Category: KPOP

Dream Candy – APRIL

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A brand new group is on the block. Coming straight from the very company that formed FinkL, KARA, Rainbow and AJAX, APRIL is probably the youngest KPOP group at the moment. Yeah, they just debut and their youngest member is 13. I’m nearing 19 and I am starting to feel a little old. The oldest member is my age, and here I am trying to figure out how to make money grow on trees. This girl group is dubbed as the “next generation FinkL and Kara” (well, that is what their company claims). The group members as Somin, Chaewon, Hyunjoo, Naeun, Yena and Jinsol. Somin in particular has been a past member of Puretty (up until their disbandment) and both Somin and Chaewon participated in the Kara Project.

This is a pretty weak song for a debut. It really does not live much of an impact on the people who listen to the song. It just sounds like a song from a group that will just disappear. Not saying it is bad or anything, it just doesn’t tell the world how great this new group is. The song itself managed to work as an introduction to the band, but it is rather disappointing. Rookie girl groups like GFriend and Lovelyz had debut songs that got people to remember them.  They were catchy and powerful. But this, it is weak. Not catchy, not addictive. Their vocals are so-so. I am sure they will improve with future releases (like every other band). The song did have more of a Christmas but Summer (and princess) feel to it, in my point of view. While there are many intense songs, it is quite nice to get a song like this from time to time that is soft and calming. But yeah, they should have gone for a much stronger song to showcase their talents.

As for the music video, it was rather boring. I was easily distracted by other things and that took me away from the video. They are cute and definitely suit the cute concept, but I am sorry. This just does not do a good job at appealing to me. I honestly be creeped out if I woke up with a lot of plants growing next to me. I guess in this video, they went on a quest to find the unicorn. I wasn’t really that clear cause the video is basically 90% of them being cute and 10% of actual unicorns, so… I feel like DSP should have invested a little more into the music video. The sets, they look cheap. I am not expected everything to be made out of diamonds and gold, but there is that cheap feel accompanying the video. Also their dresses. The solid colours work. The German inspired dresses need to go. Also, those lacey bottoms to the dresses can go. That is so out of fashion. And that is coming from one who knows nothing about fashion.

For the dance, this is quite weak. Nothing wowed me. It was just a standard, boring dance. For their expressions, I feel like maybe they only just debut. But they look quite stiff and awkward on stage. But it is far too early to criticise them on that.

They are in need of a strong comeback. Debut didn’t do wonders for them, which is disappointing, because there was so hype around these girls. 4/10

Roll Deep – Hyuna (4Minute) ft. Jung Ilhoon (BTOB)

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Hyuna’s back. Now sing it like how she sings it in Red. Hahaha… The sexy soloist is back with a brand new mini album. This time she has enlisted more people to help her with their mini album. Her title track features Jung Ilhoon, the rapper from BTOB. Now her group is rumoured to be having a comeback sometime towards the end of the year. They made their last comeback in February, with the really popular and successful Crazy. But let’s focus on the rapper of the group. She has taken sexy to a whole new level this time around.

There are always a few things that annoys me when I listen to Hyuna’s song. The first is that she is a rapper and her singing is not the best. To be honest, it is whiny and really disappointing to listen to. However, this track seems to prove me wrong. Her voice, to me, has been manipulated in a way that allows her to take advantage of it. I don’t think her vocals in this song is at all whiny nor terrible. Sure they can use some work, but damn, her vocals fit in this song really well. Would people described this as “dirty” dubstep or electro? Cause that is what I think I would catergorise it. Is it even a genre? I don’t even know. Her English needs a little bit of work. Sometime I hear “You Can Touch Me” instead of “You can’t touch me”. Ilhoon’s rap is pretty good in this song. It is quite short, but after all he is featuring in this track and not forming some kind of subunit. The song is catchy and addictive. It is a pity that it is not ranking high on the charts.

As for the music video, wow. Hyuna has gotten a little… kinky. Whips and different outfits (even the leashes) all point to some sort of kinky concept. Though I do think it suits her, maybe for this video, it is going a little over board. There is one outfit/scene that need to be removed from this video.  Hyuna’s money bathing suit. It looks bad. It doesn’t suit her. Nor does the set of money decorating the table. As for Ilhoon, I want to talk to the stylist or director. If you need tattoos like that to look cool and sexy, there is obviously something wrong. I don’t mind one or two tattoos. But as soon as I see them over the body, there is some rethinking that needs to occur. The rest of Ilhoon’s appearance though, they can be removed. While I don’t mind him, the things he do draws attention way from Hyuna.  But beside all of those minor complaints, I think this video is pretty good. The lighting and sets highlight the concept further and brings a lot of attention to her.

I do hope 4Minute is not recycling their dance moves. There is one dance move that I saw in Crazy, that occurs here. Not saying she or 4Minute owns the dance move, but really? I’m talking about her “head down, butt in the air” shaking move. Actually, while the dance break fits the song, I think it would draw more criticisms than compliments for this video. But the dance, once again, does a pretty good job at highlighting the extent that the “sexy concept” has been brought up for this comeback.

Sexy enough? I probably think so. It is a solid comeback. Minor complaints here and there, but I just want to know why it is doing poorly on the charts! 7.5/10.

You Think – SNSD

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I promised and I delivered. Always. Hahaha.. This is the second song of their comeback for their album. Yesterday, I reviewed Lion Heart. So let’s continue the jam packing year for Girl’s Generation. There is a poll at end for you all, so stick around.

I fall in love with any electro song that SNSD puts out. I was a mega fan-boy when I first heard Mr.Mr and was totally digging Catch Me If You Can. This is amazing. This song is on point. This song is fleek. Yes, yes yes. This song any day over Lion Heart. That is what my opinion is. I would say, you can kill me for my choice, since it seems most of Korea don’t really think You Think is that great, but I just solved a massive maths problem that has troubling me for weeks, so I want to submit it. NERD OUT. But honestly, why isn’t this song at the top of the charts? Okay, maybe the song can use a little tweaking, but so far, what we are presented with is good enough to satisfy me for some time. The instrumental and their high pitch vocals in this song go well and hand in hand with each other. The ad-libs during the chorus were really cool. The rapping is pretty good as well. Not as great as in Lion Heart, but good enough. The one thing about the song that erks me is towards the end. The members just seem to sing over each other. Like during the start and the chorus, there is a member who handles the chorus and then the one who does the ad-libs. But, the ending, there seemed to be like 5 members or so singing at once. And that really got to me. And while it sounds good, I just couldn’t handle it. But beside that, this is a song that is on point.

For the music video, there is something that is missing between this video and Lion Heart. We see posh and mature girls in the Lion Heart video and then we get this sexy video for this song. And it totally fits. But I want to know what made them go for the 180 degree change. Not 360, because you will be at the starting point again. While I love the tunnel/abandoned rail-way scenes and the girls dressed in black, them colourful scenes where the girls just sit around and where long elegant dresses, really don’t fit in with the overall feel of the song. Yeah , they look sexy and all but I don’t really find singing to yourself in a mirror and singing the lyrics “You think you’re so cool?” matching. And it seems like the producer just brought the jewelled car along for looks. There is not need for it. I would have been fine with those scenes of them in black leather and the abandoned rail rail-way. It adds mysterious. It makes me ask “why do you think you’re so cool?”. The lounging around in jewellery does not have that same effect on me.

The dance. Wow. Seohyun’s ummm… leg spreading on the floor. Wow. Ummm… DAMN. Never knew she was so flexible before. I am amazed. As for the rest of the dance, I think they did a pretty good job. They managed to make me go wow. And I am sure it made loads of other people go wow as well.

This particular song. They owned it. From the song to the dance, they were totally on point. Once again, the video was not that great. Well half of it. 8/10

My question is: Which 2015 Girl’s Generation song that has been released was your favourite? You have 4 options. Choose wisely.

Lion Heart – SNSD

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I guess Party time is now over, and Girl’s Generation is back for some serious business. But they must first tame the Lion Heart to be able to continue on their quest. Wow, I am so bad at this pun game. But yes, 2015 seems to be an eventful year for the girls, as they have made their comeback (once again) in a matter of weeks after their Party promotions ended. Earlier in May, they released Catch Me If You Can as a single, Party as a single and now their full album is out with double title tracks. Lion Heart is one, while You Think (review should be out tomorrow) is the other title track.

When I first heard the song, I thought “Oh Boy, another Dancing Queen track”. It is probably the one song that I still absolutely dislike in KPOP. But after a few listens, who would believe this song grew so much on me? Now I look forward to listening to the song every single day. It is a much more classy song for the girls, that really hinder their talents. However it is a style that I think does suit the girls pretty well. It is a very happy and bright song for the group that to me just reminds me of smiles. Their vocals fit the song pretty well, and it seems something that would have came out back in the day. But the chorus, it is pretty cringe worthy. Not that it is bad, it just does not have that same punch as other Girl Generation song. Not going to say it was boring, as the song does go into different tempos throughout the song (that or my ears are playing jokes on me). I felt like the “Oh Oh Oh Oh” parts should have been replaced with something else and the bridge could have been so much better. That small rap part at the end of the song probably was my highlight for the song. If Hyoyeon rapped like that in every other song, I would totally dig it. Great song though, just some bits I am not that fond of.

As for the music video, I am going to say it was boring. I liked nothing about it. Though the girls look like they went through a transformation. I don’t know. Their past songs (and their more recent songs) compared with what they look like this video, kind of didn’t match up. Not saying they looked bad or anything a long the lines of that, but going from Party to the 1930s is a pretty big jump, in my point of view. It was very interesting. But anyway, the pizza at the start looked very nice. I aml hungry now. It just find the whole idea of them falling in love with a lion’s face and human body really odd. Though it fits in with the song and all, but it just really weird and well, out of this world. Their acting in this video is not their best. It felt cliché and really over dramatic. But I guess, for the laughs.

As for the dance, I am impressed. The girls managed to combine sexy and classy very well in this dance. I don’t think anyone expected the chorus, with their leg spreading. I really love how they changed positions throughout the dance as well. As for their costumes and outfits, wow, they make the girls look amazing.

Overall, a pretty nice comeback. Great song and dance. Music video, not so much. 6.5/10. You Think’s review should be out tomorrow.

My question is: Which 2015 Girl’s Generation song that has been released was your favourite? You have 4 options. Choose wisely.

Beautiful Liar – VIXX LR (VIXX)

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VIXX is back, but in the form of Leo and Ravi. Yes, VIXX has launched their LR subunit, which I totally thought stood for Left and Right. For those who don’t know, Leo is the very capable main vocalist known for his quiet and “calm” persona, while Ravi is the rapper of the group, who is known for his sexual lyrics. Yeah, if you can’t tell, I am a bit of a fan of VIXX. But I am not bias. Trust me. It has been a while since we heard of VIXX. At the start of the year, they made their comeback and has since ventured into Japan and the group has focused mainly on solo work.

This is a song that I would highly recommend. Not because I am bias, but this is a beautiful song that mixes the ballad genre with more a rap and hip hop type of vibe. Yeah, not a big fan of the whole rapping in ballad type of songs, but this song really does it well. Leo, we all know, has this wonderful voice and Ravi is known for his powerful rapping style. Put the two together and you get a really powerful ballad. Each member is given equal opportunities to show off what they have under their sleeves. Leo’s high notes that he belts out during the song is truly amazing. Ravi’s powerful rapping did wonders. And them two when they come together and sing together at certain parts, match each other so well. The instrumental won me over. It is by far definitely one of the brightest highlights for the song. I really enjoyed how they mixed the ballad song with a more electronic type of sound during the second verse when Ravi is rapping. The lyrics for this song is quite ingeniously written as well. We hear “Beautiful Lair” throughout the song, but the final words of the song is actually “cowardly liar”.

Odd place to end the final paragraph, but it leads nicely into the plot of the video. In the video, Ravi and Leo is one person. Kind of like the Jekyll and Hyde concept they were going for in the past. Leo is the lie, while Ravi is the truth. The truth is, Ravi is an accurate representation of the feelings Leo have. But Leo wants to let her go, so she can have a great life (she is going to get married to another guy). They struggle throughout the video, but Leo ends up winning. In the end, he sings “cowardly liar” because that is what he is. Because he did not have the guts to tell the girl his true feelings. Love the play on the black and white in the video. Their acting is pretty impressive in this video as well. Their “struggle” scene is pretty good and was an impressive way to showcase the plot. I also love it how they give you two kind of ending. One shows Ravi dying (strangled by the Leo, probably wanted to do that for some time) and the other is where Ravi “slips” away. I thought this was an amazing video. Well showcased.

Not really going to mention the dance, mainly because there isn’t anything to talk about. The members focus on singing and rapping, which I felt was enough. The need for the backup dancers was nice but I don’t think they were needed.

Wow. I wrote so much. But honestly, check out this song. 10/10

Zutter – GD&TOP (Big Bang)

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Another Big Bang review. This time. the song was not released by Big Bang, but it served as the comeback for the popular duo GD & TOP. For those who don’t know, GD & T.O.P formed their subunit in 2011 and made their subunit debut back in the distant 2010. That was five years ago. Like, we age pretty quickly.  Out of all the subunits to date in the whole of KPOP, I don’t think any subunit had surpassed the popularity of this subunit to date. They debuted with Oh Yeah, High High and Knock Out. Since then, we never saw the subunit again as they focused on regrouping Big Bang and a lot of solo work.

I was never a fan of the whole GD&TOP album and the songs on there weren’t that great in my opinion. I feel like I’ve seen better days with the duo than that album. So when I heard that they would be returning, I just groaned. But after so long, I thought they would branch off to a new genre (as their new album has been hinting at). But I was very surprised. This song, at least to me, mirrors their song, Knock Out. This song is much more subtle though. It does, however, have a more edgier sound and a more chilled vibe. I think this song can definitely come and go with trends.  The song is a lot catchier than Let’s Not Fall In Love, but then again it is really stupid to compare this song with a ballad. This song has it perks. Sounds a like a title track (see yesterday’s review) and it is a nice “pick me up” from the groups ballads and slow songs. I would listen to it continuously, no. I am already bored of it.

Lemme take a 3 minute toilet break. Hahahaha… Well… 3 minutes toilet break and they were probably still going. And it seems like they have been holding it in for quite sometime.  And it nice to see them close. Like very close. Like “let me check your dick” close. And also “let’s pee all over the toilets” close. Hahahaha… To me, it either looks like a remake of the Hangover series (without the waking up part and the hangover part as well)  or a terrible Chinese Mafia oriented story. Yeah, once again they show their wild side in this music video. It seems like G-Dragon is addicted to gambling in this video and T.O.P is some sick killer. But nevertheless, the ending shows how the two, from different worlds, can have fun and a nice dance off. Hehehe… T.O.P’s “I must try” dance vs. G-Dragon’s “zoned out dance”.

It is nice that they incorporated some of their amazing (this is a T.O.P reference) dancing skills in the performances. Yeah, there really is not much of a dance beside the fact that they can become crazy just about everywhere.

Nice song, out of this world video and Bingu TOP is always there to embarrass his colleagues. 8.5/10

Let’s Not Fall In Love – Big Bang

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Once again, Big Bang has made their comeback, for the 4th time this year. Talk about that Big Bang drought we had, I think that has cleared up totally. Yes, their MADE album is about to end. Now, the full album and the final songs are meant to be released in September (next month), but since the comebacks have been quite tiring on the members, YG has decided to delay (hmmm… why is delay and YG always in the same sentence?) the full album release, to let the members rest and to make way for iKON’s long awaited debut. But these are the song released for August. Which I am reviewing at the end of August because I am that slow (and busy). Lots to catch up on.

Big Bang have been experimenting with different sounds for these few comebacks. They continue to return with unique sounds. This time, they went for a much happier sounding (?) ballad, something that we don’t actually hear much of the band. It is probably one of their slowest songs ever. I think the vocal mix in this song is pretty nice. We have all the members singing and of course rapping from G-Dragon and T.O.P. It is a nice sounding song, which I would love to hear on a summer night when it is raining. There is something so dreamy about T.O.P’s singing voice for rainy days… It just lacks that appeal that Big Bang songs usually have. To be honest, this is just a B-sided track. It is good, but it really is not good enough to be the title track. There really isn’t a hook or anything to grab our attention. But still, nice song.

If there is another thing I like this for, I guess how the lyrics mis-match with the sound of the song and the music video. The lyrics have that sadness factor, but the sound and the music video do contradict that. Not in a bad way. But in a way that could be described as artistic. While the members sing about “not falling in love yet” and “just be my friend” or “remain friends or else I can hurt you”, we see the members play around with the girls. They have fun and no hint of sadness. No tears, no arguments. I have a feeling that Big Bang always know how to have a good time. Their company always bring along these foreign girls into their music video. Not only that, but the girls change each time, so I would expect there to be some sort of awkwardness. But the guys and girls seem to have a great time and their chemistry together seems pretty nice.

Nice song and music video. Pity that they haven’t really promoted this song at all, compared to Zutter. 8.5/10. Zutter review will come tomorrow.

Married To The Music – SHINee

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SHINee has returned to the stage after promoting View back in May. This time, they are joining the retro train with a throwback to music in the 80s, with Married To The Music.

This is a pretty nice song. It is definitely very different due that 80s feel it is going for. I love those small sections just before the start of the chorus. They add a more 80s feel to the song, even more than what the song is already showing. Not a big fan of the verses in this song. Not that they are bad, but they are pretty bland compared to the rest of the song. I really enjoyed Onew’s voice in this song. His vocal style and sound really fits in well with this song. The group’s harmonising in this song is pretty amazing as well. While the song is pretty unique, I don’t think this has the potential to turn into an iconic song. And honestly, I enjoyed listening to it the first few times, but then it was just forgotten for me. It really did not have much for me to go back to and I don’t find it catchy. But nevertheless, it is a pretty “popping” song that takes us back to probably the biggest era in music for today’s pop. But that is pretty debatable.

I enjoyed the music video. It had that Rocky Horror Show feel to it, which was quite big at the time (and I think it was big a few years back as well). I love how the whole music video can literally be turned into a movie. And how it was shot with a movie like feel. It is pretty creepy when you think back to it. Having your head lobed off or have your facial features stolen by some pretty and mysterious girl. To me, this has to be one of the best music videos this year to date. Everything that came together for this video worked really well with each other. The concept, the angles, the members, the editing and the really cool effects played well with each other. Jonghyun’s lips singing while in the bowl was pretty cool. Probably one of the most unique music videos to date. But if you don’t like heads getting chopped off (there is no blood in this video though), then you might not want to watch this.

The dance was really cool as well. Using back up dancers as your support is a pretty good idea to give off that impression of floating. Well, at least that is what I think they are trying to get at. I enjoyed how they interacted with the camera for the dance this time. It suits the fun side of KPOP that we are clearly missing.

Overall, a pretty good comeback but it got forgotten quickly. But it was hella unique and gave everyone memories to the 80s. 8/10

Sweet Girl – B1A4

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Another group has returned for the Summer. B1A4 last promoted in South Korea last year in the Summer with Solo Day. Since then, they released songs in Japan and Sandeul (in particular) has been prominent in the variety field. Sandeul has recently garnered a lot of popularity over his voice (why has this only just started?). Both Jinyoung and Baro have been acting. CNU has doved into the world of musicals and Gongchan is currently an MC for a South Korean/International-embracing show (I don’t know what the show is called). They are also due to be performing in this own concert after promotions for Sweet Girl ends.

This comeback is very chilled in my opinion. I really like the laid back feel that this song delivers to you. It is powerful in its own way, but it doesn’t necessarily hits you. I think this is quite a nice song that channels that retro sound that KPOP has been going for in a few releases. It reminds me of songs that were so long ago, I don’t even remember the artists or the actual song titles. But I am 100% that there is a song that gives off the same feel. Their vocals compliment the subtle instrumental. As I said, the song isn’t powerful in a sense that it makes me go “Woah”, but more like a relaxing sigh. The rapping fitted in very well. The insturmental itself is everything I could ask for. The orchestra sounds and a pretty nice band sound as well. I honestly should have said that all the elements that make up the song come together very well and compliment each other. Nice song.

As for the music video, I don’t necessary hate it. I just feel like the video feels disconnected from the many parts. Like each member gets their own scenario and all, but the scenarios don’t really join well with each other. Baro’s is all in the dark realm and mysterious and Sanduel is eating fairy floss? There is a direct mismatch. I honestly thought the video could have gone for a more classy feel, like the live jazz singers in a bar type of concept.  And don’t get me started on the acting. I know Baro can act. But that small part of hesitation when he opens the door to the blinding light, I was like “Noooo… WHY????”. It made me cringe on badly.

The dance for the song is pretty good. It does look a little awkward. They went for a more sexy concept while still maintaining their style, which I like a lot. It just the “feeling the legs” and all don’t really fit in well with what I had associated them to. I think I am not that used to this style for them.  On top of that, their expressions, they are just on the line of sadness and boredom to me.

Overall, it was a nice comeback. Song was amazing. Dance was too. Music video wasn’t so much. 7/10.

There is one song that I am going to put down here. But 10 Years (from this mini album) was probably my favourite song from this whole comeback. Check it out here!!!

I Feel You – Wonder Girls

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Probably one of the most sought after comebacks for a very long time. It has been over two years since we heard anything from the Wonder Girls, and now they are officially back with a brand new member. I kid. A former member, Sunmi, who we all probably know as the artists who sang 24 Hours and Full Moon. She left the group a while back and has returned as the fourth member. Why fourth? Well, Sunye and Sohee both decided to leave the band officially after a lot of speculation with their departure. Sunye now has a child and Sohee says she wants to focus on an acting career. Fans did get a little Wonder Girl’s feel when Ye-Eun made her solo debut last year with Ain’t Nobody, as HA:TFELT. And beside all of that, I haven’t heard much from the band themselves in the past 2 years. But they are back with a brand new concept and new album for fans to listen to.

This time around, while they were known for their dances, Wonder Girl’s had gone for the band concept. Interesting. Regarding the song, it is totally their style. These girls have retro down as if it was child play and they once again proved to the audience why they are so great at the retro sounds. Honestly, I love this song. It is damn catchy and addictive. The instrumental, while there really isn’t anything that grand within it, managed to blow my mind away. The drum beat and the electro sounding keyboard was a pretty nice combination. The guitars were a little more subtle, but they managed to tie everything together quite well. The vocals, that we know pretty well, was pretty good as well.  The rapping fitted into the instrumental/song pretty well. However, the vocals. While they are good, they really feel like they are holding themselves back. While I cannot point to a certain style, I felt this song limited their abilities and failed to show off who they really are. Particularly Lim, she definitely held back the most, as we know her vocal capabilities, but there was none of it here. And I am going to be honest, I might have the slightest belief that this song may be a little too dry, compared to their past releases. But still, great song.

As for the music video, tick for retro.  Everything from the stage set and their clothing looks pretty retro. Minus their instruments. They do look a little too modern, particularly the drums. That start though, with Sumni, unzipping her shorts, and then there is a massive zooming in effect, really took the cake for me. Was that seriously necessary? I thought back in the day, they opened doors for that sort of effect, not unzip pants. Also, they looked very bored. They don’t seem to enjoy themselves. One stage and in the video. I am not expecting them to be having the time of their lives, but their facial expressions tell me that they rather be somewhere else. Their instrumental playing, kind of ruined their performances. While I do understand that the performances were not live instrumental performances, at least some effort to give off the illusion would have been nice.

It was a nice retro return for the retro queens with a great song. However the music video, hmmm… Maybe not so much. 8/10 (I am being too nice). 

Queen – Miryo (Brown Eyed Girls) ft. Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)

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It has been a long time coming but finally something has emerged about Brown Eyed Girls. While this is not a full comeback from the band, one member is pretty good, considering the lack of activities from the band. So when I heard Miryo was making her comeback, I was extremely happy. Yes I know, Gain did make a comeback, but compared to the other members, she is promoted a lot more than her other band members. Brown Eyed Girls also shot down disbandment rumours, by saying that they are currently working on an album and it should be released sometime in the near future. I hope they don’t disband and if it happens that this album may be their last, I don’t mind. Just give me the album. How selfish of me really. But considering their age, it is amazing at where they are today.

So Miryo made her comeback. And the rapper is known for her bad ass style and hardcore rapping skills. And that is what every expected. However, I have to agree with most people. This song is quite underwhelming. I don’t think it is bad, it just does not conform to our expectations of the rapper. That is quite disappointing. But nonetheless, I don’t hate the song. I thought it was quite good and continue to think that it is Miryo putting out a new style. If you consider it, if an artist writes their song and produces it, only to have their loyal fans express their disappointment continuously, it would be hard on the artist. Learn to appreciate the song. For the song, I thought it was classy in its own standard. The song stilled managed to flow pretty well. It was not a badly written song or was not an earsore. Is it a song I would listen on repeat? No, not really. Gain’s feature in the song is pretty nice. There is this thing where the vocals of Brown Eyed Girls blend very well together. There is still that hip hop sound to the song, just it is very tamed and low key. It is a great song to listen to, but yeah, did not really wow anyone.

As for the music video, I am sure a little more budgeting would have made this video into something that makes us go wow. Yeah, rumours have it that Nega Network (which houses Brown Eyed Girls) have been having financial issues. Anyway, the music video was very boring. There wasn’t anything to interest me. Close up shots of the rapper and then dark silhouettes. The use of the Queen cards were pretty smart. I am at awe of her figure as well. She looked very hot in this video and her clothes just made it so much better (much of a pervert???). The music video did fit the style of the song pretty well as well. Gain did not feature in the video, which was another disappointment for this comeback. Yeah.

Now, they say Miryo has a few songs lined up and will be releasing more towards the end of the year. That is what I read online. 2 songs ain’t going to quench my thirst. Hahaha… Or even better, get the whole band to make a comeback. Nice song, though underwhelming. 5/10

So Crazy – T-Ara

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T-Ara has returned after a year as a full group. They did make a comeback with Little Apple in December last year, but it was only with 4 members, which was disappointing. But now they are back as a six member group with a summer song that should be a total hit. No bias. T-Ara has literally had a massive rise of popularity in China and have focused most of their attention to the Chinese market, with this mini album containing both a Korean version of the song and also a Korean/Chinese version of the song. Only reason why I am not saying Chinese version directly, is that their Chinese version is basically Chinese for chorus and the rest is Korean. Not very “Chinese version” but it does the job.

Not going to lie, this is a pretty cool song. It is pretty catchy and addictive. The teaser did a very bad job at selling the song, but the song itself is pretty good. Though I am honest here, I am disappointed with the song. While I do dig the song and enjoy it, for T-Ara, it seems underwhelming. There really is not much of an impact that I expected from the band. Sugar Free and Number 9 were powerful, What Should I Do? was fun. But this, it just seemed far too mainstream for me. It was not what I had expected from T-Ara. I was disappointed that there was no rap section, but at the same time, the song would not suit a rap section. I really liked the chorus (it was quite cutesy sounding, but it worked) and the bit right after the chorus. Once again Qri and Boram got shoved to the side. Boram and Qri got a decent amount of time for Sugar Free, so I don’t know why they were shoved to the back once again. But the song was just right for my liking, just minus the complaints and the disappointment of style of song.

As for the music video, it was rather boring. But at the same time, I felt like the music video was talking about females in KPOP or actually about themselves. So my first theory, the girls represents all the girl groups in South Korea. Just normal looking and have “standard jobs” which I think would represent an alright song, popularity rank or fanbase. Now without improving on any of the three, the girls are no going to succeed. But once they change it up and go for the “sexy” concept, some many people go from the other popular groups and divert their attention to the “sexy” girls. And from there they enjoy their new popularity. OR T-Ara was reduced to a lower status after what happened a few years back. Then they change it up a bit and win their first award in a while. And then they bask in their new reclaimed popularity. That or I am looking far too much into it and should just enjoy what I see literally. But beside that, music video was rather boring. The sailor concept was rather weird, but yeah, the video was boring. And who buys bread only?

Dance fits in with the song pretty well. The chorus is just hella cute. And I liked it how they actually did take those cute dance moves and combined it with the sexy dance moves. Though I know people have done it before, it just feels like they blended it in very well for this comeback.

T-Ara did pretty well for this comeback. A few disappointing points here and there, but I think this comeback was decent enough. 7/10

[DOUBLE REVIEW] Gotta Go To Work + YeY – Beast

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Finally, what I intended the double reviews for. For when artists come out with a pre-release and then their title track. Honestly, I felt like Beast should have reviewed sooner, but it won’t be fair for other bands to wait it out as well. Beats has comeback with their fifth mini album. Gotta Go To Work was their pre-release single, while YeY is their title track for this promotional run. Their album is titled as “Ordinary” but this album and their songs are nothing “ordinary”. Prepare for lame puns.

Knowing me, I liked YeY more than Gotta Go To Work. While their last few pre-releases were more of the ballad type, Gotta Go To Work can be described as a song that we would not have expected from the band. There is a lot of aegyo feelings in this song compared to any other song that they have released. And it is pretty interesting. No, it is not a crap song. It is actually pretty nice to listen to once in a while. And I am glad they did not choose this as their title track, because it would be a song that I would get tired with quite quickly. I think that while it is good to listen to from time to time, consecutively listening to this song on the loop would drain it of all the effects it should have. I love how Junhyung carries the first half of the chorus though. It changes things up a bit. I like their vocals in the song.

YeY is a much better song in my opinion. Mainly because I have replaying the song since it has come out and really enjoy the dance and party theme it was going for. The song starts off slow, and starts to build up to the first chorus. It basically hypes you up until the beat drops when we get to the chorus. Junhyung is singing quite a bit in these songs. Interesting. I really enjoy the chemistry between their voices in this song. Junhyung’s rap at the beginning was pretty bad ass though. There is one complaint I have in terms of the vocals. Kikwang seems to have a pretty deep voice this time around and I am quite sure I have never heard a song with Kikwang singing like in this sing. Not saying it is bad, but I feel like it really did not fit well with the song. The instrumental and chorus is really addictive as well. “Yey Yey Yey!!!”

The music videos are quite nice. Gotta Go To Work has a very colourful and cutesy video. I honestly like where they were going with the video and how the girl does not want Doojoon to go to work, mainly because she would miss him so much. And he would tempt her anyway he can to just go to work. Wait, doesn’t that mean he wants to leave her? OMG…. Hahaha… I know, don’t worry. But damn girl, she is just too clingy. I enjoyed Doojoon’s acting in the video though, Suited the music video very well. Yey also had a great music video. Though, my number one complaint is regarding the stylist who did Junhyung’s and Hyunseung’s hair. Please. NO. I cringed so hard, I felt like I cringed on behalf of Australia when I saw them dread locks. The rest of the music video (sorry have to gloss over this part) went pretty smoothly. Party animals I have to say. I love the warehouse dance set that they had. It looked pretty cool.

There should not have been a dance for Gotta Go To Work. It just looked weird on stage. YeY had a much better dance to it and that I expected from them. Their dancing matches the song quite well for YeY.

Overall, this was probably a solid comeback. Always expected Beast to make a great comeback and they managed to deliver pretty well despite all the competition.

Gotta Go To Work – 5/10

YeY – 9/10

Me Gustas Tu – GFriend

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Probably the hottest rookie of the year and no, they are not doing the sexy concept. GFriend literally won hearts of fanboys and fangirls across Korea and also internationally. Their debut, Glass Bead, was an instant hit when they debuted earlier in the year and this is their first comeback since debut. Drawing similairites from one of the biggest and popular groups in Korea at this moment did cause them some trouble, but honestly, they are going to be big as everyone have been saying. Me Gustas Tu rose to the top of the charts after release, showing Korea and the world the potential this group can be.

When I first heard the song, I honestly thought it was going to be chucked aside. Some many big groups are making their comeback and I thought GFriend had no chance. But after a few listens and a lot of reassuring looks from the charts, I was certain that this song would become something that would trend. GFriend, I think, solidified their position in the industry with this song. Yes, they have a long way to go, but they have overtaken so many groups and it has only been a few months since they debut. I love their instrumentals. For this song, they went with a nice piano intro and went straight into a cute yet rocking rock (?) sound. When I hear the song, I can’t help but pause what I am doing and sing along to it. Or sing it in my head. This song bring smiles to my face. It’s so damn good. Their vocals are solid. I have no complaints with their vocal work. I love how they work together during the chorus. It hooks me on so well. And that high note at the end. Wow.

The music video was very summery. It is just mainly shots of them enjoying the perks of Summer and dance shots. And it fits the song and the season. Those hills remind me of the Microsoft XP default background. But honestly, where can I find fields with such green grass and beautiful blue skies? I need that in my life. It takes my breath away. Some of the solo shots have that awkward feel to them though. I can tell some members had an awkward time with a camera up close to their face. Reminds me of a joke that Amy Poehler once said. Hehehe… Wrong context. Totally wrong context. 10 points to whoever gets what I am taking about.

Here is what I love about GFriend. They are a cute girl group that basically has the cute concept in the bag. But their dances are just a totally different story. Usually girl groups with the cute concept goes for more simple dances that matches their cuteness. But GFriend is no joke. They have hella hard choreography. Dances that put many boy groups to shame. This dance was so freaking cool. Not one to talk a lot about the dances in my review, but you will be blown away with their in-sync moves and powerful kicks.

GFriend is slowly becoming a group to watch out for. They will, one day in the future, probably be a group that others must compete against. And it seems Korea (and international fans) will not stop loving these girls. 9.5/10

I’m Ill – Hello Venus

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Another artist in need of some recognition. Yeah, out of all the bands and groups out there at the moment, Hello Venus has to be one of the few to drastically change their image around. But they are back with a club themed song for us to listen to. They previously made their long awaited comeback with the sexy concept late last year and came back with another sexy concept, Wiggle Wiggle, at the start of the year. Now, they are “ill”? Ummm… Say what?

Yeah, the title of the song really got me. It is not your typical title of a song. To be honest, I would not play a song titled as “I’m Ill” anywhere, mainly because that would give off the wrong message. And that is the last thing I want to do. But beside that, the song is pretty cool. I enjoyed the club feel that it had going for it. I don’t know why, but I automatically feel old when I need to review these club and electro style songs. I feel like my words are quite disconnected with the actual song. But I thought the chorus was catchy and the drop was pretty addictive. Honestly been dancing in my chair to this song. The “dance break” is what I am going to dub the part straight after the 2nd time the chorus is sung. Honestly, that sound. But honestly, I would play this song when I want some blood pumping through my veins. Great party song.

The music video was exactly what I expected from Hello Venus.  Dude in club gets attracted to the girls and starts falling for them. But damn, was he a playboy or what? He went from one girl to the next in like seconds. But yeah, it was a pretty boring video. There was not anything to hook me onto watching it more and more. While the flashing lights suited the song, I felt that they could have been taken away. And the girls should have danced at a club or party scene to fit the overall concept they are going for. I have to be honest, the girls look really hot in this video. While I do like the contrast between innocent Hello Venus and party Hello Venus, I don’t think this is the right video to have both of them in it. I think the party scenes and them club scenes were enough to suffice for the video.

The dance was meh. No twerking. Much disappointed. But beside that, the dance composed of a few finger pointing movements, body waves and steps. Literal steps. Not the most exciting dance out there at the moment.

The song was amazing, but the music video and dance could have been loads better. 6/10

Vanilla Shake – N.CA

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Sorry about the ongoing delay with reviews. Yes, I am back at university and boy it is taking a toll on me. I am feeling tired as the days go by since I have to wake up early for the few days I go per week. And I am trialling a new study method where I get on top of things. It has worked, but I have been so busy with assignments and homework, so there is so much to do. But I will be churning out reviews this weekend. I am literally going to dedicate tomorrow night or Saturday night to just write reviews and get them out there because I am so delayed. That is my lengthy apology. N.CA is back with a new song. Her last comeback was in March with Cinderella Time.

Yeah, I’ve decided to review some lesser known acts this time around, mainly because I feel like it. But also the fact that these artists are often thrown aside due to the ongoing competition between certain artists in the industry. I find many of these songs  quite nice and fail to get the recognition they deserve. This is one of them. I think this song can easily be turned into a sexual song, but let’s not. This song has that olden style hit track song (or how they described as “vintage”). And I like it a lot. It is quite addictive and the instrumental is not overpowering. But her vocals seem weak in this song, which is disappointing, because she has quite strong vocals. I also enjoy how she kept the cuteness that she is known for into the song with this song.

Here is where the comeback does fall a part for me. For a while I thought she was going to comeback with a more mature comeback (watch her teaser), but that was misleading. When I saw the start of the music video, I thought, “Okay, she is going for the cute comeback, fine.” Until I realized what she was wearing and at the same time her dance moves. Now, I don’t hate what she is wearing and don’t have anything against it. It just felt to mismatched with her vocals and song. Clearly the video was oversexualising her. Was it necessary to put her in tight clothing and lay around on the floor? But I have to be honest she has a nice body. And no, I am not a pedo. Wikipedia claims she is an adult and actually is older than me. So it is all good. Hehehe… And NS Yoon G featured in this colourful and bright music video. And somehow, some people missed that so much. But her cameo, what was the point of it????

Here is what stole the show for me. Cute song, bright video, suggestive dance? Yeah, dirty minded me, But honestly, the dance was asking to be associated with it. Yeah, that was essentially what ruined this comeback for me. What happened to her cute moves?

This review seems rushed. But I like the song. Music video was okay. Dance was a total no no. I think I got my message across. And maybe N.CA got her message across as well. 5.5/10