[#8] DGNA/The Boss - "Lady"

From: "Lady" (Single)
Released: October 2011, South Korea
Rating: 4.20

Laugh at me all you want, but I actually liked "Lady", and this is a list of my favorite songs, so this belongs here. "Lady" is a gorgeous song, but it also made some kind of statement -- that just because The Boss come from an obscure little agency, doesn't mean they can't be talented, because my goodness are they amazing.


And actually, this is their first formal ballad release. Which is surprising because they've always been pushed as an "idol group who can sing" and usually in Korea that equates to ballads. But I'm not complaining, because I liked their uptempos!

Everything starts out simple enough, with minimal instruments and their gorgeous voices, but slowly, the entire thing just explodes into a glorious mix of epic instrumentals and a gorgeously sung melody. By the end my jaw dropped, and when the resolution came around everything just went blank. The good kind. The kind where you're literally stunned and can't say anything cohesive anymore,

The vocals, oh dear Lord the vocals. They may not be up to par with older, more experienced singers, but for their calibre, my God. The harmonies, the solo lines, the belting -- stunning. Their vocals literally shine, and after hearing this, I don't think anyone can discount the fact that, vocally, they're one of the best idol groups in a long time. Like I said earlier this year, there's still so much they have to improve on, but put them beside any of the newer idol groups and they crush them.

Which is why, even if "Lady" in itself is pretty generic, and if you're not listening well enough it can bore you, they've made it work. The arrangement is simple, but the vocals carry the entire song.

[November 4, 2011] KBS Music Bank Highlights + Commentary

Watching today's show made me realize how long it's been since I've watched more than a few cuts from a music show, let alone write a recap. You'll have to excuse me if I'm REALLY rough around the edges and allow me to slowly ease back into this routine, but hey, this is a start! I hope I make it out of this week alive, for the sake of my year-end countdown!

It's really no surprise who won today, but honestly I'm surprised at all the acts I've never heard of before! Oh well. Since it's been months since my last recap, for new readers, my music show recaps focus on idols and idol groups whose singles I've already heard prior to performance.


Video credit goes to UnknownCarrot180.

Boyfriend - "Don't Touch My GIrl"
It may be a quaint song, but my God, these guys really can't sing this song live, can they? It's like they equate singing well to singing loudly. No. They end up sounding like they're whining and/or sing-song-ing, and I'm sorry but that just doesn't really quality as actual singing. I watched one of their earlier performances of this though, and it was even worse, so I suppose this is the best they can do.

The Boss - "Lady"
Stunning song, gorgeous vocals, but inexperienced vocalists. Don't get me wrong, they are lightyears ahead of their peers, but looking at their vocals alone there is much to be improved. Everything up to the part just before the high note parade is perfectly fine - strong vocals, solid, consistent delivery and stunning harmonies - but the guy who does the high note, no matter how much his voice shone on that live video they released the other day, when left to his own devices he's not as sure as Mika or Karam. First of all, he cut the note in half. On one hand I appreciate that he had the foresight to not push the sustain, but after hearing that disaster of a note that came after that pause, I get the feeling that he stopped to "gain momentum" for a train wreck. My throat hurts after hearing it - you're overdoing the husk(y). Not really something praise-worthy. Try again, DGNA.

Orange Caramel - "Shanghai Romance"
We'll talk when you people stop putting out such cheap songs, coupled with horrid choreography and bad vocals, Orange Caramel.

Secret - "Love is MOVE"
I never thought the day would come when Sunhwa would become the second-best singer in the band. I always thought it would be the other girl. But then again, they've all really improved over the years, and Ji Eun can now sing her own songs with that pretty voice of hers! Strong performance this week, very explosive and consistent, except for that girl who now cannot sing. And I really like how the entire thing is perky and fun, but still melodic. It's one of those songs that does best live.

Brown Eyed Girls - "Cleansing Cream"
I finally understand how BEG challenge the k-pop norm, and it's not just in the song, it's in the entire package of the comeback. The song itself isn't anything groundbreaking, it sounds like several other songs, but the way they pull it off, and of course the fact that they're actually mainstream whether they like it or not, makes the entire idea of this release, somewhat off. In a good way of course. And the performance - of course it has to be different from everyone else who prances around stage or stands there - they're sitting down. Thrones, maybe? Again, the outstanding vocals get perfect marks, but the performance as a whole is really something else.

Kim Hyun Joong - "Lucky"
Whoever says that Hyun Joong can sing live clearly has no ears. He's gotten much more stable since going solo, but it's not like he has a voice to start with, so there's only so much he can do before. And why isn't he singing during the chorus? I don't care if the choreography is hard, you are a singer, you SING, you do not dance and randomly chant English. Oh Hyun Joong, when will you ever realize that singing solo is not for you.

SNSD/Girls' Generation - "The Boys"(WINNER)
The only thing on my mind while watching this was how I could accurately describe my rage over the excessive bass on today's performance. Let's just say that no, I haven't found an English word, but I do have a rather stinging rant in my native tongue, which I put on Twitter. As for the vocals, I don't know, there's always something off about EVERYONE's vocals, and I think that has to do with THAT STUPID BASS LINE DROWNING EVERYONE OUT. If everything was evened out on the recording, I'm afraid studio tricks mean nothing in the real world. Seriously, they all sound like they're being strangled, regardless of whether or not any of them are singing well. I'm sorry, but that really puts me off.

Great things can happen when the industry forces an idol group with a limited budget to stand out.

So much money, time and effort goes into idol group release these days - flashy music videos, heavily produced and processed singles, and whatever else money can buy - but at the end of the day, all that really matters is how the group delivers all that flash. There are some who can pull it off, but many (and I mean MANY) fall short - the endless gimmicks have become a way to hide the fact that majority of groups these days have next to no solid musical talent.

Cue DGNA/The Boss.


As an idol group they fall short of a lot of things, they're not under a major talent agency, flashy music videos and overseas producers are out of the question, they've hardly promoted in Korea, they've never won any music shows, they don't consistently top charts and whatever else the standard idol group has to do these days, they most probably don't. But you see, that situation made them the group they are. That's why they're special.

In a sense, because the best their talent company can give them are a bunch of generic songs, they have to find another way to stand out and not be another kpop casualty. They have to push themselves, and in turn, the industry's boundaries, in order to stand out. And what's that way? Well, for starters they all have to actually have good voices.

All five of them can sing. Three of them have stunning yet flexible voices. Of course they're still very young and they haven't been around for long so there are so many things they have to even out in terms of their individual vocals and their group dynamics, but they have their foundations strongly planted. They know how to pull off five-part harmonies without out-singing each other, but they also know how to make their voices shine as soloists. Does that remind you of anyone? Of course it does. ;D

These never-ending DBSK comparisons exist for a reason. DGNA are being compared to DBSK, for me at least, because both groups are lightyears ahead of their peers and because both groups take the current sound of the industry and do it better than their counterparts. The two groups, despite debuting and promoting under different circumstances, are the best voices of their generations.

However, it took DBSK a long time to reach that level, and it will take DGNA long as well. Prior to "O Jung.Ban.Hap.", the reason why DBSK always lip-synced their performances was because they simply didn't have the vocals to do it. Watch any live performance of "Hi Ya Ya", and I promise you 3 minutes of horror. Before becoming the best vocal group kpop has ever seen, DBSK was just like everyone else - nurtured by SM Entertainment, so they never had to challenge themselves vocals-wise. Until Japan came along.

The Japanese industry is rigorous, it's cut-throat, and being signed to a major label does not guarantee success, much like the American industry. DBSK had to stand out, and the only way to do that was to sing, and sing well. DGNA have to stand out in Korea because of their agency's limited budget, and the only way to do that is to sing, and sing well.

"Lady" just solidifies the theory. It's a simple release - generic ballad with all the stereotype elements, simple video, limited promotion and not-so-staggering sales - but what makes it better is that they can sing it well. Live. With minimal accompaniment.



This is the first time since DBSK that I've heard such strong five-part harmonies from an idol group. Each voice is very clear, very sure of what it's doing, and what has to be done, and trust me, after years of singing a middle voice, being sure of your harmonies while being on the same wavelength as the rest of the group is extremely difficult.

Their harmonies are not 100 percent smooth yet and their voices are only about 85 percent on the same level of intensity with each other, but those qualities are not the type of things you can just learn in a day - they take years of singing together, and years of pushing yourself as a singer. In short, they take time.

As individual singers they are outstanding. Mika and Karam have always been the stellar voices, but that guy who does the middle 8, when he goes up for that high note his voice is so bright. If it was up to me, that guy will be their permanent high note-hitter. Seriously, I cannot stress how stunning a bright voice is, and that high note he hit was almost blinding-bright. Well, before he closed his mouth and lost it.

Even with the rough edges, the are easily the most talented group of their generation. They just have to keep going and keep pushing and keep standing out until they actually get somewhere, because if talent is any basis they'd be sweeping charts left and right, and I'd like to think at least a small fraction of the Korean buying public still puts a premium on actual talent.



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*drops to my knees and begs for forgiveness* I can't even begin to fully explain why I haven't been writing, so I'll try to give you guys a condensed explanation. Basically, college has drained my brain more than I thought it would so I spent the past few weeks of semestral break just not thinking seriously about anything partially to rest from my first semester in college and partially to brace myself for the second semester where I have four lit subjects, intermediate Japanese, and geography. (LOL that was a long sentence) That and I now have a weekly column on soompi, so if you've been reading the single reviews and you wondered why it sounded a lot like me, well, it IS me. ;D

So what's in store for PRN during the last stretch of 2011? A lot. If you've been reading my tweets lately, yesterday I was starting to finalize the 50 songs for my "best of 2011" countdown. I don't have rankings or anything yet (which I should probably start on already, actually), but I have revised the rules and right now there are 54 songs on the list. The 50 songs will be locked by November 25, to give me time to start writing the reviews. Like the previous years, the rules will be released on December 1, the countdown starts on December 2 with song #50, and ends on December 31, New Year's Eve, with song #1.

Between now and December, I'm also thinking of bringing back my music show recaps, just as a way to ease myself back into writing on a regular basis, since 50 reviews in less than a month isn't exactly an easy task. If all goes well, I'll probably start this Friday with Music Bank! :D

And, as always, thank you so much for sticking with me. I haven't been the most consistent blogger around, and I'm really really sorry about that. D:

#10: Dae Guk Nam Ah/The Boss - 비틀비틀

Apparently, they've never been D-NA to start with, so I'm calling them The Boss from now on.

So The Boss haven't exactly swept music show wins this year, nor have they really sold a lot both in Korea and Japan (do they even have a single out there?), but I like these guys. And for more than the fact that they remind me of my beloved DBSK.

I re-iterate what I said earlier this year (like in a lot of what I've been writing lately) - 비틀비틀 is generic, cheesy at certain points, and you know not a lot of money was invested in to this, but it's like that to show how much more talent The Boss have compared to your run-of-the-mill boyband from a small agency no one's heard of.

I'd say they're tied with BEAST - BEAST have the backing of a semi-major agency, but lack in terms of talent when compared to The Boss. Put these two groups together and you have just a little less than what DBSK had when they were just starting out.

Let us now take the time to worship Mika and Karam's vocals. I have an unpublished, unfinished, draft of a vocal commentary for The Boss (that I wrote last summer), and I call Mika the Junsu of The Boss, and Karam and Jaejoong. Their vocals are drop-dead gorgeous, and I think being in one of the many generations of Xing helped. The other three are strong too, but Karam and Mika carry the band vocally, and for a band as new as them to be as good as they are is a hard feat to even try reaching.

비틀비틀 is catchy verging on cheap sometimes, but the way all five of them carry it both live, with their stage presence, and recorded with the epic, amazing vocals give it another dimension. To be honest with you, if k-pop gave me the same songs it did this year, only with people who could actually sing them, I wouldn't be complaining.

[August 13, 2010] KBS Music Bank Highlights + Commentary

K. I'm SO tired, so apologies for not recapping everything today - it's my first rest day since the big test AND midterms. Will only be doing comebacks/debuts, and "major" performances, and there are a lot of those already. Hopefully by tomorrow I get a full recap out. *sigh*


Video credit goes to UnknownCarrot160.

Nine Muses - No Playboy
They are probably the main example of all looks, no style OR substance. The song doesn't go anywhere, it's not even that good, and they can't pull it off live. The only thing that's supposedly "sophisticated" about them is how they're dressed, but even that deserves a slight eyebrow raise. It's an absolute pain to listen to them sing, and I think I wanna cry hearing them rap. It's obviously a no, and not until they get some actual vocals.

G.NA - I'll Back Off So You Can Live (review/The Kpop Panel Review)
She's starting to show more expressions on stage, which is good - did she need a win on M! countdown yesterday to be able to do that? Whatever the case, today's performance was a lot better than the last one I saw. Still very far from being a damn good performer, but she's closer than she was last week - if she's improving, she'll keep it up until she gets to where she should be. Hopefully, that comes ASAP.

D-NA - No One.. Anyone
I love the song when they do it live, and their live vocals are just WOW here, but they can't command an audience by just lifting a hand - yet. OMG IS THE RAPPER SINGING? Kinda? They pull off the epic-ness of the song very well, and holy crap who would've known they just debuted earlier this year. I am a bit disappointed though that there's a high possibility they won't get very far because they don't have a major agency backing them, but who knows, they might "break barriers". We'll see.

Rainbow - A
This is like a badly-produced Hurricane Venus, in the sense that it's all style and no substance. I mean, how long are the verses in relation to the "hook" or chorus or whatever that thing is? The treatment of their vocals sounds like the one they use on Kara, which is a pity because the girls who are actually singing (I noted 3 different girls) aren't that bad. The ones mock-singing are crap, but those three girls taking the verses actually have potential, given the state of the rest of the band. Like I've learned to say in kpop though, this is better than what we had before - Gossip Girl was so horrid, I don't even want to talk about it.

Secret - Madonna
I'll say my piece on the song itself when I review the EP this weekend, but this is what I mean when I say being able to carry anything and make it look good. Every move they make, even if the choreography is slightly all over the place at parts, has a sense of sophistication - in the future, they can potentially command an audience by just standing there. It's not impossible for them, that's all I can say. Good enough vocals today, but could be better. I expect improvement over the next few weeks!

SHINee - Lucifer (review/The Kpop Panel Review)
BEST. PERFORMANCE. OF LUCIFER. EVERRRRRRR. I'm clapping. And standing up. And smiling like a madwoman. Jonghyun, this is the first time I'm saying this since promo for Lucifer started - that was one hell of a performance from you. As usual, Onew was in top form, as were Key and Taemin, AND MINHO'S DANCING AGAINNN! See, an outstanding band has the power to carry themselves on stage, even without backup dancers - doesn't matter how many you have, you don't even need any, all that matters is how well you sing+dance, and how you carry yourself on stage. I can die happy now, knowing that SHINee will most likely take over DBSK's place in kpop, and do it well. (even if I so badly want DBSK back, I know it's not gonna happen any time soon)

BoA - Hurricane Venus (The Kpop Panel Review) (WINNER)
She can sing, no doubt (i now retract my statement on the kpop panel that she can't even sing her own song), but I'm not convinced - the song itself is all style, and no substance. The performance was strong, but it didn't make me fall in love with the song, nor did it make me look at BoA in a different light - it's just.. there. Nothing captivates me, nothing catches my eye, and the song goes right through me. I just named Identity one of the best modern pop albums, and then she goes and lets me down with this? Oh well.

[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.

[July 2, 2010] KBS Music Bank Highlights + Commentary

YES, I'M BACK! It's been a long time since my last music show recap and I think I've almost forgotten how to do one of these posts, so cut me some slack today, will you? A lot has happened, I know, and the dynamics of the music shows have changed a lot since I last wrote a recap. Ugh. Anyway.


All videos are from the brilliant UnknownCarrot120.

Miss A - Bad Girl
To be honest with you, I wasn't that impressed with Miss A when I saw the video yesterday - it lacked something. But when I saw their performances yesterday and today, I realized that they're more of a performance-dependent band - you have to watch them to see how good they are. For a rookie band, they're good, they're very practiced and behind all the breathlessness throughout the song (I kinda feel sorry for them) are 4 surprisingly good voices. They just need to get over the nerves and get used to singing while dancing. Now if only JYP would stop trying to make all his acts sing like him. An impossible feat, but for the greater good. LOL.

Infinite - Come Back Again (review)
It's like while all the other bands are getting better now that they're used to performing their singles, Infinite are going the other way - they're getting worse. Little by little, that is. They're probably one of my biggest disappointments - I put my support behind them when they just debuted, but the minute I saw their first performance I lost all hope. No one's singing, it looks like there are way too many guys on stage, and probably the only guy who can sing (at least he takes most of the vocal parts) is only good enough to be one of the better singers in 2PM. *sobs* I thought they were gooddddddd. Ugh. Although they are rather good performers individually or in smaller groups - they just need to work on their group dynamics and vocals.

Sistar - Push Push (review)
Those two girls still suck, that one girl can still sing well, the rapper still raps the same, and I still don't like the song. Sorry.

Orange Caramel - Magic Girl (review. kinda.)
I won't bother talking about the song itself because I need an entire review to be able to say everything and I don't have time or the sanity to write a full review on it yet so that'll have to wait. I'll talk about their vocals though. I was rather surprised when I first heard this song live, actually, because not only can Raina suddenly pull of a verse and new girl sing, NANA HAS A VOICE. It's not anything special, but it's a lot more decent than I thought it was and how it was portrayed on "regular" After School song. And this is not just on the recording, I'm talking about live performances. Holy crap.

D-NA - Stumble Stumble (review)
Even if I wasn't writing recaps when D-NA started promoting this, I still managed to spare some time to watch a few performances, especially their comeback. They've improved over the weeks, but they weren't any bad to start with. I think D-NA has the Micky Yoochun of the band aka the guy with the nice voice who goes wild during live performances - the blonde guy who takes the first bridge (don't know his name yet) went wild a bit during his part. D-NA have the ability to carry a performance on vocals alone, I'm convinced now. Second favorite boyband? Second favorite boyband, tied with BEAST then.

CN Blue - Love
It's like as time goes by, the drummer gets put farther and father from the rest of the band - THIS IS DISCRIMINATION I TELL YOU, DISCRIMINATION! What did the drummer ever do to you besides MAKING THE SONG THE WAY IT IS? LOL sorry. You know how sensitive I am to how people treat a drummer. But anyway. I was given a short crash course in CN Blue by a friend of mine, and I now realize the value of Yonghwa in the entire package - he's the songwriter. Whether I like it or not, I'm familiar with the dynamics of a band and the way things are supposed to be, so I think it's time I use them. In bands, the songwriter is God because frankly, without him/her the band won't sound how they do. So everything he does that annoys me or I don't like should be forgiven - he writes the songs, he rules. If he wants to sing, let him, he writes the songs after all. Now the other guy who sings, whose voice I like, is not the star because he doesn't write the songs. He does have a gorgeous voice though.

MBLAQ - Y
I'd think that after weeks of not seeing them perform, MBLAQ would have the decency to stop being pre-occupied with looking good on stage, or at least get stronger vocals, but noooooo, they didn't bother. But then again I guess that's how they really are, and some people like that. Their performance looks really practiced though, I'll give that to them.

4Minute - I My Me Mine
Aaaaaaand 4Minute are back to their Muzik days. I liked Huh, I really did, and just when I find a 4Minute song I can actually stand, they give me this autotuned wonderland of a song. Ugh. The vocals were sub-par today, but the rest of the performance was standard 4Minute - very lively, very tight and very focused. Not bad, but I don't like the song.

Super Junior - No Other
Leeteuk's smile freaked me out. Actually, the entire performance freaked me out. If I just listen to the performance, it's pretty bearable, but when I watch it I just feel like cringing throughout the entire thing. To a certain extent I think this single as a whole is more of fan service than actually making a "musical" song. But if DBSK ever did this for the same reason, I would be throwing up even more. I won't say anything about the song yet though, I'm waiting for the right time to write a review, and it hasn't come yet. My only consolation is that because the song doesn't really require a difficult dance routine, Donghae, Heechul and Leeteuk sound good.

IU & Seo InGuk - Nagging(WINNER)
I was watching some older performances of this, when it was still IU and Seulong and compared to them, IU's vocals were much better. Not that she ever sucked. IU's fine since this is her song, but filling in for 2AM's Seulong, Seo In Guk sounded like an absolute train wreck today. Really. The song's too high for the guy that he ends up screaming for half the song - it's painful. I mean I've heard some of his own material and he isn't half bad, he actually has a nice voice, but this has "exposed" an issue I never really paid attention to until today - the value of the Korean training system. I mean, here you have a guy who won Superstar K, Korea's answer to the Idol franchise, and he has decent vocals, but you put him out of his "comfort zone" and he fails. In comparison so Seulong, this guy is inferior. Not only does Seulong have a nice voice to start with, he has the training and not just any kind, training from a big 3 company. It really makes a difference.

D-NA - 비틀비틀 (Stumble Stumble)

When D-NA started, I opened the possibility of them being the new DBSK - the image, the qualities they were showing us, and even the song were indicators that they could very well be the next biggest thing. So now they're back with a very crucial second single, and of course I have to write something about it.


When I heard the teaser and it had the autotune I was furious, because I thought "how dare they auto tune these guys!" and then I heard the song and I thought it was the most generic thing since anything. 비틀비틀 sounds like something F.Cuz, ZE:A and U-Kiss would have no problem calling their own, not that these bands have any choice but you get the point. The mostly one-dimensional instrumental, the melody and the style of autotuning thrown together into one song kinda pissed me off, and I took back their "the new DBSK" label. But that was then.

To a certain extent, I'm thankful that I didn't get to write a review for this the moment it came out because in letting it sink in I realized something.

I don't know if they thought about it, and I don't think they ever will, but there's a very good reason why this is the song D-NA are pushing and even I'm in awe. A bit. 비틀비틀 is the way it is, generic for boybands today, to show how superior D-NA are in terms of talent and performing ability. The vocals on the song are pulled of brilliantly for new boyband standards and surprisingly, they have that tiny bit of punch - you can hear the conviction in their vocals. I'm not too sure about the rap parts, but at least the vocals are brilliant to my ears.

There are people in those other boybands who can sing, but the whole point of D-NA is the fact that they took the one or two people who can sing in those average boybands and threw them into one band. Sounds familiar? DBSK were all the lead singers of SME project groups put into one group. Yes.

And to be honest, I kinda overreacted with the autotuning - there's only like a few seconds of autotuned vocals throughout the song, and the verses are left "untouched" (by obvious autotune at least). Besides, autotune is fine for me as long as they're able to sing it live with no complications - sometimes a song won't sound the same without that little bit of processing.

I realize that I was wrong in taking back their title of the new DBSK because I was expecting them to do something ala-The Way You Are. This is not 2004, and the music from then has greatly changed - D-NA are the new DBSK not because they're copying them but because they've taken the trend at this very moment and done it extremely well, better than all the other bands in their "category". That's what DBSK did then, and that's what D-NA has done now. Good job, guys.

So does this mean I have a new second favorite boyband to fangirl over? In time people, in time.

4.1/5

And a little bonus - a practice session where they actually sing! Not like the crapp SME ones where all they do is dance. Ugh. Some feedback here and there though.

*sigh*

I tried not writing for the past few days because it's really been impossible, but I can't sleep, I can't concentrate, and I ended up almost fainting in class a while ago - I can't take this, I'm about to burst out crying right now.

I need to take my mind off things, so here are some random stuff that've been on my mind for the past few days - just so I can relax. Sorry if it's crap and unorganized and short, but I just really need to write.

The DBSK issue is making me go crazy. JaeChunSu just finished their stint at Tokyo Dome and they've got a Lotte ad campaign out in full-force (it's for Korea, mind you). Rumor has it (and it's been partially confirmed by an influential Korean singer/songwriter/producer) that the trio will be working with Kanye West and Timbaland for an "international" album. I heard the Lotte song and even if at the beginning of all this I was like "well they're the 3 lead vocalists anyway", the harmonies are so bare - they lack not only the part that floats (CM), but they lack a strong base (YH). I've always stressed the importance of Yunho and Changmin, even if I don't personally like their vocals, because without them harmonies sound empty, weak and ordinary. Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu have some of the best voices in Korea, but DBSK has five members and it's because of all 5 that they're one of the best vocal groups in Asia - no more, no less. I'm excited for the project, I won't deny that, but I have so many fears that I think will come true. I'm scared as hell.

After School's first sub-unit was revealed recently - Orange Caramel. It's got the new girls - Nana, Raina and Lizzy - and I'm worried about them too. Let's face it, Raina may get a lot of solos and she may be better off than some of the other girls in the band, but I don't think she'll be able to carry the band in such a way that the other 2 sound nearly decent. Without JungAh or even Gahee, After School aren't very good singers - well, apart from a bit of Raina here and there.

Another thing I'm really worried about is the fate of D-NA. I saw their teaser the other day, and to say I was outraged would be an understatement. WHY THE EFFIN' CRAP ARE YOU AUTO-TUNING A BAND LIKE THEM? Does their management company want to feel my wrath???? Ughhhh. They don't need auto-tune, they're supposed to be the next DBSK for crap's sake! OK maybe I'm not that sure yet because it's only been a few months since they debuted, but all the signs were there. Emphasis on the were. Of course I could be overreacting - we might suddenly get a non-autotuned song when it actually comes out. Oh well, I'll just wait it out.

*sigh* And back to feeling like crap - it was nice while it lasted.

Could D-NA be the new DBSK?

Before you start dismissing me for comparing such a new boyband to GODS, at least consider my points, and know that I'm a full-fledged Cassie but I'm also a music writer - I put my biases aside when I write critical pieces.

D-NA are a new boyband under one of the smaller Korean talent companies and the name stands for Dae Guk Nam Ah (something about guys? don't know the direct translation) - pictures were first released earlier this year.


When I first heard news about D-NA, I told myself I'd wait for music to come out, so here I am a few months later, with two songs, a music video and a live performance in hand. What I noticed while listening and watching all this material is baffling, even for me.

Their debut single, Admiring Boy (동경소년), reminds me A LOT of DBSK's Hug, and I mean A LOT. It's not fast enough for a mind-boggling routine nor is it too slow for the band to just stand there. It's mid-tempo verging on ballad, let's just put it that way. The harmony thingy at the start really reminds me of Hug as well, the only difference is that it's a LITTLE more updated than the DBSK debut single. That as well, it's their debut single.

The video reminds me of a cross between Hug and that SS501 single with the band dancing on a white backdrop - if my memory serves me right, that was their debut single as well. The dancing, some of the shots (especially the ones in the house) and the white/back theme really seem close to DBSK's initial image.

DBSK's debut single Hug (2003)

D-NA's debut single 동경소년 (2010)

Talent-wise, I'd have to say they're a little lacking compared to DBSK. BUT, there are a few points there as well. Tthey're a lot better in the vocal department than a lot of other boybands out right now and second, they're new, their voices will still grow and mature. DBSK were good when they started, but they're better now - D-NA will and HAVE TO grow into better singers who'll eventually morph into musicians.

Honestly, I don't know if they're good dancers since I know nothing about dancing but the fact that they're kinda being pushed as good singers (which in Korea most often equals ballad singers, with a few exceptions) but are still made to dance reminds me A LOT of how DBSK were initially pushed. Remember, they were supposedly lead singers of various SM project groups put together to form a boyband made up of guys who can all sing? Well there you have it.

However, I'm only judging on their debut material - if they don't get better songs and grow with time, they're not gonna be the new DBSK. The thing that makes DBSK so brilliant (I would've said this even if I wasn't a fan) is the fact that they grew after Hug and they continue to morph and deliver solid material that's worth your time, none of that auto tune crap. If D-NA can do that, which I hope they do within the next few years, then this essay would've predicted it. If they don't, well it was a nice try. Hahah.