Category: Reviews

[Review] Just U – Jung Sewoon

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Another trainee from Produce 101 Season 2 has finally made their debut. Jung Sewoon may have just missed out on making it into Wanna One, but his solo debut has already hit the top of the charts. The solo act is signed under Starship Entertainment and made his debut in the past week with Just U.

Just U is one damn good song. Not exactly sure how to describe it but smooth RnB jumps to my mind. The song opens up with an acoustic guitar as the main instrument and it remains as the dominant instrument throughout the entire song. It gives a Latin influence to the sound of the song. The rap verse is the only part that doesn’t have the guitar but I honestly didn’t notice until I started to write this review. His rap verse was quite good. But the standout has to be his singing. That smoothness that I mentioned at the start comes from the vocals itself. They also drew my attention to the song and its combination with the guitar makes it sound so much better. The chorus itself is also quite catchy and sounds so good every single time I listen to it. This is just a debut song and he has already nailed it. I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us in the future.

The music video is a tad dry in my opinion. It just didn’t pull my attention as the song did. I did like certain parts of the video. For example, I liked the way he interacted with the camera on the tennis court. And the transitions were pretty good. There was also a very stylish factor about the video which I thought was nice. Everything else just felt ordinary.

The performance was okay. He had a few dance moves in there but I felt the microphone stand made it feel constricting and took the appeal out of it. As the guitar, I don’t understand the purpose of it if he only used it for less than 30 seconds.

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

 

 

[Review] Babe – Hyuna

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 1 Comment

Hyuna, the queen of Summer, has finally made her official comeback to the stage. This is her first promotional run as part of Triple H, he collaboration with Hui and E-Dawn of Pentagon. Babe is the lead title track on her 6th mini album, which is titled as Following.

Babe is a completely different style that Hyuna has never gone for. And that is a relief as some of her music does get a little unimaginative after a while. Right off the first second, you could tell an aesthetically pleasing song is in our midst and she delivers with just that. The song has American influence as its sounds feel like it would work in the U.S. The instrumental is interesting. It isn’t as upbeat as her previous songs but there is a nice variety of sound and synths within it. To me, Hyuna has never been a great vocalist, but she can sing. Babe seems to be her best effort yet as it focuses more on her vocal abilities rather than her raps. She could work on her pronunciation a tad bit because it took a while for me to understand what she was actually singing. And while her Babe hook seems to be catchy now, I am quite sure that repetitive listens could turn it into an annoying sound. The only thing that plays against the song is the ending. It just didn’t feel like the right ending for such a unique song. To wrap up, I like it.

Once again that pale filter is used once again and the same dull effect is brought on. It probably contributed to the appalling blue/green screen usage. However, I am glad that they left that for a while and went with something that felt more natural (i.e. no bad green/blue screens). It is definitely not her flashiest video in her career, but the sexiness she shows in the video is subtle and not in your face. And I like that quite a bit.

Her sexiness is more dominant in the performance. There is no doubt about it. But it seems to be the weakest out of all her dances that I have enjoyed, to date. But it is still nice to watch.

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

 

[Review] DamDaDi – Golden Child

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

The newest and youngest kids on the block. Golden Child, who is currently under Woolim Entertainment, the same company that brings you Infinite and Lovelyz, made their official debut yesterday with DamDaDi. The group is made up of 11 members (too many to name) and have already received attention for their knife like choreography, something that Infinite was known for when they debuted and made consecutive comebacks.

The song is surprisingly good. Given their ages, I thought they would go down the typical cutesy KPOP debut track. But instead, the group went with a more funky and energetic sound, which I thought was unique. The sounds fit the warmer seasons perfectly. Some moments felt very retro, while other moments felt modern. The hooks in the song are pretty good. It did get a little repetitive towards the end but they worked pretty well because it has me coming back for more. Their vocals and raps are good but it didn’t the wow factor that you want to hear from a new group. While I am very satisfied with the song, a part of me wants the song to go that extra length and amaze us. That way, the group can secure a more permanent spot in the industry, something that rookies don’t really get an express route to.

The music video had that hazy filter on it, which could have been removed entirely. The song calls for a bright and bold atmosphere, but the hazy filter made it feel dull. The colours seem to look vibrant but the filter just doesn’t convey it. The entire video sees the guys prepare for a  baseball competition and they have some fun on the way. It is a good video but it doesn’t leave me with much else to say.

The group is already known for their choreography skills. The performance for DamDaDi seems very good, with the entire group in sync for the entire dance. And visually, that makes it look so perfect. But I feel like they could have gone for a more energetic dance to fit the song, especially during the chorus. It is good but it isn’t as memorable as it should have been.

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

[Review] Can’t Stop – DIA

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

DIA is also another group to make their return with a brand new song Can’t Stop (or E905). While DIA’s return is welcomed, the promotion of their comeback felt very sudden and that is an issue that I find common throughout the industry.  But nonetheless, this is DIA’s first return since their promotions of Will You Go Out With Me? earlier this year.

Can’t Stop is your traditional KPOP girl group song. There isn’t new about it, but it has a very refreshing sound that I can’t help but go back to. The vocals in the song are quite nice and the instrumental is something that I totally dig. Sure, the violins were made to fit the cute sound, but it still sounds amazing nonetheless. The chorus wasn’t exactly catchy but there was enough to make you want to go back for more. Moving to some of the things I didn’t like regarding the song. The ending was sloppy and didn’t give time for the song to actually end, in my opinion. It felt like a knife came down at that exact moment onto the song. The rap sequence for the bridge was disappointing. While I know the members had moments in the past where their rapping was quite good, the way it was edited and presented in this song felt awkward and mismatching. Overall, I think this is their best song yet, despite there being some things that don’t suit my taste.

I actually think the school-girl concept fits them quite nicely. The entire video revolves around the girls having fun during school time through sports and just hanging out in general. And while I did like all the scenes, it seems like the photo booth seemed a little dis-coordinated from the rest of the video. It didn’t match the school theme of the video. The cinematography was quite nice. The camera angles and work did feel a little too overdone, but it wasn’t too bad. While it did seem like Chaeyeon had fewer scenes this time around, her close-ups were just a subtle way of marketing her, compared to the rest of the members, who had to share scenes with each other. But overall, nice video to watch.

I actually liked their performance. Though it keeps to that traditional side of KPOP, those kicks at the end of each chorus were amazing. Not exactly fond of that ribbon that features during the verses, but everything else looked great!

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

 

[Review] Unbelievable – VICTON

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

VICTON has returned with their brand new mini album and single, Unbelievable. The group previously made their comeback at the start of the year with Eyez Eyez. Since then, it has been relatively quiet and honestly, I may have forgotten about the group. Their comeback seeks to bring them to the surface and attract some attention to it.

But sadly, the song doesn’t seem to fulfill that. Unbelievable is quite boring. I have listened to the song a number of times, but I don’t remember it when it finishes. There are no memorable sections and it just doesn’t attract my attention in the moment. And that is a major issue. The vocals or rap aren’t terrible but they aren’t that great as well. For example, the song opens up with the rapper singing. And while I normally like that, it sounded a little odd. The chorus is normally meant to be the catchiest part of the song. But there was no hook and it was quite bland overall. The only thing which I did personally feel was great about the song was the Summer time instrumental. But even that felt very familiar and didn’t really set it a part from the rest of the group’s competition. It just isn’t the song for me this time around.

And like the song, I found the video to be quite boring as well. There really isn’t anything in there to separate it from the rest of the Summer themed music videos where the singers have a little fun. The guys were quite bubbly and happy, but the video just didn’t convey those same feelings to me. And besides those comments, the video doesn’t leave much for me to talk about.

The performance wasn’t that captivating but I think it was the better part of the comeback. The chorus had a few sharp moves in there and the post-chorus had a nice feel to it. Though, watching the performance, I noticed a member with the mullet. And now I can’t unsee that, even in the music video. WHY????

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 5/10

[Review] We Like – PRISTIN

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 2 Comments

After their debut, Pristin has returned with their brand new song, We Like and mini album, SCHXXL OUT. Wee Woo, their debut song, managed to put them onto the KPOP rookie map for 2017. Given their performance so far, it is likely that the group has their eyes set on a few Rookie of the Year awards.

We Like is a pretty good song. From the very start of the song, the girls launch into their major hook. The ‘du du du du’ was undeniably catchy and constantly replayed in my head. Just the first second in and I could tell that this song is going places. The first verse down was the only let down of the entire song, with the rest of the song more enjoyable. I found the first verse to be quite dry and disappointing. It wasn’t until they launched back into their catchy chorus that I felt more at ease. Both the vocals and raps of the song were pretty good. The instrumental was a little smothered by the vocals (i.e. I couldn’t hear it that well) but the combination of the vocals and instrumental made it into a song that hypes you up. The tune was familiar but I don’t remember exactly where I have heard it before. Overall, it is a fun song that I liked a lot. Pristin has managed to do an amazing job with We Like.

The song grabs your attention with its sound. The music video did live up to that same standard. The girls went on a rampage, taking over a department store after hours. I liked the sets as the colours were quite bold. The flashing lights in the choreography scenes during the chorus was perfect. It’s the small details that make me happy when I look at these videos. I felt the crime board ending felt overdone in the sphere of KPOP but their cute twist seemed nice. The security guard is probably by far the worst one I have ever seen, but I guess since he did catch them (despite them giving up on running away) in the end.

The choreography didn’t seem that spectacular. Like they could have gone all out and had something that fits the intensity. But they mixed it with their cute side, which was okay. But it didn’t fit the energy and hype that the song had.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

[Review] Gashina – Sunmi

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

After Wonder Girl’s surprise disbandment at the start of the year, we have heard little news in regards to solo comebacks or activities from the girls. But that is all about to change with the return of Sunmi. She boasts solo singles such as 24 Hours and Full Moon. And with her new management MakeUs Entertainment, which also houses Urban Zakapa, it is exciting to see what she has in-store for her fans.

Unfortuately, I don’t think Gashina had what it takes to top her previous two successful solo songs.  Right off the bat, the song was underwhelming.  I just wasn’t drawn to the song as I were for her other songs.  It might take a bit of warming up to. The instrumental was quite mute compared to the vocals, which didn’t really go well with her vocals.  The drop for the chorus shours have been more intense or gripping.  But it lacked so much energy and felt empty for the entire song. The only element that I did like was Sunmi’s vocals. They did draw some of my attention but it was not enough.  I liked her husky vocals in the song and loved it how her lines were sharp.  It gave, an otherwise dry and bland song, something interesting and defined. 

While the song isn’t to my preference, the music video was totally something that I would happily replay. There was a lot going on in the video. Not too much to be overflowing but enough to make me want to go back and see what I missed out. Sunmi basically lets loose in the video.  The chemistry between her and the camera was no joke.  Something about the blank stars were very intriguing and sexy as the same time.  Sure, the video was a little wacky but everything still manage to come together in the video. From her prancing in the diner to her Grandma style head scarf, everything felt fun. And that made the video feel quite enjoyable.

The performance was actually quite nice.  I love how one second she is smiling in a very cute manner and then the next second she has a acary glare on her face. I think that element came very nicely from the video.  It isn’t the most mind blowing stage ever but her facial expressions stole the show this time around. 

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Rebirth – Red Velvet

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Red Velvet has been extremely busy throughout 2017 and we are only in August. Red Velvet as already made two comebacks this year with Rookie and Red Flavour. They have also released 1 SM Station track, titled as Would U. Rebirth is their second SM Station track of 2017. So it will be interesting to see what SM has planned for Red Velvet for the rest of 2017 or if their hard work has finally earned them a break.

If you took Would U and slowed that song down to a very slow tempo but kept everything else the same, Rebirth would be the final product. The cute and sweet sound that they are going for is nailed perfectly. I just felt the song could have done with a little more boldness or something that changes it up. It felt too constant and consistent at the same time. And while that is nice, you do get bored of the same thing over and over again. I think the rap sequence was included to do just that. But it felt awkwardly placed and it didn’t deliver a change that I was after. The vocals are nice but I couldn’t differentiate between the different members for some odd reason. They all sounded quite similar throughout the song. Overall, the song didn’t sound too bad but it just didn’t suit my personal tastes.

The music video was slowed down to match the tempo of the song. It is a little different from the usual videos, in the sense that the entire video is in slow motion. Essentially, Red Velvet is sitting in the middle of the screen at their desk, with all the other students doing other things around them. And the handsome cartoon teacher walks in, which surprises everyone. And while everyone else scrambles to their seats, Red Velvet stare in awe at their teacher. The entire video is pretty good and it suits the song quite nicely. My only issue with the video is the pole that is at the back of the classroom. My mature mind automatically thinks stripper pole. I guess other people would think pole dancing. But out of all the items present in the video, the pole seems to be the most misplaced.

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

[Review] We Young – NCT Dream

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , Leave a comment

NCT has made their return to the stage with their youngest subunit, NCT Dream. NCT has already had two NCT 127 comebacks this year and We Young marks NCT Dream’s second comeback of 2017, the first being My First & Last.

We Young is a very bland song. The first time I heard it, I thought they were going to mash up the two NCT 127 and NCT Dream styles that they are known for. But it ended being quite lackluster in the end. The sound isn’t the bad aspect of the song. I thought the instrumental was quite nice, which ended up being a Summer time sound with its tropical-inspired sounds (almost resembling safari music that you would hear in cartoons as you were growing up!).I think the reason why I didn’t like the song was the various tempos. The first half was just very boring and sluggish. It wasn’t until the raps kicked in that I felt it could turn out to be a decent song. The raps seem to give it some speed, which made the song feel more energetic and upbeat. The other problem is the song didn’t seem to react to their lift from the raps. Instead, the song remained in that neutral stance and the vocals in the second half didn’t feel that different from the slow start. Overall, I don’t mind the song but it is not to my taste. And it doesn’t match or compare with their debut or recent comeback.

I did expect something a little more imaginative with their comeback.  While they did tick the imaginative box nicely, the presentation of it looked rushed and last-minute. I am mainly talking about the green screen effect that they used in the video for the choreography scenes. It looked cheesy and kind of awful, in my eyes. The solo shots were fine and actually, they reminded me of their first video. But the choreography shots were major no-nos. It seems like the guys are telling the cartoon girl to have some fun and enjoy life while they are all young, which I thought was a nice message.

The same comments could be said for the performance. I don’t know why but I expected something a little more fun. I think that built up from the expectations from their last comeback. While at times it did look like a party but other times it just didn’t feel right. Though, they were in sync and that looked cool.

Song – 6/10
Music Video- 5/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10

 

[Review] Wake Me Up – Taeyang (Big Bang)

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , Leave a comment

Taeyang has marked his return to the stage with his latest solo comeback. Taeyang attempts to make another successful comeback with Wake Me Up and Darling as successful as his previous solo tracks, like Eyes Nose and Lips. But since we are talking about Taeyang himself, there is no doubt that he will reach that same level of success or even possibly go higher this time around.

Wake Me Up is one epic song. I don’t know what other words could describe the song better than ‘epic’. Compared to my previous comments for his last comeback, Wake Me Up is a song that sounded unique and unexpected at the same time. It started off very silent in terms of the instrumental. I almost thought he would have gone towards an acapella type of song. But instead, it was all for the suspense. Once the beat dropped for the chorus, it felt like bliss. The suspense throughout the start was amazing. The chorus itself (with the beat drop) was what gave it that epic feel. He maintains the momentum and his signature vocals are on full display in this song. So, what more could you ask for? The impact was there and the lasting impression is strong.

Well surprise, surprise. Taeyang is not wearing a shirt in this video. To add to the oddness, Taeyang doesn’t have some weird or wacky hairstyle. On a more seriousness vote, I thought the video was very elegant. There is an obvious lack of colour in the video during the more slower parts of the song and once the beat drops, you get that golden colour that is replayed constantly through the video. It is a little confusing to piece everything in the video together (and I am sure there is a story to be told) as the editing was made to match the upbeat and fast pace music. But besides that minor detail, it is a great video to watch.

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

[Review] Friday Night – Sonamoo

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Sonamoo is back with a brand new single. Friday Night starts off three months of back-to-back comebacks for the girl group. They previously made their last comeback at the start of the year with I Think I Love U.

How can I my immediate attraction to this song in a sentence? Right off the bat, the girl’s latest song catches my attention for its extremely catchy feels and addictive beats. It is not exactly the perfect song because there was one thing that I think would have made it into a better track. What I would have liked was to see the retro/disco sound in the verses. Instead, it only transformed into that style when we reached the chorus, leaving the verses lacking character and hype. But by no means am I disappointed with the out come. I have actually replayed it an unhealthy amount of times since the song came out 3 hours ago. That is another story, however. Besides that, I love everything else in the song. The instrumental was amazing. The vocals were spectacular and the raps were just perfect for the song. All the elements worked well with each other as if it was a harmonious recipe for a cake. I just feel like the song is missing the cherry (improvement to the verses) on top. 

The music video is a lot weaker in terms of quality. The actual video itself was really low quality, which raises some concern regarding the once thriving TS Entertainment. Quite disappointing actually. Once again, dancing in the water looks cool but it doesn’t suit the song style, nor the rest of the video’s stylistic approach. I am not too sure about the slow motion sprinkled heavily across the video. While slow-motion is used to highlight curves and beauty, it doesn’t really have that effect in this video.

Performance wise, I thought the dance was pretty good. Once again, not mind blowing. But there is enough to do justice to the song.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Summer Storm – Jessica Jung

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Jessica has made her solo return to mark 10 years since her debut. For those who don’t know, Jessica made her debut in 2007 as part of SNSD or Girl’s Generation. She was removed from the group in 2015 and has been promoting as a solo artist since then under Cordiel Entertainment. Her mini-album is named My Decade, which is named appropriately for her celebrations.

I know for a fact that I have been reviewing every single song Jessica has been releasing since her solo debut. I have been listening to them all but this one caught my attention. Vocally, it is a nice piece. It is not her best piece but her vocals do shine very brightly in the song. That quirky moment in the chorus was the element that got my ears perked up. I don’t know how to exactly describe it but she ended a number of lines in the choruses by going to a higher pitch and in a very sharp way, as well. The instrumental was pretty standard, but it went extremely well with her vocals. Soothing and flowy are words that I would use to describe it.  It isn’t catchy but I keep on coming back for more due to its more simple and easy-going sound.

I like the contrast between the past and the future in the video. The imagery between the trees. The lighting. The various scenes when she is with her boyfriend and when she is alone. Just the clothing she wears between scenes. The video itself wasn’t that flashy, which I thought went well with that soothing nature of the song. And per usual, Jessica looks amazing in the video.

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

[Review] Star – Boyfriend

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Starship Entertainment has finally opened their dungeon doors and allowed Boyfriend to see the light of day. Boyfriend, after a 2-year Korean hiatus, has finally made their long awaited comeback with Star. We last saw them in 2015 with the release of Bounce. And while they have been busy in Japan, they were absent from the Korean stage for those two years.

It seems that moving from the cutesy sound their debut with to the masculine and tough energy they grew into was not enough for Boyfriend. Star is a much more mature and emotional sound, something that they haven’t really done before. And while it is a decent song to listen to, it just doesn’t have much going on in it. It is great to listen to from time to time or if it randomly pops up on my playlist but it doesn’t have me going back for more. There were parts that felt very dry and bland. Their vocals do attempt to bring some colour to the plain instrumental but it isn’t enough. The chorus was decent, with a drop that delivers with a little momentum but it wasn’t catchy enough for me. Minwoo’s sing-rap was probably the biggest letdown in the entire track but Kwangmin’s strong and fast output was probably the highlight of the entire track. Overall, the song isn’t the brightest star out there at the moment, but it still does provide some light.

The music video for Star reminded me of NU’EST’s music videos. The artistic approach to the video made it a video that I wanted to go back to. The aesthetics were amazing. That zoomed in water droplet and some of the sets looked quite cool. The cinematography was also commendable. The only thing that managed to irk me was the extremely slow ‘flying in the air’ scenes after Minwoo was hit by the car. That was painfully slow to watch, especially after more of the normal speed stuff like the choreography that was inserted between the slow scenes. It didn’t make a terrible impact on the video but it was something that I felt while watching the video. Overall, it was still a great video.

I have yet to see the full performance so I will update a little more once I can find one. But what I saw in the video suited the song quite nicely. It could have been better if it managed to be a little more impactful if you know what I mean. As I said, I have yet to see the full performance to be sure, but that is what I got from the video.

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

[Review] I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend – Weki Meki

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Fantagio’s latest girl group, Weki Meki, has finally made their debut with I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend. The eight-member girl group is made up of Ji Suyeon, Elly, Choi Yoojung, Kim Doyeon, Sei, Lua, Rina and Lucy. You might find two of the names (Choi Yoojung and Kim Doyeon) very familiar as they participated in Produce 101 Season 1 and ended ranking in the top 11, thus forming I.O.I, which disbanded at the start of the year.

Let me start off by saying that the song caught my attention. But sadly, I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend is probably one of the messiest songs that I have ever heard in KPOP. You do get used to it after a while but those same initial feelings remained. All the members are rapping and singing, which is okay. For the most part, they sounded very good and there is clearly potential behind them. It’s the instrumentation that I don’t really understand. There seemed to be many styles jammed into the one song. It doesn’t necessarily sound bad but since there was a number of styles, it felt confusing and quite heavy in terms of its sound. People are saying it had a fierce sound, but I don’t really hear that. There was intensity in the song but I don’t think there was enough to give that ‘fierce’ label. Instead, that intensity seemed to has dissolved by the end of the song as it all felt very neutral by the time the song wrapped up. For example, the introduction was full of bass but the first verse was extremely flat and ‘mute’ in comparison to the bass-filled introduction.Looking at their mini-album, there were other songs that could have served as a better debut track, so it was fairly disappointing for us to be presented with I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend.

The music video was actually pretty good. Unlike the song, visually a video full of different styles can be a lot cohesive. And that is what we got here. The girls were stunning in the video. It isn’t the best video out there, but it does justice for their debut. The colours were bold and bright, which made the video feel refreshing and perfect for the heat. They could have been a little more creative with the sets. Some of them looked a little boring. The fast editing made it hard to focus on the elements in the video, so I had to watch the video more than usual to be able to comment on the video.

It isn’t a mind-blowing dance but the choreography was pretty good. The only part that I was disappointed in was the ending, where they slow down the main point of their dance. That part of the song was already upbeat but did call for a less intense (or slower) set of dance moves. Just they made it look painfully slow.

Song – 4/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

 

 

[Review] Energetic – Wanna One

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

Out of all the debuts this year, Wanna One is the most hyped and awaited comebacks of the year. For those who don’t know, the group members were selected as the top 11 of Produce 101 Season 2 competition. The trainees forming the group include Kang Daniel, Park Ji Hoon, Lee Dae Hwi, Kim Jae Hwan, Ong Sung Woo, Park Woo Jin, Lai Kuan Lin, Yoon Ji Seong, Hwang Min Hyun, Bae Jin Young and Ha Sung Woon. The group will remain as Wanna One until the end of 2018 so they will be sticking around for some time.

Wanna One pretty much lived up to the high expectations and hype that garnered around their comeback.  Energetic starts off as a dramatic piece, with a slow piano background. It then starts building up to be one totally rocking song.  The song itself is one that is quite upbeat and full of energy. There were many different sections to the song, but they all work well with each other (no disjointed feeling anywhere). The raps were pretty powerful and they sounded perfect for the song.  The vocals for the most part gave the right impact to match the energy intensity of the song, just some parts (such as the first verse fell a little short). Overall, based on song alone, they have nailed their debut. I suggest that you listen to the song with some bass turned up (such as a pretty good pair of headphones) because the song sounds so much better that way. 

This song called for an intense music video with that typical flashy background with amazing choreography shots. We needed something edgy to compliment the intense sound of the song. For the most part, the choreography shots delivered.  The rest of the video did not. I just don’t think a bunch of guys having some fun (such as in this video) by playing baseball and having great big smiles on their faces was the way to go. That is just what I personally feel about the video. But what we have  front was decent enough overall.

The video choreography looks amazing and intense.  Perfect for the song. It looks really complicated but edgy enough for the song. Everything that I wanted the music video.  That piano start looks like the highlight for me!!!

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 10/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10

 

 

 

[Review] What Can I Do? – DAY6

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged Leave a comment

The 6th of August just went by and that means we are due for a DAY6 comeback. As the date was on a Sunday, the guys ended up releasing their new track today on the 7th, which is titled as What Can I Do?. With 7 months down, the guys clearly have been on a roll with their monthly releases.

My initial listen to the song didn’t fare as well. I thought some of the elements of the song were a little ‘out there’. A few listens in and I am enjoying the song. It is clearly not their best as there were other DAY6 songs that grabbed my attention for the get-go. I still find that static at the end of the first chorus a little off-putting and unexpected. The chorus could have been better. I liked the verses more than the chorus, but I am slowly warming up to it. The track just doesn’t appeal to my personal taste, which I thought was a little disappointing. But what I did like regarding the song was the vocals. Jae’s high note was amazing and the guys have yet to disappoint me with their vocals (I think). I think within a few more listens, I would be more comfortable with the overall song, but I still think it is not their ultimate best.

The music video was far more interesting compared to the song. There are a few theories out there that do fit the storyline that I see. Jae is either dating or best friends with the girl in question. Dowoon is popular with the girls but has a cold personality. Sungjin has a crush on the said girl and Wonpil either likes Sungjin or feels sorry for Sungjin’s heart. Young K is an arrogant person in the school (though one theory seemed to suggest he had feelings for Dowoon – not sure if serious or not). These ideas were thrown out there seem to make the story more interesting because I now continue to rewatch to see which one fits the video more. I also find it interesting how they always chuck grown guys into school uniform. But that seems to be another post entirely. What I find the most interesting was how the video ended on a cliff hanger, which makes you ask even more questions. Did he make a move? Did Jae find out? Did Sungjin get smacked by a basketball? Who knows! But it was a pretty good video to watch.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8/10