Tag: VIXX

Despite being on stage just a few months ago with Error, VIXX has returned to the stage in 2015. But I agree with everyone. You can never have too much VIXX. But seriously, these poor boys (and it is not just these boys. Countless other idol groups, big or small) are probably working their asses off to get their name in place within the industry. Big name bands usually have only 1 or two comebacks within a year with massive gaps in between. This allows them to focus on individual work and rest. And that is one downside to the industry. Wait, this is now a rant? Okay. I shall end here. Bottom line: VIXX is working extremely hard and they deserve a break. Maybe not as bad as 2013 was a more hectic year. And maybe not to the extent that B.A.P needed a break. But still, they are pretty tired.

This is a remake of the 1995 of R.ef’s hit single Farewell Formula. And for those who don’t know, R.ef was a widely known group back in the day, though I don’t think they are active anymore. Though I have not heard the original song yet, I am going to take a massive stab in the dark that VIXX’s version is going to be modern and sound quite similar to the original. At the same time, I believe Ravi wrote the rap to the song, which was a great addition because that “Ha Ha Ho Ho” part of the rap was freaking amazing. Actually, all the members stood out for once. For a moment, I was kind of concerned that Hongbin was the only member to get one part of the song but my worries were at ease when I saw the live performances. Ken’s high notes just keep on getting higher and pretty sure is competing against Leo for the best high note belt-er. The English in this song really needs to be worked on. “Love is incomplete” but when Ravi says it: “Love is incompetent”? Also “Love Ekation” kind of made me go insane. Not making fun of his poor English, just it needs a little more work.

The music video is okay. Damn, I miss the dark side of VIXX time and time again when I see concepts like this. But then again, they bring in fresh air for those who quickly tire of the same old thing time and time again. I guess they went for the “boy next door” image this time around. They played basketball, played video games. However, they are reminded of the past with their exs. N got rejected in the video, while Ken was completely heartbroken when he realized his girlfriend was not next to him anymore. I have no idea what Hongbin was doing. He seemed to be un-phased (at the start of the video only) about the whole love idea. He was later reminded of his love when he packed all the things that belonged to her away though. Hyuk, on the other end, tried his best to make Ravi happy. But something tells me that he made Ravi go a little to the angry side. Overall, the video was light and fun, which is fitting to the song. It was a little boring, but it did its job pretty well.

As for the dance. I liked it. It was difficult like VIXX’s normal dances and had a VIXX feel to it. I love it how they included the Error concept in this dance as well. A big part of the choreography (and I kid you not) is the amount of smiles made by Leo at the camera.  Though N looks a lot serious now, so I don’t really know anymore.

That was a long review. I badly want to review Memory off their mini album this time. That song was totally an amazing song on the mini album. But nevertheless, the comeback was pretty good. Changed up from their signature dark concepts, but still pretty solid. 8/10

VIXX returned with Eternity after a successful year of promotions which earned them their first weekly music show award and also earned them a Bonsang award at one of the important end of year awards shows (Seoul Music Award). They also managed to secure their name as one of the rising KPOP groups with their dark concepts. This time around they came back with another dark concept but with more of a traditional concept mashed into it as well. Romantic boys. Did it work out? Well, according to the fans, the group has managed to show off their immerse popularity by managing to win against big names, earning themselves two more awards than what they previous had. Definitely a group to keep you eye on.

The group has gone for a dance anthem this time around, with the song being really really well done. I have no complaints with this song. Well, there is 1. It is too freaking short. The instrumental is pretty hardcore with the cool party (dubstep) instrumental giving the song that needed “impact” for me to like.  Ravi’s rapping in this song, even though it was quite limited, sounded really good. The vocals were really top notch. Leo and Ken’s high notes at the end just blew me away. Hyuk and Hongbin both have more lines this time around, much better than Voodoo Doll, where Hyuk only had 1 line. The song built up from the moment it started and pretty much unleashed at the choruses. The song flowed pretty well, though when I first heard I thought there be some odd section where the song had slowed down a lot. Overall, a top of the game song.

In the music video, each guys has these moments with the girl. Like the girl. Only one freaking girl. Like there is no other girl in this world and that they had to chase after this one girl. This one girl who happens to disappear into thin air (literally) towards the end, leaving the guys alone. That or the girl has no idea she is dating everyone from the same group. Anyway, so they have their love moments, but then it turns out that their imagination is playing them and the girl was not there at all, leaving the boys to look lost and depressed. Good story line. However, did they have all these “loving” moments in the same room. And let’s ignore the fact there is a large wheel in the room as well. I like the dancing sets as well. Pretty cool. Especially the effect where they disappear except for Ravi and then all appear in the middle for a later part of the dance and song. That was pretty cool.

The dance was awesome. The wave dance, the clock work dance that they drop at times. And I loved the start. The slo motion backwards walking and stuff. Not only that, but they went slow motion a few times, giving that extra reinforcement that this song has something to do about the past. Really well thought out and done well. And the throwing of the members Ken and N to stand up was pretty cool as well.

I honestly have no to little complaints about this song comeback. A near prefect comeback in my point of view. 9.5/10.

VIXX had previously returned with a new single, Only You. This song was released a part of the same album but prior to the release of VooDoo Doll. This song is really amazing and I have to say that there are a lot of love for this song. I reviewed Voodoo Doll first, because it was the main song on the album. But I just had to sit down and review song. It is so amazing. But before I give anything away, I will just move along to the next part of the review.

Finally, another ballad like song from the band. Last time I reviewed such a song from VIXX was Don’t Want To Be An Idol Any Longer which was equally as amazing. The difference with these two songs is that this song showcases the vocals of all the members, whereas the first song only showcases the main vocals of the band. This song has this really classy feel to it. The song also sounds quite old, but really it was released a few weeks ago. I love chorus. It had a thump thump feel to it, which makes it so much stronger. I really like the start of the song, but it was literally throughout the whole song and it did become a little annoying. I also like Leo’s vocal rap thing which he had after the first chorus. Ravi’s rap also has this vintage feel to it, which fits the song really well. I was quite impressed with the song.

The music video was beautifully shot. Showing the lovely sights of Sweden, I think. I may need to check up on that. Hahahaha… No, but how freaking amazing is this video. It still has that mature and dark feel to it, but at the same time it is much lighter and basically more “prettier” than their current song, Voodoo Doll. I really like how one member would walk into another’s shot and then just carry on singing.  It is pretty cool. Not as cool as their reverse video, but it still looks amazing. It seems like in the future, I must travel to Sweden now. Hahahaha….

There is no dance. And I am thankful for that. The live performance are just them basically sitting around and singing.

10/10. Wow, this song and stuff is amazing. Like Voodoo as well, but I am a little more impressed with this song than their title track.

At first, I thought this song would not be as strong as On & On or Hyde, but then after listening to it many times, I soon realized what a freaking awesome song it is. Ravi’s infamous grunts before each song starts off this song, and then it launches straight into the song, showing the how hardcore this song is going to be. I love Hongbin’s parts in the song, that give the song that more freaky style. I also love the “Tick Tock” parts, giving also that more creepy style. Also the song does the opposite to what most songs would. Most songs would start of slowly, but this song started of fast and slowed down before the chorus. Ravi’s raps are always hardcore as well, and this song is no exception. My only complaint with the song is: that “Oooooo~” part sounds very similar to Ylvis’s “What Does The Fox Say”, like down right similar. But beside that, this song is awesome.

The music video shows the life of a voodoo doll. We get this really creepy start to the whole video. Then we are introduced to VIXX, in their enclosure, kept by an insane girl.  One girl who enjoys doing things to the members that we all would shiver. Yes, don’t you worry. While I enjoy some gruesome stuff, this music video made me shiver. What makes it creepier is that girl is like laughing and enjoying what she is doing, which to me is really creepy. Another thing, Hongbin’s eyes. Yes that contact lenses where there is a cross in his eyes. That is down right scary. I really like the enclosure, there is something different for each member. The end is rather scary. She mutilates Hongbin to the point where he probably has no idea who he is anymore. I also love the scene where the doll grows sad and starts to run away, prompting the other members to run away as well, that part was pretty cool. The doll was so cute!!! Hahahaha…

The dance is pretty cool as well. I will complain about this, but why is N in the centre of each formation? The only time he is not, is when it is the end. Like when it is the chorus, N is front, while Leo is stuck singing behind him. Anyway, the like the dance because it is powerful as the song. They lie down and bang their feet in the air matching the times of the beat. And when they throw Ken up to start off the song. Also, like the inclusion of the stick. Mainly because I am not sure if it is meant to be a microphone. But many of the moves mimic the way someone is stabbing the doll, so that is pretty cool.

9/10. I am amazed everytime VIXX comes out with a new song. Every concept is fresh and different. Yes, this year is VIXX’s “dark concept” year.

[UPDATE: I usually don’t do this, but there boys really deserve a win. Today (6th Of December 2013) is finally their day. Congrats VIXX!]

VIXX recently made their comeback with their first repackaged mini album, Jekyll. This “nice boy” image this time around that the boys have gone for continues on from their Hyde days. For those who have forgotten or don’t know, Jekyll and Hyde are an infamous person. Yes, they are both 1 person. One who has a totally evil split personality kind of story, where one is evil (Hyde) and the other is nice (Jekyll). G.R.8.U (or Your Impressive) is a song that has achieved the boys more ground, as they have been ranking higher than ever with their new and original concept.

I am totally digging this song. I know I am not into that aegyo boy stuff, but seriously, this is the Summer 2013 song that I have been waiting for for quite some time now. It has a totally rocking instrumental and the lyrics are totally amazing. Not only that, but their chorus is really catchy and everything about the song is so great. The vocals are exceptionally powerful for this song, but it matches the feel of the song as well. Leo sang his heart out in this song hitting all those high notes at the end. Ravi has a really great rap as well, which I really think is the highlight of this song. Actually, since the band had come out, I have been more interested and keen to know more about the band. Witt he release of this song, I started watching shows that they appeared on and it is really something to point out that Leo is the most quietest In interview but on stage he is the power house. Hahaha….

The music video is definitely original. The music video, when we see it, is in reverse. Which means the group had to basically lip sync their own song in reverse while filming the music video. Like seriously, that requires a lot of talent and patient. Seriously, when I saw the teaser I was like “WTF?”, but when the music video came out, I realized what was happening. Was I the only person to both have thought about of reversing the teaser to hear the song. I love the music video and this band deserves all the awards. How many bands today do you see signing their songs backwards for the sake of their music video? None. I also love the lightness of this video. Compare it to Hyde, which was dark and creepy. This music video is light and fluffy. There is also much more color it this music video, I love the newspaper scene and the big dance scenes for this music video were amazing. To sum it up, I was mind blown with this music video. Really was.

The dance, believe or not, was choreographed by their leader, N. I really like the dance overall and loved how they incorporated a bit of Hyde in it. By far one of the best dances of the year I have to say.

To sum this WHOLE review up, I was really satisfied and enjoyed everything from the song to the dance. Best comeback for 2013? We just have to wait and see. But so far, I think so. I think I need to create a new category for the Best Of The Best 2013. 10/10.

VIXX recently made their comeback with Hyde, launching them into a much bigger fanbase and huge popularity. Hyde was released on the May the 20th (making this the long awaited review that has been forever to be typed up). Adding more to their gloomy, dark image which they had created for themselves with On and On, released back in March (Review Here). I thought they could not get any scarier, but they did. I remember, in the last review, I wrote that I was scared of them because of their contact lenses, now I am scared of their lips. Their black and bold. Hyde, is not one of your ordinary words that you would find in the 100 most common words list. So here is a quick and easy definition of Hyde. Hyde is a widely known fictional character which basically has the full name of Dr. Henry Jekyll or Edward Hyde. Why? Because of the split personality of the character, which we can see in both the lyrics and music video of the song.

Hyde is an amazing song. I love the creepy instrumental. It’s electrobeat makes the song a whole heap better but at the same time a whole heap creepier. The vocals are quite powerful in this song and the rap was very strong. The love the chorus. It was catchy, addictive and easy to follow. Love the bit after the chorus where they are all like “Can’t Control, Can’t Control”. It has reference to the fictional character that we mention above, (ie. they cannot control when they have their split personality appear). I really like how the song has that split personality feel to it as well. For example, when the singer sings “I love you”, the backing vocal replies with “No I hate you”, giving that even deeper meaning to the song. The lyrics are really something you guys should search for. So overall, love the song.

The music video is quite dark. Not as dark to complain about (cough-MBLAQ-cough). We can see that the guys at the start are all normal and stuff, loving their girlfriends as they should be. But as we approach the end of the video, the guys all turn into “Hyde” and became brutal to their female companion. To the extent, where the evil has gotten to their mind and decide, why not kill her? The video, itself also correspond, with the theme of the comeback, where the guy is struggling to either kill her or stop himself from killing her, by pulling their hand back when they start to turn on her (which can also be seen in the dance). I also like the addition of those scenes on nothing basically, like the snake and the skull. Adds that extra punch to the feel of the video. Just to pull your attention to the end of the video. The scenes where the wings pop out of nowhere on the back of the member’s back seem oddly familiar. I don’t know what video it looks like it is from. Hmmm…. (SHINee’s Ring Ding Dong)

The dance is okay. Not the best and not the most memorable. I like the idea of them struggling against their own body, in the chorus. I guess my most favourite part of the dance is the “Can’t Control. Can’t Control”.

7.5/10. Great song, dance and music video. I think the guys have settled for something very dominate and dark for future releases. Will always be anticipating which fictional being they will become next!

VIXX pre-released “Don’t Want To Be An Idol” ahead of their release of their third single. This song has a much different feel to their promotional track, and also has a total different feel from Rock Ur Body and Super Hero, released during their debut year. Out of all of their songs released since debut, and including all of the songs that have been released this year already, “Don’t Want To Be An Idol” is one of the most outstanding yet.

First of all, this song brings out all of their vocal talents. No rap is needed to make a good song, unless you are a hip-hop or rap group/artist. But beside that, I really enjoyed this song. The song was soft and mellow, and sounds really good. Most Korean songs, including the ones I like a pretty hard to follow at first, but after listening to this song once, I quite enjoyed it and actually felt the emotion in their vocals. Actually no artist is actually able to do that to me expect for Brown Eyed Girls, Adele and Owl City. I guess you can say that this song was not expected from VIXX at all. Really good.

9/10. This is a really good song from a seriously underrated group.

Another group making their comeback in January is VIXX. Debuting last year, they released Super Hero and Rock Ur Body which had more of a fun zest to the feel, while On & On is quite different, which is a much more darker and mature concept. One thing I must say: scary. I will tell you why later.

Anyway, the song at the start had this really mysterious sound to it. However, does anyone notice that the start sounds identical to “The Phantom Of The Opera”? Hmmm.. while expected something along the lines of the Phantom of the Opera, we are greeted by a song that sounds like werewolves, while the dance itself is vampire like. Ummm… Wait a minute… this all sounds familiar!!!! I really liked the rap and vocals of the song, pretty cool overall. The “I Need Therapy” part of the song did not fit in with the rest of the song, however, the guys seemed to pull it off fine. I also liked the start. It was quite original, but beside that, it was your classic KPOP song, just with a hint of mysteriousness.

As for the music video, I would’ve have been happy if the introduction was not part of the video. But it was, and the intro was exceptionally confusing and boring. So these lady guards spot a girl far away in need of rescue. So these guards let captives (who are VIXX) to save the girls, but at the same time blast them into space. After that, they become shirtless in the rocket which is transporting them. They have a very rough landing, and turns out they are dressed in suits, and then they dance. And then they save the girl, by dancing. Don’t understand. However, I did love the style of the video. I love the broken rocket ship which made it looked pretty good.

The live is pretty good. Their dance looks creepy, but at the same time still fits the concept quite well. I like that. The rapper and the rest of the band look scary as hell with all of the eyeliner and fake lenses that they wear in their eyes.

For this song, video + performance, I give it an 8/10. As for the amount of eyeliner in this music video and live, I give them a 9.99/10. Unfortunately, I heard they used just a bit less than Brown Eyed Girls in Abracadabra, so I cannot award that extra 0.1%.