Tag: Block B

[Double Review] Help Me + From Seoul – Block B BASTARZ

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Last week, Block B BASTARZ (comprised of U-Kwon, B-Bomb and P.O) made their comeback with their third mini-album, I’m A Mess, since their subunit debut. Apologies that it took this long to review a song from this new release. Within the album, Help Me is the title track. But as the pre-release track From Seoul also has a music video, I will be reviewing both today. This is Block B’s first release since the departure of Zico last year from the group.

I am not a major fan of BASTARZ’s releases (I honestly do not remember their last one), so I wasn’t expecting too much the first listen in. However, Help Me takes a sleek approach with a jazz influence on the hip-hop based foundation that the song is supported on. And it is safe to say that I am loving it. I really like how focused the song was on the vocals, which was all fantastic. The most striking part of the song has to be P.O’s first half of the chorus and it is the very thing that got me hooked to this song. It is very unique, so it ended up being very memorable (and extremely addictive).

From Seoul continues the jazzy influence, but this time the foundation is an R&B track. The song isn’t as heavy as the previous. In fact, it is lighthearted and talks about having a good time with friends. I like how the jazzy influence was more profound and the vocals were lower in tone, which made the song quite smooth as well. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that striking about the song so it isn’t really a memorable piece for my personal taste. It is still quite good but unfortunately, Help Me outranks From Seoul.

Help Me is a more emotionally driven song but the video is quite twisted in a way. Kicking off the music video, it is landed a 19+ rating, which gives us a foreshadowing of blood and cigarettes. Tame to what I am used to, but remember this is stuff that Korea doesn’t have much of. The video shows the members disoriented (for whatever reason) but it clearly caused by the breakup with their partner. They find themselves in sticky situations like a car crash, a murder scene (I presume) and in the middle of a forest, so they have to beg for help (hence, the title). They also seem to be dressed for a wedding, given the flower on their lapels. Maybe they got stood up? From Seoul departs from the darkness in the other video and matches it lighthearted sound with a video consists of the trio having fun around Seoul. And it too was a nice video as it goes well with the song.

Help Me
Song – 9/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

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

[Review] SoulMate – ZICO (Block B) ft. IU

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This is probably the collaboration of the century. Zico is a very well-known producer known for his chart-topping hits such as I Am You, You Are Me and Boys and Girls. IU is the digital queen, with all her songs taking over the charts as soon as they are released. So it was no surprise that their collaboration rose quickly to the top of the charts. And that is why we are here today – to review this highly anticipated (yet very unexpecting) collaboration.

SoulMate begins with the vocals of both collaborators. Zico’s vocals seem to change a little each time, complimenting the style of the song. IU’s signature husky vocals are definitely impactful here. Together, there is this extremely smooth feel. The instrumental has this subtle jazz vibe, which was nice. I liked how despite the song being notably Zico (as he produced it), it could easily have slipped into IU’s albums. Zico’s rap was nice and I liked how IU sang along with some of the rap lines. The choruses wasn’t that memorable in my opinion, however, it reminded me of Spring, which is fast approaching. My favourite bit of the song was the bridge, where both singers seem to push themselves a little further, allowing that section of the song to resonate with me. Overall, the song does really speak volumes when you listen to it as a whole and with this quality of music, it is no wonder why they always top charts.

While this may look like the longest elevator wait ever, you all should come to my university. You will be able to replay the song a few times before any elevator opens up. Putting that aside, I thought the video was a nice way of presenting the idea of finding soulmates. I liked the small cameo that Crush made, with this blue hair being a very obvious giveaway (I know he recently returned but I couldn’t think of anything regarding his song). I was also surprised as both artists appeared in the video, which isn’t a usual case for some collaborations (i.e. one artist is usually absent).

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

 

[Review] Don’t Leave – Block B

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Zico from Block B was voted as the Best Rapper of 2017. To see who else was voted as the best for 2017, check out the results for the 2017 KPOPREVIEWED Awards by clicking here.

We last saw Block B with Shall We Dance and their mini-album, Montage, in November. At the end of 2017, it was announced that the group would return with a repackaged mini-album, titled as Re:Montage. The repackaged mini-album features 3 new songs, including Don’t Leave (the main title track), a solo song from Jaehyo and U-Kwon.

Don’t Leave is another ballad under Block B’s wing. And while it does sound quite rooted within its emotions, the song fails to capture my attention. It just doesn’t have anything that separates it from some of other songs that are currently being released. Shall We Dance grew on me with a few extra listens after writing the review for its uniqueness in terms of its sound, whereas Don’t Leave just feels very standard. That being said, there are elements of the song which I like. The instrumental starts off as piano-based but it progresses to have a band feel. It definitely has a grand feel to it.. Vocals are quite nice (harmonies were beautiful) but the best part has to be the raps. You can never go wrong in that department when it comes to Block B. The transition between Zico rapping and singing felt flawless and P.O’s segment at the end of the song was definitely the best part of the song.

The HD quality of this music video makes it feel so fresh and crisp. It draws me in when there isn’t much going on in the video. The post-apocalyptic feel that I got from the setting of the video reminds me of Love Song by Big Bang, especially Kyung’s walk along the beach. I do like the various camera angles that make the video feel artistic and aesthetic. The slowness of the imagery in the video does compliment the ballad and slower nature of the song.

[Updated] Despite it being a ballad, Block B manages to fit a choreography routine in. It didn’t feel necessary but nonetheless, it is actually very nice. I love the choreography during the post-chorus repetition moments of the song. Their hands flailing around doesn’t look in sync but it has a nice aesthetic, which is something I like.

Song – 6.5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10 [Updated]
Overall Rating – 6.75/10 [Updated]

[Review] Shall We Dance – Block B

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Block B has returned with a brand new song, Shall We Dance, and mini-album, Montage. It has been almost a year since they last released a song (Yesterday) from the entire group and has been a while since we last saw them on stage. The group has been quite busy with overseas schedules and a number of releases in Japan.

Shall We Dance is a groovy track that attempts to get people up and dancing. I think it is safe to agree that I have not heard of a track like this at all in KPOP. It is different which attracts your attention and you end up giving into your curiosity to enjoy the track. That being said, its uniqueness is a highlight but it could be its downfall. It opens Block B’s portfolio to a wider range of music but it could also mean that many fans and listeners will require some ‘getting used to it’ time, which may or may not help them. But while those are concerns for the song’s performance, it is a lot different on a personal level. The track has its moments but it doesn’t feel like it is building up to much. Instead what we hear at the start of the song is basically the same thing through the rest of the song.  Probably the most interesting element was the vocals (such as those prior to the chorus), which contrasted nicely with the raps. The “Shall We Dance” chorus was also catchy enough to get me listening to the song. I think the foreignness of the track was just so overwhelming.

I like how the video is set in the backstreets or the abandoned areas. That, too, isn’t something you see that often in the music videos designed for the Korean audience. And it just felt like one underground party, where everyone is having fun. There was some seriousness in there but I think there were enough smiles to offset that seriousness (which was somewhat creepy). And Block B did a great job with fitting into the crowd with their hairstyles and outfits. Though there is one thing that I have to say. This mullet trend really needs to go.

Why am I somewhat surprised that they didn’t go for freestyle? While it was pretty nice to watch, asking the question “Shall We Dance” and going with a set routine is a little constricting, in my opinion. I personally think some freestyle flexibility would suit the song more.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 6.5/10
Overall Rating – 7/10

[Review] Anti – Zico (Block B) ft. G.Soul

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Yesterday, I wrote my review for Zico’s other recent song, Artist. After finishing off my review, I found out that Zico also released Anti‘s music video. I decided to write a separate review for Anti because the music video seemed like something that is worth talking about and it was a little late for me to make it a double review. So, while it is a day late, here is my review for Anti.

Anti, first glance, sounded like a great song and it gets better as you listen to more of it. I personally think the instrumental was pretty good. Firstly, it suited Zico’s rap and G.Soul’s vocals. It did feel a little lacking at times, but for the most part, I thought otherwise. I like it how the instrumental changes up slightly as the song went on, by adding an extra element to the instrumental. It keeps it from getting boring. Zico’s raps felt very dead at the start, but as it progressed you could feel some energy flowing from his lines. If I had felt that energy from the start (or earlier in the song), I think I would have liked the song even more. G.Soul’s vocals were perfect for this song, with the chorus being the main highlight of the song. There were two things that irked me though. The first was the pronunciation of the word ‘Anti‘. It sounded more like ‘Auntie‘, which would have been a completely different song. Secondly, it was the abrupt ending that felt like an edge of the cliff. It doesn’t do it for me. But overall, still a great song!

When I said the video seemed decent, it looked amazing. Definitely got the mysterious and eerie vibes in which the video was presented from the very start. The two ladies standing on the road reminded me of American Horror Story latest season. Zico seemed to be shot in the video and he is shown to travel to hell (hence the burning room) or heaven (which I think was the toilet seat scenes). The video halts before G.Soul comes in to replace Zico. I think, in the end, he was just watching a film on the television, which he ends up turning off. And the ending serves as the start of the Artist video. It is a very confusing video but it has great aesthetics and suited the song quite nicely.

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

[Review] Artist – Zico (Block B)

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Zico, the main rapper from Block B, is back with a brand new mini-album, titled as Television. The main title track of the release is Artist. Alongside Artist, Zico did also release another music video for Anti, which features G.Soul. I actually finished this review and then just found out about the Anti music video so I will write a separate review for it tomorrow. The video looks promising.

Artist takes you back to the more upbeat and rap centred tracks that Zico was initially known for. While there are many singing segments to this song, Zico’s return to rapping felt much needed. Sure, he has many great tracks where he had a more melodic centrepiece but Zico rapping in a solo song felt like a distant memory. Obviously, his vocals and raps are amazing, per usual. It might have been an artistic choice but I did feel like the delivery of the rap was a lot weaker. It did fit the song, but it needed a little more energy to make it sound bolder and more distinctive. Artist had a fun and bright vibe, which (and I say this a lot) suits the current season. While you can tell there was the obvious hip-hop influenced moments in the song, there were other parts that felt more pop-like. But that might be my ears telling me otherwise. Overall, I thought it was a great song.

This video does a pretty good job at trying to be quirky. The individual scenes seem to be pretty tame standalone. But once you put them together, it is a little more out there. I thought the interaction between Zico and the people around him added more energy to the video, which felt needed. I say that because the video felt very standard and neutral for the most part (i.e. there was nothing that made the video stand out). The dancing school girls did catch my attention. Their facial expressions throughout their parts made me laugh. The bright and outdoor feel seems to suit the song’s sound quite nicely. You may notice that there was a small bit of choreography in the video. While I don’t think a stage version will be available anytime soon, it looked fun.

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

[Review] She’s A Baby – Zico (Block B)

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Zico, the leader and main rapper of Block B, is finally back. He also happens to be one of the biggest solo acts active at the moment. Zico has a massive portfolio ranging from solo tracks, such as I Am You, You Are Me, to songs in which he produced such as Flower Road by Gugudan’s Sejeong. She’s A Baby has been rivalling IU’s chart-topping songs since its release. Block B also recently made a comeback with Yesterday as well.

Each time Zico releases music, it is always something that is different and doesn’t fit his past styles. And I like that about Zico, the fact that he is not afraid to try. However, this comes at a big risk as it will be hard to satisfy everyone’s taste in music. Sadly, that is the case with this song for me. I don’t really enjoy it that much. The song feels quite bare. There really isn’t that much to the instrumental. The guitar really stands out, mainly because there really isn’t much to accompany it or overpower it. It also makes the song feel jagged and disjointed. His voice seems to tie all the jagged fragments together and the way he sang some parts gave the song a more dynamic profile, something that the instrumental would have usually provided. The tempo of the track is also worth talking about because it makes the song feel quite slow. But somehow the track ends feeling like a 1 minute, rather than the 3 minutes it actually goes for. I wouldn’t say this is a bad song, it just doesn’t appeal to my taste.

The music video seems to be shot in the same style as Ladies Code’s Galaxy. Likewise, I have no idea what is going on in this video. My guess is that Zico and the girl are in love. But Zico finds out that the girl he loves is like a baby, but he finds that cute. So instead, Zico adopts a more caring side rather romantic side. Instead of letting her eat a cupcake with candy sprinkles on top, he swaps it for a carrot cupcake. He sleeps on the floor instead, while giving her the bed. All seem to support what I think. But I would like to hear (or read) other theories. Videos like this are quite nice to watch and fascinating because they make you think about what is happening. Some things are not explicitly shown, and you have to fill in the gaps. The use of colour in this video also makes it look cool. Despite what I said at the end of the song review, I feel like this video did drag out the song. It may be problematic for some songs, but not that much with this song.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.2/10

[Review] Yesterday – Block B

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Block B has dropped a surprise release, in the form of a single, titled as Yesterday. I have no idea if this is going to be a pre-release for a future album or is just a single. I have been trying to find out but I have come up with no answer. This is the first Block B release since Toy last year. Since their last comeback, the members have each embarked on solo and subunit promotions.

Listening to Yesterday for the first time, I thought it had a Winner feel to it, more specifically Winner’s more pop centred songs such as Don’t Flirt. That thought still sticks with me but I have noticed that the song still has that Block B feel. I thought it sounded similar to Jackpot as well, just a lot lighter. Maybe it is the rock-based instrumental that gets me thinking like that. This time around, the group seemed to have inserted a bit of pop influence into the song. Overall, I thought the vocals were good. P.O’s raspy vocals and raps shined the best in this song. I like the way Zico raps, but I feel like he needs to show more variety, as like in his solo, when he is with the group. I felt like this was too similar to many of his past raps within Block B songs. While as simple as it sounds and as cliché as it sounds, I really like the “la, la, la” part of the song. To me, the song isn’t necessarily repeat-worthy, but it still nice to listen to once in a while.

With a more cheerful song, the music video is expectantly more colourful and vibrant. The group also went with a sitcom-like theme but that concept seemed lost just before the 1st chorus, which then returned to a normal non-themed KPOP video. To make it seem more like a sitcom, they should have added the member’s name during the start because the start of the video seemed like a sitcom introduction. Moving along, the guys couldn’t contact their lover (who happened to be the same girl). They do their best to figure out where she was and what she was doing “yesterday”. But instead, they find out they are all following the same girl. They join hands in trying to figure out what she did “yesterday”. But they ended up failing at the end. The video was fun to watch, matching the song very nicely. You could probably not imagine another way to present the video or another concept to go with the song.

We only see a few brief seconds of the choreography in the video. Not too entirely sure if there is even a full choreography for this song. So I am not going to even try to rate this part.

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

[Review] Make It Rain – Bastarz (Block B)

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Block B launched their first subunit back in 2015 with Conduct Zero. U-Kwon, B-Bomb and P.O make up the subunit. Now, the subunit has returned with a brand new mini-album. While the subunit did release three music videos for Selfish & Beautiful Girl, Make It Rain and That’s Right, I will only be reviewing their main title track, Make It Rain due to time constraints.

Make It Rain serves as a great continuation from Conduct Zero. The songs seem to go well with each other and Make It Rain is like a nice sequel. I do find it a better than song than the predecessor. This song has a cleaner sound and quite tame compared to their previous song. I wasn’t much of a fan of their previous track, so this sounds a lot better. Like what other people are saying, the song focuses more on the vocal side. The song doesn’t pack a punch until you reach the chorus, thanks to a really nice buildup prior to the chorus. Never a big fan of rappers singing. Some of them have been great, others have been disappointing. P.O falls in between this time around. However, it was the only part which I liked about the whole song. The chorus overshadowed the verses and kind of shoved U-Kwon and B-Bomb away from the spotlight. They had good parts (i.e. their vocals were highlighted) but it failed to capture my attention. There was no hook in the song to me. The only hook in the entire song was the in the chorus and that hook was repeated over and over again. Overall, it was an alright song. Can’t really give them any more than an ‘alright’, to be honest.

I have little to no clue on what’s going on in the video. I have watched it a few times. Besides agreeing that the entire video carries elements that match the song, there really isn’t much else to the video. I have to say the way the video was shot looked really nice and amazing. It’s choppiness and roughness (can I describe it as that?) went really well with the choppy sound in the video. Gave a nice chaotic feel to it. The special effects also added to it as well. Don’t even ask me about the content of the video. I watch with wide eyes and then just go to another tab, leaving the song to play. To me, it seems like they are mobsters of some kind and enjoy gambling. I assume drugs are mixed up somewhere (I assume the stuff they see and their wobbly visions are like hallucinations). Minus the content, the outer layer of the video looked pretty good and (as I mention for the third time) matched the song a lot.

Like the music video, the performance was made to look a little chaotic. A lot of flailing arms and hands. I think the performance looks pretty good. They showed a performance with more precision and allowed the main dancer of the group U-Kwon to show more style and talent on the stage.

Rating – 6/10

[Rewind] April 2016 & May 2016

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Yeah… I know May hasn’t ended yet, but to avoid posting another late ‘Rewind” post 3 weeks after the month finished, I have decided to April and May together. This one is going to be a little informal in terms of format for a few reasons that will appear apparent. And before we move on, just a little reminder that I will try to write and release reviews every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Okay, moving along:

Leaving the Group?

We became shocked with the disbandment (or what we dubbed at the disbandment) of Kara at the start of the year. However, it seems like certain groups are facing member line up changes after one of their members had decided to not resign with their company and have since departed ways with their respective groups. Former member of 2NE1, Minzy, and former member of Miss A, Jia, have both decided to leave their successful group and go onto their own paths.  Minzy will (hopefully) make her solo debut in the near future after confirmation came from her new company in which she signed. Jia was announced today that she would be leaving the band after her contract finished. Miss A and 2NE1 faced disbandment rumours from these two events, but both their companies have stated that is not the case. Not only girl groups are facing these changes, but A-Jax (if we all remember who they were) recently lost 3 members (Sungmin, Jaehyung and Jihu). But the list does not end there. Hyunseung departed from Beast, leaving the group with 5 members. It was kind of expected after the numerous articles and petitions asking for his removal. Hyunseung is expected to return as a solo artist in the near future and is still signed with Cube Entertainment. It is always disappointing to hear these news and it has obviously shocked the industry a lot. These members have been with their band since the beginning, so it is always hard for fans. Hopefully, there won’t be any more of this and I wish the former members luck in their future endeavours (because that is something we all should do and not call them selfish).

Descendant of the Sun

Now this is something we all have heard about. The drama has taken Asia by storm and has been proven to be highly successsful. It stars Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Ko, as the main characters. Before you all die from shock, I have yet to watch this drama. So, no spoilers. But I don’t actually have any plans to watch the drama. Because I am not one to enjoy romance and all this lovey dovey sh*t. I just don’t watch the genre (or any mainstream and popular dramas). I prefer the cringeworthy daily dramas. Now, why am I talking about this drama? Well, the OSTs for this drama has literally taken over the charts each time they were released. Not complaining here, but the songs were really good. Like, I really enjoy listening to them and this is probably the first time I have been impressed with the OST for a drama. Anyway, the OST contains songs from Davichi, Gummy, K.Will, Yoon Mi Rae, Chen, Punch, Mad Clown, Kim Na Young, Xiah, MC The Max, Lyn and SG Wannabe. In OST terms, this is pretty much the star studded red carpet. Each song released topped the charts instantaneously and I can see these artists winning the Best OST awards at the award ceremonies already. That is all I am reporting on… Hahaha…

Comebacks and Debuts

For the past two months, many artists have made their comeback and they include ): Block B, Seventeen, History, April, Twice, AOA, Akdong Musician, VIXX, Lovelyz, Up10Tion and so many more.

For debuts, NCT is the big debut for April.  I.O.I is probably the major debut for May. However, we have seen new soloists emerge in KPOP in the past two months. Notably, Jung Eunji from APINK, Woohyun from Infinite and Tiffany from SNSD had their respective solo debuts in the last two months.

Top 5 songs of April

As per normal, these are my top 5 songs of April:

  1. Pretty U – Seventeen
  2. Journey to Atlantis – Laboum
  3. Dynamite – VIXX
  4. Queen – History
  5. Toy – Block B

Top 5 songs of May

May hasn’t ended yet, but it is about to. I will add other May songs to the June list (when I get around to it).

0. Pretty U – Seventeen (I have to. I have been trialling charts and Seventeen has been popping up every single week as the top song for the week).
1. Good Luck – AOA
2. Save Me – BTS
3. Nodding Nodding – Woohyun (Infinite)
4. I Just Wanna Dance – Tiffany (SNSD)
5. Fire – BTS

This one was a long one and I tried to keep it short. I am really behind in reviews and will get them out slowly. It will take me some time to catch up. Bad news is that I have exams coming up and I am going to be slower. I will review every major release eventually, so give me some time. Enjoy the rest of May and see you tomorrow!!!

 

Toy – Block B

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It has been a while since we heard from Block B. They last promoted Her back in 2014 as a whole group. They debuted a subunit (Bastarz) consisting of B.Bomb, U-kwon and P.O in 2015. 2015 and the first few months of 2016 have probably been Zico’s year though as he made a highly successful solo debut and each of his songs ended up topping the charts. But finally they are back with Toy and their latest mini album.

I thought this song was pretty dry and dead at first. However, listening to this song continuously makes the song sound like pure heaven. It is honestly catchy and packs a mean message (mean as in cool, to an extent).  I expected something with more of a hip hop vibe to it, since that is what they were doing prior to their hiatus. But we get this ballad and RnB dance track, which I think Block B handled professionally and perfectly. It is pretty catchy. The catchiness isn’t really evident, it just seems to be very subtle and doesn’t really hit us. It just makes me unconsciously go back to the song. I don’t remember my thoughts on H.E.R, but the rapping and vocal work from all the members was amazing. Even P.O (whom I am not that fond of) sounds really good in this song. The instrumental was on point as well. Loved the unique sound that the violins had at the start (Is it unique? I don’t know. It sounds different though, as if they used electronic violins). Especially at the “I’m Your Toy” part in the song. Just amazing.

The music video is pretty cool. Loving how the BBCs (Block B fan club) have called themselves trash and that Block B included them in the music video. It just makes everything so funny. Not that I should be laughing. This is a very serious topic. But the idea of the song and music video goes hand in hand. The girl drags her boys to the rubbish bin after she is done with them, so essentially she is “dumping them”. Hahahaha… The guys end up singing how she will want them back and that they will end up being her toys again. Unfortunately, that will just “land-fill” them back into the bin. Loving this concept. It is just so “rubbish”. Okay, I will stop making you fans and the band feel “trashy”. But seriously, the colour in the video is on point (or the tip of the land fill). Compliments the video really well. Honestly check out the video because it has some good meaning that I “threw away” and decided to substitute these puns in for.

Dancing is amazing. Block B does not really pass as a dance group, and this dance kind of proves that too me. But the whole toy concept was really cool. How they acted like mini robots and those arm flailing in the air for the “I’m Your Toy” part. Oh and it seems like Block B seem to get onto the dance trends quite quickly. Saw them Nae Nae before the whole thing became popular and now they are -dabs-.

I am writing this while I am half asleep. This was meant to be out yesterday, but that didn’t go to plan. I found a little bit of time and decided to finish it off and just get it out there. Check out the song and video below because it just looks so cool. Comeback, overall, was so cool. 10/10

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

Conduct Zero – Bastarz (Block B)

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Another form of BBB. Not Dal Shabet, but Block B’s first and newest subunit. Yes, Block B has formed their first subunit consisting of P.O, U-kwon and B-Bomb. The subunit is known as Bastarz. Block B has been gaining fame in the past year. They changed their style and went for a more casual comeback last time with H.E.R, hitting all the female fans in their hearts and earning the boys a place on their bias list. Zico has been quite involved in the past year with a lot of solo work (including this solo releases such as Tough Cookie). The band also made their Japanese debut with the Japanese version of Very Good at the start of the year.

Not a big fan of the hip hop genre. There are good songs from the genre that I personally like, but I am more into the more laid back kind of songs, not a big fan of intense songs most of the times. But while the song was definitely had it hip hop influences, I also noticed a lot of more modern and electronic sounds. I did not like the start of it. The blaring of the sirens and that banging sound got to me, in a bad way.  Another thing was the chorus. That was not enjoyable. I did like the vocals and I thought P.O’s rough rapping vocals were bad (but not sure if him handling the chorus was the best choice in my opinion). I don’t see what Bastarz is mainly for. Block B has been experimenting with various sounds for their past few releases, with ballads, pop songs, hip hop and rock songs on their list. This is more of a “side” thing in my opinion. They don’t seem to go into anything new. BUT for once they focused on the vocalists of the band. I am glad that this is happening.

You guys probably want to kill me now, but I did not enjoy the music video. Like I can sit through it and not cringe (bonus points for that), but it really is not a music video that I personally want to go back to. The music video is rated 19+ which I don’t understand. They only problem I can see with the music video was the girls wearing their underwear (or bikini, but I think it is underwear). But hey, they still got the other areas well covered, there really is nothing wrong with that. There was a lot of focus on the upper chest areas during the music video (which I am not going to complain about). Just putting it out there, but they have nice bodies. But I don’t want a hot girl chopping up meat like that. Firstly, she has no idea what she was doing (from the looks of it) and I have no idea what was going on? From a party dance floor, to an abandoned warehouse, to a butcher’s freezer? Yeah, I was confused. I did not like the shakiness of the camera (even though it matched the song quite well).

The dance was so so. Not going to say much here, but it really is nothing that I thought was outstanding or worth commenting on. I just thought that this dance was slapped together a little too quickly.

Overall, it was an okay comeback. Not really making me reach to press the replay button. Sorry this review went up so slow. I have been very busy (and exams are coming up soon). 5/10

 

H.E.R – Block B

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Block B has finally returned after a year on the stage. Last year they promoted Very Good. Recently, they released Jackpot, however it was dropped from promotions because they felt t would not have been suitable to promote a song like that especially when the recent Sewol tragedy occurred. However, now they are back and they promoted both Jackpot and now, their new title track H.E.R. It is a different style to their previous songs which have been quite strong and powerful (and also quirky). This however was a change that no one really expected, however it was probably done so to fit the Summer season that Korea is currently experiencing. ON WITH THE REVIEW!!!

This song is not that bad. However, to me it sounds like a typical KPOP song. It really does not have that Block B feel like in Very Good and Jackpot. This sounds mainstream and really does not pull me in I had expected it to. However, beside saying that, I actually thought it was an okay song to listen. I really like how they changed it aorund and had the rappers do the chorus. Though it seems unfair for the vocalists, but the rappers managed to do a good job. That being said, this song did something that I think they never should do again. They really failed in trying to make the band do a completely different genre. To me,  the rappers only fulfilled half of what a vocalist should do. The chorus should be the part where it is the catchiest. And usually, a vocalist would do a good job handling this part, however, subbing in rappers really don’t cut it. Honestly, they could have rapped their way through. I did like the “her” part of the song, (after the chorus) and it sounded pretty catchy. The song was colourful and upbeat. Just it seems like a song that would have came out back in 2011, when there was a huge influx of groups and basically producers just made songs with whatever they could at a fast pace.

Block B is known for its extreme style and quirky concepts. However, this video seemed quite ‘normal’ to me. I thought it looked awkward and really not retain that Block B feel from the music videos. I guess the most craziest part was where Zico raps to the ostrich.  Cool, just not there enough. I don’t get the whole detergent thing. It confuses me to if they are singing about the detergent or an actual person that they like. That interview seemed out of place. And Zico’s (failed) aegyo really did not help the video at all. The ending was pretty cool with 3 times of the band. Don’t know how fan girls will cope with that, but I thought that was a fun addition. Also, the music video was shot with some kind of filtered. I should say edited. It gave the music video a very smooth feel to it, but I felt that was not really needed. Overall, the video was also a disappointment.

The dance I really cannot comment on. It did have that really fun feel to it and it did fit the song. It just did not live up to the potential it could have been.

3/10. It was not the best comeback and probably not one that I would like to see the boys reattempt. I am 100% sure that they could do just fine if they go back to their hardcore and extreme styles, like Very Good.

Jackpot – Block B

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Block B, back in April, announced that they will be making a comeback in April with their new song, Jackpot. However, after the events of the Sowel Incident, along with the recent cancellation of majority of dramas, music shows and variety programs in Korea for the mourning, the group had decided to cancel the promotions of this mini album. We must applaud these guys. Usually, they would want to promote the song, however out of the best interest of the people who were affected they made a brave choice to cancel their promotions. However, their music video is still online and song is floating around somewhere on the Internet, which means a review is possible!!! Oh top of that, I recently came back after studying hard, and today is basically like my day off. So let’s get going.

This song is pretty good. It carried that Block B feel that Very Good contained and I think Block B is making these type of songs into their own style. The piano start gives off that really creepy feel which the video has and then bam, we enter a pretty good start to the song. Zico starts rapping first (and this where I forget who is who). I have to say, the vocals are quite weak for a song like that. I expected like something with more power. The chorus is pretty good, but it does not carry the same level of impact. I think the “La, La, La” part sounds much better compared to the chorus of the song. The bridge with Zico and P.O sounds oddly out of place, but at least the song managed to go back into the same level the song had before. I liked the song and I think it sounds like a Block B type of song, but the way they delivered the song did not cut out for me.

The music video is pretty creepy. I like the circus theme and how it was used to scare (and be completely confusing). The girl gets kidnapped by the band after she gets frightened and faints from a scary clown who creeped up upon her. she then wakes up to a room full of guys and tries to scream her way out. And then, I basically lose Zico’s part with the interrogation scene and P.O eating the cockroach. P.O I think it is time that someone tells you that is not how you get the ladies. She then gets a chance to escape when some of the members start fighting. However another member scares her, but is soon distracted by the girl’s mirror. She soon runs away and thought she finally got away from the dudes. Well, she gets caught once again and has knives thrown at her. Then she gets a haircut by some psycho dude. But then in that end scene, she manages to escapes. Like, she just walks away. I liked the sets where the music video is shot. They were pretty cool. Pity that we did not see much of a dance, but maybe one day we will.

Overall, it would have been a great comeback. 7/10. Sorry if this review was a little rushed or less of what I usually do in terms of content, trying to get back into the hang of it.

Happy New Year!!!

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Hi all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Wow, 2013 is finally over. Can you believe it. With days to go, I will be unable to update this over my “break”. Beside that I have scheduled a whole heap of reviews. I promised you guys an End Of Year Charts, and with that very day 3-4 days away, I think it is time unleash the beast. Party hard! Welcome the new year in style! I will wish to see you all back on the 2nd of Jan 2013 (subject to change). At the very bottom of this post, there will be two links. One is a playlist for the winners of the BOB’s and the other is the top 20 songs of the year, as selected by this chart. Yay!!!!

Position Title Artist
1 Female President Girl’s Day
2 G.R.8.U (Your Impressive) VIXX
3 Tonight Spica
4 Hush Miss A
5 Damaged Lady Kara
6 24 Hours Sunmi
7 Voodoo Doll VIXX
8 Give It To Me Sistar
9 Expectation Girl’s Day
10 Only One Gummy
11 Be Ambitious Dal Shabet
12 Red Shoes IU
13 Number 9 T-Ara
14 Very Good Block B
15 Everybody SHINee
16 Kill Bill Brown Eyed Girls
17 Destiny Infinite
18 I Don’t Know FIESTAR
19 Only You VIXX
20 U&I Ailee
21 Madly FT Island
22 Love Blossom K.Will
23 Love Options BESTie
24 What’s Going On? B1A4
25 Growl EXO
26 Gone Not Around Any Longer Sistar19
27 Yoo Hoo Secret
28 While You Were Asleep JeA (Brown Eyed Girls)
29 1.4.3 Henry (Super Junior M) Feat. Amber F(x)
30 Dream Girl SHINee
31 Wild Nine Muses
32 Thriller BTOB
33 Goodbye Dasoni (EXID)
34 Insane A-Jax
35 One Shot B.A.P
36 Lonely Christmas Crayon Pop
37 Confused AOA
38 Bar Bar Bar Crayon Pop
39 Glue Nine Muses
40 Twenty Four / Seven 2Yoon
41 Jeon Won Diary T-Ara N4
42 I Like That GLAM
43 Tell Me Tell Me Rainbow
44 Stupid In Love Mad Clown ft. Soyu (Sistar)
45 Rocking Teen Top
46 No No No A-Pink
47 Why So Serious? SHINee
48 Baby I’m Sorry MYNAME
49 Dreamer History
50 The Letter Davichi

PLAYLIST 1: 

PLAYLIST 2: 

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM KPOPreviewed!!!