Category: Reviews

Cider – Yezi (Fiestar)

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Late last year, I reviewed Crazy Dog, which I assumed to be Yezi’s solo debut. But apparently, I was completely wrong and that Cider would be her first official solo song, and hence her debut as a solo artist on the stage. For those who don’t know, Yezi is the rapper for the girl group Fiestar. Last year, she shot to fame with her appearance and participation on Unpretty Rapstar. With her new found popularity, it is said that Fiestar could potentially break out as a top group this year.

You all know that I am not into the rap or hip hop side of KPOP, but once again, Yezi does a pretty good job with making me enjoying this genre. When I first heard the song, for some reason, the start of the song (just before Yezi started rapping) sounded a lot like an intro to a boy group dance based song. I don’t wish to discriminate, but that was my first initial thought into the song. As soon as I heard her rap, I can say I was slayed. She sounded extremely powerful and badass. Throw away my thoughts of the intro to a boy group dance song, Yezi does an amazing job with the song. The chorus was extremely short for my liking, but damn, does the way she say ‘Cider’ sound so sexy? I am literally floored with the song. The “Let’s Do It, Just Do It” at the very end sounds so good to my ears. Totally digging this song. The song was extremely fast (what I tend to think with any song that has majority of it rap based) and seemed short at first glance, but it was an amazing solid 3 minutes, I just did not notice time flew by.

The music video was pretty cool. When I first watched the video, I was a little confused. She started off wearing white and they were in a pretty bright room. Too bright for genre. I mean, the colour that is associated with rap and hip hop is black, but the white threw me off. And then, it all started. Throw away that whiteness and supposed innocence, because she started to rebel and cause havoc on the set of whatever they were shooting. The directors seem to be fed up, but that poor assistant looked like he just crapped his pants when she pulled the pieces of paper out of his hands. I think the point of the video is show that the old concepts are out and the new concepts will be coming in. I am going to be honest, but I secretly like her when she is wearing black. It suits her more and also fits in with the rest of the concept. I really like the plot or idea around the video

The dance. Well, there really is not much of a dance. What I see Yezi do, seems to just be simple hand movements and there really isn’t anything that seems complex. Her hips though, in some performances, wow. The background dancers seem to have the more complex moves, and I think their presence behind Yezi seem to make the stage more complete and fill in the rest of the concept on the stage. And that red box that she rides on seem so cool. It gives off a very polished feel to it.

Amazing solo debut. Everything rocked. 9/10

The Little Prince – Ryeowook (Super Junior)

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The first release from SM this year and this time, it is also a solo release of a member of a popular band. Ryeowook, one of the main vocalists from Super Junior, has officially made his solo debut, joining the ranks of band member Kyuhyun. Ryeowook is also the second member to make his solo debut from Super Junior.

The song, is what we all expected from Ryeowook, a ballad. For his vocals, I have never been a big fan. His voice seems ordinary and there really is nothing to celebrate every time I hear his voice. He also has a high pitch voice, which never seems to fit in with the rest of the band. But this song highlights his voice and damn does he sound good or what? The song captures his vocals and makes good use of them. As for the song itself, I feel fine listening to just the instrumental. As you can tell, totally digging the orchestral sound. The verses seem a little bland, but the rest of the song (chorus + bridge) sounds catchy and really nice. (Secretly enjoying the chorus) I love how the song starts off super slow and builds up as we listen to more of it. His vocals do a good job at handling and balancing that build up in the song, making it sound as nothing complex is going on. The lyrics of the song are based off that famous French book of the same title, The Little Prince. So, what can you conclude from this paragraph? His voice is too damn good. And his song is amazing as well.

The video was a little boring to watch in my point of view. I have to say, the sets of the video were beautiful artworks that were made to look like the real deal. We see him struggle against his problems in the video, and while his expression is a little dull (we could have seen a little more acting), the way he interacts with the objects around him make up for it and display the “man in pain” that we know from the book. The imagery of the video was amazing, such as the pouring of wine on the white rose and the small snippets of burning pages and pictures from the book made the video look artistic and very beautiful. The colours give off that really nice Autumn night feel, which I think looks fantastic. But as a whole, I am not drawn to the video as I am with the song. I may have yawned when I was watching the video a few times.

Overall, the song was amazing and the video was great. 8.5/10

 

Depend On Me – VIXX

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VIXX has made their return to Japan with a new song, which coincides with the release of their first Japanese album. The album includes the Japanese versions of some of their past Korean hits, such as Chained Up and Error. The album has includes some Korean songs that VIXX has released as extra tracks. But even better, the album includes some Japanese tracks: Can’t Say, which was their first official original Japanese release and Depend On You, their second official original Japanese release and the whole reason of today’s review.

VIXX’s song is good but I keep on asking myself is it good enough? Depend On Me has this very dramatic orchestra sound, mixed with elements of electronic, which gives it a good sound which I like. The chorus beat drops and it sounds more like a pop song than anything else. It flows with the rest of the song, but to me, it just seems like it misses the cake. It was so dramatic sounding at the start, but then that same dramatic feel just disappears. Sure, I listen to the song if it comes on, but I don’t think it is something that I would get caught on. The bridge is okay, but it feels mis-matched with the rest of the song. The vocal work is pretty well damn good in this song. All the members sound great and Ravi’s rap is always sounding hardcore and bad-ass. I don’t know, I feel like I am let down with the chorus in this song. It is great to see such a powerful song from the band in Japan (thought they would stay with their Can’t Stay sound).

The music video is simple. Put the guys in an overused room to dance in and shoot majority of the dance scenes. Throw in some solo shots up close in the dark room and then more solo shots in a white room with red strings everywhere. And that is your video. There were some shots in the video of N just talking to a girl. N notices she becomes disinterested in what is going on, and then this flash forward (or back) of the red strings come along. And then at the very end, we see him whisper something to the girl, and that room flashes back with N whispering the same thing to the camera. So what is going on? Am I meant to look at the lyrics or something because I am a little confused. The strings make sense, since the lyrics talk about cutting strings that join the two together, but what about that N scenes? A little too simple for my liking, but still pretty nice to watch.

But here is what we do actually watch in that video, and that is the dance. While the video below does not capture the whole video for us (still waiting patient for the official upload though), the dance is pretty cool. The highlight of the dance though, the violin introduction where Ravi imaginary plays the violin. It looks so cool. The rest of the dance fitted in with the electronic components of the instrumental. A lot of powerful and strong moves.

Overall, little iffy on the song, video is good and VIXX never lets us down with the dance. 7/10

Don’t Forget – Crush ft. Taeyeon (SNSD)

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Crush made his unexpected comeback with a brand new song. And this time, Tayeon from SNSD is featuring in his song. After sky-rocketing to fame with his collaboration with Zion.T and for the songs that were released last year under his name, he has returned with Don’t Forget. And he continues with his success, after topping charts and earning his first solo win on Show Champion.

The song is really good. Let’s start off with the instrumental. Damn, is it calming or what? The clicking sounds that continuously plays throughout the song, along with the simple sounds that we hear (in other words, there isn’t anything that is “loud” or complex sounding) gives it that really nice calming effect, which makes me want to listen to the song again and again. Next up is the vocals. Crush’s vocals really match this style and feels like it is floating on top of the water. Taeyeon’s part is extremely short, which is a little disappointing. But nonetheless, I feel like she took on her part really well. I expected some kind of duet with Crush, but it was only just a small solo part. Putting everything together, that calming feeling that I was talking about juts a few moments ago just comes back. It is a song that I would play constantly to calm myself down or would be a song to listen to on a dark and stormy day.

The music video was beautifully shot. I am not drawn to the video as I am with the song, but everytime I do watch the video, it just makes my jaw drops. The shots were amazing, the scenery really is quite beautiful. The video was shot in Japan and as a person who really wants to go to Japan, this video captures really nice places to go to (or at least see somehow) on snowy days. These are the type of videos that make me want to live near snow. Interesting fact: I have never seen snow before, so this video makes me very jealous. Everyone (like me) is in awe with the scenes which shows the giant fete or carnival park.  Taeyeon does not feature in the video (which is somewhat disappointing). I can totally imagine her face in with the snow. It all matches really well. But overall, great video to watch (when I feel like it).

Overall, another amazing comeback. Damn with all these comebacks though. I feel like I have been giving too many 10/10s. This is the third one in a row. 10/10

Rough – GFriend

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GFriend has made officially made their first comeback of the year with Rough. After collecting numerous “Best Female Rookie” awards, the girls are back and have hit the top of the charts with their new song, showing how capable they are at taking over the industry.

This is probably my most favourite track of the year (so far). GFriend has unveiled a really addictive and catchy song to listen to. It has been replaying on my phone and computer. It is the first song that I want to listen to when I jump on YouTube and literally the last song that I want listen to , just before drifting to sleep. The instrumental is just an amazing orchestra type of style, which if you don’t know, I tend to dig. It reminds me a lot of Me Gustas Tu, but with a more of a warmer feel. It truly does suit the season a lot. The vocal work of the band is a lot stronger and powerful in this song, and the balance between the vocals and instrumental is just perfect. It really gives off a sense that the girls have matured, since they are going for this more mature sound. I literally have no complaints with the song. The ending is abrupt, but it is the song’s charm. I personally feel like the clock ticking sounds were a little random, as they only appeared towards the end, but it finishes off the song quite nicely. Totally a fan and totally digging this song.

The music video theory is honestly a good one. If you have not heard, people are speculating that GFriend’s concept, school girl, is ending after this comeback. Why? Well, many people believe that Glass Beads is when the girls first started off with their schooling, Me Gustas Tu is when they are attending school (or in the middle of their schooling) and now Rough is the end (hence a lot of scenes of them leaving and reuniting/their mature sound). Interesting theory, but something that I am a little concerned about. If the theory is true, what concept will they attempt next? They have owned this concept and literally made it their own, so what will they rely on next? But this video was beautifully shot. The fake snow even looks so real in the video. The set is honestly amazing and realistic. Their shots in the outside was so beautifully done. Even the colour of the music video gives it that Winter feel and/or that really warm feel that makes the song so nice. And that teddy bear scene. Don’t leave him behind.

Honestly, GFriend has always amazed me with their dances and this one is no exception. The start where they unveil one member at a time can be described as genius in my book. The ending, where it looks like the evolution of man kind (okay, very bad example), looks amazing and fits in with the song so much.

Overall, this is by far their most amazing comeback to date. But I am 100% sure that the next comeback will wow me even more. Amazing! 10/10

Time Spent Together – 2PM

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2PM is back with a brand new song. But you haven’t heard of any comebacks from 2PM? Well, that is because this is a Japanese song for a Japanese comeback. Well, more technically it serves as a goodbye single, from what I heard, as 2PM will be enlisting this year and this would mean that this could be the last song we see from 2PM for a long time (two years or so). Given that fact, it shapes our perception of the song. But more on that below!

Yeah, this is a very sad song. I am quite sure it was not written to be like that, but given the circumstances. But anyway, when I say “sad”, I actually do not mean literally. The reasoning makes the song sad, but the song can be described as touching and quite nice. 2PM has gone for a ballad this time around with all members singing in it. I repeat. All members sing in the song, even Taecyeon, who is the rapper of the band. And damn, do they do a good job at it. The song itself has this warm feeling when you listen to it and you can honestly feel the emotion that band tries to rely across to us. During the time I was listening to the song Beside that, I don’t have much more to say about the song. It is a great song that has a nice warm feeling to it. A song that I would listen to remember good memories and enjoy those times.

The music video that came with the song shows the guys having fun and enjoying each others company. For all we know, this could be their final time together as a group. And to the person who pointed it out when Nichkhun looked at the picture that he took of the others when he was sitting on the stairs alone, it is kind of sad to see something like this, since Nichkhun will be the only member who will not be enlisting and hence would have more of those moments in the future. Way to dampen my viewing experience, but honestly, I can’t say much. The video’s slowness complimented the slow tempo of the song and fitted in with the happy feels. What more can you ask for?

So you can tell I am very impressed with this Japanese comeback. Hopefully, 2PM will return one more time to South Korea before enlisting. 10/10

 

Crush On You – The Legend

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The Legend has returned onto the stage… as well… I really need to find new creative ways to start off my review. They popped onto our radars last year with the release of Shadow. They made their comeback with Nail, which failed to capture my attention. And now they are back and kicking the year off with Crush On You.

This is a completely different style of song than anyone probably expected. Their last few songs have been very serious and mysterious. Quite a dark aura was associated with their name. But then this song pops along and shows a completely different side to the band. First of all, the song is quite upbeat and very “bright” in terms of the sound. This song has that very vibrant feel to it and it pretty much addictive to my ears. The vocals in the song were pretty good and the rap (minus the bridge) was made to fit in with the song. The chorus (with its upbeat sound and the high pitch vocals) reminds me of Maroon 5’s Sugar. And it is pretty awesome, might I add. That bridge though. Completely changed the song up and it felt pretty much out of place. Really disappointed with that part of the song. It made me go “huh”? when I first heard it. This would totally be an awesome song if it was not for the bridge. Song was downgraded in my point of view, but it is still a great song to listen to.

The music video featured Kyungri from Nine Muses. And while I do find her pretty and I think she has a nice body, that was not that well featured in this video. I think it was because of the filter that was applied to the video during editing. But that filter did make it feel like the late 90s. Furthermore, the setting, which I think was pretty good and well designed. It was the American high school setting that we often saw in many different tv shows and movies. I don’t know why I am saying this, but I am always shocked to see an empty swimming pool. I understand that they clean it or evacuate the water in case of an emergency (was done once before at my local pools), but it is so weird to see pools empty. Anyway, no complaints until the turtle neck came in. Why is Drake’s turtle neck clothing so in season at the moment? It made me cringe when I first saw it. Urgghh…

The dance was honestly quite cool. I matched the style of the song and I liked it a lot. It feels like a party on stage every time I see the performance.

Overall, their were some very small and minor things about the song and the video, but overall, it was a great comeback and a lot better than Nail, which I am still disappointed in. 7.5/10

Noona, You – Cross Gene

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Cross Gene has returned to the stage with a brand new mini album. This is my first review for the band. Cross Gene made their debut back in 2012 with La Di Da Di and this is a band that also promotes regularly in Japan. They actually made their debut in Japan around the same time with the same song. They received a lot of love and attention in their more recent comebacks from fans especially with their last comeback: Play With Me.

This song isn’t that bad. I don’t really like this style for the boys. I don’t honestly pay attention to them, but their best song to date is Play With Me. Beside that, their other songs have all be lacking for me. This one is just another song to add to the latter list. It does not appeal to me and it really can’t get into no matter how much I listen to it. It is a much brighter song and has a catchy chorus but that is all I can say about it. The verses just feel like they don’t belong to the song and the rapping just doesn’t feel like it fits in. The vocal work in the chorus is pretty good but the verses is just another story. The instrumental feels like 10 different song styles have mashed into it and that confuses my ears quite a bit. So overall, I am quite disappointed with the song.

The music video reminds me of Wipe Out. Hahaha. The Sucker Punch Wall, the big ball that swings from side to side and the rolling barrels. The video is literally the boy group going into this abandoned warehouse to save their lover, which was where they went to go on dates in the past. Their girl is kidnapped by these playful and idiot kidnappers who where clown faces on cardboard boxes to protect their identity. First of all, why not clown masks? You drew clown faces which I am 100% sure you can buy in the form of masks. In the end, the girl takes her two kidnappers out and scares her “saviours” who probably did not expect it. Well, I predicted as soon as I saw her sigh. It was a video with a good concept and idea. The way it was presented was pretty good and easy to decipher. Just the close up scenes of the members do not match the style of the video.

The dance fits in with the playful vibe the song had going. But it is not as good as their previous dances. They had this serious expression at the start but I am so happy they changed into smiles and surprised faces. Their slow mo small distancing running weren’t that great and I can’t seem to pinpoint the key move.

Overall, disappointing song and dance but the music video was pretty good. 4.5/10

Sting – Stellar

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Stellar has returned with a brand new song. My last review of the group was when they promoted Fool. Since then, they actually did make another comeback with Vibrato, which I tried to review, but it end up getting cut from the agenda due to time constraints. But I shall return to it one day. But now, they have returned with a brand new mini album and their newest title track, Sting.

This is a much better song than Fool. Fool was pretty boring and to me, was more of a step back. Vibrato was that step forward which caught everyone’s attention. Now with Sting, it really is not up to par with Vibrato, but it much better than Fool. The instrumental starts off the song with an addictive and funky sound. I really enjoyed the EDM style instrumental. I love the chorus. It just makes it much more catchy and interesting to listen to. In terms of colour, this song is quite lacking. It really does not make me go wow or amazes me. It barely deviate from the core of the song and feels mostly like the song is going in a straight line, with the song’s style not moving anywhere from that straight line. Think of it this way, a song that I personally find amazing is a song that goes in that straight line, but have those peaks and troughs, like in a roller coaster. A roller coaster would not be fun if it was a straight line. That is what the song feels like. The vocals were great but the rapping once again was a little awkward to listen to.

The music video was a lot more interesting this time around than compared to Fool. Not exactly sure if they used the same music video producers for each music video, but I honestly love the style they going for. I am not going to say it reminds me of the following videos, since I am 100% sure they used the same producer, but Ladies Code’s Kiss Kiss and Fiestar’s One More. The position of the mouses and how they were kind of the main focus of the videos gave off that feeling as in Kiss Kiss and the how the cameras looked like they were filming around corners and such gave off the same effect as in One More. Honestly, I think the video was shot pretty well. Though, I am not 100% what the mouse clicks were meant to represent, the stinging sensation? The girl’s expressions were on point. I love the very pale and neutral colours of the video. I thought it would be bright since they went for that sexy concept again, but it gave off that classy feel and also a bold (or bright) video would not have suited the song.

The dance was not featured in the music video. This dance reminds me of the Vibrato dance. While the girls physically turned around and did their mini bounce in their last comeback, this one was just mini bouncing without the turning around and they were holding their shirts as well. Honestly, I don’t mind the dance. It doesn’t draw me in, but I can’t say it is bad either.

Overall, I think this is a solid effort from the girls. 6.5/10

Warning Sign – Teen Top

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Teen Top have made their comeback since releasing Ah-Ah back in September last year. Since then, there have been very little talk about them (apparently they went on a mini hiatus and focused a lot on solo promotions). But now they are back with another song that I think is destined to be a hit.

Not a style I would have thought Teen Top would go for. I was hoping for the band to go back to the more EDM based songs, but instead, we got this classy type of song. To me, the song has a Shinhwa type of feel to it, which makes it pretty addictive. It honestly reminds me of those songs released by Shinhwa back in the day, but with a more modern feel to them. The song was sung mostly in a higher pitch compared to their past songs, but the way they do it flawless. Did not hear a single hitch. Even the vocals of the members that I know are not commonly known for their vocals were superb. Chunji’s high note can only be described as spectacular. This song honestly needed more of a rap sequence to it. I was so disappointed with the amount of time that C.A.P and L.Joe got in the song. That is the biggest complaint about the song that I can make, beside that, everything else was flawless.

The music video had a really nice dark style. The lack of colour and also the grey-scale look on the video gives it a very classy feel to it but also a nice dark feel to the video. Even the scenes where it was not filmed with the grey-scale filter had a lack of colour. I believe the video can be described as minimalist at some parts. For example, the dance scene  where there is nothing but concrete looked quite cool and stood out. I really enjoyed the unfocused camera work. It did get me a little confused when I watched the video the first time around, but how the camera was not positioned in the middle and the camera moved around a lot made the video more fast paced, which reflected the song quite nicely. There is one thing I do want removed from the video and that is L.Joe’s glitter sweater. You have all that smashed mirror and glass around you, the sweater was un-needed. Furthermore, it made him look completely out of place.

The dance looked quite cool. I agree with a lot of people with the fact that there is not much to the footwork of the members. Teen Top’s dances always have a lot of footwork, but this one lacked a lot. But what they did not do with their feet, their facial expressions and hand movements made up for. Not once did I see a flaw in the dance. Amazing.

Some small complaints, but overall this is just another comeback that already shows the forever increasing standard for the year ahead. And yes, this comeback exceeds that standard by more than a mile. 9/10

roco drama – Shin Hye Sung (Shinhwa)

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Shin Hye Sung has returned back onto the stage by himself for solo promotions with his brand new mini album. For those who don’t know, Hye Sung is the main vocalist of the band Shinhwa which made their debut back in the late 90s. He made his official solo debut in 2005 and since then have been a highly sought after vocalist.

roco drama is a very slow song. A little too slow for my liking. I can’t really seem to get into it. The slowness really prevents me from “feeling the beat or the music”. Personally, I feel like if the song had a somewhat faster tempo, the song would have been more enjoyable. Once again, it sounds like a song that you could hear in a more cafe like setting.  But given my circumstances where I listen to songs on a daily basis to avoid being bored or to enjoy my work more, this song just does not do it for me. It’s rather soft and the clicks that we hear throughout the song gives off a nice contrast.The vocal work of Hye Sung is pretty much on point. Not once did I think his voice was a problem. To me, he sang the song within his own range and did not, at all, push his voice to the limit to impress people or to show off. Nonetheless, he did manage to impress me with what I heard, just not really digging the song as I would like to.

The darkness of the video fits in really well with the video. I love how the light bulb places the attention on Hye Sung in the video and love even more the effects to make it look like a cloudy night or foggy. Honestly, a dark background plus one glowing light bulb sounds quite boring, but to me looks really abstract and simple in my point of view. There really is not much else to the video, beside that. There are a few extra scenes of what seems to be random but from what I can tell, it fits in with the lyrics. There really isn’t that much else to the video. The song gives off a sense of a heavy plot in the video, but I guess that is not the case.

However, the video is also very dance oriented. The dance is pretty nice to watch. His face throughout the dance is very serious and there is this mysterious side to it as well. I think the sexy concept describe the dance really well, but it is more of an urban style of dance. The use of the chair is not that spectacular, but it places the right amount of emphasis on the artists and how the back up dancers dance around the chair adds the emphasis on the artist as well.

Overall, pretty good comeback. Song could have been better, the video was simple and the dance was pretty much solid. 7/10

You Call It Romance – K.Will ft. Davichi

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One of the top RnB artists of the Korean Pop industry has finally collaborated with the queen duo of Korean Pop ballads.

This is a much better song that what he released last year. To me, this song goes back in time to the Last Blossom days where his songs were a lot more bright and cheerful. So, I found this song very cheerful and bright. The instrument reminds me of that as well. I prefer K.Will’s vocals that way since it sounds a lot better. Davichi’s vocals in this song were pretty good as well, just I sense some autotune was put on top of their vocals. That disappoints me quite a bit, well, since Davichi has a really nice vocals and it is a shame that they are not really recognised for those vocals in this song. The chorus of the songs sounds quite catchy and does have a nice ring to it. The times where they sing “니가 하면 로맨스” throughout of the song was pretty nice but it sounded a little awkward. However, I think if the producers of the song did not place that auto tune on the girls’ vocals, then I would have been more happier. 

The music video is a little confusing. It seems like the lead actress is two timing the young guy, who (from what I read from the comments on YouTube) is Hyungwon from Monsta X and the more older looking dude who happens to be a co worker. She is obviously in a dilemma in the video, unsure of who to choose. I assume she was the choice between the “sweet” younger dude or the “warmer” mature dude. Notice how when she returns from the date with the younger guy, her house is full of treats and candy, while when she returns after a coffee date with the older guy, her house is a lot more warmer and Autumn like. In the end, she chose the mature looking dude over the younger dude, which was illustrated by the boxing match between the two guys on her TV, which was apparently very scary. Hahaha no. I find that particular scene extremely cringe worthy. Never liked it how girls from k-dramas act like that to be honest. Towards the end, I am glad she chose the mature dude because the young dude, well, was still in school. And it turns out that he had liked another person instead, which makes the lead actress happy, because she knows she is not making him unhappy. Honestly, a great video with a very cringe worthy way of presenting a scene in the video.

When you put these two videos together, you get a pretty much good release. 8/10

Dream – Suzy (Miss A) & Baekhyun (EXO)

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Currently the hottest song out at this very moment. This unexpected (kind of was expected after images were leaked though) between Suzy from Miss A and EXO’s Baekhyun has been staying at the top of the charts of a few days now and have apparently been there for over 100 hours, which is a feat considering the competition that they are facing with powerful digital artist’s comeback and also the release of OSTs for Reply 1988, which rise to the top of charts quite quickly.

Lovely song. It’s the type of song that you would expect in those cafes that we see often in the movies. The jazzy feel the instrumental gives the ballad really gives off that feel. Their vocals compliment each other quite well. Their vocals both also fit in very well with the jazzy feel. While it is not a catchy song, the chorus is pretty addictive to listen to. It makes me want to sway along and furthermore has this relaxing feeling about it. Suzy’s voice starts it off with a really soft and husky Dream and Baekhyun joins in afterwards with his husky voice as well. Even their “mmmmsss” sound really cool and go hand in hand with each other. Personally, this song feels like perfection in my eyes and every one of those hours the song is recorded at #1 truly reflects the amazing nature of the song.

The music video, well, matches the jazz ballad feel of the song. I love their set up, but I personally thought a more French or cafe setting would be more suitable. But I love how simple it was. Just position the right instruments around them and have the singers it there. But I don’t know, the instrumental playing people seem to know what they were doing, but they look awkward as hell. But beside that, I thought the video was very nice and complimented the song in many ways.

Yeah, probably not going to hammer down on them for my thoughts on the music video, but this is a perfect song. 10/10

No Love – Lucky J

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Lucky J is a trio that made their official debut in 2014 with Can You Hear Me?. The trio is made up of Jessi, J’Kyun and J-Yo. You may recognise Jessi as one of the rappers from Unpretty Rapstar, earning runners up place on the show. She has also featured on JYP’s Who’s Your Mama? and released solo work since being on the show, which has allowed her to gain a huge following. Now Lucky J is back with a brand new song, making this their first comeback in nearly two years.

Not exactly a big fan of their debut song nor have I grown to become fond of Jessi. This song has mixed feelings attached to it for me. It is an interesting combination of a traditional instrument (apparently, a haegeum, which is a traditional Korean string instrument) and the RnB genre. It isn’t bad and all I can describe it is quite interesting. Jessi has an interesting voice which I can appreciate in some songs. I find her “no love” vocals in this song quite nice and adds another dimension to the song, but the rest of her vocals sounds really disjointed and a little awkward to listen to. The other two, the rapper and vocalist do a great job with the song. It sounds like I am blaming Jessi for all the flaws, but it is just I am disappointed in her vocals this time around. Her vocals in her debut song was pretty good.

The music video is unappealing. The video just didn’t reel me in and make me go wow. I was mighty disappointed with the entirety of the video. There were lovely shots of nature and then shots of the members walking around and then close up shots of them. And that is essentially the video. There isn’t anything else to it. I honestly did not expect much but this looks really low budget. Yeah, they used a drone, but beside that, it does not look like much was invested in it. Jessi’s solo music video had a lot more going on and looked like it got a decent budget for it. So why not this?

Yeah, this comeback was not for me. The song was quite interesting to be honest, but the video was a major let down. 3/10

 

 

Someone Like U – Dal Shabet

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Dal Shabet has returned with a brand new song after a years absence from the stage. Their line up has changed after two members (Jiyul & Kaeun) left the band, leaving the group with just 4 members. This comeback also marks their 5th year on stage.

The song is honestly a really nice dance track. As soon as I heard the song, I thought about how funky and disco-like their song is. All of Dal Shabet songs have that disco and retro vibe to it which makes it stand out a lot. I absolutely adore the instrumental of the song. It just fits in really well with their vocals. As mentioned above, two of the members left the band. One of them happened to be the rapper of the band, so everyone’s question was like “who is going to feel in the shoes of the B.B.B rapper?”. Okay, I added the B.B.B rapper to it, but honestly after that rap, who honestly was going to replace her? Well, I think Serri handled it pretty well in this song. Sure a little more practice and experience would make her sound better but she has what I think the basics are down pat. The song was pretty catchy and addictive to listen to. It took one or two listens to get into it, but once you get into it, you will feel how good of a song it really is. It would have been a little more nicer to appreciate if a little more colour was added to the song. It could have potentially been an okay song or a great song in my book, but a little more colour added to the song (could be in the form of a high note or an extra instrumental which brings out the funkiness) could have boosted it up past that line, making it a great or excellent song.

The video was boring. Parts were copied from their B.B.B song and the plot was just weird. The plot twist at the end seems typical of a KPOP song, but at the end of the day it was hella cheesy. The girls get their revenge on the guy that cheated on them by putting on a party and shooting out streamers? You see, that just takes something that could have been dramatic and hella cool into something that an 8 year old child would think of. Further more, the parts where the girls were lounging around the speech bubbles and all were directly taken from their B.B.B video. Which shows to me a lack of creativity and honestly proving to me that watching this video would be a waste of time. And once again, 4 members dating the one guy. Makes total sense.

The dance fit in with the funky sound which the song had channelling through it. It is a nice dance and looked pretty cool. Not as loud or sexualised compared to Joker or B.B.B, but I have a feeling those part where they open their jackets is going to be something that could earn the interest of a few netizens. But hopefully it won’t. I probably just jinxed it. Hahaha.. But honestly, I don’t see the trouble with all the dance moves that Dal Shabet do that ends up getting banned.

Song is great, video is boring and dance is pretty nice. 7/10

Again – Turbo

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Big name groups which started off the KPOP genre back in the 90s have been making their comeback by reuniting and performing for big milestones. Turbo is the latest group to make their return. Originally a duo, Turbo went line up changes during the time they were active between 1995 – 2000. For their reunion (and possibly future releases), they returned as a trio with all three members (Kim Jong Kook, Mikey and Kim Jung Nam). And yes, Kim Jong Kook is the same as Sparta or the Commander from Running Man. Again and their latest album was released in celebration of their 20th year.

Again is a pretty good song. When I listen to it, it gives off that feel of the 1990s but also has that modern flare to it. I honestly do think this is a song that can be released back in the day, but can still also be rocked to these days. The rapping by Mikey and Kim Jung Nam was pretty much solid. Kim Jong Kook vocals fit in well with the song and matches the electronic style. But I am not exactly fond of it in this song. A little too high pitch for me. the song flows pretty well and I love the short break between the choruses at the end. Beside that I don’t have much to say about the song. I think the “whop whop whop” sounds are pretty addictive.

The music video is definitely better than the videos back in the day. But that is just common sense. Look at the advances in technology. My only complaint is that everything looks confined in the video and there was not much room, but yet they manage to fit everyone in. But honestly, the video shows a great contrast on how KPOP has grown from being low-budget to what it is today where budgets are higher and a lot more of investment is poured into the production of songs, albums and promotions. Everything else in the video looked fine. Maybe some people are right and that Turbo collaborated with a Chinese company to shoot their video, because the credit scenes are exact replicas of the credit scenes in every Chinese movie. Lee Kwang Soo and Cha Tae Hyun made funny cameos as well at the end. The song was also sung in Chinese at the end of the video as well.

The dance is okay. They dance is done mostly by the back up dancers and not as much by the actual performers. I guess their aging and not every one of a higher age can bend their back and do crazy dance moves. I feel like I am just pointing out and making fun of old people in this review. I do apologise if you are taking it that way. I don’t intend to complain or talk down on older people. But the b-boying or popping in the video looks cool (but I don’t know who does it).

Overall, a nice comeback and great way to throw back to the 90s but at the same time make the release fit in with songs nowadays. And is doing well on the charts, hitting the top and gaining all kills. 6.5/10