Tag: Kara

[Review] WHEN I MOVE – KARA

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged 2 Comments

KARA is one of many second and third generation groups who have made their comeback this year for the first time in while, joining the likes of BIGBANG, GOT7, SISTAR, SNSD, T-ARA and WANNA ONE, whom are nominated for the Best Comeback or Reunion in the 2022 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. Support your favourite Comeback or Reunion of the year, and your other favourite artists, songs and performances of the year by clicking here to vote today!

KARA makes their grand return after a 6 year hiatus to celebrate their 15th anniversary! For those who may be new to the industry and KPOP, KARA was a five member female group who debuted back in 2007, and had very big hits like Mister, Lupin and Step (just to name a few). They unfortunately became inactive upon the departure of  Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon and the late Goo Hara from DSP Media (the company that established and managed KARA for 9 years) in 2016. As of the 29 November, KARA had regrouped and reunited as a five member group consisting of Park Gyuri, Han Seungyeon, Heo Youngji (who joined the group in 2014) and former KARA members Kang Jiyoung and Nicole (who both left the group in 2014). WHEN I MOVE (the title track) and Move Again (their 15th anniversary mini-album) dropped earlier this week, and the group held their first comeback performance on the same day at the 2022 MAMA Awards, held in Japan!

For me, without a doubt, KARA’s first comeback in six years was the biggest comeback of the week. In addition to their hits I have listed above, KARA has a few underrated title tracks, such as Pandora, CUPID and Damaged Lady, that I have grown to love over the years since their release. WHEN I MOVE is probably going to fall into their ‘underrated territory’, simply because I don’t think the masses would turn their attention to a group they probably do not much about (since KARA is considered to be second generation, and the masses are more focused on the fourth generation and lesser so of the third generation). WHEN I MOVE, however, is a great song. I really enjoyed the way WHEN I MOVE starts, opting for a subtle approach that just feels sleek and stylish. The minimalist nature of the instrumental at the start backs this up. I liked the way their vocals adopted the ‘subtle approach’ as well, which not only complements the approach of the instrumentation and set-up of the song, but also pulled me into an alluring captivation. The choruses of WHEN I MOVE contrasts strongly to this, with all the members joining forces together to deliver an explosive line that really takes you away from that captivation from the verses and still maintains your attention with such a chorus. The house beat that forms the basis of the choruses brought a cool and somewhat retro touch to the song, and it builds on the energy and tone that the verses had pulled together. The hooks and melodies that follow in the choruses were catchy and memorable. The raps and the trap that follows the rap/accompanies the vocals in the bridge were probably the weakest aspect of WHEN I MOVE. It just didn’t have the same flair and appeal as the rest of the song, and felt pretty basic. I wished they upped the ante for the bridge, just so it really honed into the already mentioned energy and vibe that I quite enjoyed in WHEN I MOVE. Despite that, I still think WHEN I MOVE is a great song and return for KARA. It could have been better, but I am happy to take it as it is.

The music video did exactly what I expected it to do, based on the model and catwalk-like sound that WHEN I MOVE had. The music video wasn’t necessarily a fashion parade, but it was definitely a celebration of KARA, which is the focus of this comeback/reunion. As an extension of that thought, I really liked the fact that the group and the producers of this music video paid homage to the late Goo Hara, who took her life a few years back. The addition of a sixth microphone stand at the end for Goo Hara was very touching and I am sure fans enjoy this small but meaningful gesture. Aside from that, I quite enjoyed the different colours (and schemes) they had in this video, which does give off that celebratory and stylish flair that the song calls for.

No matter which performance I watched for this comeback (at the time of writing, only the MAMA Awards and the Music Bank stages are available), it felt like KARA never went on hiatus nor any member left the group. The chemistry between the group members were there and well-developed, and their stage presence spoke volumes. Their command of the stage, their performance (even though it would not be as iconic as Mister‘s butt waves) and their solid vocals/raps are all elements that junior artists should definitely look up towards.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Album Review] Full Bloom (4th Studio Album) – KARA

Posted in Album Reviews, KPOPTagged Leave a comment

As it is another Tuesday (though it is less than half an hour left until Wednesday where I am), it is time for another Past Album Review. Sorry for missing out last week (as that is why I took my break). The artist I had intended to review last week was KARA, so I am going to pick up from there. Going through their discography, I wanted to review a personal favourite of mine. Given that Full Bloom (their fourth studio album) already features two of my favourite tracks (the pre-release Runaway and title track Damaged Lady), I thought this would be a good opportunity to dive into that album. Full Bloom also serves as the final album for Nicole and Jiyoung, who both left the group early on in the following year after their contracts expired.

Full Bloom Album Cover

1. Runaway (둘 중에 하나) (Pre-Release Track) – Runaway happens to be one of my favourite KARA side tracks ever. It is a little confusing to describe it in words. But I would say that it is a R&B-based acoustic guitar-centric instrumented track that has a feeling of a ballad, but it actually ends up being more of a soft pop track. It doesn’t develop into a full-on dance track. But it does pick up slightly and in such an elegant manner. Take the rap sequence we get in the bridge of the song. The rap sequence (brought to you by Nicole and Jiyoung) has quite a bit of heft and momentum to it, which would only work if a soft song had picked up to a degree. And while the song did do that, KARA managed to make the rap sequence feel natural and fit right in with the rest of the song. The song’s melodies and the members’ vocals were very memorable. Overall, everything was executed beautifully and starts the album on an amazing note. (10/10)

2. Damaged Lady (숙녀가 못 돼) (Title Track) – I previously made some comments in my review for Damaged Lady in regards to things I didn’t like. All of these items have actually grown on me and this has become one of my favourite KARA title tracks. Hence, I have decided to bump the original 7.5/10 rating to a 9/10 rating. Click here to read the original review of the Damaged Lady. (9/10)

3. 1+1 – 1+1 adds a Summery vibe to the Full Bloom album with its bright and sugary sound. This is in direct contrast to the songs preceding it, given that KARA goes with a more innocent profile with this song. I would describe the instrumental to 1+1 as pretty, as that is what the twinkling effects and light wavy synth come together to create. I find the melodies in this song to be quite sweet, but not to the extent where it would be overly saturated with sweetness and become cringy. I also enjoyed the vocals of each of the members, particularly Seungyeon who flourished during the chorus. Hara and Jiyoung handled the raps this time and they were well executed for this song. The only flaw in this song was the terrible English in the song, which often did not make much sense (e.g. ‘You want me best one thing alright’). (8.5/10)

4. In The Game – To me, In The Game is another strong offering from the group. There is one thing I do dislike about it. But for the most part, I enjoyed it. First praise goes to the instrumental. I liked the upbeat jazzy and funky nature of the song. I enjoyed the brass, which reiterates the funky nature that I just mentioned. Second praise goes to the vocals and (part of the) rapping. I specifically mean the singing vocals. The chorus was stunning and Seungyeon really knows how to pack a punch. I also like the way they sing the title of the song together, which adds to the appeal of the song. Nicole’s rapping in the second verse also adds to the energy of the song, which was fantastic. With most of the praises out of the way, I must turn to the one thing I dislike. I am talking about the ‘G A M to the E R’. It was whiny, unnecessary and was the biggest disappoint of the song. Other than that, In The Game is an awesome track. (9/10)

5. Follow Me – Follow Me is what I would consider to be your typical side track. It doesn’t offer anything more than a pop sound. I must say that Follow Me is quite pleasant and this can go a long way, depending on the circumstances. Furthermore, I like the song’s consistency. It doesn’t dry out the song, given that the beat is nice. However, to me today, the song isn’t that exciting and pretty skippable. Their vocal work is warming, but not their most impressive display on this album. (6/10)

6. Smoothie – Pretty much the same thing can be said in Smoothie as in the previous song. I do find it a smooth track, but it doesn’t offer anything new or exciting. There is a jazzy vibe to the song, but it lies more on the R&B side of the spectrum. One positive aspect that I can pick up on is that their breathy vocals are quite nice and compliment the soothing nature of the song. But other than that, Smoothie is just another track on the album. (6/10)

7. 2Night – An upbeat number ends the Full Bloom era and it also serves as the final song we hear from Nicole and Jiyoung as part of the KARA lineup (Sorry for bringing it up!). It is a return to their more interesting and appealing side, as well. While 2Night doesn’t have any strong hooks to grab on to or memorable vocals draw me in, the song does have a easygoing funky 80s electropop instrumental that I enjoyed. Their light vocals work well with it. I do get a bit of a nostalgic vibe from the song, as this is a similar sound to a number of side tracks of KPOP artists that I used to enjoy (way back when I started this blog 9 years ago). (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.9/10

Full Bloom Teaser Image

Choco Chip Cookies – Goo Hara (Kara) ft. Giriboy

Posted in KPOP, ReviewsTagged , , Leave a comment

Summer comebacks keep on coming and they keep on getting announced. Gu Hara who is a popular member of the group Kara was confirmed to make her solo debut a few months back and finally has dropped the new song this month. Kara was quite busy in the last few months, due to their comeback with Cupid. So when  I heard that she was going to debut just a matter of weeks after their promotional cycle finished, I was shocked. Why don’t these people get some time to rest? But then again, many fans (and guys) are probably thankful for this. Hehehehe…

Not a big fan of Hara. I never see why she stood out beside the fact that she has a nice body. And many people have acknowledge that she isn’t the best member at singing or rapping. However it is still a pretty big feat if you are that someone but manage to pull off a solo song by yourself. I personally think this song suits Hara’s capability of being a singer. It is not a complex song that needs high notes and all those ad-libs to make it sound cool. But I have to be honest, I did find this song rather ordinary. I liked it, but it doesn’t have much going on within it. Giriboy’s rapping was pretty good and accompanied Hara’s vocals pretty well. But the rest really didn’t wow me. Maybe I am so use to powerful vocals and all, but this did sound rather flat and dull.

As for the music video, I thought it was rather boring. I have to be very honest here, but that dude looked pretty nice (physique wise). The chemistry between the two was pretty good. At least they were not awkward with each other, because that would be a video with disaster written all over it. It is very Summery video and colourful. But beside that, there really was not much going on. The couple flirted and acted cute/sexy around each other. And that is all. There was nothing else to talk about. Yeah, I am very disappointed about that. Maybe I am being hypocritical with myself, but those scenes where she is just singing and staring into the camera. Yeah, they look fake. I know the video would more boring, but honestly, I cringed during those scenes.

As for the dance, that dude is back again. Hahaha… I just remember watching one of the performances and there wasn’t much screaming for Hara. However as soon as the dude stepped out, the fan girls started their reign.  The dance was boring. There really wasn’t anything to eye boggle about. It does fit in with her image and reflects the sexy summer comeback that many did expect from her.

Overall, it was okay. Could have been loads better. 4.5/10

Cupid – Kara

Posted in KPOPTagged 3 Comments

Kara has returned with a brand new song. It has been a while since Korean promotions, but they have a little more busy with Japanese activities. On top of that , Youngji was promoted on the TC show, Roommate for a while last year. Hara is tipped to make a comeback through solo promotions within this year. And beside that, there really haven’t been much going on for the band, except for the odd promotion here or there.

Cupid is a really typical song. It has not uniqueness and just falls into the “KPOP” genre. It sounds like a cute song and has bits of ageyo in it, which kind of confuses me, since the girls are quite mature and really don’t carry the same concept through their music video or dance. I am glad that Youngji is getting more lines, unlike Mamma Mia, which barely promoted her at all. The whole rap sequence is just Youngji’s. but it has this fake sound all the way through. The vocals were quite lacking in this song. There was no depth and don’t get me started on the live performances. But do I like the song? I guess so. It just doesn’t feel right to say it is an amazing song, because there are definitely some flaws. I really wanted to see a powerful comeback such as their past songs before the departure of the other two former members, but their past few songs have been very airy fairy for me.

The music video was really boring. Dance here. Great, solo shots in these massive sets with perfume bottles and flowers. Add a small parts of a man dodging flower arrows and a silhouette of him getting shot. Music video done. I really don’t like the pale green they were going for. As you can see, I analyse videos very well. There just was not a single thing that made this music video amazing. To be honest, it looked a lot like Mamma Mia. Beside that the fact that the camera angles were a tad different, the music videos to me were perfectly the same. Even the dance set seemed to have the same feel to it as in Mamma Mia.

The dance was okay. Not great, but it did its job. So wasn’t disappointed. I like the choreography at Youngji’s rap part. It seemed fluid and flowed very well. As I said, the live performances were terrible. They don’t sound good.  The vocal work here did not seem like last years or any of their past songs.

Overall, it was an okay comeback. Typical song, boring music video, alright dance. 5/10

I should comeback with more catch up reviews starting Monday and then probably dive right into Big Bang, EXO and my Rewind article for May.

Summer-gic – Kara

Posted in JPOPTagged 1 Comment

It has been a while since I have reviewed a Japanese song. And with Kara’s recent return to the Japanese Pop music scene, I guess it is only right if I review their song. I also believe this is the first Japanese song from Kara that I am reviewing. There will always be a first time. Let’s not hope it is the last. Kara, as well know, is a widely popular Korean group that have cemented and is quite well known in Japan for their songs.

I like this song quite a lot. It is a summery and fresh song. It also feels like a genuine JPOP song that really does not exaggerate cuteness or sexiness. I feel like Youngji is finally fitting into the songs more and more, with more lines (not the one or two odd lines, like in Mamma Mia). Actually, all the girls sound amazing in this song and I am not disappointed at all. Even Hara, who I consider to not be a strong vocalist, actually has managed to do a really good job with this song. The instrumental was bubbly and fitting for the current season (up there in the Northern Hemisphere at least). I love the “du du du” parts of the song and thought it was very cute. And besides that, there really is not much to say about this song.

The music video was like a typical Japanese Pop music video. It is very weird to see them act cute, mainly because Mamma Mia was more on the sexy side. The bunny was cool and all, but the video made little sense to me. The bunny was one of the girl’s boyfriend, but originally the bunny was an actually living bunny. So magic trick gone wrong I guess? And then she proceeds to show off with to the girls that she has a lover and wouldn’t that evoke jealousy and sad feelings, rather than happy and (what was Gyuri doing?). Plot wise, not 100% sure. But the video was shot really well and I enjoyed it. It was bright and fresh. It matched the song quite a lot.

The dance fitted well with the song. At first I thought it was lazy, but then I thought back and actually liked it. The “du du du” parts were cool and also that beat dropper sound and its accompanying dance (1:56 of the video). Very technical terms here.

Sorry for the really crappy review. Writing this at an awful time and really busy this weekend (I’ll try to get more reviews out though). But one review is better than none. Once again, I feel like Kara has conquered Japan with their new song. 9/10

FULL MUSIC VIDEO HERE

End Of Year Charts 2014

Posted in SpecialTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

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 ^^

Mamma Mia – Kara

Posted in JPOP, KPOPTagged 2 Comments

Kara is finally back after a round a year absence from the Korean stage. This time, they made their comeback with only 4 members with a drastic line-up change. Former members Nicole and Jiyoung both decided to move on and after their respective contacts ended, the two parted ways with Kara. Nicole is said to be gearing up for her own solo debut, after flying back to the States to enhance her skills at being a performer. Jiyoung went back to studying for the time being. After both members left the group, the company, DSP decided to add a new member to the band. In the end it turned out to be Youngji, chosen by the public from 7 trainees altogether, to be a part of the new line-up for Kara, joining Gyuri, Hara and Seungyeon. As you can also see, this review has been put down as KPOP and JPOP. Their title track Mamma Mia, was released in both Japan and Korea and hence both shall be reviewed today.

I find this song to be more of a JPOP song rather than a KPOP song firstly. It just has the JPOP feeling that JPOP fans are more used to. The lyrics seem to flow better in the Japanese version as well. The start of the song has a fresh summer feel to it, which is explainable due to the Summer season in the Northern Hemisphere (sorry, brb after freezing myself in Winter down here). But the start also has a vogue type of feel to it. There is that Madonna influence that you can hear at the start. I like the part where the singers are singing at that really fast paced, that seems like rapping. Pretty cool. As for the rest of the song, I have to say that I was very disappointed. The chorus is okay to listen to overall, however it really is not that great. It sounds really pop-ish and as I said before, really does not sound like a KPOP song. Also, the line distribution is really weird. Sorry, is Kara a 4 member group? Oh, I nearly mistaken the group to be a 3 member vocal group with one back up dancer. Like seriously, the company is not keen on showing Youngji off to the public, what was the big deal of the group needing a fourth member? Not fair for Kara and not fair for Youngji as well. So overall, Kara could have done loads better with this song.

The music video looks tens time better for the Japanese one rather than the Korean one. I feel that this music video lives on the colour theme changes throughout the whole video, because beside that, there really is nothing to talk about. It seems so artificial that it looks really boring to watch. Oh green theme and then a white theme, and scenes in between abut them lounging around. Great. That or they changed the lighting to make it seem more different. Wow. It seems like the company has little idea what direction the band is going now. They were once one of the biggest group in Korea, but now they have reached a slump. The colour contrast with the blue background and the red and block clothing, like the picture above, was pretty cool. That was the Japanese version of the music video. On the other hand, black and green really do not go hand in hand that well, in my point of view. And beside that, there really isn’t anything else to continue reviewing.

As for the dance, it was quite average. Not exactly the best but not that bad either. But this group really needs another eye catching dance to somehow get pushed back into the limelight.

5/10. An average comeback, that would have been better overall. Where as for the Japanese one, I give it a 5.5/10. Honestly, their company really needs to step up their game and give Kara a really good song or help them promote. It is already hard to recover from a slump, so it is just going to get harder everytime you put it off. I also apologise, I was meant to post this on Monday, but that failed. So here we are, Wednesday review up!!!

‘End Of Year Music Festivals’ Favourite Performances

Posted in KPOPTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

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’s Intro + 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’s On & 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’s Expectation 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’s Bar 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’s Number 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)’s Rum 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?

Happy New Year!!!

Posted in KPOPTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

 

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

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

PLAYLIST 1: 

PLAYLIST 2: 

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM KPOPreviewed!!!

Damaged Lady – Kara

Posted in KPOPTagged 1 Comment

Source: http://www.soompi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/kara_damaged_lady.jpg

After a year, girl group Kara is finally back with a brand new album ready to rock the stage. Damaged Girl was released on the 2nd of September and since have been proving to be a hit, even winning an award on a music show and possibly a few more in the future. It has been sometime since we last saw the girls in Korea and really, what a powerful song to comeback with. I think something suspicious is occurring. I am just happen to be googling around to find something to write here and came over this: their first album (which was their debut album) was called “The First Blooming”, since then, there have no “blooms” whatsoever, but a “Full Bloom” album (which is this one). Suspicious or not, I don’t know.

I love the rock and roll feel to the song that it has. I think I fell in love the song for those parts. The instrumental really does fit the vocals of the band, which is pretty cool. There are a few things that I am quite confused about and don’t actually like this song. The song is great and all, but why Buddha?  There are like lines in this that say, “I am not like Buddha” which are great in a way, as Buddha is like an icon for calmness and mediation, but as a Buddhist, I find this used wrongly. It does make sense, however, I expected different words to be used in the second part of the song, but we did not get any, which is quite disappointing. Another thing I dislike about the song was the rap. It just felt like the producer slotted a rap sequence in and made it sound good. And another part was that high note at the start and that “oww!” part. This is not Michael Jackson. This song is about love and rock and roll (in a way) but that high note just conflicts with the song. Overall, I liked the song a lot, just some areas need a bit of more work.

The music video is okay. Not the best music video, but not the worst. We see girls who are dating these guys, who turns out to be hitting on with other girls. Guys, try being a little more subtle with her cheating. I should be promoting cheating on your partner, but I think everyone (whether you are in a relationship or not) hitting on with another girl in front of your girlfriend is not that well played. Anyway, the girls have had enough, so they decide to show the guys who is the boss around here, thus changing into a more dominant and masculine clothing and showing the guys what they are really made out of. Great plot, but the music video is quite weak. A sign of breaking up from this music video is shoving buns and food into the guys mouth; using the fire extinguisher and turning on the water sprinkler system and dancing around in the water. What??? I am not even going to ask.

As for the dance, I thought it was pretty cool. It is about breaking up and I love the “throwing the ring that you gave me ” dance. It looked rather real. And that butt pocket dance part was cool as well. Just next time girls, actually have butt pockets. You complete the guy look with the butt pockets and the clothes you are wearing. Did I also mention how amazing they looked?

7.5/10. Pretty good, but could’ve have been enhanced a little bit more. But honestly,
If you have not yet listened to the song, you must, or you will be missing out. Check out the music video and performance in the playlist below.

Pandora – KARA

Posted in KPOPTagged 2 Comments


Source: http://seoulbeats.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/20120827_seoulbeats_kara_pandora1.jpg

Song

This song is pretty cool. It is more serious than their last comeback (Step), but not serious as Lupin. I really love the tune. I am not really a a big fan, but I have to say, I was hooked onto the song straight away from hearing it. The instrumental was really really good and appealing. The only thing I have to say about the song which was the let-down, would have to be English in the song. The start I thought, they were saying something like “Oppa-yaaaah”, but turns out they are saying “Up and Up”. I Actually was surprised. Beside that the song was pretty good. I loved the rap as it blended in with the whole song. Yeah…

Music Video

I found this music video like any other music video in the KPOP industry. In the room. No sense of other civilization. I actually thought the music video was dark somewhat, because of the dark colours the girls were wearing and the back ground. They did try to add colour into the music video. but it kind of looked dark as well. Also those eyes, kind of actually ruined that part of the music video. I enjoyed the high note part, but the eyes were kind of creepy.

Also Pandora’s box is not clear at all. Thought I just say that. I would rather think the box would be opague, as it contains the evils of the world. I hope I am talking about the right box.

Live Performance

It is basically the dance from the music video. Nothing changed. I did like the fact that they actually sang live for the whole stage. They always impress me. I also find their costume quite okay. I really do not understand  the lingerie scandal. They look fine. Even though it is not what they were wearing in the music video, but they are fine.

And The Rating?

I guess I have to give it a 9/10. Really good, song, music video and live performance.

Have Fun Watching 😀 Troy

Live Performance:

Music Video:

Step – Kara

Posted in KPOPTagged 1 Comment

This song is a wonderful song. I was never fond of Kara except for Mister, Lupin and now Step. The rest were basically dull. Step stands our because its a colourful Music Video and the song is very catchy. Who says songs must have a romantic twist in it? Kara has proven so.

The music video had no plot what-so ever. I am happy about this as many songs have misleading plots in their videos which causes them to be less appealing to the viewer and make them lose interest in the song. This is a nice change to the K-pop industry in my point of view. I love the set. it is very flashy and colourful which is another change to the industry. If you look closely on the walls of theeir set, you can see their biggest hit’s name on the wall and the actually music video for the hits. This is really so cool giving us a feeling that they are celebrating their past.

Now, I wonder how I am going yo say this. The clothing they wore were pretty tight. LOL. I have to say they stand out and were very, very, very, very colourful. Their dresses were very beautiful and nice and it reflected the colour of the background.

To rate this song, I would give it 9.5/10. The video and song was great however the video was a bit too colourful.