Category: KPOP

[Album Review] Flight Log: Arrival (6th Mini Album) – GOT7

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GOT7 has returned with the final album in their Flight Log series. The group first released Flight Log: Flight and the title track Fly back in early 2016. They later made their comeback with Hard Carry, as part of Flight Log: Turbulence in September 2016. Now, they are back with Flight Log: Arrival and their latest title track, Never Ever, which is linked below.

Flight Log: Arrival – Album Cover

1..Never Ever (title track) – Click here to see my review for Never Ever (7.25/10)

2. Shopping Mall – Song titles tend to confuse me. This one may be the most random one, but yet it somehow manages to get tied to a standard song theme. Shopping Mall is a bland track that didn’t capture my attention. The opening of the song is pretty good (it was the only memorable part of the song or the only thing that I remembered about the song) but the rest of the song seemed lackluster. The track itself is a typical pop track. The vocals and raps seem okay. But as I said, there isn’t much in the song. (4/10)

3. Paradise – Paradise’s instrumental caught my attention, something the previous song didn’t do. It is another instrumental that is right up my alley. At first, when I heard the song, I thought it sounded pretty generic, especially the vocals. However, after multiple listens, I think I can say that the song is growing on me. The vocals do sound quite good, and the raps seem quite smooth. The chorus was quite catchy, with the repetition of “Paradise” and the instrumental in the background. It isn’t flashy and is more on the simple side, but that won’t mean it would be a weaker song. (6/10)

4. Sign – It is one of the slower songs on the mini album. From the outside, you may think that I would find this song on more of the dull side. And I probably would have thought the same thing.  But I actually like this song. It is an interesting mix that works pretty well. It reminds me of RnB almost. The instrumental uses synths and electronic sounds, but it a much slower manner. The vocals worked wonderfully and do show off their vocal abilities. Youngjae’s extra loud vocals during the bridge gave the song an extra push forward, which was much appreciated because if it weren’t there,  then the song would have fallen into the generic category as well. (7/10)

5. Go Higher – Go Higher is the party anthem of the mini album. The song reminded me of DJ Got Us Falling In Love (I know, quite random). But then it clicked because I associate DJ Got Us Falling In Love with parties. (Yep, I have a social life. Also, it is a song that is played at a majority of the parties that I go to). And it is one of the few songs that I know the lyrics off by heart). To get the full effect of the song, you need to have the volume up high and throw in a little more bass! It sounds amazing. The vocals/raps are not hidden by the instrumental. But I would have liked the instrumental track to have more of an intense and powerful punch to get everything going. Talking about the instrumental, it is an odd mash between different EDM sounds, but they all manage to work altogether. (7.5/10)

6. Q – This is probably the fluffiest track of all from GOT7. It has a cute sound to it, which isn’t something that GOT7 would often do. And surprisingly, I like it. Maybe it is because it compliments the vocals of some members. That harmony for the “I just want a cue” with all the vocalists (JB, Jinyoung, Youngjae and Yugeom) was probably the highlight of the song. Mark’s rap was also quite good here. I also have a confession to make, but as I was listening to the song on the bus today, I was trying to decipher what Q meant. For a while, I thought it was a cute sounding song, but the guys were singing “I just was to kill.” Thank God, I did some research once I got home. Or else things would have been a little embarrassing. (8/10)

7. Don’t Care (양심없이) – Annoying instrumental, if I have to be honest. But the vocals and the raps sound pretty good. The way they sing just seem to roll along and make everything feel so smooth. Surprisingly, that effect fitted well with the song and work well with the instrumental. The RnB sound was quite prominent, and on top of that, it does sound quite sensual as well. I like what they were doing, just not enjoying the instrumental that much (yet). Who knows if this track will grow on me? (I have a feeling it might) (6/10)

8. Out – This is the one track that I looked forward to. It has that B-side track feel, which was a little disappointing, but it is was the one track that had the right level of impact. I love the different tempos in the song. Some parts were slow, while others were much more upbeat. Likewise, the vocals and raps gave the song a lot of variety. Great instrumental, as well. The catchiness (and Jackson’s voice) of “Wait a minute, I’m out” made it sound and feel much cooler. I also wonder what the inspiration for the song was. Was it inspired by their ongoing antics and the fact they end things by saying “I’m 1 Out, I’m 2 Out”? (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7/10

Flight Log: Arrival – Teaser Image

 

[Review] Never Ever – GOT7

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GOT7 has finally returned with the third part of their Flight Log era. Their comeback is highly anticipated and everyone has high expectations for the comeback, due to the success of Hard Carry and Fly. Their mini album, Flight Log: Arrival, features the title track, Never Ever. Sadly, Jackson ran into a little health scare during the week, causing him to now miss out on the first week of promotions. Hopefully, he will recover soon and rejoin the promotions. (I was going to pull off “they landed safely” pun here in the introduction, but that seems to conflict with what the 3 music videos are telling us.)

Never Ever, to me, falls in between Fly and Hard Carry. Both contains EDM elements, as does this song. But what separates them is the intensity. Fly seems to be more of a chill track, while Hard Carry is quite intense. Never Ever isn’t as chill as Fly or isn’t as intense as Hard Carry. Hence why I think it lies quite nicely in between both songs. The song is interesting. I love everything about the song, minus one vital part. The vocals, the raps, the instrumental, the beat. Everything sounds really amazing. Yugyeom’s intro was jaw-dropping and the way some of the members dragged out the words in the song sounded nice. Just the chorus lets me down so much. The songs instrumental builds up quite nicely to the first chorus and you expect the beat to drop. And it did drop. Just in an anticlimactic way. It was choppy and it felt very empty. As if there was more to the chorus and they just left it out. I liked the vocals but not the instrumental for the chorus (nor the background “ooooaaaahhhhh”s). The song was produced by JYP. And I am not putting the blame on him because he has produced some amazing songs out there. But there might have been a reason why he stopped producing songs for JYP artists and why they went elsewhere to get songs (or write songs themselves). But honestly, everything in the track, besides the chorus, was fantastic and I will be replaying the song constantly (too late, already started) with or without the chorus, just to hear the rest of the song.

From what I observed in all the music videos released by GOT7, the HD quality just keeps on getting better and better. Maybe the lighting was better in this video. But never have I seen the colours so bold or striking. Check out the leaves in the glass cube or the white hospital hallway. Also observed were the connections between the Fly and Hard Carry videos. Fly was connected to Hard Carry via the scene where Jinyoung body would fly up, while he was lying down. Never Ever brought a lot of elements that made Hard Carry, such as the glass cube, Youngjae smashing the glass cube and the underwater scenes. Fly told us that Jinyoung’s friends had died. Hard Carry seemed to have told us how they died. And Never Ever seemed to tell us how Jinyoung was brought to life. The scenes in Never Ever was a little confusing but I think I got the connections between the other videos down pat (do comment if I am wrong. I tend to be wrong 99% of the time when it comes to deciphering what music videos are showing us). It is still a great video to watch, though. The visuals of the video and the group looked really nice. To me, GOT7 just continues to get more handsome with each video.

From what I see, the choreography fits the song. Some of the moves looked pretty cool. But as a whole, it seemed to lack something. Both Hard Carry and Fly had the right level of impact for the respective song. Here, it doesn’t seem to be as impressive and impactful as their past dances.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 4/10
Overall Rating – 7.25/10

[Review] Rollin’ – Brave Girls

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Brave Girls have returned with a brand new track. Rollin’ is their first song of the year, and it also marks another lineup change, with Yoojin leaving the group and Hyeran on hiatus. Currently, the girls are promoting as a 5 member girl group. They returned to the scene last year after a 3-year absence from the stage, with Deepened and High Heels.

If I were to pick a word that I use so many times, it would be ‘amazing’. Oh, that is also what this song is. Amazing. When I first heard the song, I dug it. I fell for it. I loved it. And now, after so many replays, I think I am obsessed. It has a simple club beat, but it also throws some tropical house sounds in the instrumental break. While the music suits more of Summer, it manages to work for me. Maybe it is because we (Australians) just escaped the Summer, so the feels are still there. Given their more recent songs, I didn’t count on hearing such a great song for them and I glad I didn’t avoid the song. The vocals were clear as day and all the other elements go well with each other. But there is something that puts the cherry on top of the song. That is the really catchy and addictive “rollin’ rollin’“. It brings a smile to my face and it makes me sing along to it. Like the word, the instrumental, at that moment, gives off that rolling effect. It may sound simple, but it goes a long way. Hence why I totally dig this track.

The official music video is rated 19+. Brave Entertainment also released a “clean version” of the music video. I only glance over of the clean version but the only difference between the rated version and clean version are scenes scattered throughout where all members are sitting with each other and they were filmed wearing revealing clothing. I personally don’t see anything graphic (or worth labelling as 19+) about them, like many Korean music videos that have a rated warning, such as Nine Muses’ Wild. The video was made using a green screen, which makes them looking like they are dancing in a room, outside in a storm. While that does sound cool to an extent, it also seems very odd. However, the darkness seems to fit well with the song. There is just something about it that clicks right into place. The majority of the video consist of choreography scenes and a few more closeups sprinkled throughout. Yeah, it isn’t anything impressive, but overall, it is an okay video to watch.

I would say I love half the choreography and dislike the other half. The “rollin’ rollin'” part where the girls are on the stools looked amazing and matched the song’s vibes at that part. The verses looked bland, but it too fit with the song. The part I dislike is the instrumental breaks. The dance at that part was far too slow for the beat, and it made the performance feel too slow.

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

[Album Review] Rose (6th Single Album) – B.A.P

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Thank you for all the views for the review for B.A.P’s  Wake Me Up. Also, thanks for the many retweets and likes on Twitter for the review. They just keep coming. In total, a whopping 131 retweets and 129 favourites for just one review is something completely unexpected. But it goes to show the power of BABYs and B.A.P fans around the world. So, I present to you all the full single review for B.A.P’s Rose.

Rose (6th Single) Album Cover

 

1..Dystopia – This song is probably one of the few songs that satisfy my yearning for intense songs. It sounds like the type of song to keep you on the edge of your seats. The rock-based song sounds amazing. Sure, the instrumental may feel a little overpowering compared to the vocals, but in this song’s case, it works. Out of all the members, I think Bang Yong Guk’s vocals were highlighted the best. His short line at the start gave the song the kick it needed and his parts scattered throughout (even though some of them consisted of one word) still kept the song kicking. That being said, each member did a fantastic job in the song as well. It is one track that is worthy of all the head bangs you can fit in for the length of the song. (9/10)

2. Wake Me Up (Title Track) – Click to check out the full review for Wake Me Up (8.5/10)

3. Diamond 4 Ya – Moving away from the rock, Diamond 4 Ya is a completely different sounding song. However, that typical B.A.P feel is still there. It’s powerful in its own way, despite the sound being a lot more delicate and softer, compared to their more intense or tough sounds. I love the instrumental here, especially that squeaky sound after each chorus. I am also captivated by Himchan’s Your Love, Your Way. While I don’t find much interesting with Himchan’s vocals, this song does seem to have stomped on my opinions. The rest of the vocals sounded very nice. While I praised Bang Yong Guk’s parts in Dystopia, I feel like his part (and the entire rap sequences with Zelo) a little bland. While I spent my time head-banging in Dystopia, I toned it down to just a consistent and continuous nod. Don’t get the wrong idea, I am just making my actions more appropriate to the song. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10

Image result for rose bap teaser image
Rose Teaser Image

(This album review was originally scheduled to be posted on Wednesday the 15th, but since I have completed the review earlier than intended, I decided to post it on Sunday the 12th, to allow for other reviews to be published a day earlier and as another sign of gratitude).

 

[Album Review] Feel’eM (10th Mini Album) – BTOB

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A few days ago, I posted my personal review for BTOB’s newest title track, Movie. I also mentioned in the review that I had plans to do an album review for their 10th mini album. And I am trying extremely hard to keep my promises. But needlessly to say, here I am with the album review!

Image result for BTOB someday
Feel’eM (1oth Mini Album)  Cover

 

1..Just Say It (말만 해) – The mini starts off with a jazzy number. It actually sounds quite good. I know this may be only me, but it sounds similar to their title track. The only difference is that Just Say It sounds better. Everything fitted perfectly into the song. From the easily transformed vocals to the (harder to fit in) rap sequences. You really do not expect raps sequences to fit in with a jazz number, but here it works. The vocals are superb, especially those higher notes sung during the chorus. While there was a more defined and ‘louder’ beat in the title track, everything about the instrumental in this song is perfect. The snaps to the guitar dominated instrumental, everything felt right. (9/10)

2. Movie (Title Track) – click here to see the full review for BTOB’s title track (6.5/10)

3. About Time – The ballad track sounded good. The sudden silence acted like a drop, before launching back into the chorus. It should have worked, but I felt it was an unnecessary feature of the song. Once again, the raps sequences are quite nice. The vocals are held back to fit the nature of the song. And while it does compliment the song, it makes the song feel extremely weak sounding. (6/10)

4. Rock N Hiphop (빨리 뛰어) – The song seems like your standard B-side track. It doesn’t sound like a track that would stand out but still fits in with the rest of the album, hence it is included in the tracklist. Listening to the song, I wasn’t that fond of it. The vocals and raps sounded standard. It wasn’t until the end of the track did I start to take notice but by then, I thought it was a little too late. Given the title, I thought this would be a more upbeat and funky track but sadly it wasn’t. (5/10)

Image result for BTOB someday
Someday Pre-Release Album Cover

5. Someday (Pre-release Track) – The mini album ends with probably the strongest song on the entire release. It is a pity that there is no music video because I would have jumped at the chance to review the song. While it is a slower ballad track, everything (vocals and raps) sounded quite nice. But I feel like the vocals stole the show here. The instrumental was traditional in the sense that is how most slow ballads end up sounding like, but it gave the song a much grander feel. Everything complimented each other and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the track on repeat. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7/10

Teaser Image for BTOB’s 10th Mini Album

 

 

[Review] Wake Me Up – B.A.P

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B.A.P has returned with a brand new single, Wake Me Up. Following their active promotions of Feel So Good, That’s My Jam and Skydive; this is the group’s first release for 2017. This comeback also marks the return for Bang Yong Guk, who for the Skydive promotions, took some time off due to mental health concerns. And like BTOB’s recent release, I will be doing a review for the entire single (all three songs) and that should be up sometime next week.

The track takes me back to their Young, Wild and Free days. It returned to their days of rock based instrumentals, with electronic synths and hip-hop vibes. The song itself oozes with darkness, another aspect that you would always expect from a B.A.P song. But the difference between this song and (for example) Young, Wild and Free is the intensity. Everything in the track is held back. This ranges from the vocals to the raps. It isn’t as intense as their previous tracks, but by holding back, I feel like it delivers a stronger impact with the message. While I did say they hold back in a few aspects, their vocals and raps are still top notch and have been manipulated to work wonderfully in the song. I did enjoy the build up to each chorus. It isn’t as powerful in other electronic based songs but the same effect can still be felt. The song does open with an interesting sound, that also echoes throughout the song.  In my opinion, Wake Me Up is a great song but it isn’t their best song yet. B.A.P is the best at making explosions in music that leave you gasping for more. If the track was delivered as a more intense and aggressive track, I think I would have enjoyed it even more.

Now, I mentioned the message of the song in the previous paragraph. The lyrics talk about wanting to wake up as a new person in a world that is full of judgement and pain. This is shown beautifully in the video. Body image, mental illness, paranoia, anger and (not exactly sure but) violence of some sort. Each of these people feels like that if they woke up a different person every day, their problems would be forgotten. However, with the help of B.A.P on TV, everyone in society decides to fight these judgements and be who they are. Like what everyone else is saying, they are starting a revolution.  I hope I didn’t butcher the meaning the video, but that is what I got, with the help of comments and research. And even if I am wrong, I can agree it is a very dark and profound video to watch. For what the song lacks in intensity, I think the videos makes it up quite nicely. The car smashing scene was probably the peak of the video, which matched the small instrumental part that was in the video. The acting in the video is incredible. I really liked how B.A.P have taken a step back and only participated in the vocals/close ups, not any acting scenes. Though that does happen time and time again, it also reminded us that anyone can suffer from the problems above and the ending of the video showed that there will always be people out there that share the same concern with you.

The choreography was also intriguing. Not in a bad way, though. I actually quite liked it. Per usual, everything was fitting to the song, which is by far the most important aspect of the dance. What makes it interesting is the chorus. I don’t know what they are doing but it looks like they are holding onto someone and trying to wake them up. Or they are slowly crouching down into their hands. I am a little unsure but it looks superb. The way they incorporated Bang Yong Guk without making it hard for him deserves praise as well.

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

 

[Review] Movie – BTOB

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BTOB has made their return to the stage with their 10th mini album, Feel’Em and the title track Movie. They last promoted I’ll Be Your Man in November of last year and Remember That in March of last year. The group was also active in Japan during 2016 with multiple releases. And if you are looking for an album review for their 10th mini album, which will also include their pre-release track, Someday, expect it this weekend, if time permits.

Movie brings the guys back to their fun and lighthearted days in music. While you may argue that is probably every other day in their lives, I am referring to the period where they released songs like You’re So Fly or Beep Beep. Unlike though songs, the group utilises a more funky instrumental, which uses more standard instrumental rather than synths or any electronic sounds. That alone brings out the lightheartedness and brighter vibe. While BTOB has shown off their vocals through their past releases of ballads and subunit releases, the group’s vocals for the song are quite underwhelming. The same goes for their raps. While both fit the song quite nicely, I personally wasn’t blown away or impressed with what I heard. However, the vocals and raps do show how much they have improved and grown since debut. There was, however, parts of the song that I enjoyed quite a bit. The small sequences that Ilhoon and Minhyuk have after each chorus, for example, do seem like they mismatch with the overall sound of the song. But for some reason, it fits in quite nicely and gives off a much-needed ‘palate cleanser’. In other words, the parts do keep the song interesting and make the song, along with its catchy chorus, quite memorable. For how long though, I don’t know. It all depends on their promotional cycle now (and my randomising playlist for 2017).

Like the song, the music video also goes for a more fun and lighthearted concept. The video itself is about the guys having fun by filming themselves. However, in their minds, their acting is Oscar award worthy. Oh, how imagination can take you a long way. The video is quite heavy on the comedy and it actually makes the video worth watching. While the sets and individual scenes plain and boring, their comedic acting (or is it really acting? These guys are already like this in the real life – or at least when they are off stage) save the video from boredom. But as I just said, there isn’t anything else that is flashy or impressive in the video.

Likewise, the choreography didn’t stand out. It isn’t as memorable or catchy as some of their previous dances. The song doesn’t really have any parts that could lead to a more eye-catching choreography, but what we see is something that fits the feel and sound of the song. I do think they also inserted a bit of their previous choreography for I’ll Be Your Man. Not sure if it was just a coincidence or intentional.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

 

[Review] How Can I Say – DAY6

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DAY6 had been going at 2017 with monthly releases. Now that March is here, it means that DAY6 has a brand new song out for all of us to hear. How Can I Say follows the success that I Wait (January’s release) and You Were Beautiful (February’s release) have created and passed on.

I like the song a lot. It gave the group a chance to return to their rock side, which you could also hear in I Wait (the group’s January release). Actually no, it gave us a little something more than what we got in I Wait. The instrumental here is a lot more impactful, compared to their last two monthly releases. It also gives me an excuse to headbang along to the song. The sound and genre itself isn’t something that is attempted regularly enough in KPOP and it has been a while since something along the lines of this has been released (the main KPOP bands have not been around lately). Hence, there is a somewhat fresh vibe, which is something that the group continually delivers with their releases. The vocals are quite smooth and they sound very nice. Sadly, the track isn’t as memorable as you would have expected. While the headbanging does a lot, listening to the song made me come to realise that something was missing from the track. Even if the track isn’t your cup of tea, it is another track that DAY6 can use to prove their versatility and expanding music domain.

The music video accompanying the release of How Can I Say is pretty good. There is a reason why I don’t see the video as fantastic or as excellent, but let’s start off with what I like in regards to the video. I did like the visual effects that were used. They made the transitions between different scenes look quite nice and more appealing. I liked it when we hit the chorus, the video became a little more chaotic with its imagery and visual effects, which definitely suits the song at that point. The only problem is the simplicity of the video. While a nice simple video can go a long way, I am starting to be somewhat concerned for DAY6’s videos. Sure, the director and producer may have thought the simplicity of the video would have been a more artistic approach. But a part of me feels like it was done due to a lack of ideas. Who knows, I might be wrong. But since they are coming back each month, their music video budgets won’t really be incredible. And there is only so much one can do with a limited amount of money. I personally hope that the videos don’t become too repetitive and similar to the rest because that could become the downfall of this monthly release plan.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Fingertips – GFriend

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GFriend has officially returned with a more confident and mature image. GFriend is probably most well known for their school trilogy, which ranges from Glass Bead to Rough. Their most recent comeback was Navillera in July of last year.

When I first listened to the song, I wasn’t that amazed by it. I thought it was kind of childish and unsatisfying. It also has an entirely different sound to their typical songs, which made me sceptical with their latest comeback. But once again, I gave it a few extra tries. But then those initial feelings were just lost and I fell for the song. It is incredibly catchy. The “Tang Tang Tang” chorus entrance was fantastic and it just made want even more from the song. I loved the mini rap line that Umji received. GFriend hasn’t really rapped before in any of their title tracks in the past, so it caught me off guard. Sure, their previous songs didn’t and probably wouldn’t need a rap sequence. But I was blown away with that one line. I wasn’t much of a fan of Umji’s singing vocals, but everyone else sounded amazing. The track is a lot stronger, regarding sound, which is something that I think made the song sound quite epic. The instrumental of the song delved into the funk genre. The guitar riffs are something that I noticed in the song and once I picked up on those riffs, it genuinely felt more like a typical GFriend song. (The girls have used guitar riffs before, especially in the instrumental for their dance breaks). I would have liked an added layer of epicness to the instrumental break for their dance break. In the song, it felt so sudden and would have been nice if there was a bridge between the song and the dance break. Overall, another amazing song that GFriend can add to their portfolio of hits.

I had to take a step back when I saw them bring out the guns in the teaser. The concept of the video felt so foreign but at the same time, felt very fresh for the girls (and probably much needed). I think the video alludes to the old friendship between them. Throughout the video, the girls seem to battle it out in gun battles that highlighted the intensity between the girls. Eunha is the hunted one. Sowon and Yuju are hunting her down. SinB and Yerin are protecting her (or also hunting her down). Umji seemed to have moved away from the group. At the end of the video, we see the clock hands move backwards and we time travel back in time to when the girls all used to friends. Not sure if that is the actual plot, but that is what I got from the video. The space setting made the video look quite cool. I know this sounds sad but the highlight of the video was definitely any choreography scenes in the mirror set. It looked fancy and impressive. And it seemed to be very matched the video’s concept quite nicely.

I really liked how they incorporated the guns into their choreography. Sounds very shady but it gave a nice tough vibe. There was also parts that did seem a little cute, but I don’t know if that was intended to be perceived that way (or I have an odd definition of cute). Their dance break, once again, amazes me and is the one thing I look forward to with every GFriend performance.

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

[Review] Eyez Eyez – VICTON

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VICTON has made their first comeback with Eyez Eyez. For those who missed the group, they are a 7-member boy group under Plan A Entertainment. Their debut song, I’m Fine, was released in November 2016. Eyez Eyez is the title track to their latest mini album, Ready, which was released last week.

The song shows a more edgy and tougher side of the guys, something that their debut song didn’t have. And while this is an okay song, I don’t think it has what it takes to top their pre-release for their debut, What Time Is It Now. The songs are similar in ways but different in other aspects. But I am not here to compare songs. Eyez Eyez uses a more disoriented sounding instrumental, which can be attributed to the warped synths and it delves into the EDM route. It doesn’t sound like a mess, which I am sure, some people would have thought initially. While the EDM genre is expanding, it is very common to hear the same sounds again and again. And with many groups, particularly newer boy groups, going down the EDM route, this song doesn’t really stand out for me. Sure, the instrumental may be a little unique but there is a layer of air that makes the song feel a little generic. The vocals and raps were okay. I just expected them to be more explosive with this song. They do sing at a more powerful level for the chorus, but to me, it sounds like they are only doing that to get on top of the instrumental, which during the chorus was the main thing you could hear. Other than that, I did think the first line of the chorus was catchy enough and that alone brought me back to the song a few times.

The music video doesn’t really stand out. While the song does sound a little more untraditional, the music video feels very generic and lacks appeal. The song is made up of choreography scenes and a lot of close-ups of the guys at the train station. Not really the first place you would think of to put a bunch of guys trying out the tougher and edgier concept. The video relies heavily on the use of post-production effects and filters. They do a lot to the video and keep it somewhat interesting. Yeah, also gives me something a little extra to talk about.

The choreography was pretty good. It isn’t memorable as much as other performances but at least it gave a worthwhile visual to watch as part of their music video. The knife-like choreography puts them up high with other boy groups (that are known for their impressive sharp moves), but VICTON now needs to show that same aspect off with a more memorable and impressive choreography.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10

[Album Review] My Voice (1st Solo Album) – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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I promised last night and I have delivered! This is my second album review to date. This is also Taeyeon’s first solo full album, with a total of 12 songs. I have reviewed 2 of songs from the album and have linked them in the post below. I am just going to let you know that a lot of the focus will be in the vocal work because they just blow you away in every song. While the gaps between album reviews seem to be quite large, I am hoping that I will be push through next month with 4 different album reviews. I am still open to making changes to the layout of these album reviews, so feel free to leave any feedback in the comments. On we go!

My Voice’s Album Cover

1. Fine (title track) – check out my review for the title track (10/10)

2. Cover Up – Compared to the title track, this song is much more upbeat. Actually, this song would be perfect at any of my friend’s parties this year because this is an example of the song that we would jam to (and they don’t even listen to KPOP). It’s really catchy and Taeyeon shines brightly with the more electronic based instrumental. (9/10)

3. Feel So Fine – It may not be the best song out of the bunch but it is one damn good track. Her vocals just take this song to a whole new level. The track does sound a little generic and doesn’t showcase any new sounds. But it sounds a lot like some of her tracks with but a more heavy instrumental and more bass. (7/10)

4. I Got Love (pre-release track) – check out my review for the pre-release track (10/10)

5. I’m Okay – The song is a very jazzy and soulful number (at least to me). But what stands out about this song is the chorus. The chorus is literally perfection to me. It’s melody and rhythm is amazing. The track is very consistent (which here is a good thing) from start to end. I love the instrumental bridge of the song and her vocals are wonderful here. (9/10)

6. Time Lapse – Probably one of the best songs on the list, apart from the title and pre-release track. It doesn’t pack a punch directly through an explosion of the instrumental or her vocals. The track is kept very neutral and that is what makes it so great. Instead, its impact was after the song finished playing. I literally took a few moments to reflect on the blessing that just graced my ears. That exponential sounding high note at the end was spectacular, which put the cherry on top for me. (10/10)

7. Sweet Love – This particular song had its moments for me. The verses felt bland and I didn’t pay attention to it. But once again, the chorus caught my attention. The way she went higher and higher in the chorus made it sound amazing. Like the title of the song, the instrumental did have a sweet feel to it. The verses did leave me feeling disappointed, though. (7/10)

8. When I Was Young – Probably there is a law out there in South Korea that specifies all albums must contain at least one ballad-like song. In this album, this is the ballad-like track. While it does sound good, it doesn’t really do it for me. Taeyeon has amazing vocals and this is the one track of just a few where her vocals felt underwhelming and bland. The chorus of the song was a little better but it didn’t amaze me as much as the other tracks. (6/10)

9. Lonely Night – I am a little on the fence for the song. I love the instrumental. It sounds like a song that you would listen to when during the night while looking at the stars. The instrumental is very easy going and has a nice jazz inspired feel. The vocals just made the song fall a little flat. It doesn’t utilise her powerful vocals, which I get. We can’t have her blowing us away in every song. But here, it made this track feel boring. (5/10)

10. Love in Colour – Another ballad on the tracklist. This is a perfect track that holds her vocals back. There are no impressive ad-libs or high notes that blow us away. But her vocals deliver the song quite nicely and the balance between instrumental and vocals was ideal. You can hear the emotions sprinkled throughout the song through her voice. (8/10)

11. Fire – Fire launches us back to her powerful vocals. The song delves into the RnB genre, something that I have yet to hear on this album. I love her launch into the choruses here. It was not as impressive as her other launches in the choruses, but it still sounds amazing. (7/10)

12. Eraser – Taeyeon ends the album with a head banger. It was unexpected but I am in love with this song. I started nodding along to the song but as soon as the chorus hits, the instrumental and her vocals are just head banging worthiness. She also raps a little bit the song but it masked by a lot of autotune, so I couldn’t really make out any words (sounded like a blur). And I had to backtrack for a moment because I thought someone else rapped and featured in the song, but nope, it was the queen herself! (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8/10

taeyeonfine

So what songs do you like from Taeyeon’s latest release? Comment below!

 

[Review] Fine – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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I recently reviewed I Got Love by the solo queen herself, Taeyeon from SNSD. And with that amazing song as just her pre-release for her very first solo album, there are obviously high expectations for her entire album. But wait, this just marks her first solo album, My Voice? Given her status as a digital chart killer and the many (ain’t going to attempt to list them here) songs that she released? Obviously, this is long solo album is long overdue. If that is the case, I smell an album review coming up.

Fine is her title track for this album and it is one fine track (no pun intended… obviously). The song sounds like a Taylor Swift influenced track, with the acoustic guitar and pop ballad vibes, something that I will admittedly say that I miss from the world class act. This song takes it back to her solo debut days for me. The structure is quite similar and the way she delivered the songs are almost the same. But what makes this song good is that it focuses on good music and if we are talking about Taeyeon, amazing vocals. Her vocals in this song will blow you away. The track does start off slow and quiet. But as she launches herself into the chorus, she obviously doesn’t hold back. The chorus itself is quite different to the verses, as it is layered with bass and more instrumentals (other than the acoustic guitar). Towards the end, when we get to the peak of most songs (prior or during the final chorus), she takes it one step further with amazing ad-libs and high notes that literally took my breath away. Taeyeon has put out tracks that have disappointed me before, but when it comes to songs just like this one or any of her ballads, you can probably never go wrong.

The video itself shows Taeyeon walking around and clearly having thoughts in her head. From the rest of the video, we can probably tell that those thoughts are in regards to her lover, who has left her. We see try her best to move on (through scenes of her walking around the store and on the streets) but memories of him just start coming back to her. Now, to address the scenes where everything appears sketchy and unrecognisable (to her). I think they mean two things. The first is that everything around her is different now. Life with her boyfriend is different to life without him. The second is that she is slowly moving on (as indicated of the scenes towards the end where the sketchiness comes back, but blots out his face). We see her still thinking about him while she works on set. But she pushes through, finishing the photoshoot as professionally as she can after taking some time out. In the end, we see her pull out a glass and drink water from it, opposed to drinking whatever from plastic cups when she was with her boyfriend. This signifies that she has moved on completely. What I love about the video is its aesthetics. It makes the video look wonderful and gives it another level of depth. It’s not your typical ballad video, but the way everything came together (camera shots, transitions, filters, editing etc.) really captured the emotions from both her acting and the song itself. Just another video made for Taeyeon that makes the standard for all videos harder to reach.

I just saw a live performance on YouTube today of the song and wow. Do expect an album review to come out either later today or tomorrow.

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

 

[Review] A Girl Like Me – Gugudan

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Gugudan has finally made their first comeback since debut. Last year, the group made their debut with Wonderland. I am mot sure why they didn’t return during the year, but I assume that since some of the members were apart of I.O.I, this had an impact on their schedules and potential comebacks. A Girl Like Me serves as the title track for their second mini album, Act 2. Narcissus.

A Girl Like Me gives me flashbacks to KPOP in the past. The song’s instrumental itself sounds retro with its use of synths. They managed to keep their brightness from their previous comeback and show a more mature sound (and improvement) at the same time. But what makes the track so good is that it brings back memories of past KPOP tracks. This track could have easily passed as a song on F(x)’s or Red Velvet’s albums. That might have come off as an insult (but I hope it didn’t). I only included that statement that because both F(x)’s and Red Velvet’s albums always include high-quality songs, good enough to be title tracks. Vocally, it is much better than what they presented in Wonderland. It is really catchy and while it sounds like it could become very annoying, it isn’t (and that is a big plus). The rap bridge, along with the change in instrumental was amazing, which is topped off with a very suitable ad-lib. Yeah, the song is quite short (under 3 minutes) but what they have given us here is of an amazing standard. And more importantly, I really like it.

Like what I mentioned, the girls have channelled that brightness from their song into their video by using bold colours (that were bright as well!). The video suits the song quite well. The song itself (I should have discussed this before, but I felt it would fit in here) is in regards to a guy who is too into himself and doesn’t notice the girls. So, evidently, the girls put them out there by making them more pretty. Modelling, painting self-portraits, vlogging and photocopying your face. You know, the usual. While its plot line and meaning go hand-in-hand, the video didn’t captivate me and bored me a little. It isn’t a superb video, but it does get the job done at promoting the song.

The choreography is similar to the video, in the sense, that there wasn’t anything impressive. But it was also similar to the song, in the sense, of its maturity that it brings. The dance itself also includes themes related to the lyrics and video, which is quite cool as well.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 6/10 
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] WoW! – Lovelyz

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Lovelyz has finally made their comeback. After their Destiny comeback last year, the group has been absent from the spotlight. I personally liked Destiny a lot and wanted to see more from the group. They recently had their first concert. WoW! is the title track for their second album, R U Ready?.

The song is quite interesting. I listened to it for the first time (when it was released) and it felt very underwhelming. But after coming back to the track a few days later, I noticed that it had a classy vibe and mature sound to it, which reminds me of Destiny. The more you listen to it, the more you shrug your doubts away and start to realise how good the track is. That being said (I probably haven’t listened to the song enough times yet), the song did sound weak. I feel like if the track had more of a stronger (and maybe deeper sounding) foundation, the track could would have sounded a lot better (but then again, I ain’t a music expert). Their vocals weren’t really shown off in the song, which did make it disappointing because we have yet to hear a track that vocally shows them off. But within this track, there were catchy moments which I really liked, like the start. I keep on going back to the track because I mainly can’t get that start of the song out of my head. The track is probably one of the smoothest tracks that I have ever listened to in KPOP. From just listening to the song, there doesn’t seem to be much going on with it. But when you pay close attention, you can hear a lot of subtle sounds in the instrumentals. Personally, they make the song quite interesting to listen to.

The music video looks pretty cool. While I am not a major fan of their close close-ups, it does a lot of charm to the video. The paper cut-outs of the girls did add cuteness to the video, but I didn’t understand why they were needed in the video.  But the aspect that I loved even more are the scenes inside the house. It looked very cool, especially towards the end where the girls are essentially running out of frame but their paused versions remain behind. I genuinely loved all the scenes inside the house. I don’t know if it is the content or just the quality of the scenes that I am drawn to, but either way, it all looked amazing. The editing of the video has to be talked about as well. Especially during the bridge of the song (or the part where each member had a line – just before the final chorus), where they filmed each member in a circle. It looked like multiple shots were taken (as some of the members ended up freezing while still on screen), but the editing made it look as smooth (as possible), channelling the smoothness of the song.

I really liked the slow motion running that they incorporated with in their dance. It was matching to the part of the song. The rest of the dance looked alright. It isn’t as impressive as their last comeback, but the weak nature of the song (which I mentioned before) does limit their choreography to an extent.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

[Review] Let Me Love You – Junggigo & Chanyeol (EXO)

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Another cross-company collaboration has been unveiled (last week). Last time it was Soyu & Baekhyun’s Rain. Recently, I reviewed Honey Bee, which featured Luna, Solar and Hani. Now, Junggigo and Chanyeol from EXO has come together to give us a new song. Both of these artists are quite successful in their solo work. Junggigo is one-half of the ‘Some’ collaboration and Chanyeol has been ranking high on the charts with his solo OSTs. Hence, making this song something to look forward to.

Let Me Love You is a ballad and RnB infused track. It sounds very smooth and ‘easy on the ears’ (if you understand what I am trying to get at). The song itself is pretty simple, with no aspects of the song overcomplicating it, hence something that is quite nice to listen to. The song also is the type that gets you swaying along to the music. That is one of the signs it is a pretty good ballad, in my point of view (which when I say it, sounds a little odd). Both Junggigo and Chanyeol sounds amazing in the song. This is expected of Junggigo (just haven’t been digging his recent releases) but I get surprised every time I hear Chanyeol sing, though. He is a rapper in EXO yet he has a very nice voice when singing, which was unexpected when I discovered that he could sing. There really isn’t much else to say about the song. I will just happily listen to the song in the background, while I continue on with the review.

When I saw images of the music video, I thought the song was a soundtrack for the new Power Rangers film that is due to come out this year (who else is excited about the new Power Ranger film?). But then it turns out to be just a simple music video with a Power Ranger type of setting. The video does make me chuckle a bit, though. The moustached Power Rangers battle a giant cockroach. Actually, now I think about it, the Power Rangers are probably just pest control dressed in funky clothing to make their work a little more interesting. But it turns out there is a romantic twist with the guy playing the cockroach having a mad crush on one of the rangers. It seems like she is also interested as she is the only person to pay attention to him (the other rangers and staff don’t seem to care about him). While the two hang out, everyone packs up, leaving the two ‘friends’ behind. They spend even more time together, to the point where the girl can’t seem to kill her love when they working on set for the film or show they are shooting. They are a very cute couple and watching the guy walk around with the costume on made me go “awwww” for most of the video. Couple goals 2017? Wait… Sorry, it should be #CoupleGoals2017. That’s the way to write it in 2017.

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

[Weekly Chart] 4th Week of February 2017

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And welcome back to the fourth week of February 2017. It has been an uneventful week for me, so there isn’t much to talk about. But next week is going to be an eventful week for me because I restart university. I am still trying to figure out my posting schedule but as soon as I finalise my schedule, I will let you know!!!

But moving along to this week’s chart, all of last week’s top three (BTS’ Spring Day, Red Velvet’s Rookie and NCT Dream’s My First & Last) have all been replaced. But their replacements are the big songs of the past week. If you scroll down below, you will work out which artist took out which position and top spot.

I am personally surprised by the three songs that remained at the same position as last week’s chart (position 18-20). That hasn’t happened before and usually, we’d be lucky if just one song remained in the same position.

Next week is also going to be another big week (I know, I say the same thing every week. I should try finding new phrases). But JungGiGo & Chanyeol (EXO), Lovelyz, Gugudan, HIGH4, Ailee (according to Wikipedia), Taeyeon and VICTION (possibly) may make their debut next week. And then the end of next week comes and we also realise that March had already begun….

I am going off on tangents again. Apologies. Here is this week’s chart as a present to everyone!

Some things that will help you denote the chart:
Green (↑)  – Song has gone up in ranking
Red (↓) – Song has gone down in ranking
Blue (=) – Song has remained in the same position as the previous week
Orange  (new) – Song debuts on the chart
Grey (Final Week) – Song appears on the chart for its final week.

19th Feb- 25th Feb 2017
Title Artist Status
1 Don’t Recall K.A.R.D (↑ 10)
2 Knock Knock Twice (new)
3 Not Today BTS (↑ 1)
4 Spring Day BTS (↓ 3)
5 I Got Love Taeyeon (SNSD) (new)
6 My First & Last NCT Dream (↓ 3) 
7 Hobglobin CLC (↑ 2)
8 Rookie Red Velvet (↓ 6)
9 I Wish Cosmic Girls (↓ 2)
10 Sketch U 100% (new)
11 Kiss On The Lips MelodyDay (new)
12 Black or White Cross Gene (↓ 7)
13 1.2.3 B.I.G (↓ 7)
14 Rain Soyu (Sistar) & Baekhyun (EXO) (↑ 12)
15 Roar SF9 (↓ 2)
16 Limitless NCT127 (↑ 21)
17 Highlight Seventeen (↓ 1)
18 Chase Me Dream Catcher (=)
19 Honey Bee Luna (F(x)) & Solar (Mamamoo) & Hani (EXID) (=)
20 Mysterious Hello Venus (=)
21 You Were Beautiful DAY6 (↓ 6)
22 Yes No Maybe Suzy (Miss A) (↓ 8)
23 Excuse Me AOA (↓ 6)
24 Yesterday Block B (↑ 15)
25 I Wait DAY6 (↓ 18)
26 Tina MASC (↓ 4)
27 If You Wish Hard, It Will Come True I (↓ 19)
28 Don’t Say No Seohyun (SNSD) (↓ 16)
29 Make Me Ah BP Rania (new)
30 I Think I Love U Sonamoo (↑ 5)

And as I return to 8:30 morning starts at university, which requires me to get up at 6 in the morning, I wish you all have an amazing week, once again. See you all next week!!!