male group makes their grand return comeback with their 7th mini-album, Journey of Youth or Heng:garæ, and the title track Left & Right. Alongside Left & Right, the group also pre-released My My (which I reviewed already). In the My My review, I said that Us, Again was another pre-release track for this new mini-album. But upon the album’s release, I see that this single is not part of their 7th mini-album and is just a fan single (with no formal release aside from the lyric video they dropped a few weeks back). Aside from that little note, let’s see where SEVENTEEN is going to take us with this release.

SEVENTEEN has been focusing on very mature and dark sounds over their last few releases. As it is Summer time in South Korea, the group’s new single takes on a more energetic and upbeat feel to suit the season full of bright energy and colour. Left & Right takes on a modern hip-hop sound, a different style to what SEVENTEEN has released before. This might because SVENTEEN had retained that mature sound from their previous comebacks, whilst infusing it with a brighter sound. And it is because of this that I find Left & Right is unlike their previous Summer tracks, such as Oh My or Aju Nice, which each had a teenage vibe to it. And unlike those tracks, I find the the dynamic profile of this song to be well hidden in the music. What I like already about the song is that everything comes off as easygoing. From the light instrumentation to the laid-back nature of the hooks and melodies, SEVENTEEN really makes sure we are not overwhelmed in any way, making this an ideal Summer track to kick back to. And to match with this approach, their vocals and rapping are not overly dominate in the song as well. Everything just feels well-balanced and I liked that. Sure, Left & Right doesn’t have their most impressive vocal and rapping delivery to date, but their easygoing tone really appeals to me. The song’s main appealing point has to be its casual hook. Its presence in the teaser already sold me this comeback, but to hear it in full with the rest of the song really adds that more melodic touch to it. I am thoroughly enjoying this song and I can definitely tell it will be one that I will be replaying in the weeks to come.

The song is all about doing what you believe in. And I think the video does a good job presenting that. Take the race as an example. The old man starts the race off with the gun and seems to represents all the grownups that tell you what you should and should not do. Seungkwan seems to be the only one who listens and runs off, while all the other members stayed back and danced. When Seungkwan stops running, he is faced with two signs – ‘Early bird catches the worm‘ and ‘Youth can change everything‘. They don’t spark happiness in him, as you can tell with this facial expressions. Those signs talk all about being successful and don’t really tell you much about growing up and learning from your mistakes. The members burn a book about becoming successful and a trophy to go against becoming successful and perfect. The graffiti on the wall says to ‘Do Your Best’, but the members respond with ‘But maybe not sometimes‘ to say that it is okay regardless of the outcome. The biggest moment of the music video is when the members run into the dilemma of going left or right. Joshua instead doesn’t follow the two paths that are set and redirect the arrows to go up (i.e. doing what you believe in). As S.Coups is the oldest, it is logical he would go up first. He is strapped into car pretending to be like a rocket ship, which only goes up. Lift off was okay, but the car explodes and end up going back down, signifying failure. I final scene where S.Coups get out of the car and starts dancing represents that is whatever the outcome of a choice you make is, everything will be okay.

I really like how the choreography really brought that fun aspect to the performance. It just makes the stage so much more engaging and appealing to watch. I think the chorus looks like one of those that will go onto becoming viral and everyone will be dancing along to it. I also like how the performance related to the song’s easygoing vibe and didn’t incorporate anything complex looking, which obviously wouldn’t work well. I say this because SEVENTEEN is notorious for difficult dance moves.

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

[Album Review] Neverland (8th Mini Album) – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

June 21, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Cosmic Girls, WJSN2 Comments

As per the schedule, Sundays see the release of a new Weekly KPOP Chart post and an album review post. I have already posted the Weekly KPOP Chart post for the third week of June 2020. Topping the charts is WJSN’s Butterfly, which is now the number one song for two weeks in a row. It is just a coincidence that I had also prepared the album review post for the mini-album, Neverland, that includes Butterfly as the title track for posting on the same day. It just makes me introduction a little more interesting though. The group has also won two weekly music show awards since the release of both the song and mini-album. Also, I am digging the album with all the tracks alongside Butterfly being favourites of mine. Let’s see what those tracks are!

1. Butterfly (Title Track) – Click here for the full review for Butterfly. (9.5/10)

2. Hola – The next track on the album is Hola and it starts off loud (in a good way). A better description for the song is that is a club banger and is best when the volume is up high. It like the energy that comes from it (I have personally been replaying the song for this element alone) and thoroughly enjoy the song’s intensity, thanks to its club vibes. The song’s hooks are extremely catchy and help makes their vocal work to stand out. I also like their vocal’s powerfulness, which is necessary when you pair it with a club-based instrumental like this one. My favourite one is the ‘Na Na…Na’ that follows the first and final chorus of the song. Exy’s rap sequence might be in a standard form (pretty straight forward with its deliver and in terms of the instrumental backing), but I find it is perfect for this song. I also enjoyed the chanting in the bridge. You might think I would find it awkward, but I felt it tied the song together neatly. Overall, an excellent song to follow the title track. (10/10)

3. Pantomime – The title of most unique song and favourite side-track on this album has to go to Pantomime, another song that I have regularly repeated since I first listened to the album. I find the instrumental to be very aesthetic. It is a bit irregular and isn’t as straight forward as you think, but I think it is the song’s charm. In a way, the synth heavy song keeps you on the edge of your seat as you just don’t know where the song would go next. I really liked the textural components of the instrumental and the delayed drop when it came to the chorus. I found the group’s lower tone vocals to be very fitting and helped make the song gain that aesthetic vibe. I also really liked how to keep the song different once it reached the final chorus (otherwise, this very irregular song would have felt repetitive or come off as a ‘standard track with many textural components’), Dawon goes even lower after a longer delay and I thought this was so sleek. Also, the ‘Like a Pantomime’ post-chorus hook is so memorable and addictive. (10/10)

4. Where You Are (바램) – I really enjoyed the way Where Are You started. It suits WJSN’s image quite well and had a very pretty vibe as well. And as the song progressed, those thoughts just continued to accumulate. The instrumental is a mash between pop and orchestral, which I have noted to be a great combination in the past. I also felt that Where You Are could easily be a follow up many of their earlier works thanks to the pretty vibes that I had just mentioned. The song doesn’t have that wow factor like the above two songs or the title track. But it is a great song, nonetheless. The melodies were extremely pleasant, and their vocals were quite charming. The rapping was so fitting for the song. The hooks had a sweet feel to it. Overall, a very easygoing and pleasant track to listen to. (9/10)

5. Tra-la (불꽃놀이) – WJSN carries the pleasant vibes from the previous track onto the fifth song. Once again, I find the song to be easygoing, pretty-sounding and quite calming. The song takes on a tropical instrumental, but make sure to retain their personality in the song as the song in its entirety feels suitable for WJSN. I personally find their vocals in Tra-la to be their best. While we had powerful and charming vocals, they sounded most like themselves in this song. The pre-chorus sequences had a nice build up to the sweet-sounding chorus. The song also brings me two Exy rapping sequences and both sequence (though short) bring out her potential and fits so well in the song. I find the final moments when the members sing together to be very nice and fitting for the lyrics, as well. (9/10)

6. Our Garden (우리의 정원) – The final song on the album is Our Garden and I find it to be the weakest song on this album. But it is only half a step down from the previous few songs, as I felt the hooks weren’t as profound due to its wholesome overall feels. Once again, the track has a very jazzy pop sound and brings along that pretty sound that I have mentioned from the previous song. I liked the whispery moments of the song (i.e. Dayoung and Luda at the start; and Eunseo and Luda at the start for the second verse), as the slight autotune gives it a very unique character. I also love Exy’s part in this song. Her rap is more a rap sing delivery and fits in neatly into the song. I also liked in the first half of her sequence, where there she echoes herself. The rest of the members, despite not being mentioned throughout the album review, nails their vocals once again. This track brings Neverland to a very strong close. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.3/10

[Album Review] MORE & MORE (9th Mini Album) – TWICE

June 19, 2020June 20, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged TWICELeave a comment

TWICE returned over two weeks ago with MORE & MORE, which is the title of both their latest mini-album and title track. Unfortunately, it has taken me over the two week mark to actually prepare and post my thoughts on their album. While it doesn’t seem as long but TWICE have already wrapped up their promotions for MORE & MORE. That is the case for a lot of established groups now, as they can afford to perform with shorter promotional periods, which I find a fascinating observation. And they are most likely very busy with other schedules. But while TWICE is done with promotion, I am not done with this era just yet. I need to get the album review out, so let’s keep going!

1. More & More (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for More & More. (8/10)

2. Oxygen – One of the main drawing points of Oxygen is its instrumental. It feels fresh and is very unique. I really like all of those effects in the background during the verse, from those wavy effects that appeared behind Nayeon and Jihyo’s first parts in the verse and those clanging percussion synths that featured behind Nayeon and Jihyo’s parts when they appear next in the song (and in all their subsequent sections). The chorus also featured a very nice hollow/deep shimmering sequence, as well, which had a unique charm of its own. They all just gave the song a more dynamic touch and added some unique energy into the song. I also like how much energy they also add to the song through the vocals. The pre-chorus by the main (Jihyo and Nayeon) and lead vocalists (Jeongyeon and Mina) just showed some flair that really made the song so much more interesting. The ‘I really really…really want’ was extremely catchy. The only pitfall the song had was the rapping. It felt unnecessary and really awkward. But other than that, it is a great song. (9.5/10)

3. Firework – Firework opens up with a short Latin guitar sequence, before it becomes infused with some tropical sounds. The pairing of trends, you could call it. It seems like there are some beach sounds, just in case you didn’t get the summery theme of the song. And I will be honest, the instrumental isn’t that draining despite it being two of KPOP’s most overworked trends to date. And while there were some good vocal moments embedded throughout the song, there were a few that also set the song back a bit as well. For example, I just felt they dragged out the chorus just a touch too much, if you understand where I am coming from. I do like the rapping in this song, as it added a little changeup. It was also dragged out as well, but I don’t mind that. (8/10)

4. Make Me Go – From the very first second, I was enjoying the beat that Make Me Go was channeling. It felt mature and sensual in a manner that suits Twice so well. The upbeat nature of the instrumental and its funkiness reminds me of Breakthrough and I felt that this would be an excellent follow up to that track. I really liked how they infuse a bit of brass into the song, giving that extra hook (as I find brass elements in songs to be great appealing mechanisms). But the killing point of the song has to be the low chorus. It had me screaming internally. They sounded so good this way. However, while I was on board with this really cool and catchy chorus, it also brought the weakest moment of the song. The member’s ‘Do It’ felt unnecessary. If it didn’t have that one small detail, then I would have given this a perfect ranking. (9.5/10)

5. Shadow – Shadow continues the album’s direction of a mature sound. We have definitely gone far away from their earlier cutesy works when they first started out. Shadow feels like that track that established mature artists have been putting out for a while now. While its synth-based instrumental is rather plain, I do find the song to be quite easy on the ears, which makes it decent to listen to. Their vocal work is quite good, but I just wished that the song had that TWICE colour to it, which is noticeably missing. The strongest part of the has to be that (not sure what you would call it) but that humming stuff that followed the chorus. It just felt so smooth. I don’t recall any rap sequences and I feel like a mean rap sequence would have been nice to give the song some edge and subsequently stand out. But overall, a decent listen. (8/10)

6. Don’t Call Me Again – Don’t Call Me Again is quite rough around the edges thanks to its characteristic marching band style instrumental. If they found a way to really soften those edges a bit, I would have appreciated it more. More the most part, the song didn’t evoke any emotions out of me. The instrumental was quite linear and their vocal felt very expressionless. It is another song that felt it needed a good rap sequence to cut it down a bit and bring in some relief to the consistency. And I think it would have mixed in neatly into this song. Overall, a passable song. (6/10)

7. Sweet Summer Again – For some odd reason, I can’t tell if the song starts off with the sound of a crowd, a bunch of seagulls or both! I just can’t pinpoint regardless of how many times I listen to the song and thought it would be a funny thing to share. What Sweet Summer Again really brings back to the table is a bright energy, which has been absent for a number of tracks so far. And on the plus side, it feels like your typical TWICE song, based from the energy that comes from it. The vocals and rapping were pretty good . The song had decent hooks and I liked the 90s feel of the instrumental. Overall, a nice song to end the album with. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

[Special] Road To Kingdom Review – Preliminary Performances

June 19, 2020June 20, 2020Posted in KPOP, SpecialTagged Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, THE BOYZ, TO1, VERIVERY8 Comments

Welcome all to my very special review to Road To Kingdom. I may have been very silent about the recent series. But I have been eagerly awaiting each performance to appear on YouTube after broadcasting on Thursdays to see what Golden Child, ONEUS, ONF, Pentagon, The Boyz, TOO and VERIVERY have prepared for us. In this special review series, I will be going through the actual rankings that came about from the first three rounds, short reviews of each performance and how I thought the rankings would go! This post will only cover the first episode (i.e. preliminary performances). Please remember, these are my thoughts only. Feel free to comment your ones below.

Preliminary Performances

In the preliminary performances , the groups were limited to 90 seconds to showcase their skills. The rankings in this set of the performances do not impact their ranking throughout the series, so it could be seen as a trial round. The performances are inserted below and I will briefly talk about my thoughts of each performance before getting to the all important rankings.

Beginning – Golden Child

Using a dramatic opening and Shrillex styled instrumentation, Golden Child wows us with a side that we have never seen before. This performance is very different to the visuals and energy we have seen in their Wannabe and Without You comebacks, which were darker and edgier than any of their previous releases. Much more intense and more powerful. I really liked how they connected with one another in this performance. Their stunts looked cool, but it didn’t have too much of a wow factor. My favourite part is when the two members shot each other and the other members fell onto their backs.

Phantom of ONEUS – ONEUS

ONEUS fuses things off with an eerie performance using masks and the intensity of the well known Phantom of the Opera. They then bring in one of their songs, Twilight. I liked how they kept their original choreography in this performance, fusing it all the other theatrics. ONEUS shows off some impressive stunts and dance moves, including the climb and sudden drop of Hwanwoong, and that smooth turn they do on the dance floor while sitting.

Lights On – ONF

ONF probably had the most intense music overall from the preliminary round. They had samples of We Must Love and Why in this performance, allowing them to incorporate some of those choreographies into the 90 seconds they had on stage. But it seems that ONF went a step further with this idea, incorporating a bunch of their past choreographies (including the ones of the songs they haven’t sampled). That is very impressive. Not only that, but they nailed the intensity and synchronisation elements of their choreography.

Road To The Throne – Pentagon

Pentagon begins with a short sequence of their most popular song to date, Shine. While that is lighthearted and fun, this performance was quite the opposite. In a matter of seconds, Wooseok is driven insane with scary masks. We are then met with strong choreography from the other members. The only negative thing I have to say in this whole section is that I feel Pentagon wasted a great deal of the 90 seconds with the Shine opener. I did like the throwback, but I think they could have found a better use of those few seconds at the start.

Sword of Victory – The Boyz

The Boyz kicks off their Road To Kingdom with an exotic sounding instrumental, which allows the group to play with some elegant moves. That is the one word that kept on revolving around in my head while watching this performance. That being said, there were a few crazy highlights that I can’t get over. That opening sequence where Changmin jumps up to a high height to grab the flying sword and Juyeon doing some tricks with a bouncing sword blew my mind.

dysTOOpia – Too

TOO is the newcomer out of all the groups in this competition. They too also included their only well known song, Magnolia to the performance. But they are the only group who put a really rocking dance break in between the two sections of Magnolia, which was rather unique. The opener really showed everyone that they aren’t to be messed with. Then they followed that up with a new routine, which I thought was impressive undertaking. They did keep the later Magnolia section as per this original choreography, but I personally didn’t mind that given everything that came before it.

Face It – VERIVERY

I get a military type of vibe from the performance thanks to their outfits and stomping vibe in the instrumental. Interestingly, there was very little stomping. The performance is something a lot fiercer and darker than what we are used to when it comes to VERIVERY usually. Despite that stomping vibe, I liked how the instrumental piece provided different textures, which allowed members to show off a variety of moves that fit smooth and rough sound textures. Quite clever, if you ask me.

The Final Ranking…

And now we come to the rankings. Probably he most important part of the show. ONF really wowed me with their performance. I felt they were the most creative and really showed off their performance skills to the other participants. And so I ranked them #1 in this preliminary round. As for the dreaded #7 place? That unfortunately went to Pentagon. Their performance felt pretty weak in comparison to the rest and it seemed like they didn’t put their best foot forward. For the rest of the rankings, they are in the table below!

Performance Title	Artist	Actual Ranking	My Ranking
The Sword of Victory	The Boyz	#1	#2
Road To The Throne	Pentagon	#2	#7
Lights On	ONF	#3	#1
Beginning	Golden Child	#4	#3
Face It	VERIVERY	#5	#5
Phantom of ONEUS	ONEUS	#6	#4
Into the dysTOOpia	TOO	#7	#6

And that is it for the preliminary round. Short performances, but definitely enough to get those exciting vibes going. Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on the first official round (‘Song Of King’).

1st Round – Song Of King Review & Rankings
2nd Round – My Song Review & Rankings
3rd Round Part 1 – Collaboration Review & Rankings
3rd Round Part 2 – Your Song Review & Rankings
Final Round – FINAL Review & Rankings

[Review] Oopsy – Weki Meki

June 18, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Weki Meki1 Comment

After dazzling their way with Dazzle Dazzle earlier this year, Weki Meki has returned with their second release of 2020. The new song is called OOPSY and features on the group’s Hide and Seek. As it has only been four months since their Dazzle Dazzle comeback, not much has seemed to happen with the group from what I can recall. And with that, let’s just stuck right into the review.

The main backbone of the instrumental (i.e. beat) for OOPSY is quite generic. It just didn’t feel exciting. A better description would have been ‘pretty linear’. But without the other elements in this song, OOPSY would have gone in that direction. For example, the addition of all those details and sound elements over the top of the main instrumental really helped add an exciting energy to the song. All of that whistling and twinkling effects we get from the instrumental are thanks to the detailing and additional sound elements. It added texture, which resulted in the instrumental in being very appealing. It also added a slight funkiness to the song (i.e. that low guitar strumming during the verses), as well. Add to the song some catchy hooks, such as the ones you hear during the chorus of OOPSY. While I am sure they could have been more defined and dynamic, what we got had a slightly fun tone to it, which helped boost the appeal of the song. The members vocals and rapping were also pretty good as well. It might not be their most skillful display of vocals and rapping, but there was a lot clearness and crispness in their voices. Oh, and while the title does have that childish association to it (which I have noted in reviews for songs with the same time), I found that Weki Meki managed to put a decent mature spin, whilst also keeping that fun tone which is true to their style. Overall, a good song in my opinion.

The music video consist of choreography and very crisp and elegant closeups of the members. So it seems like the group’s music video takes on that close up and choreography formula that feel boring and generic. However, I am slightly convinced that there is more to video which I can’t just seem to decipher. You have one member whispering something to a member with a white cloth over her head. That has to mean something, right? And that glass feather, as well. Their solo shots also look very suspicious, as if they are hiding something within them. On top of that, there was some Morse code that I noticed appearing on screen during the video. Someone deciphered it off YouTube says the Morse code meant ‘I always think about you’ and ‘I will always be with you’. That has to be mean something as well. This video has to have some sort of story or meaning, right???

I liked the choreography. It was rather clean and felt straightforward. It also made the group look a lot more confident and mature, at the same time. It isn’t a mind blowing routine if that what you are looking for. But it definitely makes the members look good and more refined.

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

[Review] God’s Menu – Stray Kids

June 17, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Stray Kids5 Comments

Stray Kids also make their grand comeback today with their new single, Gods Menu and their first studio album, Go Live. I am definitely excited for this comeback and cannot wait to review both the song (in this post) and their new album (hint hint). Prior to this comeback and since their last comeback Levanter, the group released two mixtape tracks, Gone Days and On Track. The group also released English versions of their song and made their official Japanese debut with Japanese versions of their Korean tracks. In addition to that, Stray Kids also released their first original Japanese single album (which I have yet to review) which will serve as opening tracks for an upcoming anime. Definitely a busy first half of the year for Stray Kids.

One of God’s Menu flaws is that it is rather short. I wanted more of it, so naturally I am reaching for the replay button. God’s Menu is a hip-hop based dance track. I felt the instrumentation was quite generic for this style, as we have heard many hip-hop centric songs with similar instrumentation in the past. But what we are shown from the start of the song is that the song is very rap intensive. And Stray Kids is one of those groups with a very strong rap line and this helps open the song in a captivating the song instantly lifts up once we get to the chorus. The song slows down but maintains the suspense for the vocalists to show some of their skills (Bangchan and Jisung also join the vocal line in this song, which I really like). But the rapping takes the win in this song. Remember how I mentioned that I found the instrumentation generic? Another skill that Stray Kids has is that they really know how to hold their ground and blasts us with this powerful and bold chorus. The ‘DU DU DU‘ and the ‘TANG TANG TANG‘ just gives the song so much life and energy. Another observation I have made is that the chorus was quite lengthy and this seems to quicken the song. I also like how the second chorus differed from the first and I also note that Felix is getting the lines that he finally deserve! A lot of positive aspects to outweigh its few negatives. And we can agree that Stray Kids can definitely serve it up.

We all know that Stray Kids music videos are interlinked in one way or another. They released a prequel prior to this comeback confirming just that, so it makes you wonder how this video connects with the rest. And while I can spend so much discussing possible theories, I want to step away and think about this music video as a stand alone music video. One day I will return to discuss possible connections between all their music videos. God’s Menu seems to be a song about making an impression. There is a lot of food references in the song to fit in with the concept and they sing about making flavours stand out. And in the music video, they stood out in one way or another. At the start when everything was in slow motion and Changbin was rapping away at normal speed. The odd placement of people in various scenes (i.e. school girls at the race track, scientists at a construction site, marching band in the kitchen) and the member’s non-matching outfits with the scenery (i.e. they wore chefs outfits at the construction site) all seem to make an impression. And that impression was definitely left on me.

From what I can see in the music video, the choreography looks awesome. Definitely dynamic and powerful to fit the energy of the music. The pre-chorus (i.e. the smoother sections of the song) looked very interesting due to its more subdued vibes. The chorus looked very intense and I wonder what the verses look. Though my favourite section has to be the start of the second verse, which looked awesome in the music video with the camerawork.

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

[Review] Girls – NATURE

June 17, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged NATURELeave a comment

Making their comeback today is NATURE. For those who may not know or remember the group, NATURE is a female group under n.CH Entertainment and the voice behind innocent cutesy tracks such as Allegro Cantabile and I’m So Pretty, and very upbeat bright tracks such as Oopsie (My Bad) and Some (You’ll Be Mine). For the group’s first comeback of 2020, they returned with a complete mature sound change up through the title track, Girls. The group also has a 6 member lineup, but will only be promoting with 6 members only due to various reasons.

As mentioned above, NATURE turns a complete 180 degree with this mature sound. Girls is a change up that I personally did not see coming. And while I do enjoy a change up every now and then, I fear this has taken a once different female group who is willing to standout with crazy instrumentals and catchy hooks and turned them into a generic sounding female group. I just didn’t find the dance track to really have those moments that Oopsie and Some had. I am not really looking for anything unique as well, rather something to catch my attention and give me a reason dig into the track more. It unfortunately didn’t and this disappoints me. That being said, Girls has some good moments as well. Not great enough to resolve the generic issue I just discussed, but good enough to make this song an occasion listen. The pre-chorus build up was quite nice, especially with the member that started off low and built her vocals up. I also dig the bridge of the song, which felt bold and brings something that cuts the generic nature of the song to a degree. It is like a textural autotune is applied to the main member, before the rest of the members echoes in a softened shouting manner. Apart from that, everything just fell into place and that typical category for me.

Given the mature sound, it was expected that their visuals change for this comeback as well. And the music video is does exactly that. There was an article a few days back that the music video was considered a little too graphic for broadcast and wonder how far they took the video to have that warning slapped on it. And it isn’t because the members were sexualised or showing off too much skin. Rather, the warning was in concern for some of the dark and suspenseful imagery. One member was hold a pair of scissors over another’s head with the top facing directly between the eyes in one of the teasers. Teddy bears were gutted and a flying axe closed up the music video with what seemed to be a a scream like synth. There might be a story line somewhere. My guess is that the other members are ghosts and that they are there to drive the member with the long black wavy hair insane and eventually kills her to be one of them. Altogether, it makes the video very intriguing and I quite like that idea.

For the most part, the choreography was a bore to watch. That being said, the post-chorus hook that featured after the first and final chorus really helped bring some edge, which helped make the performance go from boring to slightly exciting. Same thing can be said about that bridge, which brought a little more dynamism to the performance.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Secret Story of the Swan – IZ*ONE

June 16, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged IZ*ONE2 Comments

IZ*ONE made their comeback yesterday with their 3rd mini-album, Oneiric Diary, and the title track, Secret Story of the Swan. A review should have been written yesterday, but IZ*ONE’s agency made a last minute call to delay the release of the music video until today. In place of the music video, we were treated to the performance version of their music video along with performances from their comeback showcase. But as I focus on the music video usually, this meant I couldn’t write a whole review. But as we only had to wait a day, I decided to delay the review until today, as well. We last saw the group through their Fiesta promotions early this year.

Each of IZ*ONE’s title tracks have grown on me considerably, regardless of whatever comments I have made in the past regarding the songs. The beauty of time. And with time, maybe Secret Story of the Swan (henceforth Swan) may go in that direction as well. At this present time, I find the song to be very standard and meh. I just didn’t get a level of excitement that I had felt with Fiesta or Violeta. Swan‘s biggest asset is its instrumental, more specifically the chorus. It is the only part that really captures my attention. The drop feels memorable and bold, in comparison to the rest of the instrumental. There is a lot going on in its instrumentally, but it is all tied together very well with the loud crashes that accompany the ‘Like Swan Swan Swan‘ hook. This hook is also a really good element of the song and is helping me warm up to the song (though there is a big hurdle for it help get me over). Everything else in Swan just failed to stand out. The vocal work didn’t have much oomph to it, especially with a standout chorus like this. It was pretty much forgettable during the verses. The rapping had momentum, but it just felt very typical and something that we all heard before. Swan had some highs and lows, with the lows seemingly taking hold of the song. But as I said at the start, maybe time is needed to help make this song more appealing.

While the music video does take on that closeup and choreography formula, I found the music video to be captivating. This is because of the use of chroma-key (i.e. the technical name of the green/blue screen effect). It helped made the video look very pretty, from the purple coloured sky, to the presence of clock gears, to the use of circle. It was quite mesmeric. There might be a bit of a story in the video via symbolism of the different elements in the video, though I didn’t pick anything up. The choreography shots are stunning, as well. Very nice looking music video.

One of the strong points about the performance is that is looks really elegant, which suits the idea of a swan as in the song’s title. At the same time, the choreography finds that sweet point where it can be dynamic, allowing for the performance to take full advantage of the energy from the chorus.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Album Review] Breaking Sensation (2nd Mini Album) – SF9

June 16, 2020June 15, 2020Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged SF9Leave a comment

It is time for another PAR (Past Album Review). And this time, I went with a mini-album as they contain less songs and are much faster to write, as a result. The group that I chose to focus on is one that I have yet to cover on this segment of album reviews. And they definitely need a shout out as they are still underrated! I am talking about SF9, the nine-member male dance group from FNC Entertainment. More recently, the group returned with their 1st album (First Collection) and the title track, Good Guy, which earned them their first wins on the weekly music shows! Finally, some recognition for the group! But today, I will be reviewing the album which contains the first song that attracted my attention, which is Easy Love. Easy Love is part of the group’s second mini-album, Breaking Sensation, which was released back in 2017.

1. Intro: Around Farewell (Intro: 이별 즈음에) – The album kicks off with the rappers do their thing in the introductory manner. I don’t remember listening to this track in the past as it feels very unfamiliar. And it is a pity, as I think Around Farewell would be very suitable for their more recent albums. The track takes on a hip-hop beat. This personally isn’t my usual genre to listen to, but the rappers make it quite captivating. Hwiyoung starts it off with a slow manner, before kicking it up a notch. Youngbin continues the momentum, before Zuho brings his raspy tone into the mix. Chani delivery in this song is more on the rap-speaking side and adds an emotional twist of the song. The song ends with a muffled electronically autotuned ‘No More Easy Love’, leading us to the title track. (8/10)

2. Easy Love (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Easy Love. (8/10)

3. Watch Out – There are two notable elements in the instrumental of Watch Out that I really enjoyed. The first has to be the 90s feel that the instrumental gives (more specifically NSYNC vibes). The second has to be the piano in the background. Together, these two blends together, with the help of other elements, to become a strong track. I liked how hard hitting the chorus because of the beat and piano. The instrumental seems to steal the show for me, so the vocals and rapping didn’t attract too much attention when I do a glance over the track. But when I do focus squarely on the vocals and the rapping, there was a lot of potential behind their vocal work and rapping delivery. I don’t want to comment specifically on any members as the entire vocal/rap element stands out as a whole and makes it hard for me to zone into one member or side. (9/10)

4. Hide & Seek (머리카락 보일라) – With quite heavy and intense tracks so far, Hide & Seek seems to changes it up be infusing some brightness to give off the impression of light and a more easygoing vibe. I personally don’t mind this change up as the track has a nice instrumental that I can’t help but boogie to while writing this review. The vocals and rapping are commendable. I liked how they infused the rapping into the song, and this ended up being standout moments for me. I also liked their vocal energy in this song as it progressed, especially when it came to the chorus. There is just a sweetness to it that I find very appealing. The instrumental seems retro and old school. There is almost a jazzy vibe and I enjoyed the brass that peeked through. (9/10)

5. Fall Down (이러다가 울겠어) – We seem to return to the roots of the album by going with a heavier and more mature sounding part. There is an electronic influence on Fall Down’s instrumental from the very first second. It felt promising at first. But as the song progressed, that opening synth (which is subsequently replayed throughout the instrumental of the track) just lost its promise. The song stayed relatively consistent and everything that was added over it just felt neutral. There wasn’t anything to be excited about. And this rubbed off on the vocals and rapping as well. If I was to pick which I preferred, the rapping takes the edge as the vocal melodies seemed to maintain that neutral gear, which dried out the song. Unfortunately, Fall Down is my pick for skipable track on this album. (6/10)

6. Why (왜 이래) – The final track on the album takes a completely different route to any of the above songs, thanks for the acoustic sound. There were really good vocal moments in the song and the chorus was very addictive with its simple melody. I really liked how they emphasised the title of the song (the ‘Wae Irae’ parts of the chorus). When the rapping came into play, it felt like a nostalgic throwback to some old KPOP from earlier in the decade. Overall, I found it to be a nice closing song for the album and as a song in general. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.1/10

SF9 Member’s Teaser Images for *Breaking Sensation*

[Review] Swear – E’LAST

June 15, 2020December 22, 2020Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged E'LASTLeave a comment

One week ago, E’LAST (which is shortened from the term Everlasting) made their debut with their first mini-album, Day Dream, and title track, Swear. But before I proceed further with the review, who is E’LAST? Well, this male group is made of 8 members (Choi In, Rano, Seungyeop, Baekgyeul, Romin, Won Hyuk, Wonjun and Yejun) and is the first group from E Entertainment. Members Won Hyuk and Wonjun have previously participated Produce X 101 and placed in 33rd and 47th on the show. Now that we know a bit more from the group, let’s move onto the review.

My initial listen to the song when the first came out didn’t rule in its favour. And naturally, I passed on the opportunity to review, pushing it behind the pack to focus on other artists of the week. But I ‘rediscovered’ Swear towards the end of week and was drew into its grand and epic nature while it played in the background while I worked. Now, I find the mash of classical orchestra and trap to be quite captivating. That opening medieval sequence really sets the song up. It allowed the group to focus on the more elegant side of classical music, before the song fuses with those trap influences in the second verse (which provided a different form of intensity and tempo). As Swear progressed, we were treated to a build up that hinted towards an epic drop. But once the chorus came around, we are unexpectedly given a slow and paced instrumental sequence. While this does not make sense to me at first, I am enjoying it now because they manage to maintain the intensity and energy in a unique fashion. They could have followed what we thought was coming (i.e. an epic drop), but that could have been seen as typical. I liked that the producers deviated from the formula, which attracts my attention. Similar comments can be made for the delayed climax. You could tell it was coming, but the producers kept on dragging it out, giving it impact once it came around. I was amazed at how amazing the vocals and rapping turned out. At first, I felt like Swear could have been more dynamic, giving the members an opportunity to show off more of their vocal/rapping potential. But we are treated to very powerful vocal moments and memorable hooks, whilst also getting some leeway through the use of trap elements to allow the rappers to fit in and bring their own intensity/some tempo to the song. Overall, an interesting song.

As I spent a fair amount of time on the song part of the review, I will cut to the chase for the music video and performance sections. The set design is really epic and looks amazing. It makes their solo shots a lot more captivating. The members showed off their acting in a satisfying manner, as they looked really hurt after thinking that their partner would stay with them. It gave me the impression that they are only coming to terms of this, which is the journey they take in the lyrics, as well. Big ticks from me for the music video.

We see a bit of elegance at the very start through the opening sequence of the song. As the song progresses, we get more of those epic and grand vibes translated into the choreography. But all is maintained despite the changes in the music. The final section of the bridge and final chorus drew my attention the most in this choreography, as it showed off a lot of potential and intensity from the manners.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10