Category: KPOP

[Review] Fingertips – GFriend

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GFriend has officially returned with a more confident and mature image. GFriend is probably most well known for their school trilogy, which ranges from Glass Bead to Rough. Their most recent comeback was Navillera in July of last year.

When I first listened to the song, I wasn’t that amazed by it. I thought it was kind of childish and unsatisfying. It also has an entirely different sound to their typical songs, which made me sceptical with their latest comeback. But once again, I gave it a few extra tries. But then those initial feelings were just lost and I fell for the song. It is incredibly catchy. The “Tang Tang Tang” chorus entrance was fantastic and it just made want even more from the song. I loved the mini rap line that Umji received. GFriend hasn’t really rapped before in any of their title tracks in the past, so it caught me off guard. Sure, their previous songs didn’t and probably wouldn’t need a rap sequence. But I was blown away with that one line. I wasn’t much of a fan of Umji’s singing vocals, but everyone else sounded amazing. The track is a lot stronger, regarding sound, which is something that I think made the song sound quite epic. The instrumental of the song delved into the funk genre. The guitar riffs are something that I noticed in the song and once I picked up on those riffs, it genuinely felt more like a typical GFriend song. (The girls have used guitar riffs before, especially in the instrumental for their dance breaks). I would have liked an added layer of epicness to the instrumental break for their dance break. In the song, it felt so sudden and would have been nice if there was a bridge between the song and the dance break. Overall, another amazing song that GFriend can add to their portfolio of hits.

I had to take a step back when I saw them bring out the guns in the teaser. The concept of the video felt so foreign but at the same time, felt very fresh for the girls (and probably much needed). I think the video alludes to the old friendship between them. Throughout the video, the girls seem to battle it out in gun battles that highlighted the intensity between the girls. Eunha is the hunted one. Sowon and Yuju are hunting her down. SinB and Yerin are protecting her (or also hunting her down). Umji seemed to have moved away from the group. At the end of the video, we see the clock hands move backwards and we time travel back in time to when the girls all used to friends. Not sure if that is the actual plot, but that is what I got from the video. The space setting made the video look quite cool. I know this sounds sad but the highlight of the video was definitely any choreography scenes in the mirror set. It looked fancy and impressive. And it seemed to be very matched the video’s concept quite nicely.

I really liked how they incorporated the guns into their choreography. Sounds very shady but it gave a nice tough vibe. There was also parts that did seem a little cute, but I don’t know if that was intended to be perceived that way (or I have an odd definition of cute). Their dance break, once again, amazes me and is the one thing I look forward to with every GFriend performance.

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

[Review] Eyez Eyez – VICTON

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VICTON has made their first comeback with Eyez Eyez. For those who missed the group, they are a 7-member boy group under Plan A Entertainment. Their debut song, I’m Fine, was released in November 2016. Eyez Eyez is the title track to their latest mini album, Ready, which was released last week.

The song shows a more edgy and tougher side of the guys, something that their debut song didn’t have. And while this is an okay song, I don’t think it has what it takes to top their pre-release for their debut, What Time Is It Now. The songs are similar in ways but different in other aspects. But I am not here to compare songs. Eyez Eyez uses a more disoriented sounding instrumental, which can be attributed to the warped synths and it delves into the EDM route. It doesn’t sound like a mess, which I am sure, some people would have thought initially. While the EDM genre is expanding, it is very common to hear the same sounds again and again. And with many groups, particularly newer boy groups, going down the EDM route, this song doesn’t really stand out for me. Sure, the instrumental may be a little unique but there is a layer of air that makes the song feel a little generic. The vocals and raps were okay. I just expected them to be more explosive with this song. They do sing at a more powerful level for the chorus, but to me, it sounds like they are only doing that to get on top of the instrumental, which during the chorus was the main thing you could hear. Other than that, I did think the first line of the chorus was catchy enough and that alone brought me back to the song a few times.

The music video doesn’t really stand out. While the song does sound a little more untraditional, the music video feels very generic and lacks appeal. The song is made up of choreography scenes and a lot of close-ups of the guys at the train station. Not really the first place you would think of to put a bunch of guys trying out the tougher and edgier concept. The video relies heavily on the use of post-production effects and filters. They do a lot to the video and keep it somewhat interesting. Yeah, also gives me something a little extra to talk about.

The choreography was pretty good. It isn’t memorable as much as other performances but at least it gave a worthwhile visual to watch as part of their music video. The knife-like choreography puts them up high with other boy groups (that are known for their impressive sharp moves), but VICTON now needs to show that same aspect off with a more memorable and impressive choreography.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10

[Album Review] My Voice (1st Solo Album) – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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I promised last night and I have delivered! This is my second album review to date. This is also Taeyeon’s first solo full album, with a total of 12 songs. I have reviewed 2 of songs from the album and have linked them in the post below. I am just going to let you know that a lot of the focus will be in the vocal work because they just blow you away in every song. While the gaps between album reviews seem to be quite large, I am hoping that I will be push through next month with 4 different album reviews. I am still open to making changes to the layout of these album reviews, so feel free to leave any feedback in the comments. On we go!

My Voice’s Album Cover

1. Fine (title track) – check out my review for the title track (10/10)

2. Cover Up – Compared to the title track, this song is much more upbeat. Actually, this song would be perfect at any of my friend’s parties this year because this is an example of the song that we would jam to (and they don’t even listen to KPOP). It’s really catchy and Taeyeon shines brightly with the more electronic based instrumental. (9/10)

3. Feel So Fine – It may not be the best song out of the bunch but it is one damn good track. Her vocals just take this song to a whole new level. The track does sound a little generic and doesn’t showcase any new sounds. But it sounds a lot like some of her tracks with but a more heavy instrumental and more bass. (7/10)

4. I Got Love (pre-release track) – check out my review for the pre-release track (10/10)

5. I’m Okay – The song is a very jazzy and soulful number (at least to me). But what stands out about this song is the chorus. The chorus is literally perfection to me. It’s melody and rhythm is amazing. The track is very consistent (which here is a good thing) from start to end. I love the instrumental bridge of the song and her vocals are wonderful here. (9/10)

6. Time Lapse – Probably one of the best songs on the list, apart from the title and pre-release track. It doesn’t pack a punch directly through an explosion of the instrumental or her vocals. The track is kept very neutral and that is what makes it so great. Instead, its impact was after the song finished playing. I literally took a few moments to reflect on the blessing that just graced my ears. That exponential sounding high note at the end was spectacular, which put the cherry on top for me. (10/10)

7. Sweet Love – This particular song had its moments for me. The verses felt bland and I didn’t pay attention to it. But once again, the chorus caught my attention. The way she went higher and higher in the chorus made it sound amazing. Like the title of the song, the instrumental did have a sweet feel to it. The verses did leave me feeling disappointed, though. (7/10)

8. When I Was Young – Probably there is a law out there in South Korea that specifies all albums must contain at least one ballad-like song. In this album, this is the ballad-like track. While it does sound good, it doesn’t really do it for me. Taeyeon has amazing vocals and this is the one track of just a few where her vocals felt underwhelming and bland. The chorus of the song was a little better but it didn’t amaze me as much as the other tracks. (6/10)

9. Lonely Night – I am a little on the fence for the song. I love the instrumental. It sounds like a song that you would listen to when during the night while looking at the stars. The instrumental is very easy going and has a nice jazz inspired feel. The vocals just made the song fall a little flat. It doesn’t utilise her powerful vocals, which I get. We can’t have her blowing us away in every song. But here, it made this track feel boring. (5/10)

10. Love in Colour – Another ballad on the tracklist. This is a perfect track that holds her vocals back. There are no impressive ad-libs or high notes that blow us away. But her vocals deliver the song quite nicely and the balance between instrumental and vocals was ideal. You can hear the emotions sprinkled throughout the song through her voice. (8/10)

11. Fire – Fire launches us back to her powerful vocals. The song delves into the RnB genre, something that I have yet to hear on this album. I love her launch into the choruses here. It was not as impressive as her other launches in the choruses, but it still sounds amazing. (7/10)

12. Eraser – Taeyeon ends the album with a head banger. It was unexpected but I am in love with this song. I started nodding along to the song but as soon as the chorus hits, the instrumental and her vocals are just head banging worthiness. She also raps a little bit the song but it masked by a lot of autotune, so I couldn’t really make out any words (sounded like a blur). And I had to backtrack for a moment because I thought someone else rapped and featured in the song, but nope, it was the queen herself! (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8/10

taeyeonfine

So what songs do you like from Taeyeon’s latest release? Comment below!

 

[Review] Fine – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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I recently reviewed I Got Love by the solo queen herself, Taeyeon from SNSD. And with that amazing song as just her pre-release for her very first solo album, there are obviously high expectations for her entire album. But wait, this just marks her first solo album, My Voice? Given her status as a digital chart killer and the many (ain’t going to attempt to list them here) songs that she released? Obviously, this is long solo album is long overdue. If that is the case, I smell an album review coming up.

Fine is her title track for this album and it is one fine track (no pun intended… obviously). The song sounds like a Taylor Swift influenced track, with the acoustic guitar and pop ballad vibes, something that I will admittedly say that I miss from the world class act. This song takes it back to her solo debut days for me. The structure is quite similar and the way she delivered the songs are almost the same. But what makes this song good is that it focuses on good music and if we are talking about Taeyeon, amazing vocals. Her vocals in this song will blow you away. The track does start off slow and quiet. But as she launches herself into the chorus, she obviously doesn’t hold back. The chorus itself is quite different to the verses, as it is layered with bass and more instrumentals (other than the acoustic guitar). Towards the end, when we get to the peak of most songs (prior or during the final chorus), she takes it one step further with amazing ad-libs and high notes that literally took my breath away. Taeyeon has put out tracks that have disappointed me before, but when it comes to songs just like this one or any of her ballads, you can probably never go wrong.

The video itself shows Taeyeon walking around and clearly having thoughts in her head. From the rest of the video, we can probably tell that those thoughts are in regards to her lover, who has left her. We see try her best to move on (through scenes of her walking around the store and on the streets) but memories of him just start coming back to her. Now, to address the scenes where everything appears sketchy and unrecognisable (to her). I think they mean two things. The first is that everything around her is different now. Life with her boyfriend is different to life without him. The second is that she is slowly moving on (as indicated of the scenes towards the end where the sketchiness comes back, but blots out his face). We see her still thinking about him while she works on set. But she pushes through, finishing the photoshoot as professionally as she can after taking some time out. In the end, we see her pull out a glass and drink water from it, opposed to drinking whatever from plastic cups when she was with her boyfriend. This signifies that she has moved on completely. What I love about the video is its aesthetics. It makes the video look wonderful and gives it another level of depth. It’s not your typical ballad video, but the way everything came together (camera shots, transitions, filters, editing etc.) really captured the emotions from both her acting and the song itself. Just another video made for Taeyeon that makes the standard for all videos harder to reach.

I just saw a live performance on YouTube today of the song and wow. Do expect an album review to come out either later today or tomorrow.

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

 

[Review] A Girl Like Me – Gugudan

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Gugudan has finally made their first comeback since debut. Last year, the group made their debut with Wonderland. I am mot sure why they didn’t return during the year, but I assume that since some of the members were apart of I.O.I, this had an impact on their schedules and potential comebacks. A Girl Like Me serves as the title track for their second mini album, Act 2. Narcissus.

A Girl Like Me gives me flashbacks to KPOP in the past. The song’s instrumental itself sounds retro with its use of synths. They managed to keep their brightness from their previous comeback and show a more mature sound (and improvement) at the same time. But what makes the track so good is that it brings back memories of past KPOP tracks. This track could have easily passed as a song on F(x)’s or Red Velvet’s albums. That might have come off as an insult (but I hope it didn’t). I only included that statement that because both F(x)’s and Red Velvet’s albums always include high-quality songs, good enough to be title tracks. Vocally, it is much better than what they presented in Wonderland. It is really catchy and while it sounds like it could become very annoying, it isn’t (and that is a big plus). The rap bridge, along with the change in instrumental was amazing, which is topped off with a very suitable ad-lib. Yeah, the song is quite short (under 3 minutes) but what they have given us here is of an amazing standard. And more importantly, I really like it.

Like what I mentioned, the girls have channelled that brightness from their song into their video by using bold colours (that were bright as well!). The video suits the song quite well. The song itself (I should have discussed this before, but I felt it would fit in here) is in regards to a guy who is too into himself and doesn’t notice the girls. So, evidently, the girls put them out there by making them more pretty. Modelling, painting self-portraits, vlogging and photocopying your face. You know, the usual. While its plot line and meaning go hand-in-hand, the video didn’t captivate me and bored me a little. It isn’t a superb video, but it does get the job done at promoting the song.

The choreography is similar to the video, in the sense, that there wasn’t anything impressive. But it was also similar to the song, in the sense, of its maturity that it brings. The dance itself also includes themes related to the lyrics and video, which is quite cool as well.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10 
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] WoW! – Lovelyz

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Lovelyz has finally made their comeback. After their Destiny comeback last year, the group has been absent from the spotlight. I personally liked Destiny a lot and wanted to see more from the group. They recently had their first concert. WoW! is the title track for their second album, R U Ready?.

The song is quite interesting. I listened to it for the first time (when it was released) and it felt very underwhelming. But after coming back to the track a few days later, I noticed that it had a classy vibe and mature sound to it, which reminds me of Destiny. The more you listen to it, the more you shrug your doubts away and start to realise how good the track is. That being said (I probably haven’t listened to the song enough times yet), the song did sound weak. I feel like if the track had more of a stronger (and maybe deeper sounding) foundation, the track could would have sounded a lot better (but then again, I ain’t a music expert). Their vocals weren’t really shown off in the song, which did make it disappointing because we have yet to hear a track that vocally shows them off. But within this track, there were catchy moments which I really liked, like the start. I keep on going back to the track because I mainly can’t get that start of the song out of my head. The track is probably one of the smoothest tracks that I have ever listened to in KPOP. From just listening to the song, there doesn’t seem to be much going on with it. But when you pay close attention, you can hear a lot of subtle sounds in the instrumentals. Personally, they make the song quite interesting to listen to.

The music video looks pretty cool. While I am not a major fan of their close close-ups, it does a lot of charm to the video. The paper cut-outs of the girls did add cuteness to the video, but I didn’t understand why they were needed in the video.  But the aspect that I loved even more are the scenes inside the house. It looked very cool, especially towards the end where the girls are essentially running out of frame but their paused versions remain behind. I genuinely loved all the scenes inside the house. I don’t know if it is the content or just the quality of the scenes that I am drawn to, but either way, it all looked amazing. The editing of the video has to be talked about as well. Especially during the bridge of the song (or the part where each member had a line – just before the final chorus), where they filmed each member in a circle. It looked like multiple shots were taken (as some of the members ended up freezing while still on screen), but the editing made it look as smooth (as possible), channelling the smoothness of the song.

I really liked the slow motion running that they incorporated with in their dance. It was matching to the part of the song. The rest of the dance looked alright. It isn’t as impressive as their last comeback, but the weak nature of the song (which I mentioned before) does limit their choreography to an extent.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Let Me Love You – Junggigo & Chanyeol (EXO)

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Another cross-company collaboration has been unveiled (last week). Last time it was Soyu & Baekhyun’s Rain. Recently, I reviewed Honey Bee, which featured Luna, Solar and Hani. Now, Junggigo and Chanyeol from EXO has come together to give us a new song. Both of these artists are quite successful in their solo work. Junggigo is one-half of the ‘Some’ collaboration and Chanyeol has been ranking high on the charts with his solo OSTs. Hence, making this song something to look forward to.

Let Me Love You is a ballad and RnB infused track. It sounds very smooth and ‘easy on the ears’ (if you understand what I am trying to get at). The song itself is pretty simple, with no aspects of the song overcomplicating it, hence something that is quite nice to listen to. The song also is the type that gets you swaying along to the music. That is one of the signs it is a pretty good ballad, in my point of view (which when I say it, sounds a little odd). Both Junggigo and Chanyeol sounds amazing in the song. This is expected of Junggigo (just haven’t been digging his recent releases) but I get surprised every time I hear Chanyeol sing, though. He is a rapper in EXO yet he has a very nice voice when singing, which was unexpected when I discovered that he could sing. There really isn’t much else to say about the song. I will just happily listen to the song in the background, while I continue on with the review.

When I saw images of the music video, I thought the song was a soundtrack for the new Power Rangers film that is due to come out this year (who else is excited about the new Power Ranger film?). But then it turns out to be just a simple music video with a Power Ranger type of setting. The video does make me chuckle a bit, though. The moustached Power Rangers battle a giant cockroach. Actually, now I think about it, the Power Rangers are probably just pest control dressed in funky clothing to make their work a little more interesting. But it turns out there is a romantic twist with the guy playing the cockroach having a mad crush on one of the rangers. It seems like she is also interested as she is the only person to pay attention to him (the other rangers and staff don’t seem to care about him). While the two hang out, everyone packs up, leaving the two ‘friends’ behind. They spend even more time together, to the point where the girl can’t seem to kill her love when they working on set for the film or show they are shooting. They are a very cute couple and watching the guy walk around with the costume on made me go “awwww” for most of the video. Couple goals 2017? Wait… Sorry, it should be #CoupleGoals2017. That’s the way to write it in 2017.

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

[Weekly Chart] 4th Week of February 2017

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And welcome back to the fourth week of February 2017. It has been an uneventful week for me, so there isn’t much to talk about. But next week is going to be an eventful week for me because I restart university. I am still trying to figure out my posting schedule but as soon as I finalise my schedule, I will let you know!!!

But moving along to this week’s chart, all of last week’s top three (BTS’ Spring Day, Red Velvet’s Rookie and NCT Dream’s My First & Last) have all been replaced. But their replacements are the big songs of the past week. If you scroll down below, you will work out which artist took out which position and top spot.

I am personally surprised by the three songs that remained at the same position as last week’s chart (position 18-20). That hasn’t happened before and usually, we’d be lucky if just one song remained in the same position.

Next week is also going to be another big week (I know, I say the same thing every week. I should try finding new phrases). But JungGiGo & Chanyeol (EXO), Lovelyz, Gugudan, HIGH4, Ailee (according to Wikipedia), Taeyeon and VICTION (possibly) may make their debut next week. And then the end of next week comes and we also realise that March had already begun….

I am going off on tangents again. Apologies. Here is this week’s chart as a present to everyone!

Some things that will help you denote the chart:
Green (↑)  – Song has gone up in ranking
Red (↓) – Song has gone down in ranking
Blue (=) – Song has remained in the same position as the previous week
Orange  (new) – Song debuts on the chart
Grey (Final Week) – Song appears on the chart for its final week.

19th Feb- 25th Feb 2017
Title Artist Status
1 Don’t Recall K.A.R.D (↑ 10)
2 Knock Knock Twice (new)
3 Not Today BTS (↑ 1)
4 Spring Day BTS (↓ 3)
5 I Got Love Taeyeon (SNSD) (new)
6 My First & Last NCT Dream (↓ 3) 
7 Hobglobin CLC (↑ 2)
8 Rookie Red Velvet (↓ 6)
9 I Wish Cosmic Girls (↓ 2)
10 Sketch U 100% (new)
11 Kiss On The Lips MelodyDay (new)
12 Black or White Cross Gene (↓ 7)
13 1.2.3 B.I.G (↓ 7)
14 Rain Soyu (Sistar) & Baekhyun (EXO) (↑ 12)
15 Roar SF9 (↓ 2)
16 Limitless NCT127 (↑ 21)
17 Highlight Seventeen (↓ 1)
18 Chase Me Dream Catcher (=)
19 Honey Bee Luna (F(x)) & Solar (Mamamoo) & Hani (EXID) (=)
20 Mysterious Hello Venus (=)
21 You Were Beautiful DAY6 (↓ 6)
22 Yes No Maybe Suzy (Miss A) (↓ 8)
23 Excuse Me AOA (↓ 6)
24 Yesterday Block B (↑ 15)
25 I Wait DAY6 (↓ 18)
26 Tina MASC (↓ 4)
27 If You Wish Hard, It Will Come True I (↓ 19)
28 Don’t Say No Seohyun (SNSD) (↓ 16)
29 Make Me Ah BP Rania (new)
30 I Think I Love U Sonamoo (↑ 5)

And as I return to 8:30 morning starts at university, which requires me to get up at 6 in the morning, I wish you all have an amazing week, once again. See you all next week!!!

[Review] Honey Bee – Luna (f(x)), Hani (EXID) & Solar (Mamamoo)

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Honey Bee is a cross-company collaboration, which features Luna (from f(x) – whose is under SM Entertainment), Hani (from EXID – who is under Banana Culture) and Solar (from Mamamoo – who is under Rainbow Bridge World). The producer of the song (Park Guen Tae) is under Mystic Entertainment and is the same producer/writer for Baekhyun and Suzy’s collaboration, Dream. 

Just by looking at the artists who participated in this song, you can definitely expect an amazing song which shows off the vocal abilities of each person. Sure, you may not expect Hani to be in that mix but she did a really good job of the song. She gave the song stability and kept the song grounded. Solar and Luna were exceptional in the song themselves but they kept making the song go higher and higher via their high notes. Hani’s vocals is sort of a platform to start at and as the other two hit the higher notes (starting from Hani’s level), it highlighted the high notes and allowed the song and vocal talents to further blow us away. The song itself uses a heavy dosage of saxophones, which gives off a nice jazzy vibe. I love the snaps in the song, as it was definitely needed to make sure the saxophones don’t dominate the song. The song does seem to lack something and it goes back to the vocals. The song needed something deep, either some bass or deeper tone. It just kept on getting higher, which in the past, I would have love. But since listening to more songs, I am starting to love songs with a much more darker or even gothic sound (I am referring to songs outside of KPOP here). It probably weird to want a deeper tone (probably just a phase) to accompany this song. It probably won’t work because it would just make the song feel standard. But what the girls have presented us with sounds pretty good and do showcase their vocals.

The music video is okay. It was shot in a bowling centre, which also showcases pool and possibly other games. Maybe it was meant to add to the fun vibes the song had going on. The girls each add their own charm to the video, in my opinion. Luna had a very mature yet charismatic gaze, Solar had a bright smile and Hani made the surroundings a lot hotter (and sexier if you didn’t understand what I meant). I liked the one shot video layout that featured for part of the video.  It was definitely lacked a lot and honestly, I thought it could have used a little more colour to match that fun and vibrant vibe. They didn’t have to go full on bright because it wouldn’t match the sensual nature, but a little more probably could have lifted the video from the darkness it suffered. But besides that, I don’t have much else to say about the video.

The dance is quite simple. A lot of hip snapping to the side and running on the spot. But in a more dancey way and not exercising/sweaty way.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Choreography -7/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Sketch U – 100%

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100% is back with a brand new mini-album, Sketchbook. This is the group’s first comeback since their return from hiatus last year with Better Day. During the time since their return, 100% debuted in Japan with How to Cry.

The group has returned with a more vocally centred song. While the group has continually returned with songs that are more dance centred, their last comeback showcased a very big improvement in vocals. Likewise, this comeback showcases even a larger improvement of their vocals. The song itself sounds is a ballad mixed with rock and orchestral sounds. The instrumental itself is quite good to listen to. However, as mentioned already, their vocals are the main show. They sound amazing in this song. Particularly the chorus, where they sing in falsetto. It gave me chills the first time around and it probably will do the same thing to you guys. The rap sequences fit very nicely into the song. I am just not of the fan of the jump from the second (and last) chorus of the song to the rap sequence at the end. It felt a little awkward. But I think that is me being a little picky. Talking about second choruses, the song ended surprisingly fast, which does let me down a tiny bit. But they probably decided to do that to save their vocals because I am quite sure it is not normal or healthy to sing like that 3 times in a short span of time. But regardless, the song is something that you guys need to check out because it sounds amazing.

The music video is a little less impressive. There are no “high notes” here. The video is quite fitting with the song, however, playing towards the emotional side of the song. The majority of the video is split into two. One side shows the guy (with the girl) when they were together as a couple and the other side shows the guy after the breakup (which was the first thing we saw). It was quite interesting to see the two sides of the video interact with each other (like when the post-breakup guy holds out his hand when the girl approaches the guy pre-breakup). It adds a little twist to the story, something that hasn’t been done before, I believe. The video features the same set used in KNK’s U performance video. I am not troubled by that, just pointing that fact out. The set looked a lot cooler with the piano at the centre and 100% situated around it.

There is no choreography for this comeback. Just them singing their hearts out on stage, which suits the song a lot more than any choreography that they could have intended to include.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Kiss On The Lips – MelodyDay

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Two weeks ago, I reviewed the pre-release for MelodyDay’s latest mini album. The pre-release, You Seem Busy, featured Jung Ilhoon from BTOB. Now, they have released their mini album with the title track of Kiss On The Lips.

Kiss On The Lips is a fair attempt at the reggae genre, with a more tropical feel to it.  It isn’t terrible but the release for it is a little off. This sound suits more a summer feel and it is barely Spring in South Korea. Moving away from that, the song gives off the same vibe as Why So Lonely by the recently disbanded senior group, Wonder Girls. The song has a few nice rhythmic portions, such as the “Ringa-ringa-ring” parts in the song (and is one of the catchiest phrases of the year). However, the song just doesn’t seem to stand out. To me, it sounded like the girls held back with their vocals. They needed to give the song a boost of some sort (either vocals or a build up within the instrumental) but everything felt too consistent. There wasn’t much of a buildup in the song and that did leave the ending to be quite lacking, as that tends to be where songs peak at. The ad-lib at the end was present and it could have given the song that powerful boost (provided they had built up appropriately to it). But instead, it sounded distant. It was as if I was listening to the song (with no ad-lib) on the train and someone from the next carriage started to randomly hit that high note. Overall, in my personal opinion, if they managed to give the song a boost and geared towards a release date during hotter months, the song would have been better received.

The music video was lacking as well. As much as the song didn’t stand out, the same goes for the video. But there were things that I liked in the video. First of all, it reminded me of the Wonder Girl’s Why So Lonely video. Not sure if MelodyDay is doing it on purpose but the vibes from the two videos are quite similar. Moving along, I like the colour filter that they used. Surprisingly, I thought the dullness and pastel like effect matched the song quite nicely. That might come across as a criticism but honestly, it is a compliment. The fake set was obviously and it is unavoidable to notice. But the use of lighting in the video, alongside the set, was something that I thought was quite cool. Especially the dance scenes on the beach. The lights are usually on the singers, but instead, they highlighted the background. It gave it a very sophisticated and polished feel. Everything else felt like a bore, though.

The dance was the best part of the comeback. The girls have gone for a more sensual dance, something that we haven’t seen from the girls. While the dance moves aren’t necessarily new, the moves seemed to match the song perfectly. Especially for the “Ringa-ringa-ring” parts.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10 
Performance – 8/10 
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Rain – Soyu (Sistar) & Baekhyun (EXO)

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Another collaboration between two of the biggest idol names in the business at the moment. Soyu (from Sistar) has many collaborations to her name, such as Some with JungGiGo and Stupid in Love with Mad Clown. Baekhyun (from EXO) collaborated with Suzy for Miss A for Dream and have participated in OSTs for popular dramas in the past. All the collaborations and songs that the two have participated ended up being successful and high charting songs.

As expected given their portfolio, the two went with a ballad. It is one of those extremely slow ballads that people tend to shy away from. Even I do that to some of the songs of that nature sometimes. The combination between Baekhyun’s sweet vocals and the huskiness you hear with Soyu’s vocals is something you expect to be fantastic. And for the latter half of the song when they sing together for the final chorus, we got that fantastic feel. But the start of the song just didn’t have that same feeling. You could hear their vocals in the purest form (i.e. there is nothing shadowing or covering their respective parts) and that is good. But with a slow ballad, that seemed to drag out the song. While I am not too troubled by that now, it was something that I had to get used to after multiple listens to the song. But there is something else. Changing from Soyu to Baekhyun felt too instant and too fast. There was a second of silence and that was it. That silence felt like it two songs were ‘joined’ together as the two have different voices. A nice transition that eased in Baekhyun’s part would have made the song nicer as I felt the song needed that transition.

I am not a big fan of the video. There wasn’t anything of interest in the video. I just play the video mainly for the song. But you guys may like it. The video simply shows a young girl wandering around in the rain (or course with an umbrella). We do see that she is thinking about someone as shown via her drawings in her book and on the blackboard. While the video is not my cup of tea, the video is beautifully shot. Just by watching the video, you can’t help but smile when the girl in the video is happy and joyfully jumping around, which is quite cute.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Knock Knock – Twice

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Source: https://0.soompi.io/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/16070312/twice-knock-knock-mv-teaser.jpg

Twice has returned with the release of Twicecoaster: Lane 2 and the title track Knock Knock. The group previously made their comeback in October last year with TT. Twicecoaster: Lane 2 is actually a reissue of the mini album released in October, with 2 new tracks. Since TT promotions ended, the group has also performed in a few concerts and swept the end of year awards ceremonies with Cheer Up as the Best Song Of The Year.

Knock Knock is your generic pop song with guitar riffs and a nice retro sound. Out of all their title tracks, this song feels the most vibrant and colourful. And that is something you would associate with Twice, given their personalities (seen through shows and videos) and past hits.We were given a small snippet to this song at the end of the TT music video. The same part was present at the end of the video was present at the start of the song. While I loved the way it sounded, the song took an unexpected turn and ended up being vibrant and colourful. Is that a necessarily a bad thing? No, but I would have loved to hear something a little different from Twice. Moving along, like all their previous songs Twice has used the catchphrase of the song to be the way to sell the song across to the listener. It was successful as “Knock Knock Knock on my door” seemed to be the catchiest part of the song and it was constantly replayed throughout it. I actually like their vocals because they are all clear. None of the member’s voices seemed to be hidden behind autotune in this song. From the raps to the singing vocals, each member did a really good job with no hitches. But then we run into another problem. While I have described a pretty good song so far, a part of me felt the song was too generic. There really wasn’t anything that amazing or necessarily captivating about the song. It just felt overdone and dull. But then again, I said similar things regarding Cheer Up and that song grew so much on me. So I guess only time will tell.

The video was quite generic but not to that extent like what I felt with the song. This video has its up and downs. Some parts felt dull and boring while other parts were funny and actually managed to get a joyful response out of me. The tie in with TT was pretty nice but it didn’t seem amazing. It didn’t blow my mind and I wanted something to blow my mind. Instead, they got locked out of their house and the book somehow changed them (or cursed them) into the characters of TT. Yeah… not really a blockbuster storyline hey! But I loved the humour the girls have. The scenes where the girls are coming down the lines. I recently (today actually) saw a picture that compares some of the moves they pull off while coming down the stairs are actually moves they pulled off in Like Ooh Aah. Likewise, if I was to choose a spirit animal from one of the girls coming down the stairs, it would have to Jungyeon. And if Park Ji Young came over to my house for a sleepover, I would have had the same reaction (I laughed at this part. They looked so disappointed when they saw him). Come over anytime, just not when there is a sleep over or I am preparing to snore in bed.

As expected from the title, there is a lot of knocking in this dance. Nothing that impressive, though the very start of the performance when Nayeon starts singing looked cool. The penguin dance intro looked really cool and cute as well.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Don’t Recall – K.A.R.D

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K.A.R.D has returned with a brand new song. For those who don’t remember this co-ed group, they released their first project single, Oh Na Na, last year in December. Since then, their popularity has gone through the roof, as evident at a number of views the video released to accompany this Don’t Recall and their ranking on iTune charts around the world. This track does not have a hidden figure and is actually a present to the fans for their response to Oh Na Na.

Like their first single, Don’t Recall delve back into the world of RnB and hip-hop. The song is a lot melodic than Oh Na Na, which was heavier on the raps and hip-hop vibes. BM doesn’t sound like he is rapping but rather singing using his raspy and husky voice. While his vocals are limited, he does a pretty good job. The other members stay within their comfort zone and like BM, do a nice job at each of their parts. Moving away from the vocals, I do have to admit, though, the song does feel a little dull compared to Oh Na Na. Not sure if it is the vocals/raps to blame (because they don’t show much variety) or if there isn’t anything catchy within the song. The one part I really love and think it is what makes the song more memorable is the short instrumental breaks after the choruses. Those parts sound very striking and very ear-catching. It usage after the choruses and as the instrumental for the final chorus gave the song a much-needed boost and gave me the reason why to go back and continue listening to it.

I would love to interpret the video myself but I would probably do a really bad job of it if I had a time. But during my crusade of trying to work out what happened in the video, I came across a theory uploaded onto K.A.R.D’s YouTube channel, which tries to make sense of the video. While they claim that they might be wrong, I think everyone has gone to accept it as the real thing. The audio of the video is Korean but make sure to turn on the CC (closed captions) to see an English translation of the guy talking in the fan theory video.

Watching the video kind of made my mind throw everything I had initially thought out of the window. But even if I didn’t watch the theory video, I would still have noticed the tension and darkness present in the video. The camera shots and camera angles really make this video quite good. While these have been seen elsewhere in KPOP, it’s the actual meaning behind the video and objects in the shot that makes it feel refreshing and different each time.

The choreography here is really good. That short instrumental break dance routine looks amazing and something that would look really amazing on stage. It’s a pity that they haven’t gone on stage (as in on the weekly music shows) to perform this.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] I Got Love – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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It has been confirmed that Taeyeon would be releasing her first full solo album on the 28th of February (exactly 1 week from now). However, Taeyeon has unveiled a pre-release for her new album over the weekend, titled as I Got Love. Given her portfolio of hit songs ranging from I to 11:11, we can obviously expect great things from her pre-release and full album once it is released.

With that final statement, she has delivered with a completely different and unique track. It isn’t your traditional sounding track, but regardless, it sounds amazing. Like most of her songs, her vocals stand out here. That is expected now when Taeyeon releases a song. But what stands out equally is the instrumental. The instrumental oozes a very grand and fancy jazz sound. But it is also quite unconventional because it isn’t the normal jazz sound that we are used to.The chorus is non-existent. Instead, it is replaced by a simple deep drum beat mixed with a very hollow sounding tuba (I think). While this is ‘chorus’ is quite short, it goes straight to the point without dragging anything out or boring us. It can also be referred to as the highlight of the track. The buildup prior to the ‘chorus’ sounds amazing and melodic, something that you would not think would build up to this song’s chorus. But it works. Everything flowed (It sound a little disconnected but after a few listens, you realise that the sounds indeed do flow). My one major complaint with the track (and it technically is a compliment) is how fast this track was. It didn’t feel like 3 minutes at all and I was left wanting more. Maybe that was the point of the pre-release (to make me feel hyped for the full album!).

The video suited the song. What more do you need? With a much edgier sound, Taeyeon went all out to deliver with a darker and more sophisticated concept, which she successfully did in this video. Taeyeon essentially says one thing with this video: glamour. Everything from her dresses to the diamonds in the video just yells that one word out. Her gazes are hypnotising and very alluring in the video. There is a sense of mysterious already present in the video but her gazes add to it. While the diamonds do add and yell glamour to the video, I don’t really understand its backstory in the video. Could Taeyeon be releasing her secret to everything about her? Gasp… Or the diamonds could just be a physical representation of love.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Overall Rating – 10/10 (You might think my maths is off here. Something that I have never said before but I do round my calculated scores to the nearest whole number or half decimal. The calculated score here is actually 9.8/10, which is a near perfect score, hence the 10/10. If you think I should post the calculated overall rating with no rounding, let me know in the comments).

 

 

 

 

[Review] Not Today – BTS

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Unlike the title of the song, it is a review that needs to be released today!!! For this repackaged album, BTS returned with two title tracks. The first, Spring Day was reviewed last week as its accompanying music video was released. With today’s release of the music video for Not Today, I can now review their second title track for their repackaged Wings album.

Not Today is a very intense track. Literally, it doesn’t hold back with its intensity. To me, it feels a lot like Fire’s sequel. It is as if they felt they didn’t do justice with Fire (which they obviously did) and decided to go with a track with that same intensity, but with a much cleaner and consistent sound. The instrumental is all EDM based and it standing alone packs a punch. Throw in their (per usual) rapping and vocal work and you can guess what type of track this would be. That being said, due to the intensity and instrumental, the vocals (including the rapping here) did feel a little inferior, as opposed to Spring Day, where the vocals/raps were at te forefront of the song. But regardless, I am totally digging it. I have been replaying it constantly this past weekend and getting hyped for the music video release. I love the transition between the rapping and vocals in this song. While EDM does have a reputation for not being smooth at times, the transitions give it a very smooth feel. And even though it feels smooth, the buildup of the track is something that catches your ears. But what makes this song so good is the ending. Even though it returns to the exact same chorus that we have been hearing in the song, it ended perfectly and left me at the edge of my seat.

My assumption is that Not Today and Spring Day will go hand-in-hand with each other since Spring Day provided us with a 1 or 2-second teaser of the Not Today video. Knowing BTS and Big Hit Entertainment, there will be some sort of connection that I am going to need help interpreting. I rely on fan theories for BTS music videos because there is so much to research and make sense of. The video starts off with them running (along with a group of ninjas or what I am going to assume – their bodyguards). And they are running away from someone or something that is out to get them. And that is all I have. Maybe they are trying to say “you will not catch me, not today”. But even though the plot doesn’t make sense, the video is still good on its own level. Why? Well, have you seen the cinematography and camera shots in this video? They look spectacular and stunning. You wonder how an underground car park or concrete slab can look good? Well check out this video and you will find out!

Like the song, the choreography is equally as intense or even more! The choreography that I saw in the music video has left me speechless and I can’t even get my thoughts for this section into words. But regardless, I smell a potential ‘Best Male Dance Performance” award for this. They have set the standard for 2017 pretty high.

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