Category: Reviews

[Review] Spring Memories – N.Flying

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One of the more happier stories of the year thus far has to be N.Flying’s unexpected chart-topping single, Rooftop. When that track was first released, not many people paid attention to it. After a few weeks, however, Rooftop was hitting the top of the charts and the group earned many compliments as a result. So, there is a lot of expectations and pressure placed on the release of their next (now latest) single, Spring Memories, which was released yesterday.

It was smart for N.Flying to follow up with something that suits Spring, the season which South Korea is very much in at the moment. And since Springtime love songs tend to huge hits, why not go after another potential chart-topping hit. I have to admit that while other Springtime songs tend to be more light, Spring Memories is on the heavier side. This is because the instrumental is more loaded than the usual acoustic guitar. It keeps their usual band style of instrumental (i.e drums and guitars). But it also incorporates an orchestral section during the bridge of the track (and I think during the final chorus). Hence, it felt there was a lot going on. However, the instrumental remained very breezy and airy, suitable for this season. I thought the paced guitar strumming and that short whistle was a nice way to open up the track. The vocals were pleasant and I liked how they managed to incorporate a slight rapping tone to the moments leading up to the chorus. I personally do not enjoy these songs as much but I think N.Flying put out a nice song that deserves some attention once again.

With a focus on Spring, the music video showcases the cherry blossoms. Apart from the cherry blossoms, the video focuses on a female who is reminded of her past memories after an old friend took pictures of the flowers and sent it to her. Wanting to escape her dreadful office life, she tracks down the locations that he continually sends her through pictures, along with memories of those places are replayed in her mind (and the male lead’s mind, played by Kwak Dong Yeon). In the end, she finds him, catching him by surprise. It was a nice video that did justice to the spring feel the song had.

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

 

[Review] From Now – VERIVERY

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Last night, we saw the return of VERIVERY with From Now. This is the group’s first comeback since their debut earlier this year with Ring Ring Ring. In case you missed their debut, VERIVERY is a 7-member male group from Jellyfish Entertainment. They were also previously active in 2018 with their pre-debut single, Super Special.

From Now is very similar to Ring Ring Ring. It has the same style of retro dance pop that their debut track had. I do think, because of this, the song did feel rather dry to an extent as it didn’t really bring anything new to showcase the members. However, there were some interesting parts of the song that I think it enough to make this track be considered somewhat different to their debut track. I think the rapping scenes had a more hip-hop centred melody, which I think really went well and gave the song a little more substance. While the instrumentation was also similar between song, this one felt a bit more vibrant and in-your-face with it. I also thought the synthesizer dance break right after the first chorus to be very appealing. I thought the vocals are very strong and went well with that ‘in-your-face’ style of instrumentation that I have already identified. I think the group could have gone with a different style to provide variety in their discography, From Now was still pretty good.

I thought the music video was rather appealing for this comeback. I felt the colour was more profound and bold, which really set the tone for the video. It also felt more suiting to the retro sound. This is also the first music video that I saw the ‘In My Feelings‘ challenge appear. Maybe the trend never reached South Korea but I thought it was something unique and fresh in the video.

From what I can see in the music video, the performance looks pretty good. I think the dance break will be the best section but everything else also looked like it was fitting for the vibrant and energetic song.

Song – 8/10 [Updated – See why on VERIVERY’s Album Review]
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] In The Silence – Son Dongwoon (HIGHLIGHT)

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As mentioned previously on a number of reviews. many male idols have reached the age in which they have to enlist into the military. And since it is common for some members to hold off, it has resulted in entire groups enlisting around the same time. HIGHLIGHT is one of the names that come to mind. Doojoon, Yoseob and Gikwang have all enlisted, while Dongwoon has been confirmed to start early next month. Even former member Junhyung has enlisted. So, while we won’t be getting any highlights for the next two years or so, Dongwoon has left us with a new solo mini-album and the title track, In The Silence.

In The Silence is a classically driven instrumental ballad. And it is a beautiful ballad, despite its emotional lyrics, that is bound to make people cry. Essentially, Dongwoon asks for the end of his relationship because he knows the direction it is going will just be painful for him and his lover. In a sense, it is a very hurtful way to part with someone but logically it makes senses. But it sounds like it isn’t a permanent breakup, so I guess it can be related to him parting ways for the next two years. But as I said, it has a beautifully sounding instrumental and his voices pairs amazingly with it. You can fill the emotions and pain behind his voice, which I think makes this song so much more touching. Never did I expect a high note from him but he does so in a way that gives the song that peak it needed but also adds to that emotion. Overall, it is a nice ballad that I am sure that I will be returning to often in the coming weeks.

The music video is extremely simple but it is definitely one that ‘speaks volumes’. It starts an empty chair and later with Dongwoon sitting alone. Surrounding him is a bunch of empty chairs that the classical instrument players will later fill up. I found that to be extremely impactful, relating back to his need to ‘leave’ and ‘be alone’. I found the scenes with the light swinging across his face (and him sitting in pitch darkness) to be equally as haunting. The black and white filter just makes things so much more aesthetically pleasing.

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

[Review] Beautiful – TARGET

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Once again, I am a little late with a few reviews.  I am still busy with studies so I will try my best to post when I am free. Monday had a number of releases so I was hoping to get through them today! One of the releases is TARGET’s latest single, Beautiful. This is the group’s first comeback since Is It True?, which was released back in July of last year.

Beautiful is a wonderful mix between a ballad-like track and a mid-tempo dance track. I thought the instrumental was very appealing due to its lightness Majority of the track was very peaceful and calming, thanks to the ballad vibes we got during the verses and that part that follows the post-chorus and before the second verse. I did enjoy the switching of the two styles. I found some moments, especially around the rap sequences, providing a light kick to really add to some texture to the song. The rapping was actually quite fitting overall for this light style for the most part. The only section that ended up being mismatching was that rough rap sequence that kicked off the bridge. But there was a contrast in texture that made me go ‘wow’. And if I were to imagine the song without it, I think it would be lacking that extra element. The vocals were nice, also fitting the light nature of the song. I found the song to be very appealing and it is slowly catching on some more as I listen to more of it.

For a group that doesn’t come from the biggest of companies and haven’t taken off (yet), I thought the video was put together well. I thought their pastel-like colour scheme was fitting for the light nature of the song. I also liked how they managed to give off a pretty aesthetic with the lights and the hologram lights in the background of their solo shots. Though, their lipsyncing in the video seems to be a little weak. At times I felt like they were just mouthing along, particularly the guy who did the extra rough textured rap line. That was rather noticeable in this otherwise appealing music video.

The choreography was fitting at times whilst a little odd at other times. Like the hopping-like moves in the second half of the chorus, I thought it just didn’t feel right for the vibes they were going for. Otherwise, it was a nice dance overall.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Fancy – TWICE

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TWICE returns today with a brand new look and ‘Fancy’ title track. If you haven’t noticed from the title of the page and my lame pun, the group has returned with the title track named Fancy. April has been a relatively quiet month but the song war is still ongoing on the digital charts of Korea. From what I noticed the last two months have been filled with comebacks from strong digital performers, which has caused a lot of chaos (good chaos). And Twice is currently the newest contender to gives these other artists some competition.

The way Fancy starts off gives me a retro pop feel, similar to something we could have heard in the 80s. But as the song progresses forward, you can hear a cleaner and modern mix in the synth-pop instrumentation. Interestingly, the track had a more mature feel, despite it still containing that brightness that we have come to know of TWICE releases and I attribute that to the song’s instrumental. Also when it comes to TWICE’s releases, the first thing I always do is search for that addictive hook that would make the song so promising. However, I felt like this song lacked that. There were plentiful hooks but I don’t think they were as addictive as their past predecessors. Vocally, the song was good. But I wanted more variety has the song got towards the end. A high note would probably be ill-fitting but it needed something to signal the end of the track was fast approaching. I also felt that a rapping sequence would have made the song a little more interesting. With this mature sound, I think the rapping sequence could have enhanced the song further. To me, this isn’t TWICE’s strongest release. But it still quite good.

Who loves TWICE’s new look? I do! While the music video does have a more standard format, I found the solo shots of each member to be extremely captivating, which definitely draws my attention to the replay button once the video ends. I also like the edginess that some of the shots featured, which if you know me, is definitely an appealing point. I also really like the black and pink backdrop to their choreography shot that they are all wearing black in. Probably the edgiest the group has been in their career thus far.

I really enjoyed the performance for this track. The introduction was so good and the chorus looks fitting for the energy that we get during this part of the song. I also like the circle formation as the end, which I think was quite progressive.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.4/10

[Review] Blossom – Eunha (GFRIEND) & Ravi (VIXX)

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It has been a while since we heard a collaboration. It seems like this isn’t going to be a recurring thing in 2019, based on the number of collaborations thus far in the year. However, we were provided with some relief with the release of Eunha and Ravi’s collaboration for Pepsi last week on the 11th of April. This is also the second year in a row that Pepsi has asked KPOP idols to come together for a collaboration, with YDPP and WJMK releasing two songs last year with Pepsi at the forefront of both videos.

Despite the visuals of the music video, Blossom is not necessarily that cutesy love song that you are looking for that companies have utilised in their campaigns. This style would obviously not suit Ravi, as per his husky vocals and usually hard-hitting rap style. Instead, Blossom is a subtle pop track with a lot of sweetness mixed into it to make it appropriate for Spring. I really like the rolling drum beats in the moments that the song is building up, which gave the song a sharp incline to the chorus. Other than that, the instrumental was rather light and calming. I also liked the whispering at the start of the chorus, which I thought was rather sleek. While we all know that Eunha is a vocalist (I really liked her in the first verse. The melody was also quite nice) but it was surprising to hear Ravi sing for his chorus and some of his verse. I also like how his rapping wasn’t as hard-hitting as based on his solo and VIXX works. Rather, it was well tweaked to fit the light nature of the song. It felt like I jumped around between different aspects for this part but overall, the song was quite nice. 

Based on the video, cherry blossom season is in full swing. And the video takes full advantage of the pretty sights. The song ‘cheers on young people to achieve their dreams and also their pursuit for romance’ and we get to see those two sides in the video. Ravi is an aspiring artist, while Eunha is auditioning to be an idol. The two do face some hardships but manage to push through. And in the midst of their slumps, they meet each other and become interested. Some awkward meetups happen and they end up dating one another. And it is incredibly convenient that Pepsi sponsors their entire romance storyline. Hahaha…

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Another Night – Yoo Youngjae

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The two days of B.A.P related reviews was not intentional. I was just holding off Jung Daehyun’s You’re My review until I had time to write it. And it just happens to be the day before Yoo Youngjae’s solo debut with Another Night. Youngjae has had solo tracks up his sleeve, such as his collaboration with former Secret member Sunhwa. But he has yet to review a solo album since his debut with B.A.P back in 2012. But that changes today, with the release of his Fancy mini-album. Since departing from TS Entertainment, Yoo Youngjae has signed on with J Harmony Entertainment.

Given my mentality, the main vocalist of a group always ends up going down the ballad route for a solo track. And this has been proven to be incorrect on numerous occasions.  Another Night once again how I should really dump this train of thought. Youngjae’s solo track is another tropical influenced track that suits the warmer climate that South Korea is approaching. I say it is tropically influenced as I think the chorus used electric guitars to give off that effect, rather than using the common tropical house synth. I think that was an interesting changeup to the trend. Youngjae’s vocals are also really nice, with his voice being extremely clear and it also flourished with an instrumental that wasn’t overwhelming.  For the second verse, there seems to be a bit of rapping influence brought into the song. I thought this was rather interesting and it managed to give the song a much-needed change in texture. I personally think Another Night is a decent debut track to start off on, as it manages to throw Youngjae’s charms right at you.

The music video can be taken as a very persistent guy, played by Youngjae, trying to get the attention of his crush. Or be a thriller, with Youngjae being the main star as the creepy stalker. But since the song is suited for a brighter climate, I think the initial option would be a better fitting storyline. I like the crispness of the music video, with the quality being a very appealing aspect to the music video. And I think having a music video being all smiles really pushes the cheerful emotion onto you, which I personally do not mind.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] You’re My – Jung Daehyun

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Returning as a solo artist is Jung Daehyun. Daehyun is a member of B.A.P. However, it is has been a rough few years for the group due to scandals and lawsuits. While they did return for a while under TS Entertainment, this was short lived for unknown reasons. After that, some members left the group and ultimately the remaining four left TS Entertainment earlier this year (though, it seems like they haven’t formally disband yet). Daehyun signed on with Wecan Company and released his first mini-album earlier this month. The lead track is You’re My.

You’re My is a ballad, something I had expected from Daehyun for his first release (which ended up being an R&B dance track). To me, the ballad is rather typical, instrumental wise. It has an orchestral vibe, along with some drums in the background. Nothing that exciting as you can see. However, Daehyun’s vocals are what keeps this song from being too boring. His voice starts off quite soft but when it gets to the chorus, Daehyun’s powerhouse vocals kick in, giving the song a needed boost in terms of energy. It builds alongside the instrumental but as it is at the forefront, it felt like his vocals gave more to the song. The high note and ending felt a little muddled in my opinion. With the high note being at the start of the bridge and the end introducing new melodies, I felt like it was a little too loaded. But overall, it was a fair ballad that lets us enjoy a bit more of the song.

The music video starts off showing Daehyun finding a camera. It seems to bring past happy memories back to Daehyun. These memories feature his partner, who I think leaves for a faraway place. But the two are still together at the end of the video, judging by their Skype call. At the end of the video, Daehyun moves out and takes a final shot of the apartment that he shared with his long-distance girlfriend. And he departs with a smile on his face. It is always nice to see a ballad that isn’t about the sad emotions. On top of that, the video showed nice scenery and this went nicely with the happy memories. It wouldn’t be my pick for best music video but it was still nice overall.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] Spotlight – 1THE9

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Weekend releases are quite uncommon, especially at the start of a group’s career. 1THE9 made their respective debut over the weekend, with their first album release occurring on the 12th of April (Saturday). Currently under MBK Entertainment, 1THE9 was formed through the survival program, Under Nineteen. Also based on the name, the group has 9 members including Yoo Yong Ha, Kim Tae Woo, Lee Seung Hwan, Shin Ye Chan, Kim Jun Seo, Jeon Do Yum, Jung Jin Sung, Jeong Taek Hyeon and Park Sung Won. Their debut track, Spotlight, is featured on the mini-album, XIX.

Spotlight follows the trend of Latin pop, which we all know has been dominating KPOP for the past year or so. And as it goes for a very overused trend in the industry, the song fails to really standout. It also doesn’t help that I thought the song was rather weak in terms of hooks and memorable elements. I found the main hook (the ‘Merry-go Merry go-…round‘) in the chorus to very, once again, very typical and not that catchy overall. I feel like more could have been added to the instrumental to make the song pop right out. I had the craving for some electric guitar towards the end, which I think could set the track up to be slightly more powerful. The vocals were alright. They just didn’t have anything to really make me go wow in this domain. The rapping was a lot more interesting. I liked the tone and it really showed a lot of potential down the road! Overall, Spotlight was an okay debut track. It was just very typical.

The music video starts off with two songs that I assume come from their mini-album. The actual Spotlight song doesn’t start until 1:07. However, the presence of the two other tracks didn’t allow the video to flow too nicely and a little hard for me to get through. The same thing could have been said about the music video. It connects with their album teaser’s video but it seems to be its separate story. The members end up having a party in the gymnasium, which seems to upset the coach (who already had previous beef with one of the members). He is escorted away and they all have fun partying. The entire Spotlight subsection in the video isn’t connected to any of this and I wonder why the start and end were even wrapped around it. This subsection contained bright vibes through the use of vibrant colours in the choreography and solo shots. I did think this was a little too much, as I felt a darker vibe could have really shown a nice contrast. But that wouldn’t fit the group’s young image.

The choreography was rather nice. Finally, something that wasn’t typical or confusing. I liked their energy and the post-chorus section was probably my favourite parts of the entire performance!

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.4/10

[Review] Danger – Super Junior D&E

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Returning to the stage once again is Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk with their latest mini-album and the title track. Danger. It hasn’t been that long since we last saw them through their ‘Bout You promotions but that was 8 months ago, which can be considered to be a lengthy absence especially in the highly competitive industry of KPOP right now. But Super Junior doesn’t need to worry about this as they have a very loyal fanbase who will continually support them years to come! And I am sure the support extends to their subunits. So let’s have a closer look at Danger.

Danger is a song that boasts energy and edginess due to the nature of the instrumental. It takes on rock, trap and other forms of EDM in the song, creating an atmosphere that is best described as intense. The presence of the fast trap elements in the chorus gives it almost an ethnic vibe, which I think is rather interesting. But while intense is the right word, the song could have potentially benefited by extending this intensity by going a little more extreme with it. I think we are given a tiny taster to that potential at the end when it is built from suspense. But I would have liked it if it were gradual. Moving to more of the members, the rapping at the start was a pretty nice opener and sets up the song well. Donghae follows through with some vocals, which I think was also quite good. Sure, there isn’t anything mind-blowing in terms of technicalities and techniques. But they were rather captivating for a song like this. Overall, Danger is a pretty nice song to listen to.

I think the video matches extremely well with the vibes of the song. The edginess is taken on board in the video by going with its dark lighting and the possible participation in gang-like activities (though I don’t that is the exact words they would use to describe the video). Apart from that, I think the video has some great cinematography, especially the scenes where we can see them in a circle by looking up from underneath.  I thought it is quite cool.

Performance wise, it is really good. I think the biggest fear with Super Junior (and many senior groups) is that the choreography standards just continually become more intense. To the point where you don’t know if these senior groups will be able to keep up. But for the main dancers of Super Junior, they do a pretty damn good job. The chorus has t be my pick for the highlight of the entire choreography routine.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8.5/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

[Review] Boy With Luv – BTS ft. Halsey

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Making their grand return today is BTS with Boy With Luv. And with their current worldwide popularity, Boy With Luv continues to break even more records than ever before. Topping charts as soon as the song is released, while also doubling the number of pre-orders for their latest mini-album (also dropped today) compared to their previous release, are just some already making news. So, it is super exciting to even be writing review for such a worldwide artist! We last saw BTS through their IDOL comeback in August last year.

If you are a longtime fan of the group, you may be familiar with another BTS title track, Boy In Luv. While the titles are similar, the songs are very different. Actually, it is very different compared to any other their past tracks, which were all dance heavy. To me, Boy With Luv still goes towards that dance route but in a lighter and more mellow pop direction. It also seems to focus on more of the vocals, as I thought the rapping wasn’t as prevalent. While we are on the topic of vocals, I thought each member managed to match the lighter sound and I think we got a chance to hear them in a wholesome manner, which contrasts from their autotuned and louder volumes in dance tracks. Suga and J-Hope didn’t shine as much, as their parts didn’t stand out as much. RM, however, benefited from a kick in the beat of the instrumental, which I thought was a major difference between the rapper’s section. The main confusing point has to be Halsey’s featuring parts, which was only certain parts of the chorus. I think she could have been omitted and everything would remain the same, honestly. Overall, the question remains: do I like it? Boy With Luv is different and foreign to me. But it is still pleasant, which I think I can enjoy even more down the road.

The music video seems very typical to me. It didn’t have that wow factor like most of their other videos. Though, there is most likely a hidden storyline in the midst of the video. Maybe it will have that wow factor then! I did like the more down-to-earth and more playful vibes the member got to portray. It did make the video feel a lot more casual and laidback. I think, to me, the most memorable parts had to Suga and RM’s rap parts. The change to darkness to let them be the main focus worked really well, and I wished some of the members got something similar. Well, they did but it didn’t seem as bold as RM or Suga’s.

Also going with the light trend is the choreography. Nothing too complicated or extremely energetic in this performance, which I think is rather nice and probably beneficial for the members, who have been overworked with complicated and intense choreographies. This is all based on what I saw in the video, by the way!

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

[Review] Hocus Pocus – BVNDIT

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Apologies for my absence yesterday, which saw the debut of a brand new group. BVNDIT is a five-member girl group who are currently signed under MH Entertainment, the same company that currently has Kim Chungha signed under. The group, consisting of Songhee, Yiyeon, Simyeong, Jungwoo, Seungeun, made their debut with the single Hocus Pocus, the title track from BVNDIT, Be Ambitious! (their first mini-album). Also, BVNDIT (pronounced as BANDIT) also stands for Be Ambitious N Do It, which is a little fun fact about the group!

Interestingly, Hocus Pocus has a number of similarities to what Chungha has previously put out. But BVNDIT also manages to put a spin on this sound and make it their own. To me, the song is quite typical, with not many elements jumping out of me at first listen. But listening to it some more has given me a chance to form some observations. A small fraction of the flute at the very start of the song reminds me of Chungha’s Gotta Go. And I was convinced that one of the members (sorry, I don’t know any member’s names) was Chungha based on her vocals, which is very similar to the soloist. While we were on the topic of the vocals, I thought there were quite nice. The song did miss that opportunity to include a rap sequence, which I think could have given the song a boost. I also did like the post-chorus instrumental break which has some brass and an ethnic sound, which makes it an intriguing part of the song, overall. I also enjoyed the slowdown for the bridge. Usually, I think a slowdown for a dance track isn’t the most ideal way to go, but this works here as the rest of the track doesn’t seem to be that fast actually.

To me, the music video is a balance between cutesy (though the brighter and vibrant colours at the start) and edgy (the darker tone that we get during the second verse). There are elements of both and I guess the video was made to show the two sides of the girls. Apart from that, I didn’t notice too much about the video that could be considered a plotline. Other than that, it was a nice visual introduction to the group.

The choreography for this debut track is pretty fantastic. I enjoyed the performance from start to end. It looked energetic and fun. I particularly like the choreography for the post-chorus instrumental breaks

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] I’m Home – Minho (SHINee)

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Another very late review is coming your way! Out of all the SHINee members, Minho has yet to release any solo songs in this career. Instead, he is the most successful member in acting. And as many of the members were nearing the military enlistment age, we have seen an influx of releases of from member. Minho joins this influx and made his solo debut on the 28th of March, through the release of I’m Home. The single is released as part of the SM Station Season 3 project, which has seemed to be focusing on solo tracks more this time around.

I’m Home is a mid-tempo ballad. SInce Minho isn’t known for this vocals, I wondered how a song of this nature would play out. Rather than being anything negative, I’m Home manages to be quite pleasant and easy on the ears. The song opens with some whistling, something that you would associate with a breezy type of song. The instrumental is predominately acoustic guitar, with the incorporation of percussion for the vocals. His vocals are quite impressive. They were rather clear and it basically throws out on whether Minho could handle the ballad genre. His high note was very nice, as an example of his style. Nicely incorporated into the song is a rap sequence. To me, the song plays towards Minho’s strength. It isn’t the most memorable song out there. But for longtime fans of Minho and SHINee, I think this would be a very nice and well-deserved treat.

We start off with Minho walking up to the sound of both his alarm clock and the phone ringing. His character in the video is a businessman, who is basically working 24/7. However, based on his expressions and posture, it seems like Minho is longing to be with his partner, who is not in the picture at the moment. This goes nicely with the song. Every time he takes a rest, the alarm clock or phone (or another person) is waking him up. This just constantly reminds him of his loneliness and forces him to live with that feeling. I think this forces to him a move at the end, where is running to probably propose to his partner. I really like how he is singing in the midst of everything, which I think was a creative thing to do. I also like the golden appearance of the video and that slightly hazy effect.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.7/10

[Review] Blooming Future – ASTRO

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It is Saturday, which per the post schedule means a Japanese review is coming your way. I was originally going to do another release from a few weeks back. But ASTRO dropped their Japanese debut, Blooming Future, just this week (It did feel a little out of the blue as I did not see any news or teasers beforehand). And to avoid any delay, I decided to write the review for it today! Blooming Future is featured on the group’s first Japanese mini-album, Venus, alongside the Japanese version of Baby, All Night and Always You.

Blooming Future (or Hanasake Mirai) is a pretty decent beginning for their Japanese career. I felt like the direction they were going for was really good, with it fitting both ASTRO’s youthful charm and the typical upbeatness we tend to hear from Japanese releases. However, listening to the song, I felt like it lacked definition. The song felt very consistent throughout and didn’t seem to depart the synth sound that they were aiming for. I feel like if there were some bass or background vocals during the chorus, for example, the song would have had that added definition to really make it sound better. Apart from that, the song was pretty good. I liked the vocals and the funkiness that the Rocky and JinJIn brought to the song through their raps. The instrumental was actually quite good., apart from what I mentioned above. I did like the lightness during the verses. But like I said, the chorus could have had more to it.

I guess to fit in with the lightness of the track is a very minimalistic vibe to the music video. There wasn’t a whole lot going on during the music video, especially when we talk about the sets. And this allows the individual members to really pop out. The video consisted of solo and choreography shots. I did feel the editing could have eased on the number of cuts throughout the video (i.e. when the scenes change to the next one). They felt very sudden and cut the flow of the music video, especially in the chorus, which prevented me from admiring the members (hahaha…).

From what I can see in the music video, the choreography looks decent. But due to the magnitude of cuts (mentioned above), it was really hard to really focus on anything. Unfortunately, we don’t have a live performance of it yet, so I guess I will have to rank according to what I saw in the video.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Kill This Love – BLACKPINK

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The biggest comeback of this week has to go to BLACKPINK, who returned today with Kill This Love. But when it comes to BLACKPINK’s comebacks, do you know what makes this one better? The fact that we also get three new songs (so an album review is coming your way!). We last saw BLACKPINK through the extremely popular DDU-DU DDU-DU. We also got to see Jennie through her solo promotions of SOLO at the end of 2018, along with promises from YG for future solo promotions for the other members (hopefully!).

Kill This Love starts with blaring horns, which really encapsulates the group’s fierce style within the first few seconds of the song. It also hints towards a military-style concept, which will become apparent quite soon.  Following this, the group launches itself into a hip-hop infused verse, before settling on a vocally-centred pre-chorus. The blaring horns return for the chorus, which definitely had an added dramatic flair. At the end of the song, we get this military-like rolling drum beat that pretty brings the song back full circle to the same feeling that we got from the start (and it is probably my favourite bit) However, there are a few aspects that leave me rather disappointed with the song. The chorus was underwhelming, with a very mediocre approach for its catchiness. I also think the song was rather muddled with its many sounds. The presence of the extended pre-chorus right after the fierceness of the hip-hop verse really lost the flow of the track and it failed to make the chorus drop in a satisfying manner. Overall, I am not really feeling the song this time.

As usual, the music video is amazing. I say this with any YG Entertainment music video and will probably say it countless more times in the future. Each set looked amazing, especially the massive bear trap set. Though, I am never sure about the meaning behind every scene and how this relates to the lyrics or the rest of the video (sometimes, they feel quite random). I did find this video that did a good job of describing the scenes so I will post this here if you want to hear about a possible theory. I really like how edgy the members look with their outfits and on the sets. The military concept also carried over, with pretty much the ending being a massive military march.

The performance was really good. Fierceness seems to be the big word of the day, with it being an adjective throughout all the aspects of this comeback. The chorus looked amazing but my favourite choreography moment has to be the end with the marching/rolling drum beats. I enjoyed the rush of energy during this part.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Universe – Minhyun (NU’EST)

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Out of all the members of the now-disbanded Wanna One, I think many people are excited for Minhyun. His group went onto Produce 101 as a final attempt to get themselves recognition. And it paid off. NU’EST returned as NU’EST W and continually topped charts with their new releases. Minhyun went on to be part of the popular Wanna One. And now that chapter has closed, it will be interesting to see what direction NU’EST will now take. And we will slowly find out from today, as Minhyun’s solo release (in preparation for a full comeback in the near future) was revealed.

Universe is the Minhyun’s solo track’s name. It is an R&B track but it diverts from that traditional slow tempo to a more upbeat pop and dance influence. And it is this diversion that really gets me into the song. A solo release will also get the member to shine and Minhyun does it effortlessly in this song. So altogether, the song does stand out for me. I find this particular route is very foreign for NU’EST, so it is quite refreshing when I reflect upon the song at the end. I really like the melody, which I thought was calming in a way, despite the upbeatness. Maybe it was the clearness in his voice or its rather easy-on-the-ears instrumentation. Talking about his voice, I really like the falsettos that he attempts at towards the end of the song. It did feel like it was missing something. It didn’t feel complete to me. I think I wanted a rap sequence somewhere to give a little more variety. But that would completely shake up the track, so I guess I understand why that didn’t occur. But overall, Universe is a really good track to kick start Minhyun’s return to the group.

The music video was shot in Budapest and is connected to NU’EST’s previous music videos (Overcome and Love Paint). It is a little confusing, but here is my attempt at the storyline. Minhyun used to be in a relationship but it ended badly (i.e. she leaves him). I think this break-up was a bit harsh on Minhyun, who becomes ‘soulless’ as we saw at the start of the video. However, there is an old man living in the apartment across from his and he comes by daily with a crystal (the same crystals shown in Overcome), that when connected to a machine, relays the good memories of a person. In this case, Minhyun relives the relationship, as we see the days repeat themselves. And this old man is always nearby to control the dosage (I guess) of the crystal. But on one particular day, he isn’t there and Minhyun uses more of the crystals, which unlocks the white Queen (the same Queen from the Overcome music video who went missing). It seems like Minhyun was still on his quest to find the Queen all along, as he bows down to her at the end of the video. Though we don’t know what happens after he reunited with the Queen. My guess is that this ending leads us straight into the forthcoming videos from NU’EST because the storyline doesn’t seem to be completed just yet. I am also unsure how Love Paint play into this (maybe another music video theory post idea?).

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