Tag: Taeyang (Big Bang)

[Review] Seed – TAEYANG (BIGBANG)

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Earlier this year, TAEYANG made his long awaited solo comeback with the single VIBE (which featured JIMIN from BTS). Fast forward a quick three months, TAEYANG makes a speedy return (relative to his comeback prior to VIBE) with the title track Seed. Alongside Seed, TAEYANG also released a performance video for the side track Shoong! (which features LISA from BLACKPINK), which I will review later on. Both tracks are featured on his new second mini-album, Down to Earth.

Seed is a stunning ballad, instrumented beautifully by piano. As the song progresses, we hear the emergence of guitars, orchestral strings and even band instrumental as part of the final chorus. But throughout the length of Seed, the piano has a constant presence in the song, which keeps the song consistent and allows the same feelings that you get from beginnings of Seed to come through the latter parts of the song. Now, you might think that what I have described thus far is pretty generic. And to a degree, you are right – the instrumental doesn’t really deviate much from a standard ballad. But what really makes Seed standout from other ballads is the heavy amount of emotions and sincerity that you can tell TAEYANG poured into the song, and that also pours out of the song. The few listens I have given Seed tonight required me to stop with whatever I was doing to take it all in (even as I am writing this review!). And it is these type of ballads that really captivate you are the good ones. The choruses in particular were the most captivating sequences of the song. Obviously, the emotions could not have been as heartfelt had it not been for TAEYANG’s vocals, which were outstanding and also nostalgic for me. His tone was just so comforting and warming. Overall, Seed is an amazing ballad that showcases TAEYANG’s artistic abilities.

The music video felt quite fitting for the song. While I am not exactly sure of the connection between the different scenes or cinematography used with the song, the overall vibes of both were in tandem with one another. And paired with the song, the video ends up becoming quite captivating, as well. There was one scene in the video that stood out to me. That was the scene with the five kids playing at the beach (and I believe there was another shot with Taeyang in the foreground and four figures in the background). I wonder if this is a hint towards BIGBANG, which used to be a five member group.

Song- 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

[Review] VIBE – TAEYANG (BIGBANG) ft. Jimin (BTS)

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It has been a while since we have heard from TAEYANG, with his last album release, White Night, being from 2017. Leading the album were the title tracks Darling and Wake Me Up. Since then, Taeyang had enlisted, got married to actress Min Hyo Rin and both of them had a child together (congratulations!). As for his singing career, things have been rather silent up until the end of last year when it was announced that Taeyang had decided to not renew his contract with YG Entertainment and went on to sign with The Black Label (a YG Entertainment subsidiary label). Now signed with a new label, TAEYANG announced his return to the stage through the release of VIBE, a collaborative single with Jimin (from BTS).

Now, the announcement of this single was quite a surprise. But it was a surprise that I was interested in seeing, given VIBE joins the forces of two of the biggest acts from the second and third generations of KPOP. VIBE definitely continues the idea of surprises, bringing forth an upbeat groovy ‘vibe’ that taps into retro and new jack swing influences. They help liven up the song and adds a fresh flair to the current KPOP industry. I also enjoyed the subtle presence of electric guitar towards the end of the song. It just gives even more refreshing at the end and helps bring everything in VIBE to a fitting and satisfying close. As for the vocal work, both TAEYANG and Jimin sounds really good throughout VIBE. I liked that TAEYANG doesn’t waste a second, starting off the song with a smooth R&B melody and sultry vocals. Once the instrumental kicks into gear, his vocals drives VIBE upwards and forwards, and he also brings a really vivid tone to the song that just kicks everything into gear. Jimin’s vocals in the second verse brings out a more innocent and young tone to the song, which contrasts really nicely with TAEYANG’s vocals. His higher pitch gave the song a bit of depth and adds to the dynamics of the song. The chorus, to me, was quite memorable thanks to the melodies and the energy both TEYANG and Jimin puts in. If I had to make some sort of complaint about VIBE, it is that I found the to be too short. I think more could have given and I would have enjoyed it just as much. Hopefully, we see more of TAEYANG in the near future!

When the video opens up and we sing TAEYANG shirtless, I was brought back to his Eyes, Nose, Lips days (back in 2014). That was a nice throwback. We then get both TAEYANG and Jimin, during their respective parts, fill the massive sets with their stage presence. Both TAEYANG and Jimin show off their sleek choreography skills (more on that later) and impressed me with how they carried themselves throughout the video. Watching them do their thing in this video was truly a vibe. I liked how there was the lowering of the stairs structure for TAEAYNG’s solo part and the lifting of a cityscape for Jimin’s solo part. These probably have some sort of meaning to TAEYANG or the song. It just isn’t apparent/obvious. But it was a simple addition to the song that felt aesthetic. When the pair finally came together in the second chorus to the very end of the video, they knocked it out of the park. Overall, I find this music video to be an example of simplicity done effectively.

As mentioned above, this music video shows off both TAEYANG and Jimin’s skills in the performance department. In TAEYANG’s case, he proves he still has what it takes to put together a riveting and skilled performance. I am unsure whether their solo parts were freestyle or actual choreography. Hopefully we find out through promotions (though I haven’t heard anything about that just yet). As for the chorus routine, that is all choreographed and I really liked the chemistry the two brought together when they performed together. The sharpness with their movements was very cool and memorable.

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

[Review] Darling – Taeyang (Big Bang)

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This is the second review for Taeyang’s latest comeback. The previous post for his other promotional track, Wake Me Up, can be found by clicking the name title. As mentioned in the previous post, This is Taeyang’s first comeback since Eyes, Nose & Lips.

Compared to Wake Me Up, Darling does have that same level of energy or suspense to it. However, despite it being a ballad, it does leave a very deep impression on your mind and has an impact, in its own way. The song, overall, is brilliant. I liked how striking the piano is, in the background.  I also liked how the piano was the main instrumentation for 2/3 of the song.  The final 1/3 of the song brought in some drums and percussion.  It have the song an extra dimension, which I thought was quite cool.  But what stole the slow was his vocals.  I really like how he projected his voice throughout the song. We know how capable he is with his vocals but here, it felt beautiful and like no other song that he had released in his career so far.  

The video does feel underwhelming.  For the most part, it did suit the song quite nicely.  The different scenes through the video made it feel amazing.  The drone -aerial shots looked spectacular and added aesthetics to the video.  The scenes with the female model was what I felt was the underwhelming part of the video.  They didn’t seem to be that much going on with her and Taeyang.  While i didn’t expect them to hold heads and skip in a field, her addition felt like it wasn’t needed, especially when majority of the video featured Taeyang and beautiful shots. But overall, the video was still quite nice to watch. 

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 9/10

[Review] Wake Me Up – Taeyang (Big Bang)

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Taeyang has marked his return to the stage with his latest solo comeback. Taeyang attempts to make another successful comeback with Wake Me Up and Darling as successful as his previous solo tracks, like Eyes Nose and Lips. But since we are talking about Taeyang himself, there is no doubt that he will reach that same level of success or even possibly go higher this time around.

Wake Me Up is one epic song. I don’t know what other words could describe the song better than ‘epic’. Compared to my previous comments for his last comeback, Wake Me Up is a song that sounded unique and unexpected at the same time. It started off very silent in terms of the instrumental. I almost thought he would have gone towards an acapella type of song. But instead, it was all for the suspense. Once the beat dropped for the chorus, it felt like bliss. The suspense throughout the start was amazing. The chorus itself (with the beat drop) was what gave it that epic feel. He maintains the momentum and his signature vocals are on full display in this song. So, what more could you ask for? The impact was there and the lasting impression is strong.

Well surprise, surprise. Taeyang is not wearing a shirt in this video. To add to the oddness, Taeyang doesn’t have some weird or wacky hairstyle. On a more seriousness vote, I thought the video was very elegant. There is an obvious lack of colour in the video during the more slower parts of the song and once the beat drops, you get that golden colour that is replayed constantly through the video. It is a little confusing to piece everything in the video together (and I am sure there is a story to be told) as the editing was made to match the upbeat and fast pace music. But besides that minor detail, it is a great video to watch.

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

[Review] FxxK It – Big Bang

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Big Bang has made their long awaited comeback with their latest album, M.A.D.E. The album consists of all the song released in 2015, such as Loser and Bae Bae (just to name a few), along with 3 new tracks. This is their final release as a 5-member group as T.O.P will be enlisting in the near future. This is the review for just FxxK It. A review for Last Dance was released earlier, which you can access by clicking here.

Compared to Last Dance, I don’t fancy this song as much. However, I still like it. There were a few things that did leave me a little bored with this song. The song fits the party setting quite nicely and has certain parts have a nice kick to it, giving the song a pumping feel. While the rest of the world continues to praise G-Dragon’s rap, I think of the opposite. I don’t have a problem with his rapping. It is just his part feel a little empty. I am a guy who enjoys listening to vocals more than rapping. But we all know how epic GD’s rapping can be (you would have to be in denial if that is the case). So I was a little disappointed. T.O.P’s fitted perfectly with the song.  However, Taeyang’s and Daesung’s part built up quite nicely to the chorus (and in my opinion, did the song a huge favour). The chorus was quite simple but still catchy, like all Big Bang’s choruses. Singing along to it every time it plays. Seungri was left with the bridge and he did an amazing job. My other disappointment with the song (as a whole) felt a little repetitive. It was more prominent here than other songs because I felt it most at my two favourite parts (Daesung and Taeyang’s). But besides all of that it is still a solid party song when you just want to go and have a good time.

Many people are comparing the music video to We Like 2 Party and I do agree with this. Just everything looks more planned out and staged. This music video gives a nice contrast to Last Dance and shows the more typical side to Big Bang that we are used to. Which is the crazy and fun side, like they made a disco into a club within seconds. Just moments before, they were peddling down a market on a 5 seater bike, with a bunch of shop keepers (mainly old folks) standing around awkwardly. Besides that, there really isn’t much to say. I am not disappointed with the video in any way. Everything matched the song and lyrics of the song.

Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Last Dance – Big Bang

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Big Bang has made their long awaited comeback with their latest album, M.A.D.E. The album consists of all the song released in 2015, such as Loser and Bae Bae (just to name a few), along with 3 new tracks. This is their final release as a 5-member group as T.O.P will be enlisting in the near future. This is the review for just Last Dance. A review for FxxK It will be released very soon.

Despite being released in December, this song leaves a long last impression on you. First time listening to the song, I was blown away. And now it is a song that I am wanting to listen to every time I plug my headphones in. Big Bang has a few excellent ballads up their sleeve, but there is something a little extra with this one that makes it one of their best. I think it might be the circumstance (impending military enlistments) that the band finds themselves in, which gives the song a more emotional and powerful feel. The vocals in this song are superb. Every member takes part in the song vocally, ending with a small yet deep sounding rap sequence by T.O.P. I personally think this would have to be one of their best songs (vocally) ever. The song has a very nice, soft piano instrumental as well. It added to that emotional side that I mentioned earlier and also gave the song a nice swaying effect, which I love. To me, there are no flaws in the song. Nothing is missing, overdone or underwhelming. Everything feels just right with this track.

The music video is visually stunning. Per usual, YG Entertainment did their thing when it comes to music videos. The video fits the song perfectly. You will be surprised how smashing everything and giving the sets a post-apocalyptic feel goes hand in hand with most ballads from a YG point of view (Check out Love Song by Big Bang for reference). I love the cinematography in this video. Everything is shot on an angle and I think it gives a nice effect to the video. G-Dragon’s reunion with his girlfriend for that one last dance at the ending during T.O.P’s rap sequence is quite haunting. But still really something that adds to the video. Someone should just change Taeyang’s hair for crying out loud. I am not a big fan of dreadlocks (refer to any review with someone who has dreadlocks).

Rating – 10/10

Let’s Not Fall In Love – Big Bang

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Once again, Big Bang has made their comeback, for the 4th time this year. Talk about that Big Bang drought we had, I think that has cleared up totally. Yes, their MADE album is about to end. Now, the full album and the final songs are meant to be released in September (next month), but since the comebacks have been quite tiring on the members, YG has decided to delay (hmmm… why is delay and YG always in the same sentence?) the full album release, to let the members rest and to make way for iKON’s long awaited debut. But these are the song released for August. Which I am reviewing at the end of August because I am that slow (and busy). Lots to catch up on.

Big Bang have been experimenting with different sounds for these few comebacks. They continue to return with unique sounds. This time, they went for a much happier sounding (?) ballad, something that we don’t actually hear much of the band. It is probably one of their slowest songs ever. I think the vocal mix in this song is pretty nice. We have all the members singing and of course rapping from G-Dragon and T.O.P. It is a nice sounding song, which I would love to hear on a summer night when it is raining. There is something so dreamy about T.O.P’s singing voice for rainy days… It just lacks that appeal that Big Bang songs usually have. To be honest, this is just a B-sided track. It is good, but it really is not good enough to be the title track. There really isn’t a hook or anything to grab our attention. But still, nice song.

If there is another thing I like this for, I guess how the lyrics mis-match with the sound of the song and the music video. The lyrics have that sadness factor, but the sound and the music video do contradict that. Not in a bad way. But in a way that could be described as artistic. While the members sing about “not falling in love yet” and “just be my friend” or “remain friends or else I can hurt you”, we see the members play around with the girls. They have fun and no hint of sadness. No tears, no arguments. I have a feeling that Big Bang always know how to have a good time. Their company always bring along these foreign girls into their music video. Not only that, but the girls change each time, so I would expect there to be some sort of awkwardness. But the guys and girls seem to have a great time and their chemistry together seems pretty nice.

Nice song and music video. Pity that they haven’t really promoted this song at all, compared to Zutter. 8.5/10. Zutter review will come tomorrow.

[DOUBLE REVIEW] If You + Sober – Big Bang

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Once again, it has been a month since their last release. And now they are back at it with a more toned down comeback. But I am not going to use “comeback” anymore to describe Big Bang’s album’s promotion. Let’s call this a promotional run. They are going head to head with many big name groups this Summer with Super Junior, SNSD making their comeback in the coming weeks. Not only that, but other upcoming big name groups are making or have made their comeback: Sistar, AOA, Teen Top, Girl’s Day, A-Pink, Infinite etc. So essentially, this summer is going to be one very chaotic battlefield.

If You is a really nice song. Not one that is expected by many fans, however. When the song starts we hear T.O.P and G-Dragon sing. Normally, they raps. However his voice adds a really nice deep element to the song. As the other member move in to sing, we get a very peaceful ballad. I have to be honest though. I did say Taeyang did not have a suitable voice to be someone to take most of the lines, but in this song, his voice was delivered in a way that has me doubting myself. Even though it was a pretty long song and slowed down compared to the other Big Bang songs we have gotten, this song seemed to go quite fast for me. I have no complaints with this song.

Sober is a completely different song. It is toned down compared to their last releases, but it really isn’t a song that I again would associate with Big Bang. It’s more upbeat and I think I enjoyed it more than their other songs. It is quite addictive and catchy to my ears. It fits in quite well to their previous releases and it also has this strong Summer feel to it. Not as impressed with the vocals of this song though. I can see how some people are saying this song is quite similar to another song out there. Don’t remember the title of the other song though. And I get it. It does sound similar to me, just the style of Sober and the sound of Sober is a pretty much recurring sound in many music industries.

There is no music video for If You, which is quite disappointing. But then again, the company and band are filming quite a bit. Sober did get a music video which leans towards the crazy side. In other words, no where near what Sober’s definition is like. I personally like this video. It is quite wacky but it doesn’t overdo it like Bae Bae did. I did notice a few things. Why are there beds outside? What happens when it rains? T.O.P is not being T.O.P no more in any of the videos. Daesung looks pretty cool on the drums. Taeyang has been shirtless in 100% of the music videos that were released in 2015. I would like to now how they filmed the scenes where the members are in those spinning rooms. Not exactly sure if it spinning but it looks quite cool.

Not exactly sure if there are any dance to Sober. I can guarantee there be no dance for If You. But then again, I guess a lot of things and still manage to get things wrong.

If You – 9/10

Sober – 8/10

So what did you like more? Sober or If You?

[Double Review] Bang Bang Bang + We Like To Party – Big Bang

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Big Bang is trying to kill all fans out there with their continuous comebacks for the next 3 months (5 comebacks in total). Each song they release is being promoted and I am thankful I am getting this review out now, with just days until the next two releases. Wow. After Loser and Bae Bae, Big Bang returned with songs that they believed was more their style and more like their last comeback, Fantastic Baby. And I think they are right. But that is to be discussed below. Let’s just brace ourselves for the next few months.

First song was Bang Bang Bang. I find this an awesome song, but like everyone I know and see commenting, the chorus for the song was just an ear sore. Yeah, but only the chorus. I love the club and dance instrumental song the sound goes for and I feel like the lines are more evenly spread this time around. Beside the chorus (even though it has grown on me), the rest of the song was just amazing. The vocal work and rapping for this song was amazing. I feel like this is a more modern version of Fantastic Baby, with an upgraded instrumental. The ending was superb as well. Just I want to change the chorus so badly.

As for We Like To Party, guess who just found their new favourite song. I am currently digging this song so much. It just is done so well. Did not expect for Big Bang to put out a party anthem like song, but it worked really well. The vocals and rapping per usual with the band was amazing and I was not at once disappointed with the song. I honestly feel like this should have been the more promoted song than Bang Bang Bang. And to those One Direction fans who are accusing Big Bang for copying their band’s song, these songs have been out for a long while.

The music videos were pretty amazing. I feel like both music videos, while different concepts were happening in both, were still pretty solid efforts, considering they were promoting their previous songs and had to film these as well. They did not look tired at all. I love the seriousness of the Bang Bang Bang video and the contrast between the red and black. We Like To Party was a more fun filled music video and I thought it fitted the song pretty well. They were apparently a little tipsy during the music video filming for some scenes, but I feel like it paid off very well. We see them go on a road trip and have lots of fun, which is what the song suggests. I am just glad they did not go off topic for any of the music videos.

I believe Bang Bang Bang had an actual dance to it. Beside the ending, I thought the rest of the dance was pretty boring to watch. We Like To Party had a dance as well, it seems kind of lazy, but managed to fit in with the song. But only the chorus got the dance for it… so…. And poor Seungri, everytime he tried to sing in We Like To Party, he was sabotaged by the other members.

If I was to choose out of the two, I would pick We Like To Party. Bang Bang Bang was great but the chorus… Sorry for rambling on about it. But a review is a review.

Bang Bang Bang – 8/10

We Like To Party – 10/10

What Big Bang song did you like this month? Pick out the two and the results will be up on the Rewind: June 2015 post (coming soon).

1AM – Taeyang (Big Bang)

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Yesterday, I reviewed Taeyang’s Eyes, Nose, Lips. Today it is 1AM’s turn to be reviewed. This song was first performed at the SBS Gayo Daejun which occurred at the end of last year. It was then included with the release of this mini album. It also became another title track for Taeyang’s promotions. And I glad it was. Let’s say, this review won’t be as bad as yesterdays one, because, mainly this one is the song that I liked. And this is where I am gonna end my introduction.

In my personal opinion, I like this song much more than Eyes, Nose, Lips. Like 10 million times better. This song, though, still does not fit my idea of Taeyang, but at least this one feels more cheerful and does not sounds like “monotone” in the way he sings it and the way the song is presented. It is also a much more lively song to listen to and I honestly think this vocals in this song is much more better than his vocals in this primary song. The song is pretty catchy. I like those 1 to 2 seconds moments prior to the chorus, where he slows the song down and then enters back with power for the chorus. Though the bridge can have some work on it, this song is totally more amazing. His live vocals are much better with this song than of Eyes, Nose, Lips. The song talks about how he remembers his love at 1AM. Overall, a much better song and probably my favourite off the mini album.

This music video is a lot darker than expected. I think most of the scenes were filmed at night which contrasted the lively feel of the song. Though there is a lot more lights in this video which gives it that really nice feel to the video. I have to say something though, but I am getting pretty annoyed with Taeyang’s hair. I though G-Dragon’s colour change was a problem, but Taeyang’s fat mohwak is terrible. Anyway, the “sex scene” in this video is actually not too bad. Beside the fact that Taeyang is sill wearing clothes while making out with her (like your on a bed, making out, shouldn’t clothes be coming off?). Actually come to the think of it, this video features Taeyang in clothes for once. Like he is not showing his abs for 99% of the video. It seems like he is shirtless 1% of the time, with 99% of the time being clothed. Just an observation. Honestly, I don’t think this video is that bad. I liked it. And I don’t mind it.

There is a freaking dance. LOL jks. Well, there is a dance, just it is not the Taeyang feel that we are used to. It is just not the same, but at least he is up there dancing.

8/10. Honestly love this more than yesterday’s one. Which prompts me to ask this question. Which Taeyang song did you like the most? Was it Eyes, Nose, Lips,? 1AM? Or was it Ringa Linga? Or maybe another song off the mini album? Answer below.

 

Eyes, Nose, Lips – Taeyang (Big Bang)

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Taeyang has finally made his return with a new mini album after years and years of waiting. He, last year, released a single in November, Ringa Linga which was proven to be very popular. This time around, he had decided to tone his comeback down a bit with RnB songs, not his usual dance-heavy songs that we all associate Taeyang with. He achieved an all-kill when he released his album and managed to rank 1st for like 3 days, which from memory is a record for an artist. On top of that, he has also ranked first on many international charts such as iTunes RnB charts. Proven to be quite a successful artist and proves that he still has it, even though his official release was 4 years ago. And he has also won awards for this song as well, doing very well for 2 weeks and we are still counting.

This song, however, was not for me. I understand that Taeyang had other ideas, but I have always associated him being a dancer and even though his last few songs have mainly been RnB songs, this one was to be the worst crappiest out of all. Just listening to this song a few times, I just could not play this song anymore. I just found it boring and odd to listen to. His voice, not sure if it was the desired effect, was very shaky at many moments. His vocals were monotone to me, though he did have some moments. There was nothing in this song that “catches” my attention. I was very disappointed when I first heard this song. I am sure you guys already got that feeling from my previous lines. I just have nothing else to say about this song. Just – shakes head-

The music video, I thought would be good. Boy, was I wrong? Instead, we get a video of a camera zooming out on Taeyang (who is once again shirtless) singing, with a burning picture of a girl in the background. Oh wait, did I just spoil the whole video for you? I apologise for that. Well, I can’t really say anything about this video as well. Because there is nothing in it. Disappointment. Even a few of my friends thought the video was quite boring to watch. And didn’t he used to have defined abs back in the day? Cause his body looks weird for me. Though I am not judging, I cannot get my body anyway near his. Just a very disappointing video.

No dance, so I am going to skip over that part.

Oh look, the end. I will be reviewing Taeyang’s 1AM tomorrow, which has a lot more going on. This is probably the shortest review I have done in a long time. 1/10

‘End Of Year Music Festivals’ Favourite Performances

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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?

Ringa Linga – Taeyang (Big Bang)

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Taeyang is finally back with a new solo song since his last promotions of I’ll Be There. Since then, fans have been asking for a comeback of the solo artist. From memory, I think this solo “album” was meant to be released ages ago, like start of last year. However, it was delayed for quite some time. Like, a very long time. Note that I put album in quotation marks, because we were told we were going to get an album, instead we got a single. Not good enough. It also seems that Big Bang is all about solos this year. Daesung, Seungri, G-Dragon, Taeyang and now T.O.P all have released a solo project this year and from what we were all told, a new single of the band as one will be release quite soon. Don’t know when though.

The song is okay. Overall, it was okay to listen to. I have to say, I was expecting something along the lines of “I Want A Girl” or “Only Look At Me”, but instead we got more a hip hop swag battle in this song. The start to me sounds like what you hear when you see the sunrise, which is kind of ironic, since Taeyang means the sun in Korea. But then the chorus, to me was just awful. It had its fame, but in just did not sit well with me. I am not sure if it is Taeyang or if it the lyrics or the instrumental, but it did not go well. Also, congratulations to Taeyang, for learning how to spell your name. Seriously, this song sounds like it was copy and pasted a million times. I did however like the slow ballad parts of the song, which was something that I enjoyed. It matched Taeyang’s voice really well. The ending just had to be the chorus didn’t? Anyway, it was okay to listen to, but as a whole it was quite disappointing.

The music video. Oh geezz…. I guess it is too hot for Taeyang to leave his shirt on. Again. I am not sure about the “art” on his body though. Those big thick black lines on his arms. They look like black duct tape stuck on him. I actually don’t mind the video. Though, yes the sets seem cheap, it fits Taeyang’s image and complimented the song. Not sure about the dreadlocks though. Never am a fan of those, and sadly Taeyang looks kind of awkward in it. Mohawk, I guess is the best. I love the glow in the dark shirts. That looks awesome and really fitted with YG’s fresh style. The ending scene was kind of weird. It seemed like the spinning top thing was distracting. Also, the amount of foreigners in this song was kind of weird. It was great, but it seemed like they brought a whole different image into the music video, which kind of sucked it a bit. But hey, I like the music video, so I won’t be complaining as much.

The dance is still pretty cool. Taeyang will always live up to his standard as the one of the best dancers in KPOP and it seems like he showed the exact same standard in this song. Not disappointed here. Linked in the playlist below is the dance version, which was released first, and it was an amazing video to watch. Dare I say, much better than the music video though.

5/10. Okay comeback, did not live up to its hype for me. Maybe, this year is just not YG’s year.

Tomorrow – Tablo ft. Taeyang

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Song

Now I am a bit confused with this song. I don’t know if this song would be classified as a ‘pop’ song or a ‘ballad’ song. Some parts of the song tells us that this song is a pop while Taeyang’s vocals are telling us this is a ballad. To be honest I really do not know what type of genre this song is meant to be. I guess Tablo’s rap in this song adds a bit of spice. It like a recipe. Bit of Tablo’s wrap, a good instrumental and Taeyang’s vocal. When you first hear the song, you can hear the sorrow and heartbroken-ness.

English

This song is basically filled with English mainly in the chorus and it sounds wonderful.

Music Video

This is the very sad part of the whole review. There is a heap of symbolism in this video yet people say it is just a bunch of sand and cars and helicopters and two guys walking around. Well, I guess this is how the song is interpreted. Firstly if you are in the middle of no where, you will definitely think that “There is no tomorrow”. You will try to think there is but the reality for some there is not. The cars are going back and forth round in circles as if they can not find their way out. (Maybe that is why you buy a GPS? Only Joking). This says that the cars like the guys can not get anywhere and are stuck there.

Now there is no definite plot in this video and it can be interpreted many ways. Guys get stuck in desert. Girl leaves them and then comes back to save the guys. Basic plot line.

Live Performance

I love it how they blend the music video with the live performance. It is really a smart idea. I also love the backdrop they have on the “big screen” at the back of the performance. For those who don’t know, it looks like the after effects of deforestation. This tells us further that  the song has a deeper meaning and can be interpreted in many different ways. I also like Taeyang’s hair. It looks like he dipped it in some blonde dye. LOL.

And The Rating?

This song is really good. The music video is really good. The live performance is really good. It looks like Tablo, Taeyang, Big Bang & YG Ent. have minimal flaws. 9.5/10.

Have Fun Watching 😀