Category: KPOP

Mind Your Own Business – Ailee

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The song is pretty good, but it really does not have that Ailee feel to it. Yes, it is powerful. Yes, it has Ailee’s vocals. But it lacks something to take it to the next level. It sounds like a typical song that really does not stand out. All of her previous songs have that unique sound that makes it stand out, but this, it is lacking something. That something, I have no idea. Her vocals are superb as always and she has never failed us there. I enjoy how catchy the song is. That part right after the first part of the chorus has me rocking me head along to the beat. The instrumental was great. Fast paced, catchy and saxophones are always sexy. Hahaha… I still don’t know what is lacking. There is something missing that brings it up to the level of the past Ailee’s hits that we know of. To me, personally, this is her weakest song. It is powerful but compared to the rest of her other songs, it isn’t anywhere near.

The music video has me going wow. First of all, I hate characters who expect everything to be done for them. Ailee, if you want to trash his car, I think it would mean a whole lot more and it would be much more satisfying to trash it yourself. You didn’t have to do all of it, just if I were in your shoes, I would have a hella great time taking a hammer and smashing the windscreen. And you need some tips on hiding. Or maybe driving away, cause after all you are sitting behind a wheel of a car. Another thing, where did this injury come from? Cause damn, everything in this music video has her on two feet. I remember reading somewhere that she injured herself during filming (not sure if it was music video filming or something else). I love the hint of comedy in the video. Ailee kicks to the door to get it open, but then it was a pull type of door not a push type of door. Oh, we all have those days Ailee, don’t you worry. But I thought this was a cool video. It matched the lyrics and the power that the song had.

We don’t see Ailee dance that much in this music video and we don’t see her dance at all during the live performances. Such a pity. While it does look awkward with her sitting on a chair, she manages to bring that style and power that she always manages to bring to the stage. I do enjoy the air punches and all that fighting combat. But the start where the girls are standing in a line and touching the side of the other girls but, with sharp movements. It just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the dance.

Overall, it was a nice comeback. But I still don’t know what they missing thing is. Maybe I am overlooking everything and she has everything in the song. 7/10

 

If You Do – GOT7

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Just after 2 months, GOT7 is showing a brand new side to them. Move along happy, bright and cute concept that they had a few months ago. Here comes the masculine and charismatic concept. Just Right was released in July and the boys have been busy since completing the promotions for that song. They released a brand new Japanese single Laugh Laugh Laugh. Jackson also started MCing for SBS Inkigayo as well. Not really that much going on, come to the think of it.

This has to be their best song by far. I don’t care what I said in the past. Out of their songs that they have released so far, this is the song that will hopefully do wonders for them.  It is a much darker song and has more of an angry feel to it. You can feel the suppressed anger in the song lyrics and the overall tone of their song. I personally love the song so much. I feel like the rappers finally have a song where they do truly shine. While they are not the best rappers in the industry, they do a hell of a good job in this song. I absolutely love the first line of the whole song. Essentially when it is translated into English, the line basically says: “If you do it, it is good. If I do it, it is over”. The word “Over” is in Korean, yet it sounded like “good”. Also the slowing down of the song for the “Everyday, Every night, I feel like a fool, you gotta know” part does wonders to the song. It actually makes this song flow quite well and leads into the chorus quite well. The guitar synths and the drum beats in the instrumental are spot on. Amazing job.

BamBam went bam bam on that car. I tried to resist. Any GOT7 fans out there who despise of that joke, I am sorry. The anger in this video is just through the roof. Jackson with the punching bag, Junior with the ball and the destruction of the paintings, Youngjae with the spray paint, Bam Bam with the nice couch in the middle of some place and the destruction of the car, JB with the violent rampage at night, Yugeom with his angry need for attention for a girl. And there is Mark. Who mysteriously does not rage, but stares into the camera. While his charisma was through the roof, I don’t think he was that angry. But hey, we also need that one person to stay calm in our groups. I think the sets is amazing and that one shot inside the camera, when Bam Bam takes his first hit was pretty good. Bam Bam needs to take that collar thing off and stay away from leopard prints. They don’t really match the song or video. But this video just oozes masculinity regardless of how much you watch it.

The dance is amazing. They are pretty in sync and I am really satisfied with the whole routine. The teaser made it look really exaggerated and dramatic, but the whole music video turned out quite  well. The really like Junior’s ‘Every Day, Every Night” part of the routine, where two members join for each two words was pretty good. Also the jumps at the start of the chorus are pretty nice. And yes, I am just going to leave a gif of Sassy Mark down here.

markgot7

Overall, probably on the best comebacks of the year. Perfect song, video and dance. 10/10

 

If You Were Me – Roh Ji Hoon

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It has been a while but finally we have heard something regarding this solo singer that is under Cube Entertainment. Roh Ji Hoon made his debut at the end of 2012 with Punishment, a dance member. However he has been kept hidden away with only a single album promotion since his debut til now. But now he is back with a brand new song and mini album. This time around, it is another ballad that he is singing, similar to this ballad that he came back last year with.

It is quite an upbeat type of ballad. Well, I think this song is a ballad. It is a pretty nice way to end the summer feels. While it does have that upbeat feel, it also is a great way to introduce the season of Autumn (the season of very sad songs). His husky voice compliments this style really well and this is a pretty nice song. In terms of my expectation, I was hoping for a more popish or dance centered song like his debut and I wanted him to avoid going down the path of his other ballad since that did bore me. This did the job quite well even though it was not what I had expected. The chorus had a nice ring to it and the emotions were carried from the start to the end really well. No dramatic pauses that disrupts the flow of the song (and there for the feelings that the song intends to give us). Great song.

The music video was quite good. I feel like I have watching too many k-dramas and really sad breakup songs, cause I may have been expected someone to leave the other person during the video. But it is a nice video. It matched really well with the happiness of the song. Though the circumstances were a little weird. Hahaha… I know some blind people recognize people by feeling their faces. But that dude was a stranger and he said nothing to her, yet she went in straight away. Hahaha.. But the plot of the music video was nice and I was very satisfied watching the music video. A video I would go back to right away? No. But it popped it in my recommendations from time to time, I would not mind watching it.

Sadly no more wedgies from this male artist. But it was a nice comeback overall. 9/10 

Magic – Super Junior

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If you have not heard, some members of Super Junior will be enlisting into the army later this year. That is quite sad, but the members aren’t ready to say goodbye yet, as they released their repackaged album of Devil at the start of September (one month ago). On the repackaged album is the song Magic, which also serves as their title track. This is the last album before Donghae, Siwon and Eunhyuk enlist into the army. There was also minimal promotions for this album as it only served as “thank you” from the members to the fans (10 years since debut as well. Time flies when you are having fun).

This song was pretty mediocre. It wasn’t bad, but it did not really stand out. It was catchy, but it oh so annoying to listen to. I will explain myself. There really is nothing fancy about this song. Super Junior has put out much better songs in the past and honestly, this song falls into the “typical KPOP song” category. It was nice to listen to, but it just did not have that wow factor or anything interesting, where it makes me want to go back and listen to it some more. When I do listen to it, I find it catchy and I often repeat the lyrics over and over in my head. But the English in this song is so awful. “She so hot, She so fire”? It is 2015, not when KPOP is just reaching foreign shores and Korea did not have that American influence anymore. That one line is probably the catchiest line, but it just annoys me so much. Arghh!!! The vocals and pop instrumental is pretty standard. It’s nice to see Yesung seem to have his voice back in this song, unlike in Devil.

The music video was okay. It seemed a little too generic and while we are probably so happy that SM is venturing outside of a studio for their music video, the production value of this video looked quite minimal. The pop influenced effects with the number coming out of Yesung’s ear and also the movement of the basketball added a nice touch to the video. The music video has that “magic” aspect to it, but rather than being romantic with the magic, the members are using it to their advantage to get the girls attention or for their own pleasure. Well that sounded weird.  The video should have been a little better. There is no hype or excitement that I see from fans. It seems like the video was released and everyone ran to it, but then it disappeared from existence. The dancing was okay. Not amazing and grand but it matches the style of the song.

Overall, it’s their 10 year anniversary. It is also the last album for a while for some members. I feel like they should have gotten something a little better. While it was a bright song and video, not feeling it. 5/10

[DOUBLE REVIEW] It Happens To Be That Way + If I Have To Hate You – Fly To The Sky

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Fly To The Sky is back with a brand new song. They made their long awaited comeback/regrouping last year and this year they are back to make everyone cry over their ballads. They have been doing a lot of solo work in between comebacks. This mini album has not been promoted as much this time around, as I believe they have some sort of concert going on at the moment. And yes, I am churning reviews out very slowly. October is going to be an extra slow month, so don’t expect too much. I should be back into full gear around November. This also is my fourth year!!! Woo!! Thank you so much!!!!

Both songs are amazing. I cannot express that in any other way. I don’t think I have really enjoyed much of Fly To The Sky’s comebacks in the past, but this time around they came back with a song that really shows off their talents. Their vocals and their harmony have been used so well in the song. Both songs just sounded so similar to me. Hahaha… I get confused pretty easily when I listen to the songs. If you like a much slower song that builds up towards the end, then It Happens To Be That Way is the song for you. More of an orchestra sound (in a way) then If I Have To Hate You would be the right song. I also found the latter song to come on stronger and faster compared to the first song. Come to the think of it now, the songs are quite different, but they blend well with each other. Their ad-libs are amazing in both songs are superb. If I were to choose an absolutely favourite, If I Have To Hate You did the job just fine.

The music videos are to be viewed together. It Happens To Be That Way is filmed from the perspective of the boyfriend, while If I Have To Hate You is filmed in the perspective of the “to be bride”. OMG, why did she hold onto that guy for? Scum bag guy ditched you while you were dating when he saw his ex. Shouldn’t that be some sign of lack of loyalty? The music videos are quite confusing and I am currently trying to figure out which video comes first. It seems like If I Have To Hate You should be viewed first, as it shows the “bride to be” falling in love for the boyfriend. And then It Happens To Be That Way shows the boyfriend ditch his fiance for his ex. Another question: the two ended off badly, so who invited the ex to the wedding? I hardly doubt he invited her, so that leads to the bride who used to work alongside her, but it would be rather stupid of her to invite the ex right? The bride was just to desperate to “put a ring on it”. Hahaha..  Amazing, well written videos (minus a few minor details). But the feelings and emotions from the video matched the song quite well. The acting was amazing, though it did look awkward the ex girlfriends part in some scenes.

Overall, amazing songs and videos. What more can you ask for?

It Happens To Be That Way – 9.5/10

If I Have To Hate You – 9.5/10

My Type – iKON

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iKON, by far, is probably the most hyped group to debut in 2015. Fans have been waiting for a very long time for the group to make their debut. They have gone through 2 different survival shows to get to the current lineup. Win was the first show, but Team B (which is iKON now) failed to beat Team A (otherwise known as WINNER). They went to to compete in Mix & Match last year to get to the hype that they have today. The current members are: Bobby, B.I, Jinhwan, Yunhyeong, Donghyuk, Ju-ne and Chanwoo. This is also their pre-release song. They made their official debut just today (1st of October) with a “Debut Half Album” and a “Debut Full Album” in November. Reviews for those songs and videos will be out later in the month (no promises).

This is a pretty ordinary song. There really was nothing that stood out to me, to get me back. I am disappointed since I know this band can put out good songs. It was pretty dull and not that catchy. It does get me swaying a long to the song though everytime I hear it, which is kind of weird. The style of the song seems a little too innocent for the group though. It is nice for them to explore different styles and genres, but the rapping was a little too forceful and powerful in this song. I feel like they can really do powerful song and stronger songs knowing their rapping and vocals. Another thing I want to talk about, why are the rappers the main point of song. Only Bobby and B.I got a good chunk of the song with the chorus and their individual raps. What the song showed me was that the other members can sing, so why are the rappers singing the chorus? Not saying they were awful but they could have been replaced with much smoothier vocals by the other members.

As for the music video, it was pretty dull as well. It looks pretty boring and the filter or whatever they put over the video made it so boring to watching. This song called for colour and everything in this video was anything but colour. It did seem to have scenes of the members down to earth, but it seems a little too over the top in some bits. Actually their acting should use some improvements. As for the quality of the music video… Maybe more of the music video budget was allocated to their debut songs.  I have absolutely nothing more to say beside it was boring.

To save myself from fans, I am going to say this: their debut songs are much better than this song. That hopefully can save my life. Hahaha.. Only joking. Not the best song to start off with, but it is just their pre-release. They have probably so many other songs up their sleeves. 4/10

Cinderella – CN Blue

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CN Blue is back with a brand new album. This year, the members have focused mainly on solo work up until now. They have returned to acting and also launched solo careers in Yonghwa’s case. He made his overdue debut with One Fine Day at the start of the year. The band itself has been busy in Japan, releasing singles after singles that topped charts. They also have had many concerts in the few months in between Yonghwa’s debut and their second album release.

This song is a great song. Their last few songs have been quite mellow and more ballad like. This song picks it up quite well and adds that Summer feel that I don’t see much in CN Blue’s songs. This song is catchy and addictive to listen to. We don’t really see much bands in KPOP, so everytime we get something from CN Blue, I get excited. This song gets me really excited. It kind of reminds me of the tune of their debut songs and the few songs they promoted afterwards. I love the “ooo~”s that we get throughout the song. Jonghyun’s and Yonghwa’s voice compliment each other a lot in this song. In the past, Jonghyun was given a small part of the song, but in this song, he has parts that are spaced out more. Jungshin’s part, which was the “Somebody help me” was great as well. I am disappointed that Minhyuk did not get much of the song beside the drums and the “ooo~” that we aren’t really sure if it is his. They also nailed the English this time around. It was a great song and a nice throw back to the era of CN Blue which I liked.

As for the music video, Minhyuk’s arms. Damn, someone has been to the gym. Hahahaha… It is weird that the girl was there one minute and all of a sudden she disappeared, with a glass slipper to replace her. Like I get it for Minhyuk’s part where he looks away and then when he looks back to see that she is gone, but honestly Yonghwa’s part where she was halfway through shaving his non existing beard and then all of a sudden he leans forward and she is gone. What a teaser. And where on earth is that small laundromat? I have never seen a place look so small. Essentially, two washing machine are found in that small room and it looks so tight that they barely have any room to stand, yet somehow they made some room to sit down on the floor and chill for a while. Jonghyun’s part was also weird. He leans to the girl for the kiss, but she just vanishes and leaves a slipper behind. Jungshin probably got the short end of the stick and the only form of skin-ship with the girl, was a simple bump. But I love how dark the rest of the music video was. Does it match the song? Probably not. But I thought the test looks quite nice and reflected the mysterious nature of the girl that disappears and randomly leaves glass slippers. And how many pairs of those shoes does she have? Like why are there so many glass slippers at her disposal?

Beside that shocking music video review, I thought the music video was enjoyable and the song was incredible. CN Blue never shocks me. 9/10

Wow Wow Wow – Jun Jin (Shinhwa) ft. Eric (Shinhwa)

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Shinhwa has been around for quite some time and so have their members which all have some sort of solo career as well. Shinhwa was particularly busy at the start of the year with a group comeback and I also believe they have had concerts last year and this year as well. But for some odd reason, some of their members are lining up for solo comebacks (back to back). To kick it off, it is Jun Jin, with Wow Wow Wow. He is the dancer, rapper and vocalist of the band, and he manages to pull all of that off in this solo song. Other members that have confirmed comebacks are Kim Dong Wan and another member (but I obviously forgot who).

This song is amazing. I kind of dread writing reviews for Shinhwa for some odd reason. This year, I started to review them with Sniper and I kind of hesitated putting this song the list. But once I fell for the song, I added on there immediately. Yes, I had to listen to this song a few times to actually like it. It didn’t catch my eyes (or ears) the first time around, but after a few listens I thought it was a really powerful and addictive track. It is a powerful techno song that has a lot of modern vibes with it, which is pretty good. Not sure about the “na na na” bit slapped into the middle of the song. It was the only part of the song which got me going “huh?” when started liking the song. His a rapper but he has good vocals to carry himself throughout the song.  The rapping was superb (both Jun Jin’s and Eric’s rap). The “Looking at you” over and over again is so damn catchy and I really dig that. I think this song is really good and nice.

It was a very simple yet very dark music video. I guess the darkness fits really well into the concept and also his image. It did go against me a few times because I thought for a while that some scenes could have used a little bit more lighting.  For some scenes, I could barely see anything. I really liked how low that screen is. It was so low that it was basically touching their heads. I thought the camera work in the video was really good. It gave the sense that low screen was moving away as they danced, but it stayed in place. But hey, it gave off a nice illusion for this song. Same goes for the dance scenes with the hanging fence (I have no idea what they are called). I feel like those scenes with the girls could have been omitted. They really don’t add much to the music video anyway. I would have paid to watch him dance.

As for the dance, I thought it was very powerful and suited the concept quite a bit. I absolutely loved how it built up to the ending and it just smacks you across the face. That moves where they come together from the sides towards the end of the song looks so cool. It fitted the powerful vibe the song had going and I thought the “Wow Wow Wow” thumb movements were pretty cool and looked simple as well. Me trying the thumb movements, not that cool.

Amazing song, amazing music video, amazing dance. What an amazing comeback. 9/10

[DOUBLE REVIEW] Fire + So Good – Junho (2PM)

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Junho from 2PM has returned to the stage as a soloist in South Korea this month, with Fire and made his solo comeback with a brand new album. The male singer has been achieve great lengths in Japan in the past few years with a lot of solo work. He made his official debut in Korea as a solo singer last year and this is his first comeback. This is also the first time I am reviewing a song from the artist, even though it has been some time since he debuted. 2PM has had a relatively quiet year, with the main comeback of My House just a few months ago. Junho shows off a different side of himself to the audience in this comeback, but damn, why is the promotions for him so short?

I definitely enjoyed both songs. Fire appealed to me more as the better track, but So Good was pretty catchy. So Fire is your rnb infused love song that I think is really cool. Junho killed it with this vocals and I was amazed at the high pitch he was singing at for most of the song. His English lyrics for this song sound a lot like he is asking for sex, but I think he is not technically aiming for that message. Honestly, the lead up towards the chorus was amazing and the instrumental was very calming. The song flowed very well and has me jaws dropping the whole way. So Good is like you Summer party track. Both songs were released in Japan before and I feel like this song was more targeted to the Japanese audience. But either way, the beat was addictive and the  way he sings the song makes him stand out. I absolutely loved his mini rap section after the chorus. It added more depth to the song. I know Junho is capable of these things, but like what JYP is doing to him, I forget about Junho’s talents. Both song was equally amazing and showcased his talents extremely well.

I watched the Japanese version of Fire and realized it was the wrong music video. While the exact same music video was used, the Japanese version was a lot darker for some reason, while the Korean version was much brighter. I don’t know why. There is just a short video for Junho’s Fire music video that was released for the Korean audience and there really is not much to say about it. I think the girl was very pretty. But I always think that filming would have been awkward due to their language barrier. But hey, the music video did not have any of that awkwardness, so I am quite amazed. So Good has a lot of eye candy and I think aims more for the female (and male) demographic. I am going to be honest, he looks handsome and his abs are probably to die for, for most guys. It seems like he is enjoying his time and I think him interacting with the camera for this music video made it a much better video, than just clips of him partying his summer away.

I haven’t seen much of the dance for So Good. But what I see from the music video, there really is not much to talk about. As for Fire, this live stages are phenomenal. Though I do get cringe worthy when I see artists interact with their microphone stand as if it was a girl. I honestly think it would be better if there was a pretty girl on this live stages. But then again, she might have been cursed at by certain fans…

It is such a pity that JYP is not promoting Junho. Junho deserves a whole promotional run, not just a week and a bunch of music videos. Refer to my rant at DAY6’s review. But overall, this was a superb comeback that got me in the summer feel. And I am sick with a cold at a moment.

Fire – 10/10

So Good – 10/10

Mansae – Seventeen

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Seventeen is back with a brand new song for their first comeback in their career. It has only be a few months, but like Monsta X (yesterday’s review). They made their debut with Adore U back in May 2015. All I know is that Vernon has been on that rapping/hip hop show, Show Me The Money in the past few months. And according to Wikipedia, Jeonghan featured in a music video. The members have been uploading different versions of their debut song’s video on their YouTube video as well. Beside that, haven’t really seen much of them.

This song is really addictive and catchy as. I have been replaying this song non stop for the past few days. I am not disappointed with this song whatsoever. Everything from the rapping and vocals, instrumental to the beat, made the song a pretty nice song. The “mansae, mansae, mansae” part was really addictive. I also think some the members that were overshadowed in the debut song got some chances in this song to show off their talent. Joshua actually has a nice voice. He sang, like one line in the Adore U song, but here he got 3 lines, though each line is basically the same. But for some members to shine, other members had to be shoved to the back. I liked how the song started. It was just getting right into the point. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but it managed to do a great job in the song.

The music video was okay. I think the members were all trying to woo one girl, which is kind of weird, but that is the norm in KPOP videos. It could have been much better though. There really was not much to get me into it. Some of the acting was cringe worthy in this video. The basketball guy towards the end. He does a good job, but the way he plays his cocky character seems over the top. I did like that school hallway scene. The tennis court, even though it looks cheap, they managed to make use of that and I thought it made the video looked cooler and much more “real”. Most of the video was shot in a set that was “fake”, so it added a nice touch. But honestly, some the acting could have been better and the built sets could have been made to look realistic (or at least get rid the “17” on the fixtures at the back of the court – this is a music video, not an advertising gimmick (a pet peeve of mine)).

The dance was exceptional. I love the “Mansae Mansae Mansae” part where they spread out from the middle to the boundaries of the stage. Also loved their “smooth waving” ending. Don’t know what is called. The dance was cool and at the same time pretty addictive as well. It seems like they took one of the dance moves from Adore U and placed that in their dance this time as well.

Song and dance did not disappoint. While the music video could have been better, I think they did an amazing job this time around. 8/10

 

Rush – Monsta X

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Monsta X is officially back for their first comeback. A few months ago, the boy group under Starship Entertainment made their debut with Trespass and they have “rushed” back with Rush. Hahahaha.. The boys have been proven to be popular with fans. They have also been on many different TV shows and also some members have featured in different music videos for their company label mates.

Trespass did not get a great review from me. Rush kind of mirrors Trespass for me, in a sense that it really has not appealed to me. Though, I am going to say, that Rush is much more catchier. When the rappers do the chorus, I feel like they have a much better hold of the song than the vocalist. The vocalists are not bad, but I can see them using some improvement. That main vocalist is actually quite good, but I don’t think the song suits him that well as well.  I feel like that this group can definitely challenge and rival B.A.P with the rapping and vocal combination, but we haven’t anything that strong and “powerful” from them. The husky voices of the rappers do the chorus pretty well. The instrumental is pretty good, but it sounds like continuously farting at the start (very mature of me, but I don’t know how to write out the sound in words).

This music video made me laugh. And it is not a good laugh. I have to be honest the set is amazing. Even though I think they actually shot outside in a real abandoned place, where KPOP music video makers find these places beats me. This is by far, one of the best backgrounds for a K-hiphop music video in a very long time. Their acting could have been better. It is that type of video where the members are acting in a satirical way. What made me laugh is the fact decided to set up shop, in an abandoned area. It seems like nothing else but these boys inhabit the area and it also seems like these boys are the only ones to pass by. It just looks highly unlikely and very out of placed. But I understand it is a music video after all.

I am actually impressed by this dance. I think it is a lot better and much more catchier (in term of dance moves) than Trespass was. The start of this dance was pretty cool, how they ease the members into the dance. Also enjoyed the chorus as well.

A lot better in my point of view than Trespass. Though it can be improved upon. 5/10

Dumb Dumb – Red Velvet

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The girls are back with Dumb Dumb. Only a few months ago, the group returned to the stage with Ice Cream Cake. After such a successful comeback, they are back and ready to conquer again. The members also been getting solo work as well. I know for a fact that Irene and Yeri have been hosting music shows for the last few months. I don’t here much about the other girls, but I am sure they have some work on their hands as well. But now, on with the review.

This song is actually pretty cool. It is pretty addictive and catchy. Everything about this song catches my eyes (well, more like my ears). It is a really nice song that shows the lighthearted side of the band that we saw in their debut. For some reasons I thought of those Thumb Thumbs from Spy Kids when I first heard of the song and its title. But honestly, once again the girls have done a pretty nice job vocally and their rapping is pretty solid as well. I just love their Michael Jackson homage in this song. Pretty smart. While there is some talk in the world about whether the girls plagiarized, I still think that this song is pretty unique in its own way. yeah it sounds similar to Bang Bang at some parts, but at the same time there are many parts that are completely different.  I am absolutely adoring this song and I think you all should as well.

As for the music video, it looks pretty cool. It seems like SM Entertainment have defienitly stepped out of their comfort zones for many music videos in the past year and I think it is paying off. Sure they are still inside a box for this particular video, but the way it is has been presented is completely different from what the company and the band has done previously. Though I am going to put it out there, the girls look very creepy as robots. But it is a smart way to present the “Dumb Dumb” song as many people only know one way of doing things. I really loved the sets and it seems there is some sort of circle theme going on in the videos. I believe Automatic had the girls sitting around a table. Ice Cream Cake saw the girls take a slice of a circle ice-cream cake and now the table is back in this video. I don’t know why but it intrigues me. I do have one complaint. One of their outfits look particularly cheap. It seems like the company ran out of fabric and decided to not sew the extra leg on. It just makes them look … well… dumb. But all their other costumes are amazing.

The dance for this song is amazing. They managed to pull off such a great dance that looks fun but mature at the same time. I love their chorus and how they managed to fit in one or two Michael Jackson dance moves during the rap part.

Overall, this comeback is perfect. Amazing song, great music video and to top it off, a awesome dance. 10/10

Congratulations – DAY6

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JYP is definitely on a roll this year when it comes to getting his artists back on the stage (or in this case on the stage). DAY6 is JYP’s newest boy band, waiting to grace the hearts of fan girls and boys. But I don’t think they will be doing that any time soon (more about  hat later). DAY6 is a 6 member boy band, which includes: Sungjin, Jae, Junhyuk, Young K Wonpil, Dowoon. I know some of the members appeared on WIN (YG survival show for boy groups) in the past. I also know Young K from YouTube videos back when he was doing them. Any Third Degree fans out there? Anyway, they made their debut but we won’t be seeing them on stage that much. JYP Entertainment said that the boys will be start from the bottom to prove their talent etc. But that sounds a lot like ” we won’t be promoting them at all”. Due to the competition nowadays, you need to get them onto the stage. Look at the artists and songs that are released but never forgotten. Unless you have made yourself a safe spot in the industry, you are not going to get far. But who knows, maybe these guys have what it takes to shake the industry.

This song is a pretty solid song for their debut. Everything about this song is just on point. There is a lot of things that stand out about this song. They are vocally prepared. To me, I guess they can rival big name bands in the western media at the moment. This song is much more lovey dovey compared to the likes of Imagine Dragons and Maroon 5, but I see DAY6 suiting that type of style. The rapping is pretty good and suited this song quite a bit. The beat and rhythm of the song eases you into it, and it flows from left to right perfectly. The instrumental is actually sounds quite nice and seems to match the impacting feels of the lyrics. The song mainly speaks about how the guy sees his current (or actually past) relationship. Honestly, the lyrics were quite something when I first read them. Did not expect them at all, but hey, all the parts of the song come quite nicely together.

The music video tells the story that the lyrics are telling us. Essentially, the dude on the train recognises  the girl who sits opposite as his ex. And she came on with her current boyfriend. He gets all these flash back images in  his mind of their time together. He then sees reality where he is alone and she is enjoying her time with her current boyfriend. While he doesn’t want to leave cause he has feelings for her still, seeing how she is, he had to. And hence Congratulations mean that he is wishing her the best for the future, while he moves on. Hoenstly, that members acting is pretty cool. Performing on the train was quite nice as well, since most of the video was shot there. Music video was pretty well made for their debut. It was like watching a mini movie. Kind of. One that went for 3 minutes. Not that much of a movie.

Honestly, this band has so much potential (and yet their company decided to not actively promote them). Check out their whole mini album because their tracks are pretty neat. Freely and Congratulations were my favourite. As for this song and music video: 9/10

PIPPI – 2EYES

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A group I never reviewed before. But I can tell you, I liked one of their previous songs quite a bit. I just never got around to reviewing that song because it received like no attention. So, 2EYEs made their debut with Don’t Mess With Me Back in June 2013. They went on to comeback with Shooting Stars (my favourite song from them) towards the end of 2013. And that was it. We did not hear anything from them until this year, this month. Originally a five member group, 2EYEs made their first comeback in nearly 2 years with Pippi. Currently the line up for the band includes: Hyangsuk, Daeun, Dasom and Hyerin.

Pippi is a great track. No wait. It is amazing. There is no other song like this in KPOP at the moment. It is a one of a kind type of song. It is one of those cutesy songs, but damn. This is hella catchy. “Pi Pi Piya Pi Pi Piya”. So addictive and it plays inside your mind. While the rest of the song doesn’t continue with that addictiveness , the “Pi Pi Piya” really hooks people on. Though listening to this song, you can hear how well vocally prepared the girls are and their vocal work is pretty solid. As for the rapper, her husky and deep rapping voice probably caught me off guard. I have listen to the band before, but I had forgotten them. This track is a such a great way to re-introduce the girls back into the industry and it seems to be doing a great job. It is also quite fun and light hearted, so I suggest you listen to it.

As for the music video, it could have been better but it does its job still. Essentially they were not that good looking with their childish outfits and look. The guy gave them no attention. But when the guy saw another “mature” lady who dressed more modern, he gave all his attention. So the girls come back with more modern and mature looks and they won him over. Just they don’t want him anymore. My only complaint is that you dressed up as little girls. He probably assumed you were below the legal age. Otherwise it would have very weird. Their clothing is apparently based upon Pippi Longstocking. I don’t know who that is, but apparently it used to be popular. It was not my era. So I don’t know much. I really like their alley way set, but not their pink circle room.

Their dance was okay. The hook of the song had a better dance than the rest of the song. They look really cute at the “Pi Pi Piya” parts, while holding onto their 180 degree ponytails (I don’t know hair, what is the hair style called?). I guess there was some sort of western/country influence to the dance. While I listen to the song on its own, there really is not much of a country influence. But when I watch the music video and performances, I get that western/country appeal more.

It has been ages since I have heard from the girls and this song does a pretty good job at bringing them back. I guess all they need is a much better song that is more catchy and addictive. Throw in a great music video and dance and I guess they can be successful? Don’t know if that is the formula anymore. 8/10

 

Wet – Joo Young ft. Superbee

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Such a steamy comeback. Joo Young is offically back with a brand new mini album. For those who don’t remember, Joo Young made his debut under Starship Entertainment last year with Hyorin from Sistar. They released Erase at the end of the year. I haven’t heard lots from Joo Young. However he has been busy on Starship’s new boy group survival show at the start of the year. He has also released songs with some of the trainees as well, some of who I assumed debuted as Monsta X members. I also know he released a duet with Kisum just a few months ago. Now the song has been out for a while now, but the music video was just released, so I was like “why not?”. If there was no music video, it was likely that I have forgotten that he had came back.

This song is pretty good. Off the first listen, I was really surprised by his smooth yet husky vocals. His vocals are really amazing with this type of RNB type songs. This particular song is pretty slow but it quite soothing to listen to. Superbee’s rap is pretty solid as well. It went well with the song and Joo Young as well. This song has so much potential, but no promotions. I don’t know if the song got banned (would not be surprised, mainly because of those dirty thoughts I have been getting from this song). When this song and the music video come hand in hand, I get a sense that he is not talking about wanting an actual umbrella. If you know what I mean ;). But the “wet, wet, wet. I need an umbrella” line for some reason throws me back to when Rihanna came out with Umbrella (eh eh eh).

Yeah, so the music video. Well that was steamy. We get steamy Joo Young in the video. Probably was a little too much for some fan girls to handle. Hahaha… Though I do find him handsome. But the whole reason why I am reviewing this song (Sorry Joo Young), is the fact that Bora is in it. Now, I don’t want to take the lime light away from the artist who sings the song, but damn Bora. That was some hot stuff. Anyway, it seems like the two had something going on in the music video. They did not look awkward at all and they looked as if it normal for them to be singing pretty close to each other.

Short review today. Now Joo Young needs a better promotional cycle and also more releases. Don’t know why the company is neglecting a stand out artist like him. 9/10

Shadow – The Legend

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So this my first time reviewing The Legend, but apparently they have been around for some time. So I checked out a few of their songs and I now know why they weren’t that well known (or least popped up on my radar). Though you should check out their other song, Left Out (their debut song), because that is pretty good. But anyway, I will be introducing this band as if they are brand new though, because most likely, many of you have not heard of them. They are a 5 member boy band. The members include: Listen, Roi, Lee Jangsun, Lito and Ryu Jaehyuk. I don’t know the nationalities of the members, but I read that some of them come from China, Japan and of course South Korea. They debuted back in July 2014.

It is a pretty nice song. It is catchy and has this foreign influence that I hear during the chorus. It doesn’t feel like a KPOP song because of that, and that is what made the song stand out for me. Their vocal work in this song is pretty good, but it isn’t amazing. Well, they didn’t seem that great at the start, but they started getting better towards the end, especially that main vocalist. His voice just got more stronger and powerful. The rapping is pretty good, but that whole rap sequence was just a total miss. Like I said, it was not bad. It just did not fit the song. It felt disconnected from the rest of the song. Those “Lose your head now”. Now that is freaking addictive and I have that ringing through my mind. Overall, it is a nice song to listen to.

Hmm… Yeah, I can’t say much. While the song did not feel like a KPOP song, the music video surely had that KPOP feel to it. But I guess that is what you get when you start out at a smaller company. They just use the same sets over and over again. This music video did not have anything that spectacular. Though I think that whole “dancing in the rain” scene was something that got everyone’s attention in the first place. It got mine. I am quite sure that if the group made their debut and continued with a much more well known company, their music video can be so much better. And for that one dude just lying about with his shirt open. You  got so much attention from the girls in the comments. But you look hella awkward with her lying around and you trying to look cool at the same time.

Their dancing on the rain though. It is on point. They looked really cool doing their thing in the rain. Their dancing looked pretty in sync and quite powerful as well.

Overall, for a group that just popped up on many fans radar, they did pretty well. Their song and dance is quite nice. Music video could have been a little better but I guess it does the job. Hopefully they come back with a better song and show the world what they are really made up of. 7/10