Tag: Oh My Girl

Next up on the album review chopping block is Real Love, Oh My Girl’s second studio length album since their debut. It was released at the end of March. Leading the album is the title track that shares the same name as the album and features an additional eight tracks. While the release of Real Love is all good news to fans, Real Love also is the final release to feature Jiho as a member, who left the group and their company (WM Entertainment for those who are wondering) following the album’s release and associated promotions following the completion of her contract. All the best to Jiho for her future endeavours and to Oh My Girl as they reform into a six member group.

When I was writing this review, I was wondering how I would best sum it up for you in this initial paragraph. And my best idea was to describe as an ‘pleasant experimentation’. It sounds odd, but it actually the hybrid of two different styles Oh My Girl had attempted on Real Love. There are a handful of songs that I actually describe (repetitively) as pleasant, while there were also a handful of songs that were experimental, unique and different from other artists. Do you have any other ways to describe the album? Let me know in the comments below once you have finished reading my review for Real Love.

1. Real Love (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Real Love. (8/10)

2. Drip – If you were listening to the song for the first time, you would have noticed that there were so many twists throughout Drip. You wouldn’t know where the song is heading, so it keeps you on the edge of your seat. This style might be disjointed, complicated and overwhelming for some, but I really liked it. This pop song’s chorus featured catchy hooks and the verses were felt fashionably sleek. I think there was room for the group to be bolder in some of the segments as some of them were relative forgettable, but it is a great track nonetheless. (8/10)

3. Eden – Acoustics opens up the pleasant sounding Eden, paired with such soft vocals from some of the members. But Eden doesn’t stay acoustic all the way through. Synths are eased in and Eden features an interestingly paced pre-chorus, before proceeding to a glitchy chorus. It is so intriguing that the synths and glitchy chorus doesn’t detract from Eden’s soft and pleasant beginning. It is different overall, but so enjoyable at the same time. The song repeats the same set up of verse, pre-chorus and chorus as described above. But after all this time, Eden still sounds refreshing and original after all this time. (10/10)

4. Replay – Replay forgoes melodies, but brings the bass and rhythm in this freaking amazing song. Replay brings forth voguing vibe, which I believe the group has previously approached in another side track from the top of my memory. But Replay feels just right for a club and/or party. Its groovy, its attitude/sassy and its sleek. And it is super catchy and memorable as a side track on this album. (10/10)

5. Parachute – Parachute feels like it easily could have traded places with Real Love as it too delves into the disco pop genre. While the instrumental was great (I enjoyed the buoyancy the steelpan brought to the instrumental), I did feel the vocals was pretty generic and didn’t bring much excitement. Real Love played around with the vocals, which helped make it interesting for me, whereas Parachute was pretty straight forward. It is slightly disappointing that the vocals weren’t as memorable, as I felt the hooks were. (7/10)

6. Kiss & Fix – Kiss & Fix is another pleasant and soft track on this album. I liked the soft drumming in the instrumentation, as it helps sets the soft tone of the track. The vocals also help out with this. The best showing of vocals comes from Binne and YooA in the bridge. That part of the song floored me. The chorus goes with this nursery-rhyme-chant-esque style which was memorable and easy on the ears. Another great track on the album. (9/10)

7. Blink – Turning to pop, Blink is a nice track. It has pleasant instrumentations that doesn’t catch you off guard or overwhelm you by being excessive. I enjoyed the underlaying guitar in this song. It felt hidden, but it peeked out enough for me to recognise it. The melodies and vocals were nice and enjoyable, as well. The rapping changes up the momentum just enough and at the right time to keep the song from falling into a ‘too consistent’ state. All is good with Blink. (8/10)

8. Dear Rose – Dear Rose is another pleasant track, even though the instrumental and rapping might not be in agreeance with this observation at first glance. I attribute the pleasantness to the vocals, which were quite soft and doesn’t ever stray from how it the song first started. I also find the softness might have come about from another nursery rhyme-like melody that the lyrics were delivered in. The ‘Pretty Little Rose’ hook was quite catchy as well. As for the instrumental, we get dance synths suitable for the club. And the rapping added an edgy tinge to the Dear Rose. Quite the opposite of soft, but somehow Dear Rose makes it work. (8.5/10)

9. Sailing Heart – The album ends with a stunning ballad. I liked the pulsing bass in the background, which added so much depth to the song. Sailing Heart also features a piano-centric instrumental. And the warm and drifty vocals lays on top. Interestingly, Sailing Heart doesn’t have a swayable melody, as the ad-libs were added throughout the song. But that doesn’t instantly mean it is not good. Sailing Heart still managed to captivate and end the album on such a dreamy note. (8/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.5/10

Unfortunately, this will be my final post this weekend for what was supposed to be a focus on album reviews. In reality, I only wrote two additional album reviews that usual. But I have plans to do another focused weekend down the track because I still have so many albums to review. I barely made a dent during the last two days! In the meanwhile, I have decided to review Dear OhMyGirl, Oh My Girl’s 8th mini-album since debut. Leading this mini-album is Dun Dun Dance, which dropped early May. Last year’s mini-album, Nonstop, turned out to be their most successful release yet and that was headlined by the title track of the same name and the side-track Dolphin, which became a long lasting trend in KPOP. Let’s see if Dear OhMyGirl has what is takes to exceed that high standard that Nonstop had set.

1. Dun Dun Dance (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Dun Dun Dance. (10/10)

2. Dear You (나의 봄에게) – Dear You twists the album in a different direction, incorporating a very soft pop track into the tracklist. Nothing in this song is heavy, with all elements being light and feathery. I really like the use of synths in the instrumental, giving the song fresh feeling. The melodies remind me of nursery rhymes, which brings a subtle nostalgic factor to the song. Some of the vocals have been processed to make it feel distant from the instrumental, which helps create the illusion of depth. When the vocals are not processed, they are superb! Each member did a stunning job in Dear You. It is a top pick for me. (10/10)

3. My Doll (나의 인형 (안녕, 꿈에서 놀아) – My Doll continues the soft approach that Dear You add. The synths in this song are a bit more prominent. But this doesn’t shorthand the soft and airy nature of the song The instrumental in My Doll gives the song texture, while the vocals give off that airy feel. The combination of the two amps both texture and airiness of the song, creating an aesthetic appeal that you know I am drawn to. (9/10)

4. Quest – The airiness continues in Quest. This time, the instrumental resembles an 8-bit style that is also relatively paced. For this song, I feel that the airiness doesn’t really appeal to me. If anything, it withdraws any energy that is commonly associated with 8-bit styled music. I wished there was something in the instrumental that bulked up Quest to make it a more fulfilling and satisfying song. I feel the vocals tried to do that, especially how it did develop to having a substantial bite. But I don’t think it was enough. Quest, to me, was the most lacking song on this release. (6.5/10)

5. Who Comes Who Knows (초대장) – Who Comes Who Knows taps in the jazzy style of pop song. Following the title track, it is the first song with what I guess you can say is an upbeat instrumentation (relative to the above songs). It is a pleasant track, especially when the members sing the title of the song. I love how the repetition of the title just floats; it is so beautiful. Who Comes Who Knows also shows off the vocals of the group, delicate and warming. (8/10)

6. Swan – Closing the album is the song is also the heaviest song on the album. Swan has a beat to it, which is a great contrast for the album. The song has this rock influence during the pre-chorus, before it turns into a EDM track for the chorus. In keeping with the album, however, the EDM drop isn’t anything too crazy. In fact, I think it on the softer side of the spectrum of EDM drops, which works well with the rest of the album. I liked the energy that comes from the song, which once again, finds that fine balance between soft and heavy. The vocals give Swan some substance and helps complete the track in a satisfying manner. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.9/10

Sorry about the double up on album reviews today. I thought I had already published Winner’s album review last night, but I guess I got distracted. Despite already publishing one album review today, I have decided to publish a second album (the usual Sunday album review release) to keep on track and not impact the upcoming release of reviews this week. The focus of this second album review will be on Oh My Girl, who recently returned with their most successful comeback yet, Nonstop. Both the album and title track shared the name, Nonstop. The album also features four other tracks, so let’s dive into the album to see it can be replayed nonstop.

1. Nonstop (살짝 설렜어) (Title Track) – Click here for the full review of Nonstop. (9/10)

2. Dolphin – If you have been following my Weekly KPOP Charts segment, you may notice that I have been mentioning this song over the last few weeks. Dolphin has fast become my favourite side-track of the year. It is extremely addictive, catchy and fun sounding. I also liked the light tone that the members adopted for the song. I thought it contrasted nicely with the relatively deep thumping and instrumentation that featured in the song. Per usual, I would have pointed out that consistency could have been an issue with this song. After all, this whole song is built on repetition. But I thought that adding that trap influence to the final part of song was quite clever and avoided me drawing the consistency red card. (10/10)

3. Flower Tea (꽃차) – Flower Tea is a ballad. No surprises there, as the title felt like it was going to be a ballad. While the main suspects in the instrumental are those classical associated instruments, the chorus seems to pick up a slight jazzy vibe, which I thought were very nice. It is a very soothing ballad and it shows off the member’s vocals really nicely. When I listen to the song, I feel like I am sitting in front of a warm fireplace as the song gives off that warm feeling. I just don’t find this song all that memorable. I just find Flower Tea to be the type of song that I would be happy to listen to this song if it pops up on my playlist, but it isn’t one I would go out of my way to find, if that makes sense. (7/10)

4. NE♡N – The title of this song is pronounced exactly like the word it is trying to spell. Neon. I don’t like the love heart in the actual title of the song. It just feels cringy and alludes to that form of cutesy in KPOP that I don’t really like. One thing I am glad about NE♡N is that it doesn’t go into that cringy cutesy style. It feels like a pop track with a mild level of cutesy in it. There was a good beat and the instrumental seemed to be incorporated an 8-bit type of feel. Part of me wants to say this song was very retro, but it also feels very contemporary. I also liked their vocals in this song, which was the usual Oh My Girl style. I must say that this song is more suited for when Oh My Girl had that young girl image. It suited them then and feels a little displaced in this more mature limelight. But it was still good nonetheless. (8.5/10)

5. Krystal – The melody of Krystal really stood out to me. It reminds me of BoA’s old tracks. It has that throwback type of vibe, which helps it become another strong song in my books and on this album, which helps end the album on a good note. If you can somehow replicate that same vibe as the Queen of KPOP and yet make the song your own, you are doing something right. I liked how the producers linked the overall sound of the song to the title. To me, it truly felt like the percussion and synths all came together to become a crystal that is glimmering and shining in the light. I also liked how light the vocals in the song were as well. But yet it was very different to the light vocals we got in Dolphin. In this song, the vocals felt warmer and sweeter. (9/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.7/10

It is time for another PAR (Past Album Review). Today, we will be focusing on a group that is getting a lot of fanfare in the industry at the moment due to their amazing cover of Lovelyz’s Destiny on the show Queendom. Yes, that is right! I am talking about Oh My Girl. And we will be going way back a bit to October 2015 to have a look back on the album which I think contains one of the best KPOP songs ever. Scroll down below to continue reading my review. Besides that, check out Queendom and support your favourite girl groups including Mamamoo, AOA, Lovelyz, Oh My Girl, (G)I-DLE and Park Bom!

1. Closer (Title Track) – I previously gave this song a 9/10. But I want to add one more point to that. Mainly because Closer must be one of my favourite KPOP tracks. It is also the group’s most underrated and aesthetically pleasing tracks ever. Given their popularity now, Closer would have been a major hit if it were released today. Click here to read the full review for Closer. (10/10)

2. Say No More – Say No More is a very smooth R&B track. The mentioned smoothness allows the song to follow strongly behind Closer. I find the track to be very catchy, especially since they accented the ‘Say No More’ using the instrumental, which they repeat throughout the song. I also think the vocal work in this track is amazing. There is a lot of technique in the song, which really shows off their potential as a group. The song is consistent, which I think was a safe move in this case. I can’t imagine a song like this being erratic in terms of it sound and it resulting as nice as what we have now. (9/10)

3. Playground – You can tell that the group was just starting out. Despite their very mature sounding Closer, the members manage to liken a love story to the playground in this track, which is a very childish and youthful thing to do. But then again, it was their image back then. I think the song is quite good as well. Maybe not as great as the two tracks before it, though. I think the vocal work was nice, especially with the harmonies and the members singing together. I really like Mimi’s rap sequences just before each chorus, as it cuts the more light-hearted pop nature from being too consistent. (8/10)

4. Sugar Baby – I am so glad that they grew out this cutesy phase. Listening to the first few lines of the song, ‘You’re My Snuggly Little Teddy Bear’ is a very cringy line. And the chorus basically follows this as well. The song has this old retro feel to it, which I think was a highlight. I also liked that small build-up we get from the pre-chorus section. Apart from that, I find the song very standard and it doesn’t really appeal to my personal tastes. If you like the cutesy direction of KPOP, I think this song would be a standout for you. (7/10)

5. Round About – I think they started out strong on this album. And I wished the album continued this strong start to the end. Round About just doesn’t recuperate from Sugar Baby and it seems to just dissipate. It is an upbeat pop track that suits their youthful image at the time, so I can’t blame them. Also, they used to the cutesy concept a fair bit back in the day, so they just had to have that influence on their album somehow (especially since this was their second album). I just found the instrumental and vocal work to be forgettable and I felt like there should have been one more song after Round About to really close the album. (7/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.2/10