Category: Reviews

[Review] Time For The Moon Night – GFRIEND

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Making their comeback today is GFRIEND with Time For The Moon Night. This is the title track and title for their 6th mini-album, which I yet to decide whether I will be writing an album review for (the highlight medley sounded really good). Hands up if I should!!! 2017 was a very busy year for the group with hits like Fingertip, Love Whisper and Summer Rain.

Time For The Moon Night initially felt very underwhelming. It just lacked energy in my point of view. But after a couple of listens, I think it is safe to say that Time For The Moon Night is definitely growing on me. Joining their usual dance side with classical-based instrumental, the group managed to showcase great vocals from each member. Yuju’s high note was superb. The chorus is still growing on me but there is definitely a nice ring to it. I like how Eunha sang the first part of the chorus at the start but it had a completely different feel, which was definitely interesting. Also, the lyrics take on a very depressing note. The song is described as being about thinking about a lover during the night. To me, it felt like the members were wondering about their friendship with this person who is no longer by their said (for unknown reasons). Do check out the lyrics to the song when you get a chance to listen to the song and see what you think of it. Overall, it was a nice song to listen to.

I think watching the music video first influenced my take on the lyrics. We see Eunha spending a lot of time alone during the video. This may be because her friends (the other members) all left here (for unknown reasons) and she imagines them being there. Sowon kisses her on the head when she sleeps like how someone would say goodbye to someone (and no, it isn’t a good night type of kiss). Eunha realizes she is alone at 3:23 of the video and the members are shining a light into her eyes but she is unfazed (they are also outside). That is my take on the video. I actually thought the dried up grassland was a nice place to set the video, with the room’s colour matching the colour of the grassland. Overall, it is also a nice video to watch.

I love the start of the performance with Eunha facing the front and the others are in the curved formation that shows the ascending moon.  The chorus was quite fast-paced but their moves remained graceful. Just mildly disappointed by the length of the dance break just before the bridge (which has always been my favourite part of the performance).

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

[Album Review] What Is Love? (5th Mini Album) – TWICE

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TWICE returned a few weeks back with What Is Love? and like their past tracks, it is undeniable that they have taken over the charts once again. This is my album review for their album release, including the physical album only song, Stuck. It is also long overdue that I focused on some album reviews for the female artists and TWICE’s album was the first one to peak my interest. So let’s get going with the review.

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What Is Love? Album Cover

1..What Is Love? (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for What Is Love?. (8.8/10) 

2. Sweet Talker – The song does have some negatives and positive aspects to it. The instrumental, which was quite upbeat, seemed to be similar to a video game soundtrack or almost like 8–bit (with a few extra elements). The vocals were good and the rapping was quite nice. Talking about rapping, the pre-chorus was my most favourite part of the track. I did expect it to be a little catchier, especially with its upbeat nature. The hook was good at first but felt repetitive towards the end. It typical pop sound did also feel a little bland, in my opinion. But it was a good song overall. (7/10)

3. Ho! – What really screams out loud is the retro vibes that feature in the song. What I also liked was the vocal work by the main vocalists for the chorus, which really pushed the song further. When compared to the chorus the verses do feel a little flat but standalone, they were quite nice as well. While I don’t have much else to say about Ho!, the song does shine quite well on the album. (9/10)

4. Déjà Vu – Starting off the song are some rapping but I am not too keen on that part of the track. It just didn’t sit well with me. The verses were a little quirky with the instrumental, which sounds like old country music played on a banjo. The song gets a little confusing as it progresses due to its random transitions yet returning to its original sound. For example, that EDM instrumental break just felt to heavy in comparison to the rest of the song and I question why it is there. Hence, it creates a messy atmosphere, The drums for the “Na-Na-Na” hook were nice but rest of song was too confusing for my taste. (6/10)

5. Say Yes – Normally, I am not too much of a fan for these types of songs. However, Say Yes showcases great vocal work and gets you swaying along. It is a soft pop song, with a great ending to the song with the guitar and vocalisation. I think the song would have benefited from some harmonies, which would also prove to some listeners out there, their ability to sing (which they don’t really focus much in their title track). (8.5/10)

6. Stuck – But out of all the songs on this tracklist, Stuck was the ultimate song. While I have limited comments for this track, I pick this as the literal hidden gem of the album, as you can only find this track on the physical album. It showcases amazing vocals (which was heard in the previous track but it sounds so different when comparing the two). I actually thought some of the melodies (particularly in the chorus) were nostalgic of some of their past tracks. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.2/10

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What Is Love? Music Video Screenshot

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[Review] Crazy, Gone Crazy – Berry Good HeartHeart

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Some of you may not know of Berry Good, who had many great underrated songs in the past. If you haven’t heard Angel, Don’t Believe, Love Letter and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo, it’s best to get back to YouTube and experience all of their glory (just don’t focus too much on Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo‘s music video).  The group’s first release of 2018 is a subunit (named Berry Good HeartHeart), which features Taeha, Gowoon and Sehyung.

Crazy, Gone Crazy seems to be a solid song, in my opinion. The main point of a subunit (if we consider the past subunits of KPOP) is to go down a different route than what their entire group would probably never go down. This is exactly what we have here. Berry Good has had scattered concepts and sounds in the past, which seems to focus on innocence more than anything. HeartHeart’s sound is much more seductive and mature, which was a present surprise within the first few seconds. The vocal work, while not as impressive as in the past, does compliment the song’s style quite nicely. The bridge is probably my go-to point within the song to prove this. The instrumental itself does seem sluggish, at first. However, it does get better with multiple listens. The song is quite flowy, especially the hook of the song, which you don’t really hear until after the first chorus. There was some rapping but I think the song would have benefited with something a little more tempo and intensity, which would have contrasted nicely. But my initial comment stands.

There really isn’t anything that special about the music video. It honestly felt too cliche, in my opinion. Slow movements in the acting, the saddened faces. They are always done every single time in these videos. I don’t actually blame them. I failed to mention earlier how typical the instrumental felt before and I think because of that, the video was shot in a way to match that typical side. The only part that seems to be promising is the choreography shots and the flashy lights. But even that is very typical as well.

The choreography seems okay. I did like the telephone gestures they made for the chorus. It too did suffer from the typical nature of the song but it was still watchable and pleasant.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6.7/10 

[Review] Mirror – Stray Kids

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Stray Kids have had a pretty successful debut so far with District 9. While there doesn’t seem to be too much competition with other new male groups so far this year, Stray Kids have already made a name for themselves in the overseas market. To keep people talking about them, Stray Kids will be following up with Mirror, which is a track off their debut mini-album, I Am Not.

Mirror seems to follow their previous title tracks with its dance-based songs. Interestingly, this song is less intense than their previous songs and it leans toward a pop sound during the chorus. It is an interesting mix, going back and forth to the EDM. Even more interesting is the fact there was a complete slowdown during the bridge, which my opinion worked nicely. This particular sound does allow for the vocals to be heard and they did flourish. We got a taster in District 9 but it would have been interesting to hear more of the vocals (since their songs are already rap dominating), particularly  on a different canvas. While I understand that this may be a little plain for some people, it proved one thing for me. Despite their deep voices and dance-centred title tracks, versatility might be another aspect to keep an eye out. But going back to Mirror, it was a pretty good song overall.

We don’t really have a music video. Rather, earlier this week, they dropped their ‘performance version’, which serves as the promotional video. I feel that while the video looks like it is in line with their debut and pre-release, they could have added something more to make it interesting. For example, a set change for when we launch into the chorus would have made this video pop more and become more memorable. Despite that though, they did do a great job channelling the tough vibes.

What makes the video interesting is the performance rather than the visuals of the video. I really like the mirroring at the start and how they ended the performance in a similar manner to the start. Their formations looked really cool and it was extremely captivating to watch.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

[Review] The Only Star – Hwang Chi Yeul

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Hwang Chi Yeol’s last comeback, A Daily Song, did extremely well at the time of its release, topping charts and earning him his first music show win. This week he returned with The Only Star, which is the lead title track off his second mini-album, Be Myself.

As expected, The Only Star goes down the ballad route, which is what Hwang Chi Yeul is known for. And boy, does he make it sound so good. His voice is so addictive with its raspy sound being so appealing. While raspy sometimes can be undermining, the soloist somehow glides his way through this song (and the rest of his releases). When we turn to the instrumental, it is a different story. While it does highlight his vocals, it just feels really standard and typical. It takes on a classical feel, which I reckon, was good. The bridge was nice, with the staggered buildup, subtle electric guitar and the high note (being the cherry on top). Overall, it was your typical ballad and once again, his vocals do shine through (being the main focus of the song).

The music video tells a nice romantic story. We see Hwang Chi Yeul go through the stages of love (i.e. confession, dating, marriage) which probably gave viewers some moments of fluttering hearts and smiles. However, the truly beautiful moments of the video is at the start and end. We see an old man (later revealed to Hwang Chi Yeul) crying over his dead lover, who sits behind him in church and ‘goes on’ after shedding a few tears. At the end of the video, we see Hwang Chi Yeol reciting his vows to his dead lover, filmed in a way to match the wedding scene where he first read his vows. While the video isn’t saddening to the point of tears, it was still nice and lovely to watch.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10 
Overall Rating – 7.4/10

 

[Review] Dally – Hyolyn ft. Gray

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Making a very hot comeback at the start of this week is Hyolyn with Dally. This is Hyolyn’s second comeback since leaving her former company, Starship Entertainment, after the disbandment of popular girl group Sistar. Dally is also the second part of her three-part Set Up Time project. The first being To Do List, which I haven’t written a review for. She also recently featured on GOT7’s pre-release track, One and Only You.

Dally, to me, seems plain. I felt like the instrumental was quite generic and doesn’t really give much impact to the song. While there was some build-up, it didn’t feel that captivating for me. Gray’s featuring raps did enhance the song from a standard hip-hop track to something with a little more energy. It just wasn’t enough, however, as the song returned to its initial vibes whenever Hyolyn returned. There was a changeup towards the end when they stripped the most of the song’s instrumental, which did give some nice contrast. What I did like the song were Hyolyn’s vocals. Somehow, she manages to fit into whatever genre song she is making a comeback with, which definitely proves how versatile her vocals are. I liked how raspy her voice is throughout the song and the ad-libs that featured were also nice touches. If only the instrumental was stronger and more interesting, I think I would have liked the song a lot more.

Hyolyn attracted attention for her teasers and will definitely attract some attention for her music video. I am not too fussed about the sets and her outfits, which all seemed fitting for the concept and song’s sound. If I didn’t know any better, it felt like a commercial for some urban or fitness wear. I want to focus more on the dancing, which dominated the video. Well, you don’t really need to focus too much to see what is going on. It is the reason why the video got a 19+ rating. There was a lot of butt action in her video, which felt bold and definitely took hold of your attention. There wasn’t much else to say about the performance, except for the very obvious statement that it was extremely sexy.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video + Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Tulips – Snuper

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Snuper makes their comeback with Tulips and their 5th mini-album, titled appropriately as Blossom. The members were last on stage with The Stars of Stars. Some of the members did participate in the recent survival shot The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project, however (from memory), they were eliminated in the earlier episodes of the show. Despite this, I am still interested in them for many of their recent releases have been favourites of mine.

Let’s start with something that caught me off guard. I thought that they mispronounce ‘Tulips’ as ‘Your Lips‘ throughout the song. It took me a while to realize that this completely deliberate and thought it was quite smart after I realized. When I listened to the song for the first time, it felt weird. I was not sure if I liked the new hip-hop vibes that they were going for. However, with a few extra listens, the song does grow on you. It is nice to hear something completely new from the group. The verses do sound quite nice yet it still does sound foreign. Like all songs, the chorus does attract my attention. I thought it sounded classy and cool. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, I will admit that. The vocals were nice and the rapping was quite good. Overall, Snuper’s new song may be different but it works perfectly.

It occurs once in a while where I don’t really enjoy the urban or industrial vibes for the music video. This is one of the times. As mentioned before, I thought the chorus was classy and cool. I just didn’t get that in the video. For me, I think the video would have been better if they were dressed up in suits and maybe presented tulips to every girl they saw. While the suits parts were covered in the music video, it was rather limited. Just listening to the song, I just don’t get casual wear vibes. It might just be me but that was what I felt. However, the video was well shot and still looked nice.

Going back to the styling, the choreography works better in suits. I really liked the flower shape that they make with their hands and the lip rubbing felt quite appropriate. Nothing much else to say.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

 

[Review] That Day – Lovelyz

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Lovelyz have made their return to the stage with a brand new song, titled as That Day. It is the title track off their 4th mini-album, which is titled as Heal. This is the girls first comeback since Twinkle, which was released at the end of last year.

With the warmer weather in South Korea, That Day is a suitably bright and energetic song. The sound reminds me of their earlier works, which is something that I have noticed with many of their songs. They are quite consistent with their bright and cutesy sound. Not going too overboard but not diverting to something completely unexpected either. What makes this song unique is their chorus. While I can make standard comments regarding the energy and brightness, I want to take a moment to appreciate the way they sang some of their lines. The “hwa” and the “hoo” is extremely ear-catching and it makes the song quite catchy (for me, at least). Vocally, I thought they all sounded great. The instrumental did seem to overpower some of the vocals at certain parts throughout the song but it didn’t seem too troubling. The verses did seem a little boring in comparison to the rest of the song but once again, nothing too concerning. Overall, That Day is another great song that fits snuggly under their portfolio umbrella.

The music video is distinctively bright, which is something that I like quite a bit. It suits the song perfectly. No unnecessary filters and lighting, it sets the video up to be quite promising. I really like the cartoon effects for the ‘Hwa” and the “Hoo“. I have mentioned that recently those do look childish but it looks fine here. Actually, it might even be subtle. For the circus or theme park set looked quite cool as well. Not exactly sure how it fits in with the lyrics but overall, it was a great video to watch.

The choreography was decent. Once again, I thought it was fitting for the song and the chorus was probably my most favourite part. There just wasn’t anything that impressive. Maybe the performance will grow on me? I don’t know, but it was a fair performance to watch.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

 

[Review] Snapshot – IN2IT

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IN2IT have made their comeback to the stage with Snapshot. This is their first comeback since they debuted last year in October with Amazing. Between these two promotional cycles, IN2IT reformed into a 7-member male group, after the departure of Jinsub due to health issues.

Snapshot is a really nice song. It opens up with a really cool verse, which felt extremely groovy and retro. It also took me back to some of the earlier KPOP releases back in the day. The chorus packed a punch with its instrumental, oozing energy and addictiveness. I do find the lyrics aren’t that catchy, with the main hook (for me at least) being the ‘Heartbeat go fast. Heartbeat go slow‘. We do end up losing that groovy vibe as the song conforms to a typical pop song after the first chorus, however that isn’t much of a problem as the song still manages to remain appealing to my tastes. The vocal work is decent but I think the rapping was the main section that showed some flair in the song. The bridge wasn’t special, being standard at best. However, it is the stripped entrance into the final chorus which I thought was the amazing part of the song, prolonging the drop to make the final chorus feel a little more impactful. Snapshot is a song that I would gladly replay again and again for its energy and the heartbeat lines.

I actually thought the video was rather suitable for the song. While it does have that typical vibe to it, the flashy lights and how classy the members looked made the video feel so much cooler and modern. That screen in the background displays really cool effect that compliments both the set built around it and the members. Talking about the members, they take the modelling concept, as seen by the amount of walking they do down the catwalk.

There seems to be some voguing going on in this choreography. It does fit in with their concept, so it does work. I also really liked the ‘heartbeat go fast, heartbeat go slow‘ moves and the Snapshot move during the chorus. Overall, I thought the entire dance choreography was quite good.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] Easy – Wheein (Mamamoo) ft. Sik-K

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Mamamoo seems to be readying themselves for multiple solo releases in the months to come. Moonbyul seems to be releasing something May, while Solar was just confirmed to make her solo comeback. But kicking it all off is Wheein with her solo release Easy. This isn’t her first solo track, however, as she has collaborated alongside with other singers, such as the chart-topping Anymore with Jungkey and Narccius with M&D.

Easy is a very nice sounding R&B track. It features a nice melody, which makes the song flowy and groovy, which is a word I am using quite often nowadays to describe songs. But this is quite groovy, which isn’t something that I commonly associate with R&B. The chorus is also quite catchy, despite it being a style that I am not into. The line ‘Too late too late, your so stupid, stupid‘ is also quite addictive moments in the song. Also featured in the song is her husky vocals. It isn’t something you hear commonly in her Mamamoo work. Instead, she employs a more raspy sound which really sounds alluring and seductive. And while it may not seem like there is any, you could hear some attitude in her voice. She also tries a little bit of rapping, which was really good as well. The ain sequence was handed to Sik-K, who’s featuring is a perfect accompaniment to the other parts of the song.

The music video shows Wheein trying to get the attention of her boyfriend, who doesn’t really seem to care about her anymore. In the lyrics, she sings about how she went after him but now that he doesn’t really care anymore, she is trying to find a way out of their relationship. But what way out are you thinking of? Well, most likely kill your boyfriend using a fist missile didn’t pop into your head. And well, that is what Wheein results to at the very end of the video. Honestly, it makes the video a little more interesting with that quirky and unexpected plot twist. Also featuring in the music video is Hwasa and an amazing colour palette. Overall, it was a good video.

I wouldn’t mind seeing a full performance of this. I don’t think there are any plans to promote this (I am not sure). That small snippet of choreography around the 1:04 – 1:24 seems quite promising. However, as there doesn’t seem to be any hint of promotions (please comment below if I am wrong), I won’t include any performance section in the final rating below.

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

[Special] The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project Song Reviews – Part 3

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Please note these special posts are designed to be long and may require some time to read (if you plan on reading the entire post). To help shorten the length, the music video will be inserted as hyperlinked titles, so feel free to click the title of each section to watch the video. 

The Unit was a survival program by KBS (Korean Broadcasting Station) to help reboot the unsung and little-known KPOP acts of the industry (i.e. to give some groups and singers that second chance of debuting). The show was hosted by Rain and aired from October 2017 to February 2018.

With the impending debut of both the final lineup of the male (UNB) and female (UNI.T) groups (i.e. the end goal of all the contestants), I thought it would be nice to take some time to look back on the competition. This is a 3 part weekly special, which I will be looking at the performances and songs that emerged from the show.

This week’s (the 3rd and final part) post focuses on the songs that were performed during the Final Mission: Final Stage Battle. Note that I will be basing my reviews on the performances during the final episode.

Raise Me Up – Euijin (BIGFLO), Daewon (MADTOWN), Hojung (HOTSHOT), Feeldog (BIGSTAR), Kijoong (IM), Dongmyeong (MAS), Chan (A.C.E), Marco (Hot Blood Youth), Lee Geon (MADTOWN)

The song opens with a soft piano piece but progresses into an EDM track. Maybe because this has been done quite a bit already, it just seems a little plain. However, it was still decent to listen to. I feel like the song could have benefited with a more intense drop, channelling the same intensity as their dance break. The members did shine, showing off good delivery for the raps and amazing vocal work. Personally, the performance was a little boring to watch, with none of the moves impressing me. I think with a more intense instrumental or drop, there could have been a better set fo moves to complement the increased intensity. The main attraction is the dance break which gave that needed intensity that the song (and performance) lacked overall.

Dancing With The Devil – Rockhyun (100%), Jun (UKISS), Kim Timoteo (B.I.G), Ji Hansol, Donghyun (Boyfriend), Seyong (MYNAME), Jeup (IMFACT), Hangyul (IM), Suwoong (Boys Republic)

I think the killer part of the song has to be the line ‘Now I’m dancing with the devil‘, being the one part I want to hear over and over again. The song definitely feels a lot more intense, which the previous lacked. The chorus felt more flowy however I thought the instrumental was plain, not really living up to the rest of the song. I did like the pre-chorus, though. The performance was quite good, working well with the song. Once again, I think they could have enhanced the performance with a more intense set of moves to balance out that intensity. I did really feel like their facial expression looked a little devilish, which does suit the title of the song (and made the performance that little more captivating).

Ting – Semmi (Matilda), Somyi (DIA), Lee Suji, Jiwon (Park Sisters), Euna Kim, Yang Jiwon (Spica), Lee Hyunjoo, ZN (Laboum), Dan-A (Matilda)

First impression of the song was that it was a major letdown. But with multiple listens, the song does grow on you. The chorus was catchy, which was definitely the highlight of the entire song. However, there were some letdown. The verses were easily forgotten, the rap bridge wasn’t necessary and I thought the song ended a little too suddenly. The performance was cute, fun and lively. Some of the members, however, don’t really suit the concept, which felt something within the kid’s domain. However, it was still a decent performance to watch.

You & I – Euijin (Sonamoo), Woohee (Dal Shabet), Yebin (DIA), NC.A, Yoonjo, Yeoeun (Melody Day), Shin Jihoon, Chahee (Melody Day), Lee Borim

Once again, I have a favourite on this list. And another song on the female side of the competition manages to take over my list. With the sound alone, this song seems to match the age ranges of all the members (including the final line up). It has a mature yet bright sound. The chorus was nice and captivating, with the structure of the chorus being a highlight for me (and it sounded as a result). The verses weren’t that memorable however still pleasant-sounding. The raps were good, fitting nicely into the song, which the vocal work was equally as promising. The performance also felt more mature yet still managing to fit into the bright side of the spectrum.

Present – All Artists Listed Above

In all these survival shows, there is one song that is dedicated to the fans, who have supported each individual contestant and the show. Sometimes these song are quite heartfelt and emotional. But Present wasn’t that. It evoked no tears, nor was it bittersweet. Instead, it felt cheerful and happy, which makes the ending for fans and these contestants a lot better (in my opinion). The vocals and raps were equally as nice, while the song had a nice melody.

Click here for Part 1 of The Unit Song Review

Click here for Part 2 of The Unit Song Review

Thank you for all reading these Special posts for The Unit. The first of the next set of Special posts will be revealed to you all on 2nd of May.

[Review] The Light – IMFACT

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IMFACT have made their return to the stage with The Light. This is their first comeback since Tension Up, which was released last year. Since their last comeback, 4 members (of the 5) participated in The Unit: Idol Rebooting Project. Jeup ranked the highest at 11th missing out on a position as part of UNB, while Ungjae, Taeho and Jian ranked 26th, 27th and 49th respectively.

The Light combines hip-hop, pop and electronic music, which is a common combination nowadays. The question is whether they make it work. And for the most part, I thought the song was rather cool. I really enjoyed the chorus, which was upbeat and unique. That high pitch synth really made the song stand out, along with the upbeat nature providing energy that I did not expect whatsoever, particular during the opening rap. The rapping parts of the song were okay. They weren’t terrible but they felt mismatched with the rest of the song. They just didn’t feel as captivating but did allow the chorus to take me by surprise. The vocal sections of the song (i.e. pre-chorus and bridge) were pretty nice. I thought they were the better parts of the song. The real winner is the chorus which I cannot stop thinking about.

The music video had this really cool element to it. I really like that holographic lighting they used and the sets were awesome. The stylists also gave them completely different looks, to the point where I couldn’t recognise anyone. I almost thought they got new members. The abandoned sets looked cool and I like how the choreography sets had flashy lights, which felt worked well with the chorus. Besides that, I don’t have much else to say.

Surprisingly, there weren’t much choreography scenes in the music video. While that isn’t a problem, I would have expected more choreography. At the moment, I can’t seem to find a showcase or live performance, so I shall return once I find one.

Song – 7.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – To Be Updated
Overall Rating – 7.3/10

[Review] Call Your Name – JBJ

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Despite some talks of contract extensions for the popular JBJ, they have just unveiled their final comeback song, Call Your Name. Call Your Name is featured on their 1st full-length album, which consists of all their previous tracks such as My Flower and Fantasy, while also featuring 2 new tracks. It will be sad to see them go however it does mean that they will be returning to their original groups and hopefully we will see them all on stage once again.

Listening to the song the first time around, it sounded very bittersweet. It didn’t help that I watched the video as well. More on that later. While it is an upbeat sound, there is still a heavy atmosphere surrounding the song. The lyrics aren’t much help with dissolving this atmosphere with touching lines like ‘We both knew the end but why did we give love to each other‘ and ‘Let’s meet again on a fine day‘. Even though I was not a fan of JBJ, it does sadden me when I see such lyrics in a farewell song. The song had a nice yet very typical (in today’s standard) instrumental. I like the alternating vocals and raps throughout the song and the rapping in this song (for both rappers) felt extremely fitting. I particularly loved the rapping just before each chorus, pairing well with the violins in the background. The drops into the chorus were nice and following that buildup, felt somewhat epic.

As mentioned previously, the music video was no help with the bittersweet feels from the song. There were moments throughout the video where the members (individually) looked away from what was going on, knowing that these are their final moments together. Arghhh… The feels. Besides that, the music video featured a nice beach scenery, where the members hang out for the day, before going back inland to camp. The music video looked like they were having a lot of fun and I thought they pretty much enjoyed their time.

As far as I am aware, there is no choreography for this comeback. As far as I know, they won’t be promoting it. This final comeback was just their final say of goodbyes to their fans. Though, if something is uploaded involving a choreography, I will update this part as soon as possible.

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

[Review] Scentist – VIXX

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VIXX have made their return to the stage with Scentist and their 3rd full-length album, EAU DE VIXX. This is their first comeback as a full group since Shangri-La was released back in May last year. The concept for this comeback is ‘scents‘, which when combined with ‘artists‘ becomes ‘Scentist‘. Their teasers have also been presented in a way that resembles perfumes and colognes.

Scentist takes on a softer approach compared to any of their past title tracks. It feels very elegant and classy, despite being EDM based. The verses had nothing that special, in my opinion. However, its the buildup to the chorus that has me excited. It isn’t a sharp climb nor does it employ obvious instrumental techniques to show off the buildup. Instead, they kept it soft (to match the other parts of the song) and you had to listen closely to figure out whether that buildup was there or not. And the vocals during that section was amazing. The chorus was nice but I feel like they could have gone with something a bit bolder, which in my mind, might enhance the song to a whole new level. The chorus seemed catchy and it may grow into an addictive song. Ravi’s raps paired with the song quite well and I like Ken and Leo’s harmonies at the end. Scentist is another great song for VIXX, which went for something a little different to what we were used to.

The music video was amazing. I really liked the laboratory scenes where they made their perfumes. The white background with the white cabinets and tables allowed the colours of the other items to really pop. It also allowed the individual members to be the centre of attention. There were a few things that I am a little confused about, such as the car and the snake. A part of me feels like they were creating some kind of reverse ageing potion, with the young kid copying Ravi (and Ken – not sure) at the end of the video. Overall, I liked how the music video looked and it seemed like an interesting story can be pulled from it.

Earlier this year, VIXX garnered attention for their end of year performance of Shangri-La. This particular comeback seems to take notes from that performance and Shangri-La itself, as it is rather elegant and classy. When the song picks up for the chorus, the dance moves seem to become intense, which I think is extremely ideal. I really like N’s moment at 0:40 of the music video, which I think can rival N’s killer smile during the Dynamite promotions.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Choreography – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

[Review] Baby – The Rose

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One of the aims of this site is to introduce some of the audience to new groups whom they might not have heard of. And I think many of you all may enjoy the songs that The Rose put out. Just, they have been around for a year now and I somehow forgot about them (whoops). Please accept my many apologies. The Rose is a 4-member band under J&Star Company. They debuted last year with Sorry and returned in October with Like We Used To. This comeback features their title track, Baby and their first mini-album, Void.

I really like this alternative/indie rock sound that they have going on in the song. It isn’t that head-banging type of music but it isn’t a slow rock type of song. Instead, it is in between the two, offering both within the same song. Usually, when it comes to bands in KPOP, we focus on the guitarists or vocalists. The drumming this song was awesome, giving the song some suspense without needing to peak anywhere along the way. It only took me one listen to become amazed. Surely, their vocals were awesome. The main attraction (and the reason why I am quickly typing this up) is the launch into the final chorus, which felt so well done. That retro keyboard synth type sound that felt completely misplaced in the entire song, yet still managing to fit in a way to keep the song engaging. It was unexpecting but overall, it a unique touch. Baby, along with their other tracks (I’ve linked them above), manage to fall into my style of music, making them a group that I am always excited to listen to.

The music video is quite interesting. It seems like the main vocalist lost his girlfriend somehow (whether it was a breakup or some other circumstance), with her disappearing throughout the start of the video. The rest of the scenes have him revisiting the places he associates with her to try to see her again. Clearly, he is drunk and not that sane in the video. It is quite captivating to watch. The music definitely enhances the video, pairing nicely with each other. I really like the introduction of the flashy band scene, which makes sense as they are rocking it out during that final chorus/instrumental part. It looked awesome, cool and amazing!

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

[Review] Gangsta – NOIR

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There is a new boy group in town and some of the members also happen to come from Produce 101 Season 2 (last year). NOIR is an 8-member boy group from LUK Factory, consisting of Seunghoon, Yeonkuk, Junyoung (former member of INX) Yooseung, Siheon, Hoyeon, Siha, Minhyuk and Daewon. Their debut mini-album, titled as Twenty Noir, features Gangsta as the title track.

The song starts off with its intense EDM instrumental at the very start, with its powerful sound trying to get you excited for whatever is about to come. I am absolutely loving the energy that is channeled through and the awesome drop that comes. That screeching high-pitch synth is a little off-putting but it does become a charming point in the instrumental. I also noticed that the instrumental stays within the same domain, however, it changes up every section, which does keep things interesting. Also interesting was that the dance break took up the second verse, which is uncommon (from what I remember). The group features a decent lineup of vocalists but this song was made so the rappers could shine. And in the entire track, I absolutely enjoyed the ending as it got faster (and more intense). The slowing down made sense but it made the song just feel typical in the end. If they ended the song as the song was getting faster, that would have been mindblowing, so it was a major pity. Overall, it is a great debut track.

The music video shows some sort of graduation formal party, with the members in the background doing their thing at the party. And when I say that, I meant their jobs (i.e. waiting, greeting guests, hosting etc.). It gets to the point in the night where they award the prom queen. Clearly, the guys were not impressed with the initial choice. They seek out the one girl who they thought was worthy. As cliche as it sounds, she was a shy girl in the corner and she wore glasses, which were taken off before she was crowned prom queen. And in all of this, the video was shot to make the hall look very small. Yet, it took them a decent amount of time (in the music video’s world) to get to her. Despite that, it was a nice video to watch. The choreography scenes looked cool.

More about the choreography, it matched the intensity that the song had oozing from it. While they did look like they were fairly in sync, I think the choreography would have been enhanced to a better level by finetuning that element. The dance break was cool.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10