From: "Sweet Dream (SO女 Repackage)" (Mini-Album) Released: April 2011, South Korea Rating: 3.15
Yes, I know, I was one of those people who laughed at Rainbow when they debuted with the ill-fated "GosSHip Girl", but they've really come a long way since their debut, enough to warrant them a spot on my 50 favorite songs of the year.
This Daishi Dance-penned track actually manages to really capture where Rainbow are at the moment. Dance-y, but still structured and melodic songs, that aren't just one note repeated over and over again. The melody is gorgeous, especially the bridge, and the chorus gives the very flow-y and pretty verses that much needed dose of contrast and kick, even if it's basically just "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" in a minor key (don't think I didn't notice that Daishi Dance, you're not as clever as you think you are). They're actually singing, even on such a dance-influenced song, and actually, the melody, in the key they're singing it in, isn't that easy to pull off. I know, because I tried. It's actually pretty high for the run-of-the-mill person.
And that's exactly why they're on the list. What has made me like Rainbow even more is that even if they're easily out-sung by a lot of other female idol group singers, they try. And if you know me, you know that I give points for trying, because majority of acts these days don't. And you know, the acts who really put in effort to push themselves are usually the ones who come out victorious. My prime example? BEAST. They tried, and look at where they are now.
Bottom line is, even if "Sweet Dream" sounds very unassuming, what with the generic club beats and the sometimes thin vocals, it's actually harder to sing that it looks. And that just goes to show that there's more to Rainbow than meets the eye, and that everyone should just forget about their horrific debut single and focus on the now. The good now.
Yay! Another recap! I can't guarantee you guys that I'll be back next week/this Friday, because this weekend was unusually light on assignments, but I'll try. Today's Inki was in celebration of Korea winning the bid for the Winter Olympics (or so I heard), so some of the acts on today had little gimmicks here and there. We say goodbye to f(x) for the year (I suppose), but HELLO TO CSJH!
Video credit goes to CodeAnalysisSeason5. Yay!
B1A4 - "Only Learned The Bad Things" Weak vocals today, apart from that guy who sang first/did the middle 8, and I've come to the conclusion that B1A4 is better off with the uptempos. That's not to say that they're not proficient and the uptempos are a way to mask their incompetent vocals because they actually have decent voices, it's just that they do much, much better prancing around stage (while singing) - they all look more comfortable.
A Pink - "It Girl" I really do not understand the rationale of making your voice light and incompetent ON PURPOSE. Do they want to be cute? Because it just makes them sound like bad singers. I'm pretty sure that majority of these girls don't sing like that in real life. Stop degrading yourselves, then we'll talk, A Pink.
Girls' Day - "Hug Me Once" Can we just skip this entirely? I suppose I'd take this over Hyun A, but I'd hardly call that a compliment.
Rainbow - "Sweet Dream" Another strong performance - I'm glad Rainbow are shaping up, it took long enough! And it's surprising because the girls who are now getting competent aren't the ones I originally liked, bar the girl who used to be blonde (with bangs?), who is apparently their lead singer.
f(x) - "Danger" + "Hot Summer" So, this is the last we'll see of f(x) on music shows for a while. The girls have really stepped up this year, and at this point they really do deserve their status in SM. The performances are not up to par with their seniors just yet, but they're pretty close - they have the vocals and the presence down, all that's left is the command of the stage. They've not completely immune to Inki sound yet, which is why today's vocals were softer than usual, but a strong effort and a nice way to wrap things up.
Hyun A - "Attention" + "Bubble Pop" You know, for all the insults and the crap I go through just because I like kpop, I've never been ashamed of liking it - until Hyun A started "singing". Like, in all honesty even with Girls' Day and A Pink and Dal Shabet I just shrugged them off, but Hyun A's case is more than just not being able to sing, even if I admit that's the biggest factor. It's a very cheap performance. You can argue that "but people have shown more skin before!", but it's not just about the clothes, it's everything put together - the clothes, the choreography, the song. And the fact that she's actually try hard to one, sing, and two, make it seem like it's not cheap just makes it worse. I don't know if I should laugh or cry because it's so ridiculous. I mean think about it, she's actually trying, and people actually like the fact that she can't sing. If it was just cheap I'd shrug it off because I live in a country where noontime shows are the epitome of cheap and showbiz shows aren't aware of the concept of tact, but they don't mask the fact that they're cheap. Bottom line is, this entire idea of Hyun A singing and releasing this single is ridiculous and I would like to shoot whoever thought of it.
ZE:A - "Watch Out!" + "Heart For 2" Weak vocals on the first song, but nice try - I'd like to see a full performance of that song, to be honest. As much as I like "Watch Out!" and as much as their vocals are actually pretty decent on it (which is the deciding factor most of the time), I cringe whenever I see the choreography and the wardrobe. Of course the first songs sounds like a gazillion other songs out now, but if they can pull it off well (which, by the looks of it has rather slim chances but is worth a shot) and not make me cringe, I can manage. Basically, what ZE:A have to do now is put together all the good points they've shown so far, and put something out that emphasizes all of them - because it's possible.
Secret - "Starlight Moonlight" Earlier this year I was THIS close to liking Secret, but I'm afraid it just wasn't meant to happen. Starlight isn't a bad song, and considering all the other songs out right now I really shouldn't be complaining, but the song just isn't my taste. Secret have turned into rather competent and strong live performers since I last saw them, which is good - even Sunhwa and the blonde girl got pretty strong! The performance makes me like the song a bit more, but not enough I'm afraid. Strong performance as a whole.
T-Ara - "Roly Poly" To be honest, today's performance wasn't half bad. It's the kind that you know isn't the best, but it draws you in and makes you want to watch 'till the end because their vocals aren't painful and the concept is rather intriguing. Core Contents knows how to sell T-Ara, and T-Ara know how to sell a song - I'll give them that.
2NE1 - "I Am The Best" But of course, when you talk about a girl group who makes you want to watch them even if you don't like the song, 2NE1 win over anyone active right now. These girls are playing - they have enough actual talent to just not think about the technicalities for a second and just make you, force you, to watch them. Willingly. The crazy outfits, the choreography, the song - everything makes sense, no matter how ridiculous it may sound.
SHINee and f(x) - "Hello" Before I start, WHERE THE HELL IS ONEW AND WHY ISN'T HE HERE. So anyway. I think we learned a lot from this performance, didn't we? Victoria and Sulli should never be let near another SHINee song and should just sing f(x) songs forever because they don't sound sad. Krystal's so-so, Amber is SURPRISINGLY NOT BAD, and Luna can sing anything she wants to. But we all knew that. Key got his nice timbre back, THANK GOD, Taemin needs more practice but he's still Jaejoong v2 for me, and Minho isn't half bad. It was a competent performance, but lacked a bit of punch at some parts.
CSJH (Dana And Sunday) - "One More Chance" I understand that they're not on this week's Take 7, but to have CSJH perform that early in the show is insulting - I'm insulted. This is not some random girl group - this is CS freaking JH, the queens of kpop. But what's done is done. Today's performance was one of the rare times that I prefer listening to the live version over the recording - even with the small slip-ups, as a whole their vocals on this had much more life and punch and body compared to the recording (the one on the music video, at least) and even if it was there during the past few days, the "we're the queens, we can do anything we want to so bow down now or else" attitude of the performance is getting stronger and stronger. And may I just say that these were my favorite outfits from the video - not my favorite hair, I like it when they have their hair down, but these are classy without being too stiff - it matches the song well. The whole performance was really like being in the presence of queens - it was frivolous but not too excessive, strong but not perfect to the point of being robotic, and a feast to your senses. My mind is spinning just thinking what it'll be like to see all four of them on stage again.
2PM - "Hands Up"(WINNER) They're not completely undeserving of their wins, but I wouldn't say that they're the most worthy either. To be honest, today's performance went right through me. When you're not concentrating on the performance and really picking out the nitty gritty the entire thing just whizzes by leaving no trail. I was like "wait, that's it?" - the song itself just goes on and on and on, and I'm afraid their less than spectacular vocals don't really do much to help it. When you think about it though, it's an OK song and a pretty fun performance.
Guess who's back? And with a recap at that! It's been a while, and I'm starting to get a hang of college life (even if I still have a gazillion assignments to finish this weekend) so I thought I'd do a music show recap this week. And besides, there's a lot to talk about the acts who performed this week - ESPECIALLY CSJH! Even if it's just Dana and Sunday, it's still CSJH!
An explanation first as to why I these music show recaps keep going on and off - for the record, I've never officially said that I'm never going to do them again. This series is something that has done a lot for PRN and has established my writing around kpop circles in general, so it's not something I'm ready to let go of just yet. When I do pause from writing them, it can be due to any or all of the following reasons. One, I'm too busy. I just started college last month and every weekend I'm literally submerged in schoolwork - readings, papers, research - these are things I can't not do. I have priorities, I have to get a degree, I have to do well, I have to do this and that - PRN is one of my priorities, but there are more important ones for me. Two, there aren't enough idol groups with material I have something to say about. When there is a lul in releases from idols, I stop doing recaps because I don't want to do a recap with just 2 or 3 performances. Three, when the line-up gets boring. If, say, there are around 9 acts and all of them have been performing for several weeks now with no one coming back and no one saying "goodbye" - I get bored. And when I get bored, I tend to say the same things over and over again - I'm sure you guys don't want to read a recap that's exactly like the one last week. So I stop.
But now I'm back. I can't guarantee you that I'll go all the way to the end of the year with this "tranche", but remember that I'm not going to completely stop doing these recaps altogether.
Video credit goes to CrazyCarrot270.
N-Train - "One Last Cry" Weak harmonies at the chorus, the guy who sings first isn't that strong a singer. The guy doing the high notes at the end is OK. The guy who sings second (the bridge?) is amazing though, and so is the guy doing all the gymnastics at the chorus. It's a bland song to start with, with whimpy vocals at the chorus, and if you aren't really concentrating on the performance it's pretty boring until that one guy starts screaming.
Rania - "Masquerade" These girls can sing, and they've proven that they can sing and dance at the same time and still deliver strong vocals, but honestly, sometimes their performances are far too theatric - like today's. It's perfectly fine to have gimmicks and whatnot because that's what pop is in the first place, but I do wonder now what people are watching Rania for - their material or the choreography. Of course a lot of people watch music in general for the visual aspect, but in Rania's case it's a waste to market them as a "visual" group, so to say, because they have the talent to be more than that. We'll see.
Boyfriend - "Boyfriend" Before anything, let me just say that their eyes freak me out, especially Blonde guy's. But anyway, their performances so far have been somewhere in between orchestrated to the last step and "let's go prance around stage and have fun" - their vocals are so-so, nothing to rave about, but not especially bad. They did a remix today, and it's a lot edgier than the original, but it's good that their movements and, to a certain extent, their vocals have retained the fun-ish part of the performance. Not bad - just stop freaking me out with your eyes.
Girls' Day - "Hug Me Once" Too much pink, too much winking - too much pink in general. And it's a waste because the hook isn't half bad when you think about it, it's just that I want to strangle these girls because they're TOO CUTE. It's so annoying, and it's not like any of them have drop-dead vocals hiding under that horrid facade, nor do they have outstanding material. Take me back to "Nothing Lasts Forever", please.
Rainbow - "Sweet Dream" Wow, their vocals have gotten a lot better since I last watched a live performance. They aren't the best to start with, but their live vocals are a lot more stable now. And add to that the fact that I like the song - Rainbow, I am liking you the more I see you. So now that you have the vocals part pretty much fixed and the material all accounted for, you just need to keep getting better. Which you are. YAY.
f(x) - "Hot Summer" I expect nothing less than a strong performance from f(x) - and I got it. Surprise of all surprises - Amber sings with a feminine timbre! They tried to hide it in the recording, but live vocals don't lie! Krystal's vocals are getting less and less like her sister's, THANK GOD, and hopefully she develops a nice timbre in the near future. Luna's voice is still as stable and stunning as ever, Sulli's back to getting parts that don't show off her now-existent voice, but Victoria's still getting better and better. A bit more pushing f(x), and you'll be amazing. Hopefully.
Hyun A - "Bubble Pop" I laugh when people say that Hyun A's a good singer. Like, really laugh. I saw someone comment on a performance of "Bubble Pop" saying something like "OMG she's so good at singing - she's not even a singer!" - seriously? How can you be on a music show and not be a singer? Everyone knows she's not a singer, and it didn't show that much on the recording (for obvious reasons - I'd like to know how much Cube paid to make her sound like she had some semblance of a voice) but my god the presence of a backing track over her non-existent vocals make it even more obvious that she can't hold a melody. At all. Let alone sing. There are lines that she doesn't even sing - period. In all honesty, she's a disgrace to idol group singers. It's so bad, that even if the performance is 90% backing track, 10% Hyun A, you hear the Hyun A over the backing track. Please go back to rapping - you singing makes me actually like "Change".
ZE:A - "Watch Out!" I actually like this song! The live vocals are a total letdown though, and it's freaky watching them all smile-y with that ridiculous choreography. Will ZE:A please decide what they want to do with their music and image, because I swear, if they release that song on the teaser it's going to be very confusing. And I don't like acts who don't even know who they are.
T-Ara - "Roly Poly" Still dependent on backing tracks, T-Ara? Not a big fan of the song, the performance, or the vocals, but at least they don't make the throw up with all the cuteness. It's bearable song, and a bearable performance, if you don't think of the heavily backing tracked-vocals.
2NE1 - "I Am The Best" Not really a big fan of the song, and their hairstyles are ridiculous and distracting, but whatever I do I can't deny the fact that these girls know how to put on a show. What they do, they do well, and that's something to commend. They're not afraid to do all these wild things (with their hair as well), and some people like what they're doing - as long as they have stable, strong vocals and a sense of unity, all of which they have, I'm good. Watching them, regardless of what song they're performing, makes you want to jump around your room like them.
2PM - "Hands Up" I've never seen 2PM as the "let's just forget everything and jump around stage" band, but it's good that they pull this song off in somewhat an "organized mess", which is a very 2PM-approach to this. The song's insanely catchy, both a blessing and a curse seeing as it goes nowhere if you really listen to it well, but it's perfect for performing. As a whole it's a strong effort.
CSJH (Dana And Sunday) - "One More Chance" I'm waiting for the official single release with the official audio track before I do a review, but if things work out, I will be doing one - so as much as possible I'll refrain from talking about the song proper too much. But anyway - CSJH ARE BACK. Half of them, at least. On one hand I really wanted Lina and Stephanie to be with them one, because they're my two favorite members and two, because the four of them together are epic in every possible way. That's not to say that Sunday and Dana aren't talented though - their comeback shows all these newer, some of them incompetent, girl groups how things are done around here. Today's performance was much more stable than yesterday's, even with the crappy Music Core sound, which they are immune to (thank goodness), and Dana's vocals, bar the shaky part at the beginning (because that part is virtually un-singable in the first place), are flawless and stunning, and Sunday's much stronger today. The entire performance, even with parts that aren't my taste, has ever step, every note, calculated down to their last breath and pulled off like it's second nature to the girls. Because it IS second nature. A performance in the truest sense of the word.
In honor of Racer being bored with the look of the Ripple Effect and re-designing it, I decided I’m bored with my own writing habits. So going forward, once a month I’m going to pick something at random he’s sent me and then write about it. I intend to ignore any photos, biographical information, etc and write a review purely on the merits of the actual music. Pretty insane concept, eh?
My first victim in this experiment is Australia’s Van Cleef and their album Where The River Meets The Rock. Lucky for these guys I happen to like the albums Graham Bonnet made with Rainbow and the Michael Schenker Group. I have no idea if vocalist/keyboardist Mike Gordon is probably more influenced by Nick Cave but the shadow of Bonnet looms large over this album for me. Where The River Meets The Rock incorporates a lot of cool influences that are pretty much ignored in todays heavy rock scene – not just Rainbow, but also Blue Oyster Cult (Spectres/Mirrors era), 60’s Deep Purple and even some post-Lemmy Hawkwind.
“Barracuda Booty Boogie” has a nice speed limit rock feel to it and would sound great in the car on a ride to see April Wine and/or Pat Travers. The guitar chugs over some keyboard stabs and the rhythm section lays it down. We’re off to a good start! The next song “Gold” sounds like one of the Glenn Hughes songs from Stormbringer. There’s a definite Steely Dan influence and maybe even Suptertrampin’ going on around here. Things get a little sinister sounding on “Dalek Gulch.” If BOC ever did a song you could play in a strip club, this would be it.
Overall the entire album is very enjoyable. There aren’t any weak songs and Where The River Meets The Rock offers a lot of variety. For an Australian band they have a pretty North American sound but on “Gullible” there’s no mistaking the sound of a bunch of Ozzies who’ve gotten drunk listening to the Pink Fairies. The 11 song album wraps up with a nice 7 minute instrumental that combines equal parts of “Riders On The Storm” and Krautrock (including “Coast To Coast” by the fuckin Scorps!). I’m very stoked I took a chance on these guys.
When they started out I had a blast poking fun at Rainbow and "Goship Girl", and the hatred lasted for quite a while, but from "A" onwards they started getting significantly better. Which brings us to the present - "Sweet Dream". Not bad, not bad at all.
I'm glad and relieved that DSP decided to steer these girls away from the mid-Kara era sound ("Pretty Girl", "Wanna", etc.) and towards something more suited to their vocals and basically something that's isn't cutesy. I think this is partially because Rainbow were around when the bigger-named girl groups were a little into the shift from cutesy to dark/more mature sounds.
None of them have drop-dead gorgeous voices (at least from what they've shown us so far), some of them still don't know how to sing live, and there are easily dozens others better at performing and singing, but their songs suit them, and like f(x), this has become their sound, this is them. There are many other groups who've come and gone and who sound(ed) like them, but the simple fact that they're able to sustain this sound for more than one or two singles means they're in this for the long haul, and they, or DSP, are really thinking about the future of the group - they are no longer an afterthought, if they ever were one.
Seeing the trend in these groups - how a lot of them slowly going their own ways musically - could very well be a signal that kpop is starting to think of putting a premium on musical identity in idol groups. I know a lot of other groups are very clear in their musical styles, but you know something's happening if a group of Rainbow's stature (which isn't really that high yet) is following too. Or I could just be jumping to conclusions. But then again, who knows what the future will bring?
So the song. The song's different from their previous single "To Me", and yet there are similar elements and sonically they'd generally be placed under the same category. It's a Daishi Dance-produced song, and it does sound very much like the Japanese interpretation of "dance" and "club" music. I was listening to the instrumental just now and I can imagine this playing in some club. Vividly.
It's repetitive, it's got all the elements of a club "anthem" so to say, but it's also very clean. Sometimes too clean. But that's the charm of a Japanese song. Once again, there are elements that really sound like a cheesecake. (if you're a newer reader, I once related Japanese production to a cheesecake and Korean production to a chocolate chip cookie with nuts)
As a whole it's one of those songs that go nowhere on the surface, but the more you listen to it the more it sticks and then you realize that even the repetition has depth. There are times when the melody is gorgeous (that part with the "sunshine" or something), and the chorus nicely balances everything out - it's a bit scream-y, a bit melodic, but very fitting to their vocals. It takes what they can do, and makes it somewhat not painful to the ears. It's not something I'd listen to with a splitting headache, but you get the point.
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.
Inki was in Jeju today! Yay! However, when I found out that little bit of information yesterday, I was less than pleased - more like fearful for my ears. Why? Because one, you have a gazillion rookie groups on today Two, this is Inkigayo - the sound ALWAYS sucks. And three, this is Inkigayo somewhere other than the SBS studio - the sound people aren't used to the venue. Add the fact that they can't even get good results at the SBS studio week in and week out and you have a sonic disaster.
Well it looks like my predictions were right. Someone please fire the Inki sound guy before I go there myself and make sure he dies a slow, and painful death. I don't care if it's easter, he needs to go. NOW.
Video credits go to CrazyCarrot370. The best thing that ever happened to kpop hahah.
A Pink - "Don't Know" You know what they remind me of? That group of girls in elementary school with budding stage parents who force them to perform during school events. Maybe some of them can sing, but the main goal of the entire performance, as dictated by their parents, is to be "discovered" and become the next Mariah or Whitney. Which you can only do by attracting attention to yourself more than the others. The vocals today were painful and the over-all performance like some kind of cute-off. Meh.
Rania -"Dr. Feel Good" That part where the girl's miming the part another girl sings reminds me of Chun and Yunho on "The Way You Are". Anyway. Oh wow. Apart from that stupidity at the first line of the song and the 2 or 3 solo lines mimed, for rookies Rania overcame crap Inki sound pretty well. And in k-pop, doing well in Inki means you're pretty damn good. They have presence, they have vocals, they have a pretty decent song - I'm impressed, and I want more.
Dal Shabet -"Pink Rocket" I don't even want to talk about them. Just watch the video.
Infinite - "Nothing's Over" As much as I'd like to say Infinite did good today, like on MuBank, and as much as they've really improved, for SOME STUPID REASON like I don't know, crap sound, they sounded off today. And the verses hurt my ears. That last set of high notes wasn't half bad though, even if the guy doing it was cracking all over the place. Very tight performance, except of course for the blegh vocals.
Orange Caramel -"Bangkok City" I don't want to talk about the song, but I will say something. I AM SO GLAD AFTER SCHOOL IS COMING BACK THIS WEEK SO I CAN BE SPARED OF THIS BLASPHEMY. Preferably by a JungAh/Gahee tag-team.
Rainbow - "To Me" It's now a contest between the long-haired blonde girl and the girl I liked yesterday for my favorite voice in Rainbow. The fact that there's a contest means we're making progress, Rainbow! But the inki handsfree mics are doing nothing for their vocals, and you really have to listen to hear them actually singing - most of the time it's just a bunch of random sounds and the backing track laced with breaths. We're not making that much progress, Rainbow - work harder. LOL.
ZE:A - "Here I Am" I understand that the song is floaty and whatnot, but their live vocals do not sound floaty - they sound strained, like in reality that can't sing the song. Their energy on stage is really strong, and they finally worked on that whole "being a group" thing, but their vocals are the exact opposite - some of them are lifeless, majority are strained. And as a whole just sad, I'm sorry to say. My ears hurt. It's a shame though, I kinda like the recorded version.
CN Blue -"Intuition" JONGHYUN. SHADES. YES. Yonghwa slurring his words because he doesn't have shades but still wants to be all "gangster". NO. Just no. Yonghwa you're a very competent, consistent live singer - slurring your words only makes you sound like you don't know what you're doing. ANd if we can move the drummer a biiiiiiiit closer that would be great, SBS, thank you. We can work on plugging in their guitars later.
f(x) - "Danger" What did I say about NOT TURNING THE BACKING TRACK UP TOO LOUD, inki sound guy? I thought we worked this out last year - you have to make their voices AUDIBLE, not drown them in pre-recorded crap. You can hardly hear ANY of them, and Krystal's vocals were like, non-existent. We're talking about Krystal here, the popular one. And you can't hear her? Are you nuts? Now because the stupid sound guy was being stupid, the performance lacked punch - obviously, I COULDN'T EVEN HEAR THEM SING. The attitude was there though, which is always good.
4Minute - "Mirror Mirror" They're all getting used to singing the song, that's for sure - OK maybe everyone except Hyun A. Can she just stick with rapping and mock-singing please? However Jiyoon sounds epic as always. And Gayoon is consistent, but the problem is just I really just don't like her voice. The performance was fine, with the standard 4Minute attitude, and the vocals were ever so slightly better than the last time. I still prefer HuH over this though.
U-Kiss - "0330" Oh wow. Their vocals sound a lot less strained today, and a lot richer. Of course the hand mics are a big help, but it's like they all got rest because there's no panting. And the high note was done pretty well, even if the line right after was sloppy. Strong performance - I've been waiting to say that for a U-kiss song!
SNSD - "Hoot" Before I personally thought SNSD's live vocals were way below the standard for a band of their stature and pedigree. I mean outside of their singles a good half of them can really sing, but they could never quite pull off their singles the way a band like them should be able to. The only reason why I didn't like SNSD was because I wasn't sold on the live performances of their singles, and it annoyed me that they could sing other people's songs better than their own, but as they get older they're forced to grow - more so now that they're in Japan. Surprise of all surprises, guess what the solution to that problem was - Japan. Of course. It turned DBSK from extraordinary talents into legends - it's slowly turning SNSD from a girl group that hit the big time to a girl group with pedigree to their name, and this performance is proof of that. The good singers are getting competent, consistent, and the slightly better ones are getting stronger.
Big Bang -"Love Song" If you want TOP to sing, and want to make it look like he isn't TOP trying desperately sing, please don't put his line before Daesung, who is undeniably the best singer in Big Bang. (if you want to argue with me I don't care - Taeyang's voice annoys me) Then if you want to make GD sound good, don't put him between Daesung and Taeyang, who have obviously been singing more lines than GD these past few years. What's more, GD couldn't even pull off singing a few "I hate this love song"'s without panting. And Seungri's first solo was weak. I know he's sick, but if he can stand on stage and dance, the vocals should be slightly stronger. Daesung sounds tired too, and his lower range sounds weak. Did someone forget to make these guys warm up or something? Do they even need to be told to warm up at this point? The only one who sounds like usual is Taeyang. I'm being tough on them because they're Big Bang, undeniably 5 of the best performers of their generation - for heaven's sake they just gave an epic performance yesterday, what the crap happened? Apart from Seungri being sick, of course.
DBSK/HoMin - "Before You Go" & "Keep Your Head Down" Before we start, Inki, is it really necessary for the flame to be heard through HoMin's mics? It's annoying. But anyway. If you want strong Inki handsfree mic vocals - you get them with HoMin. Of course they're not as good as they are on MuBank, but of all the performers who used handsfree mics today, obviously HoMin's vocals were the strongest. And Inki sound guy only slightly messed up! Yay! The performance today was spot-on for Inki standards - if you're a good performer, you're a good performer wherever you go, and technicalities cannot, and will not change that. HoMin are seasoned, trained and outstanding performers - you see how their vocals are brilliant whether it's on major music shows like this or small TV shows with almost no equipment to accommodate vocals. Now, this is the official end of all HoMin activities for "Keep Your Head Down". I'm sad. Really sad. But like the crazy OT5 cassie I am, there's that little sliver of hope that the next time they come back, it's at 5. I know it's ridiculous, but it keeps me, and a lot of other fans, sane. The demands of the industry say otherwise, heck even my brain says otherwise, but there's a part of me that HAS to see that magic again - and hoping keeps me from going nuts, so yeah - have mercy on me just this once?
Yes, I will be returning with the regular three music shows a week - this is serious, until I once again get too busy to keep up. Today's MuCore had a pretty good line up, and surprisingly, MuCore sound has greatly improved! A lot of debuts today, as well as f(x)'s comeback and HoMin's farewell stage.
Let's get right into it! Read on for the recap.
Video credit goes to CrazyCarrot270@YT. Brilliance, I tell you, brilliance!
B1A4 -"OK" You know what this song reminds me of? The theme song for a Disney-type teenage sitcom by someone like McFly, or the JoBros in their early days. Or the theme song for something like "God of Study". It's not bad, in fact since it's the kind of music I was surrounded by growing up, I'm kinda feeling it. But to be honest with you their vocals, their presence and their over-all performance is over this type of songs that I honestly just want them to get over this phase and give me brilliance. Did I hear fanchants? And loud cheers? For a debuting group? And did you see how they just prance around stage like it's nothing to them - but end up putting out pretty strong vocals? Right now, it's between them and X-5 for new boyband supremacy, and the competition is pretty damn fierce, if you ask me.
A Pink - "Don't Know" Ugh. Them. Once again, everyone is trying to out sing, out dance and out cute each other. It's like this is a competition between members for them and the one who has the cutest expression or the sharpest hand movements wins - it's not. And because everyone is still trying to outdo everyone else, I cannot pinpoint an effortlessly amazing voice yet. Today's performance was very robotic - no feeling, no spark. Boring.
Block B - "Freeze" I know a lot of people have been gushing about Block B, but to be honest with you I don't see the hype. The song is generic and they're not the best singers I've seen either. The guy with the hand mic, who I assume is their lead vocalist, can belt notes alright but there's something off about the way he sings. It's like he's trying to be Taeyang, Seulong, and Jay Park all rolled in one - he's not any of them. And is it just me is one of the rappers trying to look, and rap, like TOP? Give me a better song and work on singing before I take notice of you, please?
Rania -"Dr. Feel Good" To be honest with you, I don't really get why they're being criticized. I mean OK the choreography is rather suggestive, but for heaven's sake it's not like we haven't seen something like this before. And my god are these girls talented - they can sing like THAT while dancing themselves into oblivion? I'm impressed. Yeah sure majority of the performance was the hook(s), but their solo lines were near-perfectly delivered. With handsfree mics. While dancing like that and lying down on the floor and everything. If it's between X-5 and B1A4 for the boybands, it's definitely a war between Rania and the Brave Girls. Oh dear why is this generation of new groups so damn good.
Dal Shabet -"Pink Rocket" You know Dal Shabet, you didn't need to come back so quickly after "Supa Dupa Diva". That's code for "I don't want to see you on music shows. preferably never again, but I'll bargain for a few months". But nooooooooo, they just HAD to come back with this disaster of a single that they obviously cannot sing. Their vocals today were an absolute pain to hear, I'm sorry.
Rainbow - "To Me" Rainbow are the perfect example to girl groups starting out that if you really want it and you really try, you can turn out pretty decent. From what I've seen, I really like the girl who's in the middle for majority of the choruses - the one singing "na reul bulreo bwa"? Yeah, her. Nice voice. And around 3 others have nice voices, but not enough technique to carry them live. Today's performance wasn't as good as yesterday's, but it's definitely a lot better than majority of the performances of their previous singles. I wouldn't willingly watch this again, but I won't cringe to death if I watched it again. We're making progress, Rainbow, let's hope DSP lets you stick around long enough.
Orange Caramel -"Bangkok City" I refuse to talk about the song again, and subject myself to anger and annoyance LOL. But to be honest with you the vocals weren't bad, if you take in consideration how the verses fit none of them and the chorus is 90% backing track. Next song, please? My ears hurt.
CN Blue -"Intuition" The only difference this has from yesterday's performance is that Yonghwa isn't wearing shades, he has a guitar, and the song's shorter. That's basically it. Vocally strong, as always, unplugged guitars, as always, and an alienated drummer. Although we're making progress - maybe 2 feet closer to Yonghwa and I'll be happy.
f(x) - "Danger" Oh wow. Where do I start. Well, considering that SM refuses to give up on the "NU ABO"/"Chu~" vocal treatment that I would like them to set on fire for the world to forget, I think this song is a good compromise. It's not that cutesy anymore, it has a bit more epic-ness to it, AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY SING THE SONG NOW! SME I'm so proud of you! LOL. And another thing - it fits all their vocals perfectly. Luna's vocals are degraded here and there's no epic high note to make up for it, but I now realize that they could've done worse. The gap between the better and the worse in f(x) is getting closer and closer - Sulli and Victoria's vocals are much much stronger now, and are catching up to Luna and Krystal. And may I say that I'm beginning to like Sulli's voice. Whether or not they're all using handsfree mics today, it was a strong performance.
4Minute - "Mirror Mirror" I like the outfits today! Jiyoon was good today, although her vocals still a bit too throaty, but I'd take her over Gayoon any day. Now if only we can get Gayoon's fluidity and Jiyoon's technique and put it in one voice - that would be perfect. Although, Jihyun wasn't half bad today. And their presence is slowly, but surely, getting stronger and stronger - if before they owned the stage, now it looks like home of them. They're still really bringing it, but it's slowly getting effortless. Now just work on your vocals and BAM.
Big Bang -"Stupid Liar" Performers in every sense of the word. Not a big fan of the song, but I can't help but watch - they're having SO MUCH FUN and you can't keep your eyes off of them. It's like, screw caring about our vocals, screw trying to hold the audience in the palms of our hands - we can do that like clockwork now - we are going to prance around this stage and have fun and no one can stop us. And my god what a show that makes - it makes you just want to prance around like they are. I'd watch this at least a dozen more times.
DBSK/HoMin - "Before You Go" & "Keep Your Head Down" If Big Bang went the "screw everything we're having fun here" route, which perfectly matches who they are, HoMin went with the "we're gods, we know - keep worshipping us" way, which also perfectly matches the songs. They know they're good, they know they're practically immortal in k-pop, and they know the fans will go to ends of the earth for them - they're turning that into a performance. The result? A spectacle - a feast to all your senses. Everything about this performance was formulated, calculated, painstakingly practiced, but they're so good, so experienced, that they make it look like all you have to do on stage is stand there and look pretty. And maybe that's why so many new idol groups are so lazy and lack effort - because when they see people like DBSK and Big Bang on stage it looks so easy. It's not, they just make it look like it os. EXCUSE ME WHILE I ABUSE THE REPLAY BUTTON.
