Tag: UKISS

[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

[Album Review] DORADORA (6th Mini Album) – UKISS

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I can’t believe that I have yet to do an album review for UKISS! They haven’t released anything recently due to their focus on solo activities and military enlistment. So, in order to write an album review for UKISS, I need to turn to their past releases. There was just so much to choose from, so I essentially did a lucky dip to see which one I would review first. And lucky number one is DORADORA. Cast your mind back to April 2012, when the group released their 6th mini album and title track of the same name. It was their first release of 2012, following a long hiatus they took from the Korean music scene to focus on their Japanese debut. Featuring on DORADORA was the pre-release track, Amazing, which will also be reviewed today!

DoraDora Album Cover

1. DORADORA (돌아돌아) – I gave the DORADORA comeback a calculated score back in the day but have lost the calculation a while back. Unfortunately, my memory has also failed me in this regard (though I remember listening to every track on this album quite vividly). Given how much I have enjoyed the song now, I have decided to give DORADORA an 8/10. Click here to read the 2012 DORADORA’s review, featuring young and terrible me. (8/10)

2. 4You (For You) – 4You is a song for the fans. There is a whole music video of them while on tour and it focuses on their bond as a group and with their fans. As for the song, it is super catchy. I mean their repetition of the 4You hook is quite pleasant and is not overwhelming in any way. The instrumental is quite upbeat and features an electronic-based instrumental that felt appropriate for the 2012. The instrumental sequence for the rapping segment on the bridge had a nice kick to it, leveling it up to give the song something different before the song ended. I also like the thumping beat. It may be a small detail in this song, but it helped hype of the song. Overall, a nice fan service song. (8/10)

3. When Love Stops (사랑이 멈출 때) – When Love Stops is one of my favourite KPOP ballads of all time. Why is this the case? The song features really strong melodies, which helped bring a new light to their vocals. We got to hear the vocals from all members, including the rappers. And the harmonies made the song even more stunning. Overall, it brought a lot of their past songs to my attention, got me more interested in their side tracks and contributed to me enjoying their future releases, since I now knew what potential they had. That is the power of the song! Apart from the vocals, the melodies during the chorus felt very grand and were quite memorable as a result. The instrumental is another highlight, bringing that grand nature to life alongside the melodies. (10/10)

4. Amazing (Pre-release Track) – If I remember correctly, Amazing was the pre-release track for this album. It features a club beat for its instrumental and features pretty simple hooks that make the song quite catchy. As the chorus came into play, the song reformed into more of a pop track. But the club instrumentation remained throughout as the main backing. Looking back now, the lyrics and hooks are a little tacky for this current era. Though, I vividly remember putting this song on repeat back in the day. The vocals and rapping are okay, based on today’s standards. In addition to that, it really isn’t their best work on this album as well. But back then, I would have enjoyed it. (8/10)

5. TICK TOCK (OUT OF TIME) (Korean Version) – I have previously reviewed the Japanese version of TICK TOCK (otherwise known as TICK TACK in Japan). Once again, I lost the review calculations for TICK TOCK/TICK TACK. Upon reconsidering my past review for the song, I have decided to increase the ‘song review’ score to a perfect 10/10, which is probably what I gave it back in the day. Click here to read the 2012 Tick Tock review. (10/10)

Overall Album Rating – 8.8/10

DORADORA Teaser Image

[Review] Fly – UKISS

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The 31st of December is fast approaching and that marks the end of the voting period for this year’s KPOPREVIEWED Awards. If you have yet to vote and support your favourites, do so quickly by clicking here! Your voting could be the decider!

UKISS has been relatively quiet in South Korea this year. They released an album (Solo & Unit) at the start of the year, which is also the final release by UKISS to feature Kevin, who departed the group at the start of March. UKISS reformed into a 5-member group and released Fly (the main focus of today’s review) in October. Not particularly sure what some of the members are doing but I am aware that Jun acted in Avengers Social Club (highly recommend this drama) and is participating in the rebooting program, The Unit.

Fly is the third Japanese song that I am reviewing and it is one that I am particularly excited to talk about. What makes this song sound so damn good is the chorus, which is quite unexpected. For my explanation to make some sense, you need to have listened to the song. It starts slow and almost acoustic in nature. The vocals were extremely soft. Once the raps kick in, providing some intensity, the song starts to build up. But the drop/chorus was not what I had expected and it felt much more epic and appealing. It felt aesthetic even though it seems grounded in the pop genre. Each member sounds extremely good, their voices contrasting well with the music. But the member that stood the most for me was Soohyun whose vocals were just right each time I heard him (especially when he does the pre-chorus). The ‘Let Me Fly‘ seems to be cliche lyrics in many songs but it still remains to be an addictive icing on this particular song. The electric guitar during the final chorus is so freaking good and fits in so perfectly. Overall, I really liked this song.

For this particular review, I will be combining the music video and choreography sections together. Why? Well, the music video contained mostly choreography and the music video didn’t have much to talk about. For the most part, the video featured ‘angry and heartbroken’ acting close up shots. I liked the night scenery that they used. The choreography was nice, pairing well with the song. Despite the song style, they went with moves that felt very graceful yet fitting for the electronic pop song. Most of the moves were ‘done before’ but it still felt fresh for this song.

Song – 10/10
Music Video – 6/10
Performance – 8/10
Overall Rating –  8.5/10

 

[Review] Stalker – UKISS

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UKISS has finally returned after nearly a year and a half disappearance from South Korean stages. Per usual, when the group is not in South Korea, they are most likely in Japan. They have released new songs in Japan, some of which I have reviewed: One Shot One Kill & Kissing For You.

This is the song style that I want UKISS to stick with. Give the boys anything electronic based and a song that is worthy of an amazing dance. Stalker is so freaking catchy. I really enjoyed listening to the song. I fell in love with it when I first listened to it and have since been a song that I have been listening constantly to. The “stalker, stalker” introduction really hooks your attention. The instrumental is probably one of the best of the year. I love the electronic components of the instrumental and the bass of the song. It gives off a pulsing effect, as like a heart beat. The chorus feels a little “safe” and really doesn’t wow me. It is good, but it doesn’t amaze me. I am more drawn to the verses. The line distribution is completely off. Playground (their last Korean release managed to be balanced) but Jun and Eli got the short end of the stick this time around.

Creepy title = creepy video. And that is what we got. The video consists of footage of the guys staring at the girl while she is sleeping and carrying about her normal routine. I am suprised at how close the guys was to the girl. Probably if you are stalking someone, you probably would rather stay hidden then be spotted. So sitting in a chair in the corner of the same room your target is in, probably isn’t ideal.  Though I think the rest of the video is well thought out. The dance scenes are filmed in darkness with bits of light is pretty smart. Gave off the creepy feel pretty well, even though, I could not see 75% of the video. Not complaining though, because it make sense to use darkness here. Overall, I thought the video was quite interesting to watch. I had to pay extra attention because of the darkness and I guess that drew me into the video. Or the dark side, which ever makes sense.

The dance was really cool as well. I really enjoyed the “covering up the eyes with your hand” movements. It is like opening a closed blind or peering over a ledge to see who you are trying to stalk. The dance fitted the tempo of the video and I thought the chorus was handled pretty well. I would have liked something to give the dance more of a wow factor or some sort of intensity. It looks cool already, but I am quite certain that something could have been added (or replaced) to make the dance even cooler.

Final Rating – 8.5/10

Kissing To Feel – UKISS

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No, UKISS has not returned to the stage (yet) but the band did release a song back in February. This is a Japanese release that was not publicised in anyway. Someone contacted me on Twitter asking me to review this and I apologise that it only took me 5 years to actually review the song. Honestly if they haven’t contact me then I would not have known. I don’t actually do requests since the amount of releases is so large, it is hard to keep up with the industry. I try my best to review new bands and old bands, debuts and comebacks from smaller artists, but it is already hard just trying to listen to the latest songs… Let’s move onto the review though, before this review becomes too long.

It is a good song but it just doesn’t captivate me. For a quite upbeat song, the song started off slow, compared to the rest of the song. It wasn’t until the chorus that I felt like it was more of a UKISS style song. The start (in reality) isn’t that slow, it just felt slow. But once the song gets to that peak, wow. Their vocals are not hindered one bit in the song and sounds very powerful, strong and extremely clear. The rapping (per usual) is pretty good. I can see a lot of improvement (and parts) given to Jun.  I always wonder why they don’t do these songs in South Korea. I know South Korea isn’t that big in these EDM dance tracks, but UKISS received a lot of attention from the public when they released songs like this in the past. Okay, finishing praising the song. The song itself really doesn’t draw my attention (as I mentioned above). I feel like an extra element could have been added to the song to give it more depth or dimension (does that make sense?). But overall, I think the song is good. (I need a better way to write these reviews… I started and finished off with the same sentence).

Not exactly fond of the video. If you are a fan of sweaty Eli, then I guess check it out. But honestly, it was rather dark than it should have been. The lighting wasn’t that great in this video. There are two version: one was the normal landscape version, while the other is the portrait version. I have not seen the landscape version on YouTube yet, but I have see the portrait version and damn am I disappointed. It just feels really confined. There are benefits for the portrait version, but I am not seeing them in this video. The set is okay. The question is: when isn’t UKISS in an abandoned room or house.? Like seriously, most of their video consist of something abandoned. Yeah, I am running out of things to say about the video. I just think the video could have included a plot and made some sense over these scenes. There is already a plot here but it just doesn’t seem to be evident. Maybe more scenes of the girl leaving the guys or something would have made the video more interesting.

The dance focus on the sexy side of the band (and I think I actually do prefer this side of the boys). A lot of crotch grabbing and body waves. I really like the slow part of the chorus. And you probably have no idea what I am talking about…. Watch the dance version here? I think the dance is great, matches the tempo of the song and also shows the knife sharp movements of the guys. Once again they did a good job with their dance.

Overall, it was okay. I think that sums it up for me. 6.5/10

One Shot One Kill – UKISS

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It has been a while since we heard from UKISS. But we did hear some shocking news from the band when Eli announced suddenly that he was married AND expecting a child on the way. Not saying that the news was bad in anyway, it just caught everyone off guard. UKISS has also been busy in Japan and it has been over a year since their last domestic (Korean) promotions. This is not their Korean comeback however, but just another Japanese comeback.

I am genuinely confused about this song. When I first heard the title of the song, I thought they went for an electronic or EDM based song. It also sounds like something masculine and dangerous. I honestly had James Bond channelling through my mind. However instead we got… a love song? Rather disappointing. The song does not sound as great. It just sounds like a complete mismatch waiting to happen. The vocals in my opinion do not suit the song. It seems to be more drawn out than anything. However the rapping is really good and with the combination of the instrumental had an “Uptown Funk” kind of feel to it (actually applies to the whole video). Talking about the instrumental, it gave the song a really nice retro sound. Even the dance break was just those retro sound, not a single electronic sound in the dance break (there might have been a little bit, but it was after the dance break) and I am going to give them props for that, since I think the instrumental was really good as well. Vocals and the mismatched initial thoughts just didn’t lineup.

The retro video fitted really well with the song. But like the song, I thought of a 007 theme video or spy themed. Anyway, with what we were delivered, the retro themed went throughout the video. From the sets, to their attire to the walking canes. Actually, walking canes aren’t retro, but they fit really well with this video. And that is all I have to say about the video….

Dance wise, thought the use of the canes were cool but a bit messy. Thought the dance break was cool. While we didn’t really see much of the dance in the video, I did manage to fine snippets of a live performance at one of their fanmeets in Japan, and I can say, I think it is amazing dance.

What we got was not what I expected and that is quite disappointing. But they managed to pull it off (with the odd complaint) and it sounded/looked good. 6.5/10

Playground – UKISS

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UKISS is now officially back on the stage. After almost one year of not being heard of, UKISS with their new member Jun are back with their 10th mini album. Wow. It just seems like we are missing AJ and the group will be complete. Their last single, Quit Playing, saw the spotlight on them for being the first male KPOP band to be forced to change their sensual choreography. It seems this time, they toned it way down. I also believe since their last single, they have been quite busy in Japan.

This song is pretty good. I was a little disappointed with the song when I first heard it. UKISS is known for their dancing and really catchy songs. This just did not fit them at all. But since then I have grown to love the song. Mainly because a wish from any fan was to hear Jun sing and rap more in a song. Though I am a little disappointed that Eli might disappear into the background, Eli still does a good job. Jun’s rapping may have gotten me a little confused. That dude is meant to be younger than me, but he sounds like someone at Eli’s age (not trying to offend anyone). The RnB feel of the song was nice. The vocals were strong. You can tell Kiseop and the rest of the band are maturing and improving greatly. I love the “du du du du” part Kevin sings. It just sums the song up really well. I believe the song talks about memories or a girl coming back to them.

Another classic Korean music video where the group acts sad. And we only get close ups of the members. There are a few things that I don’t get though. Why are we wasting ice-cream? That is like my main concern. Ahhh… I hope that ice-cream was eaten, not thrown away. I could use something to nom nom right now. That ice cream looks damn fine. And secondly, what is it with being sad and being in a bathtub with your shirt on still? Are you that sad to not be able to take your shirt off before you go into a bath tub??? (Yes, I understand that Jun is a minor still. Shirt off may not have been a possibility, however why not change the roles around with some other member? Kiseop? Everyone would like that!) That being said, I had nothing to talk about in the music video, so i decided to poke fun at it.

This dance was freaking amazing. The use of the handkerchiefs were a really nice addition to the song. Though, I have to be honest, I hate the suits. They don’t look nice at all. Well, since I am speaking honestly, they are more like an eye sore to me.

Overall, a nice comeback that had to grow on me to like it. The song was quite nice and the dance was really good. 7.3/10

Don’t Flirt – UKISS

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PLEASE NOTE: Some things I say in this review may be explicit to some people. I tried to keep this review “safe”, but I may have let loosed a few times. Read at your own cost 🙂

UKISS has made their return to a stage after a few line up changes. Member Dongho left the band saying that he would prefer a normal life, as he feels that his health and stamina would not keep up and also his desire to be a celebrity has weakened. Member AJ has decided to stay in Colombia to focus on his study for now, and recently tweeted pictures after some form of heart surgery. Hence, why their management had brought in member Jun as the replacement for Dongho. Jun is a vocalist and rapper (basically covering Dongho’s position). He also replaces Dongho as the maknae, who is I think is still under-age (like 17 or something), so his music video this time around has not been shown to him because he is below the legal age of 19. On top with that, I will be covering UKISS’s controversial comeback as well, so let’s get rid of the introduction and onto with the review.

I don’t know about you guys, but I really like this song. It is not as great as other UKISS songs which I like, but it still pretty good. The song opens up with this really addictive guitar instrumental which sounds really cool and then enter the hip hop feel. The vocals were pretty good. Kevin, Soohyun, Kiseop and Hoon did a really good job this time around. The instrumental is really cool and the chorus was really addictive. The “No No No” part would have to be the most catchiest part. Once again, and same with Dongho, Jun got the short hand of the stick with only 2 lines. Such a pity. Eli did a pretty good job with the rap though, but I feel since Jun is new, some focus should be on him. The bridge of the song was also pretty good as well. Kiseop did a wonderful job at bringing the song to a close, and I have to be honest, this song is pretty cool.

Here is what the group got some backlash and here is what made the whole comeback quite controversial. UKISS attempted the “sexy concept”, and I think it did the band really well. However, the music video was deemed to be a 19+ video. Mainly because of the explicit actions in the video. Ummm… what??? Not sure, but some of the stuff in movies are far worse than this. Oh a bunch of guys taking their shirts off, slapped with the 19+ rating. Oh, girl is putting her legs around the guys waist? There is another reason. After watching the music video, I felt some of the them were trying so hard to be “sexy”. Hoon was slapped across the face, but he had a look that kind of said “what do I do here?”. Though it did feel unnatural at some parts, some parts seem like the real deal. Not trying to imply anything about me or the band. Anyway, the music video, to me was well shot. It had this dark feel to it, which reflected well in what the guys were trying to portray, a darker side of them. The “sex scenes” with Eli, Hoon and Kiseop were quite heated (ha ha ha). Just was it necessary to stare at the camera? But hey, it all suited the song and the music video.

Let’s move onto something that is a little more controversial than a 19+ video, mainly because they have been around. The dance. This dance was officially the first dance ever done by a boy group that required the dance is be re-choreographed, because it was far too much for the viewers. To me, the dance was okay. Well, I might see their point when it comes down to Kevin and the girl bending over. But overall, I found the dance to be quite cool and nice to watch. “Nice”. But the new version of the dance is really cool as well. I honestly, feel no difference between the two version of the dance.

So the comeback, to me, was just fine. To be more precise, I have been digging this song and dance since it was released. I try to keep away from the music video, mainly because there are things I don’t want my parents to know that I watch. Not implying anything. 8.5/10

Fall In Love – UKISS

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Source: http://kisseopiansindonesia.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/tumblr_mvrtfzxr631r17qx7o1_1280.jpg

UKISS has been quite active overseas in Japan. They recently released a new single in Japan, titled as Fall In Love. It has been a while since I last reviewed a Japanese song from UKISS, the last one being Alone, early last year. This song is much more different from any of their previous songs released in Japan or Korea, where they have opted out for a much slower song. But it must be noted, that the song is not as slow as a ballad. Beside that, I think it is time to end the intro and go on with the review.

The song is pretty upbeat song in my point of view. But nothing about the song is upbeat except for the instrumental. The lyrics of the song speak about falling in love at first sight, but every time I read the lyrics I get a feeling that the song is not as positive. The way the guys sing the song seems like they want the girl back and the whole song is about unrequited love. Though, this time around, the boys have gone for a more vocally sounded song. The whole song has this powerful vocals in it and the raps seem to fit into the feel of the song. The rap is not the big deal this time around, which I am glad because their previous songs tend to focus more on the rapping rather than the lyrics, while this time around the raps bit only take up around 25% of the song. Honestly, I am satisfied with this song. It probably be on the best Japanese songs of the year, too bad I did not see it before making those awards thing.

The music video okay. Japanese music videos have these really cool sets and all, but the music video itself is not as great. Walking around an abandoned warehouse is not what I would think would be great for reflecting on your love. Rather, I see the guys as a coward in expressing the feelings. Also, the place looks rather rundown and creepy. Wait a minute, wasn’t Neverland, Tick Tack, Alone, Standing Still, Believe, Inside Of Me all shot in an abandoned place???? OMG, I should cut down on my KPOP knowledge and save some room for my Chemistry information. It seems like the company who manages UKISS in Japan really does not care much about the quality for the music video there. But I am not one to say that much. And did that bubble represent the girl that they love? Cause if it isn’t the bubble was kind of random.

There is dance to this song. But from first listening to the song, there was not going to be a dance. But I was pretty surprised. The dance is not as powerful in this song, if you imagine a dance similar to Tick Tack in a song like this and still thinks it works, well….

7.5/10. A good release, but not as great as I expected it though. But it still works. I heard that they are going on a World Tour currently. Can’t wait to see what these guys have in stored next in both Japan and Korea. Maybe an award this year?

She’s Mine – UKISS

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Source: http://annyeongeurope.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ukiss1.jpg

UKISS is finally back with a new song. This is their first comeback without Dongho, who left the group, due of reasons of not wanting to be a celebrity, but have a normal life. Yeah, many people are saying that he was forced out of the group, mainly because his contract has not ended yet, and it is not right for a company to just let him leave. That apparently was what happened with the other two old members of the band. But either way, just going to say that I don’t believe anything and just going to say it was nice knowing you. But now the band has made their first comeback with the 6 member line up with a rather interesting song.

The song is not my cup of tea. It is great, but UKISS needs something as great as Tick Tack and Neverland. Dance heavy songs are what they do best, yet they get these songs that don’t let them move and dance like what I want to see them do. The hip hop feel this song has is pretty cool, but not as great or grand that to the point where I like it. Eli and AJ’s raps were not the best raps that I have heard. It is great that Kiseop has more lines than usual, but the whole song sounds choppy. The songs vocals are mainly dominated by Kevin and little hint of Soohyun, with the raps being even spared out. Also, where they say “She’s Mine, She’s Mine” , all I hear is “Shits mine”. Yeah, I am probably gonna get killed, but really, I expected something better. This song seemed rather rushed and not that great. My thoughts have been discussed.

I don’t like the black and white filter on the video. Yes some parts were in colour, but I kept thinking of Stop Girl. This is another boring music video. I must say, I liked the visual effect where the camera would turn upside down and the members change. That was pretty cool. I felt the acting in this video was kind of awkward. Not the best acting I must say, where they were acting gangster like. Not liking it too. The music video seemed rather rushed, with the lack of a backdrop. There is nothing in this video that is keeping me there from watching it. I thought Standing Still was bad as a music video, but this really has to top that as well, in terms of bad music video.

The dance is not that great as well. I did mention it a moment ago that I want to see hardcore dancing like Tick Tack and Neverland, but instead I got fingers point at me and really disappoint moves that don’t fit the song as well. Like the dance fits the instrumental and the beats, but sadly the dance does not fit the feel of the song. I would’ve expected more of a hip hop style kind of dance. I am not sure if I am asking too much anymore!

1/10. Sad. Not liking the song at all. I actually loved Mysterious Lady, their prerelease for this mini album, and then instead got this song, which is a total let down.

Should Have Treated You Better – UBeat

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Source: http://d1i45kki000yqu.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ubeat_mv.jpg

UBeat recently made their subunit debut. The group itself was a good idea. However, the song and the “featuring” member is not as exciting as I first thought it would. So basically, when they had no plans of debuting a subunit at that time in an interview when they first released Standing Still (REVIEW). I have noted that this subunit is rushed! Rushed. Also, how many of you guys knew that Kevin was a featured in the song? That is right! Kevin is not part of UBeat. That kind of stuffed up their pattern and all of that what not.

The song is okay. It is not bad, but it is not good. Can’t really lean over to one side for this one. I like UKISS as a band because of their never ending determination to get first place on a music show. However, guys. I don’t think this is just right. Eli, Kevin and AJ are quite well known. Maybe Dongho, Hoon or Kiseop should have a chance in promoting a song of their own or form a subunit. Or do something like T-Ara N4, where a half of them are promoting in country, while the other in another. But let’s get back to the point. Kevin gets majority of the song, while AJ gets a decent amount in the song. Eli, he gets the short hand of the stick. Also, the song is really bland and plain and there is not wow factor in the song. The rap and vocals are pretty good overall.

The music video is really boring. Just a bunch of close ups of the members and that is about it. Some dance scenes but really boring video to watch. The effects as well are pretty boring. Just wish to say, how cold it must be to film out there.

The dance is okay. Not bad, not good. Nothing to wow us here.

5/10. I was expecting something to make them big, but yeah. I guess they fail once again. Something sounds rather familiar.

Alone – UKISS

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Source: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CZqQl2Zk3-A/0.jpg

UKISS has finally made their Japanese comeback with Alone. A previous song released in December, was Distance, however I won’t be reviewing. It has been shortlisted, which means they might get reviewed. I just don’t know when. Maybe a whole heap of smaller reviews, like a few sentences each month or something for like a few songs? I don’t know, what do you think?

The song is pretty good. I liked much more than their ballad release in December. This song has its roots in its poppy feel, but I love its dubstep feel to the song as well. It seems to have a catchy chorus, however, I don’t see me singing this song all of the time, like Girls Generation’s I Got A Boy. This time around Hoon and Soohyun got to perform much more than usual, showing off their superb vocals. However, it feels like Dongho got a 1 line rap, while Kiseop got a 2 line moment in the whole song. The rest of the members got like 1095645854976 lines in the whole song, which is quite unfair. About the rap, actually, it did not feel as it was needed in the song. I don’t know, also Distance did not need a rap as well. A let down, but over all pretty good.

The music video was pretty well done. There were some bad points but also some good points as well. The costumes look pretty cool, however Kevin, G-Dragon is worried about his boxing gear and you might want to give it back. I liked the dance, with the use of the diagonals and puppetry in the dance. Watch carefully. Also the dubstep at the 2:25 to 2:46 part is pretty cool. However, the set seems to be quite familiar, you know the light and the holes in the wall, from TVXQ’s Bring Your Head Down? You know that one? Oh, one more complaint. Dongho should never have long hair. It does not suit him.

7.5/10. Pretty good, however there were some let downs.

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.