Category: Reviews

Press Your Number – Taemin (SHINee)

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As I promised, the second review for the night is Press Your Number. If you are looking for the other Taemin review which I did for Drip Drop, simply CLICK HERE.

When I first heard the song, I was genuinely confused about what I was hearing. But I think I got my mind around the song. The song opens up as a slow dance kind of feel, with a nice RnB style background instrumental. Not much is going on and honestly thought I would’ve gotten pretty bored of the song. A few clicks and what seems to only be a piano. It soon starts to get a little more electronic with a few “drum” sounds. But then, bam, the chorus comes along and changes it up completely, with the funky retro sounds. After the chorus, it goes back to being that slow RnB style. But then that funky beat comes in and then it continues to alternate for one more time. It is an interesting combination, and one that works quite well. It literally brought me to the edge of the seat when I was listening to it, wanting more funk and then wanting more slow RnB. Taemin’s vocals were okay in this one, not his personal best. A few times, it came out a little too soft for my liking, but other times, it was loud and clear. It also didn’t have its own style within the song. For Drip Drop, the huskiness played really well, but in this, it sounded more normal than anything else. Overall, as a song, it is a pretty good song. You might not get into it the first time around, but you get there eventually. If I were to choose between the two songs. I go with Drip Drop, since it was a song that I got into much faster than this one.

But the song sounds amazing when it is paired with the drama version of the video. Taemin goes onto the path of a thief after SM probably did refuse to pay him for the past year. Hahaha.. Love that joke. Props to whoever started it off. The video starts off with him robbing a bank. His car is later found crashed with no one else in it. From there, it gets a little confusing. We see him “enjoying” the “fruits of his labour” with his friends in a freaking mansion. And then he gets kidnapped by somebody. Afterwards, we see some kind of flashback or forward of his friends/colleagues getting caught and he feeling bad about it. And then there are scenes of two Taemin (Taemin robbing Taemin and Taemin getting away with the help of Taemin). Urgghhh… And then at the end, he ends up burning his car in an attempt to get rid of any evidence. So much to look at. Really genuinely confused. I don’t think there is a clear timeline at all, which is why it is confusing. But it draws me in. Once again, the cinematography and editing of the video makes it amazing. Oh, did I also mention that this video has this Justin Bieber feel to it? I think it is a great video, like Drip Drop and while the drama is confusing, it pulls me in and I just want to continue watching.

The dance is also great. Actually, amazing since we are talking about Taemin. Some of it, just blew me away. The rest of it, had my jaws on the ground. Some of his moves, I can only dream of doing, like that part at around 3:10 of the performance video. Damn.

Hmmm… So hard to choose between Drip Drop and Press Your Number. Such great releases and glad I found time to review them both in their whole flesh and everything. 8.5/10

Answer the poll below, which Taemin song did you like more? Drip Drop or Press Your Number? I know, possibly an impossible question to ask.

 

Drip Drop – Taemin (SHINee)

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Taemin is back with his newest and first ever full album. He has released two songs with music videos, with a total of 8 other songs on the album. The two songs with music videos (and I am assuming will be his two title tracks) are Drip Drop and Press Your Number. This is the review for Drip Drop (duh?) and the review for Press Your Number will be released later today. I can guarantee that.

While SHINee and Taemin’s last solo release were hard sounding songs, this one is surprisingly calm and soft. But I am not exactly fond of the choppiness that the song has going with it. The start of the song was just perfection. Even the first chorus was great. But afterwards when the song started to pick up and have that choppy effect, I just did not feel it. Great in a musical sense, but it just doesn’t sit well with me. If I were to listen to this continuously, I probably get a headache. Not in the sense it is bad, but because of the choppiness. But when that effect stops, the song is suitable and I don’t have any issues with the song. The husky vocals of Taemin goes really well with the song’s style. Even his high notes at the end fit in well, despite it being more a dance song than a vocal centred song. Minus the choppiness, I would put this as a perfect song.

That drone camera plus scenery action at the start is amazing. But him in that bright red tracksuit, is kind of a bit too bold for my liking. Beside that, all the rest of the video falls into place. Great scenery selection, great cinematography, great dancers, great choice of Taemin, wait. Hmmm… That is it to the video. Nothing else. The video had great camera shots that complimented the choreography. Moving onto the dance, this video shows how great Taemin is at dancing and how he is capable of such artistic looking dances.  It is totally in sync with the dancers, but also with the song as well. Great to know that he is not afraid to get his clothes dirty during the dance. And the ending seems simple, but with the rest of the dance just before that, that “grand” bow is much needed. And a standing ovation!

Song is great minus that one problem and the video was just too beautiful with the dance. 9/10

Answer the poll below, which Taemin song did you like more? Drip Drop or Press Your Number? I know, possibly an impossible question to ask.

Feel So Good – B.A.P

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B.A.P has returned as promised with a brand new mini album, Carnival. The group has been busy with concerts in Seoul, which also coincide with the comeback. Feel So Good is the title track for the new mini album and the song in which we will be reviewing today.

A really bright and fun song. It seems like KPOP is going 100% retro with these comebacks. Exactly, my initial feelings with the song. It really makes you want to get up and dance. It just puts a smile on my face. The song is extremely catchy and addictive. I just want to listen to this track over and over again. Everything within the song goes really well together. I hear spoons clicking, but I feel like cow bells would make this song 100 times better. But I think we got what we all wished. Everyone’s vocals were perfect (per usual though, Daehyun and Youngjae were amazing). The rapping fits in very well as well. Yeah, sometimes the rapping can be a little awkward in these sorts of song, but this is just a prime example of how good the rapping can be in the bright style. Also loved the slow down at the bridge. Sure, I miss the dark and powerful B.A.P, but these fun and bright songs really suit them as well.

The music video also paints this really happy feeling. It was bright and fits with the song quite well. Very quirky video. Himchan pulling the trolley with the members in it (or on it) with his ‘tongue” and the hiding in that store. Yeah, acting in that particular scene was cringeworthy.  But overall, I think the members did a pretty good job with having a good time and also “hanging around”. My attempt to utilise that coat hanger scene. Hehehehe… I am going to be honest as well, but the members look hella attractive in this video. Daehyun looks handsome as hell in this video and his smiles. Okay, let’s get back on track. Minus the fact that some of the scenes looked a little forced, I think this is a great video that goes well with the bright and fun song.

The dance also seems to have that fun and bright feel to it. Nothing complex and nothing that is too loud. Just right for the song and the concept that they were going for. Love the passion these guys have when performing. Also love the leg swinging and the whole dance in general.

Woah, I think it is safe to say that everyone who watched this video “Feel So Good” afterwards. Hehehehe… 9.5/10

Tell Me (What Is Love) – Yoo Young Jin & D.O (EXO)

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This is the second song from SM Station, where new songs from SM artists constantly. The previous song released from this Station project was Taeyeon’s Rain, which has performed wonderfully on the charts, as expected of the main vocalist of SNSD. Now the baton has been passed onto D.O (otherwise known as Kyungsoo) from EXO, who collaborated with Yoo Young Jin for his first solo release.

And damn, is this a good song or what? Both artists are so good, it is was pretty hard to differentiate between the two as they sang and as the song progressed, it got harder and harder to do so. For a ballad, there is a lot of different things going on at once, and that makes this track really good, but for some reason, it just seems like a simple song. It isn’t monotone or relies heavily on the instrumental. A song with “colour” in it. Actually, it sounds like a RnB type of song, which consists of lots of body rolls. From my guess, the really good high note or adlib at around 1:53 in the song was performed by Yoo Young Jin and was amazing. Actually, their vocals from start to end were amazing. The adlibs from the start gave the song a really nice impact to our ears from the start. There is no other way to describe their vocals, just amazing and it blows you away. They have this really nice vocal chemistry and they harmonise together really well. Not a single flaw could be found in the song. Might not be your cup of tea, but it was mine and I would recommend this to anyone, any day.

The music video was a little disappointing. The song first of all, was around 4:42 minutes long. But the video only lasted for 3:19 minutes, so the song was awkwardly faded out at the end of the video. Don’t know why and we haven’t got any clue to why that was the case. But beside that, I think it was a nice video. The girl goes along and puts down pictures of what seems to be the two singers recording and producing the song. Have no clue what’s going on, but it seems to go hand in hand with the song. The video was shot entirely in black and white (well, edited I think). Minus the short video, I think it is a nice video that fits in well the style that the song was going for. Simple yet artistic.

Overall, I think this is a great release from the two and it just makes me want to know what SM Station has coming our way. 9.5/10

Overcome – NU’EST

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NU’EST has finally returned after a year with their newest mini album, Q is. Last year they did release I’m Bad, but no live promotions were held for the release. It also did not feature Baekho due to health reasons. So, we technically last saw them on stage in 2014 with Good Bye Bye.  But now they are back with Overcome as their newest title track.

This is a unique track which I think is pretty good. It starts off slow and within 5 seconds of listening to the song, it just picks up and turns into a dubstep filled song. That is what I think gives the song a really nice and unique feel to it. Not that I am complaining, because I feel like I have been deprived of the style of music for some time. I actually like how the start gave off that mysterious feel. The chorus probably was the best part of the song for me. The vocals were superb and stable. The rap was a little disappointing. Not exactly feeling the background vocals for the rap. It just adds a fake layer to the song, and ruins it for me. But still, it is not terrible. I think the song is pretty good (dammit, just said the same thing at the start again).

The music video is pretty confusing. It seems like they are in some kind of mystical land or some place that could be considered as the ideal fantasy place. But it kind of odd, how one moment they are in the snow, the next they are inside a castle, wearing normal looking clothes. I guess the girl goes missing in the end, and the guys all set out into the snow to look for her, while some hang back at the, what is now, an abandoned castle.  Yeah, as you can see, I don’t really have it yet. I have to say the sets look cool. Just where can I address Ren’s hair. Not that I have anything against the long hair men in the world, it is just, this particular hairstyle really does not suit him. When I first watched the video, I thought I missed the news where a female member joined NU’EST. Then I realize, I could not find Ren anywhere and connected the dots from there. Can’t he, for once, have short hair for a comeback?

The dance is pretty cool itself. While there was not much to be excited for, the dance that came with the song had pretty good formations and transitions. None of the moves were impressive, but I guess I was impressed by the formations and transitions between each member and such.

Overall, fans seem to miss the guys a lot, and I guess what the guys came out with lived to my and (from what I can read off YouTube) the fans expectations. 7/10

Deepened – Brave Girls

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Brave Girls made their debut back in 2011, with “Do You Know?”. They then returned in 2011 with “Easily”, “Nowadays, You” in 2012 and For You in 2013 and has since disappeared off the face of Earth. Three years later, the girls have returned as a seven member group (originally a 5 member group) with their new title track: “Deepened”. The current lineup includes: Hyeran, Yoojin (the two original members) and Minyeong, Yoojung, Eunji, Yuna, and Hayun.

This song really does not sit well with me. Not saying it is a bad song, but it just doesn’t appeal to me or really make me want to listen to it. It just lacks the colour and poppy sound that I want in my songs. But damn, this song reminds me of the days of slow RNB, where the artists would do some sort of dirty dance to the music. It also sounds like a song I would have associated with After School. Let’s leave it there, before I start any fan wars. The song just sounds monotone in my opinion. The rap was added to give it more a faster tempo, but I actually thought the rap was pretty boring. I can see the rapper trying her best and does a pretty good job overall, but in the song, it just felt boring. The chorus does pick the song a little bit (and is the exact bit that gives me those After School feels), but it really does not change much for me. I thought the rhythm, vocals, lyrics (a bit suggestive, but I think we can all handle it like grown adults) and tune was all pretty good, just it sounds monotone and that really ruins it for me. I just can’t imagine this song any other way.

The music video was interesting. Seems like the girls have gone down the sexy concept route. And I think it does wonders for them. I am inclined to watch the video since I think it is quite a nice video to watch. It matches the monotone of the song. And I say all of that in a good way. Love how they use the one shot form to introduce the video at the start of the song/video. Goes hand in hand with the way the song is structured. Their sets looks pretty good and realistic as well. Gives off that hip hop and edgy vibe. The only thing that troubles me is the fact that they look like they are wearing fitness clothes. It looks good on them, but it just makes me giggle everytime I see them in it, because I think they are going to workout or something later. Don’t mind me, if you have been following me since the start, I have a weird sense of humour. That slow dance scene was pretty good as well.

A lot of sexy in this dance and a lot of swaying hips. On stage they look more like hip hop girls, but in the video the sports bra really brings out the fitness side of them, I guess. Not exactly fond of the extremely slow squat. The speed of the dance fits the song perfectly, but the squat just looks uncomfortable and unimaginative.

Overall, the whole comeback is okay. Sum it up for you guys in a few words. 6/10

Crosswalk – Jo Kwon (2AM)

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Jo Kwon has made his solo comeback after 4 years. His first ever solo song was I’m Da One, released back in 2012. He has joined 2AM in a comeback since then, in both Korea and Japan. He is the only member to remain at JYP Entertainment after contracts between the other members and JYP Entertainment ended, hence putting the band in hiatus mode for the past year. Nonetheless, he has decided to continue on with JYP, with this solo release.

One of the few songs which I have not heard of yet, so everything I write today is based on initial thoughts. This time he has returned with a pretty nice ballad. His vocals really suit the ballad genre (and I guess that is why he is apart of 2AM and 2AM is so good at the genre). When he first sang, I almost did not recognise his voice, but I managed to as he continued. The ballad was neither too fast or too slow. Just at the perfect speed so I could detect the emotion that was pouring out of his voice. The lyrics are quite nice and the way the song present the lyrics with Jo Kwon’s vocals is superb. Overall, I think this has the potential to be a perfect song. Not exactly sure how it is going on the charts, but damn, this is one good song.

The video features the one and only Suho from EXO. It is quite funny, but I have read some comments on YouTube, that said that they went to watch Suho, but instead fell for the song straight away. The power of Jo Kwon’s vocals. Okay, about the video. I think it is a very beautiful video. We see the couple break up and Suho walks off the cross walk. But a little later on, the video screen splits into two and there forms two scenarios. Suho either continues with the break up, or goes running back (and hence regretting his decision). One obviously ended up in tears while the other ended up with smiles. I have to compliment and praise Suho’s acting in this video. It is so good, you could see the emotion in his acting (and it is not as cringe worthy as some Korean actors). Love the cross walk effect that appears in the sad part of the video. I think it makes it seem like sad Suho still has a chance to turn back, as the crosswalk that the two were one extended for that one opportunity, until it faded away. Also love the black and white feel.

Needless to say, I think you all know what is coming next. 10/10

 

Pain – SS301 (SS501)

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After a very long wait, SS501 is finally back. However, as two of their members are currently in the military, the band has reformed to become SS301 for the time being. The line up of this subunit is: Kim Kyu Jong, Heo Young Saeng and Kim Hyung Jun. It has been years since the band last came out with a song. Thier last promoted song was Love Ya, which was released in 2010 (before I started this site as well). They have been going into the military and also been doing a lot of solo work since then.

The song is good. I do have some complaints, but we will get to them eventually. The song has this really nice soft sound to it. The piano and style sounds like they were going for some sort of Latin sound. While I think the mashup between the dance and piano sound was pretty good, there were some parts that I felt did not fit in. For example, the rapping was horrendous. Give them props for attempting it, but if I had the opportunity to eliminate any one part, it would be the rap. It just does not fit in and sounds pretty bad. And the English is pretty bad. “I’m so pain” just gets repeated all throughout the song and it literally gives me pain every time I have to listen to it. But beside that, their vocals were on point and I thought it was a good song to listen to. Is it memorable? Not really. Really did not make me want to listen to the song over and over again.

The video is simply just close up shots and the members dancing. That was simply the formula to the video. Beside that, I don’t have much to say about the video. Love the editing and I thought the video gave the song a really polish yet modern feel. The black and white sets look so cool and with the odd highlight of red. So what else, their fashion looks good? Even though it took me a while to figure out whether they were wearing school uniform at some points. Actually come to the think of it, something could have been added to the video to give it more to talk about. Like some sort of plot would have been nice, but I am honestly fine watching just this.

The dance was pretty cool. Not really memorable.The chorus looked like it just did not go well with the rest of the dance. The chorus looks out of placed and mismatched. The tie grabbing seem pretty cool, but it looked like the members struggled a bit while on stage. But nonetheless, we still got a pretty cool stage.

They’re back and hopefully they will stay. It has been a long time coming, but it is never too late to make a comeback. 6.5/10

Whoo – Rainbow

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Rainbow has finally returned, almost a year after their last comeback, Black Swan.

I actually enjoy listening to this song. Sure, it is not something that many of us expected, but I still think it is a good song. Pretty ordinary and lacking in a lot of areas, but when do we get those songs that tone everything down and takes us back to ordinariness. What I am saying is that sometimes it is good to go back to a lower level and live the good times. Do you understand? Saying that, I thought the song was really bright and catchy, but at times I wanted to listen to something that had a little more flavour to it. For example, the vocals were just meh and quite monotone. Maybe add in some high notes or something to give it life. The rap was too dry and failed to hype me up. Same goes for the chorus, it just fails to hype me up. But I feel like the bridge was the best part of the song for me. I also find it interesting at how girl groups tend to go into more retro songs nowadays, rather than more modernised songs, but that is another topic. Sure, an ordinary song but I still like it.

Regarding the  video, wow. It looks like DSP has cut the budget for the girls. Once again. Last time was for the really short promotional period due to “lack of interest” and now DSP probably thinks that the girls won’t get far and decided to put together the cheapest music video ever. White set, with a few black balloons, a few colour screens and one or two props here and there. Heck, even what they are wearing seemed to be picked up from the two dollar store. So, I guess my major complaint is that it might have been too simple (and looks quite cheap). I am going to be honest, but the way they managed to film the video and edit it, gave it a really nice retro feel to it. And how they manage to incorporate their Rainbow theme is most of their comebacks seem quite smart and I think that is why I love them as a group, because they maintain their identity as a group (most of the time). Overall, the end product came out well, just it really did not live up to expectations.

Dance seemed ordinary. Nothing really that special, but it seems like these girls misses the stage quite a bit. I saw their first comeback stage on SBS The Show, and they all looked genuinely happy to be promoting again. Their smiles really reflected the concept they were going for and pretty much showed me their feeling on the stage. But yeah, beside that, there really isn’t much to say about the dance/performance.

Overall, the one word that summarises the comeback is “ordinary”. But it has its perks as well. 7/10

I’m Jelly Baby – AOA Cream

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AOA is back in the form of 3 members. They just launched their newest subunit AOA Cream, which consists of Chanmi, Hyejeong and Yuna.

Boy, does this song grow on you or what? When I first heard the song, I thought it was a really bad interpretation of a 90s Girl Groups’ songs. It honestly sounded really bad and cringe worthy. But, as every other song, I replayed it and started to fall for it. Now, it just sounds really cringe worthy and bad. Yeah, I can’t get over the fact about how bad the song is. It is catchy and addictive (I probably only gives marks on that), but that rap sequence really needs to be stomped on and thrown out. I complain about Jimin’s whiny rap, but this is just something that does not fit in with the song and does not give off that feeling of a great song. It was recorded and then it sounds exactly like the producer autotuned it with the maximum possible setting. The vocals are not exactly bad, it is just the “hip hop” feel or whatever genre they are trying to attempt with the “La La La Lady” parts. So yeah, this isn’t right for me.

The music video is just so cringe worthy, once again. First of all, I feel like it the wrong concept. The acting in this video was pretty bad. The last thing I think we all want to see is the return of the aegyo and cutesy girls that was probably ditched and became outdated years ago. And furthermore, they went with the Sailor Moon or Power Puff Girls inspired heroes concept, which I thought was a really bad idea. And the fact that they use their powers to their own pleasure, seems very selfish. It looks like the guy doesn’t even notice the girls, yet, they decide it is right to torture him and embarrass him. Girl, there is a scenario, where he might not even know who you are, so scaring him and turning into a superhero with a wand, is not going to help your case. It was a very bright video (matched the tone of the song), just I think the concept should have either been something else or otherwise thought through a lot better.

The dance was another major problem in my point of view. Too sexualised. What were they even doing in the chorus? What can you even call that? Is that even a dance? I have no idea regarding that. I just thought it was an odd dance to have with such a cutesy and aegyo concept. In addition, their clothing really don’t match the dance was well.

Overall, this whole comeback as a whole, missed the whole point. Sorry. 2.5/10

 

I am You, You are Me – Zico (Block B)

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Zico, the main rapper from Block B, has been releasing solo songs after songs for quite some time. And sadly, for certain reasons, his songs have been falling through the gap. But now, Zico’s newest release shall be reviewed. I make it sound like an honour, it just a song that I have time to review.

This is the first time that Zico has released a ballad for one of his solo releases. And out of his numerous releases, I think this one has to be one of the best. Now I am not saying that because I feel like I feel bad for not reviewing his songs, but I am saying that because it was genuinely amazing. The song still maintains its hip hop roots with the music getting you to head bop along to it. The chorus to the song is really catchy and I think makes the song that much more addictive. To be honest, I don’t pay attention to Zico that much, but this song caught my attention from the very start. I love how he manipulated his mostly powerful and skilful raps into a softer sound to fit the ballad feel. Not once did he go back to powerful and kept it at that soft level for the whole song.

The music video is a little interesting to watch. We have this store that sells almost nothing (but that is just another story). In the store, there is this girl who tends to the cash register and probably is the only employee (maybe she is the boss of the place?) of the store. There is also one customer the whole time at the start, which is Zico. He goes to the store at the same time, each day. The two start to notice each other and realize that they wear the same thing. The same shirt (maybe different colour), similar colours, even their show laces were untied. I find Zico quite handsome in some parts of the video, but it is clear that there is quite a lot of make up. It is an interesting way to say “I am You, You are Me”, but is makes most sense. The set seemed quite nice and did a good protrayal as if the two are the only people on the planet (might explain why the place is dead for all of the video). The ending also looked like they were flirting (see above), but more like it was used to represent the title. It is a good video with a nice idea.

if Zico keeps puting out songs like this (and Eukra), then I am game to revieiwing all his songs. I just did not have the time at the end of the year to review all these songs he put out. But might start doing all of them now! 9/10

I’m Young – Taehyun (WINNER)

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I promised you guys I would review this particular video and song and here it is. This is a song off Winner’s newest album, “Exit:E”. This song only features Taehyun, one of the vocalists of the band. I previously reviewed Baby Baby and Sentimental, just a few days ago.

This is such a great ballad. I do say it is a little bland for my taste, but I think it is still a great song. Taehyun did a great job with the lyrics of the song. Actually, just from listening to the song, I can feel the heartbroken-ness and emotions that Taehyun poured into the song when he both wrote and sang the song. This is why love (both sides) is always an ongoing topic that can produce such great songs.  The lyrics were also quite good in my opinion, well the English translation which I found.  His vocals were quite soft in this song, and I think that complimented the piano instrumental quite well. It almost has this jazzy sound to the song, in some parts. Overall, I think this was a great song to listen to. Just take a few minutes out of your day and listen to the song.

This music video is like a mini drama and it is the one thing about the whole song/video package that I wanted to talk about. Taehyun gets out of his car with a bouquet of flowers.  He goes into a building and meets his former girlfriend. We cut to scenes of him lying in bed with her and we can safely assume that both had an awesome time (hmm… where am I going with this) back when they were a couple. In other words, their romance was heated and going smoothly. Until, they break up from fighting too much. We get these scenes now and again in the video. The video cuts back to the present time and I feel like I am writing the review for this one part. I FREAKING LOVE HER COMMENT. Okay, she says “You look good. The hair’s still stupid.” That one freaking line made my day. Why? Because I agree with it. But is that the one thing you really have to say to him after meeting up for who knows how long? Taehyun does not say anything throughout the video (probably because he was reviewed as one of the worst idol actors to date), but I personally think he did a good job in the video. While in the bathroom, he gets a sort of flashback where, and I don’t know, but either she is cheating on him or (more likely) moving on. Taehyun goes back to confront her about this, but she ends up crying. While crying, I guess she realize that she still misses him. But at the moment, her fiance comes to her apartment and almost walks in on them. Taehyun is hiding in her closet. The fiance notices something is off when she is staring at the wardrobe, but (since the girl really wants Taehyun to live and go on), she holds her fiance back and kind of declare that they are “in love” and also expecting a child together. I guess this suggests to Taehyun that there is no going back. Taehyun, expectedly cries and leaves. I feel like this such a great story line. Probably one we see too many times, but still, the way the video was shot and edited made this a really good story. That line though, made me laugh.

That is one long paragraph. But not the longest review. Great song and prefect music video. 9.5/10

Rain – Taeyeon (SNSD)

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After her success with I, vocalist Taeyeon from SNSD has made her first solo comeback and is the first artist of the new SM plan, where a new song is released each week.

Rain is a very nice song that you would listen to on a rainy day. Hmm… I wonder why? The lyrics of the song, along with the overall sound of the song was written and produced with the whole idea of a rainy day in mind. Once again, her vocals was totally smashing in this song. Her vocals matched the style so nicely and you can feel the emotions in her voice quite well. The song builds up quite nicely and I think the chorus can be described as the highlight of the song. The song is quite catchy and also quite calming. I am just always in awe with her voice. It can manipulated to fit almost an genre and still make me drop my jaws. If I was to be critical, I would have nothing to say. I think this is a perfect track.

The music video was quite nice to watch. But sadly, it really does not appeal to me. I’ve watched it a few times and kind of forgot about it. That is the only bad thing about the video. Otherwise, I would have considered this to be the perfect video to accompany the song. Anyway, the video does a great depiction of the rain. When she mentions rainy days, it is raining outside. The rest of the video is quite abstract, but it makes sense. The rain starts leaking inside (to the point where it kind of looks like it is raining inside. It turns everything into water and starts to cause a mini flood of water to appear in the room, isolating Taeyeon, hence making her lonely. It looks like memories are submerged in the rain. Great use of computer graphics, to be honest.

Overall, I am quite satisfied with this sudden and surprising comeback.  not really sure about this ongoing weekly release from SM, but if the songs are this good, then I am quite happy to sit down and review all of them. 9.5/10

Hate – 4Minute

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4Minute has returned to the stage after nearly a whole year’s absence from the stage. Last time they were on the stage together, they were promoting Crazy. Still continuing their hip hop concept, the girls have gone for a more edgier concept with Hate.

This song was produced with Shrillex, which had me wondering how he would go about producing a song in Korean for these girls, and he does a fine job. The song sounded odd at first, but the song does really grow on you. The song starts off with Gayoon’s ballad like part (which had an eerie sound with it), and then starts moving into Hyuna’s, Jihyun’s and Sohyun’s part. But as we progress through the song, it starts building up and gets us to the edge of the our seat. Jiyoon’s part was after the main chorus, but the way the song flowed between the chorus and her part was flawless. I am happy with the better line distribution in this song. Everyone had an even spread of the lines. The chorus sounds really funky and honestly has a nice ring to it. Though it does seem like the type get annoying after a few weeks (check back on me for that one), I feel like the chorus expresses their anger and power quite well. Put the song together, it just does not have the same level of rhythm as Crazy did. The song seemed a little disjointed at some parts, but manage to still come together pretty well.

The music video did a pretty good job. I described Gayoon’s part as eerie and ballad like, and in the video we got just that. As the parts started to build up, we got more parts in the video that matched the build up. From Gayoon’s mysterious wedding dress part, to Sohyun’s hip movement part. I think the video does a great portrayal of the song’s part. As for Jiyoon’s part, she looks good in leather but reminds me of bondage for some reason. Hmmm… The redness in the video gives the video that really bold look and as we go through the video, more emphasis was placed on the colour. Just the chorus parts in the video, they were quite underwhelming. Love how artistic everything looked around the chorus, but the chorus where they were wearing trackies and jeans really disappointed me. The chorus could have been done like in Crazy, but instead, what we got looked like a low budget video. It just was not up to par with the rest of the video.

A little more torn about the dance. It could have been a better dance, but I feel like it kind of does fit in. It has that hip hop vibe going through it and even if I disagree with the dance, I can’t think of anything better to fill in the gaps that I disagree with. But that level of power I have been going on about in this review is there in the dance.

Overall, I think it is a very bold comeback. I don’t think any other words could describe it except for “bold”. 7.5/10

[DOUBLE REVIEW] Baby Baby + Sentimental – Winner

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Winner has finally ended their long 1 year and 6 months hiatus with their first ever comeback. Winner has released Exit:E on the 1st of Feb and have plans to promote with double title tracks. While on their hiatus, the members have been promoting as solo artists or actors. Taehyun, Kang Seung Yoon and Jinwoo have been acting on different dramas. Mino have been particpating in Show Me The Money and released the song Fear as a solo artist. This review consist of both Baby Baby and Sentimental.

Baby Baby is a very soulful RnB ballad track that gets you swaying from side to side. It really does not appeal to me though. I don’t feel like listening to this song and I am not drawn to click on it when I see it on YouTube or my phone. It has this nice jazzy sound to it though. I personally feel their vocals in this song is lacking. I expected something a little more complicated to listen to. It just feels like a more upbeat version of their debut song, which to date I still do not like. While it does get me swaying, I think the song is pretty boring and I get this dull feeling every time I listen to it.

Sentimental is a different song altogether. This song can be described as more pop based, but still keeps that vocal side of the group that they debuted with. This song had a lot more colour and was much more upbeat then Baby Baby. I much prefer the instrumental to this song. The drums (which make up most of the instrumental) is pretty good. The vocals in this song isn’t that much different to the ones in Baby Baby, but they fit with the song more and the vocals fit in really well with the upbeat sound. I think it is safe to say with my comments above, which song I liked a lot more.

The music videos were nice to watch though. Baby Baby seemed like a drama in such a short video. The video starts off with the members making their return on the stage at the MMAs (article regarding that coming soon). And then it cuts to the members being lonely. And it seems like Mino cannot get rid of that singlet. It just reminds me of their fashion in their Empty days. Shivers. We see them being lonely or trying to find ways to get rid of their problem (i.e. sleeping around, go out partying and drinking etc). But I guess nothing will make up for good time they had in the past.

For Sentimental, the sets for this music video are, first of all, amazing. Secondly, I think it is quite smart at how they filmed the whole thing. It gives it a whole different perspective, while they are just on the ground. Seunghoon got the short end of the stick with the way his acting with his instrument. Made me laugh though, how everyone is focused on their instrument, and the poor fellow behind them is just doing his own thing. It would be interesting to see a dance to this. We get a small glimpse of what I assume to be a dance, but not exactly sure.

Overall, I am kind of torn on their comeback. Yeah, they have great voices which some songs capture, but other songs just don’t do it for me. Also, Taehyun also released a song on the mini album, with a music video. I may have left it out of this review, because, well, I want to do a separate review on it. I have lots to say. Review for it will come soon.

Baby Baby – 5/10

Sentimental – 7/10

Which Winner song did you like more for this comeback?

Lollipop – IMFACT

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2016 has officially began in KPOP with the debut of IMFACT (This is the first group  from a major company to make their debut this year). Yeah, it would be a boring year if there were no new debuts. IMFACT is a 5 member boy group, that is under Star Empire Entertainment, the home of Nine Muses & Z:EA. Let’s hope their company can do a better job with the promotions of this band than certain others. Anyway, the band is made up of Lee Ji An, Kim Tae Ho, Lee Sang, Park Jae Up and Na Ung Jae. They officially made their debut on 27th of January, with the release of their mini album Lollipop.

I had my suspicions with the song and I guess what I had in mind was kind of right. Like the song title suggest, the song has a very bright sound and the boys would attempt a bright concept. The song kind of irked me a little bit when I first listened to ti, but damn, it grew on me. First off, the song, from start to end, had powerful vocals and that rapper was such a deep and husky voice. That high note at the end really made my jaw drop and saying that, I am quite sure that this debut song showed the member’s talents really well. The song itself has this funky sound to it and I thought the song sounded very modern and cool. Even with the funky sound, the song has the dance element sound to it. The trumpets really fit in well with the song. The chorus was really addictive and catchy to my ears. To the point, where I am listening to this song constantly.  A little disappointed with the “Come On, Yeah, I Like Lollipop, Okay, Leggo” part in the song (just before the bridge). That is the only part of the song that I would love to get rid of, but beside that small 5 second part, I think this is a solid debut song!

As for the music video, I’m a little torn. Overall, I think it is a good video, but there were some scenes that had me doubting the whole concept. For example, the scene that consisted of just the girl’s ass and they were all staring at it. Ummm… You do know that you are attempting a high school concept, and I don’t staring at a girls ass and saying that she is your “lollipop” is appropriate. Further more, why were they stripping the poor dude and making him run out into the arms of another shirtless member and then capturing right at the nipple area. Yeah, call me dirty mind, but I personally did not think it was needed to go to all that length for the video. I am sure someone could have thought something a little more appropriate for the setting and concept. Sure it fits in with the fun concept of the video, but not the school boy. However, I would only consider them as minor problems with the video. The video was very bright and the amount of fun that they were having coincided with the song. Nothing felt like it was forced (i.e. their expressions all seemed genuine and that they were having way too much fun filming the video). Maybe some of the video (especially with the teacher dancing) could be described as cliche, but I think overall, it was an excellent video to introduce the band with.

The dance is what I want to speak more. Too much Nae Nae in my opinion, but overall, I think the dance looked really cool and fitted in with the song. Even on stage, their expressions don’t seemed to be forced. I think the dance was really well done and highlighted the boys capabilities even more.

Definitely a band to look out for in the future. Looking forward to what songs and concept they will be going for next. Solid and amazing debut. 9/10