Category: Reviews

Fly – GOT7

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GOT7 has finally returned with a brand new song and mini album. This time they will be “flying” straight into the hearts of all their fans and to new heights with their new releases. I am totally digging everything in this album. Everything is to a high standard, but let’s stop here before I review the whole song in this one paragraph.

But let’s continue here. This song is amazing. I cannot believe my ears every time I listen to it. It just captivates me and my ears. It wasn’t the same feeling I got when I first heard the song. It wasn’t as blown away with the song (after all I placed If You Do) as one of the top songs of 2015. It didn’t impact or wow from the start. But many listens later, I am dragging my jaw that happened to drop due to this amazing song. It is definitely a song centred around their rappers. The whole vocal line (minus JB) got snubbed in this song, and that was very disappointing. Jackson and Mark stood out the most in the song, and they definitely got their time to shine (particular Mark, who seems to get a small part of each song before).   But regardless of the uneven line distribution, the song managed to show off all rapping and vocals equally. I don’t know which genre to classify the song as. There is definitely dance sounds in there, but more of a mash up of pop and electronic. It is a track that I would recommend to everyone out there. It is catchy and addictive (all terms are understatements. Trust me, I am obsessed with this song at the moment). A hit waiting to be discovered.

If you have no watch the trailer for the mini album, then you are going to get very lost. Nothing in the music video makes sense without the trailer. And while the bulk of the plot is within the trailer, I can’t really make a comment. The trailer is 6 minutes long and to talk about it would be about the length of a review. So what we have in the music video, is that Jinyoung wants to “fly” but is unable to do so. Everyone around him seems to be able to “fly” but he can’t. But he tries and realizes when it is too late (i.e. when he is falling down) that it was a bad idea. And then he wakes up. Now I am 100% sure that the flying is meant to be a metaphor but instead the music video leaves it as a superpower that everyone has. The graphics is very cool and the editing for the video only is good. Plotwise, the editing ruined it. But them filming their dance scenes in the wide open space at what I assume is an airport made the video look quite cool. Yeah, it was lacking, but it had that cool effect going on. And it makes sense. Overall, quite hard to put a number on this video, but what we are presented with was good. Just if more was added and the plot not ruined by the editing, the video would have been amazing.

GOT7 does it again with the dance. Not as memorable compared to Just Right or If You Do, but this still makes them look cool. Totally in sync. The song gives them a lot of freedom with the dance, and I feel like they chose was was best of them and one that suited the song 100%.

Not exactly perfect, but it getting there. I liked majority of it. What we need from the guys (and very cliche) is a hard hitting song. Fly was getting there and I can feel it with their next set of release. 8/10

One Of These Nights – Red Velvet

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Red Velvet has returned with a brand new album, The Velvet and a brand new music style. They had a very successful last year with their promotions of Dumb Dumb and Ice Cream Cake, showing the industry their mass following and popularity. A force not to be reckoned with.

Now, this is a ballad. I was expecting a dance track or something with a pop feel to it. This caught me (and probably everyone in the world) off big time. And I totally do not dig this style from them. I love them with a loud or pop concept, not slow and monotone.  It was flat and very weak from the girls. At least there is one good thing from the girls. Their vocals, while not be the most appealing to draw my attention to the song, were pretty good vocal work wise. Their harmony was pretty good. But that is all. Nothing else about the track I like. It was too slow and felt drawn out too much to listen to. No matter how hard I try, I get distracted when I listen to the track. It just had no appeal. The instrumental was nice and all, but for the most part it seemed like it lacked an instrument or two, to make it better and more appealing. As you can tell, not exactly keen on this song (more like I don’t like the song at all).

The music video was by far more interesting than the song itself. I love the concepts t that the girls have in their videos and this one is like no other. It draws your attention to it and makes you guess what is going on. Now, I am going to turn it into a serious topic and that above comment is going to make me seem ignorant. Someone has found a connection between the video and the Sewol Ferry incident which occurred nearly 2 years back. While it can be disputed, I read the theory and thought it was rather interesting. Do I agree with it? I don’t even know. I can’t decide. If is true, than the video becomes quite sad for me. But the concept is extremely smart and it would be  a video I would love to go back to pick out the details. If it wasn’t, well, damn, the video is still interesting to watch. If you have not read the theory, click here and decide for yourself. Do I still like the video regardless? Yes, it is a very interesting concept and it probably tells a story that we have all yet to see properly. But what do you think? Is it just a coincidence or is there really a connection with the tragedy?

Dance wise… I can’t watch the performances. I have this thing with ballads and dances. They don’t really go together. This song is far too slow and very “depressing” to listen to. A dance have never and might never pair well with the song. I think the girls look stunning on stage though. If that counts…

Overall, not digging the song, but the video has me going back and forth. I probably contributed most of the views. Hahaha… 5.5/10 (Most of the marks went to the video). 

Sketch – Hyomin (T-Ara)

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Hyomin from T-Ara is finally back with another solo comeback. This time she has gone for a more sensual comeback. It has been two years since we last saw her promote as a solo artists. T-Ara did return last year for a very short while with a nice comeback, but sadly that was short lived. T-Ara has been busy with a China tour in the past few months.

I am quite torn with the song. Some parts suited her voice really well, but other parts were not that suitable for her. The vocals were first of all at a much higher key that what some singers even sing. Not the easiest song for people to sing and Hyomin doesn’t have a great of a voice to sound great. Out of all the parts, those where there were back up vocals were where she sounded most stable. Parts without the back vocals just sounded like she was straining her voice. And obviously it gets worse when she is trying to “sing live”. I did however like the instrumental of the song. Pretty calming and also very flow (something I don’t think I found in her voice). I know she is trying to sound sensual, but I can name tonnes of other songs where the pitch is not as high and still such a sensual comeback. It was also quite a slow song that kind of deterred me from wanting to go back to it. Don’t get me started on the English though. A lot more work can be done with the pronunciation. I know English is not her first language, but if you plan to include in your song (and have it has a huge chunk of your song), you better sound comprehensible. Parts of me want to say this is a nice song to listen to, but other parts just don’t want to hear it. I feel like it had a lot of potential, but maybe the choice of singer wasn’t ideal. Don’t kill me.

19+ rating… Oh I hate you. You put yourself on the corner of the videos when I barely see anything that provocative or controversial. Yes, I understand her standing there with no shirt on and covering her breast isn’t the best thing little kids should be exposed to. And for that I do agree with the 19+ rating for that. But beside that small section of the video, the rest of it didn’t seem to be what we were promised. Nam Goong Min plays the male in the video and while he does have a nice body, I sensed a lot of awkward chemistry between them. The song was slow, but it seems like everything was a little too slow in the video. Understand? Them falling for each other was interesting to watch, but those up close and personal scenes were such a bore. Not that I was expecting full on sexual scenes, but we were promised a steamy video. Yet, it seemed like I just got a cold shower. Hmmm… Lastly, I am quite surprised that his shirt stayed on throughout the video. Shouldn’t he too take off his shirt? That might increase views a bit, probably add a little bit more steam to the video. Now I am not saying Hyomin isn’t hot or anything (cause she is and those covering breast scenes caught me off guard), just I think a shirtless guy (especially Nam Goong Min) would make it a lot more sexual, don’t you think?

Dance wise, wow. I can feel the KPOP world getting ready the banning stickers on majority of the dance moves. I think the dance suits the song quite a bit. Quite sensual, quite slow. A little over the top in my opinion. Way too much focus on certain areas of her body instead of her face. But still, a really nice dance.

Overall, the comeback was okay. Some parts were a miss for me, other were great. So I guess I take the average of both. 5.5/10

 

[DOUBLE REVIEW] Breathe + Hold My Hand – Lee Hi

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POLL BELOW!!!

Afer 3 years, YG has let Lee Hi out of his dungeon. Only kidding. Only kidding. It has been 3 years since her last album, but don’t fret. She is finally back with a brand new mini album, titled as Seoulite. This mini album and this promotional run features 2 title tracks, Breathe and Hold My Hand. Both of which will be reviewed today!!!

Breathe is a slow ballad track. And damn is it beautiful or what? The whole time listening to this song, I was captivated by her wonderful vocals and the beautiful instrumental which accompanied the song. The song was free flowing and just felt like perfection to my ears. I read the English translations for most songs I review but this one… The words just roll off the page and I think that is the beauty of the song. Regardless of whether I read the lyrics or not, Lee Hi captured the right emotions and expressed them in the song. It’s one of the few songs where the monotone throughout the song suits it so well. The chorus deviates a little from the rest of the song, but it just adds to that emotion. Beautiful is probably the only word to describe it.

Hold My Hand is a jazzy number that sounds equally as good as Breathe. Her voice definitely fits the jazz genre and this is just evidence of that. “Let me hold your hand…” That line started off the song really well and the rest of the song fell into place after that. It is a much brighter song, which I thought suited her age more. The husky voice just did wonders in this song. Okay, I think it is more like I love the song, but I love the chorus even more. Highlight of the song for was (obviously) the chorus. And the way the song ended was just amazing. The soft “again”s were really nice and added a very fancy feel to the song.  The bridge as well, as a really nice change compared to the rest of the song, but done amazingly right. Okay, I think I am just repeating myself. Both songs equally amazing.

The music videos were both equally amazing. The video’s camera work was probably the best I have ever seen in KPOP. The shots just fitted the song really well. The video goes from Lee Hi singing to shots of random people who are quite sad or upset. Highlighting that “sigh” she sings so often about. The room which she sings from looks like heaven. Well not literally, but as if she was an angel from above, looking down on these people. There were a lot of shots of her on the roof and a few shots look down onto the roads, so I guess it is like she is an angel looking down? That’s my take on the video. Hold My Hand had a really unique video, where we are actually the guy and we see Lee Hi. It is shot with a video game (but like 90s video games) feel to it. A little random, but it looks pretty unique and amazing at the same time. The graphics were really cute nonetheless. The spinning around at the chorus probably was my favourite part of the video. Mainly because we got to see Lee Hi all cute and happy (totally the image I associate with her).

There is a dance for Hold My Hand, but her live singing captivates me a little too much. Hehehehe…

Overall, beautiful comeback that probably raises the bar for all.

Breathe – 10/10

Hold My Hand – 10/10

So, Lee Hi fans… Which song did you prefer more? Should you “Hold My Hand” or just “Breathe”? (lame puns) VOTE BELOW!!!

Mirror – Fiestar

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Fiestar has returned with their latest mini album and title track, Mirror. This is their first comeback since members Yezi and Cao Lu have shined the light back onto the girls through their solo promotions. Yezi recently made her solo debut with song Cider, due to her increase in popularity due to Unpretty Rapstar. Cao Lu has been hitting it big with her participation on variety TV shows. With the new popularity, the girls and their company decided a comeback was needed to embrace the new love (and that is has been about one year since their last promotions).

Mirror, once again, has become another underrated track for the group. This sad dance song is really good and I thought it neared perfection (hmm… Like yesterday). At first I thought a dance song with a more upbeat feel and sound would suit the girls more. However I was kind of shocked they went with a song that sounded darker than their last. But the sound sounded amazing upon first listen and now I totally dig it. I am going to say that the emotions in their vocals are very subtle. It just feels like they are singing a song. There really isn’t much more to their voice and it is all rather flat. Also very distant. The vocals are probably my only complaint. The rapping though was amazing. Yezi usually have this tough and strong sound to her, but here she managed to fit her rapping into the song. The song was soft and her rapping complimented just that. It sounded fragile, just like what the song was all about. It probably has to be one of the few rapping sequences that fit perfectly with the song it was in. The chorus was catchy. The “save me, save me” and “baby baby” are just constantly replaying in my head. Also Cao Lu got more lines. Our prayers were answered.

Love the imagery of the music video. The use of the cracked mirror was just too good in my opinion. Loved it how they stood there holding the piece and then the editor just edited in the reflection. Oh boy, I just totally made it sound like it was stupid. But it wasn’t. It was completely amazing. The darkness of the video is like no other. The only probably I found with the video is the formula that they used. It just seemed to be too similar to their last music video. The dance set and the cinematography for those scenes were nearly the same and I kind of got bored of it. It just made the video seemed generic. Everytime we watch a new video, we expect something different. Same formula is okay, but the girls needed something to spice the video up and make it into an instant hit. Maybe a more interesting set and better camera work?

As for the dance, mega disappointed. It was such a sensual sounding song that it had so much potential into being turned into dance that could have rivaled other sexy dances like Something by Girls Day or Alone by Sistar. I did love the squats they did in the chorus, but beside that, it was really boring.

Song was amazing. Video and dance let the comeback down. I honestly thought the girls would get more attention, but it seems like it will become another forgotten song for the girls. 6/10

Seasons Of The Heart – Seo In Guk

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Seo In Guk, probably a name in the distant past. Well, for those who don’t remember him, he is a famous actor in South Korea, who appeared in Reply 1997 and Master’s Sun. But did you know that he is also a singer? You probably did and that was really cliché way of introducing him to people who barely know of him or just know him as actor! But yeah, he is a singer and it has been ages (almost three years) since he last came back. Since his last comeback, he has been active as an actor, singing in OSTs and Japan.

Another song I have yet to listen to. So everything you will be reading today is just first impressions. The song has very nice melodic flow to which makes it sound pretty amazing. You know me and ballads, and this is one of the ballads that I think has finally be done right and to perfection as well. Damn, I miss his voice. His vocals in this are top notch and I am completely satisfied listening to his voice from the very start to the end of the song. The extremely soft piano start accompanies his voice, and both the instrumental and his vocals build up as the song gets closer to the chorus. I think it is a good song to listen to. Let’s move along with the review.

Moving to the music video, I think it is a pretty smart video. It takes the nice idea that the song presented (i.e. the heart changes like how the season changes) and did a pretty good job at depicting it. One moment we see them arguing, the next we seem them kissing. And damn, were there a lot of kisses in this video or what? The elevator scene is just a prime example. As people get on the elevator, the couple is seen arguing. As the same people get off the elevator, the couple are smooching each other. Pretty extreme, but it is a fail proof way of displaying what the song is about without dragging it out too long and turning it into a mini movie.

Overall, I think it was an excellent song and video. Pity it isn’t being promoted. 10/10

Kingdom – B.A.P

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Yep, B.A.P are back. Just not in Korea, but Japan. This is their first original release and their first comeback in Japan since 2014. The song is a part of an album titled as Best. Absolute. Perfect, and is their first official full length album in Japan to date.

The song is honestly pretty good. The song is exactly what I think the band should actually come back with. The same concept and just a little more power. B.A.P is known for their dark, powerful and strong concepts and songs. This just plays homage to some of those song. The violins in the song and the orchestral feel really sound cool and nice in the song. Plays very well with their vocals as well. The rapping is good. But as I mentioned, the song needed a little more power. I am not 100% sure about how Japan likes their songs, but this does have that dead feeling attached to it. And I mean, the song just doesn’t hit you across the face or have an impact upon you. It can be described as “tame”. Another thing that is starting to bug me. Unfortuately, when I am listening to B.A.P songs, a lot of the time I am trying to figure out the portion of the song that Daehyun sings. I know. I love his voice, but I feel like Youngjae can take over some of his lines. Jongup is improving a lot as well, so he should get a few more lines. As I said, I love Daehyun’s vocals, but sometimes (and this goes for many bands/groups, not just B.A.P), the line arrangement should not be biased towards one member, but a more even spread. There are bands where one member is given only one line and the excuse is “because they don’t sing well”. I find it usually these members that have the most unique voices and fits songs that the main vocalist can barely sound great in. Anyway, before the rant gets way too long. Song is pretty good.

As for the music video, boy, does that dead feeling come back strong. Lack of colour really fitted in with the rest of the video, gives it that more urban feel to the video. As for the plot… we really need to talk to these writers…. The boys of B.A.P seemed to hatch this plan that involves this car. Great. Probably stealing it or something. But the idea is to skip the plan and have the guys confront this big boss. Okay… They plug in some lights, have the big bosses henchmen conveniently bend backwards due too the bright light and the band casually make their way to the throne. Okay… And then proceed to wave a white flag and then they all celebrate. Ummm.. I am sorry. Did I miss out on a large portion of the video or something. What in the world did I just watch? Make utter no sense? I am going back and there isn’t anything to do with the plan, why they are going to take over the big bosses throne. And big boss, you ran because your henchmen are pathetic. This video reminds me of the cringe worthy dramas that I see consistently in Korean entertainment. I literally cannot speak right now, just by retelling you what I saw. Now, there maybe another video out there (like the fuller version), but I don’t know if it exists of not, because the video I am watching (linked below) is marketed as a the music video. A very big whup whup for the video.

Dancing was okay. Not as expected. Too boring to watch. Nothing cool. But hey, they do add that more masculine vibe to the video and song.

Song was the best part of the whole comeback. Dance is okay. Music video was a downright disappointment. I cannot put it any other way. 4/10

Spring Love – Eric Nam & Wendy (Red Velvet)

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A brand new song from SM station has just been released (but like last week). I am starting to really like this new idea (which I did have initial doubts to) as the artists of SM (who are not kept in their dungeon) are not usually able to collaborate with other artists unless they are within the same company. This biweekly thing that they have going on allows us to see unique and really cool collaborations with different artists. This time around, Wendy from Red Velvet and solo artist Eric Nam (both who have or will make their respective comebacks) have come together to perform such a nice song.

Actually, nice might be an understatement. But it probably the only way to describe the song without turning it into a EDM style track or make it seem like it is a totally another genre. Moving away from that awkward intro, it isn’t necessary the best song out there, but what we get is sufficient enough to please a lot of fans. Particularly those who have been yearning for a solo work from Wendy and a solo comeback from Eric Nam (all in due time). Their voices go well with each other and them together gives off this happy tune, which the song is trying to portray. The soft guitar sounds that make up 90% of the instrumental, with the other 10% are the drums to give it some bass and dimension, really do give off that Spring feel. When I listen to the song, I can just imagine singing it with my lover under the beautiful trees that are sprouting nice flowers. Wind breezing over us and the blue sky as blue as ever. And that obviously makes me want to smile! Great feelings from the song!

As for the video, I liked it. There is only one small complaint with the video. As I said I loved it, and these videos turn out to be very artistic. They are unique video with different transitions, that fit in well. So in this case, the pages flipping added a really nice rustic and vintage vibe to the video. Fits in totally well. But the one thing that did not fit in were the over-the-top and unnecessary effects that were added post production. Bubbles popping really did not need the effects of it occurring in cartoon form. Them playing the piano, we can use our brains that they are playing musical notes and not some farm animal sounds. It just turned what I thought was a great video into some kid like and just plainly un-needed. Rant over. Complaint over. Everything else was great!

Great song and video. 9/10

Unfortunately, I am behind with a lot of reviews. This one was meant to be released a few weeks back and they have been piling up. I am getting to them, just been so busy. Easter is around the corner (or actually right in front of us) and I will be using the week I have off as some time to catch up on these reviews.

Knock – KNK

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Let’s add a new band to the review list! KNK is a boy group that is currently under YNB Entertainment, which also houses Noel and BESTie. They are made up of 5 members: Kim You Jin, Park Seung Jun, Jeong In Seong, Kim Ji Hun and Oh Hee Jun. They made their official debut on the 16th of March. Surprisingly for a newly debut band, they have already established their fanclub: Tinkerbell. But let’s move along now.

The song is pretty nice to listen to. It doesn’t blow me away, but the song probably shows a lot of potential in itself and the band as well. The song starts off with a nice piano medley and very soothing vocals. The song starts to get a little more impactful with more harmonies and stronger vocals. As the song progresses along, the song starts to build up pretty well. The chorus just smacks you across the face (well, it did for me). It just sounds extremely powerful, but in a subtle way (is that just polar opposite then?). Their vocals sound very mature,  powerful and as if they have been performing for a very long time. The rapping fits very well with the song. It adds to that powerful nature of the song. Suprisinly, when I watch over the music video, I find that they way they intergrated their name into the song quite smart. It flowed very well and doesn’t sound like they over advertising themselves (cough-Brave Sound-cough-JYP back in the day-cough). I am coming down with a cold. Actually, it sounds like it was meant to be a part of the song. Saying all of that, great song. Very hard to see any flaws in it.

The music video was pretty good. Once again, not enough to make it amazing, but it had its charm. The powerful and dark vibe carries through from the song to the video. The sets were phenomenal. Yeah, we see them a lot, but the way they used the sets for their solo shots and dance scenes were pretty much their “style”. It just fits them really well. Usually, you see that certain scenes don’t fit in or the sets didn’t just suit the video. But here, wow. The lightings in background emphasised them and made them that much manlier and stronger. That very typical “Let’s look for her when she is obviously gone” scenes where they run around and look completely lost when they probably are still in their houses were in the video and I can say I was a little disappointed in that. I expected maybe a different way to present that scene.

The dance is pretty good as well. Yet again, not the most jaw dropping choreography I have seen to date, but damn, it is still pretty good. When they walk around in the circle, with their chest held up high, that seemed very good. Their movements were very sharp. The dance just showed off their manliness and oozed with charisma. That ending (when they are rapping) looked awesome and cool.

Overall, I think it is a very good debut with great aspects and all. They have so much potential and I think they will do well for a very long time. One thing I will say: check out their mini album. They have good tracks on it. As for this one: 9/10

Call You Bae – Jimin (AOA) ft. Xiumin (EXO)

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Jimin from AOA has made her comeback with a brand new song as a solo artist. For those who don’t know, she made her solo debut last year with GOD, along side N.Flying’s J.Don. Now, for this comeback, she enlisted the help of EXO’s Xiumin. Such a surprising collaboration.

As I said the collaboration was unexpected. But the quality of the song and the collaboration itself  is pretty good. Not once was I disappointed with the song, the vocals, the rapping or the concept. I usually complain about Jimin’s rap, but she sounds fine in this song. It didn’t give me shivers or causes any headaches for me. Xiumin’s vocals (in this song) just shows to you how he deserve more lines in EXO. Someone commented somewhere (forgot where) that he got more lines in this song than his entire EXO career. Seems a little far fetched to me, but in reality, we might as well believe it. I do pray that was Jimin was singing (not exactly sure she can, but I assume she can sing) at the chorus when they both go high pitch (and not some stand in). The song made me smile. My only complaint is not really a complaint, but the lyrics seems a little childish in my opinion. Not immature, but the part where Jimin asks Xiumin whether he wants chicken (I assume this is KPOP’s version of Netflix and Chill) and how she raps about “Beep Bop” (alarm) in the second verse, kind of felt more like a child’s song than anything else. But those lyrics do fit very well with the song and make sense, so I am not going to make any deal of it. Oh another reason why I like the song, because I can relate to it. Not going to say much, but currently, I am in Xiumin’s position everytime I see a particular someone.

As for the music video, it matched the song really well. Don’t really have much to say about the video. It is bright, cheerful, happy. What more do you want? That chicken and alarm all played a part in the video. The emojis’ were cool, but I don’t know. Angry face when they were together doesn’t seem like that guy wanted them two together. And Jimin’s wall (or window) just conveniently became some sort of stage for Xiumin to sing on and jump into the frame. Also, I have yet to read any articles or comments that curses the daylight out of Jimin. But I am not going to say anything beside that, because that is obviously a good thing. Let’s leave it there. If you are confused, I’ll explain another day. But great video, which made sense with the song.

I think I have given it a near-prefect review. Disappointed that there are no live performances for this song, because I would love to see it. And is doesn’t matter if Xiumin is unavailable. Other artists can fill in. 10/10

 

High Heels – CLC

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CLC has made their comeback with a brand new mini album. They made their debut with 5 members last year. This year, they added two new members: Elkie and Eunbin, to make it a 7 member group, but since  Eunbin is participating in the Produce 101 show, she was edited out and is currently in a hiatus.

Somewhat catchy but really boring and had no appeal to me. Listened to it a few times, it failed to please me and get me to constantly listen to it (like other songs nowadays). The song sounds a lot like the style that they were going for when they first debuted. But the song also has this aegyo side to it, which I think Korea is officially over with. It made the song quite bland and emotionless. The song has this nice retro feel to it, especially during the chorus. Vocally, the song was not exceptional. Nice high pitches, but honestly, nothing that amazing. Rather disappointing to be honest. The rapping was not even a rap sequence. More like it was the girls just speaking to us. I think I am going to cut my review on the song there. Their debut was nothing to rave about, but I loved their song Like. This just seems like a step back for them in terms of experience and style.

I don’t think Cube Entertainment is investing much into these girls. Their music video was filmed with all seven members, but due to the trainee program, Eunbin was removed for from the song, video and performances. Usually when something happens like this, the company goes all the way to remake the video. Re-film it, postpone the comeback for this new video. But here, the company decided to edit out the parts of the video that involved Eunbin, cut the song in the video and put up just close up shots of the girls. I get it that maybe the company had difficulties with reshooting a video because it was so close to release date or maybe due to financial stress, but the company should have stepped up in this situation. It is their fault for adding the new members, despite knowing about the contract with Produce 101. Now it we are left with this really boring music video that fails to capture anyone’s attention. I would never go back to watch the video (not that I don’t like the girls), because I just now know that it is just an empty piece of paper/canvas. I know that there should be dance parts to the video and also possibly a plot. Hopefully, a longer version would be put up in the future for our viewing pleasure. And then, it would look like the company gives a damn about the girls.

The performance was very boring. Dance had nothing going on and failed to light up the stage. Nothing else to say.

Overall, not the comeback for them. Very disappointed in all aspects of the comeback and their company needs to step up and address this (as i think this is either partly or mostly their fault). 1/10

Mo Mo Mo – Cosmic Girls

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Cosmic Girls are the newest girl group on the block. They officially debuted in February with their first mini album For this mini album, they have two title tracks: Mo Mo Mo and Catch Me. If I have time, I will review Catch Me. This was meant to be a Double Review, but (at the time I am writing this) the video was yet to be released and the group has been predominately promoting Mo Mo Mo. They are signed under Starship Entertainment and Yuehua Entertainment, hence consisting members of both Chinese and South Korean roots. The group is made up of 12 members: SeolA, Xuanyi, Bona, Exy, Soobin, Luda, Dawom, Eunseo, Cheng Xiao, Meiqi, Yeoreum and Dayoung. They are also known as Wu Ju Su Nyeo (WSJN).

This song shows the cutesy side of the girls, while Catch Me shows a more edgier side of the girls. It is a bright song, but honestly, I don’t think it is a good song to debut with. Yeah, it is somewhat catchy, but I am really disappointed with the outcome of the song. Their vocals are mediocre, and there really isn’t anything that sets this girl group (musically) apart from many girl groups. I think a more crude way of saying it is “I feel like the song is dead”. Once again, it is like another of those “black and white” songs or another monotone song. The rapping was okay, but not that great. It failed to change the song up and make it different. The instrumental itself isn’t that great as well. Very bland and un-colourful.

The music video wasn’t that great as well. Greatly disappointed with the outcome. That warm colour going for is very boring and failed to bring a bright feel with the video. That warm cream colour of the room that they were dancing in seemed to remind me of April’s Dream Candy. I have to be honest though, the amount of girls in the video does not seem to reflect the amount of girls that the group has. There was obviously 20 girls or more in the video, not 12. The only part of the video that I really liked is the introduction. But even the cream colour ruined my fancy for it. But the short instrumental at start seemed amazing and suited the girls more than the rest of the video. Maybe I like their edgier concept like in Catch Me. Who knows. The video doesn’t give much more for me to discuss about. It isn’t memorable and not really inviting for me to rewatch the video.

The dancing isn’t that memorable. There really is not a single thing I remember from their performances. It is as if I never saw them dance (but don’t worry, I have). Saying that, I am still amazed at how the girls positioned themselves in their formations and amazed at how they moved into their positions. With a lot of people, it is obviously much harder, but these girls do it without thinking (and it is somewhat scary, like how possibly they will ease into your life).

Overall, not the debut that I was expecting. Did not think I would that disappointed in the song, video and dance. But hopefully, they will be back with a better concept/ comeback package. 2/10

 

You’re The Best – Mamamoo

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Mamamoo has returned with a brand new song and their very first album. With their unexpected (or was it expected?) success and surge in popularity for their catchy and very retro songs when they last promoted with Um Oh Ah Yeah, the group is riding the wave of popularity, earning them their first perfect all kill on the Korean charts and until the 6th of March, their first ever music show win. And yet they still manage wow even more people and bring them into their unique fanclub, Moo-Moo.

And with you are like me little to no bias whatsoever, this is by far one of the best songs that I have ever heard in KPOP’s history. Yep, I went there and I am not afraid at all. Why I think that? Their retro songs do a really good job of putting a smile on your face. Their songs are extremely cheerful and happy. Their catchy and hella addictive to listen to. The fluctuations between high and low pitches, notes etc. is amazing to listen to. Not once was I let down with any aspect of the song. Their vocals and rapping is full of energy and we should praise. them for that.Bonus marks for fitting in references to Mr Ambiguous, Um Oh Ah Yeah and Piano Man. The only smallest complaint (and this me trying to be critical, so I cannot give them the perfect 10/10 for song) I can find with the song is that really random start which the grand entrance of the “boom”or “bang”or whatever you would call it.  I don’t know, it was a bit random and gave off this grand feel to the song, but really did not fit the song at all. But beside that, I have been singing the song and listening to the song so much, that I have probably listened to it over 50 times in just the last few days. Which I would say is borderline unhealthy, but it is so catchy.

Now onto the video, where do I start with these random and crazy girls who are known for everything I just described them as? Not fond of the really pale nature of the video, but the rest of the video is just fine. The girls move into a hotel (I assume) and basically fall in love with the pool sweeping guy. So they all take turns in trying to whoo hang out with him, but I think he is not interested in them. But the guys praise him and turns him into a holy grail or something along the lines of that. Every time he does nice to them, the girls feel way so comfortable, to the point where they let loose. And when I say that, I refer to Wheein eating at that restaurant, where she inhales (yes, not chew, but inhale) her meal and drink. But it is such a comic video that makes me smile and laugh when I watch to it. In a way, the video kind of mirrors Um Oh Ah Yeah’s video in many ways, but at the same time, still manages to keep that songs unique nature with it.

The dance is so sassy and has this really great attitude to it. I freaking love watching these girls dance on stage and sing flawlessly on stage. Chorus is simple and easy to follow, while the other dance moves fit well with the particular tempo of the song at that time. One of the things I love about watching Mamamoo’s stages is their improvisation. Each week, they do something different on stage (somewhat like the ending of Um Oh Ah Yeah). First week, they did that thing where the members take a selfie, one of them being pretty and the rest of them bring “ugly”. Second week into their comeback and they are slapping each other. It makes you want to watch the weeks that follow and see what they have up their sleeves next.

What a long review, but they are worthy of it since their song is epic and by far one of the best that I ever heard. 9.5/10

Galaxy – Ladies Code

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Ladies Code has finally made their return to the industry. The group lost two of their members back in 2014 (RIP Eun.B & Rise) and causing injuries to the other three members and their staff. With the public unsure on how they will go on, the girls kept together and have been recovering from the accident ever since. Now, they feel that they are ready to return to the stage, and have done in style.

The girls went with a much edgier song than compared to their early days, where everything was much brighter. But this “edgier song” has a lot of style and class to it. While I could not get a good grasp at what genre the song belongs to until the very end, where the sounds come a lot from the jazz genre (with electronic elements), I was not bothered with it, because listening to the song, there was an air of mysteriousness to it. If that sentence is grammatically correct, praise the Lord. I feel that mysteriousness in the song was delivered very nicely with the eerie instrumental and the husky nature of the girl’s vocals. The vocals were pretty good. The song did pick up at the chorus and but somehow remained monotone throughout. But that monotone sound is used very well and is not a complaint at all in this song. Honestly, I thought this was a great song. Only complaint is that it is a little too slow for a dance song for me. But beside, I think it is a great song.

As for the music video, the unfocussed nature in some of the parts of the video was excellent. The director (or producer) of the video style in this video reminds me a lot of another video, but I don’t know which one. But this is really good. I love the use of the white background and having one or two bold colours layered on top. I was going to say that the video was very neutral in terms of the colour, but watching back, I wonder which video I was watching. The use of triangles in this video is pretty cool. How nerdy did that sound? It sounded a lot cooler in my brain, but not really when you read it hey? But that triangle chess board looks really cool. The editing of the video was done so perfectly. It is extremely hard to pick a flaw to such a good video. I think I have said enough.

The dance was a little too slow for my liking, but at least it matched the tempo and beat of the song. Not exactly impressed with the dance, but it does add that extra “air of mysteriousness” to it. I do love how composed and mysterious they are with their expressions when on stage.

Overall, I think this is a really good comeback. Disappointed that they haven’t received much attention with this song. 8.5/10

Severely – 4TEN

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4TEN or POTEN, I don’t know anymore, but this is a new girl group that I am reviewing. They have been around for a few years, to be precise, they made their debut in 2014, under their current name, 4Ten with Tornado. They later came back with Why in early 2015. They then came back later in the year, under the name POTEN (hence my lack of care for their name now) with Go Easy. Since debuting, the group has had members leave and new members added on. The current lineup is: Hyeji, Hyejin, Hio and Yun. The girls are under Jungle Entertainment.

This song is honestly a really good song. Once again, the girls have this retro feel with the song. The song started off with some cheerleader kind of theme, but then it changed to a more retro yet modern sound. The song is quite upbeat and the rockish themed sound they have going is really cool (I make it sound like they have 5 different sounds mashed into one, but honestly, the retro and cheerleading sounds were just what I felt). The vocals in the verses are quiet strong and at the hook of the song is very powerful and loud. I get the vocals in the chorus are sung at such a higher pitch, but the instrumental overshadows the vocals and hence makes them sound much quieter. Rapping is good, but quite short, which was disappointing to an extent for me. While I do think the song sounds good, it does sound quite ordinary. Sure the rock sound is not attempted by other girl groups that often, but this song sounds kind of “normal” to me, and I am not really wowed with anything in the song.

The music video really got my hooked to the song. It seemed like the girls went for a complete change with the concepts. I listened to the girls when they came out with Tornado and Why, (but never heard of Go Easy before actually), and this concept is completely different with the image I had associated with them. And do I like it? Hell yeah. Totally in love with what they are wearing when they are dancing in the video. Anyway, the other scenes had me a little worried. It is a much edgier concept that they are going for, but it seems to me that sitting on a basketball ring, up high is not the ideal way to display the edgier concept. I feel like that guy was a random addition to the video. And that last scene where the girls get their revenge on the guy (assuming I pieced the video together correctly) where the girls celebrate with flares or smoke flares seem very cliche nowadays. Too much partying after  “revenge” plot in the video. But I love the rooms with the LCD screens, where they did most of their dancing. Quite headache inducing, but gives a really cool and fresh feel (despite it being dark colours). Those dance scenes probably hooked me to the song.

But I must make it clear, I did not like the dance. The scenes in the videos were great, but I was greatly disappointed in this choreography. Nothing grand, nothing amazing or awesome. This is the type of song and concept that needed powerful dance moves, but instead we got most of the ordinary moves girl groups tend to pull off.

Overall, I like the song and music video. Not that keen on the dance. 6/10

Hide & Seek – ASTRO

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One of the newest groups is in town and Fantiago Entertainment is bringing you a brand new boy group. Astro is a 6 member boy group, that recently debuted with their first mini album, Spring Up and their title track, Hide and Seek. The group is made up of MJ, Jin Jin, Cha Eun Bin, Moon Bin, Rocky and Yoon San Ha. Let me give you a perspective on their age. Beside MJ and Jin Jin, I am older than the other four members. Damn, they are growing up fast.

It is an okay song. There really is not much to differentiate the song from other KPOP songs. It’s your typical bright boy group song that we tend to get from smaller companies. Not as bad as cutesy boy, but like most boy groups who tend to start off with a bright song (for some reason). Not really impressed. There was nothing that wowed me. I mean, they seem to have everything down solid, from vocals to rapping. The song itself sounds like something we would have gotten from 2011-12 in KPOP and those songs themselves sounded ordinary then. I guess one way to describe the song is: it’s flat. There were really nothing that brought the song to an amazing level but nothing that made it a bad song. A just okay song. It’s upbeat and somewhat catchy, which I guess is a plus. There is one thing that I can say about the song that really does set it apart from others and that is it made me smile. It has this bright and happy feel to it, which I like. Was I impressed? No, not really, but I wasn’t repelled away with how boring the song was. I found it easy to listen to, I guess.

The music video has this really interesting concept (and it was great). It is like the guys and the girl were in two different universes, and the only way they could see each other was through a mirror that was oddly placed in weird places, such as how did the mirror appear in the alley way at night? Anyway, they have this odd connection and I guess they could follow each other around. In the end, the girls wakes up and finds out that these boys were Astro. The girl painted on the guy’s back, which was kind of weird in my opinion. Like the song, the video also puts a smile on my face. To see the guys and the girl both happy made me smile. She was super cute, and the guys don’t look like they were forced into being fake happy boys. Their smile carried over to my face whenever I watched the video.

The dance, its fun, but not impressive. Don’t have anything to say.

I am going to go straight to the score, since I just be repeating what I said above 5 times already. 5.5/10