Category: Reviews

[Review] Rain – KNK

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Dropping their comeback today is KNK, who returns with Rain. The group previously made their return with Sun, Moon, Star a few weeks back, which was the main track from their second single album, Gravity. Today, the group has dropped the repackaged issue of Gravity, which has been retitled as Gravity, Completed, which also serves as their 3rd mini album to date.

The track follows nicely from Sun, Moon, Star, in terms of style. They honestly could have returned with any style of the song of their choice, but they kept it consistent, which made me very happy. I think it is because you don’t hear this sound often anymore since the music industry has now been overrun with electronic synths and influences. I love the instrumental of the track. The use of the saxophone made the heavy instrumental feel a little lighter and gives it a more dynamic appeal. Like the name, I can see myself listening to this one a rainy day. The vocal work of this track is commendable, where each member shone brightly. Seungjun’s part right after the first chorus was my favourite. The verses could have been more memorable, as it was easily forgotten when it jumped to the chorus or when I watch the performance. What made me laugh (even though it was my fault) was that I misunderstood the English in the song. I honestly thought it said ‘I’ll cancel tonight’, which to me made sense. But when I watched the performance, the lyrics were actually ‘I can’t sleep tonight’. That’s my short story that bares no relevance to the review, but overall, it was one amazing song.

As suggested previously, how else to set this music video but with lots of rain. That’s exactly what happened here. It seems each member got into a breakup and the scenes show how they react to it. Some of them end up sulking, while the others end up running after. It is a pretty self-explanatory video and it does have a few KPOP cliches in it. For example, why is there a piano at the end of a tunnel and why do KPOP idols look so detached from the world when they cut themselves? But what I really liked was how each member had a dramatic contact with water, it was edited so they look like they fell into a large body of water. The editing there was amazing and it looked pretty cool. While it did feel like a cliche, I thought it add to the emotional vibes that were coming off from the song.

There were a few artists that made their comeback today. But what got me to write the review for this particular one first (over the others) was the choreography. I freaking love it. I love their use of the umbrellas to aid their transitions and it just perfectly clicks with the song’s style. The performance (from today) left me speechless and this could possibly take my vote for the best choreography of this year.

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

[Review] Hola Hola – KARD

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After 3 pre-debut singles, KARD has finally made their official debut in South Korea with their first mini album and title track, both titled as Hola Hola. Boasting singles such as Oh Na Na, Don’t Recall and Rumour, fans have been looking forward to the debut of the co-ed group for some time. They are currently under DSP Media and the group consists of BM, J.Seph, Jiwoon and Somin.

And like their pre-debut singles, Hola Hola continues on with the group’s notable tropical house sound. And like the name of the track, it curves their once serious tropical house sound into something that fits wonderfully into the Summer season, making it an ideal release for this time of the year. That complaint about their repetitive sound is out the door, with this fresh Summer sound. Out of all the songs released thus far, the vocal work and the rapping in this song from each member are on point. And their best effort yet. What threw me off guard was Jiwoo’s unexpecting rap, that sounds amazing. I love the incorporation of the ‘Oh Na Na‘ into the song, giving you flashbacks to their first single. But most importantly, my most favourite part was the bridge. It made the already catchy song, even more interesting. You can definitely expect me to continuously hit the replay button in the future.

Fitting that Summer sound was definitely the music video, which shows scenery that they shot while they were on tour overseas. For the most part, it was simply shots of them having fun on a nice sunny day. So there isn’t much to talk about. Their choreography shots look amazing. From the video, I think I can see a huge stage presence because their stares just captivated me, all the way through the video.

From what we can see are the incorporation of their key dance moves from Oh Na Na and Rumour. It is also said that Don’t Recall will also be incorporated but I haven’t seen it yet. That would genuinely make the dance interesting and I am already loving their key point for the Hola Hola dance as well.

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

[Review] That Girl – Jung Yonghwa (CN BLUE) ft. Loco

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After a 2 and a half year wait, Jung Yonghwa has finally made his solo comeback with That Girl. The main vocalist of CN BLUE previously made his solo debut in January 2015 with One Fine Day. That Girl is a track from the mini-album, Do Disturb, and the track itself features Loco, a well-known rapper and hip hop artist.

That Girl attracts similar comments to his solo debut tracks, Mileage and One Fine Day. While it doesn’t appeal to my personal tastes, what I did like about the song was the confidence that Yonghwa exerted via his lyrics and the vocalist’s vocals. The brighter sound compliments the catchy sound of the chorus and the melodies are pretty good. But besides all of that, the track just doesn’t seem to hook you in for long. Instead, the verses, which should have continued the momentum from the chorus ended up lacking that energy. Loco’s raps were a big no-no to my ears. It felt foreign and unexpected, which didn’t work with the rest of the track. Actually, his parts felt like a completely different song entirely. Although I only just listened to the track a few times (which means there is room to grow), I can’t stand his final remarks at the end of the song. It was 100% cringy and awkward to listen to. Overall, I guess you can categorise the song as ‘okay’ based on my comments.

The music video wasn’t too bad. I liked the colour and I thought the colour suited the atmosphere that the song had. The confidence, which I mentioned previously in the song part of this review, was portrayed nicely by Yonghwa throughout the video. It was totally evident once he entered the bar at the start of the video. But the side of Yonghwa that needed a little more confidence was Yonghwa in the choreography segments. Though I am not writing a section for the choreography, I can say that it looks pretty good. I know Yonghwa isn’t a dance idol but you could see it was very awkward for him to dance in the video and it made it awkward for us to watch. He starts off good, but that confidence or energy just disappears, which is disappointing. But overall, it was a good video to watch.

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

[Review] Ko Ko Bop – EXO

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EXO has made their return to the stage with their brand new fourth album, titled as The War. The main title track for the album is Ko Ko Bop. Unfortunately, Lay was unable to participate in the album due to his schedule in China, hence why he is missing from the promotional activities. This album alone has already broken a record, prior to the release of the album, proving to everyone the group’s popularity and fandom’s dedication.

The song was disappointing at first glance. A number of listens later and the same perception still holds. I am not exactly into the reggae style that they went with, but I am not turned off by it, as well. It gave the song its unique side. There were some catchy moments, but I don’t think there was enough to make me fall for the song immediately. While the breakdown did make the track interesting to an extent, it just didn’t work with the rest of the track. Their vocals don’t seem that great this time around, which was a disappointment. I was expecting some sort of intensity from the members, but the energy felt very lacking. I know it was a more chilled song, but that doesn’t mean the energy has to be low. The only member I felt did a good job was Chanyeol, whose rap suited the song. I may not have enjoyed Lotto, but this does make Lotto seem like a decent song.

I feel like the music video would raise a few eyebrows. Not referring to the abs or the chest exposure, though, which I am sure would have fans replaying the video purely for observation purposes. But how the video seems to allude to some ways of ‘having a good time’. I am referring to how some of the members look a little stoned. I honestly hope that I am looking at the video is a completely wrong way, but that is what I am getting from it. I say that because of the perception of drugs in South Korea is extremely looked down upon. Personally, I thought the video was could have been better. The guys displayed a carefree and hippy-like image, which I thought was okay. When I look at other EXO videos, I do see more flashy or intense concepts, so this seemed like a step back, though they may not be a bad thing. It seemed fitting for the song, but I am not sure if it is a concept that suits the members. Not a major fan of some of their outfits or hairstyles, as well.

Although we only saw glimpses of the choreography, I think I can say it is quite good. I will return to this part once a stage performance has been uploaded. And while I did not like the breakdown music wise, the accompanying dance for it looked amazing. It calls for some intensity and I think the parts I saw brought just that.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

 

[Review] Jelly – HOTSHOT

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After over two years, HOTSHOT has finally returned with their latest single, Jelly. The group made their debut in 2014 with Take A Shot. They were fairly busy in 2015 with multiple releases but has been absent from the scene since then. The group resurfaced this year with two members participating in Produce 101 Season 2, to which member Sungwoon ranked in 11th place and made it into Wanna One. Hence, the current line-up promoting Jelly is Junhyuk, Timoteo, Kid Monster, Yoonsan and Hojung.

Given the title of the song, I did not expect the song to take the route in which it did. You would associate Jelly with a vibrant and sweeter sound, like the desert itself. However, the song felt quite the opposite. It was definitely a lot more serious and it felt monotone. But this is the one time that the monotone nature did work in the songs favour. The dance instrumental felt very neutral throughout, which brought small bursts of colour to the song, which I thought was a really strong aspect of the song. That small ‘jelly’ break before the chorus starts really gives a moment of suspense, before the chorus starts, which actually does grow on you. After a few listens, I noticed tension in the song, which makes each replay, even more, better than the previous. I would like to say more about the song, but my comments are mainly centred around the instrumental and the overall sound. The member’s vocals and raps felt very neutral. It fitted the instrumental, making it into a good track, but they could have added or done something to the vocals/raps to transform the song into something even better.

I will be honest about the video. It was boring. There were aspects of the video which I liked but I don’t think there was enough to carry the video. The darkness matched the tension which I mentioned earlier. The choreography scenes were quite good. Their close-ups were the boring parts. They did their bit but I am quite sure they could have boosted in some way. The ‘Jelly‘ cut-ins looked good, but for some reason, they make me giggle every time I watch the video.

Like the music video, the choreography could have been better. The dance can already be described as quite good. The sharpness was there, the charisma was also present. The dance just felt sluggish in some parts and lacked energy in other.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Kiss Me – WJSN (Cosmic Girls)

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WJSN (Cosmic Girls) has made a surprise to the music scene, just weeks after the end of their promotions for Happy. The new single, titled as Kiss Me, continues on with their Summer sound. The music video itself is also an advertisement for Kiss Me Cosmetics.

I usually do not review songs that come under the advertisement realm. Not that I am against it, but rather I find some of the songs very cheesy. That being said, there are always exceptions and this song is obviously an exception (hence, I am writing this review). Over the entire song, there were many aspects of the song that felt very standard. Their vocals were good, but not amazing. The instrumental gave off a cute and Summery atmosphere, but it wasn’t different in any way from a standard Summer song. But it stands out for different reasons. The cute and sweet sound is a little different from their usual portfolio of songs. Kiss Me felt very warm and lively. The chorus itself felt very catchy. While it was standard in nature, it could have been easily passed as a normal track on their albums. It didn’t necessarily feel like an advertisement. The ‘Kiss Me‘ brand was used in a non-obnoxious way, which I thought was pretty nice.

Once again, there were no obnoxious product placements in the video, which is something that I thoroughly enjoyed. While the cosmetics did get a small section in the video, it felt like a small detail. Hence, I find the music video similar to the song, in a way, it could have been passed a Summer music video. And there was a plot line in the video, which made it more interesting. First of all, the guy in the water park takes notice in one of the members (don’t know the names, my apologies). The girls each take notice in the same guy, but they don’t know that until they share the pictures. Then they start to compete (my assumption) to get his attention. In the end, the guy finds the girl he was after. Okay, maybe it wasn’t an overly interesting plot-line. But when I watched it, it did not feel like a music video centred over a brand. There was some choreography to the video, but I think it would be considered a minor aspect of the video, hence it won’t get its dedicated part. But it looked very simple and feminine, which goes well with the song.

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

[Review] Why, You? – Park Boram

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Park Boram has returned with a brand new single, Why, You? and second mini-album, Orange Moon. The title track also features Samuel Seo, a well-known producer and rapper. Park Boram last release was Dynamic Love, which was released in April of last year.

I am going to be brutally honest. The song was boring. I hate to start off by saying that but it was the most pressing thing that I felt about the song. It doesn’t help that I am writing this review while being extremely tired. I felt the jazzy instrumental contributed to the blandness of the song.  But it as if the producer of the track felt the same thing. That short insert after the chorus to change up the song a bit provided much-needed relief but due to its limited nature, its effect was very limited. That being said, the change up was pretty good. It did make it somewhat interesting for a second. Furthermore, her vocals were pretty good in this song. It was such a pity that it felt slow and sluggish. Once the chorus was reached, the song did get a little better, with the addition of the backing vocals. Samuel Seo’s rap sounded pretty good and suited the song without going over the top. But while I do make small praises here and there, the same initial comments still hold.

Right off the bat, the aesthetics of this music video made it look amazing. It made me so happy. Throw in the magnified sounds of watering the plants, stirring coffee, squeezing the oranges,  and I am thoroughly impressed by the music video’s quality. Not a big fan of the extra effects that are added on, but they did add to the aesthetics. While I was disappointed by the song, I thought the video was excellent.

The performance felt slow and sluggish, much like the song. While there is choreography, it felt like there was not much going on, on the stage. Given the genre, that was given. You can’t have a flashy choreography with a slow song, without going over the top. But with this song, the choreography made the song feel lacking and empty.

Song – 4/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 4/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10

[Review] Anti – Zico (Block B) ft. G.Soul

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Yesterday, I wrote my review for Zico’s other recent song, Artist. After finishing off my review, I found out that Zico also released Anti‘s music video. I decided to write a separate review for Anti because the music video seemed like something that is worth talking about and it was a little late for me to make it a double review. So, while it is a day late, here is my review for Anti.

Anti, first glance, sounded like a great song and it gets better as you listen to more of it. I personally think the instrumental was pretty good. Firstly, it suited Zico’s rap and G.Soul’s vocals. It did feel a little lacking at times, but for the most part, I thought otherwise. I like it how the instrumental changes up slightly as the song went on, by adding an extra element to the instrumental. It keeps it from getting boring. Zico’s raps felt very dead at the start, but as it progressed you could feel some energy flowing from his lines. If I had felt that energy from the start (or earlier in the song), I think I would have liked the song even more. G.Soul’s vocals were perfect for this song, with the chorus being the main highlight of the song. There were two things that irked me though. The first was the pronunciation of the word ‘Anti‘. It sounded more like ‘Auntie‘, which would have been a completely different song. Secondly, it was the abrupt ending that felt like an edge of the cliff. It doesn’t do it for me. But overall, still a great song!

When I said the video seemed decent, it looked amazing. Definitely got the mysterious and eerie vibes in which the video was presented from the very start. The two ladies standing on the road reminded me of American Horror Story latest season. Zico seemed to be shot in the video and he is shown to travel to hell (hence the burning room) or heaven (which I think was the toilet seat scenes). The video halts before G.Soul comes in to replace Zico. I think, in the end, he was just watching a film on the television, which he ends up turning off. And the ending serves as the start of the Artist video. It is a very confusing video but it has great aesthetics and suited the song quite nicely.

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

[Review] Artist – Zico (Block B)

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Zico, the main rapper from Block B, is back with a brand new mini-album, titled as Television. The main title track of the release is Artist. Alongside Artist, Zico did also release another music video for Anti, which features G.Soul. I actually finished this review and then just found out about the Anti music video so I will write a separate review for it tomorrow. The video looks promising.

Artist takes you back to the more upbeat and rap centred tracks that Zico was initially known for. While there are many singing segments to this song, Zico’s return to rapping felt much needed. Sure, he has many great tracks where he had a more melodic centrepiece but Zico rapping in a solo song felt like a distant memory. Obviously, his vocals and raps are amazing, per usual. It might have been an artistic choice but I did feel like the delivery of the rap was a lot weaker. It did fit the song, but it needed a little more energy to make it sound bolder and more distinctive. Artist had a fun and bright vibe, which (and I say this a lot) suits the current season. While you can tell there was the obvious hip-hop influenced moments in the song, there were other parts that felt more pop-like. But that might be my ears telling me otherwise. Overall, I thought it was a great song.

This video does a pretty good job at trying to be quirky. The individual scenes seem to be pretty tame standalone. But once you put them together, it is a little more out there. I thought the interaction between Zico and the people around him added more energy to the video, which felt needed. I say that because the video felt very standard and neutral for the most part (i.e. there was nothing that made the video stand out). The dancing school girls did catch my attention. Their facial expressions throughout their parts made me laugh. The bright and outdoor feel seems to suit the song’s sound quite nicely. You may notice that there was a small bit of choreography in the video. While I don’t think a stage version will be available anytime soon, it looked fun.

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

[Review] Red Flavour – Red Velvet

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Summer is in full swing with songs suiting the sun, beach and tropical atmosphere that many associate with the season. Red Velvet has joined the long list of Summer comebacks with their special Summer album, The Red Summer. The main title track is Red Flavour, which has topped charts since its release on Sunday. An album review will be published in a few days for their new release!

From the very start of the song, it does not hold back with its upbeat and vibrant sounds. The super catchy and addictive chorus starts off the song. It definitely did the job it was set out for. It grabs your attention with its repetitive and consistent drum instrumental beat. The vocals are explosive throughout the song, in both the chorus and the verses alike. The questionable deep sounding moans in the back of the song that repeat the words “Red Flavour” were a very odd aspect of the song. But it gave a quirky factor to the song, and I liked that a lot. You have to strain extra hard to make out the words, but once you do, you open yourself to a whole new world, which makes the song sound more dynamic and unique. Wendy’s vocals for the bridge and the ending of the song really gives it a polished finish, which makes the song sound so much more better. The song itself had been replayed multiple times already since its release yesterday, and I think it will get much more in the days to come. The smile you get from listening to the song really puts the song into perspective.  It’s fun and cheerful, a great Summertime song to enjoy and listen to.

I don’t want to say that the video felt last-minute. But I can’t just shake off that feeling. But that doesn’t mean that it was a bad video. Actually, it was quite the opposite. I actually like the video. There was a sense of quirkiness to the video, which I thought went well with that same feeling from the song. The concept around fruit is a no-brainer as we associate fresh fruit with the heat. The video overall had a nice refreshing vibe, which I actually did enjoy and the colours made the video appeal to me more.

I thought the dance during the chorus was amazing, matching the fast pace of the chorus. Overall, it was an impressive performance to watch.

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

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[Review] Young & Free – Xiumin (EXO) & Mark (NCT)

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SM Station tracks have been continuously released on a weekly basis. However, I haven’t reviewed them for a while because I don’t really consider some of them as KPOP. If they feature a KPOP artist, such as this track, the likelihood of it being reviewed will increase vastly compared to tracks that feature indie artists (such as the releases of the past month). Young & Free is this week’s release, which features Xiumin from EXO and Mark from NCT.

Young & Free sounds okay. That is probably the best I can say about the song. It has a nice piano instrumental that remains consistent throughout. While I did describe it as nice, there wasn’t anything that made it interesting. And that left it feeling a little bland and dull in nature. Xiumin’s vocals are okay. I have heard songs where his vocals ended up shining a fair bit, such as in EXO-CBX’s Hey Mama. Here, it didn’t have that backing or support from another artist and that is why I thought it fell a little short. Mark’s rapping is probably the one thing that I did like from the track. Though, I have to admit that Mark’s rapping did feel a little disjointed from the instrumental. His raps do suit more refined or upbeat songs, such as his works in his respective NCT subunits. The song tried its best to remain catchy. But while I do acknowledge that some people would find it catchy and addictive, the hooks present in the song didn’t do much for me.

That paleness is back once again. Once again, it is not bothering but just another observation. Throughout the video, we see Mark and Xiumin hang out with each other and show off their budding friendship. So, there isn’t much else to say about that. Not sure about the ending. Does it mean that they have a very strong imagination? As if they were outside the whole time, but believed they were on stage? Overall, it was a nice video to watch and the song felt fitting for the video.

The video did also show a small section of the choreography. I thought it was nice and also fitting for the song. It’s something simple and easy-going for the song and I personally like that.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Party Time – Favorite

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I would like to start off by saying that I will be struggling throughout this review. Why do you ask? The newly-formed girl group’s name is spelt the American way. But I live in Australia. Even my spell-checker is currently yelling at me for spelling ‘favourite’ wrong. Back to the introduction. Favorite is a 6-member girl group currently under Astory Entertainment. They made their debut in the past week with their first mini-album and the title track, Party Time.

This group has managed to score a brand new fan. Their song is like your typical KPOP song, in the sense that it mashes multiple genres together. While I have poorly rated song in the past of the same nature, I am not too troubled by the mix of genres in the song. You can hear electronic, pop and Middle Eastern (during the rap bridge). It honestly sounded quite cool. Like the name suggests, the song does a pretty good job at conveying that party sound. The chorus was quite catchy, though I do get a feeling that it is so repetitive, that I might get annoyed at it, in the future. Their vocal work is quite nice. The way their vocals fit into the song really make it an interesting aspect of the song. The different genres are quite unexpected. Especially the Middle Eastern inspired sounds during the rap bridge. They caught my off guard, but damn, do they really provide suspense and added energy to the song. That was by far my most favourite part of the song. It might not be some people’s ideal track, but I think it is one interesting piece of music and I am totally replaying it.

The music video takes on a creepy vibe, something that you don’t get from the song. However, despite it being an extreme concept to attempt, it does work well with the song. I would have liked to have written a full interpretation of the video, but I got lost very easily, so I am just going to avoid misinterpreting the video for you guys. But if you know or have any idea of what’s going on, comment down below and share with all of us. But overall, the music video was very interesting to watch. And the song adds a little more creepiness to the video, for some reason. Kind of how Ring Around The Rosies is used in horror films.

Their performance isn’t a really great performance. It does do the job, but it doesn’t have a wow-factor or anything memorable. I probably watch the performances for the song mainly.

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

 

 

[Review] Here I Am – HALO

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From what I can remember, it has been a while since I have written a review for Halo. I believe the last time was Feels So Good (did not search it up, whatsoever) back in 2015. They have been active in the past year. I just somehow missed their releases last year and before I knew it, it was kind of late for a review. But since I committed more time to the site, I am now here with a review of Here I Am, their latest single.

Here I Am is a pretty funky song. From the very start, the saxophone draws your attention to the song and it feels just right for the brighter months of Summer. For the most part, I thought the song was fine. I totally dig the instrumental and I wouldn’t mind dancing to this song at a party. However, it is not perfect. I feel like if the instrumental built up more and had a better climax, I would totally fall in love with the song. Instead, it felt very ‘safe’ and neutral throughout. It had colour and personality. It just needed some sort of foundation or launching pad. The vocals were quite nice, though, they did seem forgettable. As for the raps, I think they were the best part of the song. They provided intensity and more energy to the song than any other element. The fast-paced lines located in every verse, chorus and bridge added an extra layer to the song. I am not familiar with Halo, compared to other KPOP groups, but with this song, I just want to find out more of their recent songs that I have missed.

Once again, the paleness is back. It makes me think: is this a real ongoing thing that I am observing or do I really need a new phone and/or computer/laptop? It didn’t bother me much here, but I do expect bold and vibrant colours when it comes to songs with a dominating Summer sound. The shakiness of the camera does fit the atmosphere of the song. Overall, the music video isn’t that memorable. Though released yesterday and have replayed it quite a few times already, I don’t have much else to say about the music video.

I thought the dance quite fitting for the song. Though it isn’t anything new or mind-blowing, the choreography suits the fun and party atmosphere, which the song was going towards. The movements were sharp and on point throughout the performance.

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

[Review] Hi Hello – DAY6

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Today is the 6th day of the month, which means another release from DAY6. After writing 6 reviews for their monthly releases thus far, I am running out of ideas on how to start off these reviews. I already poorly start off each review and I am concerned for the following months. Maybe I shall start experimenting with these introductions. Dancing bear gifs? Sounds like an idea.

Moving back to the song, Hi Hello has a distinctively different sound compared to their past releases. While most of their releases have been heavy with the band sound (either from the get-go or there is a buildup of some sort), this song remains very slow-paced and consistent throughout. The band sound is present, of course. But it is a lot softer and lighter. Soothing, calming are just some of the words that came to my mind when I first heard the song. Their vocals too can be described as above, but it can also be said that they are quite dreamy like. The slower pace actually allows their vocals to shine and this could probably be their best yet. Just listening to the “La la la” featured in the song is evidence of that. I like how airy and drawn out the chorus was. It gives the song a more interesting sound. Overall, the song isn’t my cup of tea. But after a few listens, I can still appreciate its quality and sound.

The music video is an alternate reality of how DAY6 got together. In this version, there was no JYP Entertainment. Just a really long road. Sungjin drives a ute (or pick-up truck) along the road, with Dowoon lying in the back (but we don’t really notice Dowoon until later on). Jae is walking on the road and notices the ute driving by. He successful hitches a ride. The way Jae throws the guitar at the back is a little bit concerning and did he hit Dowoon with the bag if Dowoon was lying in the back? We will probably never know. They drive past Wonpil, who joins them in the car. The offer a ride to Young K, who refuses. However, the ute ends up breaking down and Young K helps them repair the engine. Though initially, he doesn’t join them after the car is fixed, he is seen running after them. He joins them for the rest of the ride and hence, DAY6 is now formed. It is honestly a nice video, which matches the lyrics of the song. The video was edited to fit the tempo of the song, which gave it a more deeper feel. The scenery and background of the video looked pretty nice, for something that is pretty ordinary.

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

[Review] Black – Lee Hyori

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All hail the Queen. The Queen of KPOP, Lee Hyori, is officially back with her sixth album, which shares the same title as the title track, Black. This is her first official release since her promotions of Miss Korea and Bad Girls, which were released back in 2013. In preparation for her comeback, she recently filmed her own variety show, along with appearing in others.

Lee Hyori always seems to try to stand out of the crowd with her songs or concepts for her comebacks. This time around, she returned with a country style of song. This is me being ignorant, but the start does remind me of the Wild Western films/songs. But what makes this song so good is that it mixes the country style with rock and some electronic influences. Together, they turn the song into a very dramatic sounding song. The overall buildup to the final chorus, which makes it almost sound like a rock song was pretty cool. I have personally never been impressed with Lee Hyori’s vocals. But her vocal work here sounds so amazing. The slowness of the rest of the song does compliment her vocals, making it seem clearer and add an extra layer to the song. Besides that, I don’t have much else to say about the song. It is a little dry for the most part, but overall, still quite good.

The music video is probably where most of my comments are coming from. This is a literal look at the music video. Lee Hyori lives in the desert where water is very scarce. She has a water tap at her front step, but it doesn’t seem to work. Every day, she has to travel a certain distance to a working water tap to obtain water. On this particular day, she meets a dog and decides to take it in. The dog, I guess, repays the favour by digging up a water tap that provides water to Lee Hyori, who ends up taking a bath using the water obtained from the new discovery. Her video seems to go deeper once you look into the lyrics. From what I can gather, the song is about being fed up with the current life and wants to return to a time where there was happiness. Hence, you see her doing her makeup for her job in a way where she doesn’t look too happy. But once she found her happiness, in the video’s case – water, it provided her with freedom and a smile. The choreography scenes featured in the video looked interesting. They seemed to match the interactions that she had with the dog, which I guess could be a representation of moving back to the happy life. A very interesting video.

I had a very brief look at her showcase and there does not seem to be any live performance of Black yet. I don’t know if I skipped her performance, but for the time being, I shall return once a full dance version or stage performance is uploaded.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – To Be Updated
Overall Rating – 9.5/10

 

 

[Review] ABC (Middle Of The Night) – VAV

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VAV has returned with their third single. The group has already put out three singles already in just 6 months of the year, which is an impressive feat, considering the company that they come from. So far, they have returned with Venus and Flower. But move aside, ABC (Middle of the Night) is their third and most recent track (just released yesterday).

ABC (Middle Of The Night) has a very nice refreshing sound, on top of its modern tropical house elements. The start of the song and the verses were quite good, already replicating the playful sound that you would associate with Summer.  But it felt like it was missing something, which I felt very strongly. But once the beat dropped, the chorus felt just right. It had that missing element, which I now think was more upbeat-ness. And it is because of that, I really like the song. From ‘a very nice refreshing sound’, it turned into ‘a very nice refreshing bop’. While it was just released, I do see myself replaying this song constantly in the near future. It had a bit of catchiness, but I think I enjoy the song purely for its instrumental. I did like the short instrumental break. It made everything become serious all of a sudden, which contrasted nicely with the more vibrant and happy vibes coming from the song. The slowdown was done a nicely as well. It probably was one of the few slowdowns that I felt was done right. And that launch back into the upbeat chorus was amazing. The vocal work and raps were quite good, but did feel lacking in some parts.

The music video was okay. It reminded me of their Flower video (especially the solo shots). I did like the darkness that surrounded the choreography scenes. For some reason, it looked quite cool and the members did stand out in their white shirts.  I thought the sets and the outfits really went well with the retro feel. Not exactly sure of the girl who goes around, sneakily staring at the members. I felt that to fit the more Summer centred sound, the music video could have been a lot brighter, but instead, there was paleness throughout the video during the scenes where the background was white. It strikes me as odd that many videos go with that pale look, despite the song calling for a more bolder and vibrant positioned music video. There wasn’t much going on in the video, which did dull the experience (i.e. there wasn’t anything captivating).

The song doesn’t call for an amazing choreography, but what we got was pretty good. It looked fun for the most part. Though we don’t really see much in the video, I think there was enough to make that comment.

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