Through this new segment (Finally got to use that one word), we will be looking back at the month that opened the year 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.
Disbandment
Sadly, January saw many bands (more than usual, that is) announce their disbandment from the industry. This technically means that they are no longer a group (for whatever reason) and would no longer promote together. The list is extreme and includes: Jewelry, Wonder Boyz, GLAM and Airplane. Wonder Boyz and Airplane are probably considered as “rookies” still. Though they have popular songs, both bands announced their disbandment in January. GLAM, a 4 member girl group under Big Hit Entertainment, who clearly had so much potential, was revealed through their agency to have disbanded. Member Dahee has been sentenced to jail recently for her involvement in the Lee Byung Hun blackmail case. Some speculate that this was the reason why the band broke up. Finally, the longest running KPOP girl group has called it quits after 14 years on stage. The girls, including past members had a photo shoot as their last schedule as a band. Jewelry was well known for their hit, One More Time.
EXO-L’s in the wrong spotlight
EXO-L (EXO‘s fanclub) was accused of swearing at Girl’s Day Sojin at the Gaon Chart Awards for dating rumours with EXO member D.O. On top of that, EXO L was further accused for using other concerts and events as ways to check their ticket buying accounts were still working. Naturally, Korean neitzens “had a go” at the fanclub for their mean and rude gestures in both instances. EXO-L’s hit back by claiming not all of them were involved. Though I agree with the EXO L’s who are saying that not all of them did it, those fans who were involved are doing a pretty good job at ruining the fanclub’s and the band’s image.
Suing war continues…
For once, I have to agree with SM. Kris and Luhan who both asked for their contracts to be nullified last year, have been used by SM for illegally working in China with lawsuits in Korea. I personally don’t have a problem with them working. But I do have a problem with how quick they launched the lawsuit and how quick they started working in China. If your claiming to be overworked, I understand why you would ask for your contract to be nullified. Just why would you go to another country almost straight away and work there?
EXID’s jump in fame
EXID has been enjoying their newly found fame after a fancam of Hani dancing to the song went viral. This launched the girls to the top of the charts and becoming on the most successful bands for the year so far. Up and Down have still seen no end, as it still remains steady on the charts. Though, it is funny how they reached their new fame, I just want to congratulate the girls on their wins. Up and Down was amazing, and I hope EXID’s next song is equally as popular.
Award Ceremonies Everywhere…
January is the month for award ceremonies. The first was the Golden Disk Awards, in Beijing, which was planned so horribly that members of GOT7, BTS and the whole of Beast could not perform on stage due to the “wrong visa being given out”. Seoul Music Awards and Gaon Music Awards followed after in Korea. When we combine the three awards ceremonies, they gave out theawards to the right people. Mamamoo got their rookie of the award year at the Gaon Music Awards, while other bands such as Girl’s Day, APINK, Beast, AOA, VIXX and etc. got the awards they deserved at the other award ceremonies.
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 ^^
Code: RED FONT – WINNERS BLUE FONT – HONOURABLE MENTION
BEST ROOKIE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
2014, like the past few years, have seen so many new KPOP bands debut. So many new bands, so much that I have a really difficult job to select certain artists and also keep up with the old styles. 2014 saw the big 3 companies debut their own groups, but I have to be honest, the stand outs came mostly from the smaller companies. One group in particular stood out from the rest: Mamamoo. Harmony and totally different style from what we are used to. Honourable mentions go to GOT7.
BEST INSTRUMENTAL
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
The one song that is overlooked by everyone on the album is the instrumental. I freaking love instrumentals, and this year, KPOP decided to tease me with so many new instrumentals. That being said, this year the winner of Best Instrumental is Ain’t Nobody by Ye-Eun (Ha:tFelt). Honourable mentions go to Sugar Free by T-Ara.
BEST VOCALS
WINNER
KPOP = Singing. There for it is only right for this year to have an award for Best Vocals, right? Well, the winner goes to Ha:tfelt – Ye Eun (Wonder Girls). I was so amazed by here singing this year that it blew my mind, particularly her title track Ain’t Nobody. Honourable mentions go to IU (yes, I think most of us agree).
BEST RAPPER
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Many KPOP songs have many rapping parts. At the same time, rappers need some recognition. Though, I feel my choice this year could be a little odd, only one person (in my opinion) did a really amazing job. Junhyung from Beast did a wonderful job in Good Luck, 12:30 and the many songs he featured in. Zico from Block B takes Honourable Mentions.
BEST SUBUNIT
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Since 2013, many subunits have been on trend. Even though subunits have been losing trend, many bands this year debuted their own subunits. However, I think we should move away from the new subunits. Cause this year an old subunit wins. Orange Caramel steals Best Subunit with release of three different songs. Honourable mentions goes to Rainbow Blaxx.
BEST COLLABORATION
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
The new trend for 2014. Collaborations between artists have been on the rise. This year though, if you were a KPOP fan for a while, you would know already who the winner is. Soyu & JungGiGo’s Some steals the show, topping the end of year charts conducted in South Korea and winning Best Song as well on the SBS Music Festival. Well of course they would win, considering that they SLAYED the charts. Honourable Mentions go to Sane and Raina’s collaboration, Midsummer Night’s Sweetness.
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
WINNER
WINNER
This year there has been so many stars that have started to become more popular. The nominees tend to be bands that have debuted in the previous year, and with help of comebacks, started to become well known in the industry. I think for the first time ever, I am going to be honest and put forward two winners to this category. First of all, BTS say a boost in popularity and have become a band that I look forward to listening to. Second of all AOA saw new popularity with release of Miniskirt, Short Air and Like A Cat. Both bands, obviously, rose a lot this year and I found it hard to differentiate them.
BEST JAPANESE SONG
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
If you don’t know (I won’t be surprised) I also review some Japanese song. 2015 will be the year where I start to review more Japanese songs for you all. However, 2014 also had a lot of catchy and cool Japanese songs. The winner for this year is Korean boy band MYNAME’s F.F.Y. Such a catchy song. As for honourable mentions, it goes to AAA’s Showtime.
BEST DANCE
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
KPOP is also known for its dancing. 2014 saw some interesting dances, catchy dances, and some dances that have no words to describe it. And that can be a good thing or a bad thing. This year, T-ara took the position as best dance. It was probably the most addictive dance and it was pretty easy as well. It matched the song and most importantly, I loved it. Honourable mentions to Infinite’s Back.
BEST ALBUM
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
A brand new category for 2014. Every award show or some kind of award giving platform has the “best album” award. And yes, this year, there are so many freaking great albums (like any other year). In my opinion, the best album of the year goes to F(x)’s Red Light. All, if not most, of the songs were amazing to listen to and were so great. Every freaking song was different, and though that maybe risky, F(x) pulled it off as a flowing album. Honourable Mentions goes to AKMU’s Play.
BEST MALE SOLOIST
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Solos don’t tend to be the trend this year. Some bands saw new members branch into a solo career, however it seems like more and more KPOP idols (whether male or female) are branching out to acting or variety shows. However, the winner to this category is a person who started offically his own solo career with a lot of experience in the music industry. Crush is the winner. Damn, this dude’s songs are so good. You should check them out. Honourable mentions: JungGiGo.
BEST FEMALE SOLOIST
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
It seems like more and more females are branching out onto the stage. We saw many KPOP divas making their solo debuts on the stage with new and fresh songs from bands like T-Ara or Secret. We already have divas who have accomplished a start to their solo career and saw comebacks of very big names. This year, one solo stood out and that is Secret’s Song Ji Eun. Releasing her first solo mini album, she did quite well considering the competition she was going through. Honourable Mentions goes to Sunmi.
BEST FEMALE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
Sexy concept by girl groups have been on the rise. If you know me well, then you probably already know my pick. However, so many girls groups made their comeback this year. Some picked up a lot of popularity and saw massive wins for the first time. Girl’s Day hitted big with their amazing single Something. They later went on to release Darling and I Miss You. Being one of the biggest girl groups of the year, they were sure to pick some prize up. APINK steals honourable mentions this year with their massive single Mr Chu and their latest hit Luv, which blew up and swept all the December trophies for 2014.
BEST MALE GROUP
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
There have always been a large influx of boy groups and this year it is no different. I was so impressed I was just going to choose all 10 nominees as winners. However, there can only be one winner (well, technically), so I guess I have to choose one. I am going to put down VIXX. They released Eternity and Error this year and both songs were hits for the band. Not only that, they displayed great dance moves and skills. Beast takes out honourable mentions with Good Luck and 12:30, both being very great songs that also delivered like what VIXX had to show. (Just VIXX nudged a head a little bit).
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
WINNER
HONOURABLE MENTION
This year, most of my Best Music Video Nominees saw the depressing side of KPOP. 8 music videos had this sad or dark storyline to tell. 2 music videos were made in a soft hearted and were really cheerful. G.o.D’s music video for The Story Of Our Lives, told the amazing bond between family and that the outside will never be able to define the inside. Megan Lee features in the song and both band and soloist did an amazing job singing and pouring out their emotions. By the way, SM made a video outside of the box. F(x)’s Red Light, takes honourable mention.
BEST SONG
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
25 songs were nominated for Best Song for 2014. All were to an excellent standard. There were clear stands out. Something by Girl’s Day, EXID’s Up and Down and Beast’s Good Luck are this year’s honourable mentions. However, which song took Best Song category for 2014? Check the song and music video down below.
Once again, another KPOP catch up review with the biggest boy groups and bands in the industry today. And there are so much, that I had to split this category into 3 or 4 other reviews (which will be released gradually). On with the reviews:
One of the biggest boy groups in South Korea finally made their comeback with a new album. I liked the song, however their comeback was not successful overall. However, that is a completely other story. Go Crazy kind of mirrors Hands Up, which to date, I believe is their most successful song, however I really expected a little more. The vocals are great and the song really wanted me to dance, but it just sound generic and really does not set the bar higher for future releases. The music video is a little boring. I really was not that amazed with guys flying across the moon and stuff like that. The dance was a little more freer and I thought it was nice to have a “random” choreography. It adds to the more fun and crazy side of the song. 6/10
Let’s look at the opposite side. 2AM recently made their comeback with Over The Destiny and I honestly have no idea why I am reviewing this. But anyway, the song is a ballad. I am not a big fan of 2AM (mainly because I never got into them), but this song has a hint of catchiness in the chorus). Correct me if I am wrong, but Changmin has a pretty nice voice and this song showcases the fact he has a nice voice. As for the music video, I am a little confused regarding the actual concept, but at the same time, it was a very interesting concept. The dude was running to his main goal (the girl), but everything around him was dropping from the sky. Some things are not really stuff you find in the sky that is there to drop, hence it was a pretty interesting video to watch. Just the slow motion… 6/10
This has to be one of the greatest ballad dance songs ever. The vocals in this song were superb. Like I don’t think, while listening to the song, that I was disappointed in it any one bit. Yoseob had an amazing voice during the song and all the other members. Rapping is not really a great combination with such a slow song, but Junhyung pulled it off really well. The instrumental itself was really amazing as well. As for the music video, it was boring to watch. Great a clock, great a scene between two characters arguing. It just was too cliche. Whereas on the other hand, the cinematography was amazing. The dance was pretty good as well, though it did mimic the cliche clock moves that all the clock concepts have had, but the dance here was really well done. 9/10
So yeah, that is my views on the comebacks by such big names. But hey, you probably are wanting to know where the biggest group Super Junior review is coming? Cause they too are a very big boy group as well and widely popular. Well guess what? It is the next review! Super Junior reviews everywhere!!!
Yesterday I reviewed No More, by Beast and now I am reviewing their title track on their new album, Good Luck.Proven to be a hit, the song has earned many awards so far and have many people praising the boys for their talent.
I freaking like this song. Many people are like “meh” but I really like the modern feel of this particular song. Though I do have complaints about the song, I feel was produced to a really high standard. However, the start where Yoseob is singing “Why you leave me alone? I’m still loving you” does not fit the song as well as the rest of the song fits the song. KPOP really needs to move away from the 35964546 song mashup. Some bands make it sound good, while some bands make it sound really awful. This song does not do it as well as I would have liked it. A ballad start and then the rest of the song sounds like a club electro filled song don’t blend well. Minus the little intro, the vocals in the song sound quite good. The rapping was a let down. I just did not feel it from Junhyung this time. His rapping is superb, just the lyrics don’t string together as a proper rap for me. The other members did quite fine throughout the song. The chorus was quite catchy. Overall, a song that sounds pretty cool, minus a few bits.
Boy those teasers were so boring. Though they were used to give an insight into the story, I found the teasers to be a drainer to watch. But anyway, the teasers tell us that the girl is up to something behind each member’s back. Junhyung’s teaser itself has the same story line, but the thing that is different is that is it was done to replicate the “Last Supper”, where the betrayal happened. Here, the girl wants to leave him, so as betrayal, she stabs him. The rest of the video was quite meh, I did not like any of the dance sets. I was also quite paranoid with Dongwoon’s scenes, where he and the girl are making love, but he is the one singing into the camera, and it looks so awkward. Beside that, there is nothing that is worthy to comment on in the video, so yeah. An okay video, I guess.
The dance of this song is said to be one of the hardest dances that the boys have attempted. And according to others, Fiction seemed to be the easiest. Can I say that I still cannot dance to Fiction. Hahahaha… Anyway, this dance was pretty awesome. There is nothing to say about that. The boys are known for their dances, and they delivered with a good dance. I love Junhyung’s part where he was “Like an elevator” and the boys actually went down as if they were on an elevator. Hahaha… I get so fascinated by the smallest things.
8/10. They did quite well this time around. Especially with the competition they now have on their hands. So how did you guys like the comeback? Comment below!
OMG, Beast is back with a new songs. And they are back on “Beastagram” for their new music video. Wow. After nearly a whole year disappearance from Korea as a group, the group has finally returned to the stage to wow everyone with their new songs. Last time I saw the one of the members on stage was JunHyung’s solo Flower. Now they are back with a pre-release song. It is another ballad, which Beast is widely known for and their ballads have also been proven to be quite successful, because with every single album or mini album , the group have one one award for each of their ballads. Such titles include: On Rainy Days, Will You be Alright and now No More. And they have finally made their comeback, with their title track, being reviewed tomorrow.
This song is pretty okay. I am not much of a fan for Beast’s ballads, mainly because I associate the band with dance heavy songs. This to me, was quite boring to listen to. I like my fair share of ballads, just this one has too much rnb and hip hop smashed into it to make it a ballad for me to like. I did like their vocals in the song. It matched the soft instrumental that they had with the song. I am not big on raps in ballads, but JunHyung did really well in this song. It is not your typical rap from Junhyung, as it much softer and sounds a lot similar to whispering. So yeah, overall, it is a good ballad, just it did not do well for me.
The music video of this is pretty cool. “Beastagram” was used in this video to tell a really good story and really suited the feel of the whole video. Actually, the way the video was shot was quite smoothed and fitted the song quite well. We see Junhyung and his former girlfriend. Each member had their own profile, and their own little video clip for the video is transition into the next solo. That is pretty smart. The whole thing was also used by the video, to help the two mains of the video of their memories, and that is too very smart, as all of our memories are now captured digitally. And it is through these shots, we get a glimpse of how things used to be. Then they literally go down “memory” lane by walking down the same path when they were dating, and then they bump into each other. However as they know they can no longer continue, they keep on walking, even though it breaks their heart. It turns out that Junhyung is going to meet another girl, while the girl is busy putting away the things that remind her of him. However at the end, we can see that through “Beastagram” both can still manage to be together. Such a sad music video to watch, but also equally as entertaining and unique.
5/10. Even though I am not much of a fan of the song, I liked the uniqueness of the video, which made the whole thing stand out. That, or I would not have reviewed their pre-release.
Woah, 2013 is over (Soz, a tad late) and each year KPOP fans always end up looking forward to the end of year music festivals. These “festivals” are held on the final days of the year by the 3 major boradcasting companies of South Korea (ie. KBS, SBS, MBC). It is a stage where the artists who are active during the year can come together and celebrate by putting on some music and performing different stages from the ones that they had promoted during the year. So this means there are many different collaborations between artists or remix stages which would have fans screaming for. Because there happens to be little songs to review at this time of the year (end of Jan, don’t ask why), I thought I do this and release it in time for the Vietnamese (Or Chinese) New Year!!!!!
KBS Gayo Daechukje
Honestly, I was not satisfied with any of the collabs. They seem to be a last minute thing which made the show rather messy. They had good songs, but Iw as not satisfied with the way they were presented.
Crayon Pop’s Bar Bar Bar was a good stage. The start got everyone hyped up and when the song actually started, boy was the screams loud! It was rather fresh and different stage that everyone must’ve had enjoyed.
EXO’sIntro + Growl sounded amazing. Now if only they were not replayed 563495630295634092560 times this year and everyone talking about them, I would not think poorly of them. However the intro and the performance was really good.
APINK was one of the few bands to throw in a new instrumental for their “sexy version” of No No No. I enjoyed the dance and I liked the new mix.
Beast had a pretty cool stage as well. They kept their normal instrumental but made something interested out of it.
Sistar’s “femme fatale” Give It To Me looked really good. Minus the not so good looks of the dancers, I really liked their dance break and Dasom has my heart beating even faster.
Miss A’s remixes were amazing this year. I like them much better than the actual song. Amazing right?Well, honestly it is just a new instrumental over some parts and then the actual song itself. And Min, walking away like a boss and carrying on singing after getting hit in the face.
SBS Gayo Daejeon
First stage which I enjoyed was VIXX’sOn & On and VooDoo Doll. I honestly thought that Hyde and On & On would have been a better match, but they still seemed to pull it off pretty well. I think I am turning into a fan. Damn.
Z:EA and Nine Muses collaboration stage with Ghost Of The Wind, Glue and finally hit song Bounce was another stage that literally got me into it. It is such a good stage with the two bands together, where it was Nine Muses first time and Z:EA’s second time since debut.
Another collaboration stage goes to Girl’s Day and APINK’sExpectation and No No No. Honestly, it seemed APINK had less airtime than Girl’s Day. Not sure about the detail, but it kind seems unfair. But both suited the stage every well singing each other’s song.
Crayon Pop’sBar Bar Bar was pretty good. But the camera work destroyed the good stage.
T-Ara had a lot of hate, but I seemed to enjoy this stage. Number 9 but vampire version. Not much change to the song, except for really creepy dance breaks. And BOOOOBSSS!!!!!
2NE1 had an alight stage. Though they just sang Missing You and Do You Love Me?, this still had remarkable stage preference.
Taeyang and G-Dragon seemed to had some fun on stage. I liked the lineup of songs they had coming. They sung 1AM, Crooked, Ringa Linga and Bad Boy. Considering that the whole group as not there, they did a good job filling up 3 other parts as well.
MBC Gayo Daejejeon
Miss A’s classy club mix for Hush sounded the best and probably has to be my most favourite stage out of all the stages listed here. It sounded to sexy and cool all at the same time.
T-Ara’sNumber 9 and What Should I Do was a great stage. They combined the two songs into a club beat kind of song which flowed pretty well, considering the two extreme opposites for each song.
Ailee’s rapping before her performance , U&I, was da bomb.
F(x)’sRum Pum Pum Pum was pretty good as well. Was not as impressed with the original version though.But the instrumental and ending of this stage was awesome!!! And finally F(x) gets a stage remix for an end of year festival.
B1A4’s rock remix for What’s Happening? was also a pretty cool performance. Literally got me going with the beat.
Infinite brought a new thing to the stage with Destiny remixed with the instrumental of Deception. Something that was quite unexpected but sounded pretty good despite the two songs sounding completely different.
Give It To Me by Sistar was pretty cool as well if the little bit of dubstep (I think) mixed in the song as well. Hyorin’s intro with Sweet Dream was pretty cool.
Kara’s medley of songs was pretty good. And considering the departure of two members, it fitted the occasion. They performed Lupin, Step, Damaged Lady, Mister and Honey (not sure about the last one though.
If you watched the performances, which one did you like? Honestly, when I was watching the performances on YouTube, all I thought was that it seemed too much like a normal music show rather than something to be called a “End Of Year Festival”. I think these stages are losing their purpose. But anyway, still a fantastic line-up and amazing stages!!! What were your favourite stages of the three nights?
How on earth did I pick these songs? Today I will be reviewing Beast’s Fiction. This was the title track off their first album and was one of their most successful songs. It was released in 2011, when KPOP was quite smaller, compared to now. It has changed so much that I don’t even know what is going on. It is a review that I have being put off for a very long time. Actually, I think it is a review that I had already written, lost it when my computer had to be wiped clean and reinstalled and all of that occurred early 2012. Yeah, there are a few reviews that I believe are hanging around my computer somewhere or on my external hard drive. Which reminds me, I could not copy and paste CN Blue’s review for I Am A Loner. I remember that one because it was the only one that would not publish. Anyway, on with the review.
Back in 2011, I hated this song. Why? Because it played non stop everywhere. All the sites were raving on about it and I was just like no. Fiction now disappeared from the ranks and I am thankful for that. I have no idea what the hype of this song was for. It was another boring song which I never got into. It was not impressive and I know the boys could have done a whole heap better because of their songs that they released prior to this. The chorus was boring and unappealing and there was not one thing I liked about the song. The vocals were so so and I expected a song much better from that band. Honestly, I have no idea why I am even reviewing this song, because by now, you probably will understand what my score will be at the end.
The music video is not actually that great. It is basically about how a guy is completely heartbroken at how his girlfriend leaves him. Yeah, the music video was played so many times that I got sick of Junhyung’s acting. It was good at first, but it was really boring when you watch it over and over again. It was dark in some places which fit the feel of the song, but then there were parts that were super bright (such as the one where he is at the desert, but it did not look like a proper sun light. Sun light is not white…) and then dark places, such as that scene where they are dancing on the roof. And what is that alien ship structure where the whole scene is orange, looks like they were on Mars. Though I liked the plot of the video, it was played some many time, I grew to dislike it.
The dance is called the “penguin shuffle” dance I believe, and it looks easy to attempt. Yeah, I have to dance the dance. It fits the speed of the song which I great, but really lacked the impact of a good performance. And those leather suits or whatever look kind of weird.
I try to be reasonable and rank it as if I first listened to it and watch the videos. 4/10. Obviously not the best Beast song out there.I will update the playlist tomorrow. Currently watching the Seoul Music Awards. ^^
It is finally Christmas and I am excited! And the year is already up. Sadly though. However, shall we continue with a more different review this time around? But before that, I just would like to wish everyone who will read this post a Merry Christmas. Enjoy your time, with family, friends or anyone else. Be thankful and be safe. Let’s enjoy the final few days of 2013 and ready to party with 2014. Anyway, today, it is really more of an impromptu review. Not score will be given for these reviews. I have review Lonely Christmas by Crayon Pop and Miracle Of December by EXO. There are however four more Christmas songs that I want to review and today will be three song reviews in one! Shall we get started???
Christmas Song – United Cube
United Cube is back with a lovely slow Christmas song that showcases the groups under A Cube Entertainment and Cube Entertainment. The artists in this song include: Beast, 4Minute, APink, G.Na, Huh Gak, Roh Ji Hoon, BTOB and Oh Ye Ri. Wow that is a lot of artists. Also included is Kim Gi Ri, the comedian for Gag Concert. The song has this soft tune that reminds you of a warm Winter’s night, like Christmas Night. Though the song starts off really slow and it takes quite a while for it enter a more Christmas-like song, by the end, you are bound to remember those warm Christmas nights with your loved ones. I think the rap was handle really well in this song which is pretty good, considering how raps tend to ruin a good song. And the whole song, vocally, sounds amazing.
Love Falls – Romantic J
Now we are getting into the more festive songs. This song may sound like a love song, which it is. I really love the jingle bell feel of the instrumental and how the vocals in this song are not hard hitting as powerful vocals. Though Jonghyun from CNBlue does not have as much lines as Juniel, the song still sounds amazing. His husky voice fits the tone of Juniel’s voice which makes the song have this beautiful duet. The song is quite addictive and sounds really good. I have been lipsyncing to this song since it came out. Though the music video may seem more of a romantic story, the song still carries the Xmas cheer. Yay! Also, this is a duo that I would love to hear more from.
Winter Propose – Jellyfish Entertainment
This song is the only song that is really close to those Christmas carols we here every year. Not exactly what I like, but it still does. It features all the artists of Jellyfish Entertainment including: VIXX, Seo In Guk, Sung Si Kyung, Park Hyo Shin and also a mysterious female singer (do I hear a singer debuting next year?). This song sounds amazing and really has that festive cheer to the song. It combines all of the artists of Jellyfish Entertainment and amazes me a lot. Though I was not much of a fan of their previous Christmas song and also their more experienced singers, this song gives you that warm feeling that makes you remember Christmas day and eve a lot.
Snow Candy – Starship Planet
The final song which gives off the happiest Christmas feeling of the year. It features Sistar, K.Will and Boyfriend and seems the most enjoyable song out there for memories of family and friends. Again, this song, along with the others vocally sounds amazing and the rap seemed to be handle really well by Bora and the Boyfriend rappers. Of course K.Will and Hyorin holds the main vocal part of this whole company venture, but with this song, I am going to let it slide. The music video also seems to be the most festive one out of the four. Pity that Dasom from Sistar was not a part of the filming, but probably have featured in the he song somewhere. Not sure where though.
Thank you for spending another year with me. Merry Christmas to all, wherever you are on this planet. Be happy and I will see you next time!!!! Click here for the winners of the BOBs
Junhyung is the next member of Beast to go solo. After a year since Yoseob debuted as a solo singer, Cube Entertainment unleashed their next big surprise. Shadow was pretty cool. But to me, this debut song was not exactly the best song out there. I have to give props to Junhyung for attempting and doing really well for a pretty edgy theme. Anyway, this is not my final review for the year, but sadly is the last major review of the year. Though I know other artists are coming back, I have to have a cut off date for the charts. I will only be doing another 2-3 reviews for more recent songs and on top of that, I will be going back to review songs that I have missed, but really wanted to review. And also past songs from previous years.
Wow, this song is rather interesting. It is rather weak for a solo debut song. There was nothing to grab me in this song, to make me go back to it more and more. At first, I thought this comeback would be that weird, as the rapper (probably who I view as the strongest and manilest member of any band) is doing a song called “Flower”. But, boy was I wrong. It had a similar feeling to Caffeine, which I believe Junhyung wrote for Yoseob. It had that chic but modern feel to it that made the song unique. It also had its RnB sounds in it as well. Maybe when he was writing the song, he did go overboard with the ratio of English lyrics compared to Korean words. But if you read the many English translations, they actually fit into the song. He likens the girl to a flower, and in the lyrics he mention the sweetness of chocolate and a lollipop, saying that the girl is a flower that is equally sweet as the candy. Pretty cool. Though, I like the chorus, I don’t think the high pitch parts in it are suited for him. I guess he maybe pushing himself a little too hard. But overall the song was pretty cool. Not as cool and badass as I expected, but still pretty cool.
As for the music video. I hope that was a fake or dead butterfly. I hope the person who decided to put a scene of it burning was in a sound mind and did not torture the little blue butterfly. Anyway, I thought the music video was pretty cool. Not sure about Junhyung dead in a fridge parts though, but I guess that is what made the whole comeback seem edgy to me. I really want to know how they filmed Junhyung’s head only, but I probably think they just put him in a box and made a hole so he can stick his face out. Not really fond of the whole mirror camera thing. It did give the music video more a heightened scary theme, but really they used it too many times already. At least someone was smart enough to put flowers in this music video, cause the music video would be a pile of dung without the flowers. Overall I was quite happy with the outcome of the music video, just that one dance scene where he has things dangling down his hat. Please, you’re not Australia. Don’t wear that.
The dance is pretty cool. Something I would’ve expected from a Beast member, or their backup dancers. I actually enjoyed the dance. Everytime they hit the chorus, the members became flowers, i think, by standing on their heads and bending into awkward positions. Now, that I made things awkward….
7/10. Not as great as I would have expected. But still works. How did you guys like the debut? Successful or just another one of those comebacks?
Trouble Maker is back with a new song. It has been nearly 2 years since we have last seen these two singers together on stage promoting a new song. Can I just say wow? Like, they are quite successful and I can see why the company decided to put them together again, but I think many people know that their debut song, Trouble Maker, is their best song ever. Not hating or anything, but I have friends that agree with me on this topic. However, this does not indicate that this comeback was crap, because it was not. It was amazing. Also, they were hit with a little bit of controversy with their music video, which I will talk about later. Also, I have a lot to say about the music video. Most of focus will be on the music video itself in this video.
The song is pretty cool. Not as great as Trouble Maker though. There was something in this song that did not yell out “Trouble Maker” to me. This song lacked the power and the energy which Trouble Maker has a lot. Even their dance was a little lighter than usual. The vocals were not as great and sounded very drawn out. Hyuna’s rap fitted the speed of the song and sounded really good. The chorus is pretty catchy and I have to admit, with the dance, the song would’ve been hard to pull off. I actually miss Hyuna singing. I don’t know why, but the song feels empty without her voice. She raps and have her own moments, but they tend to be covered up or layered with Hyunseung’s. Yeah, you can say I was disappointed with the song, but that latin salsa feel to the song and instrumental is quite different and sounds pretty cool. The lyrics are pretty cool and fit the music video quite well.
Three words that describe this video: Porn, porn and more porn. Like seriously 75% of this video is sex. Sex in caravan, sex in car, sex in public. But the video still also has a pretty cool music video. We see a couple, cheating on each other. The guy has sex with two other girls, while the girl is at a party (not sure if she is cheating, but if the guy is having sex with other girls and she is a party, I think it could be safe to say so). But needlessly to say that the girl was pretty pissed off when she found the guy. Then they have sex, where they makeup, but she is pissed off as well and breaks it off. Then they get together again, and as a couple, they put their life at risk and stand around cars that are doing doughnuts around them. Hmmm… about that. Yes, you see that there are some similarities between this video and Rihanna’s, but we cannot really say that the director copied. It looks the same, but there are always its differences. Did I like the video? I am a guy. A normal freaking teenage guy. And then there was Hyuna. In a bra…. Having sex….. What do you think?
The dance is lacking as well, however it seems that it was choreographed to perfection. Like everything in this dance confuses me, but it looks amazing. Put that with the live performance and seriously, for pulling that off without gasping for air is something that I wonder. Like, I would be like dying when we get to the first chorus.
7.5/10. Disappointing, yes, But still a great comeback. And since this is my first day back in like 10 days, I would like to just say for the SHINee poll that was conducted in the review of Everybody, Everybody was selected as the best song of the SHINee year!!! Hahaha!!! Congrats Everybody!!! I won’t be making a poll. but what is a much better Trouble Maker song? Trouble Maker or Now? Put your answer in the comments below. ^^
Beast recently made one of the hottest comebacks on July 19, with their creepiest song yet: Shadow. If you think Fiction, Breathe or Shock was creepy or scary, it must be noted that is just childsplay. Shadow has proven to be a hit amongst fans earning an all kill as soon as it was release and topping all charts. However, the song seems to not be doing well on the weekly show charts. I don’t know since they have only promoted for their first week, so I am expecting a major all kill on the all 4 different charts this week. It must be noted that the companies basically threw a whole bunch of bands onto the charts (something like the Hunger Games) and the best will win. Other artists that are going head to head are Infinite, Ailee, Brown Eyed Girls, F(x), EXO and many more. But they are not as important as Beast for this review, so let’s continue.
WOW!!! I totally love this song. It is catchy, dark and really cool sounding. Something of my liking. This song is something along the lines of their Fiction days, and I hated Fiction. This however is by far their best song yet. I really like the different feel of the song. Last year, they made a comeback with a dance themed song. The year before that they made a comeback with a ballad like song. This year, creepy. I love the vocals of this song and JunHyung’s rap is totally amazing. Doojoon gets a majority of the chorus with Yoseob which is much different than usual. I also love how everyone else sings once, but suddenly starts singing to different parts of the chorus at the end. Not sure if they are putting emphasis of how much the others suck or what, but seriously this whole idea is pretty cool. Not exactly a fan of the “Shadow, Shadow” part at the start though. Sounds conflicting with the song.
As for the music video. I really hate that filter that put over the whole video to give it that olden feel to the video. I really hate static and all of that mojo, so this music video was a letdown when I first saw it. That guy with all the tattoos on his back is really scary. I really like how this video is full of “shadows”. It really makes sense. However the close ups with the members and that glass frost wall is really too much. There was too many flashing lights in this video. From what I see from the video, this girl, which the guys love, have walked onto the “dark side” (aka. leaving the guy). Basically, it is pretty scary and lives up to the whole concept. And that set is pretty amazing. I know it is just green screen and some realy parts, but still it is pretty amazing. I also liked one part of the video which I will pose to you guys as a question: What does B.A.P’s No Mercy, VIXX’s Hyde and Beast’s Shadow all have in common?
As for the dance, it matched the speed and the instrumental really well. Splitting the bands into their solo parts at the start was pretty cool, and gave each member some time to shine. Pun intended.
8.5/10. Pretty cool. Woo! Much better than Beautiful Night from last year.
This is the 2nd review of past songs (G.Na’s debut single being the first review). A review that I was meant to do since the very day I started this website. It only took me 2 years. So what. Released back in 2010 and being the very first song that brought the boys to fandom, the group has since released powerful tracks, which they are known for. Winning their first award on M Countdown, the group won awards for many other songs, making them one of the biggest groups KPOP has to offer. Also, it must be noted that this was only their second single and was reconsigned for their powerful vocals and amazing talent.
Shock, by far, is one of my most favourite songs by any KPOP artists by far. The start of the song, I agree is not the best, but what made me repeat this song is the chorus. “Everyday, I shock. Every night, I shock.”. Whoever likes KPOP and don’t knows these distinctive lyrics, have to be kidding themselves. Again, released in the prime of KPOP, making this song quite popular. The song talks about the feeling a guy has towards a girl when she leaves him. Honestly, we don’t see much songs like that. I do agree with many reviews about the powerful vocals from the members and the raps. I just don’t really see that “rock” sound within the song. I find the song has that popish feel to it, rather than rock. But beside that, I really do recommend this song to every person out there. It is an amazing song. But here is where the review goes a little down hill.
The music video I found really weird. It just does not do it for me. I don’t like it, but I don’t hate the music video either. It is one of those things that I am neutral about. From what I see, and still see today, the music video makes no sense. Especially Yoseob. Girls, I know you want to be the wires that “plug into him”, but I found no reason for that scene to be in the music video. I am not big on the whole transition of the music video. It feels weird. It is like those 360 degree cameras that SM always uses. Yeah, I am badass. Comparing Cube with SM. Wait for the next review, where I compare SM with YG. Boy, that will go down well. However, I do love the fire in this video. It gives that impact upon the video and shares the same feelings with the song. Large scale music video, check. Awesome effects, check. Awesome song, check.
The dance here is pretty simple. You just need the right timing. Like literally. If you did not go at the right timing, wow. That would look awkward. But the solo parts of the dance are a bit harder to deal with. Yeah, but ti all looked awesome. I guess looking awesome is what the group does best. Something that I clearly lack in. Hahahaha.
7.5/10. Awesome song and dance. Okay music video. Oh, reviewing this music video brings out so much memories of how my computer used to be in my bedroom and that I used to sing along to the song when I never understood everything. I do pick up on some things though. Hahaha.
Beast is renowned to do really good dance style songs like Shock, Breathe, Beautiful Night, Mystery, Bad Girl. However Yoseob has come out with a song with an unexpected twist. Caffeine, can be said a song that many can get “addicted” to. However I am not an actual coffee drinker (I find it really bitter), so this song is not my cup of tea. Wow, so many puns!!!
The song is not for me. I see how addictive and happy fan girls or boys can get over this guy and his song, however, I really dislike this song. I actually expected something along the lines of the groups past songs. Isn’t he like a B-Boy as well? However, there were some aspects of the song I liked. I liked the fact that they added the sounds of coffee being stirred into the song and also the sounds that is made when you place a delicate cup of coffee on a saucer. I guess I did not like the feel of the song. It seemed bland and dry. It is not as good as other songs. I felt like other songs from his album would’ve made it better than Caffeine, like Look At Me Now.
The music video is really confusing. I don’t think anything I think even make sense. He has a girlfriend, however they fight and the girl leaves. Since she was Yoseob’s daily cup of coffee (;)), he becomes depressed. After that I am quite lost. I see quite a lot of symbolism in this video, however, I don’t see anything about the girl and Yoseob himself disappearing into a cloud of smoke and the box, which contained his heart. I saw nothing with that, and how confusing that became. However, I did like the dancing on top of the table. Denying physics since 2012. That was pretty cool.
The dance of this song kind of fits the whole song however, I found it unappealing to watch. Mainly because I did not like the song and that I found it quite difficult to watch the dance without some kind of song that goes with it.
Sadly, I am going to give this a 4.5/10. Not the best song at all, however it did have some fine points that were alright. However, overall, I did not like the song.
Yes, another song that was released ike 2 months ago. Oh well, I am getting there with the list. Crossed off two, adds 3 more! I feel like this song was not really publicised that much. Basically they released the album, music video, then performed it on stage, won triple crown on M Countdown and disappeared. Beside that, I was kind of like, eh another Beast song, nothing that great. To be honest, despite being one of the biggest boy groups at the very moment, I think they might have reached their end. Like they are not in the news as much than when they first debuted or when Fiction came out last year.
Anyway, the song is a change for Beast, which really does not suit them. I prefer them on the lines of Breathe, Bad Girl, Shock, not this kind of funky, happy type of song. It is nothing that I am used to for Beast, since last year they released a love song, and now they just completely shoved the whole idea away. However, I did like the song though. It was a great song to enjoy and really sounded pretty good. I really like the instrumental and the vocals of the song was pretty good. Just, I was confused with the English some of the time in the song. But beside that, I was impressed, they pulled it off pretty well, despite my thoughts on the change was not that good.
The music video kind of looked funny. I doubt a bunch of caucasians would actually go out there and dance to an unknown boy band. There is not even a single asian in the crowd, how can that be? And the fact that they are all smiling creeps me out. But beside that, only a few things to reconsider guys: the pink suit, the subwoofer in that car, the shorts that Hyunseung is wearing and the fact that they are trying to walk in the streets trying to blend in. Seriously guy, if I wanted to see something like that I rather go to watch a movie about gangs and stuff like that. But beside that, 😐 .
The dance of this song is pretty good actually. I really like it. Pity, it was not in the music video, but it was pretty good. Also, I like the stage version of the song much more than the music video. Just, how many times did they dye their hair for this whole promotion cycle?
I would give it a 7.5/10. Not that bad, but seriously could’ve been better on so many levels.
I really like this song. Even though its lyrics do try to defame my gender, I find the song quite enjoyable to listen to. I actually don’t like the fact that some “organizations” are complaining about the lyrics and the fact that this song should be banned. A few words: Shut Up, there are songs that defame girls, yet do any female “organizations” complain? Most of the guys a part of the organizations are wimps. That’s all what I am going to say.
This song has a catchy beat and I really found the rap quite a really good part of the song. Even though it is not a dominate part of the whole song, it does stand out.
Music Video
I don’t really think there is much to say about the music video itself. It is literally dark which fits the tone of the song. And it is just a bunch of people dancing. Nothing much really.
Live Performance
Again, not much to say about the dance. It just like the music video, just more colour. Seriously.
And The Rating?
7.3333/10. Really nice song and an alright music video + performance.
KPOPREVIEWED 
