Sunday, September 23, 2012

TVXQ 'Catch Me' Album Review

TVXQ(as 2) are unexpectedly, but still highly anticipated, are back once again after a year since 'Keep Your Head Down' in 2011. That last album was realllllllllly good, I was impressed with the producers, it sounds like they are still improving vocally even though they already have the best vocals in the world, with or without JYJ. Anyways, their comeback is out of the blue, I wasn't expecting it, but it's here. And SM only gave us like a week to prepare...Welp, here it is!!

Catch Me: This is the lead single and to be honest....it's disappointing. Here's why: I like how it starts, I like the verses, Changmin sounds AMAZING, I don't understand how he can get any better when he is already just an amazing vocalist. But anyways, I don't like the dubstep at all. I don't like the electronic sound at all. However, during their verses, I enjoy the instrumental. I can hear the vocals nice and clear, the instrumental isn't overbearing during the chorus, but when the dubstep break comes in, it's annoying, it doesn't fit their sound. I would rather hear their voices, not that annoying dubstep. It's nice that Korea likes to hop on the current movement, however, it's becoming too much. The song is mediocre, not what I would expect coming from them at all. It's lackluster, but their voices are GREATTTTTTTTTTT. I love Changmin's voice, and Yunho sounds great too. I just don't care for all that dubstep. It was great without it. Sorry.

The video is awessssssommmme. Seriously. The choreography is AMAZING, the visuals are AMAZING, the effects are a plus. Good job SM! Normally, I hate the stupid sound effects SM uses in every freaking video, however, the sounds actually compliment the song well. AMAZING~~~
Viva: Ayyyyeeeee, I started twerking at the beginning!!! I didn't think that was them, ZAYMMMM. Whoever it was that was talking sounded sexy as hell, I thought it was someone black for a second. But then that moment passed and it went to the chorus....with...more...dubstep. However, I admit this wasn't as overbearing. But damn, whoever is saying that "Ay, ok" is sexy. Is that Changmin??? Yunho??? Tell me lol. I like the chorus, and the song overall, it's good. The dubstep worked with their voices this time. LOVE it. You got twerking beats, and then the electronic section. I would've preferred more of that hip hop sound though. I've listened to it like 3 times already...
Destiny: OOOOOOOOOhhhwee they slow it down here...another baby-making song! I loved it when they did R&b with 'Before You Go' last year because their voices are amazing. They sound great!! It's got an old school r&b vibe to it. It's great!!!!!!!

Like a Soap: More upbeat, and pop sounding and refreshing lol. I still can't get over the title, like what is 'like a soap'? It should 'it's refreshing like soap or like a soap bar' lmao. Anyways, it's nice and uplifting. It kind of reminds of the soundtrack from 'Shut Up Flower Boy Band' like I got memories from that drama lol. But yea it's a good song. Nothing too special about it...just a great filler.
I Don't Know Korean Version: I loved the Japanese version when it came out last summer. Seriously. I loved it. Seriously lol. I listened to it all the time. It's hard for me to review how the sound is because I've listened to it 50 million times. It seems like they had a rough time translating it to Korean because I hear a few words from the Japanese version. But other than that they sound good, except for some things here and there...I prefer the Japanese version. I can't review this song hahaha.
Dream: Slow it back down, but more midtempo. It's rock/pop, it's fun and uplifting, like the end for a drama, or rather it's perfect for To the Beautiful You soundtrack hahaha. They sound cute, it's nice. They have such perfect voices, they are able to be extremely versatile for any genre. Especially Changmin.And it seems that Yunho is improving in his vocals too!

How Are You: A ballad, it's very chill, soothing. The guitar and piano and their voices are perfect. Very soothing!! The falsettos are great!! Very soothing hahaha
Getaway: Now we definitely go into rock territory here. Like Changmin yelling at me and Yunho rapping, it sounds awesome. Changmin's screams, like this is great!!!!!!!!!Quite hardcore for them hahaha. I kind of wish they had infuse some of the fun-ness in 'Dream' because I like badass/fun with them. It's very redundant in this song, however I like it alot! However, I can't take them seriously with this type of genre, rock doesn't suit everyone. Like when Changmin does the high notes and sounds gruff, it works. But the rapping is kind of awkward, hahaha it's very different for them. Then when it gets to the bridge, Changmin sounds ridiculously amazing. That high note is DAYM. Ugh, I wish I had his voice and Junsu's and I would be perfect. He's amazing.

I Swear: We tone it wayyyyyyyy down compared to that last song lol. It's a ballad and they start off calm and soft like how it was in 'How Are You'. They sound great as usual. But I'm missing the 5 harmonies from all 5 of them. Hearing their ballads makes me miss DBSK...but still, they sound great.
Gorgeous: We kick things back off hear. There are violins, synths, electronics, an electric guitar, it's alot but it sounds realllllly great. I love it. HOWEVERRRRRRRRRRR, it sounds like Super Junior with that monotone stuff. Ugh. This sounds like something Super Junior could do, or maybe this was intended for them. However, luckily their vocals pull anything off gracefully. However, I kind of like it better than 'Catch Me' but this is infused with too much. It sounds like everything SM artists have been working on for the past 2 years. It's got BoA, Shinee, Super Junior, f(x), and TVXQ infused in one...and I HATE that. You cannot sound like your own labelmate, you just can't. If a certain riff instantly reminds me of Super Junior, it's not right. Listen to 'Opera' then listen to this chorus. The song is really basic to be honest. But it sounds...good...
Good Night: To close the album off, they concluded with another pop/r&b song. Oooowee baby! I loved Changmin's 'Well, well well well~' that's exactly how most old school/gospel, black singers sounded like. I can tell he's done his research lol. Anyways, GREATTTTTTTTTTT song. Love it. Sexy.

Overall: This album definitely isn't bad. It's reallllly good. Especially for you Cassie fans who love TVXQ no matter what. I was expecting a sort of follow up to how amazing 'Keep Your Head Down' was, I wanted an improvement...but this album is completely different from their last one. Two completely different sounds...The last album had r&b/pop, with sounds I had never heard before, it was interesting...and then their Japanese album 'T.O.N.E.' was realllly good too. So I was highly anticipating this album. This is a good album because it's very consistent, it has improvements, experimental sounds...but I think that is the flaw. It's too experimental. I don't like the electronic/dubstep sound with them...so, I will only put a few songs on my ipod. HOWEVER, it really is a great album, it just doesn't suit my taste. But that shouldn't stop you from listening to it, it just didn't reach MY expectations, but it's great nonetheless. 
Also, Changmin has more shine here, he sounds AMAZINGGGGGGGGGG. And Yunho obviously does too, but I just prefer Changmin's voice hahaha. They both are great.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

'Stop Girl' U-KISS 7th Mini Album Review

U-KISS is back, once again this year...and once again they picked the wrong time to come out with a song or album. Like this is their 3rd time doing promotions...I don't know what it is but why can't they get recognition?!! Apart from constantly choosing the WRONG TIMES for a comeback, why can't they win ANYTHING. This is their 7th mini album!! THEIR 7TH!!! They've been in the game too long not to have won anything. Adding the 2 new members clearly hasn't changed anything, I'm still salty about Alexander leaving...
IMMA NEW THANG(intro): Ghetto. Why. No purpose.
Stop Girl: Their promotional song and honestly, it's not bad. I like that they are trying the r&b route this time since ballads and pop songs won't get them anywhere. However, I don't really think this is a good song to promote with but whatever. Plus they are going up against G-dragon, Orange Caramel, and Secret. Those are heavy-weight champions, ESPECIALLY G-dragon, they don't have a chance. BUT I do like the song, seriously. Eli sounds like a legit rapper now, he has improved sooo much. I loved his rap. Everyone else sounds the same, no improvement there. Nothing special about anything or anyone this time around. Great song though.

Music video is really simple, nothing special. OH, Dongho looks a hot mess. G-dragon didn't need to do the seaweed long weave thing. Therefore, there's no reason for Dongho to do it with short hair. It's retarded.
Time to Go: More clocks this time lol, I thoroughly enjoyed Tick Tack, but what is it with them and time lol?? But the song isn't bad. It's midtempo, r&b/pop not bad. I like their harmonizations on this album.
Remember: A ballad and apparently it's just Soohyun and Kevin?? I don't know...they sound great though.
Sexy Baby: More upbeat this time, pop, synths, and other sounds. Not what I was expecting but the song is pretty basic however I like how the instrumental is when they sing the chorus. 
Stop Girl English Version: Lmao was it really needed?? I remember last year when they said they were gonna try and make it in the US...no. Their English isn't bad, I mean 3 out of the 7 can speak English fluently, but I'm gonna need for everyone else to step up their game. But it's not bad.
Stop Girl Instrumental: My jam. I actually really like the song now.

Overall: This isn't a bad album, I like all of the songs to be honest but Stop Girl is clearly the best choice to promote with. I think the reason why they don't get much recognition is because they don't really stand out to me. With the constant influx of boy groups, they don't set themselves apart. Sure they been out for a really long time, and I know all of the members names, but their music just isn't much of an improvement. I really enjoy Man Man Ah ni, Bingle, Neverland, and Tick Tack(JAP ver) but it's nothing different. They should've at least won with Bingle or Neverland...Their main problem is that they promote at the wrong times. Their best song in my opinion is Tick Tack(jap ver). It's flawless all the way through.
I hope they win something some day, I feel so bad lol.
Great mini album, just nothing overwhelmingly special to set them apart from everyone else promoting now.

Friday, September 14, 2012

'One of a Kind' Mini Album Review

G-dragon, one of the greatest kpop icons has released his first mini album or EP rather because he came out with an album first in 2009 lol. Anyways, he's back and ready to shit on everyone's career in the kpop industry at the moment. Cuz that's how we do at YG, if you're not shutting anything or anyone down on the charts, then you can't be in YG. That's the rule. Shut it down or go home lol. Sorry JYP, sorry TS Entertainment, sorry CCM, but yall can take several seats until GD steps down from his throne. And what.

One of a Kind: I already did a review for this song, but once again, I'll just say how amazing this song is, although it isn't flawless. What makes it flawless is the instrumental, Choice outdid himself with this song. It's amazing, I just wish GD wasn't so wishy washy with the flow and lyrics of the song. However, it's amazing and serves its purpose. LOVE it. Plus, I can twerk to it all day and still not get tired of the song.


The music video has plenty of metaphors and I love how complex it actually is. Apart from the foolishness with the hair and his ridiculous take on black culture, it's a great video. Awesome!!!

Crayon: This song....he's taking his flow to a different level. I can tell he's been listening to a lot of African-American rappers, it's very evident. The way he raps in this song is closely related to Lil Wayne, Chris Brown(when he raps), and others. Not that I'm dissing him, I think it's great that he can still be so versatile and learning from others. But I think it's time for us to get rid of the word swag. It's overrated even though he had immense "swag".  As for everything else, I LOVE it. I'm getting my "cray" on lol. You can certainly jam this in the club. I loveeeeee the "Ehhhhh~~" at the end, it's a great way to close the song. The song is very basic however in my opinion, but it serves its purpose once again. It's a good title song, he still has the hip hop element to it infused with the electronic/techno stuff going on.

Amazing video, hilarious and witty, I love G-dragon he's so sexy and silly. GREAT video, perfectly fits with the song. It's very basic however it's not something I would expect and yet it totally fits. Kudos to everyone in YG who are more creative than any other label except for NEGA or Loen...their videos are different lol

Eventually ft ? from New girl group: He slows it down for us here, an upbeat ballad sort of. I don't like that he autotuned his voice when he sang, but I like his rap. There's nothing AMAZING about this ballad, it's a nice touch to the album but there's nothing to it honestly. I didn't get goosebumps or anything, it didn't make me feel. And that's weird. I normally feel something from all of Gd's sentimental songs or his productions, but I don't here. And the new girl didn't add anything either. She has a nice voice, but she's too young sounding in my opinion. It's GREAT for her age, but it doesn't make the song any better. It's random, it doesn't sound mature to me. I didn't FEEL anything from her. I think he could've kept this song in the vault.

That XX: I love this song, it's so calming and peaceful. At first, I didn't like it fully, but the 2nd time I heard it, I fell in love. He sounds really genuine here, his voice is authentic here but that's just because it's an acoustic song haha. It sounds really personal, that's what I love about G-dragon. He is a genius, so I want to here his BEST work all the time, and this one is one of them. In terms of production. The composition is amazing. I don't really care for the lyrics, but it's very clever. I love it.


Amazing video. Once again, there's a hidden metaphor here. I love the cinematography on how the lenses change when we change points of views. It's great, it compliments the song really well.

Missing You ft Kim Yuna of Jaurim: This is a very laid back, throwback 80's pop song and it's AMAZING. Seriously. And the female compliments the song flawlessly. Her voice is perfect for this song. I wish he sang in falsetto though for this, but he used Yuna's voice for that instead, so it works. It's really simple and laid back, I love it. AMAZING.

Today ft Kim Jong Wan of Nell: Jong Wan's voice is amazing and perfect, I don't care for anything else in this song honestly. The song is eh. Not what I expected of him, it reminds me of that song he did in the 'Gd & TOP' album that made no sense lol. After listening to it more, it's upbeat and fun, but I don't care for it. It's a miss for me.
Light it Up ft Tablo and Dok2: Awwwwww yea, this song has finally been released and I LOVE IT. Best song off the album, you can twerk to it, you can dance to it on the way to class. everything. Tablo sounds soooo sexy, his rapping voice is UGH. Dok2 did good as expecting, I love Gd's line with "All these lame mahfuckers don't know how to act" GO AHEAD G-DRAGON, tell him! Shit on their career! Anyways, great song. Love it. I wish there was a video, or they perform it live or something. GREAT SONG.

Overall: This album is not consistent for me. And I hate inconsistency, because then it sounds rushed, and not complete. This mini album reminds me of the 5th Big Bang mini album that came out last year. How I felt about that album, is the same way I feel about this album. It's missing something. I know that G-dragon is not a redundant person, he likes to experiment with different sounds and genres and sometimes it works for him. The 'Heartbreaker' album was really good and of the best kpop albums created, because it showcased who G-dragon was as an artist and composer. However in this album, it's missing some heart. 'One of a Kind' has a great beat, 'That XX' has great acoustics and feeling, 'Missing You' has a great feel to it but everything is some thing he just whipped up to create a mini album. I'm sorry. 'Crayon' sounds typical and 'Today' sounds like anyone could create that song. And 'Eventually' just lacks feeling to me. BUT I'm not saying the album isn't good, it's one of the best coming from a kpop artist so far this year. It's just missing something. Like Big Bang's album this year, start to finish it was flawless and amazing, I loved every song. But now, with this, I feel like GD was forced to make a comeback because everyone started doing solo activities during the break of the tour. 
I was expecting more that's all, but honestly it's a great album, just not consistent and it's missing something. But I love G-dragon nonetheless, he's still arguably a genius. 


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

'Poison' Mini Album Secret Review

Secret is back!!! YAY!! It's been a year since their last come back and although it wasn't as popular as 'Shy Boy' it was a good come back. Now, the girls have returned with their sexy image again and boy is it sexy!!

Telepathy: I find it interesting that they started the album off with this instead of something more upbeat, but   still, it's good! Acoustic, soft, cute sounding about love, nothing interesting here but it's got a good back in the day sound sort of. Great.

Poison: Awwwwww yea!!!! Once again, we are bringing the 80's back by having the saxophone as the main sound in the song! It has a recurring theme, a jazz 50's sound, kinda reminiscent of the 'Madonna' and 'Magic' era in my opinion. It's like they haven't left that time period with any of their songs. 'Magic', 'Madonna', and 'Love is Move' has that 40's and 50's sound to it. I love it, but it's too predictable especially for Secret. The song is really good and catchy, typical, their voices are good, I love Zinger's rap, Jieun's jazzy ad libs, great song. Love it!!

The video is really good, I understood it very clearly. They're robbers and use their sex appeal to get off and what not. And they use the poison just like in the song. The dance is verrrrrrrryy sexy, so many crotch shots lol. Overall, I love it, I love them, great video!! However, once again, it has the same element like in 'Madonna' and 'Magic' however this very has a "storyline" and that's a plus! Good video!!
Oh I hate the circle lenses or fake contacts or whatever, it's getting really redundant in kpop music videos, just STOP.
Falling in Love: Ohhh very sensual sounding at the beginning. It has an old school r&b/pop vibe, quite old school, it's amazing. However, the song doesn't have that much substance to me but it's really good nonetheless.
Calling U: I found it interesting with the flute hahaha, very sensual again, I like it. Nice and chill, pop kind of old school sounding also. I like it, very chill and sensual haha.
1,2,3: I don't understand the lyrics hahaha, "Do you wanna love with me?" It starts out kinda early 2000 pop sounding, then goes into kpop cutesy territory, like it could easily pass off as the just debuted SNSD...there's not much here except at the bridge. I enjoyed that, everything is...else...

Overall, 'Poison' is the strongest out of all the songs on the album. Another typical sounding Secret sound in terms of the album as a whole. They haven't improved in terms of sound so I'm thinking that they will stay in this pop vibe forever and not grow musically...however the album is consistent. I get the throwback, sexy theme. They are grown women now. Werk it.


Monday, September 3, 2012

I've been neglecting this blog because of school and other things so I haven't had the time to review anything else. But this week, I'm starting back up on reviews. I will talk about how PSY is taking over America this week and then next week I will review Secret and G-dragon's comeback albums!!
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