Category: KPOP

[Review] Mango – Hyomin (T-ARA)

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Unfortunately, I ran out of time to write reviews during the week due to my studies. One of these missed releases is Hyomin’s solo comeback with Mango. This is her first solo comeback since her Sketch comeback in 2016 and her departure from MBK Entertainment. The members of T-ARA claim to still be together, however, each member has signed to a different company and currently doing their own thing, so I am not too sure what is happening.

The song doesn’t rely on instrumentation, which revisits that minimalistic trend. The first thing you get is the xylophone, which I thought ear-grabbing. It is a unique sound that I, at first, thought would be quite dry. But with multiple listens, I am totally on board with the song. Besides the instrumentation, the song is primarily made up of her vocals. I say this because there is something missing from the track that should have been there to really pull the two elements together. Maybe bass or backup vocals, I don’t know. So back to her vocals, it was exactly the same with the instrumentation. Not too keen at first with the rap-speaking but I really dig the track now. And before you think this is a song about tropic fruit, it isn’t, as Hyomin sings Man Go during the chorus, obviously hinting at something else. The track replays in my head constantly now, which is a sign of a good thing.

Orange is a very complex colour in my mind. I don’t see orange too often in people’s outfit when I notice them in the street. And if there is any orange, it is only a minor detail on their shirt. So props to Hyomin, who pulls off a full orange outfit in the video. And it makes sense, as mangos are the colour orange. But it really pops as the people shooting the video selected places in which Hyomin doesn’t look too outgoing yet blending in well. I also like her quirkiness in the video, alongside her backup dancers.

I thought the one thing that she could have worked on was her performance. It just felt very boring and she did very little to really captivate on stage. Maybe she was more focused on her rap-speaking, as it would have sounded bad if she was constantly out of breath. But I would have expected something a little more.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6.9/10

[Album Review] I Am WHO? (2nd Mini Album) – Stray Kids

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This is the final “catch up” album review as I plan to get started on some album review for new releases this weekend. This is also the first time I will be reviewing Stray Kids’ album, who made their debut earlier this year with District 9. However, I am WHO? is the title for their more recent album, which features My Pace (link below) as the main title track. The group has also been releasing performance videos (or mv-like videos for all their tracks, so I linked down below so you can view them (simply click on the link at the title of the song).

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I Am WHO? Album Cover

1..WHO? – I do not commonly review the introductory track. But this one was much longer than most intro tracks and featured lyrics, which isn’t something too common. It is performed by Woojin, Felix and Han. A few of the titles of the songs on the album pop up in this track but I think it was a coincidence rather than intentional. I like the vocal and rapping elements in this introduction, my favourite being Woojin’s whispering. (8/10)

2. My Pace (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of My Pace. (9/10)

3. Voices – Voices is the hip-hop song that fulfils my craving for hip-hop, a genre that I don’t often delve into. It reminds me of the hip-hop songs that you commonly get in the Western industries back in the ‘00s. The song has a very impactful sound that is very rough around the edges but is quite heavy in terms of emotion. I thought the song showcases both their rapping and vocal potential, something I haven’t heard from them yet. I really like the roughness and intensity that the rappers bring to the song and the chorus was superb and melodic. (9.5/10)

4. Question – Question gets the album on a more upbeat and energetic note. In this song, we see different rap and vocal styles that we haven’t heard on the album yet. Whoever did the whispering rap section that opened the second verse sounds so good (I have replayed the song multiple times for that one section). I like entire chorus as it is however thought Felix’s English hook post-chorus extremely catchy and the main selling point of the song. The song does feel like it is missing something though, but I cannot pinpoint what that is. (8/10)

5. Insomnia (불면증) – While I did like other songs on the album more than Insomnia, I think it was the first song to jump out at me to confirm its album review. I thought the song was extremely dynamic, with its soft start and very unexpecting chaotic chorus drop. The fluctuations in the energy from the different sections is very interesting, which I think makes sense given the title of the song. Once again, the vocals and raps were quite good. But since I tend to listen to albums prior to going to sleep, this one isn’t too ideal for that period. (8/10)

6. M.I.A – I personally do not like to label songs as the ‘weakest song’ but it gives you an idea of what type of songs I like from an artist and what I don’t like. This one was a miss for me. I am not a fan of heavy autotune, so with majority of the song being filtered with the autotuned didn’t do much for me. On the plus side, however, the song was quite smooth. Vocals were good but I think some of the rapping in this song was more enjoyable (as it gave the song some roughness to offset the smoothness). Besides that, I don’t have much to say about the song. (6.5/10)

7. Awkward Silence (갑자기 분위기 싸해질 필요 없잖아요) – Ending the album is Awkward Silence, which is extremely fun and playful. A different route once again when compared to the rest of the album. I actually really like the song. The crow squawking during the ‘awkward silence’ just before the chorus was a very nice touch and gave the song that ‘not-so-serious’ element. I thought the bridge of the song was quite nice and Felix’s random inserts were quite enjoyable (also love the Australian accent that trickles in – Australia Represent!). It ends the album on a happier note, which I quite like. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10 [FIXED]

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I Am WHO? Teaser Image

 

[Review] Puzzle Moon – GWSN

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It is time to look at another newly debut group, fresh from their trainee days. GWSN is a seven-member girl group formed by Kiwi Pop Media Group who made their debut last week with Puzzle Moon. The group is made up of Seoryoung, Miya, Seokyoung, Anne, Minju, SoSo and Lena and is a described bymultinational group with Korea, Japan and China represented by the members. Interestingly, each member has a Korean, Japanese and Chinese stage name, which I think is the first group to do that from their debut.

Puzzle Moon takes on that minimalistic trend that has been present in a few KPOP songs I have reviewed in the past week, though further elements are added as the song progresses towards the end. It works surprisingly well and gives off a unique vibe. The instrumentation felt like it was elements from a really cutesy song. But instead of going full-on cute, everything in between was stripped away, which goes back to my comments about how unique the song feels. I really like the simple chorus, though instead of ‘Make It Moon‘, it sounds like ‘Naked Moon‘ to me. Vocals also seem like it suits for a cutesy song so it goes well with the instrumentation. The rap has to be the winning moment of the song, as it is definitely the most intense section of the song. It gave the song some texture and intensity, which was what it needed. For a debut song, it definitely shows the group has potential. I hope they continue to make future comebacks so we can see what else the group can do!

It is clear how much the company has invested in the group. The quality of the music video is something I expect from an established group who have multiple comebacks and hits under their belt. Instead, the sets were pretty elaborate and better than sets from some other artist’s music videos. I loved the set for the choreography scene, which looked so damn good. As for the plotline of the video, I am not too sure what is going on. The ending shows the member making their descent to the moon (or Heaven possibly) after obtaining the right runes for the key. I have scrolled down into the comments on their YouTube video but I can’t find anything that explains the music video. So I am hoping someone else can interpret the video and share their thoughts! It looks very interesting and the way it was shot felt fitting for the song.

The choreography looks simple but there is a fair bit going on. I like how some of the members split away from the main group to do their own thing during the chorus and the spinning moon was really cool. I like how in-sync they are with each other, making this a very promising group (with all the aspects combined).

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

[Review] April Fools (0401) – Park Jimin (15&)

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Park Jimin has made her return with her very first mini-album since debut. Since her debut, she has only released digital singles, such as Try and Hopeless Love, both of which I have reviewed. The album titled as jiminxjamie features the title track, April Fools (or alternatively 0401) and four other new songs.

April Fools delves into the R&B side of music, which Jimin has expressed to be her forte in a recent interview. The song shows potential in the artist, proving she needs more songs to get her well known within the industry. The song takes on a mature and sensual sound without the need to go overboard with those same elements, which I thought was quite nice. Her vocals were quite good, with a good set of ad-libs at the end of the song to definitely cap off her presentation of her vocal skills. The only thing I think the song could have worked upon was its slowness. At the start, it works really well and showcases something a little different from what we are used to. But as the song progresses, it does get boring and slowly loses its appeal. But besides that, it is something worth listening to.

The music video is slapped with a 19+ rating. We open up with Jimin’s ex at the door, wanting to make amends with Jimin (after multiple arguments and fights to which she has had enough). He brings over some cake, which falls to the ground during a little pushing and shoving. He steps on the cake, falls backwards and hits his head. Jimin rushes to see whether he is okay but it appears that he had died from the fall. Just at this moment, delivery people arrive with a new appliance. Jimin panics (maybe due to her past history with him – i.e. people may know of their abusive relationship) and quickly props up in a chair at the table, allowing the delivery people to do their job without suspecting a thing. She then uses the ‘corpse’ to make it look like he is ‘alive’ and invites everyone to a party from his phone, to look like he planned the whole thing. Before the party, she hides the body under the bed. During the unwanted party, a couple enters the bedroom and start having sex (as depicted with him underneath the bed – still ‘dead’ – and definitely the cause of the 19+ rating). In the end, we see her attempting to look for him under the bed but we see that he is alive, nursing a broken back (as the bed fell on top of him), falling once again. Not too sure on what to make of the ending but maybe he is the one pulling the prank on her the whole time. It is definitely an interesting video that you might just need to watch.

A first for Jimin is some choreography for her comeback. It wasn’t too bad and added an extra element to make her performances feel a little more interesting.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating -7.7/10

 

[Review] Countless – SHINee

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We knew it coming but apart from the confirmation we would be getting a repackaged version of The Story of Light (which was released as 3 parts – Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3), we got no teasers whatsoever. So the release of Countless today caught me (and numerous fans) off guard. Countless is the title track off The Story of Light-Epilogue, joining the other three title tracks – Good Evening, I Want You and Our Page.

Countless takes on the extremely popular and trend tropical house genre. Interestingly, there are no rap sections. Instead, itis straight vocals from the start to end, which I thought was rather interesting. And as for the vocals, they were definitely the main driving force of the song. They managed to stay above the loud instrumentation, which is definitely a plus, to begin with. If they weren’t at this level, I felt like they could have been drowned out. Once again, I like how they sang together during the chorus, which made the song feel wholesome. I personally do not mind the bright instrumentation of the song but I wonder if the song was intended to be a ballad, given the message and lyrics. Overall, it isn’t technically the catchiest song released today but it does sound really amazing.

The music video for this song was definitely bright. I did think the video was rather boring as it went for a simple approach. There was a whole heap of spinning around, which I thought was rather cool, to an extent. But there wasn’t much else to the video. The sets did feel elaborate for such a simple video, however. But from my understanding (and how the video was released), the song won’t see much more promotional time, so a simple video (despite the elaborate sets) made the most sense.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Naughty Boy – Pentagon

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Despite being affected by some dating revelations, Pentagon has returned as an 8-member group with their Thumbs Up mini-album and the title track, Naughty Boy. E’Dawn is not participating in the comeback due to his dating life with Hyuna (I am not going to call it a scandal, as it isn’t a scandal!), while Yanan has taken time off for health issues. This is the group’s first comeback since their viral hit Shine, which was released back in March of this year.

After the likes of Shine, I don’t know how the group could release a song that could potentially be better than Shine. But Naughty Boy is an awesome attempt (and if all goes well, it could potentially go viral once again). Why do I say that, well, the song has that chanting anthem acting as the post-chorus, so it is quite easy to get the song stuck in your mind. Mind you, I have spent the last few hours replaying songs due to their catchiness and this one is definitely one of them. I thought both the rapping and the vocals were quite good. There is a very cheerful vibe to the song which automatically channels straight into my head, making me quite happy afterwards (I am quite stressed at the moment). This is the type of song that you would want playing when you revert to an immature side of yourself (and I think the lyrics do reference that).

The video is definitely not typical. It features the weird frog concept, which dominates this comeback both in the lyrics and visually. To a foreigner (like me), it is definitely odd. However, there might be a folktale about the tree frog in Korea, which would instantly put this video into context. If there is, please let us all know in the comments below! As for the music video, I like how the members are all having fun. It doesn’t feel fake. And this alone adds levels of appeal to the video. And I like how the production made sure the boys were safe throughout the video. At the choreography scene at the construction site, they wore hi-vis jackets. Not the most glamorous outfit but they made it work.

The choreography references Shine a fair bit. I like that tactic but hope it isn’t going to be overused. The rest of the choreography seems to be new moves, which I thought were fun and simple, great for fans to dance along to. It definitely looks promising and I can’t wait to see a live performance for this song!

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

[Review] Remember Me – Oh My Girl

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One of the many comebacks and releases for today, Oh My Girl have returned with their latest title track, Remember Me. It is featured on the group’s 6th mini-album, which shares the same name as the title track. This is the full group’s second comeback after Secret Garden earlier in the year and the first comeback since their extremely cutesy subunit release, Banana Allergy Monkey.

Remember Me has a different sound, one which we have yet to hear from the group, given their past title tracks. That being said, the song does fall neatly within the group’s boundaries as it isn’t technically an extremely changeup (like their subunit release mentioned above). The start may be misleading but once we reach the pre-chorus, we find ourselves in familiar territory. The song features nice vocals, adding a nice melody to the song, and we finally get to hear decent rap sequences from Mimi. I thought the instrumental was quite cool. It allowed the group to show an edgy side at different moments but return to their ‘normal’ self at other moments. Overall, I thought the song was pretty well done. I thought it was extremely catchy and it will probably grow on me further in the coming days. There might be a reason to why I picked this as the first song to review today and it might have something to do with how appealing the song is.

The music video is a little out there but not as bad at their subunit release (I think that has become the reference point of weirdness). I am a little lost with the plotline of the video. But it seems like everyone is doing their own thing but still making the party at the end of the video. Despite being confusing, I thought the video was fitting for the song. And hands up if you think this is Binnie’s era because she looks so good in that hairstyle. Very elegant and mature, if you ask me!

I honestly do not have much to say about the choreography besides how perfect it fitted for the song. There were elegant moments in the dance to match the melodic sections of the song and a little edge when the rapping came into play. Big ticks for this comeback.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.2/10

[Album Review] ++ (1st Mini Album) – LOONA

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I know the album reviews are coming out at really odd times but bear with me for just this week as I make an attempt to catch up on the reviews. The next album that I will be reviewing is LOONA’s debut mini-album, titled as ++. It features both Hi High and favoRiTe, which I have both written separate reviews for. For those who also know about the music video theories that I had promised to write up, I have decided to put them on hold due to the sheer amount of time it takes to write them. They will be up sometime this year, so do not worry! But today, we are here for the album, so let’s get going!

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++ Album Cover

2. Hi High (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Hi High. (9/10)

3. favoRiTe (Pre-Release Song) – Click here to read the full review for favoRiTe. (9/10)

4. Heat (열기) – Heat fits the more aesthetically pleasing side of LOONA that we got through their pre-debut singles. The song has a very mature feel to it, something that you would not expect if you know LOONA through just their debut track. I like how peaceful the song sounds. It flows very well, and the minimalistic vibes of the instrumental allows their amazing vocals to fill the void and shine very brightly. I thought the suspense building, despite the minimalistic vibes of the song, were pretty good as well. (8/10)

5. Perfect Love – Perfect Love has that upbeat feel that you expect from a Summer season song. It is literally your standard pop song but done right. The chorus features a simple yet addictive hook, in my opinion. I think more could have done to the verses to really bring the song to another level, as it felt very plain. The song ends off with a short instrumental section, which I thought was cool. But not so much for that squeaky synth. And while the song does have fantastic vocals, it needed some rapping in it. That would have added a layer of texture. (8/10)

6. Stylish – I like the vibes from this song the most as it has a ‘stylish’ feel to it. It takes on that aesthetically pleasing sound and mature sound, like Heart (earlier song on the album). I like the start of the chorus, which has the instrumental omitted, allowing for the vocals (and filtered background vocals) to be in the spotlight. It created a nice level of suspense and amazement, which I thought was quite cool. I would like to see a performance for this song, as the song has that epic feel suited for the stage. Once again, I think the song could have used a rap sequence, but it was still amazing anyway. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

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favoRiTe Single Cover

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[Album Review] Another (3rd Mini Album) – Jeong Sewoon

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Finally getting around to completing the album reviews for this week. I haven’t cancelled them (or else I will fall behind even further) so I will be posting 3 album reviews in the span of a few days. This album review is for Jeong Sewoon’s latest mini-album, Another, which I think he has completed promotions for already. So let’s stop wasting time and get on with this album review!

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Another Album Cover

1..20 Something (Title Track) – Click here for the review of 20 Something. (7.5/10)

2. Waterfall – I think the first thing that grabs me is his husky voices. And  I love the mash-up between the classical piano and the synth-heavy instrumental, which peaks during the chorus. The chorus is quite chaotic but the good kind. There is a sense of order that makes it very aesthetic to listen to. I also like how his vocals manage to be put on display, as his voice could have been pretty much hidden under the chaos. I thought the song had an impact, making it one of my favourites on the album. (9/10)

3. Eye 2 Eye – The song is quite different from the chaos in the second song. It goes for an acoustic approach and shows off the husky nature of his voice even more than the previous song. It is songs like this where the instrumental allows the vocals to shine, allowing you to appreciate the vocals even more. The instrumental was quite ballady, but it had that foot-tapping effect that felt country-like. I love the acapella ending and that very light high note at the start of the final chorus. Also, the song was quite catchy. (9/10)

4. La La – Opening the song was the very surprisingly low tone in his voice, which I thought was extremely nice. It creates some contrast and texture in the song, which I thought gave the song some colour. The instrumental already presents the song with some colour but more is added with the said introduction. I like the build-up to the bridge, but it could have used a high note to really pick it up even more. I would like to see a performance for this song, mainly because it could have been similar to his debut stage (which I actually quite liked). (8.5/10)

5. I Wonder – Once again, we return to a more acoustic sound. The guitar is the only instrument within the instrumental. While that is a little different from the majority of the songs in the industry now, it too does a good job of allowing his vocals to shine. There is a dreamy notion regarding his voice that makes you sway you along. The whistling was quite nice and his falsetto during the final chorus was quite nice. (8/10)

6. Shadow – Once again, we find a song that allows for the vocals to shine. It takes the electronic application and balances it with the acoustic sound, which allows for the vocals to shine. As mentioned, there is a nice balance and I can’t help to think if all the songs on the album build-up to it. The song felt like an OST for some Korean Drama. And while I have mentioned his singing, Sewoon also takes on rapping in this song, which I thought he nailed quite well. Overall, I thought it was a nice song to end the album on. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10

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Another Teaser Image

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[Review] Drama – BLANC7

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Returning to the KPOP scene earlier in the week is BLANC7. Their latest comeback song is Drama, which is the title track off their latest single album, Take Off. Their last comeback was with Hello back in August 2017, thus making this their first comeback in over a year. While I did miss their first comeback, I did write a review for their debut track, Yeah, last year. But today, we are here for some ‘Drama’, so let’s continue.

Drama is a nice song. While it falls within the electronic music genre, it isn’t as hard-hitting as other tracks, making this a very nice soothing song to listen to. I personally thought the song, as a whole, was very refreshing, feeling almost like a cool breeze on a nice sunny day. I thought the vocals and raps were quite nice, balancing out with the calming atmosphere the song had. The instrumental was nice but I wasn’t too keen on the chirping synth that was present throughout the chorus. I also thought the instrumental was rather linear and I did expect it to pick up somewhere along the way (which it didn’t, for me). My favourite part would have to be the start of the song. It just offers something a little different from an extremely upbeat song that is overloaded with synths.

The start of the video featured one of the members running along with a girl. And then when the song starts, the entirety of the video is simply the choreography scenes and close up shots of the members. So my question is, where is the rest of that storyline? Who is she? What is their story? It just felt so random to put them in with nothing else to the story. Other than that, I thought the rest of the video was pretty much standard, with the members shooting in areas which have been shot at numerous times before.

The choreography felt quite smooth and classy, similar to how the song was presented to us. However, I think some finetuning could have made this performance even better to watch.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] Right Here – The Boyz

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The Boyz have been quite busy this year. In April, they released and promoted Giddy Up as their first comeback single. In July, they released KeePer as a digital single (which was produced by Park Kyung from Block B. And just yesterday, the group released their first single album, The Sphere, which features Right Here as the title track. So with the review obviously ‘Right Here‘ on this page, continue reading onwards!

The initial thought I had about the song was that it seems to be Giddy Up version 2.0. And that is a good thing, especially since I really enjoyed Giddy Up when it came out. I really liked the upbeat feel that the electro-pop song, which felt like it had some retro mixed into it. It doesn’t really slow down, which is one point of appeal which makes me like the song quite a bit. I like how hyped the pre-chorus felt, which made the launch into the chorus quite spectacular.  Vocally, the song was quite good. What I felt the song needed was a dedicated rap section. There was rapping but it was very sparse throughout the song. The song needed some edge and I think that would have made it so much better. My favourite bit would have to be the extremely catchy hook during the chorus (the ‘Ooh baby baby baby’), which is still ringing in my ears.

For the music video, I really like the colours between the sets and what they are wearing. It allows them to stand out yet fit right into the video. Given their teasers, I would expect more emphasis on the circle, which would have been nice since that was the concept of the single album. I also thought the darkened choreography scene (where they are wearing caps) was a nice change up to the rest of the video (and providing that sense of edge).

The choreography was really good for this performance. The entire chorus was amazing. The stationary side shuffle looked cool but I really like the ‘Ooh baby baby baby’ lineup that they did, which was definitely another highlight for the choreography. It looked fun and allowed the members to be a little crazy than in a set routine.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 910
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Review] Lil’ Touch – Girls’ Generation-Oh!GG

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Fans became shocked to learn that 3 of the members of SNSD (Tiffany, Sooyoung and Seohyun) did not resign their contracts with SM Entertainment last year. However, fans were reassured as the 8-member group would remain together as SNSD. For the time being, it seems like SNSD is focusing on their solo activities or, in this case, subunit activities. SNSD has launched SNSD-Oh!GG a 5-member subunit made up of the members who chose to remain at SM Entertainment (Sunny, Taeyeon, Hyoyeon, Yoona and Yuri). Their ‘debut’ single, Lil’ Touch was released today.

Like all subunits, Lil’ Touch does not conform to what SNSD commonly releases. This song is a lot edgier than any of their previous releases, which I thought was a real charming point of the song. The song takes on a minimalistic approach with its pop instrumental. The beat is repetitive, accompanying the catchy melody and making this track quite addictive, as promised by the members. I thought the song was vocally quite good, especially during the pre-chorus. The verses seemed to be mixed up with a little rap-speaking, which I thought was rather different. Overall, Lil’ Touch may be very different but it definitely one cool track.

The music video is a little confusing. The members are running away from something but you don’t really see what they are running away from. They enter each room or set very cautiously, which I thought was rather interesting. Besides that, each member becomes very charismatic throughout the video, showing off their sexy side during their close up shots. If the plot doesn’t grab your attention, their looks will do the job very sufficiently. It was a good video to watch, minus the confusion.

The choreography looked quite cool. We could only see snippets throughout the music video but there was enough to confirm the following. It is a super upbeat performance, proving very fitting for the song. I like how they incorporate that edginess from the song into their dance as well.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] Siren – Sunmi

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After Gashina and Heroine, Sunmi has finally returned with the final part of this trilogy. I personally had no idea that this was a trilogy, though the music videos had similar elements. Siren is Sunmi’s new release and it features on her second mini-album, Warning. So before we get a ‘Warning’ for delaying the review, let’s move along.

Another great song from Sunmi. It is a really catchy song that I have already replayed too many times since its release a few hours back. I can see how some people may say that it is similar to the previous songs in the trilogy but I can definitely see the uniqueness of the song. The chorus reminds me of pop songs you would have heard from the Western music industry in the ’00s, hence there is a sense of nostalgia. I feel like the verses were the biggest letdown of the song, as it felt like it was the plainest sections of the song. I like the chorus the most, due to its catchy nature. But the breakdown in the bridge was the most interesting. It felt odd but it ended up working really well when you look back at the song.

Once again, the music video for Siren is quite similar to what we got in Gashina and Heroine. The closeup of Sunmi at the very start is a clear example of how similar the videos looked. This time around Sunmi is getting ready, casually sneezing and then returning to touch up her eyelashes. I thought the use of the different Sunmi’s throughout the video gave it some interesting momentum to drive the video forward. As for the cage during the bridge, I am quite sure Sunmi could have fitted through the bars. But other than that, it was a really good video.

I thought the dance was quite cool, particularly around the chorus of the song. I also love the low lunge just before the chorus, which I thought was very seductive. I liked the use of the makeshift cage, which added a cool element for the performance as well.

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

 

 

[Review] Heart – 100%

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Summer isn’t over just yet, with 100% making a last-minute comeback with a song that would fit perfectly into the hot season. This is the group’s first comeback since Grand Bleu, which was released a few weeks ago as a special single. Heart is the title track off their Sunshine mini-album, which was one of the few comebacks today.

Heart takes on the tropical house genre that dominated KPOP for the most part of the past year. And while it isn’t as prevalent as a year ago, some songs still feature this genre. Like how I started off the review, it does feel slightly delayed. But that isn’t too much of an issue. I do like the vocal/rap work of the song and the tropical house instrumental of the song. However, they don’t necessarily blend together as nicely as you expected. It just feels like the vocals were slapped on top of the instrumentation and nothing was done to really bring the song together. That is what I had felt when it came to the song.

The music video was definitely a plus for this comeback. It was extremely high quality and bright like most Summertime music videos. The scenes inside the jungle or forest looked really well polished and the post-production made it look so good. The group also puts others to shame by dancing in a freaking swimming pool. Usually, groups perform in a very shallow amount of water but this was a little more than that. An impressive music video that draws your attention to their comeback.

The choreography for this looks quite good. Putting the swimming pool setting aside, the moves looked really technical and made this performance look very promising. It was upbeat and definitely fitting for the energetic side of the song.

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

[Review] If You Are Only Fine – Nam Woo Hyun (Infinite)

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Nam Woo Hyun is officially back with his first solo comeback since his solo debut (Still I Remember) back in May 2016. Since May 2016. Woohyun has been participating in a range of musicals and making comebacks with Infinite, with the most recent being at the start of the year (Tell Me). Woo Hyun’s latest title track, If You Are Only Fine, is featured on his second mini-album, Second Write….

If You Are Only Fine is a ballad, following his solo debut track. And it is a very serious and emotional ballad from the very start. There isn’t anything upbeat or lively about this ballad, confirming the fact we are approaching that time of the year when every ballad that is released comes from an emotional or moving perspective. I personally do not mind as it allows seems fitting for the season. The song doesn’t get to the exciting territory until we get to the second half of the first verse, as this is when the instrumental slowly picks up. It builds up to be a nice orchestral ballad piece but feels very typical. Woohyun’s vocals do also buildup, giving us some power vocals that have a heavy dose of sadness throughout it. I will have to be honest though. It is a good song to listen to but it doesn’t have that wow factor that gets me wanting more or returning for further listens.

The music video recounts the moment a couple meets for the first time and the events in between, up until when the couple sadly splits up. It does a terrific job of encapsulating the saddening elements of the song and present it to us within a 4-minute video. I would have liked to see some more acting when it came to the sad ending because it doesn’t feel enough. What we got was good but I wanted more to further illustrate the heartbreak. However, it was good to watch.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.7/10

[Album Review] Summer Magic (2nd Summer Special Album) – Red Velvet

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Taking on Summer once again is Red Velvet, following the success of Red Flavour and The Red Summer (released last year). The mini-album, Summer Magic, features 7 songs. I will only be reviewing 6 of the song (with the last one being Bad Boy (English Version), which I believe they performed at a KCON event). And with Summer wrapping up in the Northern hemisphere, let’s quickly have a closer look at the album before it gets too chilly.

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Summer Magic Album Cover

1.Power Up (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Power Up. (6/10)

2. With You (한 여름의 크리스마스)– With You reminds me of Summer due to the presence of the instrumentation (hollow drums reminding me of the Caribbean and the tropics). The song itself also features great vocals from the members. The best part was when they sing together for the chorus, while some of their solo moments to give the chance for each member to stand out. There is a hint of catchiness making this a decent song to listen to. Not sure how Christmas relates to the Summer sounding track (I, unfortunately, do not have time to look up lyrics for this review), as the final Korean word in the title is ‘Christmas’. (8/10)

3. Mr. E – This song reminds me of another song which I cannot pinpoint yet. But its sense of nostalgia is greatly appreciated. It has that exotic vibe which sounds quite nice. The song itself is quite addictive, consisting of a very catchy hook and great melodies throughout the rest of the song. Like the previous song, the song also features great vocals. I also liked the rapping in the song but would have liked some more, to be honest. (8/10)

4. Mosquito – Probably my most favourite song on the entire track list. From the instrumentation to the vocal work, everything seemed perfect. But it is even better when everything feels epic. I like the hip-hop feel in this song, which gives a little flavour to the song that is unlike any other on this album. It also gives this song that extra edginess, which is why I describe it as ‘epic’. I liked how the instrumentation was relatively simple, but the suspenseful thumping came at the right time. Favourite line of the entire song has to be the ‘Na Na Na’ (10/10)

5. Hit That Drum – Following nicely from Mosquito is Hit That Drum that carries the same momentum. It sadly isn’t as epic sounding, but it has that catchiness that the previous song through its chorus. I have been humming the song since I first heard of it. It does remind me of another KPOP song, but I cannot figure out which (or even its it was by Red Velvet or not). It does need a little more of something to make it even better, but it was still another favourite. (9/10)

6. Blue Lemonade – Blue Lemonade aims to be a refreshing song and it nails its job perfectly. While its elements are very traditional, the overall feel of the song has that fresh tone which you want to hear with any new song. I like the bubbly effects the song contains, which personalises the song to the group very well and allow for the title to come to life. Once again great vocals, especially the ending to finish off the song. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.3/10

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Summer Magic/Power Up Teaser Image

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