Tag: NCT U

I promised album reviews for NCT’s NCT 2020: Resonance this weekend. But before I can get to the album review, I need to review one more song, the second title track from the Part 2 of the album. Conveniently, the music video for this second title track, Work It, dropped officially today. So I will be reviewing it before I publish any album reviews for the massive group. From the 23-member lineup, Work It features Johnny, Yuta, Ten, Jungwoo, Hendery, Jaemin and Jisung. Let’s see what these members bring to the table.

I really wanted to like Work It, but I couldn’t. I don’t think I ever watched/listen to a song with such a straight face before. Out of the four title tracks that NCT have given thus far, Work It is probably my least favourite. But before I delve into the reasons why the song didn’t work for me, let’s start about the positives of Work It. The chorus was pretty solid and I can see it growing on me (provided I look past the reasons I will list later on). It features two very strong hooks. The first being the simple ‘Work It’ that is essentially spoken into the song. The second is the main synth of chorus’ instrumental, which brings some edge to the song and the fast tempo. If you know me, I like my energy and this chorus definitely tried to bring it. Unfortunately, the rest of the song just felt dull or mis-matched. I can’t get over the blandness and over-consistency the verses brought to the song. The members had pretty decent delivery with their rapping here. But the verses lacked the instrumental to really bring the song some life. I just got bored with its plainness and lack of energy. The fact that the second verse didn’t do much to change to up and felt like a repeat of the first verse didn’t help. I feel like this is a case where the producers were trying to do a lot with the members, but very little with the instrumental. The bridge was nice vocally, but it did not fit in with the rest of the song. We went straight from a fast tempo EDM track into a smoothed out, classically approach and slowed tempo backdrop for vocals. It is something that NCT does a lot and it tends to work fine. This time around, the difference was too noticeable. They could have at least gone with a slower form of EDM to give the different parts a chance to blend sounds or at least make it seem like it would fit. Overall, Work It had some highs. But it was the lows that got my attention.

Work It’s music video was no way meant to be taken seriously. Based on the casual way the members were acting and the smiles plastered over their faces, it was a fun video. The music video adopts the choreography and closeup formula that I dislike. similar to how the previous NCT U’s music videos were also structured. From memory, those ones had a bit going on, so the formula wasn’t as noticeable. Work it didn’t have much going on, so it was very noticeable from first glance. The editing felt plain (for the most part – there were some cool transitions) and I wished more could have done to it. Also Haechan’s presence at the end of the 90’s Love video is answered in Work It, creating a bridge between the videos. But I don’t see any that indicates that the connection is there for fun.

The choreography looks good. I felt more energy in the small snippets of the choreography that I saw in the music videos than from the actual song. I would like to see if they bring some of their boogie freestyle that we saw in the music video to the stage performances or not.

Song – 5/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 7/10
Overall Rating – 6/10

Returning today as well is NCT with their second part of their NCT 2020 Resonance album. For those who missed NCT’s first part of the NCT 2020 Resonance album, the group formed different smaller units back in October to facilitate the release of Make A Wish (Birthday Song) and From Home. For the first release of the second part, 90’s Love is performed by Ten, WinWin, Mark, Jeno, Haechan, YangYang and Sungchan. Before we get stuck into the review, I just want to say that NCT’s album review for both the first and second part of the NCT 2020 Resonance album will be published over this coming weekend. It is in the works, so be prepared for that!

90’s Love take you back to the retro hip-hop that we got commonly from the era in the song’s name. There is a modern twist to the song with the various instruments used throughout, so the song can be better described as ‘newtro’. It is jam packed with energy that throws it back to the 90s, which makes the song so much more appealing for me. The use of drums constantly really makes 90’s Love so much more abrasive, but in a fun and dynamic manner. The ‘Hey Hey Hey’ at the start really helped hype up the song and I liked how the rapping continues the momentum of this hype. The whole rapping sequence in the second verse is proof of this, even though it is detached from the first verse. Definitely reiterates to me Mark’s capabilities and also shows off Sungchan’s talent/potential. 90’s Love‘s point of weakness has to be the sudden change from retro to vocals for the bridge. There isn’t anything wrong with the two sections (like how do I fault Haechan and Ten’s amazing high note?). It is just the sudden change that really cuts the flow of energy in the song and reduced everything that was going on beforehand into basically nothing. I wished there was some bridge to really connect the two parts, like a gradual easing into the vocal sequence. Interestingly, I found the relaunch back into the chorus to work just fine. And as I said, the vocals in this section are on point. Overall, 90’s Love is definitely a full on type of song, with just one hiccup along the way.

The ice hockey concept is definitely pretty cool. I really like how the entire ice rink had the NCT branding, which I guess SM Entertainment is fortunate enough to do. I found the dinosaurs to be a really funny and lighthearted addition to the video. Usually I would say all the references to the dinosaurs are a bit random. But since it is the mascot of the team, I really cannot say that as the dinosaur has its purpose in this video. I did also like the random video game version of the mascots dancing to the choreography. I guess the main question is what is up with Haechan (I think it is Haechan) on the spinning thing at the end of the video? A possible hint for the next video? I guess we have to wait and see.

Great choreography from what I can see from the music video. The entire dance break just after the bridge was very intense. The constant percussion and the energy really lends well to an amazing routine that NCT U pulls off without any problems.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 9/1/0
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.8/10

Last week, NCT made their comeback with a whopping 23 member lineup through their NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1. This album consist two title tracks amongst others. One of the title track was Make A Wish (Birthday Song), which I reviewed last week. The other is From Home and its music video was dropped on Monday (apologies once again for reviewing this a few days late). For this NCT U release, we have Taeil, Yuta, Kun, Doyoung, Renjun, Haechan and Chenle joining forces together.

NCT is a very multinational group, featuring members from the US, Canada, Japan, China, Thailand and Korea. And so, I find From Home to be a fitting song for the group. Firstly, it is a soft pop ballad that expresses their journey of becoming members of NCT, and their new ‘home’ alongside each other as a group. The song’s meaning is definitely quite touching Secondly, the song has this very comforting warmth to it. As a listener, I couldn’t help but smile that the melodies and feelings that the song places on me. If I was a member of this group, I would constantly return to this song during times when I am lost or alone, remembering that there are 21 other friends in the same boat (and that number is most likely going to rise in the coming years!). Thirdly, the song is sung in four different languages. While the song is mainly in Korean (and there is a Korean version), the song also features lyrics in Japanese, Chinese and English. I feel that this was a very personalised move for the group, given that a bulk of their members are of this nationaliities. It is a pity that the song didn’t have some Thai representation. Meaning aside, I find From Home is a nice song musically. It may not be as impactful or memorable as Make A Wish, but it is a nice delicate side of the group that we should be able to see more often. There are some really good vocal moments, especially the airy vocals we get into the chorus and the really stunning high note Taeil gives us at the climax of this ballad. I also like how they weaved between languages, which is a pretty strong feat, given how different Chinese and Japanese is, in terms of tone, pitch and other characteristics. I also really liked it when all the members sung together for the chorus, adding more to that warm and welcoming feeling that I mentioned.

I really liked that the producers took this video to the outside, rather than make them stay inside sets. I also really like how perfect the day was for the music video shoot. It adds to the aesthetics and appeal of the song, particularly that really warm feeling. I also liked the mix between the modern camera shots and the home video shots. It just makes the whole thing feel homey. The visual game the members bring is also phenomenal. The baby photos and their thanks was also really nice. Given the song meaning, I think it would have been super nice to have the rest of the NCT members to appear towards the end, which would have made this a super special music video for them and fans alike.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Overall Rating – 9.4/10

It has two years since we saw a full group comeback from NCT. And during those two years since that comeback, we have seen NCT’s lineup grow with the debut of WayV (the group’s Chinese subunit) and the addition of Shotaro and Sungchan (who both have been confirmed to debut in a future subunit). Now with 23 members in total, the group have banded together to release their second full group comeback and album, NCT 2020 Resonance Pt. 1. The first promotional track from the album is Make A Wish (Birthday Song), which features Taeyong, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Lucas, Xiaojun, Jaemin and Shotaro.

It has been very clear that NCT’s releases have been more experimental than any other SM group. This gives the group and its subunits a slight edge, as we would never know exactly what we should be expecting with each comeback. Make A Wish (Birthday Song) pretty much confirms this logic. It is unlike any other song put forward by NCT before. It has been described as a dance pop track with a hip hop beat and an addicting whistling sound. And you can hear each part of that description throughout the song in some capacity, as they don’t mess around with any of those components. And yet, Make A Wish manages to still twist and turn in a manner that results in the song coming off as different and at times, quite unexpecting. Personally, it isn’t my personal taste in music. But like the group, I would like to say that my taste for hip-hop centric releases have grown considerably over the years, and I can appreciate Make A Wish‘s sound. The NCT U members for this song manage to show off great vocals and raps. And each infuse a bit of unique style, adding to the appeal of the song. Unfortunately, when I turn my attention to the song’s main hook (i.e. the chorus), the infusion of hip-hop instrumentation and the drawn own style of vocal delivery just doesn’t work for me. It drowns out the energy and momentum that the song had built during the verses. As a result, the chorus feels sluggish. Maybe my taste for hip-hop hasn’t really grown that much. But I felt that something a little more dynamic and punchy would have been a better chorus.

Make A Wish features a Middle Eastern flair in the visual department. While it did add a nice colour pallete to the music video, I didn’t think the Middle Eastern flair was particularly necessary. I personally do not have anything against the Middle Eastern influence. I just felt most of their outfits were more suited for an urban concept and think an urban influence would a nicer choice. SM Entertainment wows me with their post-production, once again. The holograms of the members appearing on the platform in which the hooded figures are dancing around, along with the disappearing members right at the end looked so cool. Set-wise, I really like the chandelier that the members were hanging off from, as well.

The performance suits the music, which was expected. I like how the moves are slower during the more drawn out moments of the song and faster when they aren’t bounded by the music. It also seems like the members are given a chance to be a little more personable and fun towards the end of the performance (based on what I say in the music video). I feel this more carefree style matches up with the song neatly and provides a way for the performance to not be purely serious.

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

NCT is nominated for Best Male Group, while both NCT Dream and NCT 127 are nominated for Best Subunit. NCT Dream is also nominated for Best Male (Group) Choreography and Best Collaboration (with Yeri from Red Velvet). Click here to support NCT and their subunits before the 31st of December.

While EXO hasn’t released a Christmas single for the past two years, it seems like other SM artists may be taking the mantle. NCT U has reformed into a four member subunit (Jaehyun, Taeil, Haechan and Doyoung) for the release of Coming Home, which is part of the SM Station X project. This is also the first NCT U release since 2018’s Boss (one of my favourite songs of the year!).

Per the Christmas singles that EXO have released in the past, Coming Home comes in the form of a ballad. Made up of classical instruments, the background has this very warm and soothing vibe to it, but this is a rather typical aspect when it comes to Winter singles. But I like how there isn’t a stillness to the instrumental compared to other ballads (i.e. they are made of strictly one or two instruments). There are number of instruments working together in this song at any one second, and this really helps push the song along in a captivating manner. I could also sense an elegant vibe to the song. Compared to the other ballad that I reviewed during the week, this one has a little extra appeal to it. This added layer of appeal can be attributed to the vocal work. Jaehyun, Taeil, Haechan and Doyoung are the part of the vocal line of NCT, so it was expected that we would be getting some sort of vocal push to it. However, we are treated to powerhouse vocals in this song, especially with all the high notes at the end. The song also allows the members to showcase and move about (in terms of their vocals), showcasing and exploring their talents in this department. Overall, Coming Home is a Winter single to enjoy.

At the start of the music video, we are shown the members of this NCT U lineup in a way that gives off the impression that they are alone. But as the the video comes to an end, we are shown the member are actually very close by as they walk in the background of each other’s shot. The song is about coming home to a loved one. But I think at the end it is shown that Jaehyun is the one going home and he is only imagining the other members as they are the people he is going home to. It is a nice concept and I liked how it wasn’t as emotionally charged as other songs. I really like their outfits and the sets created for this video.

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

Just one week after their official comeback with Boss, NCT U has just dropped a brand new track, Baby Don’t Stop. What I recently found out is that NCT U is a rotational unit, hence its lineup is not fixed. This explains why the lineup for NCT U keeps on changing every time they release a song. Baby Don’t Stop features Taeyong and Ten (who was not part of Boss promotions).

This time last week, I was amazed at Boss. One week later and I am amazed at Baby Don’t Stop. Even with two members, NCT U definitely has 2018 under its grasp. Baby Don’t Stop has a really addictive beat to it and its repetition of the title is engraved into your mind after just one listen. Like literally, I could not stop humming the song since I listened to it this morning. I am going to be raving on about the repetition for a little more, so bear with me. It starts off as Taeyong’s whisper and it builds-up into a vocal line with the addition of Ten. This combination really makes it a strong aspect of the song. Another strong aspect of the song has to be the layering. Ten’s ad-libs in the background, Taeyong’s vocals and the husky whisper repetition just forms a breathtaking trinity, leaving me stunned. To top it off, both members got their chance to shine through their rapping and vocals. Baby Don’t Stop has pushed the bar up higher and that makes it harder for the rest of 2018 releases.

The entire video was actually quite nice to watch. I like the sets. Everything is pieced together quite nicely. From the top of your head, you don’t really think a bunch of empty seats and chairs would make a good video but it works naturally. Fans also got some fan-service with the duo flaunting their abs around in the latter half of the video. My only main concern with the video is their health. They look so skinny (and this is coming from a skinny guy as well). Hopefully, they (and all idols) are eating well enough for their schedules and releases.

The choreography to this looks really cool. I don’t have much to say about the performance besides that and any other adjective that could be substituted for cool. For the ending, it looks like they were doing some freestyling, which I think makes it even cooler.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.5/10

NCT has big plans for 2018, with promises for comebacks for all three units. NCT U is the first unit to make their grand return. This is their first comeback for the unit after their debut in 2016 (they were notably absent from stage in 2017). NCT U’s return also features 3 new additions including NCT 127 member Winwin and new NCT members Jungwoo and Lucas.

I wasn’t much of a fan of NCT U’s previous works. But hearing Boss, I find this track quite good. The entire song has a very minimalistic feel to it. It doesn’t have much going on in terms of content-wise. But quality wise, it is quite powerful. The song opens with that really addictive thumping beat which definitely grabs your attention. This thumping is played continuously throughout the song and despite it being repeated, you don’t get tired of it. The vocals and rapping add to the song, building it up from the bare foundations. The vocals added some flair, while the rapping added some intensity to the song, which is why I think the song is so good. The chorus has the rap-speaking technique, almost like a chant. It doesn’t feel like the hook of the song but it works well as the chorus. My favourite part of the entire track is the overlapping of the raps by Taeyong and Mark for the bridge of the song. To sum up, Boss is an aesthetically pleasing song to listen to (and my new favourite from the subunit). 

And this has to be NCT’s most aesthetically pleasing music video to date. There is something about the visuals in this video that yells out badass. You can tell that there was a lot of intensity from the very start, which gives it a promising start. I like the cinematography quite a bit, which definitely adds the aesthetic to the video. The video does seem to compliment that minimalistic vibe that was coming from the song, as the video doesn’t have much going on. But in many ways, it is still a really good video to watch.

If you want power, edgy and intensity in just one stage performance, I have the perfect one for you. Boss embosses all of that and any other anger associated word that can describe the choreography in a good way. I particularly like the dance at the end of the song (where Taeyong looks the angriest at 3:06).

Song – 9.5/10
Music Video – 9/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

As you can see for the past few days I have been catching up on a number of reviews which I had planned to do but kept pushing around due to not having enough time. But it always better late than never! Timeless, released two weeks back as part of the SM Station, is the last of these late reviews. It also marks the return of NCT U (in the form of three members – Taeil, Doyoung and Jaehyun), the only NCT subunit who did not have a comeback in 2017.

Timeless is a ballad that I will admit I overlooked when it first came out. However, I am glad I revisited the track after a little while because it truly is a really decent track to listen to. The vocals of each member, particularly those who handled the chorus, were mind-blowing. And that is why I keep on going back to this track now because it is so good. There wasn’t much harmony in the song but when harmonies did appear (particularly the high note at the end), it was so good. The melody was really flowy, which also attracted my attention. The instrumental was your typical ballad instrumental with the piano and strings but gave off that swaying effect, which I tend to comment on in these reviews. Overall, I am glad I returned to relisten to this track because it is definitely a good one.

The entire video was shot live. This time around there were not instrumentations in the background but only the members singing into the microphone. And for some reason, the live vocals were more noticeable than the other live video (performed by 10CM and Chen). It is a relatively simple video in both is visual appeal and style, which is something I tend to like.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.6/10

SM Entertainment has unleashed their latest group. The newly debuted group is NCT, and NCT U is the first subunit of the group to debut. Now the concept of the band is ridiculously confusing.  Apparently, they are this large group consisting of an unspecified amount of members. The members are rotated around constantly, so I guess we will be able to see new faces every time they come back. I read somewhere that this is the way the company wants to avoid another EXO dilemma, giving members ample time to rest until it is their next turn. Really confusing and I think there is a lot more to the group that what I have specified. Anyway, NCT U is the first subunit of the group and consists of Taeyong, Ten, Jaehyun, Mark, Taeil and Doyoung.

The 7th Sense, to me, is a terrible song. I avoid listening to this song every time it pops up in the playlist when I am listening on YouTube or iTunes. The song gives me a headache essentially. It is electronic, but then it is really slow and that doesn’t really sit well with me. It does have an exotic feel to it, which is interesting, but it has no appeal to me. The song feels dragged out. Their vocals in this song aren’t that great as well. The song isn’t catchy and I am greatly disappointed by it. Maybe it might because I am not used to the song and isn’t something you find constantly in KPOP, but sadly, it is not a song I am fond of.

Without You is the complete opposite. I love everything about this song. There is nothing that I would look down upon because this the type of song I enjoyed listening to when growing up. It sounds like American bands that were popular back in the 00’s. When I listen to this song, I find myself rocking along and singing along as well. That is the whole point of KPOP right? To make it so catchy that the listeners start listening along.  Their vocals were superb. Yeah, it does feel dragged out, but the tone and tune of the song are just so good, it makes me overlook that tiny detail. And don’t get me started on the chorus.

Music video wise, I actually have not watched any of them. Odd hey? Anyway, the music video for the 7th Sense makes sense. The song is already unique for the listeners, so it is obvious the music video is also unique. It gives off that exotic feel that I mentioned above. Sure the lighting could have been a little better, but hey, that is the charm of the video. The solid colour filters (or did they film the video with red lights?) looked pretty cool. It seems I actually like the video more than the song. Just going to prove how hypocritical I am, but the end where they have a clear colour light or filters, made it look boring I actually preferred the coloured scenes, but maybe they could have gone with one shade of red lighter. Without You is an abstract video. Probably the right word to use to sum up the video. And like everything that is abstract, it is really confusing. The plot seems to show the guys in two realities. One with their girlfriend, the other without her. And somehow they are mashed into one reality. The one thing I would have removed from the video were all the scenes involving the members lip-syncing to the song. It is just really awkward and didn’t fit in with the abstract nature of the video.  Out of the two videos, I do actually prefer 7th Sense. But if someone can clear up the confusion (you can probably crack the Da Vinci code as well) for the second video, then I would be grateful.

Not one to spend too long on the dance part. Only 7th Sense had a dance. Someone really needs to overhaul the fashion for these stages. It seems like there is a complete mash-up of the clothing over different eras. Dance matched the tempo of the song. The dance just doesn’t memorable to me. Without You is simply a band performance.

Overall, I am quite torn about the two debut songs. One of the songs I liked more, but the other’s video more. Dance doesn’t help pick a winner for me. But which was your favourite song/debut package? Vote below!!!

The 7th Sense – 4.5/10

Without You – 7.5/10