Category: KPOP

[Album Review] Love Yourself: Answer (3rd Compilation Album) – BTS

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With BTS making their ‘IDOL’ comeback this past Friday, I think this is the fastest I have ever put out an album review for anyone. And while I had planned to do this as soon as I read the news of their said comeback, I never had expected so many high quality songs. Every new song on the album was a gem and I cannot wait to get straight into the review.

A compilation album is, put simply, a collection of past songs from other albums. BTS did insert 7 new songs into this album, which is the focus of the album review today. Joining these new songs are the song the group previously released as part of Love Yourself: Her and Love Yourself: Tears. Due to the amount of songs on the album (25 songs), it would be really crazy for me to put all the songs on this particular page. So, if you are looking for a particular review for another song from the other two mini-albums, click on the links below. Beside that, let’s get this show on the road!

Love Yourself: Her Album Review
Love Yourself: Tears Album Review

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Love Yourself: Answer Album Cover

2. Trivia 起 Just Dance (J-Hope Solo) – If you have been visiting my site for some time, you would know that I tend to prefer vocals over rap. But one of the things I love more than vocals are when rappers sing, as they tend to have a underrated voice. This is exactly what we have here. J-Hope’s verses just pull you in. And while that gets me hook, the chorus is another selling point that gives this song an amazing club vibe. The vibrating synth is also extremely addictive. Overall, the first new track of the album starts off these new releases with a banger. (10/10)

3. Trivia 承: Love (RM Solo) – The song kicks off with a very light hip hop sound that makes it appeal. While the sound might be a little too cheerful for RM (I for some reason associate him with a more dark/serious tone), this does not hinder his delivery and presentation of his lines, which felt very effortless (which is usual for the rapper). Once again, the singing was also top notch. Towards the end, there was an anthem like sound infused into the song, which made it the most exciting part of the song. (8/10)

5. Trivia 轉: See Saw (Suga Solo) – Starting off Seesaw is Suga’s husky vocals which sound like a blessing to my ears. His song takes us on the R&B route, which I think is an excellent move given the previous two songs (above). I like the use of background vocals in the song, which give it a little more backing. The instrumental is nice and smooth. But it is not as interesting as the other songs that I have already reviewed. It is a good track to kick back to, however, which is why I do enjoy it. (8/10)

13. Epiphany (Jin Solo) – Like the other two Love Yourself albums, we have a solo pre-release from Jin. This is one amazing song (and I felt that in just the first few seconds of the track). It gives Jin the opportunity to show something off which he doesn’t have the opportunity (I think I have said this in the past for his other solo releases). I love the instrumental of this, appealing to my taste in rock-ballad music. Overall, this is a show stopper on so many levels. (10/10)

14. I’m Fine – I’m Fine starts off same as Save Me back in 2016. However, it soon became distorted and we have a completely different sound, which falls along the line of Western pop currently. I liked the fast pace chorus which really gives off a very impactful push. It is also quite addictive. Once again, the rappers shine in this track. Particularly Suga, who had a awesome sequence. But that doesn’t mean the vocalists did not get any spotlight as their vocal work was amazing Going back to how the song is similar to Save Me, the lyrics is like a response to Save Me, which I thought was nice. (10/10)

15. IDOL (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of IDOL. (9/10)

16. Answer: Love Myself – Ending my review today is Love Myself, which is another perfect song from the group. Everything about this song is totally terrific. The vocals and harmonies were superb, while the rapping was toned down to fit this peaceful and more brighter sound from the group. The instrumental is well balanced, which is something I liked quite a bit. The lyrics of the song were quite touching as well. Looking back, my description/review doesn’t do the song justice, so my advice is to go and listen to this amazing song. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 9.3/10

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Love Yourself: Answer Teaser Image

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[Review] IDOL – BTS

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After another highly successful comeback this past May 2018, BTS is back to conquer the stage again. BTS made their highly anticipated comeback today with IDOL and the third part of their Love Yourself trilogy. And with their latest comeback, it is expected that the group will extend their reach into the international market. They have already come so far with collaborations with Steve Aoki and Nicki Minaj, who featured on another version of their title track.

IDOL isn’t what I had expected, given what DNA and Fake Love sounded like. This seems to be more hip-hop dominate and party anthem-like, which sounds pretty good. The song opens up with the rappers taking on the verse. And while they do sound great, it did feel like they were shouting a little too much. The vocals come right after for the pre-chorus buildup and I had similar thoughts in term of shouting, though it provided a great launch into the chorus. I really liked the burst of energy and upbeat nature of the chorus, which takes the track to a whole new level. It was quite catchy to my ears.  I also like the instrumental of the song, which really built up as it went along. If you listen carefully during the verses, they seemed to be a dramatic underlayer, with the upbeat sounds on top. I found that very interesting. The saxophones definitely brightened up the track and provided a nice sense of appeal. I have to admit though, the song isn’t my favourite from the group, but it quite up there.

Right off the bat, the video seemed to be quite noisy as there were more things going in the foreground of the video and the background of the video, than usual. And this video seems to be a little out there, compared to their previous music videos. And I have no idea what is going on in the video, as the scenes seem to be very odd. I have yet to watch any theories on the music video, but I assume they will be plentiful in a few hours. There were some aspects that felt very familiar. Some of the scenes reminded me of Fire and Not Today. For example, the choreography scene where there was a tonne of backup dancers reminded me of Fire. The colour palette and sets in this video reminded me of DNA‘s music video.

Choreography wise, it looks good. We don’t see too much in the music video but there seems to be enough to conclude that this is going quite a performance. There seems to be amazing footwork during the chorus and the overall feel does a good job of hyping up the song. I may return next once I get a better look at the performance!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10

[Review] Hi High – LOONA

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After a long pre-debut period of almost two years, LOONA have finally made their official debut with Hi High. Yes, this is not a pre-release but their actual debut track which they will be formally promoting on stage. The song features on the group’s first mini-album, which is called ++. The group previously made a pre-release with favoRiTe, which is also featured on the said mini-album.

Hi High is an extremely energetic and bright song that felt very unexpected. I saw that because LOONA’s predebut consisted of a wide variety of genres and styles. Yet they went with something a little cliche for a debut. Not that is a problem as the song does a really good job of presenting that youthful side of the group to the listener. There is a sense of familiarity, however, as it does remind me of their predebut style. I really like the ‘Woo-Woo-Ah’ lines within the verses, which were really catchy. The chorus itself was really addictive with the repetition of the English and the chant vibes that come from it. Even though it just came out, it has already been replayed an unhealthy amount of times. Vocally, the song was amazing and the rapping was quite good. The high note during the bridge was spectacular, kicking us with some impact just before the song ends. Overall, it was a fun song that definitely shows their potential.

These are just my observations from the music video but there were a fair bit of reunions. Furthermore, a number of scenes reminded me of some of the predebut music videos, such as the dark room and the athletic track running scenes. Based on this (and the fact that LOONAverse flashes across the screen at the start), I think the context of the video is that they are rejoining as a group after being apart in their own worlds for quite some time. For those who don’t know, I will be posting my LOONA music video theory in a number of weeks (there will be scheduling changes for that) and this video will find its way onto that theory. Storyline aside, it is a good video on its own.

The performance of this song consists of a lot of members. There are other groups who consist of more members but their choreography has been very tight. LOONA’s performance, on the other hand, is a lot looser. The members had to do a fair amount of running to get from one side to the other. I like the cuteness in this choreography, especially during the chorus, which made the performance very inviting.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.9/10

[Review] Upside Down – BIGFLO

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Despite being around for approximately 4 years now, this is my first time reviewing BIGFLO. BIGFLO is a 5 member boy group (Euijin, Sungmin, Ron, Lex & Hightop) currently under Hyeyoom Entertainment. Some songs from the group include Deliah, Oblivate & Stardom. Due to their limited success, Euijin and Lex participated in The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project, where Euijin finished in second place and is also currently apart of UNB. Upside Down is their newest song. Despite already completing a full weeks worth of promotions, they only dropped the music video yesterday.

Upside Down starts off as your typical KPOP song. It didn’t really feel that captivating at first. However, as the song progressed, it started to become more appealing and interesting to my ears. The instrumental for this song falls within a funky retro domain, which ended up being one of my favourite components of the song. And yeah, while it did feel very ordinary for the most part, there were crashing sounds that came in at the right time to provide some crunch to the song and lead us into the next part of the song. The vocals were good but the rapping stole the show for me. It too gave some texture, which I really liked. I also liked that extra kick the rapping sequence at the end had, coming out of nowhere to end off the song. Overall, Upside Down was an awesome song that just needed some time to sit right with me.

Capitalising on Euijin’s newfound popularity from The Unit and UNB, he opens up the music video with a dance introduction. But that bears little relevance to the music video. From a non-Korean’s perspective, the video is a tad confusing, with the members being left alone and interacting with someone who just isn’t there. The lyrics provide some insight to why the guys are like this. They are trapped in a relationship where their partner basically constricts them. They want out (and very desperately, judging by some scenes) but end up finding themselves coming back, similar to Stockholm Syndrome in a sense. The music video is quite bare but it offers an interesting interpretation.

I enjoy things that blow my mind. The transition between Euijin’s introduction and the start of Upside Down’s actual performance was amazing. The rest of the performance looked awesome but I felt like they could have done something a little more to amaze the audience even more. But it was still worth watching.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

 

[Review] NANANA – IMFACT

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I am slowly catching up on a number of comebacks which I, unfortunately, missed last week due to being a little busy. I am hoping to get two reviews done tonight, so let’s get cracking! IMFACT are back with their latest single, NANANA. This is the group’s second 2018 comeback, following The Light, which was released earlier this year in April. They performed NANANA, alongside to The Light, prior to the official comeback while at KCON 2018 in LA last weekend.

NANANA is extremely laid back and doesn’t have that explicit peak that you expect to hear when it comes to other songs. There is a moment that the buildup was intense (the bridge of the song) but it soon returns to the chorus’ original instrumentation, meaning there is some consistency. And while it does sound like that would be a boring tactic, it isn’t. There is something with the recent releases as they were all captivating yet able to maintain consistency. The instrumentation was great being very dynamic yet soft all at the same time. I like how their vocals aren’t hard-hitting like other KPOP songs of the EDM genre. They go for a more subtle approach which makes the song very easy on the ears. The combination of the soft EDM instrumentation and subtle vocal work gives the song interesting texture, which makes it appealing to my ears. The rapping gave off a different texture altogether, mixing some roughness to the smooth mix. Overall, I thought NANANA was a great song.

Unfortunately, I can’t really say the same in regards to the video. There isn’t a whole heap going on throughout the video, which I think does pair well with the laidback side of the song. However, with the interesting amount of texture within the song, I felt like this could have called for some visual textures as well. We do see a bit of it through the use of colour and black and white. However, it doesn’t seem to be enough.

 I liked the smooth nature of the choreography, which pairs well with the song. I didn’t think they would go for a very complicated routine for this song but they did and it paid off. The stage looked amazing and their stage presence was exceptional. My only comment would have to be in regards to how tense they look.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

 

[Review] Sunrise – SUPER JUNIOR-D&E

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I promised you all that I will get around to review Donghae and Eunhyuk’s most recent Japanese release, Sunrise, this weekend and that is where we find ourselves today. Donghae and Eunhyuk have had a few Japanese comebacks since their return from the military but I forgot about most of them. But I put this one on my agenda in hopes of making it up to you all. Sunrise was released approximately one month ago and is part of their 3rd full-length album in Japan.

Like ‘Bout You (their Korean comeback), Sunrise attempts to bring the duo back with sounds that are more relevant to the industry right now. And they do a pretty good job at it. The song does have the same flaws as I had written about yesterday, including repetition and standard chorus with nothing to offer. I am not sure why they put autotune over their own voices, which felt very unnecessary. I understand that it is electronic music but it just doesn’t feel natural and unique anymore (as everyone does it). What I did like about the song, however, was how clean it felt. It didn’t feature any awkward corners or background vocals that felt unwanted. Instead, the song just flowed nicely, which I thought made the song decent to listen to.

The music video, for this song, was really high quality and it felt like I was watching something out a sci-fi movie. Removing the choreography scenes and their closeup in the forest, the duo finds themselves running towards a light structure in the middle of the forest, which I think is the start of every alien based movie. When the chorus kicks in, we are thrown to the choreography shots, purely done in a studio but it looked spectacular, especially with the LCD background. It is a cool video, irrespective of the song, in my opinion.

It was a cool video but it would have been nice to see something a little different. The same comments from yesterday still apply here. They are trying extra hard to fit in with the young crowd, which is a little disappointing. I am quite sure (not referring to the hammer hand dance) that some of the moves were seen in their Korean comeback as well.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10 
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.1/10

[Review] Green Apple – Berry Good

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Berry Good is officially back after over a year’s break with Green Apple and their first ever full-length album, Free Travel. This very underrated group promoted Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo back in May last year. It hasn’t technically been a long break for some of the members as the group did launch a subunit, Berry Good HeartHeart (consisting of Taeha, Sehyung, Gowoon) who debuted back in Crazy, Gone Crazy back in April of this year.

Berry Good just never sticks to one style of music. Instead, they change it up every single comeback. And while I can see this as being very confusing for some people, I like the breath of freshness that they always bring to the table with their different styles. Green Apple is another cutesy song but done very well. It feels bright and bubbly, mainly due to the synths that are present throughout the song. It stays consistent but it doesn’t feel repetitive at all, which is a huge relief. The chorus is quite catchy, being somewhat explosive in nature. The song is quite dynamic and while that can be attributed to the instrumental, I think the vocals play an even stronger part in the song’s appeal. It feels like a cute conversation rather than the girls’ singing every line. I think this makes the song more approachable and intriguing.

The music video is essentially a guy trying to woo some girls with apples. He has red apples though, whereas the girls enjoy green apples. He adapts to their desires and offers them ‘poison’ green apples (similar to the one that knocks Snow White out). And as payback, they take all his green apples (assumingly to stop him from doing the same thing to everyone else) and make him run around, while also having some fun on the beach. That is my take on the video. I thought it was good, fitting for the song.

The choreography balances cute and sexy, which I think it also quite fitting for the song (and season of Summer). Apart from that, I don’t much else to say in regards to the performance.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

 

[Review] Bae – Hyolyn

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Hyolyn made a surprise comeback with Bae. The announcement of this comeback was out of the blue as she only released See Sea a few weeks back. But I am not complaining because it isn’t Summer without a comeback from any Summer Queen and I will gladly accept multiple if the opportunity comes up.

Bae is another song to add onto the Summer playlist. It isn’t the most experimental or unique track, opting for a more traditional dance-pop style song featuring very Summery and vibrant instrumental. The song itself doesn’t take any moments to relax, going straight in with a consistent and energetic tune. And the consistency isn’t a flaw here,  with the song’s melody being a major driving force that made me enjoy the song.  The song didn’t feel repetitive whatsoever, which I thought was interesting, given how consistency tends to make songs repetitive. I think Hyolyn’s vocals make the song feel different during each section, as she fits perfectly into the song. No flaws or awkward moment presented itself making this another amazing track from the widely known vocalist. Her rapping was also quite unexpected but felt very needed halfway during the song, which gave the song a little texture. In summary, Hyolyn aced Summer, once again.

I saw a few articles today which described the music video was retro. And many elements within the video were quite retro. From the diner and the roller skating rink, that element is visibly present. However, what I liked within the video as well, was how well they made sure to emphasise that this is a video within the present time and that it was modern. I think that is partly due to the people within the video (including Hyolyn herself), who dressed in outfits that aren’t retro but more of this era. I thought that was quite cool and made the video quite nice, overall.

The choreography to this was quite nice. There isn’t a live performance but I would love to see her and the backup dancers perform at the bar, exactly like in the video. It looked awesome and is my pick for the best part of the dance. Furthermore, I thought her chemistry with all the dancers were quite nice, adding an extra element to the video.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

 

[Review] ‘Bout You – SUPER JUNIOR-D&E

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With an impending comeback expected from the legendary Super Junior (with the return of Ryeowook, who recently came back from his military enlistment) very soon, Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk have returned as a subunit with ‘Bout You. The new song features of the unit’s second mini-album, which also shares the same name. This is the unit’s first comeback since their release of Growing Pains, back in 2015. They have been active in Japan since their return from the military in 2017, with their latest Japan comeback to be reviewed tomorrow.

‘Bout You is duo’s attempt of reinventing themselves to fit into the different music industry that they were last in. Even Super Junior jumped on board with the recent Latin-inspired sound with Lo Siento. ‘Bout You features a tropical inspired instrumental that fits perfectly into both the recent (and ongoing) tropical EDM influx and the Summer season that is supposedly wrapping up soon. And for the most part, the song is quite good. The vocals throughout the song were quite good and the rapping was quite decent. I liked the layering of the piano within the bridge, which was my favourite part overall. The chorus was pretty standard and doesn’t offer much of a hook to really get into. But that isn’t the thing that irks me. It is the fact that they used their autotuned vocal to provide some background effect to the instrumental. It just felt so dated and quite out of fashion, particularly the way they presented it. But overall, it was a good song.

Like most KPOP videos nowadays, they take the camera to the US for their music video. And while it is a Donghae and Eunhyuk music video, the way it was shot reminded me of the way Winner’s music videos are given to us. I am not too sure what the plotline of the video because it doesn’t really establish match except for she is a singer and Donghae warns another guy to not make any moves. Eunhyuk is a third wheel and part way through the video, the girl and Donghae kisses. I also thought the singing scene (where she gets on stage and lip sync to their song) really awkward.

The choreography also fits in with what seems to be on trend in the industry at the moment. The hammer hand dance makes an appearance, alongside the dab and other moves. Not that makes a bad video (their choreography isn’t too bad) but it does make them look like they are trying to fit in extra hard.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] YA YA YA – MXM

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I was not aware that MXM made their comeback yesterday. It did not appear in my subscription box at all and only saw their release while I was browsing Twitter in bed (Yes, I have a Twitter – Follow it here!). So apologise for this day late review. But MXM is officially back with their first-ever full-length album, More Than Ever, and the title track, YA YA YA. They previously promoted with Gone Cold and Diamond Girl earlier this year.

As soon as it starts, you will notice YA YA YA has a playful tone to it. I personally thought Diamond Girl was pretty playful but this song has a more light-hearted feel to it, which makes it likeable from the get-go. I like the brightness of the song, which aided in that light-hearted feel just mentioned. The song takes on a hip-hop sound. The instrumental is very typical but I liked how it doesn’t employ too many synths nor does it feel heavy. I liked the use of the pipes, which gave it an intriguing side. The rapping was quite good and the vocals were pretty nice. I particularly liked their ‘YA YA YA‘ hook throughout the song. It is plain and unimaginative but its simplicity makes it work and stand out. The odd sample of classical music (my brain isn’t registering what the piece is but it very familiar sounding) was a rather unexpected turn but it wasn’t necessarily off-putting. Overall, YA YA YA was a very enjoyable song.

The music video contains very cool graphics. I applaud the people behind this video because it looks very unique and cool. It gives a modern look to the video, despite it being shot on a basketball court and in plain coloured rooms. Besides that, it was a light-hearted video, fitting for the song. However, it lacks interesting moments, making it a tad dry after a few replays.

The performance was literally a massive smile from start to end. And that really makes you want to smile along to the song (and their performance). I feel like they could have put their backup dancers in something a little nicer than tees with the name of the song printed on it. The chorus showed cool footwork and I don’t think they rested one bit during the performance.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

 

[Review] HANN – (G)I-DLE

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Prepare yourselves as this year’s monster rookies are making their first ever comeback today. HANN, which translates to Alone, is the first digital single released by the girls. This comes after the group dominated charts with their debut track LATATA a few months back, which directed a lot of attention towards the group and earned them a very large following.

HANN is one interesting song. I think the expectation was for the group to come back with a similar track to LATATA to consolidate their following and position within the industry. So, it was a little shocking to hear a completely different sound. HANN is a lot less in-your-face that LATATA, opting for a melodic approach for their chorus. I personally do not find this song as catchy as the hook doesn’t seem to be that strong. But who knows, maybe the song will grow heavily on me as time passes. However, it is how exotic the song sounds that makes me drawn to the song. The track seems to be Latin-influenced unlike any other we have heard thus far. The verses had this tango vibe to it, which I liked. The rapping was awesome and the vocals were decent. I particularly like the verses, especially the way Soyeon started off the song (that tango vibe was amazing!). A little unexpected but still a decent step forward.

The first thing I thought of in this video was vampires. I liked the concept a lot and this is definitely an amped up version of Volume Up (by the now disbanded Cube Entertainment girl group, 4MINUTE). I like the dry setting where the video was set (though I am thinking it was shot in a studio – but it is the idea that counts). I liked the overload of charisma the girls had which really paid off, for me at least. Overall, the video showed off a very strong side of the girls without the need for a powerful song, which was something I liked.

The music video showed a few scenes of choreography, which I thought were quite good. Per usual, I liked how it was incredibly fitting for the song. There was definitely a consistent exotic vibe throughout their choreography, which they also had going on during their debut video. Might need to wait for a full performance but I think it is it going a smashing performance.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

 

[Album Review] Sensuous (5th Mini Album) – SF9

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SF9 made their very impactful comeback two weeks ago week with Now Or Never. They have also topped the Weekly Music Charts post for this week (thank you for all the retweets and likes on Twitter! My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing this afternoon). Fun fact (and I am not making this up) but I actually planned to review this album prior to its release. I was so drawn to the album by just listening to the highlight medley.  I even fast-tracked the album review release, as well. Hence, why we are here today. Onwards with the review!

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Sensuous Album Cover

1..Now Or Never (질렀어) (Title Track) – Click here to read the review for Now Or Never. (10/10)

2. Different (달라) – This is the type of sound that I associate with Summer when it comes to KPOP. It is a very upbeat, vibrant and colourful song that feels just right. And while the song isn’t as mind-blowing as the title track, the song does a good job of maintaining the same level of energy and power, which I think it totally awesome. The song features a catchy chorus and showcases really good vocals, as well. The rapping is also equally as good but I felt they were too short. (8.5/10)

3. Unlimited – The start of this song is a tad underwhelming, given how the song progresses. It feels like a start to a slow yet dramatic song, not an upbeat dance track. Once the song does pick up (mid-way of the first verse), I was very impressed with the quality and intensity of the sound. I personally liked the prolonged drop into the choruses. Once again, there was great vocals and raps. I did notice the bridge of the song featured the guitar instrumental that was heard at the start. While I thought it as a start was underwhelming, its presence within the song was more appreciated. Overall, another good song. (8/10)

4. Photograph – Following the characteristics of the previous tracks, Photograph also takes on a bright sound and is another dance track. It is the type of KPOP song that you listen to yet smile to because of its energy, despite not knowing what the lyrics mean. I didn’t like the slow down they used for the pre-chorus, which felt a little awkward for me. It just felt like something more towards the end of the song, rather than before a decent drop. The chorus, made up of the ‘My Photograph’ hook and the twinkling instrumentation, was also quite catchy and was my pick for the highlight of the song. Overall, it was still a decent song. (8/10)

5. Shadow – Interestingly enough, the album ends on a more serious note which was a surprise given their brightness level on the album so far. And that is also why the song stands out. The song also follows a different formula, opting for a dragged-out chorus consisting of the rapping only. It is a little different from what we heard so far, making the song unique and interesting. On top of that, the vocal and rap sequences outside of the chorus gave the song an extra punch of impact, which I thought was good. My most favourite part is the vocal/rap combo for the bridge, which really brought together. Overall, it worked really well and ended the album on a unique note. (8.5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.6/10

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Sensuous Teaser Image

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[Review] Page 0 – Taeyeon (SNSD) & Melomance

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SM Station is back and they are delivering us with songs from a brand new project known as Station x 0. While I am not sure of the difference between this project and SM Station itself, 6 new songs will be unveiled (starting today) of collaborations between various artists. We will see Chanyeol and Sehun from EXO collaborating with each other, Baekhyun and Loco releasing a track and a 4 member single performed by Red Velvet’s Seulgi, GFriend’s SinB, Chungha and GI-DLE’s Soyeon, just to name a few. However, kicking things off today is Taeyeon (from SNSD) and chart-topping duo, Melomance.

Their song is Page 0 and I am totally digging it. I thought they would go with some boring ballad route but their song ended up being very vibrant and cheerful, which I really liked. It can also be described as refreshing, which fits neatly into the Summer releases we have been getting. Melomance’s signature vocals to the song, which automatically lifts the energy of the song up. Taeyeon sounds amazing, per usual. I thought their harmonies were amazing throughout the song. I really like the keyboard in the instrumental, particularly the keyboard-only start for the second verse. The chorus was really catchy, making me sing along within the first few listens of the track.

The song shares one simple message, to take on the world as it is your own life. And that is what we are shown here. It shows people comfortable in their own skin, regardless of whoever they are. And I think that is something we are all striving to do, making sure the world is a better place for everyone. For that, I think it is a really beautiful video. I like how the video makes your smile, which goes well with the sound of the song, overall.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

 

[Review] Woo Woo – DIA

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DIA joins the Summer comeback rush with a brand new mini-album, Summer Ade. Featuring on their 4th mini-album to date is the title track Woo Woo. The group was previously meant to make their comeback last month but ultimately delayed it to August to ensure a higher production quaility. This is DIA’s first comeback since Good Night was released and the departure of Eunjin. Some of the members of DIA also participated in The Unit, with only Yebin making into the project group, UNI.T.

Woo Woo is a very Summery song with the instrumental providing a very refreshing feel. Initally, I thought the song was quite boring. However, within a day, I can say it is quite catchy and can potentially become addictive. It isn’t their strongest release to date but it does a good job trying to catch up to their strongest release (Can’t Stop). I thought the chorus had a nice melody and the ‘Woo Woo‘ hook was really cute. On top of that, I really liked the vocal sections of the song, which were quite itneresting section. I thought the rap sequence was rather dry but did like the incorportation of Lee Hyori’s famous line of ‘Just One 10 Minute‘ from 10 Minute. Overall, I thought the song was good and as I said, I think the song has potentially to be replaying in my head (it has already started).

When you think of Summer, you think of the beach. And that is what the video starts off with. There seems to be a mini competition embedded in the music video where you have to find some items (like a scavenger hunt). Something similar popped up in Momoland’s BAAM but I don’t there were any prizes invovled. It progrsses into a very typical music video shot on sets we have seen many times and the overall feel doesn’t relly allow it to be differentiated much. There were a number of cute scenes that I thought were nice, such as the hiding from pizza scenes at the end. I am a tad confused with the ringing telepohone at the end. But other than that, it was a fair video.

I thought the choreography for this comeback was quite nice. It falls into the cutesy category but it works well with the song, especially the moves for the hook. Furthermore, I really thought the dance break was really cool.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.1/10

[Album Review] Ride On The Wind (3rd Mini Album) – KARD

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I usually publish my album reviews on Thursdays and Sundays. However, I am a day late due to the release of the Dream Catcher music video theories yesterday. Today’s album review will focus on KARD’s recent comeback and Ride On The Wind. The album cover, shown below, is probably my pick for one of many unappealing covers to do date. It looks so plain and the image of them looks like it was just pasted on it. But we are not here to talk about the album cover but rather the songs on the album. So let’s get going! (Per usual, I have left off their Humming introductory track).

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Ride On The Wind Album Cover

2. Moonlight – What this song does nicely show a fair amount of contrast between the female and male members of the group. Jiwoo and Somin have higher pitch vocal parts which pair well with the usual deep tone of BM and J.Seph. I like how it is very easy on the ears as the song relies on a softer instrumental, compared to their past releases. I have to admit the song does lack something, which I cannot determine the nature of. I feel like with an additional element, the song could have been kicked up a notch. Also, I felt the song was repetitive but it wasn’t too bad. (8/10)

3. Ride On The Wind (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Ride On The Wind. (8/10)

4. Knocking on Heaven’s Door – Like the first song, Somin and Jiwoo had their parts at a higher than normal pitch and the male members had their usual rap. What is different, however, is the amount of energy that comes from this track. It makes the song so much more comfortable. Not saying that the first song was uncomfortable but the feeling is so much more present here. What also draws my attention (and possibly everyone else’s) to the song is the autotuned ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ line just before the chorus. I thought it was rather cool and makes the song quite addictive. I also liked how the ladies added their own twist to that same line at the end of the song, which gave us a little something different at the end. (9/10)

5. Dimelo –  Dimelo means ‘Tell Me’ in Spanish. And it is a good song overall. However, it was very typical for the most part. And it would have remained typical if it didn’t include that really uncomfortable high pitch synth which can be heard during the post-chorus/second verse rap. The vocals and raps were decent. Just that one synth could have been forgone. Besides that, there isn’t much else to talk about. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8/10

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Ride On The Wind Teaser Images

[Review] favOriTe – LOONA

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For me, LOONA is now the most anticipated debut of 2018. So I am a little disappointed with the fact that this isn’t a debut but rather a pre-release or taster to what is about to come. For those who do not know LOONA, they are an 12 member girl group who spent the last 2 years releasing solo tracks and subunit mini-albums, whilst also building up hype to their end-goal, their debut.

favOriTe is the title of this pre-release single and it is going to knock your socks off. It is an interesting yet very jam-packed song, featuring what I would call an intense instrumental. I am not sure how to exactly describe the instrumental besides a cluster is synths that work extremely well together. I think each section (minus the pre-choruses) have something different within them, which in turns prevented the song from becoming repetitive, which I was slightly concerned about. For example, the second chorus featured the high pitch screeching (which resembles mosquitoes for me, hahaha…), whereas the first chorus didn’t. While we are on the topic of the instrumental, the very start felt like it was a throwback to a number of the solo releases, with a very LOONA sound being heard. Vocally, the song was quite good. I did expect more rapping though, given the intense nature of the song. I also found the song very easy to get into, which should be hard given the number of synths featured. But hey, if they managed to make it easy on the ears, imagine what else they can do.

The music video was mainly choreography shots in an abandoned warehouse and a number of closeup shots in a grayscale filter. Not a bad video for a pre-release. If I was to be critical, their outfits look very plain and poorly chosen for this video. Sure, they have that supposedly cutesy and youthful side but the song calls for something edgier.

The choreography was amazing. Really enjoyed all the sections that I saw in the music video. The most favourite part was the dance break, which definitely added more of that edge to the performance than any other section. I would like this to be performed on stage (But I believe this was already performed on stage before but I like to see it in more HD – with fan chants).

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.7/10