Category: Reviews

[Review] Lullaby – Onew (SHINee) & Rocoberry

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This week’s SM Station track features Onew from SHINee and Rocoberry, a Korean indie duo. SM Station’s Lullaby is a remake of Rocoberry’s Lullaby. This song joins the growing list of SM Station Season 2 songs, including Dream In A Dream by Ten (NCT), Would U by Red Velvet, Spring Rain by BoA and many others.

Like what the name suggests, the song is a ballad and a really nice one. It fits into the ‘Lullaby’ style of music. It’s very calming and sounds beautiful. I have never heard of Rocoberry (and probably won’t go investigating), but Roco (the female of the duo and the one you can hear in the song) has an amazing voice that compliments Onew’s vocals, which we all know. Both sound superb and amazing. This track also confirms one thing. We need a solo song from Onew. Given the quality of this collaboration,  I have such high expectations. The calmness of the track is quite effective and probably be a track I will turn to in the future if I want to calm down (I was writing an assignment before writing this review). While the instrumental isn’t amazing, the mix between guitar and piano makes it a little interesting. Like most lullabies, however, the track sadly falls towards the more boring side of music. I honestly can’t wish for more, mainly because of its style. Otherwise, I would ruin the track and its calming vibes.

The music video isn’t anything fancy. There are closeups of Onew and Roco by themselves and once we reach the chorus, we see images of a couple dancing in the forest. It matched the song quite nicely and didn’t incorporate anything flashy or ‘loud’ to cause any viewing displeasures. Onew was unrecognisable when I first watched the video, which resulted in me doing a double take and rewatching the video to prove otherwise.

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

[Review] Crazy – Han Dong Geun

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Han Dong Geun rose to the top of the charts last year with his debut track, Making A New Ending For This Story (which was actually released back in 2014 )and his 2016 comeback, Amazing You. Now, Han Dong Geun has returned to the stage with his first album, Your Diary, and the title track, Crazy.

I found it very hard to start off the review for Crazy. Mainly because words cannot describe the song. Han Dong Geun has quickly risen to the top, to be one of the best male vocalists that I have heard on the Korean music scene. All of his past works have been sufficient evidence of that and this song cements his position on my list of Best Male Vocalist. He warned us that the song may take our breath away and that is what it exactly did. He went down the ballad route, so there were no surprises there. However, his voice goes all out for this song. And that makes your generic ballad instrumental into a chart-topping worthy song. The chorus is just pure bliss. The melody was amazing and I love the further build-up within the chorus. What also makes this song so good is that his voice does not leave you hanging. Instead, he brings it down to a suitable level and continues on. Even though I do not understand Korean, the level of emotion that his voice delivers to the song is remarkable and can be felt throughout, from the start to the very end. Overall, if you love a good ballad or need some sort of warmth in your day, this is the song to check out and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

The music video matches the heartbreak that is expressed in the song. Essentially what we see in the video is that the girl moves back into the house but is constantly reminded of her relationship, where in reality it had already ended. She tries her best to forget everything, like burning all the pictures (how cliche is that) and breaking the presents he gave her. However, it is not enough and she slowly starts going crazy, imagining him there with her. I guess at the end, we see scratches on her legs, which may indicate that she caused harm to herself. My assumption with the ending of the video is that she took her life and woke up in heaven, to which her imaginative boyfriend opened the door to the light and that left a smile on her face. We must applaud the actress in the video because her acting was amazing. It made everything feel more captivating and interesting to watch. You feel the coldness in scenes (that or I should turn my heater on) but Han Dong Geun’s voice makes it feel warmer, despite him singing about heartbreak and loss.

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

 

[Review] Wonder If – Junhyung (HIGHLIGHT) ft. Heize

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After rebranding into HIGHLIGHT, there were rumours floating about with Junhyung’s impending return as a solo artist. It seems like those rumours were true and hence we are all here today. Junhyung previously made his solo debut with Flower and returned last year with After This Moment (featuring Davii). His comeback is titled as Wonder If and features Heize.

Junhyung delves into the RnB side of the Korean music scene with his latest release. His main duty if HIGHLIGHT is to be the main rapper, however, here he sings the entire song. Something that is a little foreign for the established rapper. That being said, I always find rappers have a unique voice that lets them add a different colour to their group songs. Here, Junhyung shines like never before with his catchy and addictive track. It’s the RnB feel that I enjoy listening to. The chorus was probably the best bit of the entire song. I love the way he delivered his lines as if it was to make it jaggered, yet somehow remaining smooth the entire way. The melodies during the chorus are also amazing. While I did say his voice shines, the track does feel quite neutral as you move towards the end. Heize’s featuring was the much-needed relief and added that needed colour to the song. Her voice also gives the song an extra level of depth, which ends up transforming the song into something even better. Overall, this song is one really amazing and worthwhile collaboration.

The same cannot be said about the music video, unfortunately. While I enjoyed the song, the video feels empty and lacking. There isn’t a whole much going on in the video, besides Junhyung singing in various sets. I am not the type of person who would sit around and watch that. Even Heize’s addition to the video couldn’t save the video for me. The video was dark, which matches Junhyung’s associated sound and style. The video was edited to seem like you were drunk, which did give it an alluring appeal, which only lasted for a while. Besides that, I am not a fan of the video.

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

 

[Review] Now, Us – Lovelyz

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Lovelyz has returned with their repackaged album of their second album, R U Ready?. They previously made their comeback with WoW! in February and this week released the repackaged album, along with the title track Now, Us.

Now, Us throws you back to their more earlier works. It feels distinctively familiar and distinctively Lovelyz. While I do want to hear a different sound from the group, such as WoW! (which kept that distinct Lovelyz sound but also added a different flavour), this track works nicely as well. The chorus itself is quite catchy and the track, after a few listens becomes quite addictive. Their vocal work is quite good here, especially how the entire track is sung at a higher pitch. It adds a little something different to the track, making it unique to their past tracks that I am fondly reminded of. The problem with this track is that it ends abruptly. While I have made exceptions in the past, the ending for this song felt very premature and it left me wondering if there is more or not. Maybe that is their tactic to make us go back to the song. But it just ruins the flow of the song, which does leave me a little disappointed when I hear the next song on the playlist.

Lovelyz also returned with the style of muisc video that I commonly associate with Lovelyz. Despite this, the video stands alone and suits the music perfectly. Once again, the individual scenes make no sense. However, I am absolutely certain they all add up to some sort of meaning. My guess is that they are nervous when meeting their crush. Nonetheless, it does make the video interesting to watch (mainly because I am trying to make sense of everything). I love how the rooms are quite pale, but some details make the girls stand out, such as they bold blue socks and yellow heels combination. Overall, I genuinely enjoyed the video.

[UPDATED] I think the performances can be cut into two parts. The first would be the more graceful side to match the tempo of the song during the verses, while the chorus showed a more energetic side to the choreography. Overall, I thought the entire performance had a Lovelyz feel, regardless if you find yourself tuning in any of the two parts. The chorus choreography was cute to watch.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10 [UPDATED]
Overall Rating – 8/10 [UPDATED]

[Review] 365 Fresh – Triple H

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Cube Entertainment unveiled a new subunit comprising of its artists recently, with the group being named as Triple H. The group consist of former 4Minute member Hyuna and Pentagon members Hui and E-Dawn (whose real name is Kim Hyo Jong). 365 Fresh is the title track off the subunit’s first mini album, which is titled as 199X. This is the second subunit formed between labelmates at Cube Entertainment, the other being Trouble Maker, comprising of Hyuna and Hyunseung.

365 Fresh is a really cool song. From the start, its upbeat and fresh sound really does stand out. The song delves into the Funk genre. It actually reminds me of songs that Bruno Mars put out, such as Uptown Funk. And like Uptown Funk, it makes me want to get up just dance to it. The catchy “365 So Fresh” that they repeat throughout the song does the job really well and make the song quite memorable. The vocals and the raps are both superb aspects in this song. I would love to hear a little more from Hyuna in the song. She was there but compared to the guys, her part didn’t shine as much. As for the guys, they did a pretty good job with their raps and vocal work. Together, all 3 members came together and showed a dynamic sound that could potentially rival the dynamics that were brought out to play when Trouble Maker released their songs.

Once again, Cube has put out a music video that was slapped with another 19+ rating. And given the scenes in the video, I am quite sure that the Korean netizens are criticising the video left, right and centre. Onto the plot. Hyuna is a hairdresser, but in the video, she is inappropriately touched by the customer. She protects herself from the customer and ends up killing him. Hui seems to be on the run from a gang. E-Dawn attempts to suicide a few times in the video, but (not too sure here) changes his minds. All three somehow meet on the road and end up escaping their currently lives. Hui actually stole a car and coincidently there is bucket loads of money in the boot of the car, so the three of them live new lives in style. There seemed to be a little bit of tension as Hyuna and E-Dawn seem to fall in love, while Hui third-wheels. In the end, after too much partying, they end up jumping off a building, most likely leading to their deaths. I like the video for its storyline and appeal. That being said, I do not condone violence, drug use, suicide or other themes that appeared in the video.

[UPDATED] While it may not be the usual sexy style that we expect and see from Hyuna, the choreography for 365 Fresh is extremely flirty and works well with the song. Even between the trio, there is some sort of chemistry that can’t really be described, but should rather be witnessed. The guys have big shoes to fill, especially given the portfolio of Hyuna and her choreographies, but the guys fit in wonderful, with the funky dance routine.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10 [UPDATED]
Overall Rating – 9/10 [UPDATED]

 

[Double Review] Sad Song + Be Well – Sechskies

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Sechskies has officially returned with their latest album. For those who do not know, Sechskies is a 6-member boy group who made their debut way back in 1997. They are a hugely successful act boasting releases such as Couple, Com’Back, Chivalry and many others. The group disbanded in 2000, however, reformed in 2016 as a five member group. The group signed on with YG Entertainment and later went on to release 2016 Re-Album, which included all of their past hits. 2017 marks their 20th anniversary and last week, just released their 20th-anniversary album, featuring the title tracks Sad Song and Be Well.

Sad Song is a pretty good song. It hits home runs in some aspects of the song but lacks energy in other parts. Their vocal work is quite good, but once again, the raps are standouts for the song. The verses felt a little empty and dull compared to the rest of the song. The raps and the chorus gave the song the colour it needed, despite the song sounding quite neutral all throughout. The instrumental delves into the electro sound but it is pretty generic. If the instrumental was bolder, I feel like the song could have worked better.
Be Well is on a whole different level. Listening to the song, you can feel the YG influences. Combining it with the Sechskies group and you might have a winning combination. I love the ballad feels this song, but it also can serve as a nice dance feel to it, which opens the possibility for creative direction. But we are not here to talk about that. The vocal work here is much better here, than compared to the previous song. While it did sound more like a monologue, the rap felt underwhelming. I think a more emotional centred rap could have made the song sound more impactful. The song overall had a more appealing melody which was soft and almost soothing.

Both music video suited their respective songs. Sad Song played with a more upbeat feel and while the music video does bring out the emotions through the scenes, the video felt just right for the electronic sounds. The video shows the guys recovering from a breakup (I think), so there isn’t much to talk about. More interestingly, the cinematography in this video makes it seem cool and made the video appear more flashy, which goes back to suiting the song. Be Well had a more dramatic video, but it too suited the song’s ballad feels. What made the video look cool was the fact they sat in ‘rain’ throughout the video. They also showed the first-person perspective on the relationship, which does make it unique.

I really can’t make that many comments on the choreography. Mainly because they are nearing their forties and still can dance better than me. The dance for Sad Song lacked energy and felt weak, which matched the emotional side of the song, but not the electro sound. Be Well had a more suitable dance but it was boring to watch. However, their stage presence on both stages and the fan chants just prove what great influence they still have after 20 years.

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

Be Well
Song – 7/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 6/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Hole In One – VARSITY

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VARSITY is a 12-member boy group currently under CSO Entertainment. They previously made their debut at the start of the year with U R My Only One, which I ended not reviewing due to time commitments. However, they did appear on my Weekly KPOP Charts, peaking at 19th position. This is the group’s first comeback since their debut.

Hole In One is a complete change, compared to their debut single. U R My Only One was a much darker song, which sounded more dramatic and tough. However, their new single is bright and vibrant. While I do prefer the darker and stronger sound from boy groups, there have been many instances where boy groups have put out iconic bright songs that everyone loves. In this case, however, I am torn when it comes to the song. This song falls in the “not bad” category, where most of those cute songs end up.  Their vocal work is pretty good but their raps are the standout in the song. I was blown away from the raps. There were some parts of the song that had a nice chill vibe going through, such as the post-chorus section. While it did manage to appear on my radar in the past week, the song isn’t catchy enough to remain on my radar for much longer. For the most part, it felt flavourless and didn’t have much of a hook. The instrumental also could have been a little more vibrant or at least faster. The song felt sluggish and slow for the most part, which didn’t present well when I first listened to it.

The video is okay, more typical than anything else. The guys essentially find a cute girl and end up following her to the golf course, where she eventually teaches one of them golf. Though it drew on the song title, it was a sad attempt of incorporating golf into the story line. I am also suprised that she wasn’t creeped out by 12 guys following her around. Anyway, I didn’t mind the choreography scenes in the video. I thought they looked quite good. As for those random scenes where some girls were just dancing along to the music, I honestly do not get why those scenes were included in the music video. It didn’t really fit with the rest of the video.

As for the dance, it was good for the slow tempo that the song had. It, too, matched the song’s bright and vibrant energy, which shows another side of the group to the audience.

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

[Review] Spring Rain – BoA

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BoA is finally back with a new single, in the form of  SM Station release. It has been a while since we heard from the soloist. Last year, she also participated in another SM Station release, No Matter What, which also features Beenzino. Prior to the release of Spring Rain, she called her company out for writing her name incorrectly on the teaser image.

Spring Rain is another experimental track that goes nicely with all the other SM Station releases. The song also delves into the R&B genre. I have probably heard this style before somewhere but there is something that makes this song quite unique and fresh. The first is her voice. The song really allows her voice to shine. From the chorus to the long note at the end, everything sounds amazing with her voice. The second aspect is the instrumental. It is honestly quite calming and refreshing. The song’s lyrics aren’t exactly bright as other Spring songs, such as Would U by Red Velvet. However, the instrumental has a bit brightness to it, while still complementing the darker lyrics. It is honestly a type of instrumental that I wouldn’t mind listening to by itself. There are whispers at the start and the end of the song. I don’t mind them and they seem to contribute to the aesthetics of the song. However, they really don’t do much to the rest of the song and sound like it belongs elsewhere, rather than this particular single. That being said, the song overall sound pretty good, as well.

Once again, SM Station has gone with a video with a lot of aesthetics, which works well with the song. I personally love videos with odd camera angles and the way filters were applied to the video makes it look urban and industrial. It is like they took a whole bunch of stockpiled videos and manage to work it with their idea of the music video. The video itself shows a couple at the start of their relationship and (what I assume) the breakdown of their relationship. While the video was edited to be in slow-motion, the acting the video is quite good. Their scenes together don’t seem to do much, but when they are by themselves (i.e. the lady walking around and the guy just laying on the bed), the scenes become stronger and adds more meaning to the video. Overall, it was a nice video that went well with the song.

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

[Review] Wonderful Love – Momoland 

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Momoland has returned with their first comeback and Wonderful Love. The group debuted with Jjan! Koong! Kwang! at the end of 2016 and the song has since grown on me. The group has added two new members, Daisy and Kim Taeha, bringing the total members of the group to 9.

Wonderful Love packs a punch. The song a very grand feel, which follows on nicely from their catchy chorus in their debut song. Like their debut song, this one has me singing along. It’s really catchy and within a few listens, it has me coming back. I love the instrumental, with the grand orchestra feel that I am always a sucker for. The cutesy sound doesn’t feel like it is over-the-top. Instead, it feels lesser than what we heard before. I love the dynamic chorus. While the song does fall in the cutesy category, the chorus gives the song have a much grander feel and it is quite dominating. It’s another song that makes me smile, especially the lyrics of support. Overall, the song is made to grab your attention and that is something that the song definitely does. It is definitely a strong song, one that is unexpected from the pool of cutesy songs that I am used to. And it is one song that is worth listening to.

The music video is okay to watch. There isn’t much to talk about the video at the start but once we get to the end of the video and song, the epic feels of the song are channelled nicely in the video. The video largely consists of choreography shots and close ups. However, the video does mix in scenes where the girls hang out and have fun around the theme park, which the video is shot in. What makes it epic (for me, at least) was the final choreography shot which brought in many backup dancers to join in. It made the video look pretty cool. I know, probably doesn’t look that epic. But with the music, it came off as cool and epic to me.

Now, the part of the review that I was wanting to write. It is ‘dab-central’ with this dance routine. Quite unexpected and quite ridiculous. But it is extremely fitting for the song and I love it. It may be an odd combination but I continually find myself going back to the performances, which means they have done something right.

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

[Review] Lonely – Jonghyun (SHINee) ft. Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Jonghyun has returned with his newest compilation album. The album titled, The Collection: Story Op. 2, is a follow-up to his previous compilation album, The Collection: Story Op. 1, which contained the main track End of a Day. The main track from the new album features Taeyeon from SNSD and is titled Lonely. A compilation album, for those who don’t know, consists of songs that have been previously released or recordings that have not been released before. Some of the tracks have been unveiled on Jonghyun’s radio show before, while some are new releases.

The song falls into the ballad category, as expected. And it is a good ballad. The song opens up with a simple piano tune and it remains a simple sounding song throughout. There is a small dose of catchiness in the song that makes it goes a long way. I cannot resist the urge to sing along to the “I’m So Lonely” lines. The vocals of both Jonghyun and Taeyeon dominate the songs, however still maintaining the balance with the instrumental. Their voices compliment each other quite nicely. The only thing that doesn’t fit right in the song is the emotions in their vocals. It is a sad song, judging from the lyrics and the overall tone of the song. And while I can hear the emotions in their voices, it was subtle and at times lacking. While I am glad that it is not “in-your-face”, it made the lack of emotions made it feel dry and generic at parts. Furthermore, the song really didn’t seem that memorable. Besides that one line (mentioned early on in the paragraph), I don’t really remember much from the song after listening to it.

The music video fits the loneliness that the song presses on about. Only Jonghyun features in the music video and he looks lonely. There were some scenes that were powerful, especially the one with the tallies on his arm. Overall, the aesthetics of the video made it looked cool, despite it being slow and empty. An example would be the camera shots. Rather than focusing on Jonghyun, they focused on his mouth, which occupied only part of the screen. It probably doesn’t look that fancy but I thought it looked cool. You would think I would find boring, but rather I thought it complimented the song quite well. Besides that, there isn’t much else to talk about (and I am stopping myself here before I start rambling on about other irrelevant stuff).

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

 

[Review] Rumour – K.A.R.D

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No, it is not a ‘rumour’, but K.A.R.D is officially back with another single. K.A.R.D is a four-member coed group who previously released Oh Na Na last year and Don’t Recall earlier this year. They have yet to make their official debut but have been using these pre-debut singles as a way to build up a fanbase and get some recognition, similar to what Mamamoo did before they debuted.

Similar to their other singles, the group has gone for the tropical house genre again, but this time mixing a reggae sound into it. It suits the upcoming Summer season in South Korea. While I do like their song this time, it does feel a little flat. There is enough for me to know that they can be somewhat versatile with their music, but unless they start changing up their sound entirely (such as moving away from the tropical house sounds), they are going to get boring fast. I personally don’t enjoy autotune that much, but they didn’t seem to overuse it that much here. Instead, it allowed the guys to open the song and actually sing, besides rapping, which is a little different from their past tracks. I also liked how they merged into with the girls. There is a small part at the end of each chorus where the guys start to sing, then the girls join in and the 4 of them finish off that one line. The instrumental break is cool and the vocals/raps overall were probably their best thus far. The question is, did I like it? Not initially. It seemed generic (hence my comments) but a few listens in, I can see it getting a bit more addictive. Give me until the end of today and I probably am just going to be playing this song non-stop.

I personally liked the music video. It’s dark but not too dark, so each time I am watching it, I am trying to see if there is anything new. So far, I have noticed a few things that I haven’t noticed in the few times I have already watched the music video. Their visuals here are no joke. Each of them looks amazing in the video and the lighting just showcased their visuals even more. The only thing that I thought was odd was the mobile phone frame for the video. It looked cool but it just felt so limiting.

It seems like K.A.R.D will continue to put out key point dances for all of their choreographies. This one is quite easy, unlike their last one, which involved strong ankles. I have no idea what it is called, but it fits the reggae and tropical vibes of the song quite nicely. The rest of dance looked quite cool as well, from what I could see from the music video.

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

 

[Double Review] Hate That I Miss You + Pattern – Lee Hae Ri (Davichi)

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You may recognise Lee Hae Ri as one-half of the powerhouse duo Davichi, who debuted in 2008 alongside Kang Min Kyung. Skip forward almost 9 years, and Lee Hae Ri officially made her solo debut this year with the release of her first ever solo mini-album, h. Pattern is the pre-release, while Hate That I Miss You is the mini album’s title track.

Hate That I Miss You is your typical ballad. I expected that Lee Hae Ri would go down the ballad route and this is exactly what I had in mind. I did expect a little more to the instrumental, but this is still good. The song’s instrumental is only a piano in the background, which does make it interesting to an extent. But it did become dry quite quickly. But what kept the song going was definitely the vocals. It dominated the song and her voice just blows you away, especially those high notes at the end of the song.
To me, Pattern was the song that stole the show. As I mentioned before, I had expected Lee Hae Ri to release ballads for her solo, since that is what she and her group member is known for. But instead, we got this indie and upbeat track from her that was something completely unexpected from her. Still falling under the umbrella genre of a ballad, the song is amazing to listen to. Her vocals are shown off here as much as they are in Hate That I Miss You but the instrumental gives it a better kick. The song has a very nice melody. Her launch into the chorus and the chorus sounds like a different song altogether from the verses, but they were pulled together with a consistent instrumental, which I loved. It is a simple song (as well) when you listen to it, but it hits all the right notes.

The video for Hate That I Miss You is pretty simple. The artist is just sitting in a room, playing the piano while singing to the song. There isn’t anything else to talk about in the video, besides it is visually a nice video with the camera shots but it doesn’t have much to captivate me with.
Pattern‘s video shows an edgier side to Lee Hae Ri. The visuals and aesthetics in this video are really good, which suits the unique side of the song. There were moments where she maintained eye contact with the camera, which was tad creepy. Throughout the video, she reminded me of a doll. From the way she had a blank facial expression to the way she sat throughout the video. Altogether, the video comes off as pretty creepy, which (to me at least) makes it interesting to watch, although I don’t know what is really going on.

Hate That I Miss You
Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Overall Rating – 8/10

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

 

[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

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[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