Category: KPOP

[Double Review] Re:Bye + How People Move – AKMU

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AKMU has finally returned to the stage after two years. It has been a very long time and probably every fan of theirs squealed when they learned of the news. I started to like them a lot towards the end of their last promotional run. It was somewhat disappointing that they did not make a comeback in 2015 (but what else do you expect from YG Entertainment?).

Re:Bye is a somewhat soulful and retro song. It has that classy feel to it and I really like that aspect of the track. Their vocals were superb in this song. I just found that they were limiting themselves a lot on the track. Chanhyuk’s rap just did not feel like that youthful or bright, for example. But I guess I am used to their more upbeat tracks. Actually, this song displayed a more mature side of the members. I just didn’t connect with the song like I wanted to. AKMU to me is a playful duo and this was the opposite of that. How People Move is a much better track in my opinion. From the very start, it was lively and upbeat. The song I would prefer any day. Of course, they sounded wonderful in Re;Bye and their past ballads, but I feel like How People Move showcased more of them than any other song. It was catchy and it actually made me want to bounce as I listening along to it. The opera mashup was amazing and completely different to what we hear often.

The music videos are pretty good. I do prefer the video for Re:Bye more than How People Move. The way they told the story in Re:Bye was completely in full. I got everything from start to end, which is pretty rare in my experience of understanding the plot for these Korean videos. It is made to look like the duo are sabotaging the “lead female” in the play. But in the end, the duo was trying to protect the lead female and catch the sabotager. How People Move was a more weirder video to understand. There were some fables that the video had going on in there that mashed up into a nice and bright video. The other half of the video was probably my worst nightmare. When Toy Story decides to hit back and scare the daylights out of you. I actually did like the sets in this one more than Re:Bye.

In terms of the dances, I like How People Move. Love the bouncing effect. My favourite out of all. It also suits their more lively and bright charms. It wasn’t spectacular or anything, but it fitted with the song pretty well. Re:Bye’s dance more of a classy feel to it but did manage to fulfil that youthful side of the duo pretty well.

Overall, I did like How People Move more. Re:Bye is still a song that you should check out,  because it is still equally amazing. But which AKMU song did you like more? Vote below!!

Re:Bye – 9/10

How People Move – 9/10

[Double Review] Fire + Save Me – BTS

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I am so sorry. These should be separate reviews, but due to the amount of time I have left between their releases and now, I am very behind. So, to catch up and to prevent you guys from waiting any longer, here are my thoughts on BTS’s latest comeback. I know, they released a total of 3 music videos (someone should have given me the heads up) but I had to cut their prerelease one because of time constraints. Maybe when I have time, I will get back to it? Anyway, BTS has finally wrapped up their trilogy after promoting I Need U and Run last year. Now, Fire and Save Me is the ending and I am as confused as ever.

Fire is a dance anthem song that everyone probably wants to dance to when it is played at a party. It is a fun, loud and much brighter song than any of their past releases. The electronic sounds (especially the dubstep) is a little too heavy for my liking, but hey, it is still a good track. Not impressed with Rap Monster’s rapping in this song sadly. Save Me is more of the electronic track that fits my style (if I ever had one). This song fits more nicely into the trilogy than Fire did (and it was probably the actual song to end the trilogy). But this song is much calmer (okay, somewhat) and to me, is much catchier. I really like the chill sound that the song was going for. The rapping (from all three members) was pretty solid in this song and I thought overall, Save Me was a much better song in terms of, well, everything. It gets a tick for vocals, rap, rhythm, instrumental, the lot. Don’t want to start anything, but the instrumental does remind me of Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean?

On to the music video. Fire and Save Me both had very appropriate videos. Fire was more of that party anthem style. Very wacky and different to the rest of their videos. And of course, there is a lot of fire in this video. I guess you can say that the boys were “lit” the whole time. I have to say, whoever applied makeup to these guys, over did it. Love how they went wild with the flames in the video and that ending where the shots were overcrowded with dancers in the background. Looked amazing, to be honest. Save Me was a calmer and colder video, in terms of colour. Fire was bright and loud, but Save Me was darker and well shot in a much colder place. The chillness from the song carried over into the video quite nicely. Save Me focused on the dancing aspect of the group more and  I liked that contrast between the two. (And their epilogue focused more on the vocal and rapping side than anything else).

Dance wise, BTS has literally done it again. I wouldn’t be surprised if BTS started some flames with their footwork in Fire. Because those stages were insanely amazing to watch. Save Me had (once again) a much chiller and more artistic dance to it. Both showed BTS capability of performance and these two combined probably put BTS in a very high position in terms of best dancers in KPOP.

Okay, I have 5 minutes until midnight. And this was a very short double review. But both were pretty good. But which do you prefer? Vote below!!!

Fire – 7.5/10

Save Me – 9.5/10

[Review] Tinkerbell – APRIL

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April has finally returned with a brand new song, Tinkerbell. For those who don’t remember, April is a 5 member girl group which debuted under DSP Entertainment last year. They made their debut with Dream Candy and made their comeback at the end of the year with Muah!. With their second comeback, one of the members (Hyunjoo) had gone onto temporary hiatus to recover from some health issues. Just note that she hasn’t dropped out of the group and says she will return once she is all better.

The song is pretty cool. All these bright and cutesy songs all remind me of the days where girl groups made their debuts and comebacks with aegyo sounding sounds. Only now, they seem to be more ambitious and creative, in terms of style and sound. The song is really addictive and I lipsync to it (and I am proud of it!) every time I hear it play. Probably a song I managed to replay constantly when it first came out. It has been a while since their comeback, so the song has naturally settled. Their vocals were on point on this song and since their debut, they have grown vocally. I have said I am a sucker for high notes, but honestly, I have yet to decide whether the “high notes” at the end of the song are actually high notes or just someone yelling into the microphone. Don’t get me wrong, it sounds really nice. Just sometimes I feel like it is a little excessive. Chorus is catchy. The bright tone and pop based instrumental really brings out the smiles when I listen to it. I think that what makes the song so great, that makes you feel good and smile more.

The music video was too boring for my taste. I feel like there could have been so much room for creativity with just the title “Tinkerbell” and they just release a music video full of flowers in a forest? However, they got the small size of the character and also the beautiful (yet childish) looking dresses. They acting is okay in this video. A lot better than in their previous videos. The sets look nice, though. I just think the video is very boring and that doesn’t fit the bright and happy tone of the song.

The dance overall is pretty nice. It was literally what I wanted to see when I first heard the song. It isn’t an amazing dance but it fits perfectly with the song.

Really sorry for the short review. They are going to be short reviews for the next few weeks, though, sorry to say that. Exams coming up. Overall, the song was pretty good. Music video could have been much better. 6.5/10

[Review] Cheer Up – Twice

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One of the power rookies of 2015 has finally returned with their long awaited comeback. Yes, I am referring to Twice (if you completely missed the title) and they have managed to do it again with their latest song: Cheer Up. Since release, it has stayed at the top of the charts and managed to crush any artist who dares to even attempt to compete for first place. They have managed to receive multiple certified perfect all kills and won many weekly music show charts. Just more to add to their power rookie status which probably has flung them into the ranks of the artists that took many years to gain momentum and popularity.

While many people are feeling this song, I am quite disappointed with what they release. We all expected a song that was even more addictive and catchy, a song that could top Like Ooh Aah. Some people do think it is a track that can do that, but I don’t think it is a good enough track to top their debut single. This song isn’t bad or anything, it just didn’t captivate me as Like Ooh Aah did. First of all, these girls can sing, but their pronunciation of the words threw me off. Cheer Up sounded a lot like “Turn Up” or “Cher Up” (with a heavy c sound). I have a very big problem with artists who can’t even pronounce the name of the song with bad pronunciation. Call me harsh, but honestly, I am sure the main vocalist can do a better job. The rapping fell below expectations and that the song wasn’t catchy enough. The “Shy Shy Shy” part was ridiculously embarrassing and childish, and I don’t even know why everyone like that one line. And that “Be A Man” breakdown during the bridge just did not fit in with the song. It felt disconnected. Their vocals were good though (just something needs to be done with their live voices) and the song was equally as bright as Like Ooh Aah. From everything you have read thus far, you can probably see that the song doesn’t sit well with me and the flaws (in my opinion) outweigh the good.

I didn’t like the cheerleading concept they were going for, but I loved the rest of the video. I would have been fine if just one member did the cheerleading concept, like how every member had a different theme (or movie reference) and then the girls regrouped for a different movie reference. I liked it how everyone had their own thing. Refreshing and different from every other video. The girls each parody another female movie character who became iconic female characters in a variety of genres. I would list the different movies out, but I can’t actually the list of the movies anymore (Yes, I have been browsing the comments on YouTube). The music video was much brighter and fitted the season more, than their debut video, which had a bright song but a dark video. Only thing creeped me out was the camera dude. Much creepy. But overall, I liked the video a lot.

The dance was underwhelming. Not as catchy or cool as Like Ooh Aah. This dance had the awkward rope pulling dance for the chorus and that just looked a little too weird. Also, the breakdown at the bridge  was a little too unfitting for me. I have no trouble with what they are going for, but I thought they could have been a little more creative. Well, that last point really is what I felt when I watch the performances.

Sorry Twice. I had a lot of high expectations and Cheer Up just did not live up to those expectations. But congratulations on the success. You girls definitely deserve it after last year. 4/10

[Rewind] April 2016 & May 2016

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Yeah… I know May hasn’t ended yet, but to avoid posting another late ‘Rewind” post 3 weeks after the month finished, I have decided to April and May together. This one is going to be a little informal in terms of format for a few reasons that will appear apparent. And before we move on, just a little reminder that I will try to write and release reviews every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Okay, moving along:

Leaving the Group?

We became shocked with the disbandment (or what we dubbed at the disbandment) of Kara at the start of the year. However, it seems like certain groups are facing member line up changes after one of their members had decided to not resign with their company and have since departed ways with their respective groups. Former member of 2NE1, Minzy, and former member of Miss A, Jia, have both decided to leave their successful group and go onto their own paths.  Minzy will (hopefully) make her solo debut in the near future after confirmation came from her new company in which she signed. Jia was announced today that she would be leaving the band after her contract finished. Miss A and 2NE1 faced disbandment rumours from these two events, but both their companies have stated that is not the case. Not only girl groups are facing these changes, but A-Jax (if we all remember who they were) recently lost 3 members (Sungmin, Jaehyung and Jihu). But the list does not end there. Hyunseung departed from Beast, leaving the group with 5 members. It was kind of expected after the numerous articles and petitions asking for his removal. Hyunseung is expected to return as a solo artist in the near future and is still signed with Cube Entertainment. It is always disappointing to hear these news and it has obviously shocked the industry a lot. These members have been with their band since the beginning, so it is always hard for fans. Hopefully, there won’t be any more of this and I wish the former members luck in their future endeavours (because that is something we all should do and not call them selfish).

Descendant of the Sun

Now this is something we all have heard about. The drama has taken Asia by storm and has been proven to be highly successsful. It stars Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Ko, as the main characters. Before you all die from shock, I have yet to watch this drama. So, no spoilers. But I don’t actually have any plans to watch the drama. Because I am not one to enjoy romance and all this lovey dovey sh*t. I just don’t watch the genre (or any mainstream and popular dramas). I prefer the cringeworthy daily dramas. Now, why am I talking about this drama? Well, the OSTs for this drama has literally taken over the charts each time they were released. Not complaining here, but the songs were really good. Like, I really enjoy listening to them and this is probably the first time I have been impressed with the OST for a drama. Anyway, the OST contains songs from Davichi, Gummy, K.Will, Yoon Mi Rae, Chen, Punch, Mad Clown, Kim Na Young, Xiah, MC The Max, Lyn and SG Wannabe. In OST terms, this is pretty much the star studded red carpet. Each song released topped the charts instantaneously and I can see these artists winning the Best OST awards at the award ceremonies already. That is all I am reporting on… Hahaha…

Comebacks and Debuts

For the past two months, many artists have made their comeback and they include ): Block B, Seventeen, History, April, Twice, AOA, Akdong Musician, VIXX, Lovelyz, Up10Tion and so many more.

For debuts, NCT is the big debut for April.  I.O.I is probably the major debut for May. However, we have seen new soloists emerge in KPOP in the past two months. Notably, Jung Eunji from APINK, Woohyun from Infinite and Tiffany from SNSD had their respective solo debuts in the last two months.

Top 5 songs of April

As per normal, these are my top 5 songs of April:

  1. Pretty U – Seventeen
  2. Journey to Atlantis – Laboum
  3. Dynamite – VIXX
  4. Queen – History
  5. Toy – Block B

Top 5 songs of May

May hasn’t ended yet, but it is about to. I will add other May songs to the June list (when I get around to it).

0. Pretty U – Seventeen (I have to. I have been trialling charts and Seventeen has been popping up every single week as the top song for the week).
1. Good Luck – AOA
2. Save Me – BTS
3. Nodding Nodding – Woohyun (Infinite)
4. I Just Wanna Dance – Tiffany (SNSD)
5. Fire – BTS

This one was a long one and I tried to keep it short. I am really behind in reviews and will get them out slowly. It will take me some time to catch up. Bad news is that I have exams coming up and I am going to be slower. I will review every major release eventually, so give me some time. Enjoy the rest of May and see you tomorrow!!!

 

[Review] Destiny – Lovelyz

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Lovelyz has returned. And I almost forgot about them. Another review for another girl group was meant to come out, but then I realised I forgot about Lovelyz when looking over my agenda (i.e. the list of reviews I plan to make and what day it is meant to be scheduled on). The group is slowly gaining momentum and receiving lots of love from the public. This song is actually their highest chart-topping since debut and just proves to everyone that they can actually become the next big thing in KPOP.

We have always seen Lovelyz attempt a song that actually has that cutesy association along with it. Now according to their company, the group ended their own trilogy style comebacks with their last comeback and would return with a different sound. And a different sound was what we got. This song has a more mature sound than any of their previous songs but still remains on that cutesy side of KPOP.Personally, it is a good song, but I have to admit it does sound like a little dead. I am totally in love with the instrumental and the mature vocals of the girls. It is pretty hard to believe that the Lovelyz last year is the same Lovelyz this year. The song is catchy to an extent, but not enough to make me go replay it. I would have liked more of a hook to the song. Their harmony is pretty good (as heard in the chorus). So to wrap up, like the song, just would have expected something more to appeal to me.

The music video is the main reason to why there is a review to this song. Someone, whoever, give a goddamn award to whoever produced, directed and edited this amazing work of art. I just cannot explain it words, but I will try. The video isn’t just a simple “put camera here and move back and forth with it” type of video. The video spins. Okay, maybe not literally, but the video editing makes it like the camera is spinning around them. The whole video is dominated with circles And the emphasis on the effect of the camera spinning was amazing. The out of focused shots, where the girls aren’t necessary in the middle of the frame but like in the corner or just half their head is featured on the screen, looks amazing. The dance even matches up with the editing and I totally think this is much an amazing video. The music video, in terms of colour, is pretty dull, but whatever the editor and producers were going for, worked amazingly and made up for whatever flaws there in this video. I would have to say, this is probably a highly artistic video and one I willing to give 10/10 for.

Dance wise, it is pretty good for a song like this. Love the start where they form a circle around the member singing and proceed to move inwards to form a straight line and then proceed to then span outwards. The circle is back in the dance as well, seen throughout the chorus and the many other parts of the dance. Add that to the video and boy was I happy.

This review feels a little rushed and I apologise for that. First Monday review in a very long time. The girls did an amazing job and their whole mini album is pretty good as well. Check out 1cm. 9/10

[Review] Pretty U – Seventeen

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Seventeen has returned to the stage after their last comeback last year with Mansae and their debut with Adore U. Now, they have returned with a brand new (and their first) album. And this time around they won a few trophies for their latest release. Proving to many (while some are quite sceptical of this) that Seventeen is gaining popularity.

Pretty U is a pretty ordinary track at first. I agree with many people, it just doesn’t sound as intense as Mansae or Adore U. It lacked a lot of power. It was, at first, a disappointment. But, the song grew on me. I’ll tell you why later on. Anyway, but the song grew on me and now I am pretty much addicted to the song. I tweeted last night about how I have been trialling a chart system (based on my preferences). For the past three weeks, the song has been out, it has topped those three weeks, proving how much I actually am addicted to the song. Vocals were amazing (with some of the members getting their moment to shine). The raps were a little disappointing. They just didn’t hit the right “notes” with the rap. It was only  the end that I pretty much happy with. The rest of the rapping in the song just didn’t suit the members. Seungkwan’s massive IU style high note was amazing (as I said yesterday in Berry Good‘s review, I am a sucker when it comes to the high note). Even the instrumental had a nice ring to it. Overall, a pretty good song. But I still stand by my first statement, it just didn’t have the intensity as their last songs.

The music video was disappointing. I thought it was just not the right video to end off their “trilogy”. They have focused on that school boy look and this video just shows them off as being rebellious and fun. Nothing really connecting with the school boy look. Now I know their trilogy isn’t based on the school boy concept but rather the lyrics of the song. Just, when I first heard trilogy, I heard school boy look. The video showed the boys having fun, but the slow motion and camera work did not reflect that. The tone of the video (in terms of that Instagram-like filter) really dampens the mood. It just didn’t provide that bright or happy vibe that the boys were having. And I reason why I thought the song was really weak at first was the song quality that came with the video. I can’t watch the video anymore because of this. I honestly thought my speakers were broken, but seeing many people comment on this sound quality, I think my speakers are working just fine. Having a party looked quite fun but I did expect them dancing to the song (like a dance version) throughout the video, but I never got that. Honestly, sometimes those fake set videos really do a good job.

Where did I fall in love with the song? Well the stage, of course. The song sounds 100% better than alone or with the music video. Dance wise, I thought it was really good. I liked the sofa and how they used it. Not really unique, but hey, it made the stage look quite fun and enjoyable. I would describe the dance as easy and safe, though. To date, Seventeen has shown great dances, but they don’t consist of anything that I would describe as risky. Maybe it is just the concept talking to me, but I would like to see more variance in terms of the dance style next time.

Seventeen, you are fast becoming one of the top groups in the industry for me. And I think I am a little obsessed. I do have my doubts (namely, your company in general) and I hope you do stay for a long time. 7/10

[Review] Angel – Berry Good

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Sorry, just like 5 weeks delayed here. Berry Good is not a relatively new band in the industry. They actually have been around since 2014 and made their debut with Love Letter. They made their debut with 5 members, 3 of which ended up leaving the band in 2015. They were replaced by three new members and the current lineup includes: Taeha, Seoyul, Daye, Kang Se Hyung and Gowon. Interestingly enough, their latest release was actually crowd funded and this provided the band with surprising results as they overshot their goal. I read an article of it somewhere, and will link it when I find it.

This song blew me away. Well, to be precise, the high notes at the end blew me away. More on that in a little bit. The song itself is already very good. Vocally, Berry Good releases good songs that really bring out their talent when it comes to vocal work. Okay, so their vocals have been talked about. As you all know I am a sucker when it comes orchestra sounding songs, and this just proves it. I loved the instrumental and how it compliments with the pitch and volume at which they are singing at. The more electronic sounds make the song feel a little more KPOP-ish. Minor complaint regarding the song is the chorus. Not troubled by it at all, but it could have been refined further with proper English pronunciation. It does sound a little awkward (the “ooh ooh ooh ooh” parts) and doesn’t really reflect the rest of the song. It is funny, because the last chorus seems to be the exact same thing, yet that last chorus sounded less awkward and more professional. But more than the orchestra instrumental, I am a true sucker when it comes to the high notes and damn were they perfected. We are given what seems to be a whole minute of these high notes (spread out during that one minute though) and it just really captivates me every time I listen to it. The vocalist held it really well and just goes back to singing the next line, just amazing. The ending instrumental was not required and sounded mega different to the rest of the song. Overall, I think the song was really good minus the few issues I identified. Vocally, they are definitely sound great and it is really disappointing that they haven’t got the recognition.

For a low budget video, it looks really good. They took an overused set and made it look completely different from the other times we have seen the set used in the industry. The lighting looks really good and the editing itself is phenomenal. At first glance, you don’t see a low budget to it. Their outside scenes were pretty good as well. Besides that, I can only say that much from the top of my memory. I don’t have a solid internet connection to be able to play the video, but that is what I remember from the video. Hahaha… I really liked the editing, though. Like a lot.

The dance was meh. They are not a dance group, but more of a vocal group.

Overall, I think they handled this come back pretty well. I hope they gained something and don’t have to crowdfund their next release. And they need to be recognised for their talent. 7.5/10

[Review] My Star – Lee Hi

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Lee Hi has returned with part 2 of her second album. Last time we saw her was in March where she came back with Breathe and Hold My Hand. This time, she is coming back with “My Star”.

Unfortunately, this song was not to my taste. The song did not catch my attention nor did it appeal to me at all. I think because the release was so sudden and I have been drowning in so much work, that it became a song that I just could not keep up with. Anyway, regarding the song itself, there is something about Lee Hi’s voice that really can be described by one word, and that is: soulful. Her husky voice compliments a variety of genre from ballads to pop (as we saw from her previous titles tracks such as Hold My Hand and Breathe). This is more of a pop-jazz track than anything else. The song is much brighter and happier than any other song (and is probably a song that people would listen to, just to crack a smile or turn a frown upside down). I just find the chorus really repetitive and boring. The emphasis of each word in the sentence seems to sound the song ordinary and does really set the song apart from other songs out there right now. The bridge of the song did not really go well with the rest of the song, in my point of view. I think the climax was my favourite song, but the rest of it was just a little too boring for my taste. Sorry, I guess. Lee Hi has a great voice, but as the reasons, I cited above, most likely covered the song’s potential.

As for the video, I thought it was a nice concept. Of course, it looks like and it feels like your ordinary KPOP video, but I think the concept is refreshing and somewhat new. You could feel the awkwardness between Lee Hi and the actor to be honest. Their acting isn’t the best, but given the concept and what I got from the video, the awkwardness might have been on purpose. The video suited the song really well. I thought it a great video. It is just unfortunate that I did not like the song as much. If I had, I probably thought the video was amazingly better. The video shows the two go through dating to marrying phase of their life and the somewhat awkward vibe give the video a nice charm. Love the retro vibe the video has going on and the scenes where she is on stage singing in that suit is hella adorbs. She looks so cute on stage and in that pink suit.

Yeah.. so not really the song for me, but it is good from a point of view of someone who is not busy or overloaded with work atm. 5.5/10

[Review] Here I Am – Yesung (Super Junior)

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After so long being on stage, Yesung, one of the main vocalists of Super Junior has officially made his debut as a solo artist in South Korea.  I really like Yesung’s voice, so I was extremely pleased to hear that he would be able to debut in South Korea. While I think it is obvious to everyone that his mini album did not do as well as expected, he still feels proud with releasing his own songs and tells everyone to focus on the song rather than the charts.

The song is really good. As I mentioned above, I am in love with his vocals. His voice just sounds so husky and in this ballad, his vocals were used to his benefit. The song was quite slow at the start but it slowly builds up with the instrumental. Everything is quite soft at the start from the vocals to the piano in the background. However as we hit the chorus, we are flung back into what I think sounds like a powerful ballad. The chorus was honestly very beautiful sounding. My favourite part was probably the bridge of the song. It is the perfect climax for the song that doesn’t ruin or change the song up in any way. From start to the end, the song stayed true to its ballad nature. I have to say this, but I say many songs don’t fluctuate from the “straight line”. This one doesn’t as well, but it is a prime example of how the song can still be amazing.

The music video is quite nice. The story line is very interesting (for a change, something plot worthy to talk about). The video starts off with Yesung packing up his things, ready to move out. People are coming over to inspect the house and he did not expect his ex to come around with her friend. The two become awkward but pushes through anyway, pretending not to know each other. Yesung remembers all these memories of when they used to  be happy while I am quite sure, the girl does as well, as she turns off the faucet, something she probably remembered doing a lot when she was with him. I personally thought her turning off the faucet was a very powerful scene. Slowly the girl is reminded of her happy memories and the two start becoming awkward when they help out with measuring the window sill. In the end, the girl and her friend had to leave. We cut back to another memory flashback of their previous breakup. Ironically, when the scene is cut back to Yesung singing on the street, it is revealed his ex never left, similar to when they broke up. I have to say, the video was shot beautifully. His acting is really good and those tears he gets at the end was just the tip of the iceberg for me. Honestly, check out the video for this. It is a well-written plot line that goes hand in hand with the song.

Overall, a beautiful comeback. Despite his promotions already ending (I think) and that his album did not chart as well, doesn’t mean that this album is terrible. Do check it out. 10/10

Dynamite – VIXX

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VIXX has returned with a brand new concept. The set of three or “trilogy” concept has been on the rise in South Korea with BTS, G-Friend, Seventeen and Lovelyz wrapping up their “set of three” concepts. VIXX will be the latest band to join the ranks in this trend and have promised three comebacks within a year which focuses on Greek mythology. They have always surprised us (or scared the daylights out of us) with their concepts, so it will be interesting to see what they will do next. Dynamite begins the trilogy for VIXX.

And is Dynamite a good song or what? One of the few songs that I am obsessing over these days. It is not your typical VIXX song. Actually, it is not a song that you would associate with VIXX. It is many times more colourful than their previous hits and has more of a bright tune to it. It focuses more on the pop side of KPOP, but the meaning (in terms of the Greek God that they are focusing on) is really brought to life with the song. But I will talk about the concept later. Vocal wise, everyone got a decent part of the pie and showcased an excellent standard. Hyuk and Hongbin particular, shined more in this song, as they have more lines than in the past.  The rap was okay. It felt very underwhelming and just didn’t hit the right feels to make me go wow. Everything else was just great. The instrumental is amazing and that small part that Hyuk has before the chorus is really unique and makes the song very interesting. Definitely catchy (like any VIXX song) addictive. VIXX has managed to do it once again with Dynamite.

The Greek God that they are focusing on this time around is Zelos, the God of Jealousy and Rivalry. And the video shows the concept in a very interesting way. So Ravi said in an interview or somewhere for this concept: “Our lead track, “Dynamite,” is about a guy being blinded by jealousy and willing to turn the world upside down to get his ex back.”. And the video shows just that. The video is quite calm at the start, but as it progressed, it literally looked like the world was turned upside down and all hell broke loose. The flying coloured dust and the camera became even shakier. Talking about the camera, I think this was an excellent example of how a shaky camera could be used to their benefit. It worked really well and was in time with their dance moves. The sets were pretty good as well. They were all quite simple but the guys acting gave each set a lot more definition and meaning. I think the video was amazing overall, as you can tell from my comments.

Dance wise, I thought it was underwhelming. But saying that doesn’t mean I hate it or the dance wasn’t good enough for the song and concept. It was good, it just didn’t live to my expectations. I guess I did expect more of a kick to the dance. Their facial expressions in this dance is pretty much teasing all of us. N’s smile occurring indirectly to the camera and Hongbin’s smirks were my favourite. They do match the concept and made everyone go wild.

Song and video were amazing and top notch. The dance could have definitely been better, but what we got was pretty good still. 8.5/10

Hopefully Sky – Jung Eunji (APINK)

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Before I run out of time, let’s do the final review for the weekend. It has been something that fans have wanted for ages and finally Jun Eunji, the main vocalist of APINK, has officially made her solo debut on the stage. Well, she has had solo stages before and collaborations, but this is her first solo release. She joined up with Hareem, which I believe is a folk musician in South Korea for her song: Hopefully Sky.

It is a really nice ballad. At first, I was weirded out by the song, like all folk songs. But this one grew on me. I hear this song on my playlist and I can’t help to listen to it. First of all, it is very easy on my ears. Move aside heavy dubstep or really slow ballads. This has the right pitch, tempo, rhythm etc. It had the perfect ratio between vocals and instrumental. It was also somewhat catchy. The only thing I would say about the song is that is was very boring. It did feel dry for a while and it still has that dryness factor to it. If I can somehow shake that off when I listen to the song, it would be amazing. It just happened to stay from the first time I listened to the song til now. The lyrics and instrumental remind you of Spring and I think it did an excellent job about.

I have yet to watch the video, so these will be my initial reactions. I just expect the video to be of Eunji staring off into the blue skies and sitting in some sort of green grass patch or flower garden. Cause that is what the song gives off. Okay, watching the video, it just does not seem like that. Instead, Eunji is making most of the Spring weather and scenery in what seems to be her home town (or the setting is meant to be her hometown). Visiting schoolyards, some really beautiful artwork on the sides of buildings. She even sings on top of a rooftop which shows a really nice view of the town in the video. First impressions tell me that this is a very beautiful video, for a very beautiful song.  The cherry blossoms made the video seem much more pretty and romantic. I think it was a very well done video.

Overall, as I mentioned above: a very beautiful comeback. No wonder it topped charts as soon as it was released. 9.5/10

Attention – UP10TION

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UP10TION has finally returned. And this is my first time reviewing them. Wasn’t drawn to their debut song, however, their comebacks are really good and they get better every single time. For those who don’t know, UP10TION is a 10 member boy group who are under TOP Media, which houses Teen Top and 100%. They made their debut last year with So Dangerous and returned in November with Catch Me. The group consists of Jinhoo, Kuhn, Kogyeol, Wei, Bitto, Wooshin, Sunyoul, Gyujin, Hwanhee, Xiao. And yes, a review for this group is way long overdue.

The song is pretty good. Yeah, it is a bit boring, but what was released ended up sounding really good to me. It has this retro vibe that reminds me of some other Korean bands (not naming any, though), but it is quite upbeat. The song starts off soft, but as the song continues, it builds up (kind of). The song does have that monotone sound to it as well. Imagine a straight line. The song just travels along that straight line and there anything to make it deviate and make it sound interesting or better. Their vocals are okay, not amazing. The raps are pretty good as well, probably my most favourite part of the song. This song just doesn’t suit their group as a whole. Sure some members do stand out, but I feel like the majority of the band is holding back when they sing/perform the song. While I didn’t like their debut song, I could tell it was powerful and strong. This, to me, is the complete opposite and borderlines the aegyo side of boy groups.

The music video does have my “attention”, but I don’t think what I am going to say will be complimenting the band at all. I would like this video to be split into two. To me, there are two concepts. Cutesy boys who are happy to see their boyfriend and when they are dancing. Both look like polar opposites and belong to two different videos. One part I see really cool looking dudes who are dancing really well, and then the next second I see someone smiling way too cute and showing aegyo. Their acting is super bad and I think I would know some people who would disagree with me and say they are cute. I do much prefer the dancing scenes only in the video. If they cut out that colour stuff and kept the dance scenes in there, I would have paid a lot more attention to the video and gave compliments rather than my disappointment (such as above). It suits the song more and their image.

Dance is really good. They have always stood out for me in terms of dancing.  Everything in their dance is razor sharp, but also very fluidly. Nothing looks out of place and each movement flows from one to another. Their leg kicks over the members head is really good. I do have to mention this, but some of the members have this awkward facial expression on the stage and that does distract me sometimes, wondering why?

Overall, I think the comeback is great. They definitely get better with every release and I do look forward to what they will be doing next. 7/10

I do apologise for last night release. Last night’s review was meant to be released yesterday and that is what I tried to do. However, as I was writing it up near midnight, I think WordPress miscalculated the time and released on today’s date instead. I ended up check my setting today and found out I set the wrong time zone. I was still in daylight savings mode. Hahaha… Just pretend I released the review on Saturday AEST and this one is the review I released today (Sunday). I’ve fixed it, so I should release all reviews at the right time. WordPress will just record this 2 reviews  being released today. That is all. Thank’s for reading.

[DOUBLE REVIEW] The 7th Sense + Without You – NCT U

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SM Entertainment has unleashed their latest group. The newly debuted group is NCT, and NCT U is the first subunit of the group to debut. Now the concept of the band is ridiculously confusing.  Apparently, they are this large group consisting of an unspecified amount of members. The members are rotated around constantly, so I guess we will be able to see new faces every time they come back. I read somewhere that this is the way the company wants to avoid another EXO dilemma, giving members ample time to rest until it is their next turn. Really confusing and I think there is a lot more to the group that what I have specified. Anyway, NCT U is the first subunit of the group and consists of Taeyong, Ten, Jaehyun, Mark, Taeil and Doyoung.

The 7th Sense, to me, is a terrible song. I avoid listening to this song every time it pops up in the playlist when I am listening on YouTube or iTunes. The song gives me a headache essentially. It is electronic, but then it is really slow and that doesn’t really sit well with me. It does have an exotic feel to it, which is interesting, but it has no appeal to me. The song feels dragged out. Their vocals in this song aren’t that great as well. The song isn’t catchy and I am greatly disappointed by it. Maybe it might because I am not used to the song and isn’t something you find constantly in KPOP, but sadly, it is not a song I am fond of.

Without You is the complete opposite. I love everything about this song. There is nothing that I would look down upon because this the type of song I enjoyed listening to when growing up. It sounds like American bands that were popular back in the 00’s. When I listen to this song, I find myself rocking along and singing along as well. That is the whole point of KPOP right? To make it so catchy that the listeners start listening along.  Their vocals were superb. Yeah, it does feel dragged out, but the tone and tune of the song are just so good, it makes me overlook that tiny detail. And don’t get me started on the chorus.

Music video wise, I actually have not watched any of them. Odd hey? Anyway, the music video for the 7th Sense makes sense. The song is already unique for the listeners, so it is obvious the music video is also unique. It gives off that exotic feel that I mentioned above. Sure the lighting could have been a little better, but hey, that is the charm of the video. The solid colour filters (or did they film the video with red lights?) looked pretty cool. It seems I actually like the video more than the song. Just going to prove how hypocritical I am, but the end where they have a clear colour light or filters, made it look boring I actually preferred the coloured scenes, but maybe they could have gone with one shade of red lighter. Without You is an abstract video. Probably the right word to use to sum up the video. And like everything that is abstract, it is really confusing. The plot seems to show the guys in two realities. One with their girlfriend, the other without her. And somehow they are mashed into one reality. The one thing I would have removed from the video were all the scenes involving the members lip-syncing to the song. It is just really awkward and didn’t fit in with the abstract nature of the video.  Out of the two videos, I do actually prefer 7th Sense. But if someone can clear up the confusion (you can probably crack the Da Vinci code as well) for the second video, then I would be grateful.

Not one to spend too long on the dance part. Only 7th Sense had a dance. Someone really needs to overhaul the fashion for these stages. It seems like there is a complete mash-up of the clothing over different eras. Dance matched the tempo of the song. The dance just doesn’t memorable to me. Without You is simply a band performance.

Overall, I am quite torn about the two debut songs. One of the songs I liked more, but the other’s video more. Dance doesn’t help pick a winner for me. But which was your favourite song/debut package? Vote below!!!

The 7th Sense – 4.5/10

Without You – 7.5/10

Kissing To Feel – UKISS

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No, UKISS has not returned to the stage (yet) but the band did release a song back in February. This is a Japanese release that was not publicised in anyway. Someone contacted me on Twitter asking me to review this and I apologise that it only took me 5 years to actually review the song. Honestly if they haven’t contact me then I would not have known. I don’t actually do requests since the amount of releases is so large, it is hard to keep up with the industry. I try my best to review new bands and old bands, debuts and comebacks from smaller artists, but it is already hard just trying to listen to the latest songs… Let’s move onto the review though, before this review becomes too long.

It is a good song but it just doesn’t captivate me. For a quite upbeat song, the song started off slow, compared to the rest of the song. It wasn’t until the chorus that I felt like it was more of a UKISS style song. The start (in reality) isn’t that slow, it just felt slow. But once the song gets to that peak, wow. Their vocals are not hindered one bit in the song and sounds very powerful, strong and extremely clear. The rapping (per usual) is pretty good. I can see a lot of improvement (and parts) given to Jun.  I always wonder why they don’t do these songs in South Korea. I know South Korea isn’t that big in these EDM dance tracks, but UKISS received a lot of attention from the public when they released songs like this in the past. Okay, finishing praising the song. The song itself really doesn’t draw my attention (as I mentioned above). I feel like an extra element could have been added to the song to give it more depth or dimension (does that make sense?). But overall, I think the song is good. (I need a better way to write these reviews… I started and finished off with the same sentence).

Not exactly fond of the video. If you are a fan of sweaty Eli, then I guess check it out. But honestly, it was rather dark than it should have been. The lighting wasn’t that great in this video. There are two version: one was the normal landscape version, while the other is the portrait version. I have not seen the landscape version on YouTube yet, but I have see the portrait version and damn am I disappointed. It just feels really confined. There are benefits for the portrait version, but I am not seeing them in this video. The set is okay. The question is: when isn’t UKISS in an abandoned room or house.? Like seriously, most of their video consist of something abandoned. Yeah, I am running out of things to say about the video. I just think the video could have included a plot and made some sense over these scenes. There is already a plot here but it just doesn’t seem to be evident. Maybe more scenes of the girl leaving the guys or something would have made the video more interesting.

The dance focus on the sexy side of the band (and I think I actually do prefer this side of the boys). A lot of crotch grabbing and body waves. I really like the slow part of the chorus. And you probably have no idea what I am talking about…. Watch the dance version here? I think the dance is great, matches the tempo of the song and also shows the knife sharp movements of the guys. Once again they did a good job with their dance.

Overall, it was okay. I think that sums it up for me. 6.5/10

Queen – History

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History has returned to South Korea after what seems to be an extremely long void without hearing from them. However, they spent the last year (or since their last promotions with Might Just Die) in Japan. They successfully made their debut in Japan and have released two singles (L.O.S.T and My Love). Both songs were featured as Korean songs on their latest mini album – HIM.

Jaws were dropped in the writing of this review. Why? Because this song is amazing. Minus the pronunciation problem that seemed to get on every international fans mind, this song is really good. The hip hop vibe is extremely strong in this song. Mixed with electronic and dance elements made it seem so much cooler. Heads were banging along and it soon became one of the most played songs. The song (just without any context) around sounds like they are insinuating towards something dirty but the lyrics are just backs that up. “Get on my back naturally and wag your tail”. Given how they were singing (and it was – again –  amazing), I don’t think this was talking about a dog (oh god…). The English is quite questionable. I get that is how Koreans pronounce Queen, but how about “We All Pac Man” and “Crazy Intoxication Historical Criminalization”? No cohesion on my part. The rest of it was okay though. Another thing that I loved about the song is the really sexy sounding saxophones. They added another element to the song and made it sound so much cooler. Despite the English, I think it is an amazing song and am totally digging it. Just waiting for it to be played at some parties.

Music video wise, loving the concept. Really edgy and it seems to push the boundaries… by a lot. Not exactly sure about the rest of the video, but damn their attire (especially the suits) is so good. It is not that I am hating the video or anything, I have played it once or twice and it still confuses me. So I end up just skipping the video and listening to the song by itself. The solo shots of the guys shirtless or drinking alcohol don’t really mean anything to the video (I don’t think). I just couldn’t link A with B in this video and if I did, I don’t think it would have made any sense. They are singing about the Queen and we got towards the end. But was the rest of the video just showing how rebellious and cool they were? Cause that was all I could piece together. I think the video would have been so much better as a performance video. To me, the dance parts were the best and they were the ones that caught my attention more.

As for the dance, 10/10. Damn, so cool. I think I loved just about everything about the dance. The small James Bond move that they managed to put in and Yijeong’s really standout move at the start. I don’t know. It just made everything feel more edgier and more unique. The one thing is that I was watching one of their performance and I forgot which guy (correction: it was Yijeong), but damn. His hair cut was horrendous and the eye makeup was too thick. I remember replaying the video just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. Be the judge of it – watch it here.

Amazing song and dance. Video wasn’t that great. 7.5/10