Tag: Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)

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

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

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

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

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

Rating –  9/10

End Of Year Chart 2015 + Happy New Year!

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Welcome to the end of the year! Each year, I do this “End Of The Year Chart” where I properly rank songs via a personalised ranking system, which shows which songs I liked the most (and which songs I did not like at all – but I won’t name and shame). How do I rank the songs? Simply taking the score that I gave them in the review published earlier in the year, adding it to new review scores for the music, video and performance. Then I add those to other scores from “Songs of the Month” in my Rewind posts and to ensure that I can properly order them, I turn to my iTunes play count. And when I say “add”, there is a mixture of mathematical operations (and I am going to stop here, before I can bore you). In no way is this chart influenced by my choice of best song in the BOBs. But I do highlight them here :).

1 Ah Yeah EXID
2 Paradise Lost Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)
3 If You Do  GOT7
4 Closer Oh My Girl
5 You G.Soul
6 Love Me Right EXO
7 I Need U BTS
8 Sing For You EXO
9 Shake It Sistar
10 4 Walls F(x)
11 Dumb Dumb Red Velvet
12 I Taeyeon (SNSD) ft. Verbal Jint
13 Like OOH AHH Twice
14 Oh Um Ah Yeah Mamamoo
15 Mansae Seventeen
16 Just Right GOT7
17 Crazy 4Minute
18 Insensible Lee Hong Ki (FT Island)
19 Run BTS
20 Yey Beast
21 Between Night n Music B.I.G
22 Shake That Brass Amber (f(x)) ft. Taeyeon (SNSD)
23 Hot Pink EXID
24 Beautiful Liar VIXX LR (VIXX)
25 Brand New World Brown Eyed Girls
26 Ring My Bell Girls Day
27 Hurt Locker Nine Muses
28 Growing Pains Donghae & Eunhyuk
29 Run Away Royal Pirates
30 Black Swan Rainbow
31 Congratulations DAY6
32 Catch Me If You Can SNSD
33 Me Gustas Tu Gfriend
34 The Answer Kim Sung Gyu (Infinite)
35 Dope BTS
36 Pray FT Island
37 Cinderella CN Blue
38 You’re Pitiful Fiestar
39 Hopeless Love Jimin (15&)
40 Bad Infinite
41 Might Just Die History
42 We Like 2 Party Big Bang
43 Chained Up VIXX
44 Fire Mad Clown ft. Jamsil (Mad Child Soul)
45 Bell Bottoms PSY
46 Ice Cream Cake Red Velvet
47 Break Ya LU:KUS
48 Kontrol Kim Sung Gyu (Infinite)
49 I Feel You Wonder Girls
50 Wow Wow Wow Junjin (Shinhwa) ft. Eric (Shinhwa)

And here are some interesting facts about this year and the chart itself!

  • A total of 180 songs were ranked on this chart, but a total of 195 songs were reviewed this year (which I believe is a personal best).
  • The first song reviewed and included in the chart is BTOB’s The Winter Tale (released at the end of last year). The last song reviewed and included in the chart was EXO’s Sing For You
  • A total of 16 girl groups, 17 boy groups and 9 soloists are featured on the chart.
  • There is a better mix of boys and girl groups this year, compared to last year, where the first boy group did not feature on the charts until after 16th place.
  • BTS had the most songs on the chart (I Need U, Dope & Run). followed by: EXID (Ah Yeah & Hot Pink), GOT7 (If You Do, Just Right), EXO (Love Me Right, Sing For You), Kim Sung Gyu (The Answer, Kontrol) & Red Velvet (Dumb Dumb & Ice Cream Cake).
  • Rookies were actually a strong force this year with Oh My Girl, Seventeen and Twice ranking quite high up in the charts.
  • The following ranked after 50th place: IU, B.I.G, Crayon Pop, VIXX, Seventeen, Changmin, Big Bang, Brown Eyed Girls and CLC.
  • And finally, this year chart was actually reflected on the BOBs this year. I crowned EXID’s Ah Yeah as best song for both segments.

AND THAT IS IT!! 2015 will be ending shortly. 6 Hours To Go (for me at least)!!! Hope 2015 has been a great year for you all. I thank you all once again for another year of KPOPreviewed. Your support has been amazing. Every comment and like (heck even every view) makes me happy!! Nearly 5 years and still going strong!! Thank you 2015 and I wish you all a Happy New Year wherever and whenever it is time. Let’s make 2016 our year!!! (First review: 2nd of Jan).

Warm Hole – Brown Eyed Girls

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Oh dear, oh dear. I don’t think Brown Eyed Girls do subtle. I can’t say the song disguises the sexual innuendo at all because well, it is on the surface of the song, it is within the song and I am guessing when we read the lyrics together, it is also between the lines. And if you have no idea what this is about, well here is a line from the song “fire in the hole, when you touch me down there, I’m not feeling very well, so hot in down there“. When that part first hit me, I was trying my best not to laugh but it was impossible. The song has this nice funky and disco vibe to it which mirrors the music found back in the day. It has that early 70s feel to it. I have to be honest, the song is quite catchy and addictive. Miryo’s rap and the chorus combined together is a tune that I cannot get out of my own head at the moment. Once again, this is a style that I think only Brown Eyed Girls can pull off like it is nothing. This particular, while it is bit sexual, has that Brown Eyed Girl style, just not the exact type of song that we all expected.

Holes, holes and more holes. This whole music video is full of different holes and a lot of spinning things. Holes in apples, records spinning on the turntable, blenders making smoothies, those really cool tunnels that form when you put air into them. It was a very bright video that has funky and disco vibe to it, making it fit hand in hand with the song. I absolutely love how intrigued they look when it came to the holes. JeA’s part was just a little too innocent. I don’t think climbing into a washing machine is that safe and furthermore kind look over the top for me. I absolutely love their rabbit ears and tails. It all fits into the video and comes together as a great concept.

The dance was anything but sexual. I thought it was very classy. Their costumes indicate otherwise, but the dance on its own really does not scream out slutty or anything that vulgar. Their bum wiggles are cute and fit in very well.

This part of their comeback goes really well together. The only big complaint that I have is: cannot take the song 100% seriously as soon as Miryo starts doing her lines. Not saying she is bad, just the content of the lyrics. 9/10

Brand New World – Brown Eyed Girls

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Every single song that I am hearing in November is giving me chills and Brown Eyed Girl’s latest releases have been exactly that. It wasn’t something that I personally expected and thought it sounded really weird. Not the same colour that I expected for a Brown Eyed Girl’s songs, but it is growing on me. I now believe that this song has a style that probably Brown Eyed Girl’s can pull off. But anyway, yeah it is a weird song. I honestly cannot think of a way to describe it as a whole. There are elements of electronic and funk in it, but there is more to it which I cannot identified (I think I identified the more obvious genres that are mashed up into it). It also has a futuristic sound or a sound that I would have associated with the portrayal of space back in the 80’s or 90’s. I absolutely love the chorus, with JeA’s and Narsha’s fast pace singing. Miryo’s rap is kind of iffy for me, but after listening to it a lot, I think she handles it pretty well. The creepy “Hey~” that are featured in the track actually that really nice touch, even though it sounds really creepy.

The music video is one a whole new level. Yeah, those back up dancers with Gain at the start in those shorts, it took me some time to figure out that they were men. And that is what I love about Brown Eyed Girl’s music videos. They seem to always attempt to push something upon us that isn’t considered as typical. The video has a lot of sophistication in it. While it suits the futuristic sound that the band is going for, I absolutely found those bright lights on some of the dance scenes really obnoxious. It is something that has always been a part of me and every time a video has it, it just annoys me. It seems to be the girls go time travelling or something that bends light. I love the concept and thought it was very interesting. I love the special effects of the random shapes that pop up from time to time during the video. Beside those lights, I love everything about the video.

The dance, while it is something that does not scream Brown Eyed Girls, it manages to do the job and goes hand in hand with the song. To me, this dance just shows the girls ages. It really isn’t that strong compared to in the past, and reading articles about the girl’s bodies seem to just confirm my suspicions. My absolutely favourite parts? The creepy “Hey~”. How to make an entrance according to Brown Eyed Girls 101.

Overall, amazing song and video. An okay dance. 8/10

I will be reviewing Warm Hole and releasing the review tomorrow. I chose to do them separately, mainly because I want to share a laugh with you all about Warm Hole. if you don’t understand, it is time to play Warm Hole and listen carefully to some parts. I’ll tell you the rest tomorrow.

 

Queen – Miryo (Brown Eyed Girls) ft. Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)

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It has been a long time coming but finally something has emerged about Brown Eyed Girls. While this is not a full comeback from the band, one member is pretty good, considering the lack of activities from the band. So when I heard Miryo was making her comeback, I was extremely happy. Yes I know, Gain did make a comeback, but compared to the other members, she is promoted a lot more than her other band members. Brown Eyed Girls also shot down disbandment rumours, by saying that they are currently working on an album and it should be released sometime in the near future. I hope they don’t disband and if it happens that this album may be their last, I don’t mind. Just give me the album. How selfish of me really. But considering their age, it is amazing at where they are today.

So Miryo made her comeback. And the rapper is known for her bad ass style and hardcore rapping skills. And that is what every expected. However, I have to agree with most people. This song is quite underwhelming. I don’t think it is bad, it just does not conform to our expectations of the rapper. That is quite disappointing. But nonetheless, I don’t hate the song. I thought it was quite good and continue to think that it is Miryo putting out a new style. If you consider it, if an artist writes their song and produces it, only to have their loyal fans express their disappointment continuously, it would be hard on the artist. Learn to appreciate the song. For the song, I thought it was classy in its own standard. The song stilled managed to flow pretty well. It was not a badly written song or was not an earsore. Is it a song I would listen on repeat? No, not really. Gain’s feature in the song is pretty nice. There is this thing where the vocals of Brown Eyed Girls blend very well together. There is still that hip hop sound to the song, just it is very tamed and low key. It is a great song to listen to, but yeah, did not really wow anyone.

As for the music video, I am sure a little more budgeting would have made this video into something that makes us go wow. Yeah, rumours have it that Nega Network (which houses Brown Eyed Girls) have been having financial issues. Anyway, the music video was very boring. There wasn’t anything to interest me. Close up shots of the rapper and then dark silhouettes. The use of the Queen cards were pretty smart. I am at awe of her figure as well. She looked very hot in this video and her clothes just made it so much better (much of a pervert???). The music video did fit the style of the song pretty well as well. Gain did not feature in the video, which was another disappointment for this comeback. Yeah.

Now, they say Miryo has a few songs lined up and will be releasing more towards the end of the year. That is what I read online. 2 songs ain’t going to quench my thirst. Hahaha… Or even better, get the whole band to make a comeback. Nice song, though underwhelming. 5/10

Rewind: March 2015

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Through this new segment (Finally got to use that one word), we will be looking back at the third month of 2015. I get to rank my top 10 songs. But we also get to look back at other events that happened in the Korean music industry. This way, I can talk about big events in the KPOP industry and rely my thoughts to you all.

Lee Min Ho and Suzy Dating

This by far is the biggest news of March 2015. Just a few days ago, it was confirmed by both companies that Miss A’s Suzy and Hallyu actor Lee Min Ho are officially dating. More importantly, JYP (Suzy’s company) have announced that Suzy would not avoid questions regarding the couple. Now, usually companies try to “Hush” the rumours, so I thought it was a little wierd that JYP would say Suzy would be answering all questions. Though I get that both companies would have to confirm due to the evidence presented, but I think JYP is milking everything they can out of this big piece of news. Dating in the industry is going to be hard but I wish the very best for the two. Now let’s move along with Miss A‘s comeback, shall me?

Red Velvet First Win

The subheading says it all. Congratulations to Red Velvet on their first music show win. At the time I am writing this, they actually have won 4 music show awards. Their latest song is ________________________________________________________________. Sorry. Let’s leave this here and wait for the review to come out. Soon. I promise. I am not YG. It will come soon. Like next week probably.

2AM Members Change Companies

Another big piece of news with the 2AM members splitting up with their company. No, they are not disbanding (though it sounded a lot like it at first) but 2AM members have decided to go with different companies. Jo Kwon decided to stay with JYP Entertainment. Seulong decided to go with SidusHQ and Jinwoon decided with Mystic Entertainment. Changmin signed with Big Hit after his contract ended with JYP last year (I think?). This kind of says something about JYP Entertainment, but at the same time, we should be glad the ballad group are not going away for now. Let’s hope 2AM comebacks with a new song with this different formation with companies. (On a side note: all 2PM members – contract ended around the same time – resigned with JYP).

Comebacks for April

BIG BANG HAS BEEN CONFIRMED!!! Though, not exactly sure when the comeback is exactly. But BIG BANG HAS BEEN CONFIRMED to be the first YG artist making their comeback in 2015. On top of that, EXID will be making their comeback. Miss A and EXO just made their comeback at the end of the month. Dal Shabet, Mamamoo, Cross Gene have also be confirmed. SNSD (Girl’s Generation) will also be making their comeback in May BUT they will be releasing a track during April in both Japan and Korea.

Yewon and Lee Tae Im Scandal

This scandal I am not familiar with. Essentially what happened is that Yewon spoke informally to Lee Tae Im. After Lee Tae Im got angry and left, Yewon decided to curse out at Lee Tae Im, and hence causing this controversy. Essentially, Yewon is more of a younger person in the industry, so she had to be formal. I get it sometimes. I come from as Asian background and sometimes I don’t think the formality thing is right. Just because they are older does not mean they are right. Imagine this: the older person is cursing the daylights out of you and your loved ones, and you “disrespectfully” defended yourself and your family. Is the older person right and you are at fault? Though this is not what had happened, it seems like the industry zooms in on one part and leave the rest out for every bad situation. We don’t know 100% what happened. We will never know what 100% happened. Something could have happened before that got both angry. Those are just my loosely put together thoughts on the whole thing. Maybe Yewon is in the wrong. But what if she isn’t? Remember I am not siding with her. I am just being “opened minded” about things.

Top 10 songs of the month

1. Paradise Lost – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)

2. Between Night n Music – B.I.G

3. FM – Crayon Pop

4. You’re Pitiful – Fiestar

5. Donghae & Eunhyuk – Growing Pains

6. I Am A Woman Too – Minah (Girl’s Day)

7. Ice Cream Cake – Red Velvet

8. Apple – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls) ft. Jay Park

9. Growing – K.Will

10. Bounce – Boyfriend

Paradise Lost – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)

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NOTE: There is a gif at the end of the review that sums up my thoughts on the whole comeback. It is from the video and I apologise in advance if you are offended by the gif. Please don’t scroll down until you are sure you’re parents (if you are young) are away from this. I am so sorry.

Yesterday, I reviewed Gain’s Apple which featured Jay Park and unfairly got slapped with a 19+ rating. Today, I am going to the other side. The side that I think fans know of more than Apple. Paradise Lost is the second title track and also the most heavily promoted song for Gain’s comeback (due to Apple’s banning). It is the mother of all comebacks at this moment for me. Everything I say this song is probably going to sound bias but at the same time, these are my thoughts and I thought this comeback was amazing. Rumours have it (and I hope so) that Brown Eyed Girls are planning their comeback. So let’s cross our fingers and hope for BEG to make their comeback.

This song be far has to be one of the best songs of the year. This ticks everything in my books for the perfect song. Great vocals, amazing instrumental, is catchy, addictive but also has a nice (in this case hidden)  meaning. Though I don’t think the song is meant to offend religion or mega corporations  (though it sounds like it) but rather the lies that people make. There are talks of it being a song that attacks the church, but that is mainly seen in the music video rather than the actual song. The English could use a little work but it overall was fluent and enough to make sense. I just love the bridge of the song. That part basically seals the deal for me. Gain’s husky voice and her saying “They’re talking about a fantasy, They’re making up another fantasy. They’re talking about a fanatsy. They’re making up a story so they can control you and me.” Her vocals were strong and fitting for this concept and style. The orchestral instrumental did wonders to me. If you have been on this site for some time, you probably know I dig anything classical or orchestra like.

I love how dark and eerie this music video looks. There is nothing in this video that I would change. But there is something that confuses me. How in the world is this music video rated 15 only? Shouldn’t it be rated 19+? Like she was basically dry humping the floor during the video (see gif at end) and there was a lot of dark and hidden meanings that aren’t really for a 15 year old’s mind. Though there is one thing that I 100% sure about. The music video shows to the world that Gain is amazing at this “sexy” concept. I put “sexy” in quotations because to many, this was art and it is going to remain as art. I loved her little dance routine part of the music video. I loved the ending chorus, where the screen is actually cut in half with the reflection thing going on. This music video has parts of the Adam and Eve story in it, but I don’t see it directly referencing the story from the bible. But anyway. This music video shouts one word and that is EPIC!!!

The dance is amazing. The dance is so good in the video. Her dance break was phenomenal and I commend her for that. I don’t think this idea has ever been seen in KPOP. I was surprised about how her costumes and clothing managed to get onto the stage. It was a pity the performances was cut down to avoid certain parts of her dance that were explicit, but it was an amazing dance.

This is art and this is why I love KPOP. Though there was negative criticisms from many regarding this comeback, it is still something that Gain (and probably only Gain) would pull off in the Korean music industry. Mad props to her and I will remained at her presence on the stage. 10/10

PS. Something I don’t want to confess but I think many people have watched the video and thought one thing about Gain. “Damn”.

gaindryhumppl

 

Apple – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls) ft. Jay Park

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Gain, from Brown Eyed Girls, have returned after a year since Truth Or Dare, which was released early last year. This time around she has got another 19+ rated music video for this song. Don’t know why but I will discuss it later. Her album this time has two title tracks and have proven to be a big hit in the industry. Though there are some criticisms and some of which I might add are double standards. But hey, that is what is known as an industry. Her other title track, Paradise Lost will also be reviewed. Most likely released tomorrow. Don’t quote me on that. That or next week when I finally go on my break.

This is a really nice summer song. It was refreshing and had a nice summery cooling effect on you. I think that was an oxymoron. But that summery effect was there, but it managed to cool you down. The song itself got slapped a 19+ rating by KBS. Don’t know why but KBS cited that the song had lyrics that suggested of a sexual relationship. Hmmm… Well, I think most songs need to be banned because a love song even though it is sweet, will lead to a sexual relationship in the end. In other words, KBS is not being making much sense. Music is meant to be up for interpretation. We don’t need people to tell us what this song means and what it doesn’t. Jay Park is an exceptional rapper and sounds amazing in this song. Gain has a really cute voice in this song. Something we don’t see much from her in her career. Together, I think they had really nice chemistry and would love to see this collaboration again in the future. Is it the best song out there? Probably not. But it really gives Gain a new side to her.

The music video also got a 19+ rating. I don’t see anything 19+ about this music video. Gain also wanted to challenge the rating on the music video. Yes, she wears extremely short shorts that resembles underwear and she holds a hose as if it was her d***. But beside it, it was a video that matched the summer feel of the song. She looked quite cute throughout the video running around after a ball and riding her bike. She obviously looked like she enjoyed herself. There was a lot of emphasis on the butt area, but like every other KPOP video out there that involves girl groups, don’t you think South Korea would be immuned to it by now? It was disappointing to know that the music video was quite short. Also, I rewatched the video. The music video was reassessed and given a 15 rating. At least we know these ratings are not final. Which means some bands can take unnecessary 19+ ratings if they want to.

As for the dance, we haven’t see much live performances of this song. Because it has been banned by so many broadcasting stations. However, last night, Gain performed Apple for the second time (as a full song) with the help of F(x)’s Amber. The cuteness also runs in the dance as well and Gain looks like she enjoyed her time on the stage. Not a memorable dance. but it fitted the song.

In conclusion (this whole review sounded more like an essay than a review), if you are going to ban songs, watch and make sure what ou say make sense. And remember music is very subjective. Overall, Gain did pretty well with Apple and it (alongside Paradise Lost) was a solid comeback.  9/10

Sign – Brown Eyed Girls

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As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Brown Eyed Girls. Sign was released in 2008 after their hit single Abracadabra, which still serves as one of the biggest and well known songs in the KPOP industry to date. Sign was released as a repackaged album for their third studio album.   This song was later released in Japan in 2010. After this song, they went on a break and later came back with hits like Sixth Sense and Kill Bill.

Not as great as Abracadabra or their later hits, but it still was pretty good. The piano instrument and electronic sound blended really well to make the song so good. Their vocals were superb and the rapping by Miryo was once again, probably one of the best raps ever. I really like the “sexy” bridge part. Gain’s voice sounded so sexual (this is not a complaint). But like I said before, this song really was not up to par compared to Abracadabra which was such a big hit. It just  did not have the feeling of “most popular”. Actually, I am sure some people thought Brown Eyed Girls would become a one hit wonder. That being said, the song was popular in South Korea to a degree and since the band went on to release in Japan as well, showed that the song did achieve some of kind of value for the band. When I first heard this song, I was disappointed. But when I continued to listen to it a lot of times, it grew a lot on me.

This music video was a little controversial when it was first released. It literally made headlines from what I remember. So, the Korean version is a drama version. The reason why it got a lot of criticism because there was a scene in the music video where Gain drowns. Yeah, even though such a scene is confronting to watch, I see no problem. There should be a warning sign on the music video somewhere. I guess that is why they now have a rating system for music videos. The music video shows this man bashing some people up to help save Gain from dying. He, from what we know, completely fails and she sadly turns up dead in the music video. It is a solid plot to an extent. The Brown Eyed Girls members become ghosts throughout the video and sing creepily behind the fighting scenes. As for the Japanese video, they focused mainly on the dance.

The dance was pretty solid. It became a pretty popular dance and I love how they used the beat and incorporated that into the dance with the fans. Not people fans but “it is so hot” fans. Yeah, you probably get me. But it was a cool dance and I enjoyed it a lot.

Overall, a nice song. It just was not good enough compared to Abracadabra. How many times have I said that today? 8/10

End Of Year Charts 2014

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Welcome to the end of the 2014 charts. This chart has every single song that was released from the 1st of January 2014 to the 1st of December. I left the nitty gritty stuff out (aka. the numbers I used for the ranking) and made sure that everything was fair. So that means for songs that were released towards the end of the year would have received some extra increment to make sure that they were levelled out with the songs released in January. Other numbers used included whether songs were on the YouTube Playlist of The Month and each song was re-reviewed in categories of “song, music video and dance”. Below are just some interesting facts that you may enjoy in regards to this chart.

  • The very first song released to be included on the charts are Rain’s 30 Sexy and La Song. The last song released before the cut off date was Infinite F’s Heartbeat.
  • T-Ara’s Sugar Free (2) was the only song throughout the whole chart to score the maximum of 40 for the song re-review.
  • VIXX is the first boy group to appear in the charts at 14th place with Eternity.
  • As touched on above, this year the charts are dominated by the girl groups, with 13 boy groups versus 37 girl groups (repeated groups not excluded).
  • Heavily promoted songs tend to rank higher than songs that were released as a single and not promoted.
  • The following artists achieved the next few positions after 50th place: SPEED, Crayon Pop, Z:EA, Zhou Mi (Super Junior), BTOB, Infinite, UKISS, AOA and Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)
1 Something Girl’s Day
2 Sugar Free T-Ara
3 Up & Down EXID
4 Monday Blues Sunny Hill
5 Piano Man Mamamoo
6 Darling Girl’s Day
7 I’m In Love Secret
8 Mr. Chu A Pink
9 Yasisi NS Yoon G
10 Red Light F(x)
11 One More Fiestar
12 Good Night Kiss Hyosung (Secret)
13 Ain’t Nobody HA:TFELT (Yenny – Wonder Girls)
14 Eternity VIXX
15 You Don’t Love Me Spica
16 So Wonderful Ladies Code
17 This Is Love Super Junior
18 Luv APINK
19 Like A Cat AOA
20 B.B.B (Big Baby Baby) Dal Shabet
21 Good Luck Beast
22 Cha Cha Rainbow BLAXX
23 Full Moon Sunmi ft. Lena
24 Error VIXX
25 Catallena Orange Caramel
26 My Copy Cat Orange Caramel
27 Don’t Look At Me Like That Song Ji Eun (Secret)
28 Back Infinite
29 8Dayz Megan Lee
30 What About You? Laboum
31 Dont Touch Me Ailee
32 I Swear Sistar
33 Singing Got Better Ailee
34 1004 (Angel) B.A.P
35 Danger BTS
36 12:30 Beast
37 Mr. Ambigious Mamamoo
38 Lonely B1A4
39 Beep Beep BTOB
40 Mamma Mia Kara
41 I Need You Bestie
42 Solo Day B1A4
43 Whatcha Doing Today? 4Minute
44 Pretty Age 25 Song Ji Eun (Secret)
45 1 Minute 1 Second Jiyeon (T-Ara)
46 Peppermint Chocolate Mamamoo ft. K.Will & Wheesung
47 FxxK U Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)
48 Touch My Body Sistar
49 Evanesce Super Junior
50 Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms HIGH4 ft. IU

THAT’S IT!!! 2014 IS OVER AND 2015 IS APPROACHING. WISHING YOU ALL (IN YOUR RESPECTIVE TIME ZONES) A HAPPY NEW YEAR. I only have 6 hours to go and I am excited. Party hard (but not too hard) and I will see you next year!! aka. in the next few days ^^

Truth Or Dare – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)

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Source: https://kpopreviewed.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/575da-skacc88rmavbild2b2014-02-062bkl-2b20-47-47.png

Gain officially made her comeback, joining the long line of sexy comebacks of the year so far. She made her comeback with Truth Or Dare, her third mini album, with the title track “Truth or Dare”. She also pre-released FxxK U which was a hit but did raise a few eyebrows. That song was BANNED from broadcast on every single station that you can possibly think of in Korea. And considering the amount of foul language in that song, I was not surprised. What I am surprises with though is the amount of foul language in this song and the intense video that accompanies it. I kid, I was being sarcastic! ( A little story: When I linked that picture(above)  into the post, the first thing my eyes see is her crotch. I felt so weird. The picture is way too big and it happened to go straight to her crotch.)

Okay, I am not going to beat around the bush, but when comparing this song with FxxK U, I just think this song is not appropriate as a Gain style comeback. The song is so boring. I am impressed, but it lacked the sexiness in the voice which I wanted to hear. The vocals are so high pitch it just gave me shivers and I just think that this song is not that great. It was a good song, but it was not my personal favourite. There really is nothing to talk about. Well, the instrumental was interesting. It had this back in the day disco vibe with it, but I don’t find it as appealing as I had expected it to be. The song talked about and I am not sure but about the rumours she had in the industry. Many say she is basically the “wild child”, but in this song she is asking us if we actually really know her that well and to that extent. I thought the idea was great and I liked the lyrics of the song. I also liked how she joined that one line from L.O.V.E (Stop being like that and start talking). I also enjoyed the instrumental for the dance break. This song did lack a lot in feeling and could have been a whole heap better.

The music video is a like a mockumentary or documentary type of video which interviews the people Gain works with a lot to see what she is really like. A girl who cares for her figure, who is always wanting to woo guys and also a girl who loved to be touched sexy. Honestly, I found the video boring. Show Lo did also cameo, but he probably had the crappiest part of the video. But anyway, I like the performance version. It focuses a lot on Gain’s figure and I guess that kind of makes up for the lack of sexiness in her voice. Maybe, not really. I did like the colouring of the video and I guess she went for a more femme fatale look and style this time. Like all her videos, she looks amazing but yeah, the overall style was not that great nor it was something that I would have expected. Bloom and Irreversible were really up there is power, this in turn took it all down.

The dance is probably the best part. Though it had nothing major, it suited the song and its bounciness. On top of that, it worked out really well. I liked the dance break and how she would part away from the guys and then rejoin them. As I said above, she definitely had a femme fatale concept going on which looked amazing.

5/10. Definitely not the best song out there. Her other songs are way better. What was your favourite song? FxxK U or Truth or Dare? Put your vote down in the poll below!!! Check back next week when I announce the results! (Will update the playlist for this reviews and the other reviews when I get some time!)

FxxK U – Gain (Brown Eyed Girls) ft. Bumkey

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Source: http://annyeongeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Bildschirmfoto-2014-01-27-um-22.06.56.png

Probably the most problematic song at the moment. Gain, the maknae of hot band Brown Eyed Girls, is back with a new mini album. She has been known for her many other singles including Bloom and Irreversible. Now she is back and once again is making headlines for her new pre release single. Though, she officially made her comeback yesterday, I only started to review her songs today, so… Anyway. Why is this song making headlines, I hear you ask… Try rereading the title. I don’t think any other song in this world (exaggeration here) is titled as “FxxK U”. And like every other person, I became surprised from the title. Always knew that Gain would go for the edgy type of comeback, but never thought it was that far.

This song is pretty amazing. Actually, so amazing, I think it is much better than her title track at this very moment. Now, as I said above, I would not have expected the song title of this song, and neither did I expect her to dress the f-bomb throughout the song like that. But hey, it was a song, and I liked it. Her husky voice really matches this song and it gives more meaning to the song every time she swears. Hahaha… The only complaint I have was that every time she did drop the f-bomb, she was kind shaky. I did not take her that seriously, and every time she swears, I have to giggle. I wonder if she even knows what the word means? Anyway, her duet with Bumkey is really good. I always thought he was a rapper, but he has a pretty good singing voice. I also like how at the end, she changes from the FxxK U to Love You, which really adds that extra meaning to the video. Overall, the song was quite nice and pretty amazing.

As for the music video, is it getting hot in here? No, cause I think I witnessed the first KPOP video with the most steamiest make out scene. And I though Trouble Maker’s Now was bad, this just takes things to a whole new level. Like that one was passionate. This one, they are fighting while doing it. Like the guy has his head between the Gain’s legs. Like wow, great way to start. Something did trouble me. They were getting ready, but the moment they have eye contact, Gain just pushes away. Like you’re not drunk, why is it taking out that slow to make a decision to enjoy yourself or walk away? Now, the ending is a little confusing. Did she kill the guy? Or did he kill her? What is with the blood thing? Why is that there? Also the shower curtain scene, looked a lot like the Human Centipede. No, just me?

9/10. I liked this song more than her new song. But her new title track is still pretty good in my books. But the amount of censorship with this song is already so large, I don’t know what is happening anymore.

Kill Bill – Brown Eyed Girls

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Source: http://showbiz.omy.sg/sites/default/files/images/201307/20130729/beg_vod_img.jpg

Brown Eyed Girls have made their first comeback to the stage in 2 years with their latest album, Black Box and their latest title track, Kill Bill. Parodying one of the most famous movie series to date, Brown Eyed Girls have made a comeback with a song equally as strong as Abracadabra and Sixth Sense. They announced their comeback through the release of Recipe, another song off their album which was released on the 9th of July earning them an all kill, toppling over their rival, 2NE1. Not only that, but Kill Bill has also proven to be one of most popular songs at the moment, trailing both F(x) and EXO with their songs on the charts.

The song has that western cowboy feel to it that we can all hear throughout the song. To be honest, I felt that this song was kind of weak compared to Sixth Sense and Abracadabra. However, after closely listening to the song, this song turns out to be an equally powerful song. KIll Bill (the song) talks about killing the girls “partner”. They talk about taking revenge on the guy, who has betrayed them of their love. Poor girls. The whole song is really dominated by the instrumental. While that would be a bad thing, I loved the vocals of Gain, JeA and Narsha in the song. They sounded really good and actually matched the song. The rap did not match the song as much compared to the vocals, but was really badass and powerful (Typically what you would expect from Miryo). I also did like the gunshot sounds before each chorus, giving more to that western olden day feels. I also loved how they had this changeover system for the chorus, where each of the three members who vocally sang in the song would each sing a different part of the chorus each time there was a chorus. I honestly was satisfied with the song. Why are they not winning any awards???? My most favourite line from this song when translated would have to be: “Run away from me as far as you can.”

As for the music video, I have to confess. I have never watched Kill Bill before. Yeah, apparently it is a really good series, which I need to start watching. This review however, will be my own interpretation of the music video. Obviously, from watching the video, this whole music video is making fun of the movie, not an actual accurate depiction of the song. At the start of the video, in the olden days, we have Narsha, an calligraphy artist, who was busy painting the word “Bill” on the guys back. JeA who used to have perfect eyesight, was under the bed with a jar of a poisonous spider. Then, we have Gain who shoots the poor guy. Narsha on the other hands grabs her hairpin (paintbrush) and throws it at gain, supposedly killing her. We then have Miryo who comes in and kills Narsha with a gun, buts ends up dying because of that evil spider. Throughout this old scene, we learn that the guy they are all trying to kill is Bill and they all have their own motives for killing him, revenge for leaving them. We then skip forward to the future, where all the members survive, but instead starts hunting each other down to kill them. However that fails. It is not until they all “door knock” on Narsha’s house, that they have an extreme battle and die. Seriously, this is one funny ass video, that you must watch. JeA’s death must be the most unfortunate as she was shot in the eye, attempted to poison Gain, but instead ends up poisoning herself and then ends up falling (a remarkably short distance) to her death. I really do like how they did play on the characters. All I know of Kill Bill, there is a Japanese person, a yellow suit person and a really dumb one? I don’t know. But hilarious video (and artful come to the think of it).

As for the dance, I really did love it. It matched the feel of the song and was really cool. I particularly love the final chorus and Miryo rapping parts. Totally rocking.

9.5/10. REALLY GOOD. LOVING IT. Only problem is, I never watched Kill Bill, so my view of the video was distorted because of that.

Mama Beat – LC9 ft. Gain (Brown Eyed Girls)

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Source: http://kpopconcerts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/LC9-Group.jpg

Mama Beat has finally made their debut with an epic song. Seriously guys. It is so epic that I have to talk about it and it has only been a few days since it has been released. This song is quite addictive and at the same time. The music video is quite addictive. They also do live up to their name of “Brown Eyed Boys”. Like their female counterpart, they are not afraid to be “different”.

Was I blown away with this song or what? Seriously, these guys live up to the standard which brown Eyed Girls have created for them. Their rapping is something quite different than what we see with other bands. Their vocal is amazing, but quite disappointed that it was not showcased in this song, unlike their teasers. “Mama Beat” is really catchy and just those words in the song is already something quite interesting. I really do like the punkish feel that they gone for, but as for the instrumental  it was a little bit too electro for me.  Not sure about that weird noise at the start of the song, but I think it lead into the song okay. I enjoyed the chorus, which was quite catchy as well. Not really keen on Gain’s part in the song. It seemed to slow down the song (yes, once again) a huge load. But overall, I really like the song.

The music video is quite interesting as well. However, my question is: How are they not dead by the end of the video? From what I see, getting punched in the head with a metal knuckle thing, a brick thrown at your head, punches that look fatal (I take that experience from watching Kung Fu movies), getting stepped on the balls, a crowbar hit across the head, a broken neck and what I really like the most, the axe severing major arteries and veins in the video. I am actually surprised that they were still fighting and laughing at the end. Fools, what is wrong with you? No one battles for fun but ends up going to the hospital for laughs. And where are the police in this neighbourhood? (Note: I did some research. The youngest one is actually made age. Scary. And then again Zelo is a month older than me). Also while we are on the topic of B.A.P, this music video makes them look “tame”. I took that from a YouTube watcher. You have to agree though. Also, who cares if they used B.A.P’s set. It is not like other KPOP stars have used the same props before!

The dance is quite something as well. Too hard for me to follow though. However, the first time I heard them, I had to admit they were horrible. But after listening to them on Music Core, they sound pretty good. Probably a mic problem or something.

7.5/10. Overall pretty good. In the playlist below, I have also linked their English version of the pretty good song. Forgot what it was called though. But their vocals are pretty amazing. Their English may not be the best though. Also, watch the music video at your own expense. It was rated with a 19+ rating in South Korea, and it may go the same way overseas as well.