SNSD/Girls' Generation - "I Got A Boy"

I've had some time to mull over and think this review through, but honestly I'm still not totally convinced that it's a method that works for me. I get easily swayed by other people's opinions, and sometimes I'm even scared for what some people will think of mine, so for the most part my single reviews come from impulses and lightbulb moments. It's only after those moments that I think everything through. So this is a bit different from my usual style.

When I heard that the production team behind "I Got A Boy" was the same one behind "Genie", which is easily my favorite Korean release from SNSD, of course I was excited. I was excited despite the fact that "Dancing Queen" (for which I wrote a full review for but didn't publish D:) was a disappointment, because "Genie" was both a song, and a sound that I loved for SNSD.

And for the first minute and a half, I was okay with everything. I mean I didn't worship it, but it was competent, and it had substance. The delivery was good, the production strong, and the sound was that compromise I was looking for in "Dancing Queen". It carried SNSD, and the girls' vocals carried themselves. But then that part ended abruptly and I was left going "...what."

To the song's defense, none of the parts are bad -- they're actually quite good taken alone. The main half of the song, the chorus/hook is the girly with substance kind that I really like and that I wish they would stick to in Korea, because it's easy enough to sing, but also something that they do very well. The other half of the song, the pop/rock-influenced verses, are spunky pop that are strong enough to mask whatever vocals flaws they have, while being simple enough for them to carry with brevity. The rap parts are interesting considering they're coming from SNSD, and they give the very saccharine sweet part some kick. And then the part at 3:47, the break-down of sorts before the last chorus, has a gorgeous melody. All the melodies are gorgeous actually -- that hook made me smile -- and the production is really top-tier.

The problem is, "I Got A Boy" isn't the album sampler that it sounds like -- it's one song. Honestly, the first time I heard this I had to check the official track listing to check if I downloaded a version that accidentally merged some kind of intro with the real song. And then just in the last paragraph, if you notice I had such a hard time identifying the parts. Not just because of the unconventional structure (because that's not always a bad thing), but because there are so many sounds and I kind of lost track of where the song was at already.

If you think DBSK lead singles are confused, then "I Got A Boy" is confused and drunk or high. Or no actually, it's confused, drunk and high. I tried all of the possible means to make it sound good -- I watched videos of it, I listened to it for a day -- but all they did was make the line between the elements clearer.

My theory at the moment is that "I Got A Boy" sounds like a bigger mess than it should've been because the transitions aren't as natural as they could've been. But then again, with elements like that it's pretty hard to make them natural. Still, my point is that there is a right way to do contrast and variety, and that thinking out of the box doesn't exempt a song from sounding cohesive. If you're going to be different, go all the way, be my guest, but make it clear that you're not just throwing different sounds together and calling them "different" for the sake of it.

Personally, it would've been so much better if they stuck maybe eight, or even just four, bars of the first verses in between an extended version of the part that sounds like the hook as a middle 8 of sorts, like what happened in the dance break DBSK's "Rising Sun". It would have been a fresh break from the very girly, but also short and concentrated enough to pack a contrasting punch.

I was talking to a friend a while ago, and that friend was saying that the lyrics are kind of the driving force behind this song, and good for them for getting good lyrics, but as far as I'm concerned, the only thing that matters in the lyrics is how they work in relation to the sound of the song, which means pronunciation, line construction, rhyme, meter, stuff like that. Which is why even if the lyrics tell a unified "story", it doesn't necessarily mean that the sound tells one just as cohesive. And in this case, it doesn't.

But honestly, like other SMP stuff, I have no idea if this will get better with time or if this just needs to simmer for a while longer. That's the thing with music, my review was pretty black and white and I focused more on what it is in relation to what it sounds like than I did on what it sounds like in relation to how it works. I might warm up to it, I might not, people might start liking it, or they might bury this song right after promo, and right now, at least for me, it depends on factors no one can control.

2.5/5

FIESTAR - "We Don't Stop"

FIESTAR are yet another one of those groups who I only bothered checking out because one of the DB5K members had something to do with them (in their case, Junsu), but I was genuinely interested in "VISTA", and I really wanted to see what else they had to offer. It's a good thing I didn't have to wait long to find out though, because they're back for a follow-up single!

There's so much going on during "We Don't Stop", that I had to stop what I was doing and figure out what was happening on the song. Is it a bad thing? Well, for the most part, yes. Judging by how this song turned out, it's easy to assume that the composer is kind of a scatter-brain, but looking at it closer, this song does have a lot of good ideas and extremely strong elements. But writing a song is similar to how I write a review -- the way I do it now is either I tackle one, big, issue and try to relate it to the actual elements, or I discuss several, related issues spread out. But if you've been with me for quite some time now, you know it hasn't always been like that.

In art, it's very, very tempting to take all your good ideas and just throw them all into one work -- especially if good ideas don't come often for you, as was the case with me back then. My writing was all over the place -- when I read through my older works, there were clearly some good ideas buried somewhere there, but they were overshadowed by all the other ideas running around at the same time.

To make this simpler, for example if this review for "We Don't Stop" was done by me of the past, I would've started by talking about what I'm talking about now, but then somewhere between now and the run-down of the elements, I put in a few paragraphs about girl groups going cute, or moving towards it. Sure, they're both about "We Don't Stop", and they're both important issues in K-Pop, but as far as frameworks go, this review can only have one or the other. Kind of like the song itself.

I love the individual elements -- the verses, though strange at first, grew on me, the rap bridges are spunky to begin with, and laced with those gorgeous drums really drive the point home, the melodic bridge the follows is a brave kind of epic, and the chorus/hook is catchy with a graceful bite. And don't get me started on the middle 8, which sounds like it came right out of a Swedish pop song, complete with breakdown before the chorus explosion. And you all know how much I love my Swedish pop. The composer and the arranger clearly knew what they were doing in terms of each element, because they took a sound and they executed it with accuracy and brevity, which FIESTAR took and did justice, thankfully. And honestly for those reasons alone, I really, really like the song.

But at the end of the day, "We Don't Stop" isn't five or six different elements, it's one, whole, song. Because of that, it's not enough that the elements are gorgeous on their own -- they have to be gorgeous together as well. Sure, when you put them in succession they're still gorgeous on their own and in theory they make for a gorgeous song, but when you look at it as an entire package and not verses, choruses and bridges, it's like they don't mesh together. Neither do they completely contradict each other that they end up working well together.

In the spirit of the likes of DBSK's "Rising Sun", I get that they're trying to push limits and break barriers, but you can't effectively push something as big as that with one hand pushing and the other wandering off somewhere else -- you need both hands to work together. Or in this case, all elements have to push towards one place, together. They can sound different, they can push in different ways, but they need to push in the same direction. And that's what the elements of "We Don't Stop" fail to do, no matter how gorgeous they may be.

3/5

BEAST - "Beautiful Night"

When BEAST confirmed their comeback, I was both excited and scared -- excited because after "Fiction and Fact" they pretty much cemented themselves on my radar, and scared because Cube has screwed up pretty much all their comebacks this year (I'm looking at you all -- 4Minute, G.NA and A Pink) and I definitely didn't want the same thing to happen to BEAST.

However the minute I heard "Beautiful Night", I realized that I worried for nothing.

It's been a good three years since BEAST debuted, and I'm really, really pleased with their evolution both talent and material-wise, because really, they've gone nowhere but up -- where they're supposed to go. I can't really say I'm surprised because I saw it coming years ago, but for a K-Pop group of their standing to get to this point is really something else.

And that point is being able to move me with an uptempo. Being confident, technically proficient, and comfortable enough to make me call an uptempo beautiful -- because that takes a lot more than just a few members who can sing. There are two possible routes for a group who manages to do that -- the first is gaining my respect towards them as musicians and performers, like how Big Bang and 2NE1 did it, and the second is me legitimately stanning them, like how DBSK did it. Right now BEAST are leaning towards the respect side, but that can easily change.

This is probably the epitome of fearless pop as far as K-Pop is concerned -- the ever so slightly classier kind. Pop that isn't picky with it's brilliance -- that sounds good with or without the video, at low or high volumes, and I hope, recorded or live.

"Beautiful Night" is a song that needs little focus to fully appreciate, but higher levels of focus do result in higher appreciation, I think. The song moves at a fast enough pace to both keep your attention and familiarize you with each element, so you're neither bored nor completely baffled as to how something happened. It holds back where it should, but when it's time to explode it really brings everything.

And the song itself really fits BEAST. I was talking to Ree just a while ago and we were saying how it sounds to Euro and it's like S Club's "Alive" if it was done in 2012, but then I realized that we've seen this from BEAST before -- from "Bad Girl". It's like a classier, more mature and better-executed "Bad Girl", which, in my opinion, is one of the best indicators of growth. You look at the way they executed songs before, and you look at them now, and the improvement is striking.

"Beautiful Night" doesn't rely on just the song, or just the vocals -- it something that can stand on it's own, but it sounds so much better when a confident and practiced group like BEAST pulls it off.

From the very beginning, "Beautiful Night" attacks you with this strong, confident chorus/hook, but at the same time it's subdued enough to help you brace yourself for what's to come. We get to hear some really smooth but gutsy beats under it, but really, the focus of this part is on the chorus -- that stunning melody delivered with rich, but at the same time it just glides through. The build-up explodes before leading to this gorgeous synth loop by the second chorus, and continues for the entirety of the song.

The transitions are my favorite parts of the song, actually, because aside from the fact that they're so well-done to the point of them being extremely natural, they're one of the main reasons why the song is so confident. It's like biting into those tiny red chilis when you eat curry -- it doesn't always happen, but when it does it gives you a hard kick and your senses go into overdrive. In the best possible way.

Come to think of it, if "Beautiful Night" was food, it would be curry. The instrumentation is extremely rich, with all these rounded synths and the very smooth melody, but it also has kick, courtesy of the vocals and the transitions.

Up until this morning I was actually worried, because I looked through my "best of" list for this year, and none of the songs were worthy of being in the top ten. Looks like that's going to change now.

5/5

Wonder Girls and Akon - "Like Money"

Yes, my friends -- "Like Money" has finally arrived. And surprisingly, there's so much to talk about!

As you may have seen on Twitter a few days ago, I had extremely high hopes for this song, because I knew it would be something good when I heard it in the Wonder Girls' ill-fated movie, and once the teasers came out the bar was raised even higher. Now that the song's out, was I satisfied? Well, that's a pretty long story, and provides enough material for a full-length review.

To be completely honest, I first heard "Like Money" in full when I saw the video. It was in 1080p, but after that first time I was ready to completely dismiss the song -- I even thought of a food analogy for my disappointment. However, if there's something that this song has reminded me, it's that I should never, ever, judge a song solely on the video, no matter how HD it is.

That is also my first argument -- "Like Money" shows that the Wonder Girls are a group who need the support of their repertoire to make a good performance. I had to go listen to the single proper to appreciate it, because the track on the video was a let-down. While they carry their songs well and there is no contesting Ye Eun and Sun Ye's vocal abilities, that is only half of the equation -- the other half is the song itself. So when you listen to a Wonder Girls track, you should be focusing on the song, and its elements, more than the performance proper. Which, in my opinion, is both good and bad. On one hand, a focus on music is something very few bands have, but on the other hand, it also means that they haven't properly learned to match their strong material with a performance of equal proficiency.

As far as I've read, there have been mixed thoughts on Akon's appearance, and even I'm a bit confused over whether or not I like his part of the song. JYP is most probably using Akon more for promotion than actual musical contribution, and I understand that aspect -- this is possibly the Wonder Girls' last shot at successfully breaking the US. If they don't do it now, they may never be able to, so they have to pull all the stops for this.

However for similar reasons, Akon getting an entire verse+chorus cycle is a little too much for me (which is also why this review is titled Wonder Girls and Akon, not Wonder Girls featuring Akon). "Like Money" is not a single to launch both the Wonder Girls and Akon -- it's a song to propel the Wonder Girls, and the Wonder Girls alone, because Akon is already a big name. They still get majority of the song compared to Akon, but if you think about it, when people hear a song in a public place, on TV or on the radio, they usually only catch on to it at the tail end of the first chorus or the beginning of the second verse. If the first thing these listeners hear is Akon, and if they hear that for an entire cycle, they will tend to think this is a song Akon did with a random girl group, and not the other way around. They'll only discover that this is a predominantly Wonder Girls song once they look for it on iTunes or Google. Getting just one verse, or one chorus, for me, is enough for a featuring credit.

I may not be able to call myself an expert on American and British pop/dance like I could, and would have, three years ago, but the one thing I've noticed from the little I've heard recently is that (as expected from dance/pop) the bass line has become one of the most important parts of a song, if not the most, both to my disdain and delight. Extremely loud bass lines have never really been in my good books, because it's so easy to just turn up the volume and overpower the entire song with a boring bass line, defeating the purpose, but at the same time, so many songs have beautifully subtle but confident bass lines that are underneath all the other elements and yet in their subtlety manage to let their presence be felt, and felt well. Those are the ones I absolutely adore.

I'm glad that "Like Money" is not the former -- that the song isn't like a dumpling drenched in way too much salty soy sauce (-slash-bass line) -- but I'm also disappointed because the bass line isn't the latter either. I get the impression that they were really going for the latter, that subtle but confident (main) bass line, but whoever produced this didn't know how to do it. I mean it's an okay bass line, and it pretty much does its job, but it could've been so much better, so much richer. The difference between "Like Money"'s bass line and the one in something like Tohoshinki's "Android", or even Jessie J's "Domino" is like the difference between whole and skim milk. They're both still milk, they both do their jobs and have pretty much the same calcium and lactose content, but the big difference is that whole milk is much creamier and tastier because of the fat, while skim milk is more watered down and less tasty.

While the bass line is thinner than I would've liked it to be, hearing the better-quality audio track made the realize that the focus of the song isn't the bass line. It's still a very important part of the song, and like I said, that's the fad now, but I cannot call this a disappointment simply because of the bass line, because the song has merits that equal, maybe even outweigh, the sub-par bass line.

The first is the melody. The gorgeous, confident melody, that I'm pleasantly surprised to say, fits all of their vocals very well. Yes, even Lim, whose whiny vocals usually annoy me beyond belief. The auto tune is blatant but tasteful, and used in contrast to the chorus. There is no blatant processing on the chorus, which is the part that has the most belting, and needs the most power and spunk. Ye Eun and Sun Ye do the strength and confidence justice, giving the melody kick. As a whole, the melody is both versatile and cohesive, all while being extremely catchy. It serves its purpose well.

But what really made me shift focus away from the bass line is all the little bits and pieces going on underneath it, and this song's attention to detail, something we usually see in Japan, but which I also really adore. The synth loop during the intro is gorgeous, and that electronic percussion during the chorus gives the song the extra oomph with a dash of epic. The oomph and epic in the percussion was the same kind I was looking for in the bass line actually. Had it been like that, mixing the two together would've been sheer brilliance.

The build-up of the entire song, everything from the instruments to the dynamics, was done extremely well, not letting go even once it reaches the chorus -- even building up more halfway through. It's a very fluid song, and while the transitions are very pronounced and the dynamics playful, everything just makes sense together. Effortless and fearless -- I can't complain if I get those, can't I?

And a last note, something that I've also realized as a wrap up this review -- "Like Money" is the type of the song grows on you. At first it will probably be a complete let down, more so for the people who waited months for this (me included), but the thing is, this song has dimension. It's not just a melody slapped on top of a bass line with a few synth lines running around -- it's an actual song, with elements that both firmly stand apart and blend together effortlessly, with so many little details running around -- that every time you hear it, you hear something new.

This will be on my playlist for a pretty long time, that's for sure.

4.8/5

Junsu - "Tarantallegra" (Single)

I'll be honest and say that I had no idea how to start this review because the only thing running through my head when I listen to this song is "KSAFHSKJGKSDGHSJUNSUUUUUUUUUU" and all coherent, rational thoughts have just been completely thrown out the window. But then I realized, that's the point of this song, and the point of my review.

Because, in essence, that's what music is supposed to do -- it's supposed to not only make you freak out or jump around your room, it's actually supposed to make you near-insane. Not in a bad way or anything, but when you listen to a song, essentially it should move you, and move you more than just a tear or a few tapping fingers here and there. Again, music is half heard and half felt, and essentially what you hear should help you grasp what you feel.

"Tarantallegra" affects you like that because it's effortless, because it's overflowing with conviction. While there were times when I cringed watching the video, Junsu isn't afraid to deliver. Obviously, he has the talent and the technicals to do something like this, something not a lot of people in K-pop have. I always, always say that before you can think of identity and whatnot, you have to be proficient, and Junsu is perfectly capable of standing his own ground on a song, and carrying an entire performance just with his vocals. Now, because he's technically proficient, the song really becomes Junsu inside out. I's not just because he wrote it with his brother though -- if someone else were to sing it, no matter how technically proficient that person may be and no matter how accurate the notes are hit, "Tarantallegra" will lose a part of it's identity.

And that’s really all I ask from K-Pop as a whole, actually. Be proficient in whatever you do, and do what is you. If you’re doing something you love, something that’s a part of you, the effortlessness and the conviction will follow naturally. “Tarantallegra” is proof that those two elements, when put together, work effortlessly. I mean just look at it, it’s so ridiculous and Junsu’s orange hair is just plain weird, but the song, the choreography, and the video work together so well that I have no qualms. At all.

When the teaser first came out, a lot of people were pointing out that the synths on this song were similar to “Xiahtic”, and while they are, honestly, I don’t see a problem with that. The synths here and on “Xiahtic” give both songs different over-all sounds, and Junsu composed both songs -- we’ve heard so many other producers re-hash their own songs even more blatantly than this.

Years in K-Pop have taught me to either absolutely hate, or just not notice rap parts out of personal preference, but honestly, the rap on “Tarantallegra” is one of the few that I cannot imagine taken out of the song. It adds another dimension to the entire package, and Flowsik’s deep timbre both contrasts and compliments Junsu’s vocals.

The reason why I don't have a problem with the auto tune during the chorus is because everyone knows that Junsu is so much more than just a capable singer, that he's obviously one of the best in K-Pop, and even Asia, and so he can easily sing those auto tuned parts live. The thing is, when I go and criticize other acts for using too much auto tune, the reason why I do it is because those acts use it as a mask, to hide their lack of talent. But then, like I just said, Junsu's talent is no secret, and the auto tune on this song is more of an artistic/aesthetic decision than it is a blanket.

The verses are stunning, they really are. I get mini-heart attacks throughout both, and I’m not complaining at all. It shows off what has made Junsu’s voice so infamous, and I get the belting I wanted!

Speaking of vocals, the thing I really, really love about how this song was done is the emphasis on Junsu’s vocals. Autotune aside, “Tarantallegra” is a song that Junsu carries -- the instruments on the backing track do add something to the over-all dynamics, of course, but most of the time they just go in a straight line. Junsu’s delivery controls majority of what happens to the song, and he does it extremely well. I cannot wait to see this live, (even if he’s not going to be on music shows) because knowing Junsu, it’s going to be that much more brilliant live.

And that, my friends, is the challenge I give to newer acts -- make me smile, cry, freak out, and move me, with an uptempo. Hype, looks and aesthetics don’t matter -- use your material and your musical proficiency to move me. It’s easy to do it with a ballad, but uptempos are a completely different story. If a new act can do that, and do it with as much conviction as Junsu has just done, they have my respect. This is the new benchmark for uptempo performances -- because Junsu has managed to deliver effortlessness and confidence over and above a heavily choreographed and produced package.

5/5

SNSD/Girls' Generation (Taeyeon, Tiffany, Seohyun) - "Twinkle"

When news broke of this SNSD sub-unit, I had so many expectations, and honestly, if we were looking at just my expectations, they were actually met. Being my three favorite voices in SNSD, I wanted a song that would bring out their vocals, and at the same time I wanted an interesting uptempo, not the obligatory sappy ballad that people with actual voices in K-Pop get. Twinkle is all of the above, actually. There's a good balance of singing and screaming, they all sound phenomenal, together and apart, the production is clean, and obviously, it's not a sappy ballad.

But I guess that's where the problem lies -- my expectations were vague and flawed, so the song is too. Yeah sure, the song's meant to have attitude, it's supposed to be gritty and soulful, but honestly, that kind of direction just doesn't work for SM. SM productions are cleaner than clean, and while the girls' vocals give the song attitude, in a song like this, ideally the vocals and the song itself carry each other -- both have to be on the same level. Balance is key.

Another big problem I have with Twinkle is that the entire song is so anticlimactic, mainly because the lines are too spread apart. There are too many awkward pauses in the melody, so much so that I have problems even calling it a melody because it seems to me like these are just individual lines put together. I understand the value of letting things sink in properly, but this is overdoing it, so much so that the dead air makes the song sound awkward, even if everything else is so polished. In being anticlimactic, the entire song loses the attitude that they were trying to go for, even if the vocals have them.

I see what they're trying to do, because it's the kind of music I grew up listening to, but aside from boredom, the impression I get from this entire song -- the vocals, the instrumentation, the arrangement and especially the production -- is that it's trying way too hard. The song isn't pathetic or anything, it has its merits, but at the end of the day, it lacks that impression of effortlessness. It sounds stiff, on top of being boring. This is supposed to be Stevie Wonder-esque -- soul music, soul music. Just because you sing the same way, use the same chords, and mimic the instruments, doesn't make it soul music. It has to have emotion, raw emotion that actually moves people.

The main culprit is actually the production. Once you get over the non-existent melody, the song actually has so much more attitude when they sing it live, especially from Taeyeon (side-eyeing Tiffany for sounding like a three year-old for half the song/when she's not belting out high notes). Twinkle is an interesting idea, executed in the wrong way,

3/5

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If you read my emo post on tumblr last week (was it last week?), I'm still not totally okay, and I still have a gazillion things to resolve, but I'm getting there. Thank you for all your wonderful comments and tweets, and even if I didn't respond to them (T_T), I read them all.

Music show recaps are still on hold, but we'll see what I can whip up this weekend.

Girl Group Showdown: 4Minute's "Volume Up" vs. SISTAR's "Alone"

SISTAR and 4Minute will go neck-and-neck with their comebacks on tomorrow's KBS Music Bank, so as a sort of preface to this weekend's series of recaps, let's see how these girls fair in the music department.

I've been pretty neutral towards both groups' previous material as a whole, but there have been moments of glory from both groups in the past - HuH and Shady Girl in particular. But I guess because of those two amazing singles, I still keep my eye on both of them. This time around, I'm not entirely let-down, which is a good thing, but I'm also not entirely amazed and blown away.

4Minute - "Volume Up"

The Lead Single: At first glance, Volume Up is okay at best. It's a lot better than what we got from 4Minute last year, that's for sure, but at the rate they were going, anything would be better. I've been listening to it throughout the week, and honestly, it grew on me. It's still not stunning or anything, but it gets more and more interesting as the days pass. It's not deep like Big Bang's Blue, but you do have to look at how the elements come together, and really make an effort -- Volume Up won't sweep your feet away on it's own. The production is very strong, and the vocal treatment sounds very natural, but still clean -- you hear some lisps here and there, but it makes the song sound as if the girls were singing right beside you. Of course, the downfall of this kind of treatment is that the bad singers, the leader in particular, sound more vulnerable, and because of this I'm sort of worried for their live performances. Not just with the leader, but with the fact that Hyuna not only sings, but sings first. We'll see. The melody itself is pretty, and even if I find the saxophone loop at the beginning and at certain parts quite cheap-sounding, I like how it's actually a vital part of the song and not some random loop they threw in just because -- Jiyoon and Gayoon's high notes mirror the notes of the sax loop. As a whole, Volume Up is a logical step for 4Minute, it's not something out of character for them, and because of that they're quite comfortable with it, enough to give the song punch where it's needed. It works, and that's what matters.

The Music Video: The video made me like Volume Up a lot more, actually. Everyone looks really good, but in the tasteful way, with their outfits and the sets they chose. The magnae looks gorgeous, and it’s one of those rare times that I actually notice looks. The cinematography is gorgeous as well, and it gives the video character. It isn't easy to make a video with character that still looks flashy and tasteful.

The Rest of the EP: The rest of Volume Up is also okay at best, but it takes time and a lot of effort to get to that best. I heard it for the first time a few days ago when I was burned out from writing all day, and it went right through me. When I listened to it again a few days later, it got better. The production is very solid and consistent throughout, the songs themselves aren’t really bad, the material is cohesive, and the execution is fine, but there’s something missing, and that’s my main problem with the EP. It has punch around the edges, but it lacks a wow factor. There are no stunning, show-stopping melodies, and nothing that really blows you off your seat. It’s just okay.

The Notable Tracks: Femme Fatale, and the melodic parts of Dream Racer

The Final Score: 3.5/5

SISTAR - "Alone"

The Lead Single: When news of SISTAR's supposed "new sound" broke, I was really skeptical, and the teasers were of no help, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear Alone this morning, because it really is a different style from their previous singles. I wouldn't say it's a new sound, which is actually a good thing because I'm glad they've managed to keep the SISTAR sound despite shifting styles. Which means that it's the girls themselves who've made their sound, and not the producers behind them. Though I'm really impressed, it's more of a personal preference that I really don't like the SISTAR sound in the first place, because to me it lacks finesse. But "Alone" is one of the better sell-able songs out at the moment, which is always a good thing. I do like how they're shifting towards more real-sounding instruments and singable melodies. I like the piano and drum lines because for once, they don't just sound real, they feel real. Alone (the song) sounds bare if you compare it to in-your-face synth-fests, but I like that about it -- it's a song that's really centered around the melody and how people can sing it, the key words being people, and sing.

The Music Video: Alone is the exact opposite of Volume Up -- it's very sharp, with solid colors, black and white dresses, pumps, red lipstick, and clean cinematography -- but honestly, after seeing both videos I prefer Volume Up, because it's the more creative one of the two. I mean I like the sharpness of Alone, and they were most probably going for classy with it, but again, my problem with SISTAR since day one is that whatever grace they have looks cheap and contrived. They chose the right elements in the cinematography and styling, but they didn't deliver it well. There's a fine line between tasteful and cheap.

The Rest of the EP: I personally enjoyed listening to the rest of Alone more than I did Volume Up. Or rather, I wasn't bored to death listening to Alone. The rest of the album doesn't echo this "new style" they're going for with the lead single, and actually the uptempos sound very generic Brave Brothers, but at least the album is cohesive in the sense that it's still SISTAR. I really like Come Closer, even if it's short, because that melody is gorgeous, and it acts like a bridge from their previous material towards Alone, it sounds like their old material, but it's already on the same wavelength as Alone. No Mercy is okay, it's very SISTAR with the synths, melody and vocal treatment, and it's not boring, but it's also just okay. I'm a bit disturbed by the the title Lead Me, but the song itself is gorgeous. It reminds me a lot of Rania’s “Goodbye”, but with smoother, gentler vocals. I adore the harmonies and vocal treatment, and of course Hyorin’s vocals give the song much-needed attitude. Gorgeous melody, gorgeous vocals, and attitude to boot? I’m convinced.

The Notable Tracks: Lead Me, I Choose To Love You

The Final Score: 3.5/5

Yes, it’s a tie! Honestly, I didn’t expect it either, but everything considered, 4Minute and SISTAR both have their own merits and faults that differ from each other, and equal each other out. On a personal level though, I prefer Volume Up as a single, but Alone as an EP.

Big Bang - "Blue"

I've always been quite neutral towards Big Bang. While there have been those moments of pure and utter adoration for their material, and while I completely respect them and see them as extremely talented and more than worthy of their success, I wouldn't follow them to the ends of the earth. I'm in between adoring and hating them as a whole -- I have my likes and dislikes, but neither of them really overpower the other. Technically they're spot-on, but at the end of the day everything boils down to taste. And so does "Blue". I'm not head-over-heels for it, but I see the beauty in the song.

"Blue", although still completely Big Bang, is very different from almost all of the material we got from Big Bang in the past. Prior to this they were pretty much zipping through poles -- very intense uptempos or very sensual (for lack of a better term) R&B midtempos, rock-inspired numbers, or synth-heavy ones. "Blue" is right smack in the middle of all of that. There are a lot of things it's not, for starters it's an almost complete deviation from the fun, "let's run around stage" Big Bang we all know. For Big Bang standards, it's as if they sucked all the life out, but for regular standards that's still pretty good!

Basically my point is that Big Bang are maturing. Not in the superficial jump from album to album with the token "let's try this", but that turning point that encompasses the entire concept of Big Bang, from the material to the marketing, and even to the fans. If you think about it, Big Bang have been around for six years already. Six years! That's a century in idol years! (regardless of what country you're in) If their fans were thirteen or fourteen when they started out, in middle school/early high school, by now those fans would've already gotten into university or even started working. Even if you say that they constantly gain new, younger, fans, the majority of the Big Bang fans are already in their early 20's, and have much more mature tastes. They have to cater to those mature tastes, or at least start on it.

Interestingly enough, the only analogy I can think of for "Blue" is that it sounds a lot like water. You don't really think about water, and majority of the time you drink it because you have to, because it's free/cheap, or to flush something else down. When you do that it's tasteless (because duh, it's water) and it basically just goes right through you. But that's when you're not concentrating on it. When you think about it, or let's say when you're really thirsty, water tastes absolutely amazing. Am I right or am I right? And it's good for your body too.

"Blue" is exactly like that. If someone were to play this in a mall or a public place at regular volume no one would really notice it, and this morning I was listening to it in school and just on my laptop speakers, and honestly I was bored to death. I knew it was a pretty song, but that was about it. It was only when I came home and listened to it with headphones, really concentrated, and listened with the mindset of reviewing it, did everything else come out.

A possible technical justification of this is that yes, the vocals are on top of the entire track, and that's essentially what you hear in pop songs (what's called an "ad(vertisement) mix"), but the thing is, the melody is secondary. The intensity, and beauty, of the song comes in the way the melody, the rap, and the instruments all fuse together and deliver the entire song. The sung verses are very gentle, and if you're not thinking hard enough they can be mistaken for emotionless, but listen to what's behind them -- those almost flute-like synths, the raw but graceful "acoustic"/non-electric guitar whose line matches the bass -- there's so much happening. You have to listen to everything, but you also have to listen to the individual elements then relate them all to the whole, and that requires some kind, any kind, of critical thinking.

Which brings us back to my water analogy -- when you're thirsty, you think about what water will do to your body as a whole, but you also concentrate on the fact that it's refreshing and it actually tastes like something when you're thirsty. "Blue" has dimension, it has kick and it has dynamics, but you not only have to be in the right frame of mind to be able to hear those, you also have to be very critical. If you're not, it's just another mellow song, and in a sense it isn't that enjoyable. It's in that intellectual angle that I'm convinced that Big Bang are indeed maturing.

Just a side note, but I guess "Blue" emphasizes a point I always try to make -- that K-Pop isn't entirely stupid. The simple fact that there are people like me who write about K-Pop and take it seriously should be enough to prove that, but apparently it's not. K-Pop isn't stupid, and fans are not brainless. Whether it be in news, reviews, or even the music itself -- they all have to be produced with that mindset, because it's true. News writers think their readers are stupid, so they feed them with useless news, there are critics who think their readers are stupid as well, so they themselves stop thinking critically, and talent agencies along with the production staff think fans can't think for themselves, so they try to get away with putting out bad material. News flash people, you're the reason why the fans seem to have lost their brains, but you can also be the reason they start thinking critically.

4.5/5

Ailee - "Heaven"

Before the review, of course I have to talk about Whitney Houston. How can I not. I don't have any sentimental stories or whatnot about her or her music like a lot of other people, and I'll admit that I didn't listen to her as a kid as much as other people do/did, but I have immense respect for her. Immeasurable respect. So many people have attempted to pull her songs off, and only a handful, or even less, have pulled it off. There is no one like Whitney Houston. May she rest in peace, and may she continue to serve as both an example and and inspiration to younger singers and musicians.

Honestly, I've been paying next to no attention to all the new acts that've come out so far, but one, I'm glad I watched Dream High 2, and two, I'm glad I bothered to look Ailee up. Because I'd never hear the end of it from myself if I missed Ailee.

I hate how the only reason why I bothered listening to Ailee was because she's in Dream High 2, but I think the reason why I noticed her in DH 2 in the first place kind of makes up for it. For those who aren't watching the drama, Ailee part of the sort of flagship girl group of the main talent agency in Dream High 2 - the other two members are T-Ara's Jiyeon and SISTAR's Hyorin, and they all move to Kirin and train. Jiyeon has the biggest role out of the three, and out of the four episodes I've seen, I hardly ever heard Ailee talk in comparison to Jiyeon, and actually even Hyorin, because she's always in the sidelines. But out of the three, honestly, Ailee was the one who stood out the most for me in terms of vocals. I mean yeah, Hyorin's amazing too, but her voice in the drama is kind of being downplayed. When Ailee and Hyorin did G.NA's "Top Girl", Ailee slayed Hyorin. Beat her to a pulp.

However, I'm a bit scared for Ailee. We've seen this done recently - "this" being the super-talented female solo artist being given a HUGE publicity push, a melodramatic ballad that shows off her voice, and everyone falling at her feet. G.NA. Ailee may not be from an agency with some kind of clout like how G.NA is from Cube, but she definitely isn't from a humble background, because she's Wheesung's protege. But of course, the measure of a mentor's worth isn't in what he/she has done for him/herself, but in how the student fares. I mean look at Rain, when he was handling MBLAQ they were a complete disaster, no matter how good a performer Rain is. It usually works well though, seeing as YG and JYP were both former pop stars/now-legends themselves, and SM was a frustrated pop star. And it definitely worked with Wheesung, even if I'm not that big a fan.

Ailee is amazing. Let me just put that on the record so if ever she hits it huge in the next few years, I can say I called it. (A bit later than a few others, but early nonetheless!) Like how I called BEAST AND Infinite. And IU.

The reason why I like Ailee's voice is because even if it has body and she can hit high notes at the drop at the hat, there is a sense of youth to her voice. Ailee is like a half-painted canvass -- she has her foundations firmly planted, and unless she smokes or something her voice won't get any worse, but her voice has so much room to grow, to mature. Like IU, who, I think we all agree, was amazing back then, but is even more amazing now. You know Ailee's young (22 is still young in terms of voice), but you also know that she's not this little girl trying to sound like she's fifty. If there's something you should never mess with, it's the age and development of your voice. Tampering with your voice is kind of like tampering with your face - I'm sure we've all heard our fair share of plastic surgery horror stories.

There's nothing really new to "Heaven" per se, but what it does is that it brings out Ailee's voice. It's somewhere in between a screaming-parade and a cute-fest, and it works, both in gaining mainstream attention, because it's not too avant garde, and in showing off that stunning voice. She doesn't hit you over the head with her voice, but she isn't ashamed of it either and when she lets go, it's really something. Everything in moderation.

That moderation reflects in the instrumental and the arrangement as well. "Heaven" starts off with just a simple piano line, progresses into a full-fledged, but gentle accompaniment. Ailee is one of those singers who can actually carry a song with just her voice, and I haven't seen a lot of that recently. The product is a graceful, but convincing package.

"Heaven" itself sounds like a Korean-ified cross between Shontelle's "Battle Cry"/"Superwoman", and The Script's "We Cry" -- I like how the instruments sound very clean, but also how the somewhat still raw guitar takes center stage during the chorus, and how you don't hear the bass clearly, but you feel it. And really, it's a gorgeous song, one I'll definitely be looping for the next few days at least. A gorgeous melody on top of an epic and firm, but graceful, melody, brought together by Ailee's stunning and perfectly capable vocals. It's nothing ground-breaking, but it is what it is, it's not pretentious either.

"Heaven" is an effective debut, it gets Ailee out there, and it shows us what she can do, but I still can't help but be a little scared for her, seeing as material-wise, K-Pop female solo acts (emphasis on the POP) haven't been doing as well as they should be. She better not disappoint!

4.2/5

[Edited] DBSK/HoMin - "Winter Rose"

I couldn't help myself, I really couldn't. The minute I heard this song it's like I was enlightened. (LOL) I'll try to be back later today for a MuCore recap, but no promises. It's Saturday today, errands day. We'll see.

(continue reading for the edits)

If you were with me through at least one set of Christmas-themed posts, you know that I'm very picky with my Christmas pop songs, and that's partially because Christmas is a very big deal here in the Philippines, plus the fact that I grew up (professionally) singing pieces like Handel's Messiah and classics by Filipino greats. Christmas songs are not just Christmas songs because they mention snow or gifts in the lyrics, and one of my missions in life is to make everyone understand that!


Christmas songs are all about familiarity, about good memories from the past Christmases. They are one of the best examples of the fact that music is half-heard and half-felt -- hearing a Christmas song should make you warm and fuzzy and, well, Christmassy. And how do you do that? With familiarity. Familiar melodies, familiar instruments, chymes and bells, anything that *feels* like Christmas. Why do you think Ray Conniff arrangements/albums still sell big? Because they're familiar, because people already equate them to Christmas.

Christmas songs are as familiar as they are fresh, and so if you try too much to change the arrangements, you lose the feel, and I think I've made it very clear that the feel is everything when it comes to these songs. Pop songs are usually like that - they try too hard to deviate from the formula, but they fail to realize that once you deviate from that formula, you deviate from Christmas. And aren't you making a Christmas song in the first place?

The best Christmas songs are those that can take the formula, take the familiarity, and keep it, while delivering something that much more fresh. Let's just say that "Winter Rose" is exactly that.

The song has this sweeping melody, and it's in waltz-time. WALTZ-TIME. Christmas songs are not just in standard 2-4 or 4-4 time, some of them have really whacked out time signatures, actually. I know. Like I said, I've sung Handel's Messiah a gazillion times. You think he stuck with 4-4 all the way? Hell no!

So the chorus. It's familiar, isn't it? I can't put my finger on exactly what it mirrors, but the time signature mixed with the melody itself are enough to get you all tingly inside. And they're gorgeous. So, so gorgeous. But also, if you were to take this melody alone, without the bells and chymes, it would still actually sound like a Christmas song and not just a random pop song.

The bells, the chymes, THE STRING SECTION, the way they all have a mini-explosion at the chorus when that gorgeous melody takes over, I'm ready to die now. And that middle 8. Holy mother of heaven and earth and maybe even hell that middle 8.

*edit*

I cannot believe I based this morning's review on what I heard from my crappy MacBook Pro speakers. I cannot believe it. I can't believe I missed what is possibly the most important part of this song - the bass line. You know me, I'm very picky with the intensity of my bass, and when songs become bass-fests they're instantly put on my bad list, but if I hate a certain type of bass, I have to like another, right? Right. As a kid, one of the many things I learned from my dad was that you can identify a song by its bass line, and that, in a noisy crowd, all you have to listen to in a song is the bass line. He was dead-right too.

But what does that have to do with anything? Well, I like very unassuming bass lines, just like the one I didn't hear on my laptop speakers this morning. I *like* looking for the bass line, like what my dad and I used to do to pass time in a noisy restaurant. And I also like bass lines that sound like they were played live then just slapped on to the song with minimal processing. I like REAL bass lines, because they actually have emotion.

The bass line on "Winter Rose" gives the song so much dimension, and it makes it real. Why do you feel all warm and fuzzy? Because you feel real. Because the bass line sets your heart racing. Like I said, Christmas songs are more about what they make you feel than they are about the technical aspects of a song. So close your eyes for a bit and just listen - listen to the real bass line, to the familiar melody, to the gorgeous strings. Don't you feel all nice and warm and fuzzy? Mission accomplished, then.

This is, without a shadow of a doubt, THE best original pop Christmas song I have ever heard.

5/5

KARA - Step

So I tweeted a while ago that I was/am on the verge of a break down and that I couldn't relax because I had so much to study. Well, I tried studying, but nothing's sticking to my brain so whether or not I study tonight I'm most probably just gonna fail anyway, so I'd rather get something done than just laze around, and since writing is supposed to relax me, I'm gonna give it a shot. Time to try and forget the fact that I have to get up at 5AM tomorrow, that 2/3 of my subjects tomorrow have tests, and that I'm probably gonna fail them. Oh well.

So anyway. Enough about the break down I have to forget, on to business. I was too distracted with the JYJ teaser this morning to bother with the KARA song/album, but now that I've seriously listened to the song, I really, really like it. Out of all these "vintage"-themed singles or whatever - e.g., "Roly Poly", "Figaro", you get the point - I like this the most, probably because it's more than just "vintage".

So the synths and loops throughout the song, as well as the percussion and some parts of the melody, would possibly class this among the "Roly Poly"s of the world, and at first glance it really does fit this girl group trend, but the thing is that KARA have a strong enough back catalogue and musical identity to not just completely surrender themselves to the trend. 

If you notice their previous singles and when they came out, they follow whatever the trend was at that time - "Lupin" had that dark thing going, "Jumping" was out during the time when everyone was going techno, or some derivative, and now "Step Up" is following the "vintage" trend. And just a side note, but I listened to the instrumental and the synths are SO "Take On Me"/"Never Gonna Give You Up".

But if you also noticed, all three singles have something that ties them together. Of course as time passed the synths got noisier, the orchestrations grander and the vocals ever so slightly better, but they all still sound like KARA. There's a specific style, sound and combination of vocals, instrumentation, structure and arrangement that just clicks and links the three songs together. There's no before or after, no "shocking transformation", there's only KARA songs.

It's nice to know that after all the complaining I've been doing these past few years about the fact that all these idol groups have no sense of musical identity and cohesion, everyone in kpop is finally, slowly, finding their ground, and their niche. I've been waiting for more than 2 years for this, it's about time!

So on the song proper. So now that I've made it clear that it's a KARA song, I assume you know what goes in to the now-standard KARA single. It's synth-heavy, it's got those pretty trumpets behind all that chaos, and the melody is infectious. It's fast enough to build choreography around, but it's relaxed enough for an actual melody to surface. Strong production - rich instruments, float-y but firm vocals and a well pulled-off resolution. However if their past singles are anything to go by on, they probably can't pull this off live, which will, again, be a pity.

So what did it get from the current trend? The fun. It's such a fun, happy, light song, but it's not the "I wanna puke" kind of cute either. There's enough seriousness for it to be taken seriously, but with everything going on in the background, the vocals just manage to tie everything up nicely and give it that light sound. The chorus in particular honestly just sounds like one big riot of a party - the vocal treatment, the trumpets, the chords and harmonies - I don't see how you cannot dance, or attempt to, when you hear something like this.

So from now on, whenever someone makes an excuse that they wanted to make a light and fun song but end up making a sickeningly cute track, I will use this as proof that you don't need to make everything cute for it to be the light kind of fun.

The last point I want to raise, and probably my favorite part of the song, is the middle 8. I'll go ahead and say it - although short, this is one of the most brilliant middle 8's I've heard in a very long time. It's a very welcome break from the rest of the noisy, but fun, parts of the song, and it comes at the right time, but in itself it's gorgeous. Although a little throatily delivered, the melody is so pretty and the transitions are perfect. It just zooms in and out and only when it's gone do you realize how gorgeous it is.

Definitely one of the best singles this year, I'm not gonna lie. And my first perfect review in quite a while!

5/5

After School: Blue vs. Red

I've been meaning to write a review on either and/or both of the singles since they came out last week, but I was swamped with schoolwork and all I wanted to do this past weekend was sleep, shop and eat. Then, last Sunday I thought of a decent excuse for not writing a review earlier, so I decided to write this post up anyway. So here I am. My excuse? I was waiting for them to wrap up their comeback stages, and although they haven't gone on Music Bank yet, they've done 2/3 of the shows - that's good enough. This will be a little more than just two single reviews slapped together, because it's an analysis of the sub-groups as a whole - the members, the single, the delivery.

After School Blue

The Concept:

According to Pledis, they're supposed to be the cute ones. Cute, "fresh" (whatever that's supposed to be) - mainly cute. When I first heard of this, I instantly knew this was the AS sub-group that would make cringe. And the sub-group with Raina in it. I was right!

The Line-up:

Raina - Fits this subgroup like a glove, and you need someone in this subgroup who can actually hold a melody, so Raina it is. I would've been more surprised if they put her in Red, where she most definitely does not belong. That and they finally took her away from Jung Ah so Jung Ah can finally get majority of the vocals.
Lizzy - Lizzy's pretty versatile, to be honest. She's young so you would assume she'd fit more in Blue, but actually I'd like to see her in Red. She has the vocals to do it, seeing as they thought UEE was okay for Red. But we'll get to UEE later.
Jooyeon - Thank goodness she's here and not in Red. At least she can hide her non-existent vocals with cuteness, which isn't really happening but you can tell they tried.
E-Young - It's too early to really judge E-Young's voice, seeing as she's only been around for 1 single (plus this) and she gets minimal lines, but at least here in Blue, if she's really good it'll show. We'll see.

Who should have been included:

UEE - Enough said. I'll talk about her more when we get to AS Red, but UEE should've really been in Blue.

The Single:

"Wonder Boy"

Plagiarism issues aside (Have you people not gotten tired of all these stupid plagiarism claims already?), it's not a bad song. To put it in modern terms, it's very SNSD circa-2007-meets-Orange Caramel. For the people who have bothered to learn their kpop history, I do agree when people say it kinda reminds them of "Forever Love" (the Fin.K.L version, not the DBSK one), but I wouldn't go as far as to say that it was plagiarized. There are similarities, yes, but the melody isn't a 100% copy. Humor me. Anyway. It matches the entire idea of this subgroup, and seeing as majority of them really do this type of singing in the first place, the vocals were decent, when taken in context. Cute with a bit of spunk - come to think of it, that kind of matches what the new generation of After School are being marketed as.

The Performances:

Because majority of the members are really made for this kind of material, it doesn't surprise me that they can actually pull it off, again relative to the material. And, there were quite a few revelations - E-Young actually has a voice, Lizzy has a nice timbre but not that much of a voice, and Jooyeon still can't sing. Unlike the Orange Caramel performances which were really exaggerated and annoying, their first set of performances for "Wonder Boy" were pretty strong. Not my personal taste, but they did it well.

After School Red

The Concept:

Basically the opposite of AS Blue. Fierce, sexy - that type. Even before the song came out, I was already placing my bets on AS Red. As if I'd bet on AS Blue. Really now.

The Line-up:

Gahee - Duh. As if they'd even attempt to put Gahee in Blue - not gonna happen, Pledis. Gahee is the epitome of the entire idea of AS Red, she cannot not be in this sub-group.
Jung Ah - They finally let Jung Ah show off her vocals again after ages. Red is definitely the right subgroup for her, even if I was a bit disappointed with what she got on the song. But I'll get to that later.
Nana - Interesting member choice here. I don't know who else to put in Red either, so I guess Nana will have to do. She isn't that bad, in fact she's a lot better than she was when she first joined, it's just that there are better and more consistent singers in the group. And she tends to sound squeaky.
UEE - What. The. Hell. Why is this girl even in this subgroup. Why. She should be in Blue. Come to think of it, all of the members who weren't in the original line-up, bar Jooyeon because she's always been the useless one, should be in Blue, because basically they turned After School into a cute-fest plus Jung Ah and Gahee. UEE is on the useless side, but maybe we can put her on the cute side to save face. And training fees.

Who should have been included:

I'm not too sure of this myself, to be honest. No one for now.

The Single:

"In The Night Sky"

When I first heard the song, I was rather disappointed because this is hardly sexy or fierce or whatever they'd been telling us that AS Red would be. Of course I wasn't expecting them to strip or pole dance or anything, but for "fierce", this is really tame. Really tame. People have compared it to "Shady Girl" because of the loop and the synths and the talking guy in the background (who I assume is the same guy) and to a certain extent it does sound like the SISTAR song (the only one I can stand, to be honest), but again - it's not plagiarism if a significant part is not a 100% copy of another song. So anyway. After the initial "but this isn't fierce!" stage, it's not a bad song either, and I like it a lot better than the AS Blue song. But then again I hate anything that's in a similar realm to the AS Blue song. The chorus is extremely catchy while keeping a pretty melody throughout the entire song, and it's actually very pleasant to listen to - I've had just this on loop all weekend and I'm not sick of it yet. However, like I said a while ago, I was disappointed with the melody because it didn't give Jung Ah a chance to show off those stunning vocals I know she has, but never get shown. Jung Ah needs something like her "Bang!" verse, only longer - that was what I wanted, and what she needed to prove to everyone that she still has the upper hand in AS when it comes to vocals. But alas, they made her squeaky.

The Performances:

I was really disappointed with the live performances for this. Really disappointed. First you have UEE, who can't sing. At all. Then you have Gahee, who does have a voice, but isn't the most stable singer around. You have Jung Ah, who's singing in a pre-meditated cutesy voice most probably demanded by the agency. And you have Nana who really sings cute and isn't the best live singer either. Such a let-down. They carry themselves really well, even without backup dancers, but I'm afraid they, once again, cannot pull this song off live. PLEASE, Pledis, I beg you - give these girls a song they can actually sing live. For their sake. And your money's sake.



So now that I've laid down all the important points - which side are you on, Red or Blue? I think you know which side I'm on. :D

Rainbow - Sweet Dream

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.

4.1/5

f(x) - "Hot Summer"

I know, I know - shoot me now. I spent the remaining days of my summer break lazing around, but in my defense I was extremely frustrated that I couldn't write at all! Like literally, my brain juices all dried up and I was left with a mountain of unfinished drafts on blogger, some even un-started. And that really bothered me. I joined SOOMPI's news team earlier this month to try and push myself to write, and it looks like it's slowly working. Not sure if that's really the reasons why I've actually written something after like a gazillion years. I'm a bit rusty around the edges because obviously I haven't written reviews recently, so take it easy on me, please?


That said, I just started college today (no formal classes yet or anything), and based on my schedule for this semester, I'll have a lot of free time. To write, maybe? We'll see, since I'm taking 2 English/Lit classes this semester (prerequisites for my Comp. Lit subjects ugh) and I'll be writing a lot there too.


"Hot Summer", oh yes my friends, it is the Monrose song off the now legendary (one way or another, for me at least) "Strictly Physical", which I liked thank you very much, which became Stonefoxx's shot at fame, mainly because it was a Monrose cover. So technically I'm back to my blogging roots - Monrose and Stonefoxx were the groups I followed back when I was still blogging about UK and US music (trying to get back to that, but seeing as I can't even write about kpop anymore, it'll take some time) and one way or another I kinda liked them.

I never really took note of the song itself though. I mean I heard both versions, but either in passing or if I did like either version, it wasn't for too long. Now that I hear it though, it's not half bad. And with the right tweaking, something that could possibly work very well for f(x).

The Monrose version had a lot of attitude, standard Monrose, a very packed arrangement at times with hints of GA/Xenomania here and there ("Sexy! no no no..." anyone?), while the Stonefoxx version had a much more tame and clear arrangement, and very clean, smooth vocals. Polar opposites, if I may say so.

So where does the f(x) version lie? The same way the previous two versions bore the arrangement trends of their time, the f(x) version is very packed. VERY packed. This song definitely got the SM/YYJ treatment - the vocals, the arrangement, the instrumentation, they're all distinctively SM.

And surprisingly, distinctively f(x). At this point in their career, they've established a sound and it's very clear where they can go, and where they will most likely end up. Of course it took several disasters and some mediocrity, all of which I complained about, but this is now. And now is good. Now is them. Very them.

They kept those "eyyy yo"'s at the beginning, not sure if I like it better with, or without. It fits pretty well though. I'm not that fond of synth-fests in general, but there are times when I just feel like listening to heavily-produced, really packed songs, and this falls right into that category. I've gotten used to the talking during the verses and although it's not really something I personally like, they do pull it off rather well. The vocals are treated very much like an f(x) song - it's nothing new, but the familiarity of it is what gives the song an edge.

Looking at everything they've put out, everything from "Chu" to the present actually have even just a few similar elements. Of course I hated "Chu" and cursed "NU ABO", but they delivered with "Danger", and just drove it home with "Hot Summer". The f(x) style is not a style I particularly adore, nor is it something I will look for and really make people look up to, but it's them, and in k-pop it's become their sound. Everything from the melodies, the arrangements, the vocals, they way they're treated and the combination of all those - they own it.

And for that, they now have my respect. You all know it's not something I give out very easily, but they have proved, with "Danger" and now "Hot Summer", that they do have an identity, and they can deliver. Well, I expect nothing less from an SME 5-piece.

4.7/5