Friday, June 14, 2013

Let Me Make Myself Clear

This is MY blog. I post reviews on MY opinion...not yours. If a song sounds like trash, I'm gonna mention that it sounds like trash. If I think something or someone in a music video looks cheap, I'm gonna state that it looks cheap. BUT, if I like the song I will also state that I like it.

There are a few artists that I am biased towards and yet that may show sometimes. But I try to balance it out. I am not Allkpop or Soompi or any other website that reports Korean news. I am simply a blogger who states her opinion.

If you don't like my review, don't leave a comment. Also PLEASE READ things before you comment displaying your stupidity. You sound stupid when you reiterate something I have already said but you fail to notice.

I do not mind you disagreeing with me, you are more than welcome to, I like outside thoughts that's why I opened the comments section to everyone. But if you disagree with me on something stupid, I will delete it.

So take this into consideration. If not, get off my blog and go to Allkpop where they feed on that crap.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

6th Maxi Single Album "First Love" After School Review

After School is back with another sexy concept to stay relevant in the kpop industry now that some of their best members are gone! Sorry for the shade but that's what you're gonna get for this review so if it offends you please leave now.
8 Hot Girl: This is an intro thank goodness because it's horrible. I love the English intro at the beginning buttttt who is this singing?? Their falsetto sounds horrible, they should've just had Jungah or Raina sing that. Bad.
First Love: The title song and it's like a cheap version of a reject from Sistar's works. Sorry. But it just didn't work for them. After we've gone this route with a fast version years back, I don't know why they thought it would work again 2 years later. Especially since this group is barely hanging on, you would think they would get a song that would def make them stand out from Sistar. Hell Sistar is your rival currently and their song is already an all-kill on the charts. This song is just a slower, cheaper version of "Alone". They sounded really boring instead of sexy but the choreography makes up for it.
To stay relevant, they had to come back with the gimmicks and this time they went for pole dancing. I do acknowledge pole dancing as something beautiful that requires a lot of strength and balance and their bruises def show it, but because of the stigma placed on it, I can't help but call this cheap. The set looks cheap, they could've did more with it. The highlight is the pole dancing and there are some moments in the choreography that I really liked, but it just screamed cheap to me....Not dogging pole dancing, it's beautiful I just think them having to do it to make them stand out, seems cheap and it's already going to get banned so.....They just did this for attention...
Dressing Room: Reminds me of late 80's early 90's pop music. Very Madonna and Janet Jackson esque. It's pop and sultry, I like the instrumental but they sound very boring. Nana is giving me something, but alot of them sound boring instead of sultry...But the song is nice.
Time's Up: Decent pop song, didn't do anything for me and their nasally registers.
Love Beat: I actually like this one, the 80's electro pop mixed with modern pop, very fun song.
Make Up and Tears: I was looking forward to this duet between Jungah and Raina, the only vocalists that can save the group. It's a nice ballad and their voices sound nice and soothing.


Overall: I didn't have much hope for After School nor did I really care for them once Kahi left the group. Actually my affection waned when Bekah left and when Kahi left I pretty much don't care for them. Their music and style was changing anyways so it was only a matter of time I was going to drop them completely. Now they just bore me. It's nice that they went with a concept this time after last year they didn't have one but the pole dancing...Like I said it was done for attention and they're certainly going to get it. For those that are huge fans of the group, this album should be for you, but if you're a fan of the old After School like me, then I suggest you pass on this.
Rating: 2.0/5

Don't like the review, then HATERS CAN EXIT STAGE LEFT


2 Kool 4 Skool BTS Bangtan Boys Mini Album Review

A new rookie boy group to look out for. Seriously they are VERY impressive for their age group and possess extremely talented members! I had not heard of them before, they come from Big Hit Entertainment so of course they're really low key, but their teasers caused a lot of anticipation and once their debut MV dropped my TL was flooded with reactions! I finally looked them up and thought "DANG" they are awesome.
So be on the lookout for this Hip Hop Idol group, different from Big Bang and B.A.P. because it seems that they're doing actual hip hop here. Granted Big Bang started out that way then fizzled out to pop, same with B.A.P. they aren't really hip hop at all, but these boys contain the gritty, dirty south hip hop sound I'm impressed with especially since they are going the mainstream route. They most likely won't make a splash simply because of the influx of all these other boy groups but that's fine, if they keep making good music like this I don't mind them staying nugu status.
Intro 2 Kool 4 Skool ft DJ Friz: Straight hip hop here. Love. Amazing.
We Are Bulletproof pt 2: What the hell does part 1 sound like??? This is live!!! Dirty hip hop, stuff I here on the radio here!! The only problem with this song is that they took too much from mainstream hip hop artists here and it worries me that they praise black culture but don't know anything about it. Which is evident in the mixtapes and what not, but I'm gonna have to blast this in my car lol. Love it!
Skit Circle Room Talk: Just a skit of them skipping class and not wanting to go then eventually getting caught by their teacher hahaha cute.
No More Dream: This is their title song and it has an AMAZING message!!! It's a song to encourage those that don't really have a goal in life and to point out the hypocrites to stop pressuring those to go to school and show that school isn't everything in life. Great message for those in high school, especially with the suicide rate in Korea right now. As for the song itself, more gritty hip hop here, I wouldn't call it flawless because I think some things don't need to be there. The singer doesn't have a distinctive singing voice or he just doesn't have the opportunity to reveal his vocal ability because this group is filled with rappers. The composition could've been done a bit better, but it's a great catchy song you can get live to!
A nice video, showing their message fused with choreography. The rebelling students that go off to try to live a different dream and go off to dance hahaha.
Interlude: Just instrumental calms things down to reveal what the rest of the album will be like.
I Like it/Good: LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE it great r&B and we get to here more of the vocalists. They sound great!!! Love it!!
Outro Circle Room Skit: They're live hahaha. They just do a cypher hahaha, they're really talented for their ages man!!

Overall: This group realllllllllllllly fits, like I haven't felt this way about a group since Big Bang, they have really impressed me. And I can feel their vibe, like their skit and the cypher reminds me SO MUCH of what we used to do in high school, the nostalgia hahaha. They also kind of remind me of Block B because it seems like their personalities have the rebellious nature and carelesseness like they did. But that just makes them more raw. I like them. I want to see them on shows and stuff. The ONLY thing I hate which I mentioned before is how young they are and their misappropriation of black culture, they're too young to really understand hip hop. They kind of seem like a bunch of copy cats with this swag and careless attitude but then when I read the lyrics for "No More Dream" it seems that their is more to them so I hope they don't go the ratchet route. And some of the members already use the "n-word" carelessly but honestly I can't care anymore. But that's another topic for another day. Look them up, and listen to their music. Rookies this year are taking over.
Rating: 4.3/5

Monday, June 10, 2013

"Give it To Me" Sistar 2nd Album Review

Sistar are back to bring some life and stir up more female competition for the summer with the slew of girl group comebacks! Can the digital queens over take Lee Hyori, CL, Shinhwa and 4Minute??? They always have and I don't see why they won't this time with their title track "Give it To Me."
Miss Sistar ft Double Sidekick and Joohun: YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS slay it Joohun and Hyorin SANGGGGGGGGGG!! This is a decent intro that pretty much consisted of Hyorin with the accompaniment of Joohun and irrelevant narration from Double Sidekick but that's fine. The vibe for this album seems to be circus, 70's disco show type theme and this intro somewhat sets the tone for what we can expect for the rest of the album. I wish there was more to it however so that it could showcase more of the members. It makes no sense to only hear Hyorin (as usual) featuring other people when this is just an intro. They should've turned it into a full song. But apart from that I like it!

Give it To Me: Now that I've listened to it again, I really like it!!Not my favorite Sistar song but I like how it doesn't sound like the typical Brave Brother's song and with that I'm glad they left Brave Brother's! I like the dramatic production of it with the piano and orchestra, but it's also upbeat and fun with the disco vibe they're going for. It's something different for the radio (not as different as Hyori but still different). Nice song and very catchy!
Very subtle, not over the top sexy but not as classy as "Alone" was. I love the choreo, I can't wait to see more of it since this is what Sistar is known for. I LOVED Shin Dong Yub's cameo, they should've actually used him for the video lol
The Way You Make Me Melt ft Geeks: Love it!! I love the mid-tempo acoustic pop/r&b instrumental, it's very typical genre for Geeks! I really wish they gave the other members more lines!! I only heard Hyorin and Geeks and the occasional Soyou!! Like come on!! I LOVE Hyorin's voice but they've been a GROUP for about 4 years now you would think the line distribution would change. But the song is good, they slowed down the vibe and switched up concepts but it still works for the album. This song could be a strong contender for a second single, they should definitely promote this!
Bad Boy: Mid-tempo but more upbeat than the previous song, more pop sounding and I like it! Very catchy and MORE SOYOU!!!! Yay!!! I'm glad they're giving others chances!! Bora kind of killed the vibe with her dead sounding rap bad production and composition on that part, but the song is still fun!
Summer Time: Yes!! A continuation of "Loving U" even though it doesn't give off the summer vibe. It's still a fun song and it's something I can jam to in the summer even if it sounds like a typical pop song.
A Week: This song can also be another contender for a follow up, it fits the summer chill vibe so well! Still upbeat but different theme. It's catchy with a hint of sadness because of the lyrics too. Nice song.

Crying: Finally a hint of a ballad, and it's lovely. Mid-tempo pop/r&b and their voices sound great!!! It's very chill, something I can just vibe to and enjoy Hyorin's voice.

Hey You: A fun upbeat pop catchy song. 

If You Want: LOVE ITTTTTTTTTT reminds me of the 90's pop Mariah Carey era, it's upbeat and fun and the composition is great!
Up and Down: A nice closer, fun and upbeat, great use of Bora's raps, love their voices, good song!

Overall: This was a good pop, fun album. Those that are huge fans of Sistar will definitely love it. A few songs I liked but nothing really IMPRESSED me which is typical of Sistar albums. "Give it To Me" is probably my favorite song out of everything else but I probably wouldn't put it on my ipod. I was hoping for the rest of the album to be similar to the vibe of  "Give it To Me" but it didn't. This is just a well put together pop album, nothing spectacular. I would like to praise the line distribution because Soyou makes her presence made in this album but Dasom will forever stay in the shadows I guess. Bora hasn't improved in her rapping skill but there are a few songs that do cater to her dead voice. Other than that this album isn't bad! I wouldn't say it's flawless, but it's not bad or mediocre either. However, I do think they should've made this a mini album instead of a full and INSTEAD turned "Alone" into a full album because THAT was flawless. But oh well. If you're a fan of Sistar you'll love it and if you want some decent pop music to jam to you'll love it as well. 
Rating: 3.0/5
Comment below and tell me what you think!!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

"Trap" Henry 1st Mini Album Review

YASSSSSSSSSS!! One of SM's most talented male artist who is highly underrated finally has a chance to shine outside of SJM. I'm glad SM looked upon him to give him this opportunity because I was afraid his talents would go to waste. Unfortunately he may not make too much of a splash in this industry and there wasn't much hype for him, but this album is good enough on it's own. No need for mainstream!!
Trap ft Kyuhyun of Super Junior and Taemin of Shinee: Honestly, Kyu and Taemin weren't needed. I can't really tell the difference once Taemin started singing, but Kyuhyun only provided harmony during the chorus. I was expecting actual verses. It made no sense to put multiple singers on a upbeat pop song unless Henry was going to rap...I think SM did that so that it would create more attention, especially since they will accompany him on the stages. Anyways, the song is good. Mid-tempo, sad but it's catchy. I particularly liked the piano and the violin or orchestral background he put. I know that he did it so I praise the versatility in terms of production. It's good but not AMAZING...
After seeing the video, I like the song more and more! I still stick by with what I said about there being NO use to Kyu and Taemin. They didn't bring a different color to the song, if Tae had rapped and Kyu sang more in his typical register I think it would've been better. But the song is really redundant...And the MV is typical SM, very cheap as most SM videos tend to look like. I like the choreo. OH! And when Kyu showed up in that all black outift I FELT his presence, his aura his charisma just oozing out and I LOVE that he's stepping up more with choreography! Tae does great as usual.
1-4-3(I Love You): Upbeat pop song, very catchy haha. I like the use of him putting the numbers into the lyrics because not too many people can make it work. Fun song! Love his rap haha!
My Everything: Slow it down to a more softer sound, acoustic and r&b/pop. His songs sound very westernized so they're good, but they don't give me the WOW factor since everyone is starting to sound the same. But it's a decent song!!
Ready 2 Love: I love the english lyrics he included in here, I mean English is his native language, but the lyrics are really good here because they flow well! This song is pop and more upbeat, it's really fun and catchy!
Holiday: A fun upbeat rocking pop song I can jam to whenever school gets out for summer haha.
I Would: Finally the use of that piano!! A ballad!! And it's all in English!!! Good song!!


Overall: This album wasn't bad at all. Just wasn't amazing. With his talents in using so many instruments, I was expecting to put them to use in ALL the songs, not just in "Trap." He stuck too much with the basic pop songs that doesn't set him apart at all. I wonder why SM decided to make him debut so randomly??? With EXO coming back isn't that enough?? There was no hype for him at all. Just randomly a mysterious picture and then "Oh it's just Henry..." I mean I like him ALOT, I was just let down in terms of production. We didn't get that much exploration in his voice, I know he can sing well, but everything was king of mediocre. Nothing on this album set him apart from other artists. "Trap" is probably the best song off this album so I understand why it was chosen as the title song but it doesn't stand out against Lee Hyori, CL, Shinhwa and the others in the top that are currently promoting...
BUT I'm glad that he finally gets a chance to shine!!!


Monday, June 3, 2013

"Sexy Beat" MBLAQ Mini Album Review

MBLAQ IS BACKKKKKKKKKKKK!!! With the production of Primary and Zion T and others, I was very much anticipating their comeback and it's finally here!!! And it doesn't disappoint!!
Sexy Beat (Intro): Is this a Timbaland production??? I thought I was accidentally linked to a Justin Timberlake album!! LOVEEEEEE ITTT! Very sexy indeed!! That should've been longer!!!
Smoky Girl: This is the title song and it's not bad at all!! It's a very different vibe from what they're used to but I like it. It didn't do anything special for me so it won't be on my ipod, but I say that about ALL of their title songs lol. Somehow, they do end up on my ipod even if I don't like it. But the song isn't bad at all! IS this the Zion T/Primary production???
The video is basic but I love the black and white then the transition to color even though there's nothing new about that. That's been done before, redundant. I LOVE THE CHOREOGRAPHY! I just wish they played up more of the sexy, that's it.
(Mir...that photo...my ninja why?)
R U Ok? Now I can tell that this was Primary!! It has that typical Primary synthesizers old school r&b vibe to it! Great song!!!
Celebrate: We slow it down a bit more here for this song, a ballady r&b/pop song. I can just listen to G.O.'s voice all night long. The only complaint I have is Mir's random rap lines sometimes, I feel like they just  place him in there just to place him right after the bridge or something. They need to fix that but other than that the song is really good!!
Pretty Girl: Great upbeat, pop song!! I love it!! More use of the synthesizers which I think is Primary again, but this is a great song!! Love Mir's raps!! Thunder fits in well with this song too with his rapping!!
Dress Up: Love. 70's funk, pop song, great!!

This is a good album which I knew it would be!! I'm kind of glad that Rain removed himself from their production because their songs have been great without him, they don't have that typical pop sound like he gave them when they first debuted (not saying it was bad). They definitely improved but I still hate the line distribution but they've gotten better. G.O. is perfect, Seungho is sexy, Joon is great, Mir is SEXAYYYYYYYY when he raps, but his personality just throws it off for me hahaa. If I didn't know who he was I would immediately throw my dowry at him like that voice is SEXAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY but in reality it's like I'm dealing with a little kid and I would think he was the maknae haha. My main complaint is Thunder's lines. There are moments when his voice works and then there are moments when it's really awkward and they should just have him rap. I love him, but his voice doesn't fit or compliment the group at all times. Even with Dara she has improved to where we do need her voice in 2ne1 but Thunder's voice hasn't meshed yet completely. I think he's great for harmony and raps but that's it.
Other than that GREAT ALBUM!!

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