Category: KPOP

Cushion – SONAMOO

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 1 Comment

SONAMOO is back with their first comeback, Cushion. They debuted at the very end of the year (last year) with Deja Vu and followed up with Just Go, another track for their debut mini album. From their Wikipedia page, it seems like they had their own reality TV show in 2015. But beside that. I personally have not been hearing anything from the band , beside the fact that they have officially came back with Cushion.

SONAMOO debuted with a hip hop styled track which was did okay on charts. While their debut song was a lot darker and more suited for the colder season, Cushion is too a hip hop themed song, but better suited for the Summer. I personally think this is a great song. It is quite catchy and addictive to listen to. I have one issue though. I did some research and it turns out they were singing “He’s like a cushion”, while 100% of the times I have heard the song (and it has been quite a lot of times), I hear “It’s like cushion”. So it may have blew my mind but at the same time confused the living soul out of me. I really enjoy the rapping bit afterwards the chorus each time. I thought that was probably the most addictive part of the song. I felt like their vocal work and rapping was improved quite a bit since their debut. I feel like they are quite comfortable with their voices.  The ending was probably the best ending to a song for a very long time. I am very impressed.

As for the music video, there is a very big mismatch with the whole video. The song has hip hop vibe to it and sounds like a “powerful women” style song. So why are there scenes in the video of the girls acting more like cute girls. There is nothing wrong with it, I just feel it doesn’t fit the video that well. Beside that, there really is not much to comment on. Beside the fact how cringe-worthy the video was (with their acting) and how the set looks like it was used somewhere else and just bought by the company. Like seriously? What happened to good old uniqueness to give your artists a little recognition.  I am glad for the amount of cushion in the video. But cushion fighting? You were singing about him being soft like a cushion, but you ended up killing them cushions. Yikes.

The dance has that hip hop and sexy vibe throughout it. I enjoyed it. I thought that rap sequence after the chorus was pretty unique. The chorus dance was quite nice and fits in with the song.

Overall, the song was nice and dance was cool. Music video could have been a little bit better. 7/10

 

[DOUBLE REVIEW] Champagne + Rise As One – TVXQ

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , 2 Comments

Another double review for you all. This time, TVXQ is back with a brand new special album. This is their final album for the next two years. That is right, they are enlisting into the army, with Yunho going in first and Changmin enlisting at the end of the year. However, of course, they did not want to leave their fans empty-handed and presented with a special album. This is like just a  present and received very little promotions. This time around however, they did not stick to being a duo (but the majority of the songs on the album are duo work), but selected solo songs for their title track. Yunho’s solo was Champagne and Changmin’s solo was Rise As One. Usually, I don’t review TVXQ songs, but I felt like I needed to this time around.

Like I said, I don’t review TVXQ songs that much. But this time around, I was drawn to their solo songs. Yunho’s Champagne is a really nice song that has a subtle party feel, with what I believe is some sort of rnb roots (?). He chose the song wanting to leave on a happy note and that is basically what he has done with this song. For me, this sounds like a pop song that would had come out like early 00’s. Back in the day. Hahaha…. Not exactly fond of his rapping in this song and also the bridge of the song sounded too mismatched with the rest of the song. The song is quite catchy (especially the “I only want…” parts. Honestly I thought this was such a great song. It is completely different from their past songs. They honestly should do more of these.

Changmin also has a great song as well. So it is not all praises for Yunho. I totally dig this song and would choose this song over Yunho’s song any day (Sorry Yunho). But why? The song has the EDM background instrumental to it, which I totally dig (I really enjoy songs with the “drop” nowadays). And boy, the instrumental sounds so great with the vocal’s of someone who is known for ballads and other strong songs. There is nothing wrong with the song. I enjoyed everything with this song from start to finish. The polished guitar instrumental towards the end fitted in well with the song. The song flowed so fluidly, I felt like I was floating away. Really did. This song has that effect of letting you float away into dream land.

Both music video’s were pretty cool. Yunho’s was still in a box, which is quite disappointing, but I really enjoyed it. There was some sort of story line with it, how he looks similar to the dude on TV. But then it abruptly finishes there and proceeds to go partying for the rest of the music video. The start with the many Yunho’s playing multiple roles in the one scene was quite cool. It also was meant to be for a comedic relief. There were also guest stars in the music video with a few people I don’t know. But I did notice Hyoyeon from SNSD. Changmin’s music video was equally as nice. It was shot outside (interesting…). It features no Changmin though, which was a disappointment, but the acting from the kids that did feature in the music video were pretty good. Though I don’t think that is a plot at all in the video, I really enjoyed how the scenes came together to tell (somewhat) a story. The cinematography was amazing.

There really isn’t much to say for a dance. From the looks of it, I don’t see much a dance from Changmin’s song. There is a dance for Yunho’s song but we really don’t see much of it in the music video.

Now, since the guys are gone for the next two years, what is going to happen to the band when they actually do comeback after their hiatus? How big is it going to be? It is going to be massive!!! But yeah, they will be missed.

Champagne – 8/10

Rise As One – 10/10

Remember – APINK

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 2 Comments

APINK has returned to the stage with a brand new song. This marks their first release for 2015, becoming one of the most successful groups of 2014. APINK released hits such as Mr. Chu and Luv, which skyrocketed them into being dubbed as the next generation top tier groups for the KPOP industry. Luv was such a hit in the industry that it won all the possible awards on the weekly music shows for that month, beating out many top artists in December. But here they are now in Summer with their new track, Remember.

This is a messy song that has grown on me. But not as much as you think. I still think it is pretty messy and it really sounds quite jaggered. If you understand what I mean by that, award yourself a hi-five. But yeah, the song starts off with a slow piano sound, and then enters a dance pop genre quite randomly. Like there was no connection. The chorus was a bit awkward for me. Because it started off slow (compared to the rest of the chorus), but afterwards, it started to become more upbeat.  An interesting theory is that when Eunji sings the start, it more of a flashback type of sound that they were going for. When Bomi starts to sing, it like a “hit”- to get back to reality. That does seem very interesting and made the song feel better. But overall, it is nothing that I wanted from the group. No No No and Mr. Chu had very bright songs that fitted the summer season. But Remember, to me, was just Summer. It did not feel right for me. And the song ended very abruptly, and that still bugs me when I listen to it today. It just did not end well at all.

The music video was quite summery. Dancing on a boat is not something that I would enjoy, but it seems like the girls are having the time of their lives. Once again, it just feels like Summer. Yes, while the season is Summer, I feel like the song should fit into it, rather than be it. Once again, if you understand, pat yourself on the back. For some reason, I focused a lot on Bomi while watching this music video. And it is mainly because of her pink hair and the way they styled it into two buns. Like where are some stylists going with the hairstyles they give to these idols. (I am going to briefly mention it here. Wait until a review that will be coming out quite soon about hairstyles. If you have been paying attention to KPOP, you know who I am talking about. If that is case, guess below and pat yourself on the back). And those scenes where they get ready for the party. It has been done before in one of their OWN videos.

The dance was nice. It complimented the song quite well. That Running Man version of the dance was funny though. Just that crouching down to write letters in the sand, looks very awkward and kind of ruins it for me. APINK is one of the groups that just proves that you don’t need to have a sexy dance to get attention of others. Just ask their forever growing fandom.

Yeah, I sound disappointed. And I know that APINK is capable of much more. So I guess maybe next time. It is growing on  me, but it seems like it won’t be around for long though. 6/10

Devil – Super Junior

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , , 5 Comments

Uni has officially restarted for me, so I will be a little slower with getting the reviews up now. BUT, I will try my best, of course, to get them out as fast as I can. And finally the group that did it all and conquered the industry has returned with a special album. Now while this is a special album and all, but SM, I think it is time to talk. Honestly, quit worrying about being a profit machine. Honestly, you have the biggest acts in the industry. You will be making profit, regardless of the amount of times you will be promoting your artists. Why am I saying this? SNSD, Super Junior, TVXQ and possibly SHINee have released a song or album within the month of July. Now, I don’t what your true motives are about this, but this has to stop. For fans and probably for your artists and staff. And this is not the first time it has happened. Promotions have overlapped in the past, but this is the first time where your artists are coming out every single week for 1 month.

That was my rant. Now, this is the first release for Yesung (as part of Super Junior) since he finished his military service. And for those who don’t know, I am a pretty big fan for Yesung. Mainly because of his vocals. But wow, do I believe he was shunned. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad, because we see members of Super Junior who we usually don’t see sing, sing quite a bit in this song. However, I feel like this song just disregarded the main vocalists of the group. I felt like the song held them back and really did not do them any favours. To me, the song has its good points, but also disappointed me. Devil sounded like a rock track or something quite upbeat. Further hype was added when the group suggested that Devil could become the new Sorry Sorry. BUT I was so disappointed when Devil came out. Mainly because it does not have the kick that I was promised, as in Sorry Sorry. Actually, no, this would not be a song that I would classify has the pop sound that Super Junior usually has. It has no similarities to Sorry Sorry whatsoever. But while you probably think I am criticising the song, I am not. I enjoyed the jazzy sound that the song has and also how the song compliments the other singers of the band that we do not see/hear much.

I thought this music video was perfect. Disregarding my thoughts about the song, I thought the teasers were funny (despite not understanding a single thing). The music video itself, I thought was pretty cool, with the movie teaser/poster effects. I thought they played very well with the actual song and concept. The devil is the female lead, while the male leads (Super Junior) themselves, are the main characters and trying to solve their problems. Gun fights, robbing and a whole heap of other action ensues. SM did not hold back for this music video. And that I am grateful for, and it seems like a new thing for SM. The one thing I do need to say is that: that hat Yesung wears at the end, needs to go. That is all.

The dance is alright. It fits the song, but I am not really drawn to the performances. Mainly due to the fact that they are going to be rare since SM is only allowing them 1 week on the stage, which has already past and now there is nothing me to look forward to each week.

While the promotional phase for this album was rather shot and it is the company that we can only blame it fall, Super Junior managed to comeback with a solid song, even though it seems like I disagreed with it, in certain aspects. 7/10

Choco Chip Cookies – Goo Hara (Kara) ft. Giriboy

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , Leave a comment

Summer comebacks keep on coming and they keep on getting announced. Gu Hara who is a popular member of the group Kara was confirmed to make her solo debut a few months back and finally has dropped the new song this month. Kara was quite busy in the last few months, due to their comeback with Cupid. So when  I heard that she was going to debut just a matter of weeks after their promotional cycle finished, I was shocked. Why don’t these people get some time to rest? But then again, many fans (and guys) are probably thankful for this. Hehehehe…

Not a big fan of Hara. I never see why she stood out beside the fact that she has a nice body. And many people have acknowledge that she isn’t the best member at singing or rapping. However it is still a pretty big feat if you are that someone but manage to pull off a solo song by yourself. I personally think this song suits Hara’s capability of being a singer. It is not a complex song that needs high notes and all those ad-libs to make it sound cool. But I have to be honest, I did find this song rather ordinary. I liked it, but it doesn’t have much going on within it. Giriboy’s rapping was pretty good and accompanied Hara’s vocals pretty well. But the rest really didn’t wow me. Maybe I am so use to powerful vocals and all, but this did sound rather flat and dull.

As for the music video, I thought it was rather boring. I have to be very honest here, but that dude looked pretty nice (physique wise). The chemistry between the two was pretty good. At least they were not awkward with each other, because that would be a video with disaster written all over it. It is very Summery video and colourful. But beside that, there really was not much going on. The couple flirted and acted cute/sexy around each other. And that is all. There was nothing else to talk about. Yeah, I am very disappointed about that. Maybe I am being hypocritical with myself, but those scenes where she is just singing and staring into the camera. Yeah, they look fake. I know the video would more boring, but honestly, I cringed during those scenes.

As for the dance, that dude is back again. Hahaha… I just remember watching one of the performances and there wasn’t much screaming for Hara. However as soon as the dude stepped out, the fan girls started their reign.  The dance was boring. There really wasn’t anything to eye boggle about. It does fit in with her image and reflects the sexy summer comeback that many did expect from her.

Overall, it was okay. Could have been loads better. 4.5/10

Just Right – GOT7

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 5 Comments

Wow, the songs this Summer are pretty good. GOT7 is finally back after over a half year disappearance from the industry. Yes, they are not forgotten and return with their first comeback of 2015. Why has it been so long since we last saw them? Well, they have been having a lot of activities overseas, with a Japan comeback. On top of that, JB and Junior (formerly known as Jr. – he changed his stage name recently) have been acting again. Beside that, I don’t follow the members so I don’t really know. On with the review.

When I first heard the teaser for this song, I thought it was going to be a really boring comeback with nothing to exceed the standards which their other songs have created. In other words, I thought this track was going to suck. HOWEVER, I will kindly take my words back and confirm that I now officially think this is a fan-freaking-tatstic song to listen to. Actually, their whole mini album this time around was amazing. I am not into these types of songs such as Just Right which, to me, has that really annoying sound in it that detaches itself from the song. But the song was made for that sound and I thought the song flowed quite well. the song was very upbeat and bright. The instrumental was really good as well. While A was more of a pop-ish song, this song reminded me of A. But maybe more of the concept. The vocals and the rapping (even though to me they sound like they are talking in a more posh voice) were really good. I felt the song was too short and wanted more from it. Amazing song.

The music video reflects what the lyrics of the song are. The guys sing about how the girl of their dreams is ‘Just Right” and that she does not need to try hard to be beautiful. Ahhh… Meaningful lyrics. Now, this was a very bright video and I thought it was pretty good. But it looked dull in some areas. Great ummm… use of green screen. Honestly, it doesn’t look bad and obvious as other videos. I just find it creepy that as soon as she noticed her draws moving, she opened them. Ain’t she scared of something popping out, like a rat or cockroach? I would. Ummm… Running out of things to say about this video. It was pretty cool and I liked it a lot.

The dance can only be described in one way. Awkward. But good awkward. Their facial expressions make me laugh, but it is the whole point of the dance. I really like the laid back feel of the dance and how it fits quite well with the song.

Obviously, this song is not “just right”. It is awesome to my ears and this comeback is awesome to my eyes. 9.5/10

 

Bad – Infinite

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , , , , 1 Comment

Infinite is back after a year with a brand new comeback and mini album. Bad is their 5th mini album that was released with Back being their last release in July last year. Since Back (hehehe…), Infinite has been very busy with drama filming and promotions. Infinite H made their subunit comeback at the start of the year with Pretty. Sunggyu also made his solo comeback with double title tracks: The Answer and Kontrol. On top of that the boys have been releasing singles in Japan such as Dilemma which I reviewed earlier in the year. So many hyperlinks in the introduction today.

The song is described as a combination of hip hop and EDM elements. And that is something that we got. It honestly feel this is a very powerful song and it matches songs that I and probably many fans associate with Infinite. I also hear hints of classical and rock through the instrumental of the song, which adds to that powerfulness. As for the vocals, they were powerful and very strong, but remained matching to the style of song that the writers were getting at. Often we have a mismatch between vocals and instrumental, but this time around, they blended well with each other. Also, every member seemed to excelled in terms of vocals for this song. Sungyeol and Sungjong got more lines and their voices seem much steadier this time around. The rapping was kept to a minimal in this song, which I don’t fully understand why. I like Infinite’s rap in their song, but funnily not a big fan of their rap/hip hop subunit. Hmmm…

The music video is also quite interesting. The guys are tormented by this girl who they are describing as “bad”, hence the title of the song. The make use of mirrors in this video quite interestingly, being a way for the girl to get to them. I find that is an interesting concept. Hence why we see them sitting around, running away and looking around in fear due to the mirrors. And from the very first time I saw the music video, I knew it was the same guy or girl or group of people who filmed Orange Caramel and EXID music videos (and of course countless other music videos for other artists). I was amazed by the teaser for this comeback though. I believe they are the first KPOP group to actually use the 360 degree video format, which I thought was hella cool. I watched it on my phone and could spin around and looking around in the 360 view. Awesome. Just one complaint however, Dongwoo’s rap segment in the music video does not match up with the song. The lips were way off.

The dance is always awesome for Infinite. They are always in sync with each other. When I thought saw the dance, I was thinking that there was no way they would be in sync since there was a lot going on. But, the group managed to prove themselves to be one of the best dance groups ever.

This was a very powerful comeback with a really powerful song, a cool video and of course, per usual, an amazing choreography. 9/10

Party – SNSD

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , 5 Comments

SNSD has finally made their return as the Queens of KPOP with a brand new album. Party is their first title track and was released on the 7th of July. Their second title track will be Check and that has yet to be released, but will come out shortly after their promotions kick off. They previously released Catch Me If You Can back in May as a pre-release for their new album. Not much has happened since then though enough for me to say anything else here. So on with the review.

This song is very boring. Yeah, it has the summer sound to it and it is also quite fresh. But it really does not appeal to me. Neither does it make me want to go back. The song gives off the same feel as Katy Perry’s California Gurls track she released a few years back. But beside that, it is just so boring and really does not reel me in. The vocals were okay. They could have been better. I guess I am not used to the bright sound of SNSD that much. I like songs such as Mr.Mr by SNSD. This just disappoints me. The instrumental alone is pretty good, but the vocals don’t make the song outstanding or anything that I personally expected from the band.

There are two parts of the music video. One I like quite a bit and the other not so much. The part I liked was 70% of the video. And it was those lovely shots captured in Thailand. They look amazing and capture the summer feel very well. Not flak on the bikinis (hmmm…) but it seems like the girls are having fun and I liked it a lot. As for the inside scenes where they dance, wow. It looks so cheap. Let’s just hang up some balloons in a club and make it professional. Well to me, it looks like something that had no budget. And honestly, the outside scenes were very bright and then they just change to the club scene and it is dark. Kind of conflicting and doesn’t really suit each other that well.

The dance was okay. There wasn’t anything flashy about it and I don’t really have much to comment on. If this becomes the more promoted track, then I would expect a more interesting dance, but from what I have heard, Check will become the main title track.

So overall, not feeling the song. Music video was okay, though some parts looked cheap. Dance was okay. I hope Check makes up for the bad points. 4/10

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

 

Ring My Bell – Girl’s Day

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , 1 Comment

Girl’s Day is another girl group that has been added to the endless list of Summer comebacks for 2015. The girls have returned with their second album titled as Love and their title track is Ring My Bell. This is their first comeback since Girl’s Day released I Missed You in October(ish) last year. Minah also made her Minah’s Solo as a solo artist in March. Hyeri has been busy with drama roles, while Yura recently finished her part on We Got Married show. Sojin has been out and about and was recently on Mask Of Singers. This comeback has also faced criticisms, for some of which I will discuss below. While I do understand many girl groups get criticism, out of all, I feel like Girl’s Day is taking the mother load.

This song is a really weird song. I know from the get go that I love this song. It is catchy and addictive. But at the same time, I am just like “what is happening?”. The song open up to that cow boy/country kind of sound, but then the song loses that sound and goes straight into a pop song and I barely hear the cow boy sound anymore.  Also, while I was listening to the audio only version, something occurred to me. If you can barely say the title of your track properly, then why even bother in the first place. The live was much better, but I was thinking “Ling my bell” really does not appeal to me that much. But beside those two complaints, I am glad Yura is back rapping and also the vocals were quite strong. It is not an awful song (in reference to my weird statement) and I like it quite a bit. So much that it made it on my forever repeating playlist.

One criticism that the girls got for this comeback is wearing the swim wear during the music video. Fine. I get it. But I know people who say that the girls look slutty for wearing that swim wear, but SNSD made their comeback with Bikini’s and yet not one criticism? I don’t think it that fair. To me, swim wear = bikinis. I really don’t want to start a fan war, but this is just a clear example of why some fans shouldn’t really post anything on the Internet, because they sound really stupid. No offence to anyone. It is just the one thing I hate reading about in the comments. The video overall was quite colourful. I like how they stand out and how the music video comes together for this song. I don’t think that extra dude was necessary for the video. I liked their dance sets, especially the one with the thousand hoops. And since when was darts consider as sexy?

The dance is pretty cool. Horse riding is probably the main dance for this comeback. Sojin’s pants on the other hand for that showcase. Yeah. No comment.

Honestly, nice comeback. I really should ignore them haters. I think I am bias now. But honestly, my rant was just basically built up from other videos as well. 8/10

Hurt Locker – Nine Muses

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , Leave a comment

Nine Muses is another girl group that has returned for the Summer season. And they have done so with a bang with their latest Summer single: Hurt Locker. And it still confuses me how there are 8 members yet the group is still called Nine Muses. It confuses me. Also, I believe they were going to change the line up to Nine Muses but then decided against it. Why I think this? Well, an article was put out before the comeback saying that the line up isn’t going to change. Yeah… The group did return at the start of the year with Drama.

This is honestly a really good song. It is Summer and what other way to celebrate the hot season with an electro/dubstep style song. This is another song I am totally digging and the response from some fans have been quite positive. Not sure if this will be the best Summer jam, but it is totally up there in the list. I thought the instrumental was very powerful just on its own. It is quite sad to see only one member carry the song, while the rest gets 1 or two lines. That could be exaggerated a bit, but sometimes when I listen to the song without the music video, it does feel that well. I liked the slow and fast bits of the song. It added a little depth to the song. I know I sometimes complain about it, but I felt that it suited the song this time around. The rapping and vocal power of all the members was quite strong. The song flowed quite well as well.

The music video was quite cool. Very colourful. As for the lockers, or shipping containers, they used in the video looked awesome. The only thing I was thinking about though: What if one of the members fell into the crack while on top of all the shipping containers? Like, I felt fear while watching the music video. And that stood out quite a bit. I don’t think we have ever saw a group dance so high up before. Hahahaha… But honestly, I thought it was a great video. The way I explain things make it sound very boring doesn’t? I honestly thought during the rapping part of the song: why are they so happy and roller skating when the song was about being hurt and sad? Yeah, that confused me.

The dance was pretty cool. The chorus featured the “opening the locker” dance. I have no idea what they called it, but some people have been saying it is that. I like how they changed from fast to slow moves for the right parts of the song.

Amazing comeback. This is definitely something award-worthy. Time to get these girls some recognition. 9/10

[DOUBLE REVIEW] If You + Sober – Big Bang

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , , , , Leave a comment

Once again, it has been a month since their last release. And now they are back at it with a more toned down comeback. But I am not going to use “comeback” anymore to describe Big Bang’s album’s promotion. Let’s call this a promotional run. They are going head to head with many big name groups this Summer with Super Junior, SNSD making their comeback in the coming weeks. Not only that, but other upcoming big name groups are making or have made their comeback: Sistar, AOA, Teen Top, Girl’s Day, A-Pink, Infinite etc. So essentially, this summer is going to be one very chaotic battlefield.

If You is a really nice song. Not one that is expected by many fans, however. When the song starts we hear T.O.P and G-Dragon sing. Normally, they raps. However his voice adds a really nice deep element to the song. As the other member move in to sing, we get a very peaceful ballad. I have to be honest though. I did say Taeyang did not have a suitable voice to be someone to take most of the lines, but in this song, his voice was delivered in a way that has me doubting myself. Even though it was a pretty long song and slowed down compared to the other Big Bang songs we have gotten, this song seemed to go quite fast for me. I have no complaints with this song.

Sober is a completely different song. It is toned down compared to their last releases, but it really isn’t a song that I again would associate with Big Bang. It’s more upbeat and I think I enjoyed it more than their other songs. It is quite addictive and catchy to my ears. It fits in quite well to their previous releases and it also has this strong Summer feel to it. Not as impressed with the vocals of this song though. I can see how some people are saying this song is quite similar to another song out there. Don’t remember the title of the other song though. And I get it. It does sound similar to me, just the style of Sober and the sound of Sober is a pretty much recurring sound in many music industries.

There is no music video for If You, which is quite disappointing. But then again, the company and band are filming quite a bit. Sober did get a music video which leans towards the crazy side. In other words, no where near what Sober’s definition is like. I personally like this video. It is quite wacky but it doesn’t overdo it like Bae Bae did. I did notice a few things. Why are there beds outside? What happens when it rains? T.O.P is not being T.O.P no more in any of the videos. Daesung looks pretty cool on the drums. Taeyang has been shirtless in 100% of the music videos that were released in 2015. I would like to now how they filmed the scenes where the members are in those spinning rooms. Not exactly sure if it spinning but it looks quite cool.

Not exactly sure if there are any dance to Sober. I can guarantee there be no dance for If You. But then again, I guess a lot of things and still manage to get things wrong.

If You – 9/10

Sober – 8/10

So what did you like more? Sober or If You?

It’s Okay – BTOB

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 3 Comments

BTOB has returned to the stage with a Summer ballad. It’s Okay is their first release for 2015, since their Christmas special album which was released in December 2014. This new release is also their first to hit the number 1 spot on multiple music charts in South Korea. Sungjae, the youngest member of the group, has also been enjoying a large rise of popularity for his acting in many dramas in the past year.

The song is good. But I don’t feel it this time around. The ballad is very refreshing and has the summer feel to it. It is a pretty good ballad with great vocals and the rap blends in quite well into the song. The song actually reminds me of Second Confession that they released a while ago, just this song is a lot slower and not as aegyo. The song carries a lot of emotion and I think they pulled the song off quite well. But in terms of appeal, it lacks a lot. I don’t feel motivated to turn on my computer or phone to just listen to this song. I prefer songs from BTOB with the more dance beat or more a dance influenced song, if you understand what I mean. So this song is good, just I don’t think it is a song for BTOB to actively promote as their title track.

The music video is okay. The acting is quite exaggerated in this music video, but we were given the heads up to it. We see them struggle with normal lives. One of them doesn’t know how to propose to his girl, another is probably struggling with fees to study, while another is stuck doing jobs etc. So there is a lot of struggling with the characters. And I can relate to most of them with the struggles. However, Peniel’s one really takes the cake for me. He is doing his job as an ambulance officer. He gives CPR to the person, which might be weird since she is breathing. And then the main ambulance officer or Peniel’s supervisor runs over and be like “You idiot”. That I can understand. HOWEVER the main officer proceeds to wipe the blood off the girl with a freaking small cloth. If anything tells me that there is something wrong with this scene, it is most likely that. The lady was just in an accident. I’d give credit for Peniel going through CPR, but wiping blood away with just a small cloth does not do your job for you. Yeah… But it is an okay video. It fits in with the emotion of the song and matches with the Summer feel. And also that customer that ordered chicken. Great that you are angry about he lateness, but chucking the food on the floor really doesn’t do much, since you were hungry and ordered the chicken to eat. But throwing on the floor kind of means you are still hungry and probably have to wait longer for food.

As for the dance, was it needed? I feel like the group could have stood on stage and made the whole thing work quite well. I like their idea with the one microphone pole though.

Overall, it was a nice comeback, but I just don’t feel like it is a BTOB song. But oh well. 7/10.

[DOUBLE REVIEW] Dope + For You – BTS

Posted in JPOP, KPOPTagged 2 Comments

Probably if you are hardcore followers of BTS, you probably would know that BTS made two comebacks just in the last month. What??? Am I crazy??? No. The truth if BTS finished their promotions for I Need U, which was released back in April. They recently announced that they would be following up with Dope (Sick), which was released as a part of the new album. However, BTS also made a comeback in Japan with For You. So essentially I am reviewing a Japanese and Korean song. And both songs show two different sides of the group. BTS is getting really popular, scoring a whole week full of music show wins and topping album charts with their new songs.

Both songs to me were equally amazing. As I said above, both songs managed to bring out two sides. Dope brings out the side that we know BTS best for. This song is very upbeat and sounds very grand. I don’t know how to describe it exactly, but the song is a very strong. Especially the introduction to the song made it seemed like a song that a group would debut with. The move from rapping into vocals and back was pretty good for this song. I just don’t see anything to complain with in this song. Honestly, I felt like Jin and V should have gotten more lines. And here I go again with this line distribution topic again. I don’t know. I just like Jin’s voice. Jin has a nice voice. -fan boys-

However for For You, the line distribution for this song was more equal. And this where my proof to why Jin should get more lines. He carries the chorus for end of the song and manages to chuck in some ad-libs in it as well. And he pulls it off very well. This song brings out more of a softer and mellow-er side of the group, something that is not seen whatsoever in the fun and happy Dope track. You can feel the emotion quite well in this song as well. Not only that, but the piano instrumental was pretty nice in this video. Jimin’s part in this song was pretty nice as well, even though he kind of forgotten in this song. For the instrumental, I can imagine some standing there hitting the same note repetitively for some reason.

Both music videos were okay. I preferred the Japanese music video more. If there is one thing I hated about the Dope music video was that the focus on the face made it stand out more and kind of left everything else out. I don’t know, it reminded me of cartoons a lot, but when I look elsewhere, it isn’t and I guess that disappointed me. But I totally love the concept and how it matches the lyrics. And the one shot video thing, which has died down a bit in the industry, made the video quite pleasant to watch. As For You, the acting was pretty good, but not award winning. I have a feeling like For You occurred during the weekdays, but when it came to the weekend, Dope was where the party was at.

Dope’s dance was amazing. I have no complaints whatsoever with both dances, but Dope dance has more of the style I like. Both dances managed to fit the beat and kept up to the speed of their respective songs. I did like For You’s “rewind ending”. That looked so awesome. Dope had that in-sync feeling that I assoictae with Infinite and I guess BTS is another group wanting to challenge the “in-sync” title.

Don’t make me choose between the two. Too hard for me. Both songs were equally amazing and both totally rocked in terms of everything else.

Dope – 9/10

For You – 9/10

Shake It – Sistar

Posted in KPOPTagged , , 1 Comment

Sistar has returned. The digital queens are officially dropped their new mini album back in June with Shake Their last comeback was around a year ago with I Swear and Touch My Body.

I don’t know why some people are always having a go at Sistar when they do these Summer concepts.  Actually it is girl groups in general. And I think their perspective on the summer and sexy concept clouds their enjoyment and distract them from the song. I honestly thought this was an amazing song. The song totally feels like a summer song and does a much better job at it than what Touch My Body does. It is really addictive and super catchy. In other words, it is currently my jam and my go to song at this very moment. The lines were more evenly distributed this time around, which makes me happy. I just enjoyed the song and really did not felt that the song was lacking in any area whatsoever.

This video was creepy. Yeah, feel sorry for that Noel guy. He is popular, but does he have to play the creepy roles in all music videos. First BESTie’s Excuse Me and now this Sistar video. As for the teacher, he looks very scary. I like the little comic bubbles that pop up at certain times of the video. I thought they added a nice touch to the video and actually added to the comical feel of the video for me. I was surprised with the lack of butt close-ups. I expected a lot more, but the video only had 20% ass. I have to say, Sistar has really nice bodies. They looked very hot and sexy in this video. Which means the video did its job correctly. Finally, Soyu’s boobs. I think I covered the main bits… Yeah… That was meant to be a terrible pun, somewhat relevant to the video.

As for the dance, there is a lot of butt shaking. But yeah, the song repetitively says “Shake It”. What else can they shake? Honestly, if they were shaking their head, arms or legs, the video would receive no attention. The ass and boobs (but there wasn’t any of the latter) did their job in the video. So essentially to those attacking Sistar for their concepts, you should really start seeing what actually works in the world and what doesn’t. But I am 100% that they did not overdo it in this dance and I am personally thankful for that. That or I be replaying the music video  for quite some time.

Overall, I feel like this is one of their best comebacks in a long time. They honestly did a wonderful job. 9.5/10

Heart Attack – AOA

Posted in KPOPTagged 1 Comment

Summer is also the season for many girl groups to comeback in. And this Summer, it is no exception. AOA is one of the groups that have dared to enter the battle field and is ready to shake the field up. With their forever expanding popularity after a highly successful year of promotions, Seolhyun’s acting success and Jimin’s rapping success as well, the girls are back with Heart Attack. Let’s hope they only give metaphorical heart attacks and not the real deal. Yeah, that was my highly lame joke for you all.

When I first heard the song, I thought it was an ear-sore. It was a horrible mess and I was very disappointed. Well, let me fast forward a few days later where I was playing this song on repeat. It grew so freaking much on me. But I can assure you, this would not be a song that I would recommend to someone. It left a horrible impression on me first and I doubt anyone who dislikes the group or KPOP would go back to it. Honestly, it is an addictive track. Once again, I don’t see the fascination with Jimin and her rapping. It is just so whiny. The really high pitched notes for the chorus really got to me. A part of me is like “YESSS” and another is like “Damn, you just ruined the track”. I am still going to keep my initial thoughts and say it is a mess. The song was squashed together and it felt like a group of people talking to you at once. It felt way to sudden (especially the start) and fast for me. I don’t find it an ear-sore anymore, but I honestly say, a slower pop track could have been much better in my opinion.

I sat down and watched the music video and I found it a total bore. AOA is a lacrosse team and fails terribly when they play. Some of the girls are not cut out and other times they are distracted. First of all and some of you may think I am going against equality here, but why are AOA playing against a group of guys? A) how did they get to that game? and B) why are they playing against guys? Isn’t that a bit too much for the girls? It would make more sense to have the girls play against other girls. So in the video, one girl confesses her feelings for the opposite team player and learn how to play very well. Which raises a question: did the girls even know what to do in the first match? And that is all. No more questions from the video. I honestly felt so bored watching the music video and also quite distracted by the song.

As for the dance, it really isn’t amazing. It just feels like a typical dance and I thought it matched the song. A lot of boob pointing though. Of course, I would point that out.

Hmmm… I think to summarise, the girls could have done way better. The song was okay. It was a mess of a song, but it did have its good points. The music video and dance could have been way better. 4/10 I think this is my most confusing review ever. Apologies for that.

Ah-Ah – Teen Top

Posted in KPOPTagged 1 Comment

Summer is going to be one busy season with all these comebacks. Teen Top has made their comeback in the season of summer with a refreshing dance song. Not much has happened with Teen Top since their last comeback. Niel made his solo debut with Lovekiller. The group also had concerts in other countries as well. But honestly, there hasn’t been much talk regrading the group. However they have re-entered the industry with a bang, topping album sale charts with their new album. Congrats!

I have mixed feelings for this song. One part of me says it is boring and that there is nothing that is appealing to me to it. BUT the other half says the complete opposite. Does that make sense? To me, it makes no sense whatsoever. I thought the song was very polished and flowed nicely. The instrumental has this addictive beat to it which I am totally digging. In terms of the vocals, it just sounded like an upgraded version of Missing. For those who don’t remember, I did not like Missing and I still don’t. While everything else was cool and all, the vocals just lacked so much. Though to compliment the vocals, the added a smooth touch to the song. It sounded monotone to me. The rapping in the bridge reminded me a lot of the rapping in Rocking. So many memories. I did like how they approached the final chorus. It was very cool.

I preferred the dance set of the music video to the actual set of the rest of the music video. The dance set I am referring to is that rocking looking set, where the members are wearing blue. The rest of the music video was quite colourful and had a retro feel to it. That did mismatch with the song, as the song was more of a modern day song to be honest. I find it amazing how they dance anywhere. Petrol station and the diner. The latter I thought was impossible as it seemed so narrow. But guess what, they amazed me even more. But beside that, I didn’t find myself overly excited for the rest of the music video. I thought it was boring.

But I can tell you what was not boring. The dance. A more subtle version of Rocking but with more emotion like is Missing. I find the dance for this song really cool. Not going to try it out myself, since I am most likely going to fall over my own legs. Teen Top managed to wow with previous dances before and this one is really cool. Like the song, I thought the dance was polished and quite smooth.  The crotch grabs though probably the highlight for many fans. I enjoyed the complex leg moves.

Overall, I guess I will say it was a really cool comeback. Bits of me are still torn, but overall the comeback left a better impression on me than what Missing did. 7/10