Category: KPOP

Um Oh Ah Yeah – Mamamoo

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A rising girl group, Mamamoo have made their comeback with Um Oh Ah Yeah. After getting recognition as best rookie girl group last year at the Gaon Chart Awards, and their recent collaboration with e.SNa (Ahh Oop!), the girls have been rising quite highly. This release is the first comeback with the girls topping charts and essentially proving to the KPOP industry that good vocals are still in the game. I really enjoyed their debut and Piano Man and this comeback is the same. As in I totally enjoy it. Not that is the same comeback. You know what I mean. But I’ve been listening to their live stages and WOW. Them fan-chants are getting louder and you can tell that there are more people cheering them on now.

This song is really amazing. I dig all the songs that the group puts out and this song is no exception. I really enjoyed it. I was blown away with the harmonies in Piano Man, so I was a little disappointed when I heard this song, mainly because there was not much of it in the song. From the start to end, I was in awe with the vocal work and the rapping. Each member is pretty good at their thing and their voices work really well with each other. The chorus to me is hella addictive and I liked it how they changed up the song. Maybe the change up slowed down the song a little bit for me, but they girls went straight back to the song and I thought that was really amazing. I loved the end. The cheering that they do is pretty amazing. Another thing I like about Mamamoo’s songs, they can easily be modified for certain stages. And this song with the ending and the mini dialogue towards the end of the song does just that.

I have to be honest. Moonbyul makes a really good looking dude. Many people say she looks like Xiumin from EXO in the video, I think she looks a lot like Minhyuk from BTOB. Also, I love Hwasa’s pervy character and also Wheein’s characters love for food. Disappointing that Solar didn’t cross dress, but she made a very beautiful and sexy maid and air stewardess. It was a little satirical, but I really like how that dialogue part I mentioned before fitted in with the song and music video. It just linked the two so nicely. As for the ending of the video, I thought the girls were rather cute even though they were dressed up as guys, but Wheein with her pizza love. So like me.

Dance was okay. Wasn’t the best part of the comeback. To me, I felt like more could have been done with the dance for this comeback. It just didn’t match up with the song that well. Their past dances had something iconic. This one just lacked.

Overall the comeback was amazing. Though more improvement on the dance would have been nice, everything else was pretty nice. 9/10

Mirror – MBLAQ

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After two members announced that they were leaving the popular boy group, MBLAQ last year, the band faced disbandment rumours. However it is safe to say that the band is going strong as they have returned as a trio this time around. Yeah, so if you haven’t heard of it yet, Thunder (now known as Cheondung) and Lee Joon both left MBLAQ after their contracts finished at the end of the year. Before departing, they did release an album of some sort or had a concert. Now Mir, Seungho and G.O make up the MBLAQ group as a trio and still getting supporting from the former members.

We know MBLAQ for their dance associated songs, but this is the first time they were coming back with a ballad. And it is pretty boring to listen to. I listened to it once and never went back to it. It just didn’t hook me on or appeal to me to get me to continue listening. The song is predominately sung by Seungho and G.O, while Mir got a small rapping part. And he too looked kind of bored on stage while performing this song. The vocals were good, but sadly they were not as outstanding like their previous songs. I feel like MBLAQ constricted itself into one corner for this comeback and they haven’t been able to move out of that one corner. I did like G.O’s vocals though in the song. When I first heard the song, I didn’t watch the video so I didn’t know who sang what part. G.O managed to fool me into believing that there was a fourth member and somehow I missed it all. But yeah, just the three members who changed their delivery up for certain parts. But yeah, boring song.

Music video was equally boring. It was dull and lacked anything that I would want to happen in a music video. I know there have been many K-ballad music videos that have done an amazing job and compared to them, this video isn’t worth mentioning. We open them up driving, then running. But for what? For a girl? And even for a girl, those extra scenes wouldn’t help with my understanding. The dance set was extremely lazy. The concept of the doors were a nice touch to the video, but for the rest, I would have expected something more.

There is a dance and it is a ballad. Usually don’t like dances with ballads, but I guess this is what is keeping MBLAQ with their dance group image. Honestly, I felt like the dance could have been removed and nothing would happen.

Overall, it was a boring comeback. I understand that it would be hard for just three guys to dance a choreography especially to their previous single’s extent, but I am sure they could have figured out a way. Sorry if this review was harsh. These were just my honest opinions on it. 1/10

My House – 2PM

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2PM is finally back with a new song. Last year, they made their comeback with Go Crazy which was seen as a go to party song for everyone to dance to. It did that job and probably turned into one of the most popular songs for parties for last year. This time, they are back with a more fantasy world comeback. I can’t think of the word for it. Maybe mystical?

The song is a pretty solid song. Though I have to admit it was a little disappointing for me. I think the song was a solid display that the vocal work and rapping was still pretty decent. But I don’t really associate this sound with 2PM. Jun.K wrote the song and I think he did a wonderful job with a song that had a bit of a mix up in the middle in terms of the sound. I feel like Nichkhun, Chansung and Junho got overshadowed in this song but I feel like they got their parts at the same time. It is a pretty nice song that reminds of the late 90s boy bands. I really enjoyed the autotune ad-libs during the song (the Rabbit in other words). I liked the guitar at the start with the slight electro feel we get in the song. The chorus wasn’t that appealing in my point of view and it just didn’t get me into it. But I think the song did its job pretty well, but it just lacked for me.

As for the music video, I liked the concept they are going for. It is pretty original. While I am sure we have all seen 1 fairytale story in a music video somewhere, I don’t think there has ever been a combination of them together in one video. We see different fairy tales in this video mashed up into one including: Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,  Alice In Wonderland, Red Riding Hood, Beauty and The Beast, Rapunzel etc. I thought it was a very well thought concept that matched the song as well. And the animals in this music video. I kid you not, the rabbit made my day when I watched the music video. I thought the rabbit scenes were adorable and so freaking cute. The wolf matched Taecyeon very well, so I guess their Beastly Idol image remains. It is a little confusing to talk about how it all fits in but I think the music video was pretty nice to watch. It wasn’t boring because I found that I was more intrigue about who she was going to choose.

When I first saw the dance, I thought they were pulling luggage. Not joke, it just made so much sense to me. So when I found that they were holding the girls hand and leading the way back to “their house”, my mind was blown. The dance fitted the style of the song (and the lyrics)  but to me it doesn’t have that 2PM feel to it. It just seemed like a pop song’s dance.

Overall, even though I find 2PM now losing a lot of their colour and identity, this was a pretty nice comeback. 7.5/10

Love Me Right – EXO

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After promotions with Call Me Baby, EXO has returned with their newest song, Love Me Right. The song, released as the repackaged version of their Call Me Baby album has (without any doubt) been a successful release, however their promotions were only for a short period of time, due to concerts overseas (which is quite disappointing). Now EXO has been stabbed once again, with Tao rumoured to have left the group. Essentially he did one stage with the boys and got injured once again. Then the saga began, again. And for this, the only Chinese member Lay is getting a lot of hate. How do I know? Fan chants and cheers for all the members except Lay at their stages while promoting Love Me Right. I just want to put out there, even as not a Lay or EXO fan, the EXO-L’s hating on Lay are being selfish and childish. That is just my take on it though.

I did not want to start the review with that. But I can say that the rest of the review is going to be amazing. Well, let’s hope so. BUT THIS SONG HAS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST SONGS OF THE YEAR. I am giving this my seal of approval. From the very moment I first heard this song, until the end of days, this song will forever remain in my head. This song, from the vocals, rapping, instrumental, rhythm, lyrics just blows my mind. The retro funky sound that the song has just amazes me. I have been playing this song non stop since it has came out and I think out of all the songs that EXO has released, this is their best one to day. Finally a song that gives the rap a place to fit in, the vocals a place to thrive and omg. Why was this not an actual song that was promoted for a long time????

The music video was pretty cool. Minus the America football gear. Everything was fine since the song was there, but the should pads on these guys really do not fit. God, it makes them so small. The music video is a mash-up on like so many different solo shots, it confuses me and string them together and they really don’t mean anything. Actually, come to the think of it, most of EXO’s music video don’t even have a plot line. It is just dance. So I guess the solo shots have an artistic nature to them? Hmm… That would make more sense then. Cause even the scenes don’t match up with the lyrics.

The dance for this is awesome. I am full of praise. Though I am going to be honest, their lip syncing really needs improving. Like A LOT of improvement. A LOT.

Must I say more? I am not a fan of EXO but this comeback exceeded my expectations and I thought it was INCREDIBLE. I am running out of words to praise this song. 10/10

[Double Review] Bang Bang Bang + We Like To Party – Big Bang

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Big Bang is trying to kill all fans out there with their continuous comebacks for the next 3 months (5 comebacks in total). Each song they release is being promoted and I am thankful I am getting this review out now, with just days until the next two releases. Wow. After Loser and Bae Bae, Big Bang returned with songs that they believed was more their style and more like their last comeback, Fantastic Baby. And I think they are right. But that is to be discussed below. Let’s just brace ourselves for the next few months.

First song was Bang Bang Bang. I find this an awesome song, but like everyone I know and see commenting, the chorus for the song was just an ear sore. Yeah, but only the chorus. I love the club and dance instrumental song the sound goes for and I feel like the lines are more evenly spread this time around. Beside the chorus (even though it has grown on me), the rest of the song was just amazing. The vocal work and rapping for this song was amazing. I feel like this is a more modern version of Fantastic Baby, with an upgraded instrumental. The ending was superb as well. Just I want to change the chorus so badly.

As for We Like To Party, guess who just found their new favourite song. I am currently digging this song so much. It just is done so well. Did not expect for Big Bang to put out a party anthem like song, but it worked really well. The vocals and rapping per usual with the band was amazing and I was not at once disappointed with the song. I honestly feel like this should have been the more promoted song than Bang Bang Bang. And to those One Direction fans who are accusing Big Bang for copying their band’s song, these songs have been out for a long while.

The music videos were pretty amazing. I feel like both music videos, while different concepts were happening in both, were still pretty solid efforts, considering they were promoting their previous songs and had to film these as well. They did not look tired at all. I love the seriousness of the Bang Bang Bang video and the contrast between the red and black. We Like To Party was a more fun filled music video and I thought it fitted the song pretty well. They were apparently a little tipsy during the music video filming for some scenes, but I feel like it paid off very well. We see them go on a road trip and have lots of fun, which is what the song suggests. I am just glad they did not go off topic for any of the music videos.

I believe Bang Bang Bang had an actual dance to it. Beside the ending, I thought the rest of the dance was pretty boring to watch. We Like To Party had a dance as well, it seems kind of lazy, but managed to fit in with the song. But only the chorus got the dance for it… so…. And poor Seungri, everytime he tried to sing in We Like To Party, he was sabotaged by the other members.

If I was to choose out of the two, I would pick We Like To Party. Bang Bang Bang was great but the chorus… Sorry for rambling on about it. But a review is a review.

Bang Bang Bang – 8/10

We Like To Party – 10/10

What Big Bang song did you like this month? Pick out the two and the results will be up on the Rewind: June 2015 post (coming soon).

Catch Up Review #15 – MONSTA X, Seventeen, N.Flying

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I believe this will be my final Catch Up Review for now. I don’t I missed out on a lot of comebacks and new songs during the last two weeks, so I shall start getting a move on with Big Bang and EXO’s reviews, since I promised that I would do them (to myself) since they have come out. As per usual, if you click on the subheadings below, they shall take you the music video.

Trespass – MONSTA X

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If you guys know me, I am not a big fan of the hip hop genre. And why I even bother reviewing such songs beats me as well. I know there can be some great songs from the genre, me being a fan of many songs and artists, but this really does not impress me. It is a powerful song and their skills in rapping and singing just is amazing. The only problem is that, I find the song lacking in parts. There is hardly any backing vocals in the song, especially for the rap. I don’t know how exactly rapping works, but I personally feel like it there was some sort of backing vocal, there could have been more depth. Music video and dance fitted the style of song though, so not everything was a disappointment for me, for this debut. But I honestly think that they can do better, cause beside that it just sounds “typical”. 3/10

Adore U – Seventeen

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Seventeen has finally debuted!!! After 5476593 years of making fans wait, the 13 member band, called Seventeen has been unveiled. WAIT what??? Hmmm… we were promised 17 members with an average age of 17, not 13 members with the average age of 17. And they are going to age, so that 17 number is going to become useless soon. Don’t kill me for saying that. Amazing song. It drew me in from the very start and I have been playing this song so much. I put this song as the best song for May. Sure, it does kind of fall in the typical boy band debut song category, but I feel the spread between vocals and rapping in this song is pretty even. For the instrumental, it was a really nice pop-ish sound. Music video could have seen a little more investment. It just looks cheap. I am amazed at how they managed to fit all the members into the dance and song. Yeah, some of them have the 1 line (which should be improved on), but considering the amount of members, it was bound to happen. 8/10

Awesome – N.Flying

nflyawesumAfter CN Blue and FT Island, comes N.Flying. This band has finally made their own debut as well, after being promised for a year or two from FNC Entertainment. I love the mix at the start with the classical piano, the rapping and also the rock sound. The song is very catchy and I got hooked on. I don’t listen to them much, but the song did enough to put them onto my radar and list of best rookies. I like the bridge of the song. They are a band, so there is no choreography, unless you consider bouncing around on stage to the music a dance, which technically means, I must be a professional, since that is what I do. Too many commas. The music video was good. I love the glass box at the end. You could tell they got something decent in terms of budget. 8/10

 

Catch Up Review #14 – BESTie, CLC, Oh My Girls

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And I am back. So many reviews to do. Exams just finished today and I am done for the semester, so expect reviews to come out every day from now until late July. Maybe, but I will try to get 1 review out every 2 days. That is my goal. Likewise, the titles below are links to the music video.

Excuse Me – BESTie

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BESTie has returned with Excuse Me, after a pretty successful year of promotions and getting their name out there. Excuse Me just did not live up to my expectations. It was rather disappointing. The song had colour but it really did not use that sense of appeal that well and I grew very tired of the song. Sure I would listen to it, but it just doesn’t fit their past songs. It’s not that catchy at all, which is disappointing. Maybe the saxophones got to me, but I don’t really find their voices fitting for the song. For the music video, it does break the stereotype. Well, for the most part it foes fall under the stereotype of a typical KPOP video, but the plot doesn’t. The glasses that shows guy’s true feelings regarding people around them. Interesting concept but not one that I want to learn about. The choreography fits the song pretty well. The movements fits the beat really well. I kind of like their costumes but at times it does get cringe worthy. Overall, I am sure BESTie could have done better with the song, but I thought the video was a plus. 4.5/10

Like – CLC

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I have not reviewed Pepe, which was CLC’s debut song. But instead, I am going to review Like. This is a pretty solid song that I am totally digging. It is very fun and light-hearted. Most importantly, I think the song fits the concept they are going for as cute girls. I thought the vocals for this song and the rapping in this band is pretty cool. I loved the chorus and how the main vocal does that like pouting sound at the end of a line. I love the part after the first chorus. It changes the up the song pretty well and still manages to flow pretty well. As for the music video, the girls go on a detective hunt to find out what kind of guy one of the girls like is. Turns out their mission failed in the end, but I thought it was a very cute video and quite colourful. The dance is pretty cute as well. 9/10

Cupid – Oh My Girl

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Another group that debuted. But this is their debut single. I recently got into their song but there is one major compliant. The rolling drum beat needed to be softened down or just taken away from the song. Everything about the song was amazing and I thought it was a solid song as well. But the drum beat really smothered every other aspect of the song and made it sound messy. Such disappointment. Though the song and choreography gives off the cheerleader concept really well, which I like. The “Hey cupid has shot my heart” was cringe worthy, but I must confess it is my favourite part of the song.  Their street set and the ending reminded me of AOA’s Elvis. Thought instead of mysterious, these girls act like Cupid. But beside that, the music video was a little boring to watch. 6/10

Next review: new boy bands in KPOP for 2015.

Cupid – Kara

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Kara has returned with a brand new song. It has been a while since Korean promotions, but they have a little more busy with Japanese activities. On top of that , Youngji was promoted on the TC show, Roommate for a while last year. Hara is tipped to make a comeback through solo promotions within this year. And beside that, there really haven’t been much going on for the band, except for the odd promotion here or there.

Cupid is a really typical song. It has not uniqueness and just falls into the “KPOP” genre. It sounds like a cute song and has bits of ageyo in it, which kind of confuses me, since the girls are quite mature and really don’t carry the same concept through their music video or dance. I am glad that Youngji is getting more lines, unlike Mamma Mia, which barely promoted her at all. The whole rap sequence is just Youngji’s. but it has this fake sound all the way through. The vocals were quite lacking in this song. There was no depth and don’t get me started on the live performances. But do I like the song? I guess so. It just doesn’t feel right to say it is an amazing song, because there are definitely some flaws. I really wanted to see a powerful comeback such as their past songs before the departure of the other two former members, but their past few songs have been very airy fairy for me.

The music video was really boring. Dance here. Great, solo shots in these massive sets with perfume bottles and flowers. Add a small parts of a man dodging flower arrows and a silhouette of him getting shot. Music video done. I really don’t like the pale green they were going for. As you can see, I analyse videos very well. There just was not a single thing that made this music video amazing. To be honest, it looked a lot like Mamma Mia. Beside that the fact that the camera angles were a tad different, the music videos to me were perfectly the same. Even the dance set seemed to have the same feel to it as in Mamma Mia.

The dance was okay. Not great, but it did its job. So wasn’t disappointed. I like the choreography at Youngji’s rap part. It seemed fluid and flowed very well. As I said, the live performances were terrible. They don’t sound good.  The vocal work here did not seem like last years or any of their past songs.

Overall, it was an okay comeback. Typical song, boring music video, alright dance. 5/10

I should comeback with more catch up reviews starting Monday and then probably dive right into Big Bang, EXO and my Rewind article for May.

View – SHINee

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-whispers- SHINee’s Back. Yeah… I just had to. After over a year of no promotions as a group in Korea, the 5 member boy group is finally back with a brand new album. Let’s see what the band has done since their last promotions of Everybody back in 2013. Taemin and Jonghyun made their respective solo debuts in 2014 and 2015. 2014 was essentially SHINee’s year in Japan with loads of promotions, releasing numerous songs in Japan and having tours and concerts in the country. And they recently had their 4th Korean tour in May. So they have been busy even though as a group they were more in Japan than Korea.

This song is pretty amazing. At first I thought it would be a very weak song. It lacked a lot the first time around. But when I got to listen to it more, I have to say it grew a lot on me. It was a powerful song is a very subtle way. It is a song that I would expect attract a lot of young teenagers nowadays, mainly because that is what they are all listening to now. And I said that in an elder’s voice. Hahaha… Not but seriously, I now think that this song can top so much. It is catchy and addictive. The instrumental is quite strong on its own and the vocal work is adds another dimension to the song entirely. I may have wanted a rap sequence somewhere in the song, mainly because that is what I expected from Minho, not just three lines. The ad-libs really did not go overboard in this song. The high pitch vocals were not needed, because I can imagine them singing at a lower note and still rocking this song. But overall, a pretty amazing song.

The music video made entirely no sense to me. I got the really obvious parts, but beside that, I felt it did not match the lyrics that well. From the music video, the boys are kidnapped by a group of girls somehow. Don’t know how because they kidnapped the guys in the city, with guns and masks on. Wouldn’t that be obvious? And where was the security team? Anyhow, it looks like they were taken to a more tropical jungle and released. To which they decided to stay with the girls, do some illegal work and partying up a storm with their kidnappers. Oh, and making out with them. Ummm.. Yes, the view was nice, but they are your kidnappers. Just a kindly reminder. AND YESS!! SM has finally unleashed SHINee out of the box. Can you believe it? I expect a brand new trend with SM music video’s. F(x), Red Velvet, SHINee and from memory, EXO as well. Good work!!!

The dance was okay. It matched the song really well. It just doesn’t have that SHINee feel that I am used to. There really were no iconic parts to the dance, like Ring Ding Dong, Sherlock, Everybody etc. But it did do the job for the song and comeback.

Song was amazing music video was okay (minus the confusion) and the dance managed to do well. Minho’s biceps agree with me. So do many Shawols. 7/10

Catch Up Review #13 – MYNAME, History, SPEED

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Another catch up review. Was supposed to be up a few days ago, but I may have been a little too busy. But with some time now, I shall review the songs for you. If you cannot tell right now, boy groups are up in the spotlight this time around. Today, MYNAME’s Just Tell Me, History’s Must Just Die and SPEED’s recent release What U? will be reviewed for you guys. I was planning on review UNIQ’s EOEO, but one things led to another and SPEED was put up instead.

Just Tell Me – MYNAME

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This song was really meh to me. It ticked the right boxes for a modern song and kind of continues on with their mini album they released at the start of the year with Too Very So Much. The song was just so boring. I listened to it once, and haven’t really looked back on it at all. It is somewhat catchy but overall there is no appeal to the sing. The rapping feels very dramatic here as if they are trying hard. As for the vocals, I was fine with it. The music video had this club feel to it and more of a “sexy” concept with the feeling. But the choreography made it feel to distant from the concept and I was very confused. The plot line of the music video was very serious and sexy. But the dance was a little more carefree and playful. So that disappointed me quite a bit. There was so much potential with the music video, but the dance really did not suit it. But the dance did suit the song, so I guess it is just a mismatch between the song and music video then. 3/10

Might Just Die – History

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Finally, a modern day orchestra. Wow, I was so amazed when I heard this song. I was not disappointed with it whatsoever. The song just punched me in the face. Maybe they did go a little overboard with the dubstep sounds in the song, but I thought that it complimented the orchestra so well. As for the vocals and the rapping, I was cool with it. The first rapping verse though was a little unsettling as it just changed the song up entirely for me. But beside it, I thought it was a solid song. As for the music video, their acting is pretty good. It seems like they were locked away and when they were released by the girl, things got a little out of hand and they made a mistake that drove the girl away. So I guess this where the “Must Just Die” title came from, as they might as well die if the girl is not there. As for the dance, I thought it was pretty good. Those abs are very defined. Probably so many fan girls swooned over them abs. I like the dance towards the end more than the rest of it but overall, the entire dance fitted very well with the modern song. 8.5/10

What U – SPEED

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As again, I thought this was an amazing song. The orchestra is there once again but with more of the epic and grand feel for this song. the vocal work was really well done especially the ad-libs at the end. The title was really off putting for me though. What U what? It is a little disappointing to here Taewoon had left the band and the rapping just did not feel like normal. But you can tell that Sungmin and Sejoon tried very hard to fill in Taewoon’s position as well. The music video was a little boring to watch though, I have to be honest. So much more could have been done with it and I was just do bored of it. There was a plot line to it, but it just felt so empty that I am kind of glossing over it. From what I got out of it, the boys follow this girl. And she is very terrified. And I would be as well, mainly because they are all creeping her out at the end. Unless you are a hardcore fan. Then they should be scared of you. Hahahaha… The dancing concept was amazing. They brought tutting into KPOP a few years back and now they are coming in with Heely shoes. I have no idea what they are called, but apparently they used to be popular. Yeah, they existed for a very long time and I only heard of them now. Well, I knew they existed. But the dance is amazing with it in. More complex and I just can’t wait for someone to stack it. Too evil? Yeah, I think so too as well. MUAHAHAHA…. 8/10

Wow, I wrote more as I went by. Click on the song title’s for the music video. The next two reviews will be the more standard ones with just one song. I plan to review both SHINee’s View and Kara’s Cupid. They should be out tomorrow and Saturday, so just a little more waiting.

 

 

 

[DOUBLE REVIEW] Who Are You + Kiss My Lips – BOA

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This is the first BOA comeback that I am reviewing. I believe the last one was Only You and I never got around to it. For those who don’t know, BOA is a very popular female soloist in Korea who has been around since the early 2000s and have proven to be one of the most successful acts in Korea at the moment. She was only a young teen when she made her debut, and now, is more known as the Queen of KPOP. She is now 15 years into the industry and is still going strong.

Overall, her songs are nice, just the recent ones have been very bland and boring. What happened to those big hits like Hurricane Venus? Her last comeback, Only You, really lacked colour and feel. So that was overall very disappointing. Now she returned with two songs, to me, had the same initial feelings with Only You. Who Are You? is more of a romantic pop song that sounded okay. I don’t have much against her, but her voice suits the songs with more of a dance feel to it. The song has a nice instrumental and fitted the Spring weather quite well. I don’t think the rapping was needed. It wasn’t bad but it disrupted the feel of the song for me. Kiss My Lips was more of a subtle dance song. The dance feel was there, but it wasn’t as big as her other pop hits. Not a big fan of the start of the song. It sounded very weird. The rest of the song was very boring. It lacked appeal and catchiness for me, which was very disappointing. Though I can see how the song is a pretty good song, it just “misses the beat for me”. But as I said before, 15 years in the making and there is no signs of stopping. I am 100% sure that BOA will put something out that I will enjoy one day, just not this time.

As the music videos go, I don’t mind them. Both a ridiculous at some points, but it works I guess. Like in Who Are You, it is an okay video. You could tell that is was going to be something long the lines of a romance plot. But what’s with the random CCTV shots of her dancing (and it is sad to admit that I look like that at parties)? And the random scene where she randomly flies and jump to her next destination? It makes so little sense, but in the end, she got to the “one she was hoping for”. Someone should like mention that Sehun is like 6 years her junior… -runs away-
As for Kiss My Lips, I thought it was a very stylish video. Just those close up shots of her in the white room and the different coloured lights and patterns projected really disappointed me. I can’t see her face for half of them because it was so dark. And you probably know I already hate them, even though they are meant to look arty. But beside, it was a nice video that was clean and the dancing set fitted the overall song quite well.

As for the dance for Kiss My Lips, I thought it was a little boring. I like the Vegas style fans and I guess we can see that Femme Fatale concept she is going for in this comeback with this song. Though, it was not as impressive as Only You’s dance though.

I feel like I did 3 reviews for some reason. But BoA’s comeback was deemed as successful. Just SM really needs to sort out their problem with overlapping comebacks. SHINee, EXO and BoA are promoting at the moment. Kind of excessive. I don’t want to start any wars, but SM’s money hunt is going a little too far. Also SNSD is due to comeback this month as well. And this is why SM has overworking controversies. Didn’t want to leave this review on a bad note, but I had to address it somewhere. Maybe a rant article in the future?

Who Are You? – 3/10

Kiss My Lips – 3/10

Which BoA song did you like for this comeback? Kiss My Lips or Who Are You? Results will be published in the Rewind article for June, in July.

 

Catch Up Review #12 – Eunjung (T-Ara), Hyosung (Secret), Park Boram

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They are back!!! It has been so long since I’ve done of these and I promised that they were gone. But they are back. Sorry… But this way, I can get more reviews done. Sometimes I have to cancel reviews because I have no time to do it, or newer artists are coming out and therefore, the certain artist’s review would usually be trashed. Yeah… Like for example, Park Boram’s review. I was meant to do that at the start of May, but I have so much work to do :(. Anyhow, I tried to theme them. This theme is female soloists. Yes, if you haven’t guessed, all the artists here are female soloists. Let’s go.

I’m Good – Eunjung (T-Ara) ft. K.Will

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Also under the name of Elise as well, but for my purposes, let’s keep with Eunjung for now. This song features K.Will in the actual song, while K-iO from Speed has helped with the live performances for the first two weeks. I like the song. It is a nice dance ballad that fits in with the current weather in the Southern Hemisphere.  The vocals of both Eunjung and the male artists featuring was really good as well. The music video was of a typical “break up” and “sorrow” type of video, where they used to be lovers, but then they drifted apart for whatever reason. It was okay to watch. The dance was cool as well. It matched the song quite well and the instrumental. However, there just happens to be something missing from this comeback which I can’t really identify. I just feel this entire comeback lacks attention and appeal to the public. 7/10

Into You – Jung Hyosung (Secret)

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Any one who has read my reviews probably know how much of a big fan I am for Secret. I consistently love every song they put out. But this one, yeah, I thought was very boring. I was pumped for a Hyosung comeback, but this was not what I was expecting. There is too much focus on the sexy and not enough on the talent. There was nothing that was amazing from the song. The music video was a total bore to watch and the performances, I just gloss over. I’ve listened to the song once, and have not gone back to it since then. Even writing this review, I am putting the part where I listen to the song and watch the music video off. Sorry, but not this time Hyosung 😦 2/10

Celepretty – Park Boram

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Now, while the last song was terrible and Eunjung was good, this took the cake for a “great” song. I love this song. It is catchy and it is fun to listen to. I am not turned off from it in anyway. Though, that phone vibration seems like what my phone sounds like, so every time I hear it, I think my phone is trying to get my attention. The music video is also quite colourful and matches the summery feel from the song. As for the dance, I don’t expect Park Boram to do much, so this dance took me by surprise. Her debut one had very little movement and it seems like she is becoming more comfortable on stage. Her debut was also another review that landed in the “maybe next time” pile. 8/10

I’m not going to do another Catch Up Review for the next one. Mainly because BOA’s comeback has been sitting on my waiting list for quite some time. And guess what, it is a DOUBLE REVIEW!! So expect Who Are You? and Kiss My Lips for the next review. Bye Bye!!

 

[DOUBLE REVIEW] The Answer + Kontrol – Kim Sung Gyu (Infinite)

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It is another Double Review. I have a few more lined up, so this is going to be fun. Anyway, too much to write and review. so let’s move along. Kim Sung Gyu is the leader of Infinite and has returned with his second solo mini album, after 60 Seconds, which was released back in 2012. Since then, he has been promoting alongside Infinite. Fans have been requesting a comeback from the singer since his solo debut.

The first song I will be talking about it The Answer. Actually, I am going to say this about all the songs on the album. It has been sometime since I have listened to a whole album. This whole mini album was so perfect. Every song was produced and presented to an exceptional standard. The Answer is a ballad, with a bit of pop sounds in it, but it stayed more on the classical ballad side throughout. The song was very beautiful and I could feel the emotion from Sunggyu in the song.  Many people know I have a soft side for ballads and this song just ticks all the boxes for an amazing song. Vocals blew me away, the instrumental was so calming and powerful. Though I prefer this song over the rest (as this is beyond perfect), all the other songs are so well done, so go and check out his mini-album guys. As for Kontrol, it had more of an electronic funky style of beat to it. I guess it is more of a ballad, but it has that additional feel to it as a pop and electronic style song. Once again, the vocals are amazing here. I particularly like the chorus. The song builds up to the chorus and I just love it. From start to end, this was also another exceptional song that did it’s job very well. On top of that is was quite unique. It would be hard to pick a personal favourite, but I go for The Answer any day.

As for the music videos, both was pretty good. The Answer was more monotone. It was shot in a grey scale filter (not the whole video though) and only really contained shots of Sunggyu singing throughout the video. There were shots of him being distant and lonely, but it matched the song’s feel really well. The video seemed like it was warming up, because we started to get this old brown vintage colour and then full colour was introduced. I honestly thought it was a very beautifully shot video. However, not sure about the floating diamonds. I really did not know what they represent. Maybe memories or something?

Kontrol’s music video was another beautifully shot video. From a foreigner’s perspective, I hope that was Sunggyu’s lover. But at the same time, the girl being his sister matched the story line really well. The move into this alleyway, which consisted of nothing, but I guess with a bit of imagination, you can turn nothing into your own space. It seemed like they live there as well. The decoration for this alleyway suited the sounds of the song really well. I enjoy the choppy camera shots in this music video, as they matched really well with the instrumental. From the video, we see that she goes missing and Sunggyu goes to find her, or in fact the place that she “went on”. It turns out it was the seaside and that the girl probably drowned and Sunggyu could not leave her. Now many people have speculated that this song and music video was done in honour of those who passed away on the Sewol Ferry Accident last year. But Sunggyu said it wasn’t and just a song about a lover. But nonetheless, the music video did have many shots that corresponded to the accident and either way, it was a sad video still. But still amazing.

There is a dance for Kontrol, but I am going to gloss over the dance. Mainly because Sunggyu  doesn’t participate in the dance himself that much.

Overall, I think this by far, has to be one of the best comebacks of the year. As I said, not just these songs, but the whole mini album from Sunggyu was perfect and so amazing to listen to.

The Answer – 10/10

Kontrol – 10/10

Pick a song that you enjoyed 🙂 For this poll and the past two polls, I will put the results in the Rewind posts for the month.

Ma First – Jang Hyunseung (Beast)

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It has been so long. Apologies guys, I had this massive group project that I had to complete and we only started this week. Hahaha… Life of a university student. Any how, I have a few days that I should be cramming for exams (which I have yet to start) but I think I can make some time for you guys. Catch up time for the reviews. I was thinking of doing a few double reviews (Big Bang is still under my watch) but also a few “Catch Up Reviews” like from last year. Some of which are themed like “Solo artists” or “Boy groups”. Oh wait, this is about Beast. Jang Hyunseung is the third member to have a solo music career, the first being Yoseob and second was Junhyung. Beside that, Dongwoon is set to make his own solo debut in Japan and Doojoon has been a popular actor. Kikwang is a well known variety star. Hyunseung is also one half of the ever so popular duo Trouble Maker. Hyunseung said he wanted to show a new side of him to the fans without the Beast and Trouble Maker name following his.

It is an okay song. I liked the instrumental and it has a pretty cool beat to it. I just have not been impress with Hyunseung’s vocals on a whole for most of my time that I have followed Beast. His voclas are good, but it just lacks feelings and emotions for most of the time, which puts me off his vocals. For some reason, I have the idea of the song having a “dirty” beat to it. I don’t think that is what it is called though, but the chorus left that kind of impression for me. Beside that, I did not like find anything else to say about the song. I feel like he is trying a little too hard with the song. It does suit him, but with the extra high notes and all that jazz, it really makes the song feel quite distant from what I am used to from the singer. Of course I expected a dance song, but not a dance song with powerful vocals and high notes that I would expect from a ballad or a softer song. I know it is very vague and I just have a hard time explaining it. Sorry…

As for the music video, this is my first time watching it. I know, I am very delayed but uni got the better of me. Firstly, I like the set. It does look fake but it did a good job of replicating an underground club and an alley way. Second of all, that girl was all teasing Hyunseung. And yet he tried so hard (though he did get to her in the end). I expected a little more clubbing scene and none of that Hyunseung being a pervert scene. The song had that club feel to it, and that was touched on for a while in the video. I just expected majority of the video in a club set. Beside that, it was an okay video. Very American influenced but it did the job quite well.

As for the dance, all I can give is praises. This comeback seems to be more dance centred for me and I enjoy it for that aspect. Jang Hyunseung lives up to his name as the dancer of Beast after all. Though some bits I was very impressed with, others kind of looking like he was having uncontrollable spasms.

Overall, it was an okay comeback. Not that great overall to be honest, but it managed to do its job, I guess. 5/10

 

Bae Bae – Big Bang

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As per my last review, I told you that I would have this review out sometime this weekend. That means I have an hour and a half to get this review done. If I post this up before 12:00 am AEST (1 hour and a half), then I successfully completed my mission. If not, I failed and really should try to push to do these reviews a little earlier. This is part two of Big Bang’s first comeback of the year. Apparently these are just teasers to what really is coming up next month (which is going to be the fan’s main course). The other song they came back with was Loser.

I don’t want to rant about what I said last review regarding Daesung, but I think I don’t have anything else to say about this song. While it was fun and “different”, I found it a little boring to sit through. The song is short, which is a disappointment, but I don’t want to think about extending this song into a 3 minute + song. We got a very different feel from the band, something that I don’t think they ever have gone for. The vocals and the rapping were just find, it just lacked a lot of appeal and I am very disappointed for that. Once again, I feel the song is Taeyang orientated, but I have already discussed that, but it seems like only Taeyang in the song got the promotion he deserve (but that can only be seen more clearly during the live stages). Even almighty G-Dragon and TOP got shut out this time. I also despise of the word “bae”. So the title gave me shivers. It is like “Yolo”. Just no.

As for the music video, whoever wrote “TOP’s sexual awakening” deserves a freaking gold star. Every time I see this video, all I can think of is TOP, his eyes and his unlikely behaviour in this music video. It kind of got me nervous and scared when I first watched it. Each member is a little crazy in this video. G_Dragon went a little crazy over breasts. Tayeang went crazy with his hair (it has to go). TOP went crazy as the Mad Hatter (his part reminds me of the Mad Hatter). Daesung was too lonely (and probably sex). And I think entirely Seungri got crazy over finding a partner (he was the one with nothing, but hands over his chest. Fake hands to be precise). Overall, I was okay with the video. Surely more could have happened for it to be something that I would rank high. The ending scenes were nice, but that just confirms the crazy nature of the music video.

As for the dance, there really is not much of it during the solo parts (unless you consider the prancing of TOP as a dance). The ending when they all sing together had a dance that kind of gave it that “different” feel. I am for some reason glad, that Big Bang embraced this side for the stage. But dance at the end was so so as well.

I think I did a good job for less than 10 minutes. LOL. Don’t know why I was begin so dramatic at the start. Sorry for that. As for this song, music video and dance, I think I am going to give it a 6/10. Music video and song could have a little more appealing.

As for the question I put out last time, which was you favourite Big Bang song for this promotions?

Loser – Big Bang

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The wait is over. After three hectic and chaotic years, Big Bang has finally returned as a five member band, not as 1 member or a two member subunit, but actually five members. This time around they went digital, with plans to release 1 or 2 songs per month and then releasing a full album later in the years with the already released songs. Yes, probably every fan has been going on non stop about this and I am too very excited. I mentioned in a past review about doing “Double Reviews”. Not this time around Big Bang, but I will be doing that kind of reviews for the upcoming few releases (given there are two new songs each month).

This is a pretty good song. It isn’t really the fun or crazy side of Big Bang we are used to. It kind of goes back to Haru Haru, Lies or Blues style of songs. I enjoyed it. There is something that I am going to rant about. But I feel like Daesung is overlooked in Big Bang. It feels like there is no faith in him. Both songs that were released consist of Daesung singing one verse and that is it. I know his sick and all (from the looks of live cams) but seriously, it is very disappointing. I understand Taeyang has a good voice and because of his recent success with Eyes Nose Lips, but to me, his voice only gets so far when it comes to emotional feels. Maybe it is because Daesung is just sick, but if the next few songs have Daesung little parts, I guess I am onto something. On the other hand, everyone else (including Daesung) have done an excellent job with the song.  The rapping, vocal work and instrumental is very calming (just maybe the “I’m a loser” part. Way to be optimistic). I really liked Seungri’s part in the song at the bridge. It is pretty unique and sets the song apart from their past songs.

The music video reminds me of Blue and Bad Boy just minus the unnecessary one shot takes. Their acting is definitely pretty good (disappointing we don’t see more of them acting). To me Daesung’s, Seungri’s and TOP’s parts in the video made much more sense than Tayang’s and G-Dragon’s. You can definitely see the loser part in the other three’s parts. But I guess Taeyang is a loser in this video because he is lonely? And G-Dragon is just walking around? I just like it how Daesung, despite getting punched and ganged up on, manages to be fashionable. It is pretty funny come to the think of it. And Taeyang, I think you have a condition. No-shirt-itis. Not complaining since you have a nice set of abs, but sometimes it is a little excessive. Out of the 5746556536 music videos he has been in 99% of them consist of a Taeyang without a shirt.  Also, I think we witness TOP stepping out of his comfort zone………. And then there is his part in Bae Bae……….

There is apparently a dance to this song. I find the song fine without a dance, but whatever floats their boats. I noticed it on their Music Bank stage, but I think it is like a one off thing. It is only this performance (I think) so far with a dance. Glad they incorporated the L sign. It makes sense after all.

Don’t worry. I should get the Bae Bae review out sometime during the weekend. Things have finally started to lift up off my shoulders and I only have exams (plus the odd one or two assignments) left. But I promise you, the Bae Bae review will come out. But for Loser, going to give it a solid 9.5/10.

But which song has been your favourite? It shall be an interesting question, since t is now Big Bang vs Big Bang.