[#19] Roh Ji Hoon - "Maker"

From: "The Next Big Thing"
Format: EP
Released: November
Territory: South Korea
Previous Best of Appearances: First Appearance

I didn't really know much about Roh Ji Hoon when I first heard his debut EP, but I was intrigued by the fact that one, he was a solo artist, and two, he was under Cube. If the way they treated Hyun A as a solo artist was anything to go by, I hoped to get something good. And I did.

It was actually a really close fight between this and the lead single, but I thought that since I have a similar-sounding song (also by the Brave Brothers) higher up on the list, and after listen to both for several days, "Maker" was really the song that stood out for a number of reasons.

I always say that the measure of a singer isn't just in what difficult ballad he/she can sing -- it's in the most unassumingly simple songs, and how singers make those simple melodies sound complex. Difficult songs are not difficult because they have all these bells and whistles, they're difficult because they make you do all the work. The verses are gorgeous, and delivered with that smooth, but very masculine, voice, get even better. Even if the chorus is very disjointed and doesn't really require heavy vocal gymnastics, it allows his technique to really show through.

"Maker" has what the judges on K-Pop Star call "swag", but what I call effortlessness paired with confidence, which is mainly because this guy can actually sing. In my confidence-fine line-arrogance diagram, "Maker" is right smack in the middle of confidence and that fine line, and that's a really, really good thing. There's intensity to the song, but it's so obvious that Ji Hoon is genuinely enjoying what he's doing -- I don't know about you, but his vocals on the verses sound like he's smiling while singing. This is what I mean when I say that a good singer will always, always find a way to show his/her enthusiasm and confidence.

The last reason why I really like this song is slightly less "serious" than the others, but really, I like any song that forces Hyun A to stop sounding like a mouse and stop trying to hard to be cute and sexy at the same time.

[July 10, 2011] SBS Inkigayo Highlights + Commentary

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.

[July 9, 2011] MBC Music Core Highlights + Commentary

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.