[July 25, 2010] SBS Inkigayo Highlights + Commentary

I'VE FINALLY COMPLETED ANOTHER WEEKEND OF RECAPS! *pops confetti* Let's finish things off with Inkigayo, and yes, Taeyang won again, SHINee made their comeback, and Super Junior finished off promo for Bonamana (the album).

Video credit: CrazyCarrot350 :D

G.NA - I'll Back Off So You Can Live (review)
I just noticed today, but she looks so uncomfortable on stage. Seriously, it's like she's about to cry, not because of her song, but because she hates being on stage - she moves, and looks, like a robot. I know she must love performing to be in the industry and be a trainee for as long as she has been, but it clearly doesn't show and if it doesn't show, that means her performances are once again ineffective. Seriously, it's like the entire performance perked up when Doojoon came on, and then went back to zero when he left. She should be able to carry herself on her own, but it doesn't look like she can. I hope I can add a "yet" after that.

Teen Top - Clap
Teen Top looks very sophisticated and practiced and all, but until I hear more than two guys singing on a lead single, I think they'll be a cross between Infinite and MBLAQ. They're trying too hard to look good on stage, but there are guys in the group who can sing, it just doesn't really show, even if their material is somewhat decent. They have to prove me wrong on that one, somehow.

Miss A - Bad Girl Good Girl
Ouch. What happened to pink-haired girl towards the end? Completely stopped singing for like 2 seconds. I don't know if I should be disappointed or feel bad for them - I know a lot of people have said the routine's hard plus they're singing live, which makes it especially hard. But then they pretty much pulled it off yesterday, which means it's humanely possible to sing and dance that thing at the same time. Oh well. Although now that they've proven they can sing, dance and literally do gymnastics, I think it's time for a better song, don't you, JYP? LOL.

Sistar - Push Push (review)
Just... no. Next single, please. And next time make it a little tasteful, please?

ZE:A - Level Up
Ugh. Next song, please.

Black Pearl - Gogossing
Seeing these girls just make me miss CSJH even more. Seriously, I miss girl groups with actual vocals, who actually make use of them. Another consistent performance - and the even stronger harmonies today just sent be ballistic. I'M IN LOVE WITH THOSE HARMONIES. lol.

SHINee - Up & Down + Lucifer (review)
It's good to know that some people agree with me when I say Jonghyun's live singing is getting a tad bit too excessive. He was just a big, slightly wild voice before, and it was just a matter of taste that I didn't like his vocals, but now it's like he's like how he should've been when they just debuted - running before even attempting to walk. He's trying to do all these ad-libs and high notes all over the place, and because he's not really sure whether he can sing it or not, he fails several times. But when he's sure of what he's singing, he actually sounds good. Even with Jonghyun going wild today and SBS' most of the time crap sound, I do think that this was the best performance out of the three - if we're talking about performance as a whole. Onew was phenomenal to say the least, Taemin and Key sounded good, Minho was... Minho, and Jonghyun had his good points.

Son Dambi - Queen
For Son Dambi vocal standards, today's performance was pretty good, actually. Not as good as I'd like it to be, but good enough. In Filipino, pwede na. She does carry herself well and command the audience, so I'm OK.

Super Junior - No Other + Bonamana
Well, it seems like their rather impeccable performance yesterday was just luck - and we're back to having not very strong vocals. If my "calculations" are correct, this is the last ever promo performance of both songs - it's a pity they didn't make it phenomenal. Oh well, I guess I'll just go watch yesterday's brilliance.

Taeyang - I Need A Girl (WINNER)
It's been a while since I last recap-ed a Taeyang performance, but I'm afraid my opinion hasn't changed - don't like him, the song, and the way he performs it. I'm sorry. But I wouldn't go as far as saying he doesn't deserve his win, because he's definitely better than a handful of other idols. So yeah.

[July 24, 2010] MBC Music Core Highlights + Commentary

I'll just get this out as fast as humanely possible - I have a BoA review to write! And most likely I'll be home late again tonight, so my Inki recap will come late too. Video credit for today's recap goes to CrazyCarrot250. Always brilliant. LOL.


G.NA - I'll Back Off So You Can Live (review)
She sounded off at the beginning, but thankfully by the second verse she was the way she always was. HyunA's part was a little boring, I prefer the guy from BEAST. This girl seriously needs to learn how to carry herself on stage like a performer. Not a diva or a "rookie", a performer. They're pushing her as an outstandingly good artist, her skills as a performer should match her vocals.

Girls' Day - Tilt Your Head
To be fair, their vocals improved today, however much they can given the crap song. And honestly, I do think they have more sophistication than SISTAR. But they still suck, sorry.

Miss A - Bad Girl Good Girl
Well that's more like it! All they had to do to get the breathlessness out was win two awards. LOL. They must've been really nervous before they won that now that they have, they're doing pretty darn good. I still don't like the song as much as I'd like to, but out of all the groups who've recently debuted, I'd say they're by far the best. No question.

Infinite - Come Back Again
They were getting better the last few times we saw them, but they just stopped for a few shows and suddenly they suck again? For some strange reason, they kinda remind me of ZE:A back when they were really new. Towards the tail end, the vocals started getting better - but that was for like 10 seconds. Not impressed.

Sistar - Push Push (review)
Holy crap what the hell happened to tutu girl's tutu? IT JUST GOT BIGGER. lol. But anyway, what use is a single if only one of the 4 girls can sing it? I'm now sure that more than one of them can actually sing, but not on this song. Even if that song they did for the video game soundtrack was a little generic, I'd rather they promote it than this.

ZE:A - Level Up
Their vocals are getting better, yes, but their improvement's getting masked by the fact that the song is pathetic. Sorry guys, try again.

MBLAQ - One Better Day
The only part I like is the piano line at the beginning before they start singing - that says a lot about them and how they perform. Like I always say, if all they really do on stage is look good and maybe dance together, then why be idols who're supposed to make songs? Form a dance group for all I care, but if you can't sing why push it? Seriously.

4Minute - I My Me Mine
I don't know exactly why, but they kinda lost their punch on this performance. I mean technically their vocals were strong and they carried themselves, but the punch they had when I said I was starting to like them suddenly disappeared. I wonder what's wrong.

Black Pearl - Gogossing
Have I publicly professed my love for Black Pearl yet? I will now. Except for the girl with the thing in her hair, they have gorgeous voices. And I mean gorgeous. Harmonies on music shows, strong vocals and a nice perky (but sometimes cheap) song - what more can I ask for? HARMONIES PEOPLE, HARMONIES.

SHINee - Up & Down + Lucifer (review)
ONEW YOU ARE BRILLIANT. Jonghyun has a tendency to go wild when he sings live and sometimes fails, almost like Mark Westlife, but Onew, onew just nails it. But, I do think that this sounds better recorded - I was listening to the recording all day yesterday and I can't get enough. Like seriously, I'm itching to hear it every few seconds. This is bad. The performances are good, strong, and there's no question that these guys are performers, but I'd have to go with the recording on this.

Son Dambi - Queen
I don't like the song as much as I did when I first heard it (before I saw the videos and performances), but she is getting better at performing it. Like I said, Pledis makes performers, not necessarily singers, but at least they're better than MBLAQ because they're not just trying to look good on stage - they're trying to entertain. And besides, Queen is a song this girl can most likely pull off brilliantly if she tries hard enough - it's not out of the range of her abilities.

Super Junior - No Other + Bonamana
Actually, that was pretty good. Except for a few slips here and there, it's kinda said that they only really got the hang of things when they're ending promo. The vocals were strong, the performance was tight, and I "enjoyed" it. LOL. I really did.

[July 11, 2010] SBS Inkigayo Highlights + Commentary

Pretty much the same line-up as yesterday's MuCore, except for D-NA and Orange Caramel. Let's get straight to the recap, shall we?


If Music Core replaced their sound engineer, Inkigayo must've given theirs a scolding - it's better, but not perfect. "It's better than nothing" is a phrase I've learned to use a lot in kpop. As always, YT credit goes to CrazyCarrot350.

Girls' Day - Tilt Your Head
Can I barf now? OK fine, I won't. But seriously, even if their performances are getting shorter and shorter, they still suck. The shorter airtime is a welcome relief though. Do these girls even like what they're singing? It seems like the one girl who had that pre-debut video where she sang Take A Bow suddenly disappeared - I honestly can't spot her.

Teen Top - Clap
"Emotional Teen Pop Band"? o.O The set today looks like a slightly cheaper version of a set they could've used for 2PM's Without U, and maybe even the outfits. There's even fire! All we need now is rain. I'll have to admit though, that was a tight performance. For a new group that was pretty good. Vocals-wise they falter a bit, but they do know how to perform and not just try and look good on stage. I'll be watching them from now on.

Miss A - Bad Girl Good Girl
Why do I keep screwing up the title of this song? I think I've put the wrong title on 2 recaps already. *sigh* I'm glad we've solved most of the breathlessness, but the girl in the tutu-like thing wasn't very good today - what went wrong? She's usually decent. Over-all it was a strong performance, as usual. There's nothing else to say!

Infinite - Come Back Again (review)
They're not that good to start with, then you put them together with SBS' crap sound system - epic fail, I'm afraid. Although, I do hear more than one guy with a decent voice. Maybe in the future Infinite, but not now.

Sistar - Push Push (review)
What do I have to say? The epitome of cheap. The choreography, the clothes (oh God the clothes) and the song itself sound so cheap it kills. They don't have finesse, there's no grace to their performance - maybe it's because the song doesn't allow it, but maybe they really are like that. A good performer can and will make the cheapest song into a song with class - 2NE1 is the perfect example of that. But you see, SISTAR aren't 2NE1 - they don't have the training and the abilities that 2NE1 got. Oh well.

ZE:A - Level Up
It pains me to watch something like this - a song with absolutely no dynamics performed by a bunch of amateurs. They look like a single unit now, yes, but if getting to that stage takes a song like this, I'd rather watch their All Day Long era performances. This is not working, ZE:A.

CN Blue - Love
There's not much difference arrangement-wise - it's just the regular arrangement played with a bass and 2 electric guitars and they changed the setting to "heavy metal" or "rock". And maybe a few changes to the drum line here and there. I like the original one better though, BUT THE DRUMMER IS STILL TOO DAMN FAR. Here we go again. Need I remind these people every single time that the drummer is the single most important part of the performance? *sigh*

4Minute - I My Me Mine
I can now stand 4Minute - Mel will be happy. So there, I think they're now my third favorite girl group. Give me a few weeks to do my research and watch a few TV shows, then I'll tell you when I'm 100% sure. 4Minute have developed grace and finesse on stage, and they used to be the cheap version of 2NE1, so SISTAR may just have a shot. Although technically, 4Minute are under a big three company - Cube Ent. is under JYPE. So SISTAR might not have a shot. Oh well, 4Minute are still decent now. Yay.

Taeyang -I Need A Girl
Pretty much the same observations for Taeyang today - the song sounds better recorded. And his voice seems a bit off as well, more nasal than usual - in Filipino he sounds paos, like he has a sore throat or something.

Black Pearl - Gogossing
Harmoniesssss - my ears are in heaven. That's what I call a girl group, if they can dance that's a plus, but it doesn't matter 'coz they can damn sing! I do wonder what their old material sounds like, so maybe after this I'll go do some more research, deeper than what I already know. For some reason, the girl on the far right reminds me of Solbi, and the girl next to her (with the brilliant voice) reminds me of Sooyoung SNSD. Hmm.

Son Dambi - Can't U See + Queen
Son Dambi is a good performer - I'll give her that. She's still miming a lot of her performance, but she does carry herself very well on stage, which is good. Pledis acts seem to really be like that - good performers, mostly sub-par vocalists. I think the clothes and the set had something to do with Queen sounding very cheap yesterday, it sounds a little more tasteful today.

Narsha - Bbri Ri Bba Bba
I now actually like the chorus of this song. The verses are OK, and the hook is very catchy (true to it's name), but to a certain extent the chorus intrigues me - it's so ethereal. I like. I do appreciate the fact that Narsha's agency is actually spending and, in turn, making an effort - the gazillion back-up dancers, the outfits and the rather.. interesting video show that. Hey, at least someone's making an effort. And besides, Narsha actually has a voice - it's not like she's some pretty face with no actual talent.

Super Junior - No Other
Well they won today. Congrats! The vocals were pretty strong, which is good. Everyone looks normal today - no creepy smiles or extreme emo-ing. My only complaint is that Ryeowook sounded horrid at the beginning, but other than that they were OK today.

[July 10, 2010] MBC Music Core Highlights + Commentary

*sigh* I know, I know, shoot me for not writing this last night - but I had this concert to watch with my mom! I didn't choose to go to that concert! So there.

Debuts from Girls' Day and Teen Top and comebacks from ZE:A, Black Pearl and Son Dambi. AND D-NA!!! Hahah.

The consensus today (or last night) is that MBC must've fired the old sound engineer and gotten a new one, because everyone actually sounds decent today. Hurrah! Credit goes to CrazyCarrot250

Girls' Day - Tilt Your Head
Oh dear. Just thinking of this group and their lead single makes me head ache, and actually seeing them gives me a very very unpleasant feeling. What happened to this? Personally she wasn't the most brilliant, but she was good and she was trying - so where did that go? This lead single is annoying, it's far too autotuned and if I didn't see that video before they debuted, I would've thought none of them could sing, because clearly they can't sing this song. *sigh*

Teen Top - Clap
I know this has been said before by people other than me, but Teen Top really do remind me of 2PM. Well, 2PM with slightly better live vocals. I think one good thing about this batch of rookie bands is that they have pretty decent vocals. I'm not 100% sure if most of Teen Top can actually sing, but they sure give off the impression that they can. The performance was tight, very practiced, and the set really does remind me of something 2PM had used. Oh well. Just hearing the song didn't really convince me, but now they've made me curious - we'll see.

Miss A - Bad Girl
I like the idea, I like the vocals, I like the performance, but I don't like the song. The concept of Miss A is there - good vocals, strong performers - but they lack the songs to really make an impact. On the other hand, I suppose this is better than what Girls' Day got, so I'll shut up and be thankful.

Infinite - Come Back Again (review)
A lot of these groups are good dancers (in the eyes of someone who doesn't know how to dance), and a lot of them are synchronized and all, but what does that have to do with the music? They are girl groups and boy bands - because they can't play drums or the guitar or bass, their voices are their instruments. If they can't even use that, they have no right to be called, in this case, a boy band. The song's perfectly fine, it's got character, it's ever so slightly out of the ordinary, and it's a strong debut single, but Infinite falter in the execution.

Sistar - Push Push (review)
All SISTAR have at this point is some experience on stage, backing from Brave Sound, and a glorified novelty song. It will sell, yes, but how long can that one girl carry the entire band vocally and performance-wise? It's not really tradition for an idol group to have all the members be good singers, but at least half or 3/4 of them should have some semblance of a voice. But anyway. I'm now 100% sure that if Miss A and SISTAR were to face off with these singles and at this stage of their careers, Miss A would trample SISTAR.

ZE:A - Level Up
One good thing about ZE:A now is that they're slowly starting to look like one whole band - it doesn't seem like there are a gazillion guys on stage. But I do admit, I like All Day Long better than this. Level Up was really built around the gimmick - that's it. It sounds like a commercial, their talent company didn't bother building up a lot of buzz for it, and I'm starting to think that they're giving up on ZE:A. I mean, all they really need is good material - give me that and the world will be a better place.

D-NA - Stumble Stumble
I missed these guys, I really did! I've already established why they were given such a generic song, so no complaining, but I do really think they have good vocals. That and those vocals are actually shown live - I don't have to think really hard to say that they can sing live. Now that they're my second favorite boyband, they better prove to me that they're worthy - I cannot wait for a full-length album.

Orange Caramel - Magic Girl (review. kinda.)
I was already annoyed last week, right? K. Still annoyed. I have a very low tolerance period for these kinds of songs, but it just so happened that I was in awe with how they magically got live vocals, so I kinda stopped noticing the song. Now that I am, I'm annoyed.

4Minute - I My Me Mine
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'm starting to like 4Minute. Still don't like most of their material, the two who are being pushed as the singers can actually sing live. That and they're making an effort to look a bit more clean/sophisticated now and are straying from the "new 2NE1" label. Which is good. Slowly but surely, 4Minute, slowly but surely.

Taeyang -I Need A Girl
To me, it's like once GD stops showing up, the performance just gets boring for me. He's performing it better, yes, and I actually kinda like the melodic part better now, but there's no GD, so Taeyang's improvement just fills the gap that GD left - the performance as a whole is still the same, it's just the individual elements that changed and shifted around.

Black Pearl - Gogossing
So, Black Pearl. Apparently, they first debuted in 2007 (along with SNSD and The Wonder Girls) under Mnet, if my memory serves me right, but obviously they were outshined by SNSD and WG. My research on them led to another group, but we'll save that for another time. I first heard this song last week, if I'm not mistaken, and the first thing I noticed was the vocals. I'm like, "finally a girl group with strong vocals!" My one complaint though is that I don't understand why all girl groups who can actually sing (SeeYa, Davichi) have to make songs like this. They're OK songs, but I'd like them to explore, because they actually have the vocals to do that. That aside, OMG I HEARD HARMONIES. I find the girl who sings the second part of the chorus a little too uncontrollable - her voice is to shrill. The best? The girl who takes the first part of the chorus and the middle 8. The other 2 are good too, but that girl's better. It looks so effortless.

Son Dambi - Can't U See + Queen
I know she was miming on Can't U See, but even so, I don't understand why someone would want to go from tasteful, (but a tad bit generic on the music side) with the pretty piano loop and the nice melody, to slightly cheap and far too gimmicky-y. My one comment on Queen? It's so Kylie. Seriously. Apart from the chanting/rapping/whatever on the verses, I wouldn't be surprised if Kylie suddenly burst out on stage singing this. I listened to Queen (the album) with the illusion that Can't U See was the lead single, and the most decent song (apart from Can't U See) for me was Queen. I think I liked the song for a few hours, tops. When I got home from school that Friday, I didn't like it, and when I saw the performance, I wasn't impressed. She's been gone for almost a year and she still can't sing more than 50% of her own song?

Super Junior - No Other
From what I can see, SuJu broke 2 rules of performance today, but at least their vocals were decent. First, Eunhyuk looks like someone died - did someone die? I mean I know the happy happy thing creeps me out, but the emo-sad thing does too! Did LSM beat him up or something? He didn't smile. And next, why does Heechul keep talking to whoever's beside him? I know it was his birthday and it's easy to hide in such a big group, but it's not easy to hide from the camera. That aside, the vocals were rather strong, if I may say so. So yay.