Category: KPOP

Toy – Block B

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It has been a while since we heard from Block B. They last promoted Her back in 2014 as a whole group. They debuted a subunit (Bastarz) consisting of B.Bomb, U-kwon and P.O in 2015. 2015 and the first few months of 2016 have probably been Zico’s year though as he made a highly successful solo debut and each of his songs ended up topping the charts. But finally they are back with Toy and their latest mini album.

I thought this song was pretty dry and dead at first. However, listening to this song continuously makes the song sound like pure heaven. It is honestly catchy and packs a mean message (mean as in cool, to an extent).  I expected something with more of a hip hop vibe to it, since that is what they were doing prior to their hiatus. But we get this ballad and RnB dance track, which I think Block B handled professionally and perfectly. It is pretty catchy. The catchiness isn’t really evident, it just seems to be very subtle and doesn’t really hit us. It just makes me unconsciously go back to the song. I don’t remember my thoughts on H.E.R, but the rapping and vocal work from all the members was amazing. Even P.O (whom I am not that fond of) sounds really good in this song. The instrumental was on point as well. Loved the unique sound that the violins had at the start (Is it unique? I don’t know. It sounds different though, as if they used electronic violins). Especially at the “I’m Your Toy” part in the song. Just amazing.

The music video is pretty cool. Loving how the BBCs (Block B fan club) have called themselves trash and that Block B included them in the music video. It just makes everything so funny. Not that I should be laughing. This is a very serious topic. But the idea of the song and music video goes hand in hand. The girl drags her boys to the rubbish bin after she is done with them, so essentially she is “dumping them”. Hahahaha… The guys end up singing how she will want them back and that they will end up being her toys again. Unfortunately, that will just “land-fill” them back into the bin. Loving this concept. It is just so “rubbish”. Okay, I will stop making you fans and the band feel “trashy”. But seriously, the colour in the video is on point (or the tip of the land fill). Compliments the video really well. Honestly check out the video because it has some good meaning that I “threw away” and decided to substitute these puns in for.

Dancing is amazing. Block B does not really pass as a dance group, and this dance kind of proves that too me. But the whole toy concept was really cool. How they acted like mini robots and those arm flailing in the air for the “I’m Your Toy” part. Oh and it seems like Block B seem to get onto the dance trends quite quickly. Saw them Nae Nae before the whole thing became popular and now they are -dabs-.

I am writing this while I am half asleep. This was meant to be out yesterday, but that didn’t go to plan. I found a little bit of time and decided to finish it off and just get it out there. Check out the song and video below because it just looks so cool. Comeback, overall, was so cool. 10/10

Journey to Atlantis – Laboum

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Laboum has finally returned. They last promoted Aalow Aalow back in November and December last year (which I failed to review). This time around they have returned with a mini album titled as Fresh Adventure.

Probably one of the freshest songs this year. For some reason, there was this “wave of newness” that probably the reason why this song stood out for me. It had that bright feel and make you picture sunflowers and grassy fields. Okay, maybe not that extreme. But every time I listen to this song, it makes me grin so much. Yeah, the song lands perfectly in the typical KPOP song genre but there is a lot more to it. The chorus is freaking catchy and beautiful. Love how they all sing the chorus, giving it that brighter feel. I am just lip syncing the chorus everytime I hear the song. The high notes at the end (both of them) are stunning. The rapping is very limited (and it isn’t really a rap, more like a chant) but it changes up the song. It fits the season perfectly and it is a shame that it is not getting as much love as it deserves. Overall, I think this is an amazing song and definitely think everyone should listen to it.

I think there is one word we can describe this video and that is: cheesy. Lots of cheese. The girls in the video are bored at home and decide to pitch a tent, pretending as if they are in the outdoors. Who didn’t do that when they were younger? Oh childhood, why did you go away? The girls fall asleep and somehow are transported to their “dream land” or the outdoors. And that is about as intense the plot gets. Yeah, very cheesy. But the sets were nice. They are the ones you see every single time a KPOP video comes along, but they have been brightened up and made to look like they fit into the video. But damn, those outdoor scenes (well, I am assuming they were outdoors and not in some studio) look amazing. I don’t have much else to say regarding the video. It just looks beautiful.

The dance is great as well. They are in sync from start to the end. Loving it. I love the chorus and damn, it is very confusing to follow along. Because that is what I do all day… I watch video and dance to them while sitting down. But it fits that fresh and cute concept they are going for.

For some reason, these girls are not getting love. They need love. Because just listening to this song shows me how capable they are. 9/10

You’re So Fine – CN BLUE

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So much work to do and yet here I am procrastinating. It is funny. When I don’t have anything to do but write reviews, I procrastinate then and find work that I have put off for weeks and months. Wasn’t actually planning on writing a review until tomorrow since today was extremely busy, but hey, CN Blue cannot wait. Yep, the band is back with a brand new mini album. That being said and all this talk about being busy, the boys are extremely busy with promotions and also solo work.

It is officially Spring and you can tell by listening to this song. CN Blue usually goes for a powerful rock / pop track. Something with a little more energy and bass is a sound that I would associate with CN Blue. However, this time around, they went with a song that has a mellow feel to it (but in a cheerful sense). This is the song that you would sit outside on a grassy field, with blue skies all over and there is just a nice breeze. That or cheery blossoms. Oh wait the song. I really do like the song. I was kind of shocked when I first heard it, but I grew to like this song. I don’t love and I don’t think it is their best song ever, but it is still a good song. The vocals were great, though the small sections of rap or the short instrumental we got for the bridge were kind of awkward. It has that “throw your hand in the air” kind of feel, but they are just hanging down near my hips. Though, I do love the instrumental. Combining that band feel with the saxophone did wonders to my ears. It isn’t overpowering and the volume of the vocals and the instrumental is just right.

The music video was boring. The guys are in this lobby hotel. Minhyuk is getting his hair cut. Jonghyun is getting this poor kid to polish his shoes. Jungshin accidentally gets locked in the elevator. Yonghwa is the singer by the bar. Okay. A girl walks in and each guy is suddenly drawn to her presence. She some hows manages to interact with all of them indirectly (by giving people around them flowers). Then she goes and gets changed, and each of the guys decide to sit there and wait for her to come down and blind them with her beauty. Might have added that last part. But there wasn’t anything in the video to make me go wow. The video just had me thinking “So what?” throughout the video. It wasn’t climatic and it just didn’t do much to portray that spring feeling. I did like the set, very colourful. And there is what I liked the best regarding the video. Their clothing isn’t that great as well, but very retro.

Overall, great song. I’ll pass on the video though. 5/10

Get Down – Boys Republic

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It has been a long time coming, but finally, I will be reviewing Boys Republic. Yeah… I have been wanting to review these boys for their past few comebacks, but I end up not doing them because of time constraints or I fall behind on the other artist’s comebacks. I know. But this time I will do it and here it is. Boys Republic is a boy group under Universal Music. The group consist of 5 members including: Onejunn, Sunwoo, Sungjun, Minsu, Suwoong. They first made their debut with Party Rock in 2013 and have made comebacks since then with songs such as Hello, The Real One and my personal favourite, You Are Special.

Get Down can be described as a rock anthem infused with dance elements. This song gives off this really masculine, tough and macho edge that is a pretty new sound for them, since they have gone for more of the pop style in the past. The chorus of this song is amazing. The vocals are really strong but the beat made the chorus sound very catchy. The start of the song opens with a really nice (hehehehe) rap. The autotune parts in the song are quite questionable. They don’t sound good. They fit into the song, but not exactly that impressive and sounds really fake (obviously). But at least that part fit the song. The song (as mentioned above) has this really strong and dominate anthem sound to it, which I can hear from the start of the end. The vocals at the end were superb. You can say that this song has a lot of pent up anger and jealousy in it. Just check out the English lyrics where you next watch the song. Overall, I think it was a pretty good song. They should have gone a little easy on the autotune though.

The music video is definitely not for the fainted hearted. I can say that VIXX’s music video for VooDoo Doll looks tame in comparison to this video. Why? Well, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Let’s just say there is a lot of blood and heads in this video. If you are the faint hearted type and don’t want to watch the video, simply highlight the white section that follows and you will get the spoiler: decapitation (heads are getting chopped off).  So I guess it is safe to say that if you are dating the members of Boys Republic, it is best to stick to their side and not go cheat or leave them for another man, because these guys will literally kill for you. Really like the edgy and dark (obviously) vibe they went for in this video. Don’t think smiling guys and puppies would translate well with this concept. Hahaha… But honestly, a really interesting concept where the guys, instead of reflecting upon their mistakes or happy memories, go for revenge.

Dance wise, rubbing hands on your body and the slightest body wave seems to get you a long way in this industry. There are so many ways to do those two movements and make it look original. This dance is one of them. Not exactly memorable, but it is something that I noticed. It also added to the masculine and macho concept they were going for.

Overall, a very dark and powerful comeback, which is an interesting contrast to their past comebacks (because they did not hold back with the darkness here). 9/10

Letting Go – DAY6

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I should find new ways to start off my reviews. They all sound the same… DAY6 is back after debuting last year with Congratulations. Since then, they have been performing gigs in South Korea and also around the world. Earlier this year, member Junhyuk was withdrawn from the group for personal reasons, and I believe JYP Entertainment had yet to make a statement regarding this. This leaves only 5 members in the band. Also DAY6 confirmed that they will be promoting on music shows for this comeback, as opposed to their debut, which JYP Entertainment claimed that they would not promote to keep it authentic. Guess who gave in JYP. But it is nice to see them back and performing on the stage.

So the song, I think it is great.  Everything seems to be up to the standard that Congratulations had set. The vocals, the rapping, the instrumental. Everything was great. The song itself sounds like its story that it has intended for the audience to hear. It sounds like a person reflecting on a relationship that just had to end or the end was unavoidable. And I like the song for that element. I also love the instrumental. The continuous drum beats and guitar strings during the chorus is probably my favourite part of the song. It gives the song that strong feel and impact that I tend to talk about. It is a powerful song, while the message may be a little soft. However, I just cannot pinpoint what is missing in the song. The song has this one thing missing from it that I think would make the song 10 times more better, but I just cannot work it out. Every time I listen to the song, I have this thought and try to dig my way through the song trying to find what is missing, but I can’t (unless the song is intended to be that way – more that later). But overall, I think this is a great song.

Music video. It is interesting and fits the feel of the song. There isn’t anything “loud” or bold in the video, which suits the song really well. Not exactly keen on the many copies of the members, but still, it makes the video very interesting. Now, there is a theory about the video and song that I think makes sense (but may not actually by the true meaning of the video). As I mentioned above, the song may have been intended to be left “empty” as the one of their members was announced that they were to leave the band. Fans seem to comment on how the song was like a message of “letting go” of this particular member. Junhyuk, also plays the keyboard, and in the background in some scenes when the band is together, there is actually a keyboard there, standing by itself. A sign that they must let go, but they just cannot. It also seems like the many copies of the members seem to mean that however the other try to fill  his void, they just cannot replace me like that. Really interesting and totally make senses with that one piece of evidence. Whatever the meaning of the video is, I think what fans have theorised is exceptionally sad and would make sense given the rumours that surrounded his departure.

Overall, interesting video and great song. But what are your thoughts on the video? What do you think is the meaning behind the video, because writing this makes me feel sad 😦 8.5/10

Good For You – Eric Nam

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Eric Nam has returned to the stage. It has been a while since we heard from Eric Nam. He last promoted at the start of last year with I’m Okay and has since been active as a reporter, gaining a lot of popularity through this. 2016 started with a collaboration between him and Wendy from Red Velvet with their song, Spring Love. And now, just a few weeks later, he has dropped his second mini album since his debut in 2012 with Good For You.

Lovely song. His husky vocals match the hard (and quite loud) piano notes really well. He changes the tempo of his voice to give the song a lot more depth. His husky vocals give the song that extra dimension, which sounds really good. It was also quite soft and easy going on the ears, a change from the pop songs and more upbeat songs that I tend to listen to. For a ballad, there is a kick to it that makes it catchy. It is definitely more rhythmic than other ballads. There are different a really strong RNB vibe channelling through the song, which I think makes it so good. I think an important reason to why I like this song so much is due to the fact that I have been wanting to listen to a new ballad like song. I have found a few, but this just came out at the right time.

Music video wise. Not that memorable. I have watched it a few times, and I barely remember anything from it. So, let’s have a refresher and let me make some comments -goes watch the video- It seems Eric Nam is a radio broadcaster and that there are many people who enjoy listening to his channel. But I think people find it a great source of encouragement and the music (i.e. the song playing) really makes people feel good about themselves. We have a dancer (who falls so gracefully), a cafe owner, a girl who works endlessly and another girl who just broke up with a partner. They all listen to the song and it helps them go on with a smile. It is as if the song is “Good For You”. I did enjoy watching the video, though as I mentioned above, it isn’t memorable. But I do have one more complaint. Eric Nam playing the piano. He seems to be rocking a little too much to the song. Not a rock song, but a ballad. Love his enthusiasm, but it just doesn’t fit.

Overall, great song and good video. 8/10

Liar Liar – Oh My Girl

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After releasing one of the best songs of the year, last year, Oh My Girl is back. Closer is by far (and still is) one of the best songs I have ever heard in KPOP to date. Yes, I am going that extra mile to say that. They have taken a break and have returned with a brand new mini album for all of us, so let’s get cracking.

The girls go back to the cute concept with a funky and catchy song. The instrumental of the song reminds me of the marching drums in Cupid. The song is quite upbeat already (with the instrumental only), but adding the vocals, there is more depth to the song and it makes it sound even more retro. Vocally and the rap were all really good and stood out. The level of instrumental and vocals was perfect. As I said before, the song is super catchy. I probably know when the girls would sing “Liar Liar” because I am singing along at that part (since it is a line that I can understand – the life of an international fan) and only that part. Play it now and I will slay the “Liar Liar” part. While I think it is a good song, it does seem to lack the appeal needed in KPOP. It has that KPOP feel to it, but it doesn’t sound like something that would be a hit with the audience over there. Beside it being catchy, it really doesn’t draw you in. That is my only complaint with the song, but overall, I thought it was a really good song.

Music video is amazing. So colourful. Such boldness in the set. The cuteness in terms of the concept is channelled from the bright but bold colours present throughout the video. Beside I love how the girls portray the lyrics. I believe they are singing about a guy who they know is cheating on them, but in the video the song shows the girls knowing that everyone is dating the same person. Really confusing, but off the bat, I thought it was very interesting. The girls hide pictures of their “guy” in anyway possible without anyone seeing, arousing suspicions of everyone around them. Like I said, confusing, but it reels me in. Really enjoyed the scene where they are all at the table, with their hands behind their backs, holding onto the picture of the same guy. And the girl with the sunglasses. Highly creative, but I don’t think it is that practical. And that is one massive bed.

Dance wise, it is so cute. But I have a question! Why are they wearing roller skates? They dance around in them and it confuses me. I don’t recall them skating around the stage.  But they are probably are just wheels stuck to some shoes.

Overall, great song, video and dance. Loved it all. 8.5/10

Remember That – BTOB

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BTOB has finally returned after a highly successful year last year. The last year allowed the boys to sweep the ballad awards at the start of the year, for the previous year (there was so much grammatical errors there, don’t judge). And once again, BTOB has returned with a Spring ballad to warm everyone’s hearts. Solo wise, Sungjae and Minhyuk have been enjoying a lot of popularity through their acting. Not exactly sure of the other members, but I have seen them here and there, every now and then.

Once again it is a RNB ballad. My same opinion applies: I preferred hip hop and pop music BTOB. However, this is an excellent song that sounds really good. The song has this very sweet vibe to it (despite the lyrics singing the total opposite, as the song reminds of the happy times they once had and cannot get back). While listening to the song, I cannot help but smile, as it has the tune which you would associate with happy memories. Or at least, that is what happened to me. I think that is due to the vocals. There is no hint of sadness in their vocals and that brings that sweet vibe into play. Vocally, this song is stunning. Even Ilhoon took a stab at singing. Sure, he isn’t the best singer out there (he is their main rapper), but he manages to sound really good and suits the song really well. I would have thought that Minhyuk would sing instead, but he stuck to rapping the very last part of the song. Sungjae, Eunkwang, Changsub and Hyunsik all sound really good (mentioned it already, but you must know). Peniel, still a little confused on his role in the group, but those small lines he gets really fit his voice and rap really well. The instrumental also gives off that Spring feel, which I really like (It is Autumn and cold here. I need the sun and warmness. This song delivers). Overall, great song.

This is a nice video, but a little boring to watch. Minhyuk reflects upon his past relationship when Spring comes rolling by. He unlocks the room, as if he is unlocking his memory bank. Inside the room there are objects that he associates with those happy, but at the same time, heartbreaking moments. The other members just look pretty and end up noticing the Spring rolling through. Though it looks like they are experiencing the exact same thing and having the exact same feels. Love the use of the cherry blossom, which is used to symbolise the Spring (and is often used as symbol of love in a lot of Korean associated media). The wind was really nice (and probably felt nice, especially under all that nice sunshine). Minhyuk’s and Jo Bo Ah’s (the lead actress) acting was pretty good, but it did make the video feel very dead. Their chemistry wasn’t protrayed as well and the addition of the members made it feel very detached from the song. Just my thoughts though.

The dance… Yeah, there wasn’t much of a dance. Finally, ballads without the dance. I smell the fresh air already. It was actually more like “movement around to microphone stands to get everyone a chance to stand in the middle and have the spotlight on them”.

Overall, I think it was an excellent comeback. Definitely a song to “remember”. 9/10

 

Borders – Amber (F(x))

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The next SM Station release. Just to put it out there, I am not going to review every single SM Station release, just stand outs. Now for this particular review, I have been asking all week whether it should be reviewed or not. My major consideration is: is it KPOP? Not in my opinion. But I can’t seem to let this song go without reviewing it. This release is written and sung by Amber from f(x). We have been hearing rumours of a solo comeback and this is probably what the rumours were on about. While not a comeback, it is great to see Amber back in the solo car.

And why are I am so glad to see Amber back in the solo wagon? Well, f(x) has amazing music, but most of the time, Amber is very limited to a certain sound and pop style. We really don’t see Amber shine 100% and show her true talents. Not saying that she doesn’t do that in f(x), just she shows her talents and her 100% in a f(x) style. This is  track that I would describe as a  RnB infused with many different genres that sound like bliss. And it is all in English. And when you think it is the pinnacle of the whole comeback, you are wrong. The lyrics, her vocals and rapping are all so amazing. It really reflect upon the message she is trying to deliver. It is a song that you need to listen to. Sometimes words cannot describe things, and this is one of those times. The song talks about being yourself and that sometimes being on that “rough path” is the only way to get to your destination. As I said her vocals were amazing (for those who say she cannot sing, this proves you wrong). Her husky voice really brings the song to a whole new level. Even the instrumental is really impressive and love the different electronic sounds and influences I can here.

Music video wise, I love it. We see Amber sitting in a cube structure. And the cube acts like borders or the “pressures from the outside” closing in on her. I love it when she sings about her mum, you see this caring image of a mother (doing her job right) and supporting her daughter/son in the video. We see two different people. One guy is depressed and one fixated on her body. While we do not see the aftermath with the girl, who I assume managed to pull through after she realized what she is putting herself into, the guy we see attempts to take his life at the climax of the song. However after, we see him smiling and looking into the distant at the exact spot of his attempted attempt on his life. The video ends nicely with another mother/child seen. I find this a truly beautiful video with the mother/child scenes probably the most powerful.

Overall, a beautiful message within a beautiful song and video. Just listening to the song and watching the video renders me speechless. 10/10

 

One Shot One Kill – UKISS

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It has been a while since we heard from UKISS. But we did hear some shocking news from the band when Eli announced suddenly that he was married AND expecting a child on the way. Not saying that the news was bad in anyway, it just caught everyone off guard. UKISS has also been busy in Japan and it has been over a year since their last domestic (Korean) promotions. This is not their Korean comeback however, but just another Japanese comeback.

I am genuinely confused about this song. When I first heard the title of the song, I thought they went for an electronic or EDM based song. It also sounds like something masculine and dangerous. I honestly had James Bond channelling through my mind. However instead we got… a love song? Rather disappointing. The song does not sound as great. It just sounds like a complete mismatch waiting to happen. The vocals in my opinion do not suit the song. It seems to be more drawn out than anything. However the rapping is really good and with the combination of the instrumental had an “Uptown Funk” kind of feel to it (actually applies to the whole video). Talking about the instrumental, it gave the song a really nice retro sound. Even the dance break was just those retro sound, not a single electronic sound in the dance break (there might have been a little bit, but it was after the dance break) and I am going to give them props for that, since I think the instrumental was really good as well. Vocals and the mismatched initial thoughts just didn’t lineup.

The retro video fitted really well with the song. But like the song, I thought of a 007 theme video or spy themed. Anyway, with what we were delivered, the retro themed went throughout the video. From the sets, to their attire to the walking canes. Actually, walking canes aren’t retro, but they fit really well with this video. And that is all I have to say about the video….

Dance wise, thought the use of the canes were cool but a bit messy. Thought the dance break was cool. While we didn’t really see much of the dance in the video, I did manage to fine snippets of a live performance at one of their fanmeets in Japan, and I can say, I think it is amazing dance.

What we got was not what I expected and that is quite disappointing. But they managed to pull it off (with the odd complaint) and it sounded/looked good. 6.5/10

Find Me – Jung Hyosung (Secret) ft. D.Action

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It has been quite some time, but as a die hard fan for the group Secret, I (and all their fans) have all be requesting a comeback from the girls. 2015 was focused primarily on solo work, with a few group appearances here and there. Hopefully 2016 will be more group work. But in the mean time, we have been gifted with a solo comeback from Hyosung herself. It has nearly been a year since we last saw her on stage, with her last promotions being Into You.

Compared to my thoughts last year for her comeback, I am going to say this once and once only. DROP EVERYTHING AND LISTEN TO THIS SONG!!! Too forceful? Yeah, but really, listen to this freaking song. This is the exact song that I want from her. Powerful but still feminine. It is a really nice pop track that has a really solid instrumental. But I love the small things in the song more. Those addictive drum beats and flute whistles are just spot on and really give the song that extra dimension. The song, especially the chorus, is highly addictive (Yep, I have been singing along to the song as soon as I first heard it). The song starts off slow, but at the right volume, the chorus sounds so amazing. As soon as the beat drops, I was in awe. Only one minor thing, the entire rap section done by D.Action from Untouchable (who happens to be from TS Entertainment as well) could have been left out. It suited the song, but it wasn’t necessary. What we have is amazing already.

Music video is beautiful. Her figure is amazing (even though all her fans preferred her before her diet). And the dresses that she where for this video are amazing. The dance set as well is amazing and beautiful. Beside the sets and the dance, the rest of the video sees Jung Hyosung have magical powers or something. On top of that, her reflection shows her tied up, when she is free. It seems like to show if she was taken away or bound to something. We see her also around some water. A little confusing and I am as lost (or distracted by her) as a sheep without Bo Peep. Editing the video is really good. Timed everything to the beat of the song, which made it look really good.

Dance wise, I thought it was amazing. Love the arm waves she makes when the flute whistle comes along.  Dance fitted the beat of the song really well. I thought the dance was quite sexy, but still had that dance element. Once again, TS Entertainment has put too many back up dancers on the stage, so the stage looks quite crowded though. But oh well.

Overall, excellent comeback which is what I wanted to see from her. Amazing. Jaw Dropping. High recommended. 9/10

Fly – GOT7

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GOT7 has finally returned with a brand new song and mini album. This time they will be “flying” straight into the hearts of all their fans and to new heights with their new releases. I am totally digging everything in this album. Everything is to a high standard, but let’s stop here before I review the whole song in this one paragraph.

But let’s continue here. This song is amazing. I cannot believe my ears every time I listen to it. It just captivates me and my ears. It wasn’t the same feeling I got when I first heard the song. It wasn’t as blown away with the song (after all I placed If You Do) as one of the top songs of 2015. It didn’t impact or wow from the start. But many listens later, I am dragging my jaw that happened to drop due to this amazing song. It is definitely a song centred around their rappers. The whole vocal line (minus JB) got snubbed in this song, and that was very disappointing. Jackson and Mark stood out the most in the song, and they definitely got their time to shine (particular Mark, who seems to get a small part of each song before).   But regardless of the uneven line distribution, the song managed to show off all rapping and vocals equally. I don’t know which genre to classify the song as. There is definitely dance sounds in there, but more of a mash up of pop and electronic. It is a track that I would recommend to everyone out there. It is catchy and addictive (all terms are understatements. Trust me, I am obsessed with this song at the moment). A hit waiting to be discovered.

If you have no watch the trailer for the mini album, then you are going to get very lost. Nothing in the music video makes sense without the trailer. And while the bulk of the plot is within the trailer, I can’t really make a comment. The trailer is 6 minutes long and to talk about it would be about the length of a review. So what we have in the music video, is that Jinyoung wants to “fly” but is unable to do so. Everyone around him seems to be able to “fly” but he can’t. But he tries and realizes when it is too late (i.e. when he is falling down) that it was a bad idea. And then he wakes up. Now I am 100% sure that the flying is meant to be a metaphor but instead the music video leaves it as a superpower that everyone has. The graphics is very cool and the editing for the video only is good. Plotwise, the editing ruined it. But them filming their dance scenes in the wide open space at what I assume is an airport made the video look quite cool. Yeah, it was lacking, but it had that cool effect going on. And it makes sense. Overall, quite hard to put a number on this video, but what we are presented with was good. Just if more was added and the plot not ruined by the editing, the video would have been amazing.

GOT7 does it again with the dance. Not as memorable compared to Just Right or If You Do, but this still makes them look cool. Totally in sync. The song gives them a lot of freedom with the dance, and I feel like they chose was was best of them and one that suited the song 100%.

Not exactly perfect, but it getting there. I liked majority of it. What we need from the guys (and very cliche) is a hard hitting song. Fly was getting there and I can feel it with their next set of release. 8/10

One Of These Nights – Red Velvet

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Red Velvet has returned with a brand new album, The Velvet and a brand new music style. They had a very successful last year with their promotions of Dumb Dumb and Ice Cream Cake, showing the industry their mass following and popularity. A force not to be reckoned with.

Now, this is a ballad. I was expecting a dance track or something with a pop feel to it. This caught me (and probably everyone in the world) off big time. And I totally do not dig this style from them. I love them with a loud or pop concept, not slow and monotone.  It was flat and very weak from the girls. At least there is one good thing from the girls. Their vocals, while not be the most appealing to draw my attention to the song, were pretty good vocal work wise. Their harmony was pretty good. But that is all. Nothing else about the track I like. It was too slow and felt drawn out too much to listen to. No matter how hard I try, I get distracted when I listen to the track. It just had no appeal. The instrumental was nice and all, but for the most part it seemed like it lacked an instrument or two, to make it better and more appealing. As you can tell, not exactly keen on this song (more like I don’t like the song at all).

The music video was by far more interesting than the song itself. I love the concepts t that the girls have in their videos and this one is like no other. It draws your attention to it and makes you guess what is going on. Now, I am going to turn it into a serious topic and that above comment is going to make me seem ignorant. Someone has found a connection between the video and the Sewol Ferry incident which occurred nearly 2 years back. While it can be disputed, I read the theory and thought it was rather interesting. Do I agree with it? I don’t even know. I can’t decide. If is true, than the video becomes quite sad for me. But the concept is extremely smart and it would be  a video I would love to go back to pick out the details. If it wasn’t, well, damn, the video is still interesting to watch. If you have not read the theory, click here and decide for yourself. Do I still like the video regardless? Yes, it is a very interesting concept and it probably tells a story that we have all yet to see properly. But what do you think? Is it just a coincidence or is there really a connection with the tragedy?

Dance wise… I can’t watch the performances. I have this thing with ballads and dances. They don’t really go together. This song is far too slow and very “depressing” to listen to. A dance have never and might never pair well with the song. I think the girls look stunning on stage though. If that counts…

Overall, not digging the song, but the video has me going back and forth. I probably contributed most of the views. Hahaha… 5.5/10 (Most of the marks went to the video). 

Sketch – Hyomin (T-Ara)

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Hyomin from T-Ara is finally back with another solo comeback. This time she has gone for a more sensual comeback. It has been two years since we last saw her promote as a solo artists. T-Ara did return last year for a very short while with a nice comeback, but sadly that was short lived. T-Ara has been busy with a China tour in the past few months.

I am quite torn with the song. Some parts suited her voice really well, but other parts were not that suitable for her. The vocals were first of all at a much higher key that what some singers even sing. Not the easiest song for people to sing and Hyomin doesn’t have a great of a voice to sound great. Out of all the parts, those where there were back up vocals were where she sounded most stable. Parts without the back vocals just sounded like she was straining her voice. And obviously it gets worse when she is trying to “sing live”. I did however like the instrumental of the song. Pretty calming and also very flow (something I don’t think I found in her voice). I know she is trying to sound sensual, but I can name tonnes of other songs where the pitch is not as high and still such a sensual comeback. It was also quite a slow song that kind of deterred me from wanting to go back to it. Don’t get me started on the English though. A lot more work can be done with the pronunciation. I know English is not her first language, but if you plan to include in your song (and have it has a huge chunk of your song), you better sound comprehensible. Parts of me want to say this is a nice song to listen to, but other parts just don’t want to hear it. I feel like it had a lot of potential, but maybe the choice of singer wasn’t ideal. Don’t kill me.

19+ rating… Oh I hate you. You put yourself on the corner of the videos when I barely see anything that provocative or controversial. Yes, I understand her standing there with no shirt on and covering her breast isn’t the best thing little kids should be exposed to. And for that I do agree with the 19+ rating for that. But beside that small section of the video, the rest of it didn’t seem to be what we were promised. Nam Goong Min plays the male in the video and while he does have a nice body, I sensed a lot of awkward chemistry between them. The song was slow, but it seems like everything was a little too slow in the video. Understand? Them falling for each other was interesting to watch, but those up close and personal scenes were such a bore. Not that I was expecting full on sexual scenes, but we were promised a steamy video. Yet, it seemed like I just got a cold shower. Hmmm… Lastly, I am quite surprised that his shirt stayed on throughout the video. Shouldn’t he too take off his shirt? That might increase views a bit, probably add a little bit more steam to the video. Now I am not saying Hyomin isn’t hot or anything (cause she is and those covering breast scenes caught me off guard), just I think a shirtless guy (especially Nam Goong Min) would make it a lot more sexual, don’t you think?

Dance wise, wow. I can feel the KPOP world getting ready the banning stickers on majority of the dance moves. I think the dance suits the song quite a bit. Quite sensual, quite slow. A little over the top in my opinion. Way too much focus on certain areas of her body instead of her face. But still, a really nice dance.

Overall, the comeback was okay. Some parts were a miss for me, other were great. So I guess I take the average of both. 5.5/10

 

[DOUBLE REVIEW] Breathe + Hold My Hand – Lee Hi

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POLL BELOW!!!

Afer 3 years, YG has let Lee Hi out of his dungeon. Only kidding. Only kidding. It has been 3 years since her last album, but don’t fret. She is finally back with a brand new mini album, titled as Seoulite. This mini album and this promotional run features 2 title tracks, Breathe and Hold My Hand. Both of which will be reviewed today!!!

Breathe is a slow ballad track. And damn is it beautiful or what? The whole time listening to this song, I was captivated by her wonderful vocals and the beautiful instrumental which accompanied the song. The song was free flowing and just felt like perfection to my ears. I read the English translations for most songs I review but this one… The words just roll off the page and I think that is the beauty of the song. Regardless of whether I read the lyrics or not, Lee Hi captured the right emotions and expressed them in the song. It’s one of the few songs where the monotone throughout the song suits it so well. The chorus deviates a little from the rest of the song, but it just adds to that emotion. Beautiful is probably the only word to describe it.

Hold My Hand is a jazzy number that sounds equally as good as Breathe. Her voice definitely fits the jazz genre and this is just evidence of that. “Let me hold your hand…” That line started off the song really well and the rest of the song fell into place after that. It is a much brighter song, which I thought suited her age more. The husky voice just did wonders in this song. Okay, I think it is more like I love the song, but I love the chorus even more. Highlight of the song for was (obviously) the chorus. And the way the song ended was just amazing. The soft “again”s were really nice and added a very fancy feel to the song.  The bridge as well, as a really nice change compared to the rest of the song, but done amazingly right. Okay, I think I am just repeating myself. Both songs equally amazing.

The music videos were both equally amazing. The video’s camera work was probably the best I have ever seen in KPOP. The shots just fitted the song really well. The video goes from Lee Hi singing to shots of random people who are quite sad or upset. Highlighting that “sigh” she sings so often about. The room which she sings from looks like heaven. Well not literally, but as if she was an angel from above, looking down on these people. There were a lot of shots of her on the roof and a few shots look down onto the roads, so I guess it is like she is an angel looking down? That’s my take on the video. Hold My Hand had a really unique video, where we are actually the guy and we see Lee Hi. It is shot with a video game (but like 90s video games) feel to it. A little random, but it looks pretty unique and amazing at the same time. The graphics were really cute nonetheless. The spinning around at the chorus probably was my favourite part of the video. Mainly because we got to see Lee Hi all cute and happy (totally the image I associate with her).

There is a dance for Hold My Hand, but her live singing captivates me a little too much. Hehehehe…

Overall, beautiful comeback that probably raises the bar for all.

Breathe – 10/10

Hold My Hand – 10/10

So, Lee Hi fans… Which song did you prefer more? Should you “Hold My Hand” or just “Breathe”? (lame puns) VOTE BELOW!!!

Mirror – Fiestar

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Fiestar has returned with their latest mini album and title track, Mirror. This is their first comeback since members Yezi and Cao Lu have shined the light back onto the girls through their solo promotions. Yezi recently made her solo debut with song Cider, due to her increase in popularity due to Unpretty Rapstar. Cao Lu has been hitting it big with her participation on variety TV shows. With the new popularity, the girls and their company decided a comeback was needed to embrace the new love (and that is has been about one year since their last promotions).

Mirror, once again, has become another underrated track for the group. This sad dance song is really good and I thought it neared perfection (hmm… Like yesterday). At first I thought a dance song with a more upbeat feel and sound would suit the girls more. However I was kind of shocked they went with a song that sounded darker than their last. But the sound sounded amazing upon first listen and now I totally dig it. I am going to say that the emotions in their vocals are very subtle. It just feels like they are singing a song. There really isn’t much more to their voice and it is all rather flat. Also very distant. The vocals are probably my only complaint. The rapping though was amazing. Yezi usually have this tough and strong sound to her, but here she managed to fit her rapping into the song. The song was soft and her rapping complimented just that. It sounded fragile, just like what the song was all about. It probably has to be one of the few rapping sequences that fit perfectly with the song it was in. The chorus was catchy. The “save me, save me” and “baby baby” are just constantly replaying in my head. Also Cao Lu got more lines. Our prayers were answered.

Love the imagery of the music video. The use of the cracked mirror was just too good in my opinion. Loved it how they stood there holding the piece and then the editor just edited in the reflection. Oh boy, I just totally made it sound like it was stupid. But it wasn’t. It was completely amazing. The darkness of the video is like no other. The only probably I found with the video is the formula that they used. It just seemed to be too similar to their last music video. The dance set and the cinematography for those scenes were nearly the same and I kind of got bored of it. It just made the video seemed generic. Everytime we watch a new video, we expect something different. Same formula is okay, but the girls needed something to spice the video up and make it into an instant hit. Maybe a more interesting set and better camera work?

As for the dance, mega disappointed. It was such a sensual sounding song that it had so much potential into being turned into dance that could have rivaled other sexy dances like Something by Girls Day or Alone by Sistar. I did love the squats they did in the chorus, but beside that, it was really boring.

Song was amazing. Video and dance let the comeback down. I honestly thought the girls would get more attention, but it seems like it will become another forgotten song for the girls. 6/10