[Review] Mamamoo - You're The Best

After teasing us with the beautiful ballad "I Miss You" and hilariously weird "Price of 1cm," Mamamoo are ready to drop their studio album "Melting." They've already achieved ridiculous success prior to this album, so anticipation and hopes are quite high as we dive into the vacation wonderland video of "You're The Best." Again, I don't quite understand some of these title translations, but I'm not Korean (and the Korean title itself is also quite weird to me) so whatever haha.

Solar has really come into her own lately. She's deservedly a top tier vocalist by now and this may be the best song that showcases her talents. She constantly gets some powerful lines and she has been very consistent since Mamamoo's debut. Her versatility doesn't go unnoticed and those high notes are really bulked up by Solar's voice. It's so refreshing to see her constantly act as the lovestruck girl, as her facial expressions are beyond priceless. Even though Wheein carries the chorus in "You're The Best," she more or less takes a support role with Solar's power and Hwasa's energy in the mix. This MV made me realize a very important issue: Wheein needs her own eating show immediately. She would kill it. I would pay good money to have a "Lunch With Wheein" stream or episode. Please make it happen. The V broadcasting app can make this dream a reality.

Moonbyul continues to do her best despite being left in the vocal shadows of her teammates. I'd really love to see her get some singing lines or even minor harmonization later. She has shown the capacity for it, so just need to get that potential realized. This is probably her weakest rap performance to date. Both raps aren't bad, just underwhelming. Compounding this is the fact that she doesn't have a single rap segment but rather split shorter ones. Generally this type of thing doesn't work very well (and in "Um Oh Ah Yeah" I argued the same thing), unless you have extended raps for both parts (think Erin and Eunji in 9MUSES' "Wild"). Still, I commend her for her effort. On the plus side, I like that Moonbyul isn't introducing herself before her raps anymore! Though that's because Hwasa does that now. Dangit. Anyway, Hwasa continues to rock, bringing that disgustingly good charisma and sass to her vocals. If Wheein's smile gives me life, then Hwasa's energy does the same. This ship is too powerful. And I must say, I have never seen that shade of orange that perfect before. Kudos to you, Hwasa (honestly though everyone's appearance is on point, even if those shirt and jean combo only remind me of f(x)'s "4 Walls" performance outfits. But otherwise they are dressed to chill and have fun, exactly what they're doing in the MV.

The latter half of "You're The Best" is easily the better half. Moonbyul's rap is better the 2nd time, the final chorus is delicious even though the ending is rather abrupt. Though considering how fast and energetic the song was from the start, I guess it's difficult to really come up with a good solution as to how the song should end. I absolutely love when songs / artists pay tribute to past ones, so the "Mr. Ambiguous" and "Piano Man" throwbacks are awesome. This and NS Yoonji's "Wifey" are some of the best in that regard. More songs should do this from time to time.

Mamamoo's formula has not changed. They drop yet another title track with really strong vocal performance, addicting rhythm, a better-than-box-sets MV, and add some of their classic beagle charm, too. I'm sure the rest of the album is sure to not disappoint, and will likely stand as a top album of 2016 early. Next time get Moonbyul some singing, pretty please?

[ Overall: 90 / 100 ]

[Review] Brave Girls - Deepened

After a hiatus that seemed to last for an eternity (about 3 years, which may as well actually be eternity), Brave Girls returns with "Deepened." Another questionable English title because the Korean title has nothing to do with deepness (literally translates to "(You've) Changed.") Anyway, what with Ladies' Code and now Brave Girls having come back it just makes me all the more sad that EvoL will not be joining the nostalgia trip, as wonderful as that could be.

It's a good thing I reviewed "Galaxy" just before "Deepened," because here we can see the harsh similarities between the songs. Both are slower R&B-esque songs, though Brave Girls adds a more emphatic instrumental to support the choreography / dance nature of the song. Both also don't really have momentum. Again, in the concept that both songs start a certain level and remain there for the entirety of the song, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in these specific instances. What sets "Deepened" apart from "Galaxy" is the rap break in the middle of the song (more on that shortly). Maybe because this song is a dance track, the instrumental is much easier on the ears compared to the one from Ladies' Code. Brave Girls don't have any standout vocal talent (at least at a glance here) but they're all comparable to each other and their voices are good enough to make a song like this work. Brave Girls' frail sensual vocals are matched by the choreography, which isn't all that impressive (lots of squats though) but maintains pace with the song. There haven't been too many interesting dances that we've seen thus far, so the choreography from "Deepened" may be the best at current.

The last time I saw this group was with "Nowadays You," and since then they've only retained 2 members so I haven't caught up with the new faces yet, but let's talk about Hyeran. Her rap in "Nowadays You" was a reflection of the song as a whole: mediocre for the most part, but showing potential. In "Deepened," her rapping serves as the main attraction to an otherwise simple (but not exciting) song. She demonstrates good mechanics and adds some singing to the mix, too. In a quick whirlwind, we've already seen some impressive raps this promotion cycle, from Serri to Chammi and now Hyeran. I'm only further hyped for seeing what the real established rappers can bring now that the less experienced and less talented rappers have already stepped up. Lastly, I've not much to say about the MV. Nothing creative and otherwise your stereotypical box sets and dancing shots video. Huzzah?

It's not like Brave Girls knocked it out of the park with "Deepened." As previously mentioned it's on a similar level to Ladies' Code's "Galaxy," but they get an edge in Hyeran's explosive rapping segment and the better and less obstructive instrumental. Assuming they can actually stay active for an extended period with this comeback, they'll at least have a fighting chance this time around.

[ Overall: 85 / 100 ]

[Review] Ladies' Code - Galaxy

Ladies' Code returns as a trio nearly 2 years after the tragic accident. Given such the hiatus, it's really easy to have forgotten about the talent on this roster, especially Sojung. "Galaxy" would be the girls' early 2016 return, and many fans and non-fans alike would be flocking to hear this one for sure.

"Galaxy" is smooth. Really smooth. It's infused heavily with R&B vibes and everyone does a good job of bringing that elegant voice to the table. Sojung, as usual, shines in her role and it's extremely uplifting to get to hear her sing again. Meanwhile, Ashley and Zuny aren't pushovers either and provide wonderful support and more than carry their own weight so it's not Sojung +2 by any stretch of the imagination. The scattered English usual to these songs don't sound too bad, but I do think the instrumental was either too loud at times (or for a majority, even) or felt a little out of place at others. Perhaps I'm still accustomed to the hyperactive pop sounds of their past hits but this song is definitely (obviously?) much more tame and is the type that will put you to sleep. Now that isn't necessarily a bad thing, just means the song doesn't really go anywhere and remains at the same level throughout. When I make a bedtime playlist, "Galaxy" will surely be on there. Being boring doesn't mean you can't be beautiful at the same time!

The only few things I have to say about this MV are that it's unfortunate  Zuny has to stand out in blonde. The black hair on Ashley and Sojung is absolutely striking with the white outfits, so shame Zuny couldn't be a part of that. The seemingly endless barrage of support items going on reminds me of last year's trademark shenanigan music videos (Red Velvet's "Dumb Dumb" and IU's "Twenty Three), and ultimately is a little distracting when placed in the backdrop of an extremely smooth and slow song. Of course, you have to notice or talk about the usage of backup dancers to create the illusion of the original members. Brings a beautiful tear to my eye.

Ladies' Code at their finest? Perhaps not. But "Galaxy" shows a slower smoother side to their charm. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Girl group R&B numbers tend to be few and far inbetween, and I welcome our new overlords. "Galaxy" handily takes away the top spot in this category from the reigning queens Red Velvet and "Automatic." I know Eunbi and Rise are listening to this song with smiles on their faces. Keep going strong, Ladies' Code.

[ Overall: 82 / 100 ]

[Review] Rainbow - Whoo

Now that DSP's flagship girl group KARA has sailed off into the sunset, Rainbow's comeback seems like the golden opportunity the girls need. They can rise up to the occasion in KARA's absence, or they can continue to flounder under DSP's jurisdiction. If "Black Swan" was a pivotal crossroads in their career, then the release of "Whoo" is a hundred times more important.

Well, looking at this MV, doesn't seem like it's all that important. I can appreciate the "throwback" to using each member's assigned colour and all that, but there's basically nothing even remotely interesting about this video. You can make the arguments that simplicity works here, but "Black Swan" was a simplistic MV. This is far from the level of that. And again, this doesn't look like close to the level of effort a KARA video would be receiving, just looking at the sets alone (straight up blank rooms). The various props like balloons, food, etc. help add material to an otherwise blank MV. Without them, I'm not sure I'd have even bothered finishing watching the whole--oh who am I kidding. Everyone looks amazing (though Noeul unfortunately takes last and Yoonhye's eyes still creep me out). However it's a damn crime Hyunyoung has to go with the strawberry blonde. That girl rocks the black hair to perfection.

Thankfully, the song itself is extremely pleasant to listen to. It's an energetic dance number that's driven immediately by the electric guitar and drums in the background. Perhaps it's only right that "A" was also like that. Anyway everyone in Rainbow has respectable vocals so nobody sounds out of place, with the exception of the "clap clap" use in the hook. While I won't say it's a major contributor, I'm not sure what else could've been used, or if silence for those few seconds would've been better. Rainbow's less active members in Noeul, Seungah, and Yoonhye get charitable amount of lines. In fact, I'd say everything was balanced quite well as to not have anyone overshadow anyone. Even Woori takes the "clap clap" spam to bulk up her presence. On the opposite end, this may the best we've ever heard the Hyunyoung and Jisook combo. Hyunyoung may forever be an undiscovered singer but her work here is very smooth, and her velvet voice matches up quite exquisitely. The dance of "Whoo" is equally as fun as the song audio, with portions of more mature direction. When you see the vocals and the choreography together, Rainbow comes off as playful and sensual at the same time. Watching the live performances brings a smile to my face.

Like "Black Swan," "Whoo" shows us there is hope for Rainbow future. It's a fun and lively song with a good hook and potentially mesmerizing choreography. They just need to be able to promote for more than 2 weeks or whatever ridiculous amount was given last time around. If my biggest complain is that the MV needed more substance and choreography shots, I'm okay with that. The girl group current is rising up again so Rainbow really need to get their act together or they will never escape the depths of obscurity. "Whoo" can help deliver them back on track to the glory days of "A" and "Mach."

[ Overall: 85 / 100 ]

[Review] AOA Cream - I'm Jelly Baby

AOA's new subunit start the group's promotions with an ambiguously titled "I'm Jelly Baby" that lacks the punctuation needed to clarify exactly what's going on. AOA Cream is the 2nd subunit after AOA Black. While team Black was the band variant, team Cream is the underhyped variant, more or less. Hyejeong and Yuna have yet to gain traction as much as say Seolhyun or Jimin, and hardly anyone takes notice of Chanmi these days. It's nice to see FNC promote the less popular members, so long as this doesn't end up producing another episode of Sistar19.

Well, the good news is that there's no Sistar19 syndrome here. Naturally, having an extra member in the subunit certainly helps that cause. Line distribution for the vocalists is very fair, even if Yuna is significantly better than Hyejeong. Though whether through her own efforts or the nature of this song, Hyejeong does close the gap quite well. It could have been very easy for Yuna to overtake everyone and be the member of interest but thankfully that wasn't the case. Also worth noting is that they held back on the usage of random English, thankfully. On the other end of the spectrum, Chanmi gets a whopping 23 second rap, which is probably more than all of her previous rap appearances combined. This was a pleasant showing of both her rapping ability and getting time in the spotlight, especially since she basically has no singing lines. While Jimin remains the superior rapper, at least Chanmi has proven she is still capable (and has an infinitely better voice). Even if the song doesn't hold up, Chanmi's rap has quickly (already) taken over Serri's one in "Someone Like U" as the signature girl group rap of 2016. Not sure I approve of the bridge though. Usually bridges like that are signs of laziness, and certainly didn't add anything to the song.

This music video is...something. It's clearly based off Sailor Moon, what with all the magic and transformations and silly visual effects and all. Hyejeong catches her man cheating on her (an extremely extremely stupid decision if you ask me) and decides to exact some magical revenge with her buddies who are also part of the magic club. Revenge plots include a swift kick to the shins, making the new girl slap him across the face, teleporting randomly into his car to spook him, and...giving his coffee more cream? That last one seems odd, to say the least. Also, if the point of teleporting his chick away and then appearing in her place was to take his car, why bother with the nonsensical stuff and just teleport the guy away? Finally, the grand finale of the revenge scheme is to appear in front of him while he's all miserable and use a super magical spell to launch fireworks and confetti into the air and gloat in his face. Hmm.

Maybe they're trying to reach out to the non-AOA fans with this subunit, but if so, that's where I tend to shy away from this song. "I'm Jelly Baby" and AOA Cream show that the less popular members of AOA are still very talented and very pretty, however I'm not sure if this was the perfect song for that. Perhaps I've simply missed the hook, but it's more bland than the usual AOA song and just isn't cutting it for me.

[ Overall: 70 / 100 ]

[Review] 4minute - Hate

4minute joins the comeback waves early with "Hate." This title track was spearheaded by the news that the girls would be working with Skrillex. Considering the success of "Crazy." perhaps they wanted to keep pursuing the heavy dance rhythm. 4minute have been stuck in obscurity for a long time prior to "Crazy," so maybe "Hate" can be another good start to putting this group on the rise.

The beginning of "Hate" is absolutely beautiful. Graceful piano in the background really suits Gayoon and her powerful vocals well. Hyuna and Jihyun(!) take over from the opening sequence and both do admirably well. Hell, just the fact that Jihyun is already singing means it's 75% less likely of "Hate" has a really awkward bridge! Jiyoon's rap is pretty chill, if uninspiring. For the first time in a while, Hyuna's part has overshadowed / impressed more than Jiyoon's part. It's not a shame, just something that Jiyoon usually wins. Given the state of the chorus (we'll get to that later), this song has incredible line distribution. Each member essentially had main parts across the entire song, with Sohyun getting the weakest part. Her prechorus does the job of building into the chorus, but admittedly that shout (scream?) at the end has to go. Gayoon's version of the prechorus is so much better since she sings the high note and there's less distortion. This bridge rocks. End of story. The piano from the start of the song comes back, and Hyuna adds her smooth vocals (something we don't hear very often) as the instrumentals transition into something more frantic to go into the final chorus. Even if the choruses were lackluster, the bridge deserves even more credit and praise.

The only thing to hate about "Hate" is really the chorus, and using hate there is quite strong (maybe too strong, even). The brass instruments are distracting and loud, and they easily overrun the audio. The chorus is very basic in structure and there's not a lot of singing or shouting going on. Using those trumpets makes them more noticeable. Second, while I don't listen to Skrillex, I get the feeling that deep loud trumpets aren't really his signature style. "Hate" would have benefited from something more electronic, or even just a continuation of the instrumental from the rest of the song, because that certainly wasn't disappointing.

"Hate" is very much the sister of "Crazy" in terms of the music video. For the most part, we have simple rooms for the girls and backup dancers that are so very boring. We do get some diversity thrown in this time around, with Gayoon's wedding simulation at the beginning, and some miscellaneous shots of Hyuna and Jihyun out in the middle of nowhere looking pretty. Gayoon continues to get the "weird edits" section of the MV, just watch her and you'll know what I'm talking about. And is that Jiyoon...smoking? That ain't a good message. All in all a standard MV.

While "Hate" may not be the superstar that "Crazy" was, it's still an addicting song that has but a single weakness in the chorus (and even then it's not that bad). This song is still comfortably better than a plethora of other 4minute titles, and in the grand scheme of things is probably the group's #3 song since debut. Wouldn't say I'm excited, but definitely pleased with how "Hate" turned out.

[ Overall: 85 / 100 ]