Tag: U-KISS

[Album Review] Stop Girl (7th Mini Album) – U-KISS

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It is time for another album review for an album from the past. I have been wanting to review another album from U-KISS, so I thought to review the album that contains one of my favourite songs from the group, Stop Girl. The mini-album itself is also titled Stop Girl and this was the group’s 7th mini-album. It terms of its age, it was released way back on 10 September 2012 (which makes this album 9 years old in 2 days!). The mini-album featured six members (Soohyun, Hoon, Kiseop, Eli, Kevin and Dongho), with AJ (who was an active member of U-KISS in earlier promotions) taking leave for studies. The mini-album also features the English version of the title track, which I opted to not include in the album review. I did write a bit about the album’s intro, but also opted to not include the track in the final album rating.

Stop Girl Album Cover

1. IMMA NEW THANG (Intro) – I know I don’t usually focus on introductory tracks. But IMMA NEW THANG is one of those intro tracks that really grabs your attention with its edgy feel and intensity. It was definitely a new vibe from the UKISS that I knew at the time and I liked how they had the ‘Yeah’ from Stop Girl in the background.

2. Stop Girl (Title Track) – Click here to read the full review of Stop Girl. However, excuse the cringe me from back then. (9/10)

3. Time To Go – Time To Go continues mature vibes from Stop Girl in quite a dynamic track. The instrumentation is predominately made up of heavy thumping, piano that gives off R&B vibes and a subtle underlay of synths to keep the song moving along. The vocal works from the members was quite impressive. I also like the rapping and the marching band drums that was the backing for the rappers. Altogether, Time To Go came together quite nicely and had a great sense of nostalgia for me. (9/10)

4. Remember (Acoustic Version) – As far as I remember, I don’t think I have reviewed the original version of Remember before (it might be due to the fact that the original version was a OST for a Korean drama). It was a nice ballad that showcases the vocal abilities of Soohyun and Kevin, who were the only members to be featured on this album. The piano and classical instrumentation was quite pleasant and soothing. My only gripe about the song is its placement on this album. It just doesn’t fit and felt misplaced between two dance tracks. (8/10)

5. Sexy Baby – I personally have no more memory of Sexy Baby. For this album review, I am writing my thoughts as if I had never heard the song before. Sexy Baby was nothing how I expected it. I expected a more sensual vibe that is smooth and alluring. But we didn’t get any of that. Instead, Sexy Baby was extremely synth heavy club vibe song. Its instrumental was just a heavy dosage of everything for me, which isn’t a common thought for me to have. In terms of vocals and rapping, I didn’t feel like there was anything interesting on that side as well. A passable song for me. (5/10)

Overall Album Rating – 7.8/10

  • Dongho Teaser Image for Stop Girl
  • Hoon’s Teaser Image for Stop Girl
  • Kevin’s Teaser Image for Stop Girl
  • Soohyun’s Teaser Image for Stop Girl
  • Eli’s Teaser Image for Stop Girl
  • Kiseop’s Teaser Image for Stop Girl

[Review] Curious About U – Lee Jun Young (U-KISS)

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Many of your favourite artists are nominated in the 2019 KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you haven’t voted yet, click here to do so and have your say on who are the best of each category in 2019.

U-KISS may be inactive at the moment due to military enlistment and the departure of few of members recently. But one particular member has still been active in the midst of all of this. Lee Jun Young (otherwise known as Jun) has been busy with his acting career. He also has been busy in Japan, making his solo debut in Japan with Phenomenal World earlier this year. And now, Lee Jun Young has returned to Korea to make his Korean solo debut with Curious About U.

It has been a while since I have heard a dance track like this. Majority of the dance tracks that you hear very often today are usually EDM based or electronica. But Curious About U takes a band approach, which is very different and refreshing. It might not be an actual band (though it surely sounds like one) but I appreciate its willingness to be different from the rest. I liked the thumping drums at the start and how it stayed throughout. I thought the melody of the chorus was very catchy and clean-cut. And to top of the instrumental side of the performance, I thought the song had great energy, which made it even more memorable. Jun is commonly known to be a rapper. But through his appearance on The Unit early last year, it was shown that he was an all-rounder. Interestingly, Jun doesn’t rap in this song, focusing all of his energy on the performance and singing. And he has a really good voice that shines in this track. Overall, a super duper good debut track.

I thought the music video was pretty good. Just the subplot that we got in the video was a little odd. Essentially, detective Lee Jun Young is tasked on finding a murder. There is no body (though I assume someone official took it away). But there are envelopes left around with a suspicious lip-print on it. So, it is shown that the female actress walking away is the murderer. But who did she murder? Well, throughout the video, we saw Lee Jun Young following a lady, so we were to assume he was the murder at first and the person is stalking is his victim. But I think at the end, the video showed that Lee Jun Young was murdered, with himself being the prime focus of the images (i.e. he was the target). That might make sense, given that when he plays detective, he is in a black setting (i.e. he had died) and explains why there is no body.

It would be nice if the title of the YouTube video would contain the title of the song so it is easier to find. I honestly thought for the longest time that the song is titled Gallery.

The dance was really cool. Not only did it show off some of his skills but it looked really fun and energetic at the same time. This is all based around the music video, so I am wondering how the performance would look like on stage. No doubt that he would channel the same vibes into the live performance. But it looks promising.

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

Standing Still – UKISS

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Source: http://www.mtvk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/k_ukiss_standing-still-mv.png

UKISS is finally back with another song. For fans, it seems like it has been forever, but for people like me and possibly you, it has only been 6 months since the last comeback. Despite many “experts” saying that UKISS will finally win an award this year, and the fact that the “3 year, no award” disbandment rumours in the air, this is a really good song. However I, myself, a fan of UKISS, am a bit sceptical if they would win with this song (but mind you, 5 times the chances of winning an award starting April). But anyway, let’s carry on.

The song is pretty good. However, every time I listen to this song, I feel that there is something missing. I think Stop Girl was a much more dominant song than this. This song, some reason, sounds good, but does not sound as good as their previous songs. Once again, Dongho and Kiseop gets the shorter stick out of the 7 members. Is it me or in the song and music video, Dongho always gets the least amount of lines? Isn’t he the rapper of the group as well? Why does he not get any rap lines? But anyway, I think the vocals in the song are pretty good. As always, Hoon, Kevin and Soohyun always get the most lines. The rap, done by Eli and AJ, was really well done. I could feel the emotion within the song. The English particularly makes sense and actually fits the song quite well. There is no “Joom Joom my heart like a locket” lyrics here.

As for the music video, I am quite disappointed. WHAT THE HELL NH MEDIA? With a song like this, you really don’t make the music video look good? Seriously, with a group as big as UKISS, I actually expect more of the better type of music video. Here is a bunch of guys just dancing in what seems to be an abandoned building. Oh wait, that sounds so familiar. Oh guess what, UKISS used the same concept in terms of their music video for Believe. And also, what is the hell with the girl? Despite, staring into the camera, the girl served on purpose what so ever in the music video. She did not contribute anything to the plot (if there was one) or the actual dance. Oh, and her contact lenses are really strong. They scared me.

The live is okay. The dance is not really as epic as their other dances like Neverland or Man Man Hi Ni. Despite that though, it looks like the guys have taken a fresh approach upon the dance and have gone for a much sexier dance (that mirrors DoraDora).

7/10. It was okay, however it could’ve been loads better. If it can win an award, we have to give that decision to their fans. No pressure.

One For You – U-KISS

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Source: http://www.wewantkpop.com/images/u/u-kiss_one_of_you_album_splash_concept-8984.jpg

U-Kiss is back in Japan with another great single. More for fan service, I think, but still a good song that can be promoted. The average K-POP song just got a bit more fun than usual, which is pretty good. I love it, and so should you. If you want a laid-back, cheerful, yet a song which you can dance to: you have come to the right group. This is the one song, that we do not get that much in Korea or Japan, and keeps the groups mature look despite them smiling and having fun.

The song really has this really good techno instrumental to it. It is really good. The English is also pretty good. I really liked how the group managed their lines and split them up, with a rap sequence in between each verse and chorus, which is creative. I also loved the chorus and the “yeah, yeah yeah yeah” part of the song, which is definitely really catchy and shows us a different side U-KISS that we have not really seen. The only thing I wish to complain about in this song is that high note, that was at the end. That kind of did not fit in. I was definitely disappointed, especially when I knew the vocalists could do better.

The music video is pretty good as well. Kind of average, but still pretty good. Only one thing I hated was the suits that they wore and the multi-coloured background which they had behind them for their solo shots. But beside that, I really liked the music video. The only thing is, it should’ve been for the whole song, not just the first 3 and so minutes.

There is no live performance of this song, that I am actually aware off. They may have performed it at a solo concert  but since they released this single and around a month later they released Stop Girl, I really don’t think there is a performance out there.

I am gonna give this song a 9/10. Pretty good.

Stop Girl – UKISS

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Source: https://kpopreviewed.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/u-kiss.jpg?w=300

Just a week ago, U-Kiss made their comeback with their latest mini-album, Stop Girl, which consisted of a pretty good song. 2 good songs. Obviously it is Sexy Baby and Remember (Acoustic Ver.), duh??? I am only joking, but they are good songs as well. Stop Girl was released in Korean and English as well (I think this is the first song released by U-Kiss in English). Anyway, this song totally rocks. At first I was disappointed. After DoraDora, I don’t think they should be coming out with these types of songs, and that they should go back to their hardcore dancing days. But this song started to grow on me quite easily, and then next thing I noticed, I was like” Stop girl in the name of love~”.

This song rocks. Not actually first time I heard it, but 2nd or third time though to get into the mojo of the song. It is quite different compared to Shut Up, Man Man Ha Ni, Neverland, Believe, DoraDora. They are kind of held back in this song, but this song has more emotions in it compared to Neverland. It is about a guy who wants to commit to his relationship and wants his girl to stop fighting, which is a type of song that is quite different to other songs that are about love in the KPOP industry. I really love the vocals (especially Kevin’s solo) and the rap of the song. The only thing I wish to complain is the amount of lines Dongho in the end got. He had to wait to the final moments of the song for a rap and only what seemed like 5 seconds, while Eli got 5 seconds too, but a section towards the beginning.

The music video is quite interesting. A black and white version and then a colour version was released. I like this idea, because it seemed fun to guess the colours which the members are wearing. (Or does that only apply to me?) LOL. But hey, I loved the music video, even though it was quite simple. Too simple. Well, they did add big chess pieces in the music video which was a plus and added to the “black and white” feel to the music video. Though, one thing is for sure, I am not sure about the hair Dongho. Long really does not suit him. Seems like a similar copy to G Dragon’s Seaweed hair.

The live performances never disappoint me and this time around, they are pretty good. I still really like Kevin’s solo part for these performances as well.

Well, 9/10. Really good.

Te Amo – UKISS

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Song

This song is definitely not the best. I don’t hate this song, but I don’t like this song as well. The electronic beat and the Spanish accordion  don’t go well together.  Nothing was appealing to me in this song, so I have to say this song was quite …crap. Nothing was to my preferred liking. None of the members voices sounded that good in this particular song. So yeah. I did love Believe, so that was good.

And The Rating?

Yeah. Only give it a 3/10. Not that good, as you can tell.

Have Fun Watching 😀 Troy.

Audio Here:

Believe – UKISS

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Song

Ahhh, Another song which I love. Now this song sounds much better than DORADORA, but is really still not a hit. I ma quite surprised because this is the usual mainstream KPOP song you can find. It is something always this techno. This song is quite catchy and really addictive to listen to. I really like it how the everyone gets a turn, not like Super Junior where I just noticed that Shindong does not actually get any solo part and Kangin, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Leeteuk only getting small parts. (Why am I talking about Super Junior?)

This song is more laid out and planned and sounds really good. The vocals and rap were good.

Music Video

Nothing really to say about this music video. I really did not flow in away though. See, Dongho was singing into the mirror and then the camera pans to Eli who is sitting on the edge of the bathtub.  The singer’s transition flowed however not the actual music video kind of flow. I felt this music video did not have much planning in it, and really was something thought of at the last minute. They probably picked a random tunnel, chucked in some made up house and looked for a public toilet in the music video. Really basic, but I have to admit, boring.

Live Performance

The dance is good as well. It was not as good as Neverland or Man Man Ha Ni. So yeah, as I said above, this must be something that was thought of at the last minute. Though I thought the ending was quite original. So yeah, good.

And The Rating?

I guess this song just made it to the 8/10 mark. I was quite disappointed with the music video and dance, but I liked the song. So yeah.

Have Fun Watching. Troy 😀

Live Performance:

Music Video:

Amazing – UKISS

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Song

This was one of their good songs on the album. The others include DORADORA, 4U & When Love Stops. It is a really great song, with the party theme in it. I not so happy with the “End Of The World” line in the song. I don’t think it is a great thing to say especially in 2012. I would think it would okay to say in 2013 onwards but that line really gives me the shivers in 2012. ME NO WANT THE WORLD TO END!!!

The electronic beat is really good in this song and is much different compared to DORADORA or Neverland as it has this refreshing beat to it. I am so glad I am listening to theses songs in Winter, here in Australia. The weather is so gloomy here. I feel so sad. I should be listening to depressing songs. The chorus of this song is really catchy and very easy to listen to. It’s not complex or anything.

And The Rating?

There is no music video or performance for this song, so I am going to just rate the song. 8/10. “End Of The World” line ruined it for me.

Have Fun Watching. Troy 😀

DORADORA – UKISS

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Song

Okay, I am not entirely impress with this song. But I can see this song is really good at the same time. I guess I was expecting something along the lines of their last Korean track or their debut track in Japan (Neverland and Tick Tack respectively). But still this song is really good. I listened to the song 3 times to get into the song, so this song is actually no different from over songs. There are many sections of the song which I enjoyed like:

1. The Dora-Dora part

2. The chorus

3. The rap sequence

4. All together, the whole song.

The song however does not live up to my expectations. The climax of the song really was not climatic, but instead repeated the the same section of the song at the end. To me that was rubbish. Brown Eyed Girl’s Sixth Sense had the 2 high notes to differentiate the bridge to the final chorus. Super Junior had that rap sequence in Super Junior (even though, they did repeat the whole chorus again). The rap in this song is really good but it does not have the glue which a bridge is meant to have.

Music Video

I’ve noticed a little trend in music videos lately. That glow in the dark paint that usually gets thrown in the air to ht the wall and make the whole music video look pretty. 2NE1’s  I Am The Best, Seo In Guk’s Shake It Up and also B.A.P’s teasers for Power.Beside that though I think this video is okay. Except for those bright white pants that they wear in the video. And the fact that they are standing upside down, on the sides of the wall and on the gournd normally. Oh and what the hell is happening in the video. Why is one guy sleeping and another watching? WHAT IN THE JIBBERS IS GOING ON?

I do like the abstarct wall that they are in. You know the one with the weird boxes sticking out of the wall. Also, the dark setting, where they are wearing those horrible white pants. Another fashion mistake. “Never wear white socks with black shoes.” What my English Teacher always said to my friend. But beside the  white pants and the weirdly pedo feel in the video, the music video is really good. Oh, the ending of the video is the best.

Live Performance

The dance in this is what I would describe has sexy. Yeah, but it really does not fit UKISS’s image. Their dances were very powerful in Neverland, Man Man Ha Ni, Shut Up. I also think 0330 was pretty strong as well. The dance for this song is really good and sexy, but it really does not fit in with UKISS’s image. I do like the DORADORA part of the dance. It matches the beat and is kind of catchy. Yeah, I tried. Failed miserably.

And The Rating?

7.67 out of 10. Its is a good song, just nothing I guess I am expecting or ready to see.

Have Fun Watching Troy. 😀

Music Video:

Live Performance:

Tick Tack – UKISS

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Song

This by far is my favourite U-Kiss song to date. It’s catchy and addictive. It also has this heavy dance mix to it, which is different from their other songs like Man Man Ha Ni, Neverland etc. Also I must mention it, but this is definitely one hell of a debut into such a competitive industry. No wonder all their fans have been fan-girling (or fan-boying?) about their debut when this song came out, in December. Damn, I should be more quick to review some songs.

Anyway, all parts of the song I enjoyed. However not knowing any Japanese, I don’t really understand the song. But I quite enjoyed the whole song. It was quite nice and enjoyable to listen to.

Music Video

Okay so this music video is basically 90% dance and 10% haunted house. So I guess I would be talking a lot about the dance rather than the music video. The haunted house basically an abandoned house where no one could have been stuffed sweeping the floor, hence why there is a lot of dust on the ground. They are all holding watches which symbolises they want go back in time and yeah, that is all I have. There is basically nothing interesting in the music video. I normally discuss the dance in the live performance part of the whole review.

Live Performance

Well, U-KISS never fails at a dance. Neverland, Man Man Ha Hi, Binguel Binguel are just evidence of this. This dance really sets them apart in the KPOP and JPOP industry. Even at the start where the song builds up and just launches itself into a dance track really proves to me and many others that they are different. Their hand movements mimic clocks and also reflect the tone of the tune. In my point of view, they are the leading dance boy group out there in the KPOP industry and maybe the JPOP industry. Even the dance sequence that starts around 2:06 is really awesome. Sigh, If they come back with another ballad of some sort….

And The Rating?

Under the new rating system, I would give this a 9/10.

Have Fun Watching. Troy 😀

0330 – UKISS

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Song

Boy, I really like this song. It does not rely on the instrumental to get the mood over but the vocals do this instead. Only some parts the instrumental was dominant, the rest dominated by the vocals. This really stands out in my point of view. Beside that there is not much to say about the song. Really the song is a chart stopper and it is shown through the charts.

Music Video

The music video took forever to decipher the plot of the whole video. This really should be a bad thing however some reason it does not trouble me this time around. Every time I watch the video, I discover a new thing that was not viable to me before. (Maybe because I was mesmerised by the vocals. LOL.) Well, its  about a guy who has been in loved with this girl who he happened to meet at a bus stop one rainy day. He loves her and she loves him and they hang out. However when the girl dies, he can not face reality and thinks she is still with him. This troubles his friends as it pisses them off. This continues until one of them hangs up the phone which the main guy was on talking to no-one. The causes for the others to feel sorry for the main guy, who now is back in reality. Long plot but inspiring story I have to say.

Live Performance

I absolutely disliked the live performances. I can sum it up in one sentence. A group of guys who move to the beat of the music. That is about it. Nothing much. Nothing epic as a Big Bang or Girl’s Generation performance. So I’ll end it here.

Anything Else

I think I did not say this in my previous post however I am not a fan of U-KISS. But this song is really good.

And The Rating

This is a really good song (repeated 5 times already). So 9.5/10 it is.

Have Fun Watching 😀 Troy

Neverland – U-Kiss

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Now this video was very, very, very, very good. The location is kinda dull but overall it is very good. “Neverland” to me sounds like a theme park, not some gray mountain and some old abandon factory. FAIL theme park. But neat way to attract young kids 😉 Only joking there.

 

The English lyrics are really good. However its about a guy trying “attract” a girl to their “heart” (does not sound right) and to me, i will be surprised if it did attract anyone: guy or girl. Its also a bit random since they just randomly added a few extra lines for no reason like “Tell the DJ turn it up up up and da-da-dance a little more”. What does this have to do with love? An affair with the DJ? Scared!!!

 

The dance for this song is very complex. And when I say complex, I mean complex. They were throwing their hands everywhere, doing some kinda of zombie dance. I would also like to point out –> they touch themselves a lot. I know that sounds really my gay but look back at the video and see they touch their hair, feet, knees & chest. Really, they can’t keep their hands off themselves. Beside that and the lyrics, the song is very catchy, i had the bridge of the song stuck in my mind. Even though I don’t know the lyrics, the tune can be memorized easily.

 

However a major letdown of the video beside the location is the fashion. Yes they look very cool in the black clothing however the silver is ummm… really odd. It looks like a fishing net. I don’t wish to harsh, however when i first saw the video, I was like “Are they catching fishes?”. Not so cool, in my point of view. I prefer the black shirt and pants, cause for some reason I think Asian guys look better in black. Look at me, I am Asian, I i look way better in black then bright-fluorescent colours.

 

 

To me the video and song was very catchy. It was very enjoyable to watch. 2 letdowns, however the rest of the video did a lot to fix those up. The dance was in sync not like many other videos. If I were to rate this video out of ten, I would rate it 8.5/10. 😀