As many of you know, After School is one of those groups that I really, genuinely, want to like, but there are always factors, whether internal or external, that prevent me from it. One of those many factors is the fact that their material has kind of been all over the place lately. They started out as this sexy-fierce-fun girl group, and have slowly progressed into… something else. What exactly that something else is, even I don’t know -- their identity is kind of a mess of different things right now.
“Lady Luck” is part of that mess, I’m afraid. But honestly, out of all the things After School has attempted that wasn’t part of their initial direction -- full-on cute, subdued feminine, sexy but with vocals of a five year-old, etc. -- this is the sound I’m actually the most okay with.
The song is feminine, yes, and it’s very fragile, with very flat, Japanese production, but the individual elements, and even how they come together, give the song this flirty, fun sound. It’s not the “I am a strong, independent woman (and I don’t need men)” kind of song, but at the same time, it’s not the ridiculously, sickening cute where they all have to dress up, and sound, like five year-olds. It sounds like something they’d play at the beginning of a chick flick that's set to a montage of the main girls dressing up or shopping or doing stuff girls in chick flicks do.
And that's okay, because at least the sound is very clear and very cleanly executed -- it's not confused or anything like "Flashback". I like how they took the cuteness of the vocals of the new members and instead of cheapening the whole thing, treated them in such a way that there would still be some hint of that cuteness, but that the femininity was the quality that really stood out.
But I guess that sold the song to me at the end of everything was the fact that the melody is not only gorgeous, but it also really matches the sound. It's gorgeous, it's fun and really is flirty, and it's clear about it -- confidence needs clarity too, and "Lady Luck" has both.
It's January first pretty much everywhere now, I guess, so happy new year to all you guys! Thank you for making 2011 such an amazing year for me, without you guys and your constant pestering and all your tear-jerking comments, as well as all the trolling I got this year, I would've never been able to get through the year in one piece, and win my very first Philippine Blog Award! Thank you so much for taking time out of your lives to read my work, and even more time out to comment on my posts. I may not answer your comments, but I read every single one of them. You've made Pop Reviews Now one of the leading critical K-Pop review blogs, and although I still have a long way to go, I promise to make an effort to repay you guys this year for all your support. Also, thank you for reading this, because it means you're sticking with me this 2012!
Allow me to explain this post first though. I really meant to do a recap of the 2011 Gayo Daejuns, but the original plan was throwing everything in to one huge post with all three networks' shows divided into several categories. However, due to the fact that I want to get the Gayo Daejun post out as fast as possible before it becomes stale news, and also the fact that I'm still in the process of getting a copy of the MBC show (which I've heard is the best out of the three), I've decided to split the posts by network. Today's recap is of the SBS show, which was broadcast on December 29th. Tomorrow I will be recapping the KBS show, and on Tuesday the MBC show (hopefully I have a copy of it by then), if everything goes as planned.
The first of the three Gayo Daejuns this year, SBS delivered a solid show with 170 singers packed in to three and a half hours of running around stage. The show was divided into several themed stages, including a special suite for SM Entertainment artists (and the debut of several EXO members), one which featured CN Blue and FT Island collaborating with f(x) and the Wonder Girls, and a hip-hop stage. The SBS show was a balance of familiar, hit singles from 2011, and special stages.
But that doesn't mean it was immune to disasters, because there were quite a few. And there were those performances that could've been really amazing, but didn't really come out right. I won't be recapping the entire show, instead, we'll talk about the best, worst, and the most promising performances.
THE BAD
B1A4 - Beautiful Target And the award for the worst performance of the night? Well, that goes to none other than B1A4. For several reasons. First, obviously the song itself is a complete and utter disaster. It's all over the place in the most spread-out way possible. You look away for a while and the song sounds completely different, plus, about 99% of the song has to utilize a backing track, because the vocal treatment changes every five seconds, so basically all these guys are doing is screaming "yeah!" and running around stage. I'd hardly call that a performance. Second, what is with that choreography? My eyes. And third, when you put the song, together with the horrid choreography, and the fact that they're actually trying desperately, it's hilarious.
Gain (Brown Eyed Girls), Jiyeon (T-Ara), Hyun A (4Minute), Sunhwa (Secret), Fei (Miss A), G.NA - "Run the World" Oh wow. Where do I start. Well, I appreciate the effort, and I appreciate the fact that they included Ga-In (even if she forgot some of the choreography), but this performance was another mess. Too many girls, and I guess they didn't have enough time to learn the whole song, because for the majority of the song they danced in shifts, and yeah, choreography was forgotten. The dancing in shifts really irritated me though, because it really shows how unprepared they were, and it's like the performance was half gyrating all over the place, and half dead air. At the same time. It's inconsistent, three or four of them are dancing, then there are two or three just standing there on the side. What are they, mannequins? If they didn't have enough time, then they should've just done one verse and a chorus or something. I'd rather they did that then haphazardly do a full, 3-minute performance. And really, people can only take so much of that kind of dancing.
G.NA - "Top Girl"+"Black&White" It really breaks my heart to see G.NA like this. With that horrid choreography at the beginning, those pretty weak vocals throughout, and the cheap repertoire. She's talented, she shouldn't be singing songs like this, because they do her absolutely no justice.
KARA and 2PM - "Every Little Step" Everyone was so dead during this performance. I mean I understand that KARA and 2PM aren't the best singers around, but what makes this so bad is that it was already lip-synced for heaven's sake, and yet the singing was wimpy and lifeless. I would've written it off anyway if the vocals were fixed up, but not as much as I am now. If you're going to lip-sync a performance anyway, at least use all those studio tricks to make the track sound damn good. Such lazy, lazy people.
THE PROMISING
Miss A - "Goodbye Baby" I adore this arrangement, I really do. It's so fierce, and it matches the melody so well. It's obvious that this was thought about. However, their vocals on this were so disappointing, bad almost. Like, really, they were weak and everyone sounded like they were being strangled all the way through. I've dealt with the regular Miss A breathlessness since they debuted, and they got better this year, but this performance was so painful to listen to. It's such a waste though, because the arrangement was really good.
After School - "Diva" This was a really interesting song choice, but also a very logical one, because "Shampoo" would bore people to death. Just the idea of hearing them perform "Diva" after so long is enough to get people interested, but in true After School fashion, they failed to deliver. Add the fact that line-stealer Raina struck again, STEALING LINES FROM JUNG AH (HOW DARE SHE), and that they didn't do the entire song and it just disappeared into them and Pledis boys dancing to dubstep (snore..), the originally good idea turned into bad execution.
KARA - "Step" This is another arrangement I really like. "Step" in itself is already a big performance-ready song, and there's little you can do, but I like how they made the percussion sound a lot more real as if they had a live band behind them. They didn't lose that high-energy, yet girly, sound, but they made it a lot more apt for a live performance, and the transition to and from the dance break was very smoothly done. The let down? Again, the vocals. I'm not surprised, in fact I was expecting worst, but just because this is the best they can do, doesn't mean I'll forgive them for being inferior. They can't sing live, and it's such a shame because their material is really, really good, fun, pop.
T-Ara - "Cry Cry" If this was done completely live and pulled off just as well as it was lip-synced, this would've been one of the best performances. But no, the backing track wins and you hear next to no live vocals. The arrangement is brilliant, the dance break is different but not disjointed and they kept the distinct piano line, even a bit of the original feel of the song, but made it fresher, and interesting. And believe me, after looping this for over 200 times this year, thus making the original arrangement pretty stale for me, this is really a strong, new, but faithful take on the song. It's an amazing arrangement ruined by bad production decisions and possibly the lack of solid live vocals.
CN Blue and The Wonder Girls - "Tainted Love" First of all, Yoobin shouldn't have been the first to sing, because I was turned off right away. Yoobin isn't a bad singer, but you have to have a certain level of proficiency to sing songs like this, and she doesn't have that. She sounded like she was drunk and singing this on karaoke or something, not on stage. But Sohee and Lim don't have that proficiency either. Lim needs more power and this is a song she can't get away with because she has an American accent. And really now Sohee, why do you even try. Her line was all air and no singing, she was useless. It should have been just Ye Eun and Sun Ye doing this, because if it was it would've been an amazing performance.
Wonder Girls - "Be My Baby" It was a classy performance, with decent vocals and a very polished arrangement, but even if the arrangement was fresh, it was boring. Pretty piano line, yes, and if you think really hard it's actually not a bad performance or anything, it surprisingly matches the lesser members' vocals even if it's now more dependent on the melody, but this is a performance, it's supposed to really catch your attention from the very beginning. In a sense, this arrangement was so predictable, but on the other hand, had they done a rock remix it would've been boring too considering all the other rock-ish arrangements that came before them. But actually, I liked the track that was playing during the intro, if they turned that into the remix things would've been interesting. Basically, what this performance lacks is shock. I know I have very high expectations of them, but after "Wonder World", why wouldn't I?
SMTOWN - "The Sound of Hallyu" I loved the idea of this, and I loved how, even if majority of them weren't playing live, it was made very obvious that the people who played instruments actually know how to play them in real life. And I like how the people who sang were actually the people who can sing, and they didn't force people who are dancers, not singers, to sing. Like Taeyeon and Changmin's duet. Even if Changmin out-screamed Taeyeon, she was definitely the right choice for the song. If it had been Jessica I would have raised hell. The Shinhwa and H.O.T. covers were tame, and that's one of the two reasons why this is a "promising", but not one of the best performances. The songs they chose need savage vocals. Raw, powerful, with minimal processing, but seeing as the people they got to sing those parts, although good singers, simply don't have the vocals to do those songs justice. Of course the Exo members were a big part of the thrill of this suite, but they, or actually just one of them, are the second reason I didn't put this down as one of the best performances. Towards the end, the second guy to the left of Changmin, I think he was the one who danced after Victoria, was TALKING to the other Exo guy beside him. That's such horrid stage deportment. It may not be a lot to you guys, because the standard reaction is "So what's wrong with that? They're just talking.", but this is one of the most basic forms of courtesy towards not only the audience, because they have a responsibility to give their full attention to the audience and their performance, but also towards the other artists on stage. How would you like it if the guy beside you was talking to someone during your big solo? If, this early, that kind of behavior is just let go, forgiven and forgotten, it will get worse. Trust me, I've seen it happen, and it definitely doesn't end pretty. And considering how Exo are being hyped to be extremely talented, if they don't have basic stage manners it will be a huge waste of their talent.
THE GOOD
Yoon Mirae with Gary, Dynamic Duo, Jun Hyung (BEAST), Hoya (Infinite), Mir (MBLAQ), Taecyeon (2PM) - "Get It In"+"Monster" And the award for the best singing of the night goes to Yoon Mirae. All these idols should be ashamed to call themselves singers after Yoon Mirae, who I believe raps majority of the time (the new times I've heard her material), out-sings them all without lifting a finger, by just by singing a few lines. Backing track, yes, but you know she's rapping and SINGING live, it's so obvious, but she does it so well that to untrained ears it may be a bit confusing. But apart from the strong vocals, she has the stage presence to not have to jump around too much. She still does towards the end, but she has a certain air to her that you know she's having so much fun and you want some of it too, but she still commands the stage, and all the guys sharing it with her. This, my friends, is a true performance.
2NE1 - "I Am The Best"+"Ugly" I didn't like "I Am The Best", but like I always say, you have to watch 2NE1 for their material to make sense. It's not that their recordings are bad, because the production on them is outstanding, it's not that they can't sing, because my God can Minzy and CL sing, it's that their material is made to show off their strengths, and 2NE1's strengths lie in performance. They don't exactly run around stage because the majority of their performances are choreographed, but they have a command of it that's like no other. It's not just stage manners, or presence, it's really a command and it shows in everything -- the way they move, the way they sing. Pair that with a very creative and accommodating talent agency, and you have familiar, but stellar performance.
Brown Eyed Girls - "Sixth Sense" I noticed that hardly any of my favorite performances were full remixes. But I guess that it's harder to perform a familiar arrangement and still make it sound interesting. But that's exactly what the Brown Eyed Girls did. Apart from adding a few bits and pieces (literally pits and pieces) all over the place, and adding a dance break, the base is still the same. This is one of the best girl group performances, and, like the entirety of their "Sixth Sense" promotions, performances, songs, singles, this is girl group master class. To all the girl groups trying to be sexy with skimpy, but cheap, outfits, to all the girl groups trying to be fierce but failing, to all the girl groups trying to sing while dancing, this, girls, is how it's done. Watch and learn.
BEAST - "Fiction" They didn't really do much to the arrangement of "Fiction", just softened a few parts, added bits and pieces here and there, and switched some things around, but the basic mould of the song is still the same. And that's the selling point of the performance -- it's familiar. However, despite it being pretty simple, the modifications were enough to keep things fresh and not bore people to death. It's also a very straightforward performance, but in being simple it's also very well-sung. And considering how good a song "Fiction" is to start with, it's a good thing that they didn't experiment too much, but still had the foresight to prepare for it. Like I said a while ago, I prefer a simple, but prepared performance over an elaborate but haphazard one.
DBSK/HoMin - "Keep Your Head Down"+"MAXIMUM" Call it unoriginal, because the dance part most probably is, call it boring, because there were no significant changes to the arrangements, but what you can't deny is that Yunho and Changmin know how to perform, and they showed it. They hold the audience in the palm of their hands and they know exactly what to do to make them go wild, but they never, ever, forget the musical aspect of it all. Screaming, yes, chanting and interacting, yes, but stopping to sing just for the sake of it? Never. That's the kind of stage deportment that newer acts, even Super Junior and SNSD, lack -- they lack concentration and choose dancing, waving and being cute over singing. Image is important, yes, and they take care of that too, but they are singers before anything else, and singing should always be first priority. Yunho and Changmin are what idols should be, and THIS is how it should be done.
From: "Bang!" (Single) Released: August 2011, Japan Rating: 3.70
Even if "Because of You" will forever be immortalized as one of the most brilliant After School songs on the face of the earth, and for just writing it, Brave Sound was resurrected in my books, "Bang!" made me realize that given the right material, the girls in After School actually have talent. "Bang!" single-handedly proved that repertoire is crucial to a band's survival, and it frankly, they haven't released anything better since then.
So you could imagine how much I freaked out when I heard this Japanese version.
The Korean version of "Bang!" was very stiff, with the chanting AND the in-your-face-and firm drum rolls. Everything sounded so.. angular. I liked it, and the drums were indeed the focus of the song, but there's only so much of it that you can take, especially when you hear a much more fluid version, courtesy of the Japanese re-arrangement.
Basically, what happened between the Japanese and Korean versions is that a bunch of new instruments were added, everything was made much more intense, but they also made the song much more rounded and less stiff. However, all of that was done without losing the attitude and a bit of the crisp sound of the Korean version. And, like the Supernova song, the Japanese lyrics had something to do with it too.
It's a fresh take on a now-classic After School song, and it takes the fluidity of the new After School sound and incorporates it into the package. What you get is again, a balance.
From: "The 4th Single Album - RED" (Single) Released: July 2011, South Korea Rating: 3.20
Yes, I know the loop they used was the same one on "Shady Girl", and I know that this is definitely not the Brave Brothers' best song ever, but one, I LIKE "Shady Girl", and two, I LIKE "In The Night Sky". It's catchy. Of course, it's blasphemy for ruining Jung Ah's amazingly strong vocals, and it's already served it's punishment. If they hadn't made Jung Ah sound like a mouse on this track, it would've been in the top half of my list. But they did, so it's not.
But really, even if it wasn't the "fierce" we were all expecting, it's actually a pretty good song. It's melodic, it's catchy, and it's not the type of song you get sick of after a few hours of looping it. I know, because it's the most-played song on this year's top 50 list. You'll have to wait to see if it's my most-played song of the year over-all, but yes, that means a lot.
I think more than "fierce", "In The Night Sky" is fresh. It has a relatively simple instrumental, with a few loops here and there, matched with light, high-pitched but rounded, synths, and surprisingly, a piano line buried under the verses. Also, I love the transitions on this - clean, but they always find a way to make them like tiny explosions.
Now I think I have another food analogy for this song. Instead of cookies, or a cheesecake, or decadent chocolate, "In The Night Sky" is kinda like Nerds. Yes, the candy. They're really sweet, they taste good, but instead of completely taking over your mouth and killing you in the process, they have all these mini-explosions. Yup, definitely Nerds.
From: "Virgin" (Album) Released: April 2011, South Korea Rating: 2.75
And here come the slightly bigger-named artists, after a slew of small-time, rookie groups. Mind you, this isn't the only After School song on the list, so don't freak out over "injustice" just yet.
It took me quite some time to decide which Korean After School song to include this year, because as far as "Virgin" is concerned, majority of the better songs on the album are practically on the same level. For the longest time, it was between this and the gorgeous new arrangement of "When I Fall". So, once again, I let my mind take a backseat and I just chose what I felt was right, which is "Play Ur Love".
The reason why I chose this over "When I Fall" is because even though it was re-arranged, After School doesn't sound like that anymore. What I want to do with this list, hopefully, is capture the sound of 2011, and the re-arrangement wasn't so drastic as to capture the essence of the "new" After School sound. "Play Ur Love" is.
The melody is gorgeous, and the harmonies throughout the song bring it to another level. It's got a lot more going on than the previous ballads I featured, but that's the point. And I like that even if there are so many different instruments doing different things, they're not only tied together well, but they still manage to not clog up the song. You hear everything as it happens, and you know exactly what's happening.
Everything sounds so gentle, so serene, but Gahee, Jung Ah, and even Raina's, vocals give the song that pinch of kick that After School have always been known for. Earlier this year I was complaining about how "Virgin" was so bland, but listening back to this, I realize that the "kick" I had been looking for wasn't necessarily in the material, it was in the way they carried what they got. And believe me, if someone else sang this song it would've been even more boring and flat.
(Note that I'm reviewing the album version, which does not have the guitar part at the beginning. The video is merely for visual purposes. :D)
I've been meaning to write a review on either and/or both of the singles since they came out last week, but I was swamped with schoolwork and all I wanted to do this past weekend was sleep, shop and eat. Then, last Sunday I thought of a decent excuse for not writing a review earlier, so I decided to write this post up anyway. So here I am. My excuse? I was waiting for them to wrap up their comeback stages, and although they haven't gone on Music Bank yet, they've done 2/3 of the shows - that's good enough. This will be a little more than just two single reviews slapped together, because it's an analysis of the sub-groups as a whole - the members, the single, the delivery.
After School Blue
The Concept:
According to Pledis, they're supposed to be the cute ones. Cute, "fresh" (whatever that's supposed to be) - mainly cute. When I first heard of this, I instantly knew this was the AS sub-group that would make cringe. And the sub-group with Raina in it. I was right!
The Line-up:
Raina - Fits this subgroup like a glove, and you need someone in this subgroup who can actually hold a melody, so Raina it is. I would've been more surprised if they put her in Red, where she most definitely does not belong. That and they finally took her away from Jung Ah so Jung Ah can finally get majority of the vocals. Lizzy - Lizzy's pretty versatile, to be honest. She's young so you would assume she'd fit more in Blue, but actually I'd like to see her in Red. She has the vocals to do it, seeing as they thought UEE was okay for Red. But we'll get to UEE later. Jooyeon - Thank goodness she's here and not in Red. At least she can hide her non-existent vocals with cuteness, which isn't really happening but you can tell they tried. E-Young - It's too early to really judge E-Young's voice, seeing as she's only been around for 1 single (plus this) and she gets minimal lines, but at least here in Blue, if she's really good it'll show. We'll see.
Who should have been included:
UEE - Enough said. I'll talk about her more when we get to AS Red, but UEE should've really been in Blue.
The Single:
"Wonder Boy"
Plagiarism issues aside (Have you people not gotten tired of all these stupid plagiarism claims already?), it's not a bad song. To put it in modern terms, it's very SNSD circa-2007-meets-Orange Caramel. For the people who have bothered to learn their kpop history, I do agree when people say it kinda reminds them of "Forever Love" (the Fin.K.L version, not the DBSK one), but I wouldn't go as far as to say that it was plagiarized. There are similarities, yes, but the melody isn't a 100% copy. Humor me. Anyway. It matches the entire idea of this subgroup, and seeing as majority of them really do this type of singing in the first place, the vocals were decent, when taken in context. Cute with a bit of spunk - come to think of it, that kind of matches what the new generation of After School are being marketed as.
The Performances:
Because majority of the members are really made for this kind of material, it doesn't surprise me that they can actually pull it off, again relative to the material. And, there were quite a few revelations - E-Young actually has a voice, Lizzy has a nice timbre but not that much of a voice, and Jooyeon still can't sing. Unlike the Orange Caramel performances which were really exaggerated and annoying, their first set of performances for "Wonder Boy" were pretty strong. Not my personal taste, but they did it well.
After School Red
The Concept:
Basically the opposite of AS Blue. Fierce, sexy - that type. Even before the song came out, I was already placing my bets on AS Red. As if I'd bet on AS Blue. Really now.
The Line-up:
Gahee - Duh. As if they'd even attempt to put Gahee in Blue - not gonna happen, Pledis. Gahee is the epitome of the entire idea of AS Red, she cannot not be in this sub-group. Jung Ah - They finally let Jung Ah show off her vocals again after ages. Red is definitely the right subgroup for her, even if I was a bit disappointed with what she got on the song. But I'll get to that later. Nana - Interesting member choice here. I don't know who else to put in Red either, so I guess Nana will have to do. She isn't that bad, in fact she's a lot better than she was when she first joined, it's just that there are better and more consistent singers in the group. And she tends to sound squeaky. UEE - What. The. Hell. Why is this girl even in this subgroup. Why. She should be in Blue. Come to think of it, all of the members who weren't in the original line-up, bar Jooyeon because she's always been the useless one, should be in Blue, because basically they turned After School into a cute-fest plus Jung Ah and Gahee. UEE is on the useless side, but maybe we can put her on the cute side to save face. And training fees.
Who should have been included:
I'm not too sure of this myself, to be honest. No one for now.
The Single:
"In The Night Sky"
When I first heard the song, I was rather disappointed because this is hardly sexy or fierce or whatever they'd been telling us that AS Red would be. Of course I wasn't expecting them to strip or pole dance or anything, but for "fierce", this is really tame. Really tame. People have compared it to "Shady Girl" because of the loop and the synths and the talking guy in the background (who I assume is the same guy) and to a certain extent it does sound like the SISTAR song (the only one I can stand, to be honest), but again - it's not plagiarism if a significant part is not a 100% copy of another song. So anyway. After the initial "but this isn't fierce!" stage, it's not a bad song either, and I like it a lot better than the AS Blue song. But then again I hate anything that's in a similar realm to the AS Blue song. The chorus is extremely catchy while keeping a pretty melody throughout the entire song, and it's actually very pleasant to listen to - I've had just this on loop all weekend and I'm not sick of it yet. However, like I said a while ago, I was disappointed with the melody because it didn't give Jung Ah a chance to show off those stunning vocals I know she has, but never get shown. Jung Ah needs something like her "Bang!" verse, only longer - that was what I wanted, and what she needed to prove to everyone that she still has the upper hand in AS when it comes to vocals. But alas, they made her squeaky.
The Performances:
I was really disappointed with the live performances for this. Really disappointed. First you have UEE, who can't sing. At all. Then you have Gahee, who does have a voice, but isn't the most stable singer around. You have Jung Ah, who's singing in a pre-meditated cutesy voice most probably demanded by the agency. And you have Nana who really sings cute and isn't the best live singer either. Such a let-down. They carry themselves really well, even without backup dancers, but I'm afraid they, once again, cannot pull this song off live. PLEASE, Pledis, I beg you - give these girls a song they can actually sing live. For their sake. And your money's sake.
So now that I've laid down all the important points - which side are you on, Red or Blue? I think you know which side I'm on. :D
I only noticed it as a write this (I usually write my intros last, just before I'm about the publish these posts) that there were no boybands on today. I'm sad. LOL. I'm not complaining about the sound too much today, but I'd still like the sound guy to die for his crimes before, and now. So yeah.
Thanks to CrazyCarrot370 for the videos. :D
A Pink - "Don't Know" They smile too much - they're too happy, almost like robots. It freaks me out. You'd think that they'd make robots with nicer voices though. LOL. My thoughts on them remain the same as all the previous performances. We'll talk when you shape up, A Pink.
Dal Shabet - "Pink Rocket" I'm sorry, but I just have to reply to this comment I saw on the YT video for this performance. The person said (not verbatim) something like "I went to sing this at a karaoke place and I couldn't sing it! IT'S AN AWESOME SONG! YAY!" - words cannot describe how much I want to bang my head on this desk at this very moment. That is all.
SISTAR 19 - "My Boy" The entire performance is so anti-climactic, and I have the perfect word to describe it - it's bland. At least audio-visually it is - there isn't that big a difference between muting the sound and putting it on full volume. However, I believe that Hyorin's vocals should be commended - they are consistent as hell. Of course the low-energy, not much moving required, song helps, but still. But then again, when have I ever not acknowledged that the girl can sing? I hate on SISTAR, on their performances, but I have never spoken ill of Hyorin's voice. It's the other 3 of them who I have problems with. LOL.
Rainbow - "To Me" I've noticed over the past few weeks is that the distribution of lines among the band is pretty accurate, and the right girls get the most airtime, which ultimately has helped in making the performances of this now near-decent. Let's just work on getting these girls a song they can actually pull off well, DSP, and that should be good enough.
4Minute - "Heart to Heart" OK maknae girl annoys me again. Hyun A's shaping up, good. Jiyoon's competent as always, and Gayoon is Gayoon. Hate the outfits though, sorry. But you know, the verses of this could've easily been ala-SISTAR 19 - bland and whatnot - but because they have presence, which doesn't always please me but is nevertheless there, the performance as a whole falls into place. It's just that the song isn't that amazing and their vocals are kinda blegh.
After School - "Shampoo" I want my spunky, powerful After School baaaaaack. *whines* I'll go down on my knees again if I have to, Pledis, JUST GIVE ME BACK THOSE POWERFUL PERFORMANCES PLEASE. (and give Jung Ah long, straight hair please - she looks gorgeous that way) For a while I was fine with this new single, and it really isn't that bad, but I miss all the angst and power that made me like them so much. This performance is so bland (in a different way - not like the SISTAR 19 blandness) and too light and too now-AS that I'm getting bored. But I'm starting to hear rabid fan screams and the fan chants are getting louder and louder - yay!
Jay Park - "Abandoned" He's not the best live singer in the world, and you know there are times when he's having a hard time, but he meets standards, and he can perform a 3 and a half minute song with minimal errors. And watching his performances along with listening to the song all weekend has made me realize that he IS a lot like a young, urban Rain. (again, do not give me the "don't compare them" lecture) The song itself is pretty, the recording very edgy and decent, but the performances bring it to a whole new level - he can sing, the song is good, but you have to watch him to see the magic. Everything about the recording is magnified, made raw and real by the right person in the right way - my god are these performances a sight.
f(x) - "Danger"(WINNER) My stand on them is similar to how I thought about Miss A - I'm not crazy about them, but there are parts of them that I like, I DO understand why they win, and acknowledge that they deserve the wins. They all had handsfree mics today, and the difference of ALL their vocals when they use handsfree and hand-held mics is slowly blurring - it's still obvious, but not as obvious as it was during previous promo rounds.
I don't know if this is just me, but I'm rather disturbed that the likes of After School, f(x) and 4Minute are the most senior performers on today's show. All 3 groups debuted in 2009. OK, I'm VERY disturbed. If U-kiss were on I might've been a bit less disturbed, but disturbed nevertheless. Mmmm. But anyway.
Video credit goes to CrazyCarrot270@YT. Some things never change.
B1A4 - "OK" The song is SO JoBros/Disney sitcom opening song. I just had to say it sorry. Mimed performance today, so it's an instant no, but the performance itself was pretty good. I noticed something in the way they move though - they move like a less practiced, more chaotic Infinite. And I like the way Infinite move on stage - it's very clean and sharp. So not bad, guys. Scrap the miming and you're good to go.
A Pink - "Don't Know" Stop acting like 10 year-olds, A Pink. You're a lot older, even if you guys ARE pretty young. I'm your age and I would never be caught dead singing like that. Never. Ever. Actually, some of them have gorgeous vocals, it's just that like a lot of other groups it's getting masked by a crap song and an order from their agency to act like a bunch of kids.
Block B - "Wanna B" I now realize that the reason why I don't like this song, never have, is because majority of the song is rapping, mock rapping, talking, or the hook. When people actually sing, it's not bad, it's actually pretty strong, but it's not my cup of tea. And is it just me or are their performances a little too chaotic? Or is it the stupid cameraman trying out new angles again? A little of both maybe.
Rania - "Dr. Feel Good" If you want manufactured girl groups at their best, Rania is it. Their live vocals are rather interesting, to the point where I don't know how to accurately describe them. The melody is correct, and I believe they're singing in key, and you hear the timbre of their vocals, but it's as if they're singing to you behind a thin paper wall. BINGO - the vocals are muffled. You know they're singing, and you know they have strong vocals, but this could be more of a technical problem than anything else - their vocals are muffled, they're not crisp.
Dal Shabet - "Pink Rocket" There comes a time when a crap song just fades into the background and my brain just automatically shuts off when I hear it. This is that time.
SISTAR 19 - "My boy" Now I gotta hand it to them for being consistent in their performances so far, and it's a lot better than them getting worse, but being consistent means being consistently boring. To the point where it's actually painful seeing vocals like that wasted on a lifeless performance. Now I know the song is laid-back and cool and all that, but apart from the vocals, everything else lacks urgency and/or grace.
Rainbow - "To Me" Miming? Just when you were getting good, you pull this. And I was just about to say how much I liked blonde girl with long hair's voice. Hmph. I'm starting to like the song a lot more though. I just need Rainbow to convince me.
f(x) - "Danger" Really not used to the fact that f(x) closed the show today. And I'm kinda disturbed by how clean their vocals are today. Partially because there was no live audience, but was this performance pre-recorded and overdubbed or the vocals mixed before broadcasting? Because it's not identical to the recording, but it's far too clean to be an actual live performance, no matter how good a singer you are - the levels are too even and it's freaking me out. Either they tinkered with the recording, or the girls are neither tired, nor do they have fans disturbing them. I really don't know what to think, to be honest, but I'm leaning more towards the overdubbing theory.
4Minute - "Heart to Heart" Hyun A sounds a lot less annoying today, but she still annoys me. Magnae is getting better, and her hair helps too. Jiyoon. Oh Jiyoon - can't you just sing the entire song yourself please? PLEASE?!? Melodic really doesn't work for 4Minute - can't we turn back time and have "HuH" again please? But I gotta admit, that little twist towards the end was sneaky and kinda cool. And leader girl reminds me a lot of Victoria f(x) during early 'Danger' promo in terms of vocals.
After School - "Shampoo" Sorry, I'm really not used to After School being the most senior group of all the performers today. Usually the last performance on my commentaries are reserved for the outstanding - the likes of Rain, DBSK/HoMin, Big Bang, BoA. You know, people who have been around? That's not to say that After School haven't been around, but you know what I mean - they still have a long way to go. Anyway. Their vocals have really improved, and by the end of the performance today I wasn't cringing like I usually do. Of course UEE should just go back to standing there and looking pretty (kinda) and Jooyeon is such an uninteresting and weak singer, but Jung Ah and Raina were on top-form today. Even Gahee and Bekah. New girl is really shaping up as well - she needs more lines.
Words cannot express how happy I am that A Pink and Girls' Day didn't perform today. Now all we need to do is get rid of Dal Shabet and my life will be complete. Jay Park is back! Yay! I'm used to calling him Jaebeom though, so this Jay Park will take some getting used to. Other than him and 1/2 of SISTAR, it's the usual line-up.
Video credit goes to UnknownCarrot170@YT. Brilliant as always.
X-5 - "The Show Is Over" Their live vocals remind me a lot of Miss A, actually. You know they're good - they have nice voices and they know how to deliver them - but because of the demands of the performance, they always sound out of breath. Now, I say time and time again that if you're a good singer you will sound good even if you're dancing your ass off, and that should be the case - always. However, doing that requires half talent, and half practice - they need to not only get used to the stage, but its demands, and that's something they haven't done yet. In this case, practice makes perfect. In their defense though, not a lot of idol groups these days debut with such a vocally and physically-demanding song - they got used to the stage with a much easier song. I'll give it to them though - they're pretty damn good.
Rania - "Dr. Feel Good" This is one of these highly-orchestrated performances - everything about them on stage was planned ahead - and it really is a sight. And the fact that they have the vocals to do justice to the very tight performance just makes everything so much better. Of course there are glitches in the performance, but do you expect them to be robots? Of course not. Regardless, I'll be watching - very closely.
Dal Shabet - "Pink Rocket" No. Just.. no. NEXT.
SISTAR 19 - "My boy" I was watching their performance on yesterday's M!Countdown this morning, and my observations on that performance are identical to the ones for this. The song itself if very laid-back, and so when it's performed there should be some kind of gimmick to make people want to watch you. In this case, it's the chair dance and the choreography, and all the winking and acting cute. Not working. At all. They're trying too hard. When MBLAQ tries too hard it looks painful, when SISTAR, or at least half of them, try too hard it lacks grace. Hyorin has a GORGEOUS voice, I have never denied her that - if you remember my complaints about SISTAR it's that only one of them can actually sing, and that's Hyorin. No matter how gorgeous her voice is though, the rest of the performance is an absolute bore. I close my eyes to just listen and it sounds amazing, my ears are in heaven, but I open them and all I want to do is close them again - nothing about what they're doing makes me want to watch them. I might as well listen to the recording at the rate things are going. It's boring, it lacks grace, the chair dancing looked so contrived - the entire performance is dry.
Rainbow - "To Me" The more I hear this song, the better it gets. And their improving vocals are a big help too. That's more like it Rainbow - you're singing like how a band from the 4th biggest agency in Korea should. And a lot better than Kara too, may I add. Well, some of you.
f(x) - "Danger" This is an SME performance through and through - the song, the choreography, the vocals, the stage presence - everything about this is contrived in the most contrived way possible, and yet that's what sucks you in. The performance is far from perfect, and the autotune on the recording is still a tad bit annoying for me, partially because it really affects the live performance, but they are at the level that they should be at for an SM group of their stature - using handsfree or handheld mics don't matter anymore because they're practically the same. FINALLY. Luna sounds amazing as usual, Krystal's getting a lot less annoying, Victoria's vocals are getting stronger, and SULLI. THOSE VOCALS. OH MY GOD. GORGEOUS. KILL ME NOW.
4Minute - "Heart to Heart" Oh, they did this song today. Hyun A annoys me beyond belief, maknae girl too, the leader's fine, Jiyoon goes in and makes everything better, and Gayoon makes the chorus a lot cheaper than it could be. Pretty much the entire performance, and song, explained in one sentence. Yup, that's about right.
After School - "Shampoo" For After School standards, this was a strong performance - you can actually hear everyone actually singing. And they're getting used to performing the song at a much faster rate than they usually do, which is good. I find it hard to believe that there are 9 of them now, actually - it just hit me when I saw the shot at the beginning with all of them. Can I nominate Jooyeon and UEE for graduation? PLEASE?!?!?
U-Kiss - "0330" The song's starting to bore me already, but I'm happy that their fanchants are getting louder and louder! And their vocals are now at the beginning stages of being above average. The U-Kiss performance style has always been edgy - they're a fun version of highly-orchestrated performances, and that's something they've perfected with this single. If their vocals don't make you watch, the performance itself will.
Jay Park - "Tonight" + "Abandoned"(WINNER) He's come a long way, gone through a lot of crap (partly because of indecisive fans), but my god would this have been an incredible talent wasted had he given up on music altogether. How he moves, how he holds the audience in the palm of his hands like it's nothing, how one second he's prancing around stage and the next he's dancing like there's no tomorrow, reminds me a lot of a young Rain. Actually, his story is similar in ways to a condensed version of the Rain story. There are been truckloads of comparisons to Taeyang, and I do see them vocally, but to be honest with you I like Jay a lot better, because unlike Taeyang, who's focused on the nasal-ness of his voice, Jay is focused more on the smoothness, and you all know I like a smooth voice that knows how to deliver. And he delivers. Of course the not singing during the chorus, apart from those adlibs, is something I'm not particularly fond of, but it's not like he can't sing. I like the song, I've liked it since the first time I heard it (when it came out), and the live performance did more than justice to it. Partially because he's a talented performer, and partially because the audience screaming and the fanchants send chills down my spine. Brilliance. And he deserves that win.
I'm going to rush this out because there's an emergency here at home (nothing big, but I gotta go), so no really long whiny intro today about how their sound sucks. Just read the recap LOL.
Video credit goes to CrazyCarrot370@YT.
X-5 - "The Show Is Over" Can I say it? OK I'll say it. X-5 are, officially, the most outstanding debuting act of the year. Without a doubt. The fact that they're doing considerably well on Inki means a lot, and it means that they're really damn good. Watching this performance made me realize something though. B1A4 and X-5 are a lot like DBSK and Big Bang in terms of performance. (And don't give me that "don't compare them" speech because I'm comparing them for the sole purpose of making YOU understand how the two groups perform) X-5 have strong vocals live, and very polished performances - every move they make on stage, from which foot to step with, how many steps to take, to where to stand and even when to smile, has been orchestrated, practiced and perfected - it's the epitome of manufactured, but it's a sight to your senses and it really glues your eyes to the screen. B1A4, on the other hand, can do dancing and can do singing live, but the entire point of their performance is make it look like they're having so much fun that you want to buy their album and have fun too like them. There is no superior method, and I personally think that both of them take a lot of talent and work to actually pull off, but I'm personally leaning more towards the X-5/DBSK style. Of course there's still a lot to iron out (especially all the moaning towards the end - the eff?) and they're not the strongest band ever, but as rookies in k-pop, they're exceptionally good.
A Pink - "Don't Know" I don't want to waste any more of my energy on you so call me when you get your act together, A Pink. Then I'll think of talking about you.
B1A4 - "OK" Like I said on the X-5 commentary thingy above, B1A4 are the "screw everything we're having fun" band. OK maybe not "everything", but you get the point. They're so fun to watch on stage and it makes you want to prance around with them. Of course not as sophisticated and convincing as Big Bang yet, but for a rookie they're pretty damn good. Second only to X-5, who, as I said a while ago, are outstanding. Strong vocals, captivating presence (to say the least) and a catchy song make for a pretty good performance. I like.
Dal Shabet - "Pink Rocket" We'll talk when you get a decent song, Dal Shabet. I don't even know if any of you can actually sing because it's so crap!
Girls' Day - "Twinkle Twinkle" You too Girls' Day, I'll get back to you when you stop acting like a bunch of 3 year-olds, especially you, Min Ah. It's not amusing. At all. It's annoying.
Infinite - "Nothing's Over" I can't believe this is their last stage. I know it's not for long (too long at least), but my god have they grown over these past few months. As long as they keep up the strong material and do what they're good at, which is basically this, it's all good. I don't quite remember exactly what I said when they debuted, but I do know that I've always had a soft spot for them. For the right reasons.
Rainbow - "To Me" I like their outfits today. :D Vocals are fine for their standards, and the performance was OK. Not much different from yesterday. Of course the crap sound hinders any kind of improvement from showing, but if they can sustain this next week I won't complain.
f(x) - "Danger" It's like there's a trend between SM maknaes from SuJu onwards - they all have the most gorgeous, smooth vocals (Changmin DBSK not included because he's more on the high yet deep side). And from SHINee to f(x) it took some time for those vocals to show. 'Danger' works like 'Genie' for me - the more I hear it, the more I like it. Still against bastardizing Luna's vocals, but the song as a whole is getting better and better. And their strong live performances only make me like it more. The performance itself has never been a problem - with SM slave-driving I expect no less - but the vocals are FINALLY very near to where they should be. Just a little more, f(x).
4Minute - "Miror Mirror" Aaaand Hyun A's back to sounding like crap. What's new. Jiyoon sounds a bit tired today, but that's about it. Oh, and leader girl's vocals are getting a lot better. Yay. The presence is there, obviously, and to be honest with you I'm slowly liking this song even more than I already did (I didn't like it that much, but you get the point), which is good.
After School - "Let's Step Up" & "Shampoo" You know SBS, a pretty stage for After School most definitely doesn't make up for your lack of a decent sound system, and a decent sound guy. Once again, the backing track was turned up way too high, and yes, they have hand mics, but SBS still managed to make them sound like crap. Of course part of it is After School's fault because they're not exactly the best live singers, but they sounded decent yesterday! And actually if you listen closely they kinda do today too, it's just that the crappy sound is in the way. Lizzy was hiding behind the backing track today, because you hear an almost perfect line, then there's a mess right on top of it - either the backing track was too loud, or she's really hiding behind it.
U-Kiss - "0330" Vocals today are just OK, and I'm starting to not like the song to be honest with you. It's like the more I hear it the more stale it gets. I mean it's a pretty song and they can really pull it off live, but it's just not my taste anymore. They're very suave performers - there's a mixture of orchestration and practiced movements and "let's prance around stage" to the entire thing, and not just in the dancing. It's polished.
Big Bang - "Love Song"(WINNER) I've said this many times before, but in terms of really putting on a show, YG rules. In terms of making thing different but retaining familiarity, they also rule. And because Big Bang is obviously YG's flagship boyband, they also rule what YG rules at. That first minute or so was so cool. Not the biggest fan of "Love Song", but it works for me like a lot of their material - don't like it recorded, if I just listen I probably won't like it live either, but you watch them and you don't want it to stop. That and their vocals (of the 3 singers) are near-perfect - DAESUNG CAN I MARRY YOUR VOICE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEE. GD is a sight, but I close my eyes and meh - can he please shut up and stop singing already? But, based on this performance alone they are more than worthy of status, and all the awards they've gotten, for this.
Sorry for being MIA yesterday, I had still to take care of and I wasn't feeling very well. Even now I have this horrid horrid migraine that even extra strength, "fast-acting" Advil can't remedy and any second now I'm gonna cry out in pain LOL. But enough about me. Today's MuCore was pretty bare, but that's mainly because a lot of the acts have already said goodbye, and some are just missing LOL.
Video credit goes to CrazyCarrot270@YT.
X-5 - "The Show Is Over" You know, for rookies like them they're outstanding. Not just kinda good, outstanding - one of the best new bands I've seen in a while. What made me say that? Their consistently strong vocals on all three music shows - this is MuCore, which dooesn't have the best sound in the world, and they're using handsfree mics. To sing live. While running around stage and dancing their asses off. I mean they slip up sometimes, but a lot less than your regular rookie. The song is strong for a group of their stature as well. I mean they can definitely do better, but for their debut this is really good. Good to know the truckloads of money spent on them went to a good cause.
A Pink - "Don't Know" K so I'm writing this now with one of the worse migraines I've had in months and the stage is hurting my eyes - I had to invert the colors of my screen just to watch it without crying out in pain. Today's performance was mimed, thankfully for my ears, but not for them. They need the practice, and they need to be able to prove themselves in the near future - miming is like the worse thing to do at this point. A big no, A Pink.
Infinite - "Nothing's Over" Awww, I can't believe they're already doing their last round of live performances this weekend - I actually liked this song! And thankfully, everyone's singing it pretty consistently now - the vocals are pretty much as strong as they can get for a song as melodic as this. And you have to hand it to them - the chorus is pretty tricky. It sounds easy, but it's not that easy to sing. The way they cut the song into like 2+ minutes was kinda sloppy and awkward too.
Rainbow - "To Me" Their vocals are kinda soft today, I blame it on the handsfree mics, but they're actually pretty consistent and not half bad. They're getting used to the song (it's about time) and they're getting used to performing it - all of them.
CN Blue -"Love Girl" The stage today was.. interesting. The cinematography was.. more like for a commercial. The vocals were.. Yonghwa. And once again, the guitars weren't plugged in. You know MuCore, it's bad to zoom in on the drummer, and his sticks, when someone like me is watching. I'll leave it at that LOL.
f(x) - "Danger" After winning MuBank yesterday (Yay! Happy for them. :D), it's like everyone's vocals suddenly went up really close to the 6-member (and less) SM band standard, which is incredibly high. And considering that this is a song you can't really sing, that's really good. Luna's high note got hella strong, and Sulli's voice is starting to shine. Ooooh I can't wait for the day they get a song that'll turn non-fans into fans and fans into rabid fans - they're pretty close!
4Minute - "Mirror Mirror" Outdoor performance, eh? Hyun A's improved A LOT, Jiyoon is still brilliant, I still hate the maknae, and Gayoon sounds the same. They're a lot more comfortable singing the song now, but that's about the only change. The attitude is there, the presence, the grace (one way or another).
After School - "Let's Step Up" + "Shampoo" Yay! They're back! The intro was cool, even if I liked their outfits better yesterday. It was oozing with After School presence, and everything about it makes you wanna stop what you're doing and just watch. The vocals on 'Shampoo' today were definitely a lot better than yesterday - UEE sounds like less of a mess (but still is one), there is in fact a voice hidden under new girl's still-weak live vocals, Nana has actually held a melody, Bekah has gotten a grip on herself and delivered, Raina sounds a lot stronger and you can actually hear Jooyeon now! Looks like I'll have to do a lot less begging to Pledis now that their vocals aren't a complete mess anymore. Yayyy.
Big Bang -"Stupid Liar" Well, it looks like this chapter of k-pop is coming to a close - HoMin are gone, and Big Bang/Infinite are at their goodbye stages already. It was a good phase, if I may say so. Like I always say when they do this song, it's literally like Big Bang just dropped everything, ran to the stage, and had a blast. You just wanna have fun after watching this. The vocal parts, minus GD's pseudo-vocals, were strong again, as they should be.
After I was disappointed yesterday with "Shampoo", I didn't bother waiting up for the album anymore (partially, at least), and boy did I make a mistake. I was listening to the album all day today, and came up with my very first vlog, and my first album review since HoMin's 'Keep Your Head Down'! Yayyyy!
'Virgin' is a cohesive album. That's what it is - it's an album. Even if not all the songs are amazing or whatever, put them together, listen to the thing from start to finish, and they make sense.
The material on this album is very Pop/Disney/the stuff I grew up with - it's girl group material done in 2011. So you have all these fancy effects, analog-fests, autotune and modern technology. Not always a good thing, but at least they changed things up a bit.
For an intro, 'Let's Step Up' is pretty long. But to a certain extent I like it. It's got those hard drum/percussion lines that they used in "Bang", laced with an analog synth-fest (which is welcomed), and it's oozing After School. Overflowing, almost. But the neat thing is that 'Shampoo' comes right after, and they complement each other really well.
The more I listen to 'Shampoo', the more I personally like it. I do like listening to it for fun and whatnot, and it is a pretty song (bar the autotune), but no matter how many times I listen to it 'Shampoo' still lacks kick, and in After School's case, kick is vital.
'Virgin' should've been the first single, to be completely honest with you. Make the vocals more powerful and less restrained, give the instrumental more dynamic dynamics (LOL), and basically magnify the entire song - it'll sound like one hell of an After School single, I tell you. It's got hints of the Gahee and Orange Caramel singles, but the sounds don't clash, nor do they overpower the over-all After School sound. I like chorus, because even if it does go on and on and on and can literally go on forever, it's melodic, and it sounds very "sly", so to say. Attitude. Yes.
So on the vlog I talked about the 3 "re-recordings" - 'Bang!', 'Because of You' and 'When I Fall'. There's not much change to 'Bang', except for the vocals and maybe some little details in the instrumental. They spiced up 'Because of You' a little more, with the added autotune, the stronger-sounding instrumental, the held-back vocals, and the addition of backing vocals throughout. But just when I thought it couldn't get any better, in comes 'When I Fall'. As you saw on the video, I was literally speechless. The pretty piano line made my eyes light up and all, but then the drums came in and I just lost it. REAL DRUMS. CYMBALS. OH MY GOD. The dynamics were spot-on too, and the melody's gorgeous to start with, so throw everything together, as well as a string section they sneaked in just before the last chorus, and you have epic.
'Play Ur Love' is, in one word, pretty. I, fact, it's on the same wavelength as 'Shampoo', the only difference is that the vocals have clarity, and that makes all the difference - there's punch to them. And they were actually really well-executed - everyone sounds good, not too cutesy, and with the right amount of urgency to give the song the life it should have.
'Dream' is very US mainstream pop. It's also very cheesy - mass produced-ish, but catchy in its own way. And LOL at the pre-school, just LOL. I don't know all their voices inside out yet so I can't pinpoint her, so I have no idea if she can sing. New girl's not half bad though - I just need to see her live.
Raina's solo song '시간에 기대어', reminds me a lot of the early 2000's pop I grew up with, actually - M2M, maybe super early Christina, that type. Everything from the melody to the hook to the vocal treatment - it's like you took a song from that era and updated the production. Not a big fan of the chorus because it tends to be a bit nightclub-y, but the verses are fine, and the middle 8 is decent. But in all honesty, it really fits Raina - she sounds like she actually has something more than an OK voice! I'm kinda annoyed at the execution of those high notes towards the end, but I realize that however she did them I'd be annoyed. She's one of the lead vocalists for a reason, yes, but just because she has a nice voice in this range, doesn't give Pledis permission to make her sing all those shrill parts - you can have a nice voice and not have wide range.
Jung Ah's solo song, like I said, didn't make her sound like her, and she actually sounds even more cutesy than Raina. No. God no. She has a gorgeous, gorgeous voice, when she pushes. While Raina shouldn't push, Jung Ah should - and she didn't on this. The song itself is your standard big ballad they'd play on a chick-flick type k-drama - run-of-the-mill melody, nagging chorus, good singer, and big drums and backup vocals.
The only new ballad by the whole band on the album - '잘 지내고 있죠'. It's a ballad. Your standard sad, sobbing, k-drama ballad. Nothing new, then. Well done, but that's about it.
'Funky Man' wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be after I saw who'd be singing it, but then again we went through Orange Caramel, I highly doubt anything could be worse than that. It reminds me of a lot of other songs, but I kinda like it in the cheesy/guilty pleasure kind of way. Beneath all the gimmicks, the talking, and the cheap-ified instrumental, the melody's actually kinda pretty. It's something you'd have to listen to at max volume, but at times you'd be too shy to let anyone know you're listening to it. It's hella catchy though, so ultimately that wins.
Best track(s): 'Virgin', 'When I Fall' (re-recording) Good track(s): 'Shampoo', 'Play Ur Love', 'Because of You' (re-recording), '시간에 기대어' Worst track(s): N/A The Rating: 4.4/5
After School is known for very strong songs - not always in terms of technique or musicality, but in terms of sound. "Diva" and "Ah!" were very Euro dance and it had a hit-you-over-the-head hook and loop, "Because Of You" was very angst-y with the right amount of grace, "Bang!" was punchy in a sharp kind of way, and even "LOVE LOVE LOVE" had spunk. They are known for their conviction - for the fact that they're not cutesy-cutesy and whatnot, but can still call themselves a girl group. Their music is the epitome of the concept of "girl power" in Korea. It's a well-established fact by now that I like After School more than your run-of-the-mill girl group at the moment, and it's also well-established that I like them mostly for their material, and some of the members. And because I like them, a part of me is more demanding of them - because I've seen what they are capable of and I know the extent to which they can humanely push themselves.
I don't usually incorporate things like personality and all that into my reviews, but to be completely honest with you they're known as a band with very strong personalities, and they've not only managed to show that in the way they move and act, but in their music. Don't try and deny it because you know it's true - they're classy, strong and intense, it shows in the material.
"Shampoo" is what would most likely come out of mixing "Because of You" and "Ah!"/"Diva" - let's stop at that for now. The piano lines and string section were borrowed from "Because of You", clearly, and so was the grace and the melodic-ness of the song. Then it's as if those qualities was slapped on top of a "Diva"-esque loop and out came "Shampoo". They're moving forward stylistically, but they're taking the qualities that defined their musical identity - I'll give them that.
That said, the melody is gorgeous, if I may say so, but it makes me worry if they will be able to pull this off live because I absolutely hated the fact that "Because of You" was so gorgeous recorded but was a mess live. The crisp beats at the beginning and throughout the song make it nice and clean, and dynamics, although pretty predictable if you can count from 1 to 8 in tempo, very clear and sure. The chorus seems like a mess, with everything running around, but it organizes itself in the end, and it's actually kinda nifty how everything gets resolved. The intro was a little too long for me - almost a minute? When I first heard the song I was confused whether I was listening to the single or the instrumental. As a whole it sounds like something straight out of a 2011 Disney teenage princess/popstar movie that's all about dreams coming true and whatnot.
So now that you slap BCOY on top of "Diva" and add a few things here and there, you'd think that it would be the ultimate After School song to end all After School songs. I will tell you now that it isn't, because it lacks the one quality that set After School apart from groups of their generation. I said that "Shampoo" sounds like a cross between their previous singles, and some of the individual elements are pretty, but I didn't finish the sentence just yet. "Shampoo" sounds like those 3 singles put together, after you suck all the life out of them.
Like I said a while ago, the song is very clean - but it's a little too clean. The song is princess-pretty - but it's a little too pretty. And this time, there's nothing to add that bit of punch that's crucial to their songs.
What happened to the intensity and emotion that made them the band they were? Even when they jumped from "Ah!" to "Because Of You" the song had intensity and a sense of urgency - it had kick. I'll tell you what happened - they mixed the wrong elements together. You're forgetting that it's not the piano line that made "Because of You" angst-y, and it's not the fancy loops that made "Ah!" convincing - it was the strong drum+bass lines. When you listen to the songs at max volume you will literally feel your hearth thumping. Pretty hard.
Another possible factor is the shift in lead vocalists, which I am completely against. If they were giving majority of the singing parts to people who could actually out sing everyone else but were new I'd have nothing against it. But you give Nana and Raina a lot of the solo parts? Seriously? They can sing, they've learned, but there are better, more practiced and more stable singers in After School - give them the attention they deserve.
Another issue with the vocals is the way they were processed. The processing made their vocals far too clean, too sanitary, and too lifeless. No emotion, no intensity - in other words, dead vocals.
You know, I tried listening to the song at max volume after I was let down, thinking maybe that will solve things. I felt nothing. No thumping, no goosebumps, no nothing - I heard, but I didn't feel. If there's one phrase from me that I want you guys to take seriously, it's that music is half-heard, yes, but it's also half-felt. Technique and musicality are vital, of course, but what you feel when you listen to the technicalities is just as important. Music is art because it comes from people - who can think, but who can also feel.
Yeah sure the melody's pretty, the dynamics are neat, and they've grown musically, but there's no life to them. They can ALL do better than this - we've all seen them do just that - so why settle for dullness? Here's hoping my "it's the processing" theory is right. If it is, this will sound epic performed live, I tell you - if they can pull it off properly, that is.
