Tag: Teen Top

[Review] HWEEK – TEEN TOP

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TEEN TOP is one of the growing number of second generation KPOP groups that have recently announced their return to the KPOP scene for the first time in years. And earlier this week, TEEN TOP officially returned with the single HWEEK and their 7th single album 4SHO. Since their last comeback in 2020 with the 2020 version of their hit single To You, the group went on hiatus due to the member’s military enlistment requirements. All the members have since returned from the military, but leader C.A.P departed from the group earlier this year following some controversy. As a result for this HWEEK and 4SHO comeback, the group reformed into a four member male group.

My thoughts on HWEEK are my actual initial thoughts of the song, as I have only gotten around to listening to the song for the first time today (it has been a busy week back at work, so I hadn’t had a chance to listen to new releases in the background). But I can already tell you just after one listen that HWEEK garners a positive review in my mind. What I really like about HWEEK right off the bat was its fun, lively, foot-tapping energy that I can definitely see being super infectious and catching on (if it hasn’t already). Based on the group’s more recent outputs in the late 2010s, I kind of expected a darker and more mature sound from the group. But HWEEK‘s brighter and upbeat appeal was much appreciated, given the summery season Korea is now in (and my yearning for such weather). The retro vibe of the rock instrumentation is quite refreshing take on both the rock and retro genres in KPOP, and I like how consistently upbeat and energetic the instrumentation was. I also liked the shorty snappy lines and melodies of the chorus, which helps build on the catchiness of HWEEK. They also made it easy to get into the song. I found the pre-choruses, handled by Changjo, to be an intriguing part of the song (but in a good way). It infuses a bit of a hip-hop vibe to the song, which changes up the momentum and direction of HWEEK momentarily. But it doesn’t feel too out there and works. The members did a solid job in the track with their vocals, as well. Overall, I think it is needlessly to say that I found HWEEK a very likeable song with strong potential to grow on me over the coming weeks.

The music video was alright. The video nails embracing the summery and upbeat vibes of the song, particularly when it came to the outdoor scenes (i.e. the beach and the road trip). I also liked the energy the members brought to the video. However, when it came to the use of the green screen, I wished the editors/post-production team made the background felt a bit more natural. The use of the green screen cheapens the video in my opinion, especially when it came to focusing on their footwork in the video.

The choreography was indeed a fun aspect of the comeback. I liked how there was a slight bounce to the routine and that it felt lighthearted, and not as intense as their usual choreography. This allows the members and dancers to bring a likeable level of energy to the performance. Their consistent live vocals made it enjoyable to watch, as well. I also liked how they threw in a Rocking dance reference to the end of the choreography. Obviously not as intense as the usual Rocking choreography, but a nice homage to one of their iconic dance routines.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.2/10

[Album Review] DEAR N9NE (9th Mini Album) – Teen Top

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This whole weekend will be dedicated to reviews. Songs and albums, I am stockpiling them for future releases! While it is not the weekend yet, to make sure things fit in as planned, we will be kicking off with an album review today! Teen Top made their comeback a few weeks back with Run Away, which was the title track off their 9th mini-album, DEAR N9NE. I am not a major fan of Teen Top when it comes to their b-side tracks. But one brief listens to the album got me interested in writing an album review.

teentop-dearn9ne-2
DEAR N9NE Album Cover

1..Run Away (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review for Run Away. (6/10)

2. Your Man – There are many different genres of music that I enjoy. But what has me coming back to KPOP time and time again must be the way energy is presented. And the best energy comes from very addictive and catchy tracks, such as Your Man. IThe track kicks things off with such a good impression, it forces me to dive in more (hence the album review). I think the upbeat party-like dance nature was very well done, complimenting both the vocal and rapping work by the members. The chorus was just so-in-your-face that I couldn’t help but enjoy it. Your Man is also quite loud, and I think Teen Top is the best when they are ‘loud’, especially if we are looking at tracks such as Going Crazy and Rocking (which is still my personal favourite from the group). (9/10)

3. Swag – Swag takes the momentum that Your Man left us with and transformed it into a classy song. To me, this style is very Teen Top. It is also another very catchy track filled with very cool and ear-catching hooks that really draw my attention to the track. The emphasis on the word ‘Swag’ during the chorus, the post-chorus kick, the Gimme Gimme that…’ bridge and the very familiar Uptown Funk vibes that came off the instrumental made the track so enjoyable. Once again, singing and rapping were quite good. Another great track that gives off very satisfying energy that makes you want more. (9/10)

4. What Do You Think – Once again, What Do You Think continues the upbeat energy from the previous tracks. But this one ended up feeling lacking, which sets it apart from the other tracks that we have gotten thus far on the album. I felt the song missed out on some potential punchy moments, which they could have delivered with some more bass. The squeaky horns did add some colour and character to the track but there wasn’t really anything else to make this song develop (i.e. another track that felt a little too consistent for my liking). The vocals and raps were good. But they didn’t have an impressive nature to them, as the previous track did. (7/10)

5. That Night (비 그친 밤) – Changing from the upbeat and dance-centred nature of the album is That Night, which opts for a slower and calmer R&B track. Like Swag, I find the track to be quite elegant and classy. In many ways, I find it to be a polished track. The instrumental was nice and felt relaxing to an extent. While the instrumental here was quite typical and consistent as well, it paired well with the smooth vocals and rapping. These components felt well handled by the group and I felt like they managed to make up for that ordinary sounding instrumental. But still enjoyed the vibe that came from it. (7.5/10)

6. Happy Ending – Happy Ending serves as the ballad of the album. It too departs from the upbeat nature featured throughout the first number of songs on the album, opting for a very calming and soothing sound and instrumentation. I think the first impression regarding the track is that is much simpler. But as I have stated many times on the website, simple might be a good thing. In Happy Ending’s case, simple allows for a beautiful melody to be present and a nice showcase of vocals and rapping. If you are expecting anything intense or powerhouse vocals, this isn’t the track for you. But if you want a calming track that ends an album full of energy, then this one is for you. (8/10)

Overall Album Review – 7.8/10

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DEAR N9NE Teaser Image

[Review] Run Away – Teen Top

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Making their comeback today is Teen Top with Run Away. As much as I enjoyed Teen Top back when they peaked with their more popular releases, I find that they have dropped considerably in the competitive climate of the KPOP industry. I don’t mean this in a bad way as I find their persistence to be a very motivating influence in my current life. But I cannot simply deny that Teen Top’s tracks are moving towards a ‘typical and mediocre’ description, which was the case for both of their title tracks last year. Let’s seen if they can change the description this time around.

I will get straight to the point. The song suffers the same issue. It is typical and mediocre. Best words for me to really described the song in a nutshell. There were some moments that did grab my attention but the effect did not last long. While I did like the burst of energy that the drop to the chorus gave us, I felt like the buildup towards the drop was quite underwhelming. Hence they couldn’t successfully extract the drop’s full potential. The track does have a beat suitable for the Summer season. It goes for a tropical house instrumental, which we all know is heavily relied upon during this season. I thought the vocals were nice but they don’t go that extra mile. Maybe some power vocals could have lifted the song up to a whole new level? It does sound like I am pointing out something good and then finding the bad in it. But that isn’t the case when it comes to the rapping. C.A.P sounds different. Not a bad different but a very intriguing good different. I personally thought his rapping was probably the song’s most dynamic point. It is clean and it diverts away from the rest of the track (in my opinion). Unfortunately, Run Away does have some negative and positive points but it is a fair track overall.

Music video wise, I thought it was rather colourful, which earns big ticks from me. The colourful nature of the video is also another fitting aspect of the Summer season. Other than that, I don’t have much else to say about the video. It is mainly made up of closeup shots of the members and choreography scenes. I felt like I have already poked their song enough, so to do that to another part of their comeback may rub off as if I have no soul and do not like this comeback at all.

I think the saving grace of this comeback is the performance. I think the best of the performance has to be the powerful chorus. It is fierce and definitely demonstrates that they are still capable of strong dance moves. I do notice some things based on their showcase performance. But I am hoping they are more one-off occurrences or because of the way the video is shot.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 7.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.3/10

[Review] Lover – Teen Top

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In a number of days, Teen Top will be celebrating their 8th year together. And they will be celebrating with the newly released repackaged album for Seoul Night (which was released yesterday), Teen Top Story: 8PISODE. The title track (Lover) will not be promoted on the weekly music shows, with the group opting to perform Lover for the very first time at their upcoming solo concert. As a result, this will not be a full (song, m/v and performance) review.

Lover uses a standard formulation of the tropical side of EDM and heavy bass to bring some momentum to the song. While that gives the song a good beat, it just feels a little too dry and repetitive. As a result, I personally find the song very disinteresting and lacking in impact. I think what the producer was trying to do was in the right direction but the song could have benefited from some more elements that could either cause the song to change up slightly or add a little more energy to the song. I think out of all the sections within the song, I was most impressed with the verses as they did attract my attention. The vocals were good, particularly during the chorus, with its delivery of the lyrics being the driving force which I enjoyed.

The music video isn’t really a music video. It is more of behind the scene footage for their teaser images leading up to the release of the repackaged album. So there is absolutely nothing to comment about.

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 5/10
Overall Rating – 6.6/10

[Review] Seoul Night – Teen Top

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Making their first comeback in over a year is Teen Top. And this time around, they are getting the party started in Seoul!! Okay, that was an overly lame attempt at trying to be cool, so I will just tone it back down. Teen Top’s latest comeback single is titled as Seoul Night, which is the title track off their latest mini which shares the same name. Teen Top last promoted together in April 2016 with Love Is.

Seoul Night definitely has structure and sound to become a party anthem. However, it has a few issues that may hinder the song’s ability to become this potential. The song lacks impact. It just doesn’t really feel memorable. I know I say this a lot in my reviews and what I am referring to it is whether the song stays in your head after listening to it. Party songs are great examples of this. Seoul Night just doesn’t have that hook that gets your riled up and singing along. The song itself is also relatively plain. There isn’t anything that makes it stand out (which goes back to the memorable aspect). The song did have its moments though. I really like the Niel’s start to the pre-choruses, where he dragged out the last word of the song. That was definitely a catching moment for me. The vocals and rapping were pretty decent. I did like Changjo’s start to the song, where he alternated between singing and rapping, which I thought was cool.

What the music video did well was capturing the sites of Seoul during the night time. It looked awesome/breathtaking and this would be one rooftop party that you would want to be invited to. Honestly, without the night scenes, the video would have been pretty much forgettable. There wasn’t much else to the video. My only other question is: why is Changjo studying on the rooftop with his lonesome desk?

While I did think the performance was fitting of the song, watching their showcase, I didn’t really feel the same level of energy that the song had going on. Instead, they felt somewhat disinterested in their performance. I am not too sure myself but they gave off that vibe. As for the moves, they are more or less the trendy moves we see often nowadays.

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

[Album Review] High Five (2nd Full Album) – Teen Top

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Teen Top has returned with their second full album, High Five. This is their first comeback since the departure of L.Joe and as a five member group. I had previously written a full review for their title track, Love Is. If you had missed that or want to re-read it, then scroll down below and click the hyperlinked link!

High Five (2nd Full Album) Album Cover

1..Origin – As it is only the introduction to the album and lasts around 30 seconds, it will not be included in the final rating.

2. Love Is (재밌어?) (title track) – Click here to read the full review for Love Is. (7.5/10) 

3.  Because I Care (손만 잡고 잘게) –  I think the song is good, but there really isn’t anything that captivates me in the song. It is one of the songs that, regardless how times I play the entire album, I end up skipping it. It sounds very ordinary and is forgettable. The vocals are okay but compared to the rest of the songs on the album, it does fall short. (5/10)

4. Call Me – Probably one of the better tracks on the album. The instrumental is amazing. It probably would sound much better if the bass was stronger and would fit perfectly in the club setting. But it still sounds amazing. The vocals are pretty good, but it did feel constricted. I haven’t judge the song based on its live stage (this song was also performed alongside their title track during the first week of promotions) but the dance gives it more energy and lifts the song to a whole new level.  (9/10)

5. I Love Girl – As a person who English is my first language, I cringe at the title. But after listening to the song, I guess the missing article in the title was intentional. In the song, the “I Love Girl” sounds like “I Love Her”. If my assumption is right, it is quite clever. The instrumental seems pretty standard, with no flashy moments. It seems to be an upbeat form of RnB, which doesn’t sound too bad. However, the song doesn’t really reel me in. Maybe because the lyrics and romantic vibe don’t appeal to me. (6/10)

6. Make Me Sick (화나게 해) – This song is actually quite good. The beat of the song is quite addictive and the chorus almost sounds sensual to an extent. If you listen carefully, you can hear very heavy breathing in the background, which is matching to the beat of the song. But what makes the chorus the highlight of the song is the vocals. They sound so good in this song. There were some processing, but either way, it sounds quite good. The ending of the song sounded more dragged out than it should have been, but that is not a problem. (8/10)

7. July (7월의 만남) – It’s another one of those ballads that make me sway along. We know the more dance and synth heavy version of Teen Top, so this provides a different sound for the group. I say it as if it is the first ballad they have ever done and I am quite sure it isn’t their first. But since I haven’t paid attention much to their B-side tracks before, it was their first ballad, for me, at least. Vocally, the song is strong and showcases their vocals. The same can also be said about the rap sequence. (8/10)

8. High Five (안녕!) – This is one of the more brighter songs on the album. If there was anything such as a “boy next door” type of song, this would probably be it. The vocals are quite good here and the harmony during the chorus made the song worth listening to. The stripping of the music from the end, leaving only the vocals, was probably my personal favourite part of the song. The vocals do add a more dynamic side to the song. They boosted the very generic sounding acoustic instrumental to a ‘high-five’ worthy song. (8.5/10)

9. What’s The Problem (뭐가 문제야) – One of the two personal favourites on the entire album. It may not be your typical synth-heavy Teen Top song, but it fits the group’s style quite nicely. The song, for a while, reminded me of Shinhwa, especially during the rap (I don’t know what to call it) towards the end of the song. The whistles (I think they were distorted but very subtly) made the song more addictive. The vocals and raps in this song were probably their best on the album. I also love the “Why, Why, What you want?” chant, which was catchy to me. (9/10)

10. You & I – This is the other personal favourite on the entire album. Vocals and raps are on point in this song. I love the very simple “You & I” chorus. It makes the song incredibly smooth and it is catchy as heck. I continually replay the song very single day because I just can’t get enough the chorus. Even writing this part of the review, I am having a hard time just go onto the next song. What this song needs? Nothing else, but a live performance would be nice. (10/10)

11. Mirror – The album ends up with another standard song. It is another song that I ended passing by because I didn’t really enjoy it as much. Nor did it have anything worth coming back to. The same comments I made about Because I Can can be applied here. The only good side to the band that it does showcase their vocals quite nicely. But besides that, there wasn’t much else. (5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.6/10

High Five Teaser Image

[Review] Love Is – Teen Top

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Teen Top has returned with their second album, High Five. This time around they will be promoting Love Is as a five-member group. Unfortunately, L.Joe withdrew from the group due to issues between himself and the company. This is the group’s first comeback since Warning Sign, released at the start of last year.  Do expect a full album review, which will be coming out later this week or early next week.

Love Is reminds me of  Teen Top’s past hits. Compared to Warning Sign, which ended up being pretty forgetful, Love Is is bound to stay on my radar for a long period of time. Why is that the case? Teen Top needed a much stronger song and Love Is serves as that song. Their bass and synth heavy instrumental is really addictive. The second half of the chorus (the “Love is gone away“) is extremely catchy and probably the highlight of the song for me. The rest of the song was pretty good, but it just didn’t leave an impression on me, unlike the second half of the chorus. Their vocals and raps were pretty good. Another moment I loved about the song was that growl heard at the end of the teaser for the music video and the same growl is heard at the end of the first chorus. What the song needed was more of that energy and power. I can see why people say it is an aggressive song due to its instrumental and beat. But that description would have been more applicable if we heard more aggressive sounds (such as that growl) a few more times. It honestly sounded cool and I was pretty disappointed when it wasn’t anywhere else in the song. Overall, it was a pretty good song to listen to and it throws Teen Top back on the listening radar for me.

Like EXID’s music video, it fell towards the boring side of the music video spectrum for me as well. There isn’t much to talk about for this video as well. There were solo shots outside of where the choreography sets but they felt extremely boring. The only worthwhile parts that I enjoyed were the choreograph scenes. The set looked cool. The camera shots were shaky but done so for a more edgy feel. The transitions between scenes made the video even edgier. But the rest of the video felt very “meh” to me.

The one part I look forward to when I write a Teen Top review is the performances. The accompanying performance definitely joins the ranks of their most intense routines to date. I really enjoyed the choreography for the second half of the chorus and their instrumental breaks. Each of them (and the overall performance) looked amazing and it the type of performance that I definitely would want to watch continuously.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.5/10

[Review] Love Affair – Niel (Teen Top)

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Niel from Teen Top has returned with his first comeback and second solo mini album, which is also titled as Love Affair… It has been a while since I last heard from Teen Top. Though, they have been in the news lately, as their contract with their current company is to be renewed this year. From what I could tell, it seems a renewal is most likely and a March comeback is also on the books.

Once again, I am not really falling into Niel’s solo title track as I want to. His solo debut was good, but it didn’t really leave much of an impression on me after a while. It’s not because I dislike the artist, but rather, his solos don’t captivate me, as other artists do. This time around, Niel has gone for an acoustic prominent song, which the guitar being the primary instrument in the song. You can also hear hints of synths throughout the song. As the song progresses, it starts to become faster and more upbeat, but still keeping that mellow sound as heard in the slower parts of the song. His vocals seem more polished and emotional to me, in this song. That is one of the strong points in this song. While he does draw out some notes in the song, it doesn’t really sound that way. The song doesn’t sound like extra seconds are added to it because of the drawn out notes. The rapper, Giant Pink, whom I have never heard of before, does a really splendid job in the song. The rap segment flowed very nicely and complimented both the song and Niel as well.

The video can be split into two segments. The first is all the choreography scenes. The second are the interactions with the female lead. His acting in this video is pretty good. Watching the video, you can feel the emotions. You can tell how desperate he is to be with the girl, especially at the end. You could also feel the emotions in the choreography. I will touch on them later on. But they really compliment the emotions in the acting. The sets for the choreography is wonderful, especially the one with all the mirrors. That looked amazing. I don’t understand why they had to slo-mo some of the dance moves (such as the crotch rubbing one). Maybe to appeal to a particular fan base, but I thought it looked really stupid, given the emotions that I keep on mentioning in this part of the review.

His dancing is really impressive and it definitely left an impression on me. As I mentioned above, emotions could be felt in this dance when it is paired with the music video. On stage, it looks really cool and majestic. I personally don’t think the backup dancers add much to the performance, besides something else to look at. But my eyes are already preoccupied with following Niel across the stage. Hahaha…

Song – 6/10
Music Video – 7.5/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 6.5/10

Rewind: January 2016

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2016 has started and we are already one month into the year. Damn time flies. And by the time you are reading this, we already be 1 and a half month in. Is that Christmas bells I hear in the far distant? Hahahaha… This is my revamped Rewind post for the month of January of the year 2016. Let’s go!

Major News

Probably the biggest news of the month is in regards to Tyuzu’s controversy in China. Now, while most of this is political, here is just a brief run down of what I know is going on. Tyuzu was seen on a broadcast holding a Taiwan flag and saying proudly that she is Taiwanese. China (and I say its people) did not like the idea and decided to censor her. She issued an apology, but some people think JYP forced her to do so, as now all his artists (GOT7 and 2PM were reported in the news) have been “shut out the country”. It has gone far as Twice’s stage being left out of the Golden Disk Awards when it was broadcast live in China, which for who do not know, is a Korean award show that was supposed to be held in China, but due to certain circumstances was moved back to South Korea.  All I have to say is that she is probably now scarred for life. Everyone always talk about equality and to be proud of who you are. And sadly this is a reflection of how hypocritical the world is.

Major Comebacks

GFriend made their slaying comeback in January with Rough and have since been stealing all the music show’s trophies this week (which happens to be February, but since they officially made their comeback stages in January…). They have proven to be a powerful force and given that they only made their debut last year, makes this an amazing feat. Congrats 여자친구.

Other artists that made their comeback in January are: Teen Top, Dal Shabet, Zico (Block B), Stellar, Cross Gene , The Legend, Shin Hye Sung (Shinhwa) and many other artists.

Major Debuts

Ryeowook from Super Junior made his official solo debut this past month (28th of January) with The Little Prince, a ballad. While quite popular, he is currently competing with GFriend on the music shows and unfortunately been placing second.

IMFACT is also another rookie group that made their debut on the 27th of January. Their song, Lollipop, is currently one of my most played songs and I am actually listening to this song while I am writing this. Hahaha..

Other debuts in the past month include: Yezi (Fiestar), SUS4, & CocoSori

Polls

I did ask you all which iKON song you guys liked the most since their debut. The results are in and the most liked iKON song is: Airplane and Dumb & Dumber. Both scored 25% of the votes. My Type, Rhythm Ta, Anthem and Apology all scored 13%. What’s Wrong did not receive any votes.

Top 5 Songs for the Month!

  1. Rough – GFriend
  2. Lollipop – IMFACT
  3. Someone Like U – Dal Shabet
  4. Don’t Forget – Crush ft. Taeyeon (SNSD)
  5. Warning Sign – Teen Top

And that is it for the January of 2016. February’s rewind is going to be a long one with all these confirmed comebacks.

 

 

 

Warning Sign – Teen Top

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Teen Top have made their comeback since releasing Ah-Ah back in September last year. Since then, there have been very little talk about them (apparently they went on a mini hiatus and focused a lot on solo promotions). But now they are back with another song that I think is destined to be a hit.

Not a style I would have thought Teen Top would go for. I was hoping for the band to go back to the more EDM based songs, but instead, we got this classy type of song. To me, the song has a Shinhwa type of feel to it, which makes it pretty addictive. It honestly reminds me of those songs released by Shinhwa back in the day, but with a more modern feel to them. The song was sung mostly in a higher pitch compared to their past songs, but the way they do it flawless. Did not hear a single hitch. Even the vocals of the members that I know are not commonly known for their vocals were superb. Chunji’s high note can only be described as spectacular. This song honestly needed more of a rap sequence to it. I was so disappointed with the amount of time that C.A.P and L.Joe got in the song. That is the biggest complaint about the song that I can make, beside that, everything else was flawless.

The music video had a really nice dark style. The lack of colour and also the grey-scale look on the video gives it a very classy feel to it but also a nice dark feel to the video. Even the scenes where it was not filmed with the grey-scale filter had a lack of colour. I believe the video can be described as minimalist at some parts. For example, the dance scene  where there is nothing but concrete looked quite cool and stood out. I really enjoyed the unfocused camera work. It did get me a little confused when I watched the video the first time around, but how the camera was not positioned in the middle and the camera moved around a lot made the video more fast paced, which reflected the song quite nicely. There is one thing I do want removed from the video and that is L.Joe’s glitter sweater. You have all that smashed mirror and glass around you, the sweater was un-needed. Furthermore, it made him look completely out of place.

The dance looked quite cool. I agree with a lot of people with the fact that there is not much to the footwork of the members. Teen Top’s dances always have a lot of footwork, but this one lacked a lot. But what they did not do with their feet, their facial expressions and hand movements made up for. Not once did I see a flaw in the dance. Amazing.

Some small complaints, but overall this is just another comeback that already shows the forever increasing standard for the year ahead. And yes, this comeback exceeds that standard by more than a mile. 9/10

Ah-Ah – Teen Top

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Summer is going to be one busy season with all these comebacks. Teen Top has made their comeback in the season of summer with a refreshing dance song. Not much has happened with Teen Top since their last comeback. Niel made his solo debut with Lovekiller. The group also had concerts in other countries as well. But honestly, there hasn’t been much talk regrading the group. However they have re-entered the industry with a bang, topping album sale charts with their new album. Congrats!

I have mixed feelings for this song. One part of me says it is boring and that there is nothing that is appealing to me to it. BUT the other half says the complete opposite. Does that make sense? To me, it makes no sense whatsoever. I thought the song was very polished and flowed nicely. The instrumental has this addictive beat to it which I am totally digging. In terms of the vocals, it just sounded like an upgraded version of Missing. For those who don’t remember, I did not like Missing and I still don’t. While everything else was cool and all, the vocals just lacked so much. Though to compliment the vocals, the added a smooth touch to the song. It sounded monotone to me. The rapping in the bridge reminded me a lot of the rapping in Rocking. So many memories. I did like how they approached the final chorus. It was very cool.

I preferred the dance set of the music video to the actual set of the rest of the music video. The dance set I am referring to is that rocking looking set, where the members are wearing blue. The rest of the music video was quite colourful and had a retro feel to it. That did mismatch with the song, as the song was more of a modern day song to be honest. I find it amazing how they dance anywhere. Petrol station and the diner. The latter I thought was impossible as it seemed so narrow. But guess what, they amazed me even more. But beside that, I didn’t find myself overly excited for the rest of the music video. I thought it was boring.

But I can tell you what was not boring. The dance. A more subtle version of Rocking but with more emotion like is Missing. I find the dance for this song really cool. Not going to try it out myself, since I am most likely going to fall over my own legs. Teen Top managed to wow with previous dances before and this one is really cool. Like the song, I thought the dance was polished and quite smooth.  The crotch grabs though probably the highlight for many fans. I enjoyed the complex leg moves.

Overall, I guess I will say it was a really cool comeback. Bits of me are still torn, but overall the comeback left a better impression on me than what Missing did. 7/10

Lovekiller – Niel (Teen Top) ft. Dok2

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Niel, the main vocalist of the boy band, Teen Top has officially made his solo debut. He did release a pre-release at the end of January, titled as Affogato, which I didn’t hear about. Also, to launch his solo career, he was a part of the new TV show 4 Things Show, which (I believe) talks about the personal life of the stars. On top of that, he also used his members C.A.P and L.Joe in this mini album and also had Dok2 feature in his title track. I believe his solo debut has been talked about for some time, with rumours originating since last year on forums that I have been silently reading. Yes, I do that. I can never be motivated to create an account though.

The soft guitar sounds open up the song for us. We then proceed to get Niel’s vocals which are quite husky. I never thought that Niel would have a husky voice, but now he does. So for the first part of the song and the first chorus, we got this RnB kind of sound that actually matched the lyrics quite well. Afterwards, the song changed up a little. We started to get more of an electronic beat and more modern sound. Not complaining, though, as I quite liked the change between the two and how they manage to go well together. The rapping was pretty good (why am I even commenting on that part, Dok2 is always good). I just don’t like that pause right afterwards and the sounds that Niel makes immediately after the pause. Why did the song just have to stop there for that 1 second? Also, I don’t like the background vocals for the chorus. It felt awkward and kind of made me cringe.

I don’t know why I find many videos boring nowadays. This one is between boring and good though. We see Niel rock up in a van on a really rainy day. And then we get shots of him dancing by himself in the tunnel, with cuts to his model girlfriend, played by Yoo Seung Ok. We get flashbacks to the happy times. The music video does go back to the lyrics though which is quite good. When he sings “When you don’t pick up” (something like that, not 100% translation, maybe just 50%), they have scenes regarding mobile phones and etc. When the song picks up and starts to transform, we change to a different set of Las Vegas style signage. I don’t get the connection, but I actually liked that set a lot. Also the tunnel with the lights was pretty cool as well. The music video was quite dark and I am guessing that represents heartbreak and sorrow.

This dance has references to Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal. When I heard that, I was surprised and excited. Just, there was no “man leaning at impossible angle” move. I was very disappointed in that though. I found that his moves seemed much smoother. With the clicks in the instrumental, I was expecting some kind of sharp movement. But anyway, the dance was pretty amazing. I know Teen Top does mad dances, but I think they should try this style out. It looks very cool.

Overall, a pretty nice track. The music video was so so. The dance was well polished and professional looking. 7/10

Catch Up Review #8 – Teen Top, BTOB, VIXX, Boyfriend

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These groups are seen as the next generation boy bands and are currently rising to be the next top boy groups in South Korea. And this review consist of 4 songs, let’s move along now.

Missing – Teen Top

To fans out there, I am going to apologise to you guys. This song was much a bore for me. It was not appealing. I just listened to it once and then forgot about it. The vocals were so so and the rapping was okay, however it was not as great as Teen Top’s last song Rocking. The music video was pretty dark. I have to give points for such an amazing set though, which enhanced the darkness. From what I can see, CAP and this girl used to go out, but then CAP got a little addicted to partying or something, which caused his girlfriend to break off. He then (and I only assume) takes his life. L.Joe is a friend of both (as per seen in flashbacks) and is deeply sadden by both the death of his friend but also sadden to see the girl sad. He helps her get back on their feet, however both cannot forget CAP. Fortunately enough, L.Joe and the girl realized that both are there for each other and bond. The dance was pretty cool, however it just felt empty. 4/10

Witch – Boyfriend

This song has a latin feel to it, which makes it sound pretty nice. The “Cause your body goes boom bara boom” is pretty catchy. The music video on the other hand… The band suits the dark theme (why haven’t they attempted this when they debuted?) but the acting in this is so horrible. Everything was exaggerated from what I saw.  That final fight scene, made the whole group look so pathetic. Moving away from the music video. The dance was phenomenal. The use of the curtains made the whole thing fresh and original. I was so amazed. And the curtains were not just in the background, they were used to cover up the people not dancing or singing. Just wow… 5/10 (most taken away because of the video, but the song is definitely one to check out.)

You’re So Fly – BTOB

This is a pretty catchy song. It just lacked the ability to be very memorable. I honestly expected something like Beep Beep, which had a more serious tone to it. Though, the vocals and rapping were okay, just they don’t yell out at me. The music video is protrayed in a humorous way, where the shop keeper tries to get the boys to recognise the beauty in the more “ugly” girls. And she does this by giving them coffee. Poor Sungjae though, only getting one drop and hence the love potion not working on him. Dance was also pretty cool. And I guess chairs are the new trend. 6/10

Error – VIXX

I think I am starting to become addicted with this band. Every title (note the word title) song that they released, I get strangely addicted to. However this song, really does not have that VIXX feel that we all know of. Though, the vocals are pretty good as per usual. The music video for this song tells a story of this dude (Hongbin) and his lover. The lover dies, and Hongbin decides to create a robot version of the lover, to save him from the pain. Everything works out, just the authorities come in and finds out that the lover robot is illegal. Hongbin saves her from the authorities and then take their lives to be together forever. Great acting from the characters though.  The dancing here was really cool, especially the ending where they pull the plugs out of their necks. 7/10

Ahhh.. finally. Done this review. The next review actually does not have a theme to it. Sadly. However, I can tell you that AOA, Hello Venus and Zhou Mi from Super Junior M will be reviewed. See you then!!!

Happy New Year!!!

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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!!!

Rocking – Teen Top

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Teen Top is back with a new song that has topped charts instantly. Rocking is totally a “rocking” song that gets everyone up and moving. It has everything from the hip hop to the dub step beat we are wanting to hear. Honestly, this is the best Teen Top song I have heard ever and I think the band has improved greatly from Clap. Their last release of Miss Right came out earlier in the year in March, doing strongly on the charts, however this was the song that won them more awards. Considering they have a huge fan base and the level of competition they now have now that Kara and G Dragon are back, they are holding off pretty well.

The song is pretty great. I love the instrumental and feel that a different side of the band is coming out. Not that manly and masculine side that we are used to seeing, but a more mature and hardcore side of the band. I really like the vocals in this song and the raps fit in really well. In my point of view, best Teen Top song ever. Every time I listen to it, I am amazed with it. I think it is going to become a song that I am going to listen to forever and forever. Up there with Brown Eyed Girl’s Sixth Sense, Girls Day’s Expectation and Female President, Dasoni’s GoodBye etc. Amazing.

The sets for the music video were pretty cool. Not too bright or not too dark, which did fit the feel of the song. However with the random scenes of a room filled with hats really did not settle down with me well. Why a room full of hates. I kind of get the room of gold, but hats??? And I am pretty confused with the rest of the video where the guys are at the beach and having a punch on. But then it all made kind of sense why they had a punch on towards the end. Turns out that one member is jealous of another member for dating this girl. Ummm.. maybe some indication next time somewhere at the start?

As for the performance, yeah, the dance was pretty professional. It seems like the guys put their all in this song. Well, most. C.A.P mate, you need to not look like you are tired or really just lazy. I think I kind of found the new T.O.P expression. But overall, the dance was amazing. That b-boying (I think it is what it is called) dance was pretty cool.

9/10. Amazing song, pretty cool music video and amazing choreography.

Walk By… – Teen Top

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Teen Top returned with a new song as their repackaged album, late last month. They only promoted this song for a week, before setting off for a tour if I am not mistaken. While Miss Right showed a much more fun side of Teen Top, this song brings out more fun and more games. Much different from their past songs, but quite addictive.

Yes, this song is quite different. Their past songs are quite serious like Clap, No Perfume On You(?), Crazy, Supa Love, To You. Miss Right is a song that I would still deem as a serious song, but this song was quite unexpected. It’s addictive, has a great instrumental and the vocals are pretty good. It is not the best song out there at the moment, but it will become one of my favourite Teen Top songs ever. It’s fun, joyous and a change of image that reflects Miss Right, but also changes their image a bit.

The music video is just a mash up of them practicing for their showcase or concert, along with scenes from their pre released song, which I have forgotten the title to. Damn, these exams are going to do my head in. So there really is not much to talk about in the music video. Beside that there was a lot of walking.

The dance, for me, seems quite lame. I am not technically impressed with it, but hey it is only just a follow up promotion song, so they had a limited time frame to create a new choreography.

7/10.

I am also going to be using this review to announce that I will be taking around 3 weeks off, starting on the 16th of May. Reviews will be coming out still, however, they won’t be as frequent and have been written all before hand. I should get a start on them today though. I will be back around the 14th of June-ish.