Category: Reviews

[Review] Fighter – Monsta X

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What’s this? I am writing a review a few hours before midnight, not with less than an hour before midnight like for the 5 reviews? I am surprising myself today. Like how Monsta X surprised me with a brand new comeback, especially when it felt just like they were on stage promoting Stuck a few weeks ago… Wait… They were! Man, all these KPOP idols need rest, not comeback after comeback after comeback.

Another amazing song to add to the list. Monsta X is officially killing it this year. I have been impressed with every song they have put out this far in the year. Fighter is a very powerful and strong song that really captures your attention from the very start. The song starts off with the sound you would here from the boxing competitions in movies. Throughout the song, you get that boxing and fighting sound from the song, which kind of exerts its dominance from the very start. I love the impact coming from each of the rapping and for once in my life, I think the rapping overtook the singing. The singing is quite good as well, but it doesn’t seem as powerful as the rapping. I would have liked if the vocals were a little better, so they are on par with the rapping. They honestly do not hold back in the song. Just listening to the song gets your adrenaline pumping.

I just finished watching Stranger Things today and I totally forgot about the start of this video, until I started watching it for the review. Don’t know what is going on with the intro of this video with the title screen quite “similar” to Stranger Things. Moving away from that, I think the video is lost in its sense of direction. This is definitely a continuation of All In, but it also feels quite detached and completely disconnected. You can tell there are parts that go with All In (such as the flower), but others seem completely irrelevant and make the video look more complicated that what it should be (‘running in the hospital’ scenes). While I think the video is interesting, the components don’t really come together. That or I am just really bad at seeing things. I am not going to list everything in the video, there is just too much. Though, if you have a theory on what’s going on, please enlighten me? I like the video due to it being intriguing and I try to guess what is going on each time, but it doesn’t add up in my head. Jooheon in a doctor’s outfit is creepy and the cinematography in this video is amazing.

The dance definitely matches up with their image and the sound of the song. Powerful and very ‘alpha-male’. It also looks very complex. Moving away from the dance, Wonho in a crop top… Hmmm… I am honestly a little weirded out by it. It just doesn’t look good.

Rating – 8/10

[Review] Home – Ailee ft. Yoo Mi Rae

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Ailee has recently made her solo comeback with Home. While Home is the first time we have seen her on stage for a while, she has been busy with a lot of other solo work. She has held concerts, special stages, collaborated on various projects and released a pre-release single a month ahead of her actual release of the mini album. (I have yet to review If You. It may be on my list ‘to review’). (Fun Fact) Home features Yoo Mi Rae, who Ailee had to beg to feature in this song.

Ailee has left me disappointed once again. Last time she was on stage with Mind Your Own Business, I described her song as good. Compared to her previous songs, that is quite disappointing. If You is a solid song and a greater refresher since she hasn’t released ballads of any kind of a while. Home just completely missed the target. The song is quite simple. A nice dubstep instrumental, Ailee’s amazing vocals and Yoo Mae Ri’s powerful rapping. But when I listen to them coming together, it just didn’t cut out for me. I felt the instrumental was overpowering, especially during the chorus. Her vocals didn’t seem to go that far this time around. However, when I pay attention to the instrumental separately, pay attention to her vocals separately, everything sounds fine. Odd review so far isn’t. Let’s move back to some praises to end on a much higher note. I love how she managed to infuse the RnB genre in with her EDM and dubstep. It sounds really cool and pretty refreshing. Her ad-libs in the song were amazing as well. Always can count on Ailee for amazing ad-libs.

Her visuals are stunning. I may have been disappointed with the song, but her looks in the video were spectacular. Her hair style is amazing and while I am a guy, she totally rocked everything she wore in the video. The music video gave off a nice mysterious vibe and I am a major sucker for the dark vibe. Especially when it is tied in with the idea of love. This video does that spot on. Her presence in the video is very strong and it leaves a long lasting impression on you, especially after you finish watching it, causing you to go back even more. Not too sure about the ending the video where she is casually just starts burning her home down and mashing everything. It just doesn’t go well with the lyrics, but amazingly well with the instrumental. I actually think the shaky shots fit in well with the song and the overall concept of the comeback. I personally like the video quite a bit.

The dance suits the song really well. Probably would not have imagined it any other way (besides a stage with no dance, just her singing and wowing us with that stage presence alone). That being said, the dance is quite limited. It seems like she and the backup dancers are confined into a tiny space, rather than ‘taking over the stage’.

Rating – 6/10

[Review] 1 of 1 – SHINee

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SHINee has finally returned with their next release. It has been over a year since they released their repackaged album, Married To The Music. Each member has embarked on their own solo work in the past year and has now regrouped to perform as SHINee once again with their newest mini-album.

I am quite torn about the song. I like it but there is a boring side to it as well. Let’s start off with what make this song pretty good. The retro sound is much more pure in this release than any of their past releases. They stayed retro here and did not include any modern sounds. Their vocal work is superb in this song. Flawless. The rapping was definitely a letdown. Sorry to Minho here, but it lacks energy and sounds more complicated than what it needed to be. The autotune was not needed. The rest of the song flowed quite nicely. The chorus made the song feel like a more emotional N Sync or Back Street Boys (and they are already quite emotional sounds). It almost sounds softer as well, compared to those boy groups. I am probably poking into the wrong era, though, but they were the bands that popped in my mind when I first listened to this song. However, the song lacks the intensity that SHINee has continuously used in all their songs. As I said the song sounds quite soft and it just does not sound right for SHINee. I expected something a little more hard-hitting and powerful. Hence why I felt the song was boring. But props to the guys for releasing a song that is purely retro (pretty hard to come by these days – or at least from what I remember).

I personally have yet to watch the video, so I will be giving my initial thoughts on the video here.

  • The cheesy transitions are making me laugh. But I actually like it. It actually quite funny to see the members glide across the screen.
  • The fashion is questionable for today’s standards. I know that most of what they are wearing were in trend in the past. It just surprises me to see what everyone was wearing back then.
  • Using the white background is quite smart. As soon as you see the members, you are drawn to their flashy colours and the members themselves. Really emphasises what everyone is wearing and is very minimalistic.
  • Quite interesting with the models in the video. I am very intrigued with what they are doing. The video shows a nice pattern and the members are just singing around them. At first, I thought they served no purpose in the video, but towards the end, everything become clearer and their presence was really cool.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the video. Might not the best video, but it still fits in well with the retro sound and concept.

I personally don’t think this is the right dance for the song. It lacks energy. It doesn’t really pick up until the end of the song, which is disappointing. I personally liked the end of the dance (the small bit where the instrumental also picks up after the final chorus) more than any other part of the dance.

Rating – 7/10

[Review] Doo Doom Chit – Crayon Pop

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Crayon Pop has returned with their first album ever. After their number 1 hit, Bar Bar Bar put the spotlight on the girls, they have garnered a lot of attention for their somewhat odd yet cute concepts. Their catchy songs have garnered attention from a lot of people. So it’s about time that they release their first album and with it comes their next title track, Doo Doom Chit.

Another song that South Korea is probably skipping out on. This song has the ability to be the next big hit, but sadly, it hasn’t yet. This ticks off all the key characteristics that made Bar Bar Bar such a hit. It is really catchy and addictive to listen to. The song, while still keeps to the cute sound that the girls have been known for, digs deeper into the roots of EDM. It also has a hint of retro in the song’s instrumental as well. I also love the incorpartion of the saxphone in the chorus. Really gets you into the song. The rapping is surprisingly good in this song and suits it perfectly. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but still give it a try. The only thing I would change with the song is the chorus. Unfortunately, I think the chorus is a stretch for the girls. Not saying that they suck at singing, it just different people shines in different tones and volumes. While it sounds perfected (of course) in the audio version, the live version sounds off.

The music video falls onto the boring side. Essentially, in the music video, whenever the saxaphone playing cat comes around and blows into the saxaphone, the girls start dancing the choregraphy for this comeback. Similar to a snakecharming, but with humans and a cat that plays the saxaphone. I guess the video was made to look like wherever the girls go, the cat goes with them. You could tell they had an low budget compared to their last releases. It is also nice to see the girls in something a little more ‘normal’. While those helmets took South Korea by storm in Bar Bar Bar, dressing up as Christmas trees, tracksuits and like country side folks really makes these school outfits ‘normal’. Hahahaha… Also, the girls look really good. I don’t think I ever noticed their visuals before due to their eye catching outfits in the past, but they are all really quite pretty (sorry if I came off rude here).

Dance is really cool Very easy to follow. Somewhat like what we always thought ancient Egyptians danced like. Hahaha… But seriously, a lot of aspects for this comeback mirrors Bar Bar Bar song, even to the choregraphy.

Rating – 7.5/10

 

[Review] Fri. Sat. Sun. – Dal Shabet

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Dal Shabet has returned with a brand new mini-album. Their last release was in January of this year with Someone Like U.

This song is amazing. Is that too much to the point? Hahaha… I like the song a lot. Sadly, I agree with many people, but South Korea skipped out on Dal Shabet. They have had great catchy songs and this has to be one of their best to date. It would have been nice with a little more bass (not too much, just a touch more) but the song still works wonderfully. The ‘light’ party sounding, club song is quite nice. It is quite easy on the ears and really gets you into the groove for a fantastic weekend. The song starts off slow, but the song does build up and after a few listens, the song’s tempo feels just right. There is also a nice balance between the vocals and instrumental. I do think their vocal work does suit the song, but at the same time, does sound a tad weak. The chorus is amazing but it could use more of a hook. There is some catchiness to it, but it would be nice with a much stronger and defined hook to the song and chorus. Not feeling the bridge of the song, it just slows things down and does letdown the rest of the song. Obviously not the perfect track out there in my opinion, but still pretty good.

The music video was quite boring. The song has a nice club and party vibe, but the party that was featured only had four people. Not that it is wrong, you can have a party with four or even 1 person (my sad life), but I think throwing a few more people into the video would make it more vibrant and more sense. I did like how they presented the idea of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. While all the other days involve working hard, when the weekend rolls forward, the fun and games can begin. I really like the transition between each member. However, besides that, there was a sense of emptiness in the music video and left a certain impression me, that honestly shouldn’t. It was a fun sounding song, but sadly, the music video just did not reflect that.

Dance wise, I thought it was quite good. Not the best, but still fitting. It suited the style and sound of the song quite nicely. It did not go overboard with overly sexual moves. Just an extra hint of bass would have made this dance stand out with the instrumental of the song, in my opinion.

Rating – 7/10

[Review] Only One – APINK

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APINK has finally returned with a brand new album. This is their second album to date, their first being L.U.V released back in 2014. They did promote Remember, last year, as a mini album as well. APINK have been busy with solo promotions, dramas and variety appearances.

I am going straight to the point. I am hugely disappointed with the song. APINK is known for their cutesy songs, which have all been catchy and easy to get into. But this move from that side of the girls to a mature sound doesn’t seem right for the girls. I do like the song to an extent, but I feel that the song wasn’t made for them. The overall vocal work and the sound gave sort of awkward vibe.  The rhythm of the song is quite nice. Instrumental has a nice retro vibe to it, which makes the song soung decent. You can tell that their vocals have improved a lot in the song, but some parts just didn’t seem right (also some of the members do sing in a very monotone way, which I have noticed for the past few comebacks) . There was a great imbalance of volume in the song. The chorus was pretty loud and clear, the verses on the other hand seemed a little low (I think that was because of the higher pitch during those verses). Overall, they were quite weak and made the lead into the song quite boring. There isn’t much colour to the song, which is disappointing. Maybe pour a little more emotion into the song or push the girls a little more deliver something more different, in terms of sound.

Music video was another let down. Though, I can bear this one more than Remember. The girls did deliver with a more mature concept. No more cutesy smiles or cute dance moves. Smoke, grey filters and long dresses (those boots can go) apparently make up for a mature video. Though, throw in a few breathtaking shots of roof tops (yes, I know 2PM used the same rooftop – read somewhere that it is in some university in South Korea) and the video looks quite nice. The rest of the video looks pretty generic. They should throw away those shots where the girls are sitting around and singing in the midst of a rainforest  room full of plants. It just makes it boring and bland.

Another disappointing component (and the final component that I discuss in each review) is the dance. There are hints of cuteness in the dance, but overall, the dance looks boring.

Rating – 4/10

[Review] Hard Carry – GOT7

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Yes, I am falling behind with my reviews. I am currently in the final weeks of the semester and should technically be preparing for exams, but no student in university starts studying from exams before the end of the semester is up. So, I shall take this time and write a review for GOT7’s latest song, Hard Carry.

Not my favourite term of all time, but it is a great way to explain the song: Hard Carry is lit. I am totally loving it. It is really addictive and super catchy. I am not a major fan of dubstep and hard sounding EDM elements, but I don’t seem to mind it in this song. Maybe because that balance is thrown off in other songs. There is definitely a nice ratio of instrumental and vocals. There is also a nice ratio between the vocal parts and the rap parts. Everyone had an equal spread in the song, unlike Fly, which was quite unequal. The song is quite strong and powerful. Thinking back, I personally think the song is quite good and there really isn’t a need to change anything. Jackson’s voice does get deeper each comeback, but I think everyone noticed that as soon as they heard him start rapping. Jaebum’s vocals were by far the best part. It sounded quite smooth and classy, yet still keeping to the more modern sound of EDM. I am also going to mention this here (and don’t kill me for this) but I agree with a lot of people when they say this is GOT7’s version of Fire. Both are different tracks, but they are going along the same line.

Now, I just watched a video and it seems like GOT7, themselves, have multiple theories on the video. There are also other theories suggested by fans. Here is a few of them: the members dies in a plane crash and only Jinyoung survives, Youngjae dies and everyone else saves Jinyoung, Youngjae saves Jinyoung (that’s from the interview I watched today). My understanding is Jinyoung has imaginary friends. This is just my theory. The plane enters turbulence and Jinyoung is forced into his seat by the flight attendant, who clearly does not care about the other members. Why? Because she can’t seem them and only see Jinyoung. Everything else in the video a dream. All the members saving Jinyoung (by swimming or Youngjae smashing) is all in his mind. My theory (I believe) ties in nicely with Fly’s video. Why couldn’t Jinyoung fly? Because everyone else who could was part of his imagination! (Jinyoung flying is also in his dream). I really like how the two videos related to each other (whatever the connection is). The video looks pretty cool and fitted the song quite well.

Another amazing dance. Not sure about Jackson’s clothing, though. One sleeveless arm and one sleeved arm. The dance is definitely one to try if you want a good cardio workout. It looks so intense and their precision is on point.  No one looks out of place, even those who are known to be weak dancers in GOT7 handled it all pretty well.

Rating – 9.5/10

[Review] Bobby Doll – Song Ji Eun (Secret)

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Song Ji Eun is another member of Secret that has been active in promotions (the other being Hyosung) since Secret’s last comeback. While this review will be for Song Ji Eun’s latest song, Bobby Doll, some sad news has emerged. Sunhwa, has unfortunately decided to leave the group and company once her contract is up. Secret is a 4-member girl group and with Sunhwa’s departure, the group will be continuing on as a 3-member girl group. And now, let’s move back to Song Ji Eun’s solo.

It is a nice song, but honestly, it was not what I was expecting. A side of me really likes the songs for a range of reasons. Another side just feels like this song lacks a bit. Let’s start with the good. Love her vocals (as I have always had). Her voice is quite smooth like what you expect a doll would sound like, but rough at the same time (that probably makes no sense), which complements the instrumental. There are slight parts where she is rapping, which I think she handled pretty well. Her vocals herself have given the song another dimension. The song was quite catchy and addictive to listen to. Though, the overall shape and sound of the song make it quite memorable for some odd reason and I quite like that. However, the instrumental feels quite dead and she feels like she is holding back. That brings the song down quite a bit and it, unfortunately, gives off a dull vibe. Her pronunciation of ‘Bobby’ still irks me. I understand it was probably to prevent the song from being banned from the music shows (since Barbie is a brand), but it sounds a lot like she is mixing up between the two. I understand in Korean, the two words sound quite similar, but it does give off a different impression of the song.

Finally, a dance centred comeback with the traditional dark vibes that I (and many fans) love Song Ji Eun for. In the video, Song Ji Eun is a doll (who is controlled – not too sure about this part  – by a sadistic Joker-like guy). One night, she manages to find her way out of her doll house and enjoys the freedom she has been deprived of. I don’t understand why she didn’t run away, but the Joker will manage to get her back (against her will) anyway. I liked the plot, which made the video much more interesting than it is. The main issue is the dullness of the video. There isn’t anything else to comment in the video. And that I am quite disappointed in.

I didn’t like the how the stages were set up for her comeback week. Pink doll houses? The song is more suited for the dark concepts honestly, and something like the music video would have been ideal. Love the use of the fans though. It gave the stage a more interesting and elegant feel. Overall, it did come off a little dry.

Rating – 6/10

[Review] Stand By Me – BTOB Blue

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BTOB, for the last year and 9 months have been garnering a lot of attention for their ballads. From their latest promotions to their Immortal Song stages; Eunkwang, Sungjae, Hyunsik and Changsub have been showing their talents (in terms of vocals) for the industry and world to listen to. The 4 members have formed a subunit, releasing the song, Stand By Me.

BTOB has great songs. They don’t consistently put out good songs, but they do every now and then. This song is, unfortunately, one of the songs that are more  leaning to the not-so-good side. Not saying it is terrible, it just leans to that side because it isn’t as memorable as I want to be. BTOB is vocally talented (as seen per their latest Immortal Song stage). This one really does not showcase the same level of talent. It almost sounds like they are holding back. The song sounded very dull and didn’t consist of any parts that I would consider as “highlights”. There was a hint of catchiness to the song, though, but it wasn’t enough. To me, if the vocals were mindblowing or the song had a very strong melody to go along with the vocals, then yes, I will be going back to the song many times. All of that being said, the song is still good to listen to. The instrumental does make you sway along to the song. Maybe if I listened to the song more, I would grow to like it, but what I have explained above, is what I currently feel about the song.

Likewise, the video is incredibly dull. Emphasis on ‘incredibly’. I understand that there is a very limited amount of space to move about creativity when it comes to a song that is much slower than others. But I have reviewed numerous slow songs with such amazing videos, so this falls quite short. The video only consists of shots of the members singing. That’s about as exciting as the video gets.The video is well edited. To me, I am quite sure that the video was shot in individual sections and edited into a one-shot video, so some effort was placed. I do have two minor problems with the video, though. The dry ice / fog was not needed. It just made the video look odd. And the other thing, the lighting in the video. It just did not fit the emotion the song had. It was more of a distraction. I also imagine someone standing in the corner and turning the knob to adjust the dimness for some odd reason (I know this isn’t probably what happened). Yeah, I am odd like that.

Rating – 4.5/10

[Review] The Eye – Infinite

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Infinite has finally returned to the stage for the first time in nearly a year. Since Bad (their last comeback), they have been quite busy. Promotions were carried out in Japan for their Japanese releases, concerts, solo promotions and digital singles released are just some of the things these guys have been doing since ‘Bad‘. “Okay, Okay”, let’s get moving!

This song is very interesting (in a very good way). I totally digged this song the first time I heard it. While I have had my history with songs that mash multiple genres of different extremes, Infinite has always put out songs that do just that but still manage to amaze me. This is a prime example of another one. The song starts off with a very intriguing eletronic sound. The rest of the song moves between pure classical sounds, pure electronic sounds and the mzture of both. In the end, the song becomes very dramatic in the way they set the sounds up and the combination. The start of the song is amazing and dramatic, especially when Dongwoo starts to sing and the violins are brought into play. The vocals in the song are amazing. Interestingly enough, a rap was not part of the song. It does feel a little empty and I am quite sure a rap sequence from Hoya, Dongwoo or the both of them would have been amazing in this song. The song does throw you back to their earlier days. Yes, the sound is quite different and the compositon is not similar to any of their previous songs, but the style from back then is kept as a whole. Overall, I think it is an excellent song. It’s different, but still has that Infinite sound and powerful style that we had assicoated with them.

The music video is quite interesting points. I think the prominate theory that the members of Infinite had died in the video and are trying to prevent L from going into the light and dying with them makes the most sense. That or they all discover L is a vampire. Yeah… I think the dead theory makes sense. Browsing through the comments on the video, I came across this page with puts everything into plot into perspective quite nicely.  If you want to find out about what is going on in the video, that site explains it quite clearly. This video is probably one of the darkest videos by Infinite yet. In terms of the concept, plotline and cinematography it was quite suspenseful and interesting. The whole idea of the video would potentially be a Hollywood blockbuster. The acting by the members was superb and sets looked amazing. Overall, I thought it was a fantastic video that suprisingly stayed true to the Infinite’s roots.

Infinite is quite known for their dance (how many times have I started of the choregraphy part for Infinite with those words?) and they have proved that they still have it. Even though they mentioned that they felt their age with this comeback, everything looks refined and well polished. Everything falls into place quite nicely. Their precision is still on point. Oh and breathtaking. Their performances are always breathtaking.

Rating – 9.5/10

[Review] Promise (I’ll Be) – 2PM

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The beastly idols are back. Yes, 2PM has returned with their final album before enlistment. They were last on the stage for My House (last year). Moving away from their normal beast image, they have returned with more of a charming and romantic concept and look.

Promise is an EDM-based song. The song starts off with a very strong piano melody, but as soon as the chorus hits, the EDM blends in and drowns out the piano sound that we hear at the start and in the verses. It is a nice contrast, without going over the top or being too powerful that it makes me comfortable. The rap is powerful and hard-hitting, which goes hand in hand with the chorus that is succeeded. Not exactly fond of the complete slow-down of the song at the bridge (right after the rap). Though it does give the song more dimension and lead nicely to the final chorus, it makes the song lose its energy. Taecyeon’s rap sequence was the peak, but then it just all disappeared within less of the second and moved back to that piano medley at the start.  However, I did like the buildup during that part, and as I said, it leads nicely to the final chorus. The vocals were amazing. Each of the members shined their own in the recording of the song (the live was a little disappointing and some of their vocals fell flat, in my opinion). That charming and romantic concept were delivered in the lyrics of the song.

The music video shows 2 sides. Junho, Nichkhun, Chansung plays the guys who had broken up with their girlfriends. Wooyoung, Jun.K and Taecyeon play the guys with girlfriends. The song talks about being mature about love and the “promise” to be someone better next time. It seems like the members do play towards that in the video. This was evident for scenes like Nichkhun. He throws the bouquet of flowers in the air, but later one picks one rose up as if it was a sign of change or moving on. Not exactly sure how those with the girlfriends play into it. But maybe these shots are like before and after change?  The rest of the music video looks very elegant and fits in well with the concept. From the sets to what each member was wearing. The only issue was the small dance segments that were scattered throughout. I personally did not like them and thought it felt distant to the rest of the video. The editing between members for these dance shots made it look funny and it is a rather odd thing to have in the video. Also, Jun.K, the new guy in KPOP who can’t seem to keep his shirt on.

Disappointed by the dance. It doesn’t seem powerful. The instrumental is quite hard-hitting and sounds perfect for a more powerful choreography, but the entire dance lacks energy and does even deliver half the energy the song delivers.

Rating – 6.5/10

[Review] Carnival (The Last Day) – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls) 

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Gain is a member of Brown Eyed Girls and is consistently known for her unique concepts that no other artist or group in KPOP have ever done. Her songs and music videos are just proof of this. Now, she has returned with part 1 of  her new album and the title track, Carnival.

This is an 180-degree turn around for Gain. All of her concepts in the past have emphasised the sexiness. From the sound to the looks, everything has been sexy. This new sound is a lot different and quite unexpected. The songs are more of an orchestra inspired or theatre based 1930’s song. Staying true to her versatile roots, she still manages to go for a style that is not done that much in the industry. It does remind me a lot like IU’s Red Shoes, however, this song is still quite different. First of all, the song sounds a lot brighter and more “happier” (in a sense). Secondly, this song also compliments Gain’s vocals quite well. Gain isn’t known for her vocal work but is quite known for her voice’s huskiness. Not once did I listen to the song and think “boy, if only she had a more powerful voice for the song”. She handles it perfectly, to the point where I wondered why I always thought she was vocally weaker than others. I did have my doubts with the song, though. The first few listens, I thought the instrumental would have been a little too overpowering for her, but after a while, I realised there was much more of a nice balance. Personally, I really like the track. Though it is much different from her past songs, she managed to pull it off and still sound stunning. I totally love the grand nature of the instrumental and that ending was perfect, ending the song on such a grand and elegant feel.

While I did say she had an 180-degree change, she still managed to keep the sexy in the video. I believe we all saw the shortest length the dress will ever become in the video. Anyway, the video is quite complex. The plotline confused a lot of people (myself included) but I think most people agree that in the video, Gain had died and the every start and end of the video are parts of her funeral. The parts where she gets up from where she was laying and starts randomly dancing with an umbrella seems to be when she is a ghost and reliving the memories of her past, including when she met the man of her life (aka. the old guy who attends her funeral at the end). I love the sets. Everything looks stunning and breathtaking. Especially those firework scenes at the end. I love how her outfits still carry that early 20th century feel to it while keeping the sexy in.  Beautiful video.

I love the use of umbrellas in this dance. Especially how it is used with the ending of the song. Really gives the stage that extra sense of boldness and uniqueness. I, however, am disappointed with the rest of the dance. While it does keep to the roots of that era, going around in circles and giving small kicks in the air for the dance isn’t amazing nor spectacular, like the song or video.

Rating –  9/10

[Review] Body – Mino (Winner)

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The other half of the MOBB collaboration has made his solo debut with Body. Yes, I am talking about Mino, who is a member of the group, Winner. I previously reviewed Bobby’s solo debut, Holup!. A review  for their collaboration, Hit Me, which should be out tomorrow or Monday.

This song was promised to sound very sensual. And that is what we got. Well, at least the lyrics said so. Mino’s voice shows the sexual vibe quite well in this song. The instrumental is basically chillstep but still has a nice buildup. The buildup isn’t big and it doesn’t really build up the momentum of the song (since the song has a consistent beat and does not change up that much). Since the song started off very soft and it ended very softly, the small buildups made the song flow even better. I do like the song more for its chill and laidback feel, while at the same time, still delivering a sexy sound for us to here. The chorus of the song is amazing. While the song already has a calming effect, the chorus of this song makes me feel calmer and is very “easy on the ears”s. I personally don’t see any flaws in the song. I guess the calming does make it somewhat forgettable, but overall, it is an excellent song.  I don’t want to pick between the Bobby’s or Mino’ s (but I am going to anyway) song, but I do prefer Mino’s song more. Mainly for the calmness. But there is always a time and place for either song.

Am I the only one disappointed with the video? We were promised a very sexual music video to compliment the song. But personally, the video fell short. It didn’t feel as sexual or erotic as I thought it would be. High expectations… argh… The camera shots move around a lot as if they were memories of Mino’s about his ex, just floating around and disconnected. While I see the point of these disconnected memories, I don’t think they worked well together. There wasn’t much focus on one scene for too long. Each shot took about one or two moments before I can appreciate what I could see. This video felt more artistic than sensual. The majority of the “sexual” scenes were the two of them “gliding” over each other (which I get –  I don’t they wanted the video to be banned), but come on. I know many people prefer the video this way and found the video quite like what they were promised. I just was disappointed and expected too much. [Okay, this video is the edited version. Explains a lot of my thoughts. Still, they promised us a sexual video and then we get this…]

[Note: In exciting news (?), apparently there is a r-rated and unedited version of the video coming out soon. I never get these memos but I might come back here and make a few comments about it (it’s YG we are talking about here. “Coming soon” – check back in a few years)]

Final Rating – 7/10

[Review] Holup! – Bobby (iKON)

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The first member of iKON to go solo is Bobby. He debuts as a solo artist alongside Mino from Winner, who released his own solo single the next day. The two go on to form the subunit, MOBB, and released their subunit debut album the day after Mino’s solo debut. It has been a long time coming, with rumours of the two forming a subunit and talks of Bobby’s solo debut for quite some time now.

For those who don’t know me, I find it hard to get into hip hop or rap based songs. Not exactly my style. But nonetheless, here is what I thought of the song. It is honestly not that bad, but it really isn’t the best. Bobby does have a great husky vocal which this song did justice to. Some parts almost sounded like he was growling and that gave a tougher feel to the song. I did like the rhythm and instrumental. It does give a party-like vibe to the song as expected. You would expect this to be played at a party or club. It is perfect for that setting and bound to get everyone bouncing to it (I assume people bounce to songs at parties or clubs. And when I say bounce, I mean dance). Not a big fan of the autotune in the song. Very little times have I felt the autotune was meant for the song. Particularly that part towards the end with him singing and straight up autotune, not feeling it.  The autotune was probably the biggest turn off for me. But then again, the autotune was needed to keep up with that tough and masculine feel. For a rap song (in my books at least), it is okay. I do prefer the other releases though.

This music video just backs up the fact that I hate dreadlocks. Sure, they will look good on certain people, but when Asians do it, I just stare blankly at them and just fade away from the situation. Okay, with the video. I guess that house looks exactly like other houses after a house party. Like a really wild and “lit” party. I don’t know, I am only assuming, because the parties I have been to, we all clean up and make it look presentable before leaving. Anyway, another thing (if you haven’t watched the video yet) that may draw your attention to watching it later on is the abs available in this video. The background does distract you quite a bit but I am sure if you focus strongly enough, you will see only the abs. Hahahaha… Though yes, Bobby does have good abs. Yeah, there really isn’t much else to talk about beside pointing out every single detail now. So I am just going to end it here, before I start boring you (if I haven’t yet).

Final Rating – 6/10

[Review] Russian Roulette – Red Velvet

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Red Velvet has made their comeback with their third mini-album, Russian Roulette. Their title song is the same title as their mini-album. The girl’s most recent release and comeback was back in March of this year, with One of These Nights.

Interesting song. My feelings a little confused. One part of me doesn’t like some aspects, but another part of me wants to get up and dance along with the song. The first impression, I thought it was quite catchy and more of the Red Velvet style that I like. The second time around, I thought the song was quite choppy and would become annoying to listen to over time. Third time around, I just sat there deciding whether I like the song or not. And I am still deciding. The choppiness, which I was thinking would become annoying, was the charm of the song. The chorus was amazing. So catchy and it makes the song quite addictive. I love the 8-Bit sound as if this was taken out from one of those arcade games. The vocals in the song were pretty solid as well. Each member was flawless in the song. I don’t if my theory is right yet. Mainly because it is the song that I have been playing on the loop consistently for the past few days. Maybe in a weeks time, maybe never. But so far, I can say that I think the elements in the song come together quite nicely, even though I was never a big fan of the choppiness in other songs. The girls have put out such a catchy song that I think delivers the right form of Red Velvet that I grew to like in Dumb Dumb.

Certain parts of the video I liked, others I didn’t. Let’s start off with the intersection of the song and video. The song likens the game of love (well, when people fall in love with the same person, all at the same time) to the game Russian Roulette (the more violent game, of course). The video does a splendid job of showing us that, but saving us from the gore and consequences. I’ve read the video was inspired by Tom and Jerry (one of my all time favourite animations) and the video did just that. There a cat and mouse cartoon in the video, but it was much more interesting seeing everything occurring between the girls.  From throwing dodge balls at each other, to cutting rope that is attached to a fridge dangling from the roof, to cooperating with each other to cause a series of lockers to fall over, the girls pretty much have this game sorted. The video fits the choppiness of the song quite well. I love their blank facial expressions when they all turn to the camera and start lip-syncing to the song. Wait, I love their facial expressions in this video. Especially when  each other them put their respective plans into full effect. It gives you shivers.Those are just some highlights of the video. What I didn’t like was some of the close-up shots during the choreography parts. They looked amateurish and really showed a more “unpolished” side of the girls.

Which leads me to the dance that accompanied the song. Sadly, not loving it. There were a few scenes in the video that made it look chaotic and an eye sore. Watching the stages, it was a bit better. I liked the start of the chorus. I just thought that this time, there was too much going on and it kind of took the fun out of it.

Final Rating – 8/10

[Review] On The Way Home – Sunny Hill

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Sunny Hill has finally returned after a year and a half. They have returned with a new single, On The Way Home that has sparked a little concern from fans (I included). This song along with the video really alludes towards disbandment for the group, which everyone does not want to happen. They are extremely underrated and unfortunately have not found the right momentum in the industry as of yet. However, their songs have always been iconic. Now, I will talk about reasons why I think the “we are disbanding” message is being given off from the song and video later on. The description of the video somewhat downplays this speculation. However, I’ve read that when the company was asked, the company simply replied with “Nothing is confirmed yet”. Furthermore, I am also reading that Seungah posted about leaving the dorms to live elsewhere. Though we have to wait for a confirmation to make it official, it seems like a lot is going in favour of this disbandment. But as I mentioned before, hopefully not. Writing this introduction has me in tears because I love Sunny Hill and I will support them. And as you can this review is going to be a long one.

Listening to the song for the first time, I honestly fell in love with the song. I have liked most (if not all) of Sunny Hill’s songs. From Midnight Circus to Here I Am, I think everything they put out is amazing. The song has a nice pop vibe but at the same time has a nice ballad feel to it. There is a hint of electronic in it as well, which they have done it in the past. It is just, this time, they tone it down a lot. The girls sing quite a bit about ‘going home’ and that they keep on asking themselves “why do they look back”, making the process of going home a lot harder. That is the evidence I was talking about in the song. Moving along, their vocals fit the song amazingly. While the song is quite upbeat and more on the “happy” side, you can tell there is a hint of emotions in their vocals. It is like every other Sunny Hill ballad they have put out there. They do everything to the perfect extent. I would love if the vocals in the verses were a little stronger. I know the members who sang these parts aren’t really the best singers out there, but at least throw in some backing vocals to give some depth to them.

We see each member in the video in different lives. One of them is currently with a partner, another is working, another is travelling and I don’t know what Misung’s character is doing (maybe unemployed – I don’t know). But each of them is fed up with their current situation (in the video) and you can tell them that life is putting a lot of pressure on them. So they start to move along with their escape or exit from their lives. They all talk on the phone for a bit in the video. I don’t know if that is calling “daddy and mama, I’m coming home” or if they are communicating with each, in agreeance with each other’s departure. But let’s skip forward. Here is where it gets to me and has a lot of people concerned. When each member returns to their home, prior to opening their doors and saying “I’m home” to their family, they look behind them, to a small television which plays two of their past hits: Midnight Circus and Goodbye To Romance. For a moment, and we all see it, a hint of sadness. Then they turn back to their houses and go inside. It is a great video (though I don’t like the pale filter) that packs a punch. Whatever story they are telling, it is amazing and I love it.

Final Rating – 9.5/10 – No I didn’t give them a high score just because it could potentially be their final song and video ever. It is based purely on my views on the song and video.

In the end, whatever happens with Sunny Hill, I, as a fan, will support them. Even if it is parting ways and doing their own thing, like any other band, I will wish them the very best. If they stay together, then I will continue my support. Watch the video, share it, like it!!!