Category: Reviews

[Review] Amor – BoA

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BoA is nominated for the Best Female Choreography and Best Female Soloist categories for this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you haven’t voted yet, click here to do so as closing closes in 2 days!

BoA’s busy year has yet to end with a brand new Japanese release. Amor was officially released on the 26th of December and a music video was dropped a week prior, allowing for this review to be written. BoA previously released One Shot, Two Shot and Nega Dola and more recently Woman in Korea this year. She also made her Japanese comeback at the start of the year with Jazzclub.

BoA is on board the Latin trend train that has basically taken hold of the KPOP industry this year. While BoA has yet to address this trend in her Korean release, Amor does it for her Japanese releases (and I think this is the first Japanese releases that I have heard given my small spectrum of JPOP to include a Latin influence). Amor doesn’t actually feel like it stems from an overused trend. Instead, there is an air of freshness that I actually like from the song. There are other influences in the instrumental that keep it interesting and very upbeat. But the aspect that I love the most about Amor is her vocals. She sounds standard during the verses but I love her slightly higher pitch during the pre-chorus and choruses. They made the song memorable for me. Overall, I quite like this song.

I thought the video was very standard. It just felt like any other music video released in Korea. There was a sense of elegance to the video due to the presence of BoA. But that was the only interesting vibe that I got from the video. Some of her outfits looked really good. Other outfits looked really odd and didn’t match the song whatsoever. There was a small plot (I think) to the video but that was covered up entirely by choreography shots.

Luckily, the choreography was good enough to cover the above. It is, once again, fitting for the song. I really liked her dance break, where she danced with the male backup dancer. I thought that was the best bit in the entire choreography, with everything else looking nice.

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

[Review] Candle Light – NCT Dream

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Voting closes in 3 DAYS. If you have yet to vote for NCT Dream or any of our other favourite artists for this year’s KPORPEVIEWED Awards, click here to do so NOW before you miss out!

We all thought wrong when we all thought that We Go Up was the final release before Mark’s graduation from NCT Dream. Yesterday, NCT Dream released an SM Station single titled Candle Light. But since Mark’s graduation has been confirmed the for the 31st of December, Mark is still present in the unit group for the new song release. The video does still allude to the impending event but that is something to talk about later on in the review.

Candle Light is best described as a mid-tempo ballad that conveys the message of wishing to be with someone. The song has this bright yet warming atmosphere to it, which can be attributed to the instrumental of the song. And hence, the message felt well suited for the style the song went with. The song is also a departure from their usual releases, which is more vocally centred this time around. This highlights the vocals of all the members, which isn’t something that we have experienced before. There was some rapping, which I thought was extremely fitting for the song.  It is a solid song but it lacks memorability, in my opinion. If they nailed that, it would have been a perfect song. But Candle Light is still pleasant sounding and definitely a nice way to end the year of KPOP.

The music video was very well done. The members are directing a music video in this music video. We see then struggle with a whole bunch of bloopers and technical issues. In the end, we are shown the ‘final product’, which featured all the members excluding Mark, alluding to his upcoming graduation in the coming days. The way he presents his rap, with all the members sitting in front of him (and one seat vacant) really hits home that this is happening. The video also seemed to be incorporate elements from NCT Dream’s previous releases including chewing gum (from Chewing Gum), mini cars (from My First & Last) and the word ‘Go’ (from Go). Definitely, a nice way to signal the end of a chapter for the unit.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] Truth – TVXQ

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TVXQ’s The Chance of Love is nominated for Best Music Video in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Voting closes in a few days, so click on this link and vote, if you haven’t done so yet!

TVXQ made their comeback today with Truth. The release and the mini-album, Chapter #2: The Truth of Love, is extra special as it celebrates the duo’s 15th year anniversary. It was actually 15 years ago this day that the group (a quintet) debuted with their single, Hugs. And while the group has a had many highs (including very well-known tracks and choreographies), they also had some lows. But the duo remained strong throughout its 15 years and hence why they are able to still release songs today. Here is to more releases in the future!

Truth is a jazzy R&B mix, which I think was quite pleasant overall. There weren’t any hard-hitting moments which I tend to think is great every now and then when it comes to an industry heavily reliant on dance and electronic music. It provides relief if you know what I am trying to get at. The vocals in this song are quite good. Both opted for some falsetto for some parts of the song, which I really thought was nice given the jazzy influence the song had. But it also matched the R&B side as well. I really like the kick the ad-libs towards the end of the song gave the final moments of the song, which prevented the song from becoming too repetitive. It does lack a promising hook and doesn’t hold my attention for long. But apart from that, it is a good song.

The music video I thought was okay. Not really the most captivating video I have ever watched. The quality was definitely there but the content wasn’t that compelling compared to their previous comeback earlier this year (The Chance of Love). The start of the video gave action-movie vibes that I thought was promising. But they went in a completely different route, which matched the song but left me disappointed. I did like their outfits and I thought that the dance element was well incorporated into the video – due to the jazzy nature of the song.

The choreography was nice. I thought it was well put together and really showed TVXQ’s dance skills at a mature level, which is appropriate for the song. It isn’t the most mind-blowing performance but it had a pleasant and smooth feeling to it.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] One Day – Jiyeon (T-ARA)

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Only one week to go before voting closes in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote NOW if you haven’t done so yet!

Over the weekend, Jiyeon returned with a winter single release, One Day. This is Jiyeon’s first solo release since her solo debut 1 Minute 1 Second. It is also her first release since her and the members of T-ARA parted ways from their former company, T-ARA. As I stated in Hyomin’s solo comeback earlier this year, we haven’t heard much of the members or any news of a group comeback. There are some hopes with the court stating that MBK Entertainment does not have trademark rights to the group’s name and hence the girls are able to make a comeback under the name T-ARA if they choose to. But until then, let’s have a closer look at Jiyeon’s returning song.

Fitting for the Winter season, One Day takes on the ballad genre. It just isn’t the type of ballad where the vocalist is belting out high notes repetitively or emotionally presenting their story. Instead, Jiyeon’s vocals are much softer and delicate than any of the songs I have personally heard her sing. But it isn’t a fragile or emotional type of song. There is a hint of happiness and joy in her voice and in the instrumentation. I did think the instrumentation was a little overpowering at times, with it overshadowing her voices every now and then. I did like the opening to the choruses (‘Someday, One Day, Everyday‘). It was a very interesting hook in my opinion and probably the best sounding line in the entire song. It is not really my favourite type of ballad but definitely a nice song for the current climate in South Korea.

I think the music video was put together under short notice. It isn’t really one with high investment. It felt more like a photoshoot, compared to a music video. They did a good job of filtering the video to give it a golden appeal, which would add to a warming effect to the song and its lyrics. But other than that, there really isn’t much else to say about the video.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 5/10
Overall Review – 5.9/10

[Review] I Won’t Let You Go – GOT7

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With less than 10 days to go before voting closes, make sure you support GOT7 for the  Best Male Group and Best Male Choreography categories in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote!

GOT7 is kicking off 2019 with their promotions for their latest Japanese comeback single, I Won’t Let You Go, which is featured on the group’s 3rd Japanese mini-album (which shares the same title). GOT7 was previously in Japan earlier this year to promote THE New Era. Like the usual promotional schedule for Japanese releases (I honestly do not know why this is the case), the music video for I Won’t Let You Go was released this week and hence why I am reviewing it today!

I Won’t Let You Go is more in line with GOT7’s Korean releases rather than their Japanese releases thus far. All of their Japanese releases have been heavily doused in EDM, while this song feels like a typical dance track. But by doing this, the song allows GOT7 to focus on a vocally driven comeback, which I think they execute perfectly. The rapping itself is still good. But with both the vocals and rapping, you are able to sense the emotional side of the song. This is a new side for GOT7’s Japanese release. The dance instrumentation was rather typical. I didn’t find anything too outstanding about, besides the fact that the instrumentation chosen allows the song to be quite fitting for the more colder months that both Japan and Korea are experiencing. I do miss that edge that they had with their previous tracks, however, which I think could have levelled up the song and made it more appealing.

I read somewhere that there might be hidden messages in this music video, based on the placement of objects and the screens showing the bird (which represents the fans of GOT7). And I think it is highly likely that is the case. From the moment I saw the placement of those antennas, I knew something was up. But what that message is, I have no idea. What I can tell you is (and you probably can see for yourself) the music video is more emotional than ever. Their powerful dancing and solemn looks into the camera really sends off those signals. I liked the golden feel the video gives, which match perfectly with that emotional element and vibes from the song.

And as mentioned previously, the dance looks very powerful. In the music video, I see Jinyoung, Jaebum and Yugyeom have solo shots. Not sure if it I part of the video but I would like it to see each member have a solo moment as that would make the performance so much more impactful. Everything else that I saw in the video looked pretty cool as well.

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

[Review] Getting Closer – SEVENTEEN

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SEVENTEEN is nominated for Best Male Group, Best Male Choreography and Best Subunit in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. There are less than 10 days to go for the voting period, so quickly vote and Support Seventeen by clicking here!

SEVENTEEN is back with a small teaser for their upcoming comeback (which has been tipped to occur early 2019). Getting Closer was unveiled to the public one week ago when SEVENTEEN performed the new song for the first time at the MAMAs in Hong Kong. This release and their upcoming comeback have been linked to their last comeback in South Korea, Oh My! and the mini-album You Make My Day, through the accompanying hashtag – #Prequel_YMMD. What this means will be revealed to us soon. In the meantime, let’s have a closer look at their new single.

I think just by listening to the song, you can get a sense that this is their edgiest comeback yet. I haven’t heard SEVENTEEN do a hip-hop infused dance track that is this angst before. They have gone close to it before but there was always a subtle immature vibe. Hence, I find this to be a great mix of that never-heard-before style and a mature side of the group. And due to the hip-hop side of the song, there is a heavy emphasis on the rappers in the group for this. I think that is great considering how they end up with the least lines in most of their past title tracks. That being said the vocals do a pretty amazing job at adapting to the changes and they fit in well. I thought the bridge was a good example of this. The instrumental was also great, giving a dynamic and powerful canvas for the group to stand on. I did have some issues with the song. The chorus felt underwhelming. The hooks weren’t as memorable as I hoped they would be. I also felt the song was too short and that the track was jammed into the 3 minutes span.

The music video seems to hint towards that connection between their previous comeback. The Rubiks Cube, for example, that Wonwoo plays a part in the choreography for Oh My! was seen on the table in this video, taking on a grey and silver appearance instead. I do question the number of clocks and their respective times in this video. Something is up and I can’t pinpoint what. Though, any question raised about the connections between the two releases will probably be answered in the upcoming comeback. The aesthetics fo the video made it powerful and bold. Also, the use of the shade black throughout the sets, the props and their outfits really give definition to their new concept, which I thought made it quite memorable.

Has SEVENTEEN ever disappointed us with a performance? I don’t think so. The start of the performance with Hoshi reaching out in front reminded me of EXO’s Wolf. But from that point forward, everything definitely takes a turn and SEVENTEEN amazes us with another powerful set of moves. I liked how sharp everything was during the chorus. But the dance break was definitely the highlight of the entire performance (especially when Jun jumps up!).

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

[Review] MILLIONS – WINNER

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Winner is nominated for Best Male Group and Mino is nominated for Best Rapper in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. To support Winner and Mino, click on the link here to start voting! Voting closes in 11 days!

While their official comeback isn’t until sometime in January of next year, Winner has dropped a new single at the request of many fans. MILLIONS was released yesterday as a special pre-release single ahead of their upcoming comeback. We last saw the group during their Everyday comeback earlier this year. Mino also embarked on his solo career with Fiance, which was released a few weeks back.

I think the first thing that really jumps out at me is the use of that tropical house influence. As much as I enjoy the genre, I agree with many people who say that is way past its trendy days and it is becoming a relatively standard sound. And with the past few Winner comebacks being of the tropical nature, it just feels like they digging too much into this rabbit hole. But besides that, I thoroughly enjoyed the song. I really liked the upbeat nature of the song. It does seem a little ill-fitting for the seasonal trend but they did a really good job at balancing out that upbeat nature for the Winter period. I also liked the drums in the instrumental. I think just by the bright nature of the song and the lyrics that you can make out, the song takes a refined romantic route, which was rather nice, in my opinion. I liked the chorus, which had a simple melody but their vocals made it very catchy and addictive in nature. The rapping was also quite nice. Not too much power, which goes back to that balance.

Once again, YG Entertainment delivers with another extraordinary music video. Fitting the brightness of the song, the music video adopts that bright factor with its colourful and vibrant sets. And the all-smiling Winner members made this video pretty much unforgettable. I think the concept is a lot more typical, given the stereotypical nature of KPOP but since WInner doesn’t focus on this style too much, it becomes memorable. I really liked the final set with the fireworks in the background. I thought was quite cool.

The dance is definitely another highlight of this comeback. I like what they are doing with their fingers during the chorus. Not exactly sure what it is meant to represent but it definitely fits the song extremely well. The rest of the performance looks like it is going to be extremely fun and energetic, which are factors that I personally like.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9.5/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

[Review] First Sight – Heize

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Vote in the 2018 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here if you have yet to do so!

It is sometimes amazing to see how far I manage to get by without reviewing an artist’s song. And in the past few years, I tried to reduce the number of artists whom I missed by including a broader spectrum of artists into the reviewing mix. Well, one artist still managed to slip through the gaps. Heize is a renowned female R&B soloist who has multiple top hits under her belt. She has also been recognised for her songs and vocals at multiple award ceremonies. Yet, I am only getting around to reviewing her for the first time.

First Sight is the title for her more recent release, which was revealed to the public last Friday. She also had the opportunity to perform it for the first time at the MAMA Awards held on Friday. And like her other comebacks in the past, Heize brings her unique vocals to the song, creating a very dreamy sound for the song. I thought the melody was quite nice and definitely a really powerful tool to really appeal to the listeners. I liked how the song changed to a mid-tempo track during the chorus rather staying ballad-like. The electronic details in the instrumental gave off a nice effect. I did think the thumping bass was a little too strong, often covering up Heize’s vocals when she goes into falsetto. I also liked the jazzy piano during the bridge. It is a real pity that I took so long to review a song from the soloist because given the way this song sound, I would have easily enjoyed the others.

Heize goes with a fairytale concept for her video. She acts as the Red Riding Hood at the start of the video, who wants to attract the attention of the male in white. She longs for that attention as she is very much in love with him but he gives no interest towards her. And this essentially the lyrics in a nutshell. She even goes to extreme lengths, where she eats a poison apple, causing her to fall asleep for eternity until she receives true love kiss, which probably won’t happen because the male in white has no interest in her. There is a second male character, the male in black. He brings her in after the male in white rejects her and he is also peering into her eternal bed at the end of the video. My guess is that he love’s Heize’s character, but like the primary storyline, she has no interest in him. I thought that was an interesting twist to the story.

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

[Review] Whatcha Doin’ – Yesung (Super Junior) & Kim Chungha

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Kim Chungha is nominated for Best Female Solo Artist and Best Collaboration in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to support Kim Chungha and your other favourite artists.

We have a new duet release, which brings together Yesung from Super Junior and Kim Chungha. Their new single is titled Whatcha Doin’. Interesting fact, if you guys don’t know, is that this isn’t the first time Chungha has collaborated with an SM artist. Earlier this year, the solo artist joined forces with Seulgi (Red Velvet), SinB (GFriend) and Kim Soyeon (GI-DLE) for Wow Thing!, which was released as part of the Station X 0 project. Yesung has also been busy with the Super Junior comebacks that fans were treated to this year.

Whatcha Doin’ is a pop track that brings out the vocals of Yesung and Chungha. Yesung has established himself as one of the main vocals of Super Junior, while Chungha has been showing off her singing capabilities this year through her solo releases and collaborations. Together, they compliment each other extremely well. Both their vocals aren’t heavy, which goes perfectly well with the light pop instrumental of this song. All of this results in a pleasant track to listen to. Throw in a simple yet catchy hook to open up the chorus, I thought this was a very nice collaboration. I did like the soft ‘awoo awoo‘ in the background during the chorus, which added an extra depth to the song. They could have gone for something a little more unique but nonetheless, it was a good song.

I thought the concept for this video was rather cute. At the start, they were both nervous to make that first move. The way they interacted with each other was really well thought out, pushing the phone to each other despite each of them in their own halves. The Boomerang feature was also a cool addition to the video. Overall, I liked the video’s appeal and its fitting nature to the song.

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

[Review] 28℃ – 100%

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A lot of groups are sneaking in last minute releases and comebacks just before 2018 wraps up. 100% is one of the group still sneaking in a comeback despite having a very busy year themselves. While they lost their late leader Minwoo (R.I.P) earlier this year, the boy group persisted through the shocking loss and managed to have one Korean comeback (Grand Bleu and Heart) and 3 Japanese comebacks (Song For You, Summer Night and now 28℃). And today, we will be having a closer look at their most recent track, 28℃.

Unlike their Japanese tropical house releases during the year, 28℃ goes with a pure EDM sound. But while I want to hear something a little more adventurous from the group, 28℃ manages to hold its ground quite strongly. I think listening to the first verse really blew my mind. It sounds so beautiful and this definitely caught my attention. I like how their vocals sounded while on top of that minimalistic instrumentation canvas. It may not be much to some people but it was quite appealing to me. The drop was standard when you reflect upon the track but the buildup made it feel very powerful. The rapping in the second verse was done is a way where it didn’t rely on the strong intensity that rappers usually bring but rather its lightness, which I think this goes with the ‘beautiful’ nature of the verses. The rapping for the bridge was another story as it injects the dong with the intensity, which as needed by then. Overall, while it was still a standard sound, the timing of elements in this track and its balance made it very appealing.

The music video doesn’t really have much going on in it. There were closeup shots and choreography shots, just like your standard music video. I did like the setting that they chose for some reason despite it being a cliche choice. I also did like the sets. Nothing really else to comment on in regards to the video.

I did like the choreography, however. It depicts tension through the first pre-chorus collar-grabbing and closeness between each pair. And while the chorus felt standard (song-wise), their choreography showed off some moves that looked quite cool overall.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

[Review] Hair In The Air – Yeri (Red Velvet), Renjun, Jeno & Jaemin (NCT)

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Both Red Velvet and NCT are nominated in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Voting is underway and if you haven’t voted yet, click here to do so now!

For this week’s SM Station release, Yeri (from Red Velvet) and Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin (from NCT) join hands together for the special release of Hair In The Air, which is the main theme song for the new television series – Trolls: The Beat Goes On. The song features on a special OST album for the show and the album also contains a second track, Best Day Ever, featuring Haechan, Chenle and Jisung (from NCT as well). But we are here for Hair In The Air, so let’s get going.

Hair In The Air goes for a fun-filled and vibrant sound, suiting the animated show it will represent in South Korea. It has this positivity atmosphere that makes you want to smile and dance to. The pop instrumental for the song was consistent (in a good way) and gave the song that fun factor which I have already mentioned. It is super addictive so I can see it being used as a children’s show theme song. Yeri and Renjun take cares of the vocals in the song, while Jeno and Jaemin rap in the song. And I personally enjoyed both the vocals and raps in the song as they both add some flavour and textures to the song. It may just be a standard song to some but I thoroughly enjoyed its lightheartedness.

Like the song, the video is pretty much a lighthearted video. Not really meant to be taken seriously. Since it was for Trolls, I had expected some sort of Trolls animation throughout it. But instead, we have a party themed video with Yeri and the 3 featuring members from NCT. But it seems that this party is all in the book that Yeri is reading. There is a small bit of choreography for the video to compliment the fun style of the video. Rather simple but I enjoyed it.

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

[Review] Love Shot – EXO

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The 2018 KPOPREVIEWED Awards are in full swing and voting is still opened. Did you know that EXO is nominated for Best Subunit, Best Male Group, Best Male Choreography, Best Japanese Song by a Korean Artist and Best Album? Click here to vote for EXO!

EXO has returned with their 5th repackaged album and their latest title track, both titled Love Shot. Last month, EXO returned with their 5th studio album, Don’t Mess Up My Tempo. Promotions for Tempo were quite short, causing anger to be directed towards SM Entertainment for their lack of promotions this year as a group. It does seem like EXO will be promoting their repackaged album and title track for slightly longer as their album promotions will crossover with the End of Year music festivals and award ceremonies that start 2019 off.

Love Shot is a pop dance track filled with a balanced level of thumping bass and it feels a lot more comfortable than what Tempo felt like. It flows a lot more nicely, with smoothness being a keyword used to describe the song.  I think what I like about the song is its addictive chorus. It may be a simple hook but it is keyed into your memory by the time the song ends, so you just want to replay the song to relive the chorus. The vocals in this track were also a strong point, adding to the track’s appeal. I really liked D.O’s ‘People come and people go‘ start to the bridge, which I think was more memorable than the already addictive chorus.  Once again, I also liked the rapping. It is perfect for this sensual sounding song but I have to admit that it doesn’t top the energy and intensity we got from Tempo. And that basically applies to the entire song. But nonetheless, EXO’s Love Shot was a great song to mark their second return to 2018.

EXO has their guns drawn for their music video. There is a plotline somewhere in the video, with the way Suho walks away with a SWAT team by his side and everyone is confronted by the SWAT team when they came to rob the bank (of flowers). While it does feel cryptic and confusing, the plotline does seem fairly interesting. Also, when I thought of ‘Love Shot‘, I thought of drinking rather than guns. But I liked the way they incorporated alcohol into their guns, which is pretty aesthetic. But at the same time, not too effective when it comes to robbing a bank. I also thought the closeup shots throughout the video showed off great visuals of the members.

But I think we cannot pass the choreography for this comeback. Like the song, the choreography seems to take a sensual approach, reminding me of the moves they pulled for The Eve. I liked the incorporation of the small “handgun” in their body rolls for the choruses. As for the verses, we just have to wait and see. But it looks good from the music video end.

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

[Review] The Best Thing I Ever Did – TWICE

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TWICE is nominated for Best Female Group, Best Female Choreography, Best Music Video, & Best Japanese Song by a Korean Artist. Help support TWICE in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking the link here to vote. 

If there is one girl group that kept busy in 2018, that girl group would be TWICE. Onces (TWICE’s fandom) were treated to 3 Korean comebacks, What Is Love?, Dance The Night Away and Yes Or Yes throughout 2018. On top of that, multiple Japanese releases such as BDZ and Candy Pop. Now, the female group has returned for one last time in 2018 with a reissued version of their Yes or Yes mini-album, The Years of Yes. The lead title from this new mini-album is The Best Thing I Ever Did, which is the focus of today’s album review.

The Best Thing I Ever Did is a sweet sounding ballad that suits the youthful style of TWICE’s releases and the upcoming Christmas holiday. It isn’t that emotionally driven style of a ballad, which I think would honestly a little awkward for me as that isn’t the mature style of music that I am used to when it comes to TWICE. I think what stands out for me is the vocals of the group. TWICE has been subjected to some criticism for their weak vocals but this song proves otherwise. I thought the rap-talking in the song was also quite nice. The instrumentation is also another positive for the track, as it gives off a warm feeling and some of the details in the instrumental were added for a cute effect. It isn’t your typical TWICE song as the song is miles away from what they usually do. But it is a nice ballad for their fans.

The music video for this song is more of a fan service. But rather showing us that typical behind the scene fan video, the producers of this music video were smart with the way they presented it. It was shown as a movie and the members of TWICE were watching the movie in the cinema. It was a great way to show the members reminiscing about their career so far and it was fitting for the lyrics of the song. The music video also shows the members having a little fun at the dinner table and in the snow.

Correct me if I am wrong but I remember reading somewhere that there will be no promotions for this new release so we won’t be able to see a live performance for it. If there is a performance, my prediction will be that there won’t be any accompanying choreography due to the nature of the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Review] Gone – Lee Changsub (BTOB)

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BTOB is nominated for Best Male Group and Best Vocals in this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you haven’t voted for BTOB yet (or any of your favourite artists), click here to vote right away!

With the impending military enlistment of Changsub confirmed for next year, he is saying farewell (for the next two years) through a solo debut mini-album titled Mark and the title track, Gone. This isn’t the first time I reviewed Changsub’s solo work, as Changsub released another solo single as part of Piece of BTOB, At The End. BTOB also returned a few weeks back with Hour Moment and the single, Beautiful Pain as a parting gift to their fans before the military enlistment of each member.

Given Changsub’s vocals, it was expected he would go with a song that would show off his vocals. Gone does just that. It is a ballad that has a standard ballad instrumentation but manages to incorporate some flair into the song. The buildup instantly comes out of nowhere, which was a great way of offsetting the slow start to the song, which I felt made the song feel too standard. So, this buildup was definitely needed. His vocals start off really nice, matching that slow, soothing sound. But it built up at the same rate as the instrumentation’s buildup, remaining as the main focus of the song. And I liked how powerful his vocals got, which really gave the song a needed kick. Despite that, I like his soft touch to the ending, which made the song feel like it ended as a complete circle. Overall, a pretty cool solo debut ballad.

The music video features APINK’s Chorong, who I found out are friends in real life, based on what I am reading. I not 100% sure on what the video is about and I have yet to find English lyrics to really give me hints. But here is my take on it. Changsub is a top celebrity, who is tired of his work. He decides for a night out at a small bar, where he meets Chorong, who is a singer at the bar. Chorong is verbally abused for probably being a poor singer and she is about to attack her abuser when Changsub stops her and drags her away. She thanks him by inviting him back to her part-time work to have a soft jam session. He writes a song with her in mind and he performs it at the same bar. He is slightly nervous, but Chorong is present to support him, which leads to a successful performance. It was a nice video to watch, overall.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7.6/10

[Review] Days Gone By – DAY6

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Before we get into the review, I just want to let you know that DAY6 is nominated for Best Band for their Shoot Me comeback earlier this year. Click here to vote for DAY6 and your other favourite artists. 

DAY6 has returned with the part 2 of their Youth series, Remember Us. The title track for this album release is Days Gone By. This is the band’s second comeback of the year, after their Shoot Me comeback in June. Since then, the band has been busy in Japan with their first album and comebacks. 2018 also seems to be a very big year for the band, as they won the Best Band award at the MMA and are nominated for the same award at the MAMA’s (with the winner will be announced later this week). Let’s hope they have the same success for this comeback and 2019.

From the very first second, Days Gone By screams out retro. The first few seconds reminded me of the style of song that I would associate with Michael Jackson, especially from the 70s and 80s era. I think we can attribute this to their rocking instrumental, which used that retro synthesizer on the keyboard. Kind of the go-to instrument/sound if you want something very retro. And I liked how they stayed with the sound and did not stray away from it, which is the more common thing to do in today’s music industry. I liked how their vocals blended well with the instrumentation. Neither felt overpowering but both were equally strong. Jae’s husky vocals, in particular, were my favourite. I think want makes me a major fan of the band is their versatility. We have seen a range of sounds, especially through their monthly releases. And now that they have ticked retro off that list, I am excited to see what is next.

Following the retro concept, the music video was very retro as well. The use of green screen through this, giving off a kaleidoscope effect of each member’s shots was definitely something very big from that era. For once the lower quality footage was intentional and fitted in well with the concept. I also liked the instrumental section, where they played their instruments and had a little fun, while all we could see was the silhouettes of each member. It isn’t technically the most amazing music video ever. But you can tell that they thought through this concept logically and managed to incorporate many ideas into the video.

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

[Review] I Dream – Elkie (CLC)

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CLC is nominated for Best Female Group and Most Underrated Artist in the 2018 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Click here to vote for CLC! 

One of the many groups that I have grown concerned for is CLC. One of the many problems they face is their lack of promotions, with Cube Entertainment pushing their more popular acts onto the stage. Notice how each of Cube’s artists have two releases in 2018 and CLC has only one (Black Dress). Now, their main vocalist, Elkie, has made her solo debut. But once again, no promotions. Actually, I don’t think many people caught wind of her solo debut due to the lack of promotional material in the lead up to her solo debut. As upsetting as it is, I hope my review isn’t too late and will hopefully introduce Elkie and CLC to a wider audience.

Elkie’s solo debut song is titled I Dream and it is a ballad. I find this ballad very typical but in a good way. It has all the aspects that I think makes it a good ballad. That swayable effect that I mention often as a criterion for my personal taste is ticked off here. And going hand-in-hand with that effect is the soothing nature of the instrumentation, which is made up of piano and soft violins (which, once again, is rather typical). Her vocals are really nice. I know of her capabilities given her work in CLC songs but this shifts a new focus towards her for me, which I think makes this a pretty decent solo debut. I also think there is a slight hook in the chorus of the song when she sings I Dream. I find it somewhat memorable. Altogether, everything is coming together well. Maybe she could have gone for something much more memorable, but I Dream was very nicely done.

There were many shots throughout the video that showed off her beauty. I thought the video showcased nice scenery, regardless if it was just a simple walk in the park or those nightlife images. I haven’t looked into the lyrics but based on the video, it shows Elkie trying to find herself and determine what her dreams are. It is a nice video that matches the song really nicely.

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