Category: Reviews

[Review] Ending Scene – IU

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I am currently writing up the album review for IU’s fourth album, Palette. She previously announced her long-awaited comeback back March. And since then released two pre-release singles. Last week she finally dropped the album and the title track, Palette, which features G-Dragon. On Monday, she unveiled the accompanying music video for Ending Scene and hence the only reason why I am writing a separate review for Ending Scene.

IU has done it again with another ballad. Her voice suits ballads, so it is hard to find any fault in her songs (you know what situation I am in once my album review is released later today). Her vocals in this song seem to drift side by side, matching the swaying that my head can’t help doing once I start listening to the song. They are emotional, which you can hear throughout the song. The only issue if I were to overly critical with this particular song is that the instrumental sounds pretty generic. But the combination of her vocals and instrumental makes the song so impactful. It makes me want to go back and listen to it again and again. It’s another good song to add to the list from IU. And it is another good song off her latest album, which joins the other 9 songs on the album….

But as I mentioned earlier on, the reason why I decided to write a separate review for Ending Scene is the music video. I think it is an amazing video. It features Kim Soo Hyun, who previous stared alongside IU in the drama Producer. The video shows IU and Soo Hyun tied up in the clouds together, preparing for their breakup. They spent time watching the memories that they made together. Throughout these memories, you see Soo Hyun lipsync to IU’s voices, but with messages that “You will be able to sleep well soon” and that everything will soon feel better. As they watch, IU seem to have second thoughts on their breakup. In the end, we return to back to the scene where they are tied up again. And IU begins to cut some of Soo Hyun’s string and you see him start to drop, while Soo Hyun does the same to IU’s string. Cutting the strings symbolises moving on. Falling out the sky was the final step and after that, they could say they moved on. Soo Hyun administered the final snip, so he doesn’t make her feel burdened and we see him fall down. We then see IU attempt to cut her string, but the screen blackens before we see it happen, possibly suggesting she didn’t cut them. IU probably didn’t want to or wasn’t ready to move on. Overall, it is a very impactful video and it was quite interesting to watch.

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

 

 

[Review] Across The Universe – JUNGGIGO

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JungGiGo has returned with his first full-length album since his debut over 8 years ago! His full album titled as Across The Universe features the title track of the same name and the collaboration which was released early this year with Chanyeol (EXO), Let Me Love You.

Across The Universe is a really good track. It is quite calming and relaxing to listen to. The song has its roots in RnB, but the instrumental makes it sound like pop. Overall, the instrumental adds a nice upbeat feel, which you don’t commonly associate with RnB. His vocals are on point throughout the song. Not once wavering despite singing at such a high pitch. It is quite catchy and addictive. Honestly, while listening to the song and writing this review, I have been bouncing along to the sound. The song itself has a romantic meaning to it. The lyrics are like a confession that makes you go “nawwss…” when you read them. It’s the type of song that I won’t mind listening to constantly and it is the same type of song that puts a smile on my face when I listen to it. And that is just from the tone and melody of the song itself! Highly recommend!

The music video simply contains shots of a couple going on dates and hanging out together. It is a simple video, which matches with the simplistic sound that comes from the song. The shots were taken quite nicely, with the aesthetics shining brightly throughout the video. That is quite ironic because the entire video was quite dark. Not too troubled by it since it contributes to the aesthetics. It is also the first video in the history of KPOP and Korean culture that has made me feel lonely. Not sure if that is a good thing, but hey, it meant the video was impactful! Overall, the video was very nice to watch.

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

recommended red round grunge vintage ribbon stamp

 

[Review] Will You Go Out With Me? – DIA

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DIA has returned with their first full-length album, YOLO. The title track off this album is Will You Go Out With Me?. This is their first comeback since Mr. Potter, which was released last year. DIA also collaborated with Hong Jin Young and Kim Yeon Ja for their pre-release. This is also their first comeback as a 9-member girl group, with the recent addition of Jueun and Somyi.

I have not been much of a DIA fan since their songs haven’t really caught my attention. I am on the fence for this one, which I guess could be considered as a start. The song is made to sound overly cute, which annoys me to an extent because it sounds exaggerated. However, through that overload of exaggerated cuteness, the song has its moments.  The “어머어머어머어머” or “eomeoeomeoeomeoeomeo” did catch my attention. The chorus was also quite catchy. The instrumental doesn’t stand out, but it adds a little more liveliness to the song with its consistent and bright sound. However, there were parts that I didn’t really enjoy. First of all, that exaggerated cute sound I was talking about. Secondly, the opening rap sequence just sounded odd. Thirdly, those small speaking segments in the middle of the song. I just am not a fan of them and their use just doesn’t change it (awkwardly sounding). Overall, it is an okay song. I can’t say it is terrible, but at the same time, I can’t say it is a good song.

The music video shows the members in Tokyo (I think). The majority of the video is having them wander around the city and show shots of them having fun. Chaeyeon is the main member of the video and she wanders the street, wondering if she should contact her crush. She does have a few scenes where she does contact him through messaging and they were cleverly inserted into the music video alongside the scenes shot outside. The video reminds me of their debut music video, which also showed them wandering the streets in Hong Kong. Overall, I thought it was a pretty nice video to watch. It was smart and it worked. Not too sure on their marketing for this comeback though.

The dance was actually fun to watch. I see hearts everywhere in this choreography, which is pretty cool. Their first heart formation during the chorus was really hard. Let’s just say, it looked cool and it looked easy. But I tangled my arms and that is probably another reason why this review is out a few days late…

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] Easy Love – SF9

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SF9 has returned with their second comeback this year. They previously made their return to the stage with Roar. This time they are promoting Easy Love, from their second mini-album, Breaking Sensation.

Easy Love is probably their most solid song to date. I didn’t mind the group’s past title track, but they were dominated by synth sounds that I sadly never got to connect with. I hate to say that the instrumental was more ‘traditional’ sounding, but the group opted for a less synth dominated instrumental, which made it easier to get into the track. The song also had a cleaner melody, which I enjoyed. It sadly did sound generic at times, but I liked it for its cleaner sound. The chorus was probably the best part. It was catchy and definitely was the kick the song needed. The verses didn’t captivate me. But once the chorus kicked in, it gave me nostalgic feels, as it made the song sound something that could have been released back in the 2009 or 2010. The raps were quite good here, which is similar to my comments in their other reviews. However, the vocals have been parts that I was never fond of. But this time around, the vocals sounded a lot better. Both the raps and vocals style here give the group a more mature side and both showed me the level of improvement of the group since debut so far. The start of the song probably left the biggest impression for me, which made it quite memorable. And in combination with the chorus, it makes it hard to not go back.

The video is full of anger and angst, which matches the lyrics of the song quite well (the song is all about how cruel love can be). Hence the video is made up of closeup shots of the members stuck in the moment and can’t get over their breakup. So, there isn’t much going on in the video. The choreography shots are probably the only thing that has me coming back (more on that later).

The choreography is really good. It is fitting for the song. There really isn’t much to talk about, but it looks good. The dance may not be sharp or extremely powerful. Instead, the anger I mentioned before is subtly there and it goes a long way, making the performance look cool.

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

[Review] Palette – IU ft. G-Dragon (Big Bang)

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The digital queen is officially back. This is her first major release in the last three years. On top of that, this is her first return to the stage in four years. Who am I talking about? It is IU, of course. And with her already (and always expected) chart topper, she is bringing out the big guns with one of the most unexpected collaborations to date. G-Dragon features on her title track and that will be reviewed today. And don’t worry, I will be getting an album review out for her fourth album, Palette, sometime next week!

Her last song was titled as 23, due to her age. This song seems to be an extension of that idea, but this time, IU is 25. However, the sound is completely different in comparison to her previous track. It’s a slow track that doesn’t much going on it. It doesn’t rely on a heavy instrumental. Instead, it is very minimalistic. The song reminds me of a white room or a blank canvas. Sure, it may sound boring to some people, but it can mean a lot and be interpreted differently by others. And with that minimal sound (or white room or blank canvas), it gives her vocals the chance to shine. We already know of her vocal capabilities, but with this song, she displays a much more mature sound that we haven’t heard from her. Her higher pitch during the chorus and the slowness of the song makes the track sound so much better. Furthermore, the song is addictive and extremely catchy. I have already replayed it a number of times and I am singing along (in my awful voice) every time the chorus kicks in. Finally, G-Dragon’s rap sequence sounds pretty cool, I can’t really deny that. It was extremely fitting and added an urban sound to the song. Something that brings the song down a bit, since IU was singing her parts at a higher pitch before G-Dragon came in. Overall, it is an amazing song, so do check it out.

I mentioned the idea of the white room before. And the video was shot is a white room, as well. And yes, while a white room may be boring, but it is what IU does in the room (besides stealing the spotlight, of course) does fill it up. It’s an odd idea and it’s one that didn’t occur to me until I started writing this part. But her presence fills the room. And in a sense, that does paint on the white walls. It is just a thought that I had while writing this, but it made me go back and watch the video a couple more times. We are also shown other shots. One that stole the show was when she appeared in her Good Day outfit (I think. It’s the one where she is wearing the pink dress with her name and the age ’18’ written at the bottom of the video). It shows how far she has come. From Good Day, which was her big breakthrough in the industry, to her current video and matured style. I think the video is amazing. Like the song, it is minimalistic, but that does speak volumes in certain cases and this is one of those cases. Watching the video many times already and I have yet to feel bored.

[UPDATED] The accompanying choreography isn’t a big part of the comeback. She only dances during the chorus of the song and it is that little segment seen in the video. It wasn’t needed but I didn’t mind it. It too showed a more mature side to IU, matching the mature sound of the song. She also rapped G-Dragon’s part for her first stage. That blew me away. Search up the performance to watch her perform Palette!!

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 8/10 [UPDATED]
Overall Rating – 9.5/10 [UPDATED]

 

[Double Review] Paper Umbrella + Hibernation – Yesung (Super Junior)

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Yesung from Super Junior has made his return to the stage with a brand new mini-album, Spring Falling. Hibernation was the pre-release single from the mini-album, while Paper Umbrella served as the main title track. It has been a while since we heard from him. He last promoted Here I Am back in April of last year. He also participated in the drama, Voice, earlier this year.

Yesung’s two songs delve back into the ballad genre in music. Hibernation has a nice melody but it fails to reel me. The percussion in the song felt dominate and did take the attention away from his vocals, which should have been the highlight of the track. His vocals are good but they don’t sound as emotional as his other songs. It just wasn’t as memorable. There were actually other tracks on his mini-album which could have easily served as a pre-release single instead and left a stronger impression on me than what Hibernation did.
Paper Umbrella is a much better ballad in comparison. The orchestra based instrumental makes the song sound grand and elegant. His vocals are much better here. You could feel the emotions in his voice. There was also a nice buildup in both the instrumental and Yesung’s vocals in this song. However, similar to the Hibernation, Paper Umbrella fails to capture my attention. It sounds good in the moment, however, it just doesn’t have me coming back for more.

Hibernation’s accompanying video was boring to watch. There wasn’t much to it. Yesung was singing, while the lead actress in the music video went about on her day. There was no interaction between the two in any form. However, the video does seem to suit the song.
Paper Umbrella’s video was far more interesting. The video shows a Yesung and his former lover on a rainy day.  The two seem to remember when they were younger and how they spent their rainy days together. There seemed to be other couples in the video (not too sure about this though). The use of colour in this video is excellent. The present day where they have separated, the clouds are grey and there is barely any light when they meet up on the bridge. Meanwhile, their memories are of days where there was a nice golden glow from the sky and the colours are much brighter overall.

Hibernation
Song – 5/10
Music Video – 5/10
Overall Rating – 5/10

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

 

[Review] Steal Your Heart – Unit Black

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Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to go through the details of where this boy group came from (BOYS24 – you can check the Wikipedia page for the show. I didn’t really follow it). However, that won’t stop me from reviewing their debut single. This is the first promotional unit from the television show BOYS24, named as Unit Black. The group consisted of Park Do Ha, Hwang In Ho, Oh Jin Suk, Kim Sung Hyun, Kim Young Hyun, Jung Yeon Tae, Yoo Young Doo and Han Hyun Uk. Their debut single is titled as Steal Your Heart.

Off the bat, I would file this under the ‘generic KPOP song’ tab. There isn’t much to set it apart from other songs released currently. Their instrumental is a more tame EDM style, which to an extent is a good thing. However, the majority of songs that has come out in the last year that utilised EDM were quite tame and didn’t overpower the overall song. Their vocals and raps were great. But there weren’t anything in that area of the song that amazed me or made me fall for the song. There were some good points, however. The chorus was catchy. Maybe not too much. But it does enough to get me going back to the track. Also, the melody at the chorus was quite nice as well. Which leads me to my next point, its smoothness is something that stands out for me. From the start to end, you feel like you slide along with the song. The beat drop at the end was typical, but it provided that lift that the song required.

Unit Black probably means that they will be using the shade of black quite extensively throughout the video. If done right, everything would look classy and stylish. And that is what exactly what happened. Some of the sets looked cool, using that black aspect quite nicely, such as their choreography scenes where they wear the red suits. Others relied on the members wearing black, and it didn’t seem to do the job nicely. As for the plot of the video, were they trying to steal fame? Cause that is what I got out of it. Essentially, they devised a plan to steal something, which looked okay at first. But once the mission was successful and they opened the bag, they get teleported to the stage, where they perform for the rest of the video. That looked lame if I was honest. But it does make sense (to an extent – it is something that I would not do – steal fame, that is), because they probably did that to grab everyone’s attention, including their crushes.

Performance wise, they did a good job for a generic sounding song. Without the song influencing my thoughts on the dance, it was dry and dull to watch.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] Ninano – Gong Minzy ft. Flowsik

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It has been a long time coming, but Minzy has finally made their solo debut with the mini-album, Minzy Work 01. Uno, and the title track, Ninano. Gong Minzy is a former member of the popular girl group 2NE1. She withdrew from the group in April 2016. 2NE1 ended up disbanding at the end of 2016.

Right from the very first second, the track sounds very exotic and intriguing. The instrumental is bass heavy, which makes it feel highly intense throughout. There seems to be a string instrument in the instrumental, which dominates the entire track and it is probably the one thing that makes me want to go back to the track. Minzy’s vocals don’t really feel like it was shown off here. The track doesn’t seem to reach a peak, as well. Instead, the track builds up to the chorus and then it seems to settle back down. This is different, and it makes the track interesting. Within the instrumental, there was some emptiness. However, the emptiness should not be seen as a flaw, but rather a medium to help intensify the track. Given her lack of solo songs while under YG Entertainment and as part of 2NE1, I expected a song that really shows her off. The instrumental catches my attention, but her vocals don’t really.   Flowsik’s rap sequence fits wonderfully in the song. It is expected from a person of his magnitude in the industry. It leads to the ending of the song and caps those powerful vibes quite nicely.

The video is pretty good. While it does consistent to just closeups and choreography, everything that I spoke about in the song review was channelled throughout the video. You have the intensity. You have the toughness. You have the powerful vibe. She even added sexiness to the video. Overall, it does the job well done. The editing is wonderful. Though I think I have mentioned how I am not a major fan of some of the transitions between shots in the past, they are used consistently and you can’t really argue against that. The sets are also quite nice. While my review for the music video is relatively short, it is still perfectly suited for the song.

The choreography is as expected with the quality of the song. It is tough, it is powerful and it is sexy. It doesn’t go over the top though. All of those aspects are well balanced.

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

[Review] Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo – Berry Good

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Berry Good has returned to the stage with a song that has probably the most annoying title to write out and pronounce. I am only joking. But seriously, need to send a few words of thanks to the person who created the copy and paste function. Berry Good last year returned with Angel and Don’t Believe, two songs that put the group on my radar of groups to look out for.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo is a change up from their previous songs. This one focuses on more a brighter sound and falls within the typical branch of KPOP songs, something that their previous track did not conform to. However, that being said, the typical KPOP sound did work well in the song. To be honest, it was a mistake to listen to the song while watching the video (more on that later), so my first listen ended with me concluding that the song was probably one to stay away from. But after a few more listens (without the visual presence of the music video), it is a really catchy song. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo is extremely difficult to say on its own, so obviously, it makes it harder to sing that line. But it made the song catchy. The instrumental uses a Summer tone, which made the song feel fun. The vocals were okay, but I don’t think it was their best (Angel takes that crown). The only probably that left me disappointed was the rap sequence. It was not needed. I absolutely hate it when they talk like that in songs because it tends to ruin the mood of the song.  But overall, it is still a pretty catchy track to listen to.

Unfortunately, Berry Good is not a money-making machine for their company. And sadly, their comebacks end up being missed. Which means that their next comeback would have a lower than normal budget. Even crowd-funding was required for this comeback. The lower budget could obviously be seen here and it was such a low-quality video that I can’t bring myself to rewatch. As mentioned before, I watched the video and listened to the song in one go for the first time. And because of the video, I almost decided to not return to the video. It is probably because viewers as myself are more accustomed to aesthetics and better quality videos, that this video felt bland and boring in comparison. On a better note, the use of colour was great, just the camera didn’t catch the boldness the colours added and made very feel dull. If it was shot with a little more money, I could see it being a typical KPOP video. And that to me, would have been an improvement. On another side note, but the teaser look liked it had a much better budget than the actual music video. What happened there?

I saw a live performance on YouTube today for the track. The dance is pretty good. Sure, it doesn’t feel memorable (it is quite generic) but nonetheless, it looks good and suits the song.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 2/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] Hwi Hwi – Laboum

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Laboum has returned with a brand new song and mini album. 2016 was a big year for the band as they released multiple songs such as Journey to Atlantis, Shooting Love and Winter Story (didn’t get around to reviewing this song, unfortunately), which all help grow their fan base. Now the girls have returned with their second mini album, Miss This Kiss and the title track Hwi Hwi or 휘휘.

Laboum, in the past year, has consistently put out great songs. And they continue that level of success with Hwi Hwi. Just listening to the song for the first time, I could tell it is a part of another league. No, it doesn’t have a new sound or an element to make it stand out. To be honest, it uses very generic and traditional pop sounds. But what makes it sound so good is that it is done right. It ticks off all the boxes as a fun, addictive and fun song. The whistles and level of brightness that the track starts off with really sets the tone of the song from the very start. I love the overlapping between the raps and vocals just before each chorus. Oh, and don’t me get started on the chorus. It is the definitely the part of the song that shines the brightest, especially with the “Miss This Kiss” part. There may not be anything new in the song, but the song manages to cement itself in being one of the top songs of the years. And as a final plea, do not sleep on this song. I recommend it to anyone who wants to listen to a bright song, that actually also prepares us for the coming Summer months.

The music video is pretty good. The video is shot in a similar style to Shooting Love (i.e. camera angles and cinematography made the video look more amazing than if it was shot with a camera moving back and forth). While I do want something more to the video that really grabs people’s attention, the video’s level of brightness and colour really does fit the song’s vibes. The sets look pretty ordinary, but somehow they managed to make it all look good. Watching the girls perform the song in the video alone brought a massive smile to my face. The song did as well, but not to the extent of my grin after watching the video. Some of the props they used did remind me of a few videos released by other girl groups. I don’t know if I overemphasised them in my mind or if it was intentional, but it seemed like a clever.

The dance is also quite simple, but it goes a long way. I am totally in love with it, as I am with the rest of the comeback. It is cute but it doesn’t overdo it, which is a mega plus. It doesn’t necessary standout, but it compliments well with the song.

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

 

[Review] She’s A Baby – Zico (Block B)

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Zico, the leader and main rapper of Block B, is finally back. He also happens to be one of the biggest solo acts active at the moment. Zico has a massive portfolio ranging from solo tracks, such as I Am You, You Are Me, to songs in which he produced such as Flower Road by Gugudan’s Sejeong. She’s A Baby has been rivalling IU’s chart-topping songs since its release. Block B also recently made a comeback with Yesterday as well.

Each time Zico releases music, it is always something that is different and doesn’t fit his past styles. And I like that about Zico, the fact that he is not afraid to try. However, this comes at a big risk as it will be hard to satisfy everyone’s taste in music. Sadly, that is the case with this song for me. I don’t really enjoy it that much. The song feels quite bare. There really isn’t that much to the instrumental. The guitar really stands out, mainly because there really isn’t much to accompany it or overpower it. It also makes the song feel jagged and disjointed. His voice seems to tie all the jagged fragments together and the way he sang some parts gave the song a more dynamic profile, something that the instrumental would have usually provided. The tempo of the track is also worth talking about because it makes the song feel quite slow. But somehow the track ends feeling like a 1 minute, rather than the 3 minutes it actually goes for. I wouldn’t say this is a bad song, it just doesn’t appeal to my taste.

The music video seems to be shot in the same style as Ladies Code’s Galaxy. Likewise, I have no idea what is going on in this video. My guess is that Zico and the girl are in love. But Zico finds out that the girl he loves is like a baby, but he finds that cute. So instead, Zico adopts a more caring side rather romantic side. Instead of letting her eat a cupcake with candy sprinkles on top, he swaps it for a carrot cupcake. He sleeps on the floor instead, while giving her the bed. All seem to support what I think. But I would like to hear (or read) other theories. Videos like this are quite nice to watch and fascinating because they make you think about what is happening. Some things are not explicitly shown, and you have to fill in the gaps. The use of colour in this video also makes it look cool. Despite what I said at the end of the song review, I feel like this video did drag out the song. It may be problematic for some songs, but not that much with this song.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] Take Me Home – Baekhyun (EXO)

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Baekhyun’s recent solo release is the third song in the SM Station Season 2 project. Red Velvet’s Would U and Ten’s Dream In A Dream are also other songs in the project. For a review, I don’t think I ever repeated the artist’s name so many times before.

Baekhyun went with a ballad that does a pretty good job at bringing out his vocal’s capabilities. His vocals are on point throughout the song. Take Me Home fits perfectly into the season of Spring, with its more upbeat and brighter melody. Complimenting the Spring season, you can hear the romantic vibes that Baekhyun and the instrumental try to get across to the listener. But the instrumental is pretty standard, and there isn’t anything to comment on. I love how his voice buildups in the song, rather than the instrumental. That, or you can hear the buildup in his voice more apparent here. The song doesn’t have me coming back for though. It is the type of song that you would be happy to listen to, but you don’t necessary go back to replay it. There wasn’t a memorable moment that I tend to look for in ballads. Overall, it is a beautiful song but probably not one for me.

The video compliments the song quite nicely. I expected the video to be more on the dull side, but it wasn’t. The entire song was about how Baekhyun wanted to help his friend (the girl) get over her ex. The whole video shows Baekhyun’s attempt of moving her attention away. In the end, he successfully drags her away from the memories that sadden her by getting her to do a small dance and finally sharing a smile with each other. The end shows him holding the picture and the flower, but no friend was present, suggesting that she had moved on and his job was completed. My initial thoughts of Baekhyun’s attempts to get her mind off of things was that he was flirting and was consistently rejected. I guess lyrics and some fan comments do go a long way. As I previously said, it is a nice video to watch.

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

[Review] Echo – Seven O’Clock

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This is another review that I have been waiting to do, but lately, I have been extremely busy with my studies. In addition to that, an influx of major comebacks meant that I had to push lesser known acts to a later date. Honestly, I was supposed to write an album review today (will be published tomorrow though) but as it is 11 pm and I have yet to write anything, I thought it would be easier to just do a song review. Seven O’Clock are one the newest groups to make their debut (and I am finally writing a review after a month since their debut). Echo serves as the 6-member male group’s debut track, who are currently under Staro Entertainment.

I actually remember listening to the group for the first time when I was on the bus. The instrumental is quite unique, and it literally jumps at you to grab your attention. You have to listen to the song to understand. It becomes really addictive after a few listens. I had to replay the song a few times on the bus that day. However, the only reason why I replay the song is due to the instrumental, rather than the other important aspects of the song.  The instrumental itself delves into the House genre of music, and the chorus comes off as catching. The rest of the song felt very generic. The buildup before the choruses was quite good and the final 30 seconds was quite unexpected, but it worked wonderfully. But besides that, the verses felt very similar to other EDM based songs out there. Their vocals and raps also felt generic. The only standout moments was the instrumental during the chorus and the final 30 seconds. Currently, I am putting them on my radar, but I am not too sure if they can stay on there. Given the generic vibes, it all depends on their next release for me.

The video consists of solo shots and choreography scenes. The backgrounds give off a nice industrial and urban vibe, which does compliment the song to an extent. But besides that, there really isn’t much to talk about in the video. If I had to summarise the video, I had already done so within the first two sentences. And this is coming from a person who overwrites every single time.

Such a strong song. But an extremely lacking dance routine. It started off nicely. You could see the build up as the song went along. But that energy just disappeared, and it made the entire dance feel a little disconnected to the song. This applies to the end of the especially. It was definitely the peak of the whole song, but the choreography at that part didn’t seem to match.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 5/10
Performance – 3/10
Overall Rating – 5/10

[Review] Tension Up – IMFACT

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There seems to be a possible emerging trend where artists make monthly releases during the year. DAY6 and Loona are currently groups that are participating in this trend. Joining them is IMFACT, who made their debut last year with Lollipop and returned at the end of the year with Feel So Good. Unfortunately, this is my first review of the year for the group, meaning I have missed two of their monthly releases, In The Club (never got around to it) and Please Be My First Love (never actually listened to it). I’ll get around to them though, so don’t worry.

Tension Up serves as a return to their Lollipop days. Feel So Good was terrible and their first two monthly releases ended up being ballads. And this is the type of sound that I actually like from the group. It suits them, more than their other tracks. The instrumental is synth heavy and I wouldn’t mind this song at a KPOP themed party or the KPOP night at the club. It is quite funky and attempts to be hard-hitting, though some parts did feel a little lacking. From the start, the song launches into a very intense sound, which makes you want to get up and dance along to the music. It slows down a bit just prior to the chorus to provide a buildup, but the slowdown doesn’t fit the song that much. They then launch right into the groovy chorus, which where I spent the majority of the time head banging to the song and lip-singing to the lyrics. Their vocals and raps are pretty good here. There is a side of ordinariness to the song, which regardless of how much I want to shake it off, it remains there. If you want a song to just let loose a bit, this one is probably the one. If you enjoyed Lollipop, then I think you would also enjoy Tension Up.

While the song does seem to have that party-filled feeling, the music video lacks that feel. Sure, the setting at the club, flashing lights and the song playing in the background does give that feeling. But the lack of people at some of these KPOP parties in many music videos always confuses me. I don’t see why the manager in the video needed to be tough on the guy. If your club has no patrons, then I would fall asleep, DJ or not. But jokes aside, they actually managed to do a good job at filling the emptiness that I could see in the video. Them having fun looked real and not fake (like in some other videos). I wouldn’t mind going to their roller skates club (though I should pick up the skill first). And the club actually looks nice during the choreography shots. Overall, the video suits the song quite nicely.

Unfortunately, the performance didn’t share the same feelings as I described in the song review. Sure, the routine looked quite intense. But it just didn’t have than fun side to it. The dance itself is not that memorable and it feels like the performance would be lost amongst the other stages.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 4/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

[Review] The Spring – Jung Eunji (APINK) ft. Hareem

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The main vocalist of APINK has returned with her first solo comeback. Jung Eunji previously made her solo debut last year with Hopefully Sky, a high charting folk-ballad. The Spring is the title track of her second mini album, Space. As expected from the current time in the year and the title of her song, her track appeals to listeners in the season of Spring.

The Spring reminds me distinctively of Hopefully Sky. That maybe because of the folk instruments used in the production of this song. It stands alone quite nicely, though. It’s another one of those songs where I spend my time listening to it and swaying along with it. Eunji’s vocals are incredibly sweet and a standout aspect of the song.  What also sets this song apart from other songs is the use of the accordion. Here it is calming and compliments the sound of Spring. I have to admit, the song ended up being little catchier than her debut. That’s mainly attributed to the hook where she just repeats “Bom Bom Bom” or “봄 봄 봄”, similar to how Roy Kim’s Bom Bom Bom became popular.  (However, I stress that they are completely different styles of songs). However (hypocritical me is back), they tend to be very similar, and The Spring does fall into that hole. Springtime songs are always beautiful to listen to (popular ones, regardless of release dates, always rise to the top of the charts at this time of the year) in this period of the year, but after a while, they do end up sounding like each other. It may not be some people’s cup of tea, but it is still a beautiful song to listen to.

I personally like the music video for this song. Eunji is a taxi driver, and during her shifts, she drives around many couples, single people and families. While doing her work, she looks at them and wonders what makes this the season of love. We see flashbacks when she was in a relationship and that she still keeps her memories of those time with her. However, the video seems to suggest that they are still together. The entire video, no one sits next to Eunji. But someone (at the end of the video) gets into the passenger seat, and she smiles at said person. There is a moment of seriousness, but then she just chuckles and proceeds to drive off. It’s most likely that after dating for some time, Spring seems to just be another season on the calendar for them. Furthermore, Eunji could just have been reminiscing about those days. That’s my interpretation of the video, though. Cherry blossoms tend to be the representation of Spring in South Korea, and a lot of Spring based songs use cherry blossoms heavily. The use of it seems to be more subtle and not “in-your-face”. I usually don’t like the colour palette used in the video, but it works her. I also thought her smiles were beautiful. Might be one of the reasons why I keep watching the video.

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

[Review] Love Is – Teen Top

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Teen Top has returned with their second album, High Five. This time around they will be promoting Love Is as a five-member group. Unfortunately, L.Joe withdrew from the group due to issues between himself and the company. This is the group’s first comeback since Warning Sign, released at the start of last year.  Do expect a full album review, which will be coming out later this week or early next week.

Love Is reminds me of  Teen Top’s past hits. Compared to Warning Sign, which ended up being pretty forgetful, Love Is is bound to stay on my radar for a long period of time. Why is that the case? Teen Top needed a much stronger song and Love Is serves as that song. Their bass and synth heavy instrumental is really addictive. The second half of the chorus (the “Love is gone away“) is extremely catchy and probably the highlight of the song for me. The rest of the song was pretty good, but it just didn’t leave an impression on me, unlike the second half of the chorus. Their vocals and raps were pretty good. Another moment I loved about the song was that growl heard at the end of the teaser for the music video and the same growl is heard at the end of the first chorus. What the song needed was more of that energy and power. I can see why people say it is an aggressive song due to its instrumental and beat. But that description would have been more applicable if we heard more aggressive sounds (such as that growl) a few more times. It honestly sounded cool and I was pretty disappointed when it wasn’t anywhere else in the song. Overall, it was a pretty good song to listen to and it throws Teen Top back on the listening radar for me.

Like EXID’s music video, it fell towards the boring side of the music video spectrum for me as well. There isn’t much to talk about for this video as well. There were solo shots outside of where the choreography sets but they felt extremely boring. The only worthwhile parts that I enjoyed were the choreograph scenes. The set looked cool. The camera shots were shaky but done so for a more edgy feel. The transitions between scenes made the video even edgier. But the rest of the video felt very “meh” to me.

The one part I look forward to when I write a Teen Top review is the performances. The accompanying performance definitely joins the ranks of their most intense routines to date. I really enjoyed the choreography for the second half of the chorus and their instrumental breaks. Each of them (and the overall performance) looked amazing and it the type of performance that I definitely would want to watch continuously.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10