[Review] Apink - Remember

Now that our quick boy group interlude is over we can return to the wonderful world of girl groups and god. Damn. This summer is getting really crazy cramped. A-Pink join the fun with "Remember," which is more than likely going to be another (summer) pop track. After all, this is A-Pink we're talking about. These girls follow their formula to a T. It hasn't slowed them down since.

"Remember" is certainly a summer track through and through. Everything from the beats, the singing, the outfits, and the MV are all very much infused with the spirit of summer. The song is upbeat and the classic A-Pink sound we're all familiar with reigns strong. Naeun deserves much credit for improving on her vocals once more. She was previously the clear weak link in their vocal lineup, but now she more than holds her own. Naeun and INFINITE's L should be staples for other weaker vocalists to look up to and follow. The rest of the song isn't that much different from the usual. Give Eunji and Bomi the chorus and split the rest between the remaining members. The key change right in the middle of each chorus is an odd choice to say the least. It's not that it disrupts the flow of the song per se, it's just...weird. Going through the song for the first time is very confusing because this is such a rare occurrence in Kpop, I almost thought I somehow accidentally skipped to the end of the song. I'm disappointed in the lack of anything interesting at the final chorus, despite yet another key change leading in. Eunji's talent is honestly wasted in a group like A-Pink who are so pop-oriented, which is a big shame given she is very gifted and needs more opportunities to establish herself as a top vocalist. "Remember" has made me realize that I really like Chorong's voice. Maybe it's the summer theme or whatever, but she sounds so much more attractive here than in past hits.

The choreography is pretty simple yet refreshing. The scooping ordeal during the chorus looks extremely weird and doesn't really fit the rest of the choreography. The touches made to the dance like the squatting down, drawing on the "sand," and jumprope are well done. A-Pink are the queens of the innocent and pure look so the dance is pretty in line with their image. I actually thought the break after the bridge wasn't intentional for the audio, but after watching some lives I see that it was actually used for another dance break. I'm not sure how I feel about that, since the dance isn't particularly inspiring. In the MV, it's used to showcase more summer fun with the girls but I feel it could have been done without. Speaking of, the video is your standard summer video. The girls are dressed in summer wear, and party on a yacht. All aboard the S.S. A-Pink I guess!

Truth be told, everything about "Remember" is quite simple. The MV is the stereotypical summer video, the choreography is cute and uninspiring, and the vocals aren't that exciting (outside of substantial growth from Naeun). It's a solid score without question, but "Remember" certainly lacks the punch that some other girl groups have been able to bring in this comeback frenzy.

[ Overall: 80 / 100 ]

[Review] Super Junior - Devil

S.M. Entertainment is moving their gears again. EXO, SHINee, and Girls' Generation had their appearances in 2015, now we move up the ladder once more with Super Junior. We're welcomed to another iteration of the group, as Sungmin and Shindong have departed for their mandatory military service, and Yesung's return from his own. Another change, another comeback.

If there's anything to notice about this comeback, it's that Super Junior as a group have aged very well. From their beginnings as Super Junior 05, across the 10 years following of success and shenanigans, they really won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I'll talk about the MV first since it's quite the spotlight. Firstly the video is rated 15+ for...? I never really understood that to be honest. The MV is a hyper blend of various smaller "movies" with their own "plot" compiled together. I phrase those terms quite loosely because they're more like scenes and there's no real connection between them, outside of the woman / devil of interest. However, the acting is well executed and in the end makes for an enjoyable watch despite the excessive guns and the constant tagging of each member, which got a little bothersome, even if the purpose was to introduce members to new fans. There are plenty of minor quirks that are nice to see, like Kyuhyun's completely flabbergasted expression, the hat shenanigans, and some lyrical inputs during the bridge. All in all this is an A+ for video effort.

"Devil" takes a departure from the Super Junior releases we've seen recently. From the loud and sassy"Mamacita" to the excellent dance track "Sorry Sorry," the approach of "Devil" is classy and doesn't try too hard. The vocals are light, but still have character. Though I must admit that as a Yesung fan, I'm kinda upset he didn't have as much spotlight as I'd have liked, considering this is his return song. At the same time, for a song with such a range, especially during the chorus, I'm surprised that Ryeowook had such little impact on the song. He is pretty much the master of this vocal range, kind of a shame this potential was wasted. Also worth a quick mention is that there's no real rap segment, and even then Eunhyuk isn't as focused on as some earlier tracks, which I can applaud. For a song as relaxed as "Devil," the bridge might actually be my favourite part of the song. It's very chill and doesn't really care about anything else. Thankfully though it's just audio because the choreography is quite disappointing. The choreography just doesn't appear innovative, flashy, or interesting. It's quite laid back which is nice in the sense that it matches the song but when you consider that this is the same group who had the breakout dances of 2009 ("Sorry Sorry" and "It's You"), is really not all that impressive. In fact the dance is so lackluster even the performance video (thanks for this by the way) is literally a completely white background / room.

Super Junior's comeback with "Devil" has many highlights. The videography is excellent, the return of Yesung, and the song itself is smooth and charismatic. However, it's a crime that Ryeowook is underutilized, and the choreography just isn't the usual from Super Junior. Perhaps it truly is impossible to recapture the magic from the "Golden Age of Kpop" but this is a commendable effort by the group nonetheless.

[ Overall: 86 / 100 ]

[Review] INFINITE - Bad

I guess I can't neglect the boy groups for too long. This is Infinite's first "official" appearance on the blog, after showing up in the "Best Of 2014" with "Back." Infinite is a group that is known for difficult and intricate choreographies, along with the united sound they have together even with standout lead singers like Sunggyu and Woohyun. They're the only boy group I would classify as A-Pink's couterpart with the unified sound and strong vocalists. Sunggyu had a solo comeback earlier in the year but now the whole group returns with "Bad."

Man, if drums were the star of the "Sober" instrumental, the strings here are amazing. When those opening measures started up you knew this was going to be a good song (otherwise it'd be so disappointing). It appears to be a recurring theme that a star song has just as powerful an instrumental to drive the vocals behind it: 9MUSES' "Wild," EXO's "Love Me Right," etc. While a suboptimal instrumental can be detrimental: AOA's "Like A Cat," Juniel's "Pretty Boy," etc.

This is a dance number after all. Despite that, the vocals of Sunggyu and Woohyun continue to be utilized well. They're always impressing and it's nice to see that Woollim can still combine both aspects rather flawlessly. L really surprised me with the jump in vocal ability from the last time around. He honestly might be able to overtake Hoya soon. Either way, it's really nice to see that progression out of the team visual. I'm not a fan of the sudden drop this time either (like with Big Bang's "Sober") but I'll forgive this time since it's very short and cuts right to some nice adlibs from Woohyun. Seriously I don't think Woohyun was ever underrated per se but in a sea of performance-oriented (boy) groups Woohyun has a sizable lead over other vocalists, even when compared to Sunggyu.

Dongwoo has had good raps before but his rap here leaves much to be desired. The low voice is good, but the speed of the rap is too slow and just sounds awkward compared to the impact vocals elsewhere in the song. At least it's short, and they didn't have multiple poor rap segments, as previous songs like "The Chaser" and "Last Romeo" have used both Dongwoo and Hoya as rappers before. This inclusion along with Sungjong and Sungyeol's...less-than-optimal pairing make that center of the song the weakest part of "Bad," but thankfully Woohyun swoops in to help recover and Sunggyu brings us back to goodness in the verse.

While it may be summer, Infinite are going for a Halloween theme. There's creepy symbolism everywhere and the sets aren't the usual fancy box sets. Cracked mirrors, sudden hands, evil dogs, etc. Honestly I'm so faint of heart that I wasn't really able to stomach multiple views. Apparently there's like a 360 version of the MV which lets you control the camera / angles? That's pretty neat and I'm sure the fangirls deeply appreciate this chance. Even still neither MV showcases the choreography that well which is a shame because Infinite always brings exciting dances to the table and this is no exception. I think what I like most about the dance is that it keeps pace with the vocals: slow when the singing is slow, fast when the chorus kicks in. There really isn't a dull moment in this choreography, though I'll admit having Woohyun awkwardly belting out notes in the center during final chorus is a little strange. Nonetheless, excellent showing again.

"Bad" makes a breakthrough from the other boy group releases this year. It's fast, exciting, has a badass instrumental and excellent vocals from Woohyun and Sunggyu. The rapping is certainly the song's Achilles' heel and had that been better I think the song could've been perfect. Infinite's trademark choreography combined with some interesting MV aesthetics make for a damn good release out of "Bad."

[ Overall: 94 / 100 ]

[Review] Big Bang - Sober

Is the other Big Bang song not having an accompanied video? I was planning on reviewing both of them at once, similar to the past Big Bang releases. Oh well, we can still freely roll with "Sober" for now since...

This is the most solid release of Big Bang in the series yet. While it's not as fast as some of Big Bang's notably wacky songs, it's still a great listen overall. The drums power through the song and instrumental. Perhaps I've been listening to too many girl groups lately but it's been quite some time since the importance of drums has been utilized to this extent. It seems "Sober" has the proper mix of elements to make it the best Big Bang release so far. The pacing is faster than "Bae Bae," and keeps the energy up unlike "Bang Bang Bang." While I wouldn't label the singing or rapping any better than any of their other songs because they all have different individual flavor, and because the rapping in "Loser" and "Bang Bang Bang" are still really good, the simple truth that the song sounds very together is reason enough to push this as the best. Of course, no song is perfect. The sudden drop at the bridge is a bit awkward at first listen, and the chanting at the end seems like it was purposely lined up for karaoke rather than having the song in mind. Still, "Sober" from start to finish is just a loud and noisy song (in the good way) that you can let loose to time and time again.

The video also sustains Big Bang standards, having a variety of colours, props, camera angles, etc. Worth noting is that the colours are more dull, not as bright or vibrant as perhaps "Fantastic Baby," which helps ease the visuals around when the scenes constantly jump back and forth. I wonder if stalkers / sasaengs have tracked that poor little goat. It didn't do anything wrong, please don't kill it. Daesung's role with the drums was a very nice touch, though they didn't introduce that until later in the song. T.O.P is so animated now, it's still a bit of a shocker but in reality, nice to see this from the usually stoic rapper. Everyone else is at about similar levels of craziness. Like the "We Like 2 Party" video, watching them go crazy just puts a silly smile on your face. The boys have definitely put in a lot of work for this album, but they haven't forgotten to have fun either.

Above average to excellent choices in the structure of the song, instrumental, and video make "Sober" a very well-rounded song that certainly exceeded expectations compared to the past songs we've seen out of Big Bang. While "Loser" may be the safest song, "Sober" is the best when it comes to going crazy and enjoying the ride.

[ Overall: 92 / 100 ]

[Review] Girls' Generation - Party

It's time to party with Girls' Generation. While they sort of had a return earlier this year with "Catch Me If You Can," this "Party" marks their official comeback (along with more songs / MVs on the way). With Jessicagate and the general mediocrity of CMIYC, the queens have a lot of work ahead of them if they want to prove they can still hold that title.

In terms of the MV start this opening is so bad, I almost died of laughter already. Don't at least half the girls have experience in acting and dramas? Why are their expressions here so forced and cheesy? Also Hyoyeon, who plays with toy planes anymore, you're not 7 anymore dear. I can appreciate the summer beat and general sound of the song. However, the constant barrage of English just doesn't sound very good and the aegyo / child noises do not help the song at all. Those could have all been omitted for a better result. Also there's that one part in the prechorus going "yayayayaya" and that's worth cringing over. Like with "Catch Me If You Can," line distribution is quite impressive this time around too. Surprising what removing a single member can do. Tiffany and Sunny carry the group in this song, with Tiffany's consistently strong voice backed by fluent English and Sunny just matches the song very well. Taeyeon is (almost) always fabulous and that isn't an exception here. Her work at the end is quite nice, to be expected from the group's main vocalist.

The SNSD visuals are still spot-on. The hair colour formula is still very strong, what with Sunny, Tiffany, and Yoona joining the cause. Hyoyeon doesn't count because she has been blonde for what I assume to be forever. Yuri, Sooyoung, and Seohyun comprise the "disappointment trio" as they got screwed over by the stylists here. It's also extremely questionable what the stylists made them wear for that club scene or whatever. Jesus Christ those were some hideous 2NE1-level styled outfits. I was planning on marking this MV as your general "play in the pool and look pretty" summer video but then the end came around and they're chilling on jetskis and shit. Impressive. There's also a tricky attempt at surfing but that isn't actually shown in the video so it doesn't count, nice try.

At the end of the day this is a Girls' Generation summer song, and it's a good song. The energy and instrumental is nice, and the vocals from Tiffany, Taeyeon, and Sunny are no joke. However, if Girl's Day's "Ring My Bell" MV was ruined from an unnecessary cameo, the fault of "Party" is in the unnecessary aegyo and English. The difference here is that one is just a video, the other is an entire song. I will admit upon seeing the teasers this was going to be the weakest release, and I look forward to seeing what the other songs have to offer.

[ Overall: 78 / 100 ]

[Review] Girl's Day - Ring My Bell

The leading girl group heading into 2015 is back! Girl's Day had an extremely strong 2014 and is looking to carry their momentum forward with joining the summer army of comebacks. "Ring My Bell" has a plethora of options to compare to and compete with. Girl's Day went "back to sexy" as some people like to say. Most people cheered at this prospect, while the haters groaned in agony. But who cares, let's look at the song.

Like a proper summer release, "Ring My Bell" has high levels of energy and the song is pretty fast. Both the choruses and verses seem to fly by. The catchy hook also speeds past, which in hindsight is good because it prevents the song from being too repetitive. Repetition is a warning sign for boredom so it's good to see Girl's Day has dodged this matter in a simple way. Minah and Sojin continue to shine and this song plays more to Sojin's strengths in my opinion, though Minah's work at the end of the song is excellent. As far as the summer comebacks are concerned, Minah is a definite 2nd place vocalist, right behind Choa from AOA. It's a damn shame Yura didn't get more singing lines than she did because...

Yura got a 4 second rap. Are you kidding me? That's beyond pitiful, DreamTea. Yura was actually making some important improvement off the rapping in "Darling" and "I Miss You." Now you completely screw her over. I suppose with bad rappers it may be best to play it safe and not risk a terrible rap. Still, Girl's Day has had fair line distribution for over a year now, so it's really disappointing to see this happen.

This dance is a little awkward. In fact, I would go as far as saying that the awkwardness actually works for the song because it makes the choreography less sexy. Of course, there are still some very clear moves, like the bouncing in the opening that looks like it was ripped straight from "Expectation." Otherwise it's a fun dance and keeps pace with the song. I did like the part where Hyeri says "get out my way" (psst there should be an "of" in there), the other girls and backup dancers literally move off to the side rather obviously. Cute little points like that are seldom seen nowadays. Or at least if they are more common then I haven't been paying enough attention.

Is there a "summer 2015 hair formula" code for girl groups that they have to abide by or something? Someone is bleach blonde, someone is crimson red, someone is jet black. This has happened enough times for it not to be coincidence. The bleach blonde is particularly suspect because not many of the girls (or any girls, really) can look good with it. Unfortunately Sojin you are not an exception here. Hyeri is without a doubt the lead visual, as her long hair combined with black colour crushes the competition. As flawless as Yura makes the bright red look, it's not really that close.

What is the reason of having some random black dude in the video. He contributes absolutely nothing. There are plenty of songs that have "outside" vocals or parts that don't have or require cameos / actors and this song should have followed those by example. Hell, the intro of "Darling" proves they could have not had this guy. We have songs with features where said feature doesn't show up in the video. Why is this guy the opposite. Instead we have an awkward afro man at essentially random spots throughout the video doing nothing but spazzing out. As for the token foreigner role, he's not doing that very well either, since there's no plot. At least Sistar used one to some extent. I just don't understand why he's included. If this guy doesn't show up on live performances (he doesn't), get him the fuck outta here. Outside of my gripe with the pointless insertion of that guy, the rest of the video is a stereotypical box MV. Girl's Day look good and they'll prove it. The black and white outfits (and background) are rather questionable, it's like they're deliberately trying to give you a headache (though still not as bad as T-ARA videos). The other outfits are on point though, even the funky ones with various colours (what's that called again, tie-dye?). I noticed the darts from "Darling" are back, though I can't tell if the girls have gotten any better at it since then, heh. Pretty standard MV, but like I said, really don't like the useless token black guy.

Girl's Day definitely have a catchy song on their hands and in our ears. They look good and sound good, albeit while ruining Yura's exposure to the spotlight. If this was the old structure of reviews from past times the MV score would have tanked the overall score but ever since I decided to score based on how I feel about the song (and primarily the sounds) Girl's Day manages to slip by my complaints.

[ Overall: 88 / 100 ]

[Review] BTS - Dope

I'm surprised this is my first ever BTS review. I've been following them for a while, but that was mostly rooted in my previous dance team's infatuation with their choreographies. Nonetheless they have released some solid songs since their debut and boast one of the best guy group rappers out there in Rap Monster, who has proven himself in and out of the group.

The sassy horns are the driving force behind the instrumental. And the slightly goofy dance moves compliment the brass. Surprisingly, the horns don't clash that much with the rest of the instrumental, and the song as a whole sounds good. BTS was never fooling anyone into thinking they were a singing group. Their forte is dance and "Dope" is no exception. At this point in their career, there isn't much to say outside of "this is a new BTS song and the dance is good." V gets some more opportunity to showcase his lower register and that works with the prechorus to build into the dance break of a chorus, but outside of that rather average singing. Questionable use of "hustle life" in the bridge though. These boys are not what you would consider hustlers hahaha. And did they make Jimin lipsync Jongkook's lines? Why.

J-Hope and Suga will always be inferior compared to Rap Monster, but they have some impressive verses this time around. The key features of each of their raps were executed well, with J-Hope having that extra whiny voice in the background and Suga's speed. Rap Monster is the highlight as per usual, though he recruits some help from Suga (who needs to work on his English by the way).

Interestingly enough, the dance moves at the chorus are just as tacky as the trumpets. And while a bit on the goofy side, the dance is still intense enough to match BTS standards. While I wouldn't say it's them at their best, it is impressive enough and with all the girl groups coming back, BTS' choreography will still earn them points amongst some mediocre performances. Another BTS release, another BTS dance, another BTS MV showcasing the dance. Have we ever had a BTS video that wasn't just (box) sets? I don't think I've seen one to date. Oh well. Unlike "Boy In Luv" or "War of Hormone" there is no signature lady of interest that all the guys are after. It's to be expected at this point. It'll sure be new to see an interesting video out of this group.

There's a lot of personalities mixed into "Dope." Tacky instrumental, aggressive rapping, hyperactive dance moves. It's essentially the BTS formula that hooked them fans in the first place, and it's still going strong in 2015. Don't fix it if it ain't broken.

[ Overall: 88 / 100 ]

[Review] 9MUSES - Hurt Locker

9MUSES are back to lead the girl group summer comebacks, because "Hurt Locker" hurts damn good. It's been a long time since we've heard this good a release from them, mostly because they were inactive for a whole year.

This is what you expect out of a summer beat! Sistar, take notes. Another killer instrumental out of this group, and another excellent vocal showing, too. As soon as Kyungri started singing you knew this was gonna be good. Everyone pulls their weight, without a doubt but did you hear Sungah and Minha's layered harmony? Damn that's some good shit. It's nice to see Hyemi have more contribution. Last time with "Drama" I was sad that she didn't have much opportunity with Keumjo joining as a vocalist but she's definitely being utilized properly here. On the other end, it's also good to see Hyuna with restricted lines compared to her group because her voice isn't really suited for this type of song. She excels at the prechorus, where the softer instrumental doesn't obstruct her velvet voice. I'm a little concerned with Kyungri's overboard presence in the first 60 seconds of the song but outside of that line distribution is quite balanced to their appropriate recipients. Longing for the day Erin sings even a single line though.

The effort put forth by Erin this time around might actually be the weakest out of 9MUSES' major releases. It's just not as fast as I would have liked, and the flow is a little awkward. Still, she sounds good and I appreciate keeping everyone else out of the rapping. Don't think this really decreases any stock value of Erin, because she's still really good.

I think this is the first time we've seen a music video with giant cargo crates as the setting. There are shots of inside the crates, outside the crates, even on top of the crates. I liked the detail with decorating the inside of the crates, though it's a shame that there were only like 2 crates withe decorations. Would have been really neat if each muse got a custom crate. The MV is certainly in 9MODELS mode, as the girls are flawlessly displaying eye candy and even modeling with some cars / bikes. While I can appreciate the variety of colour, Sojin's wig (I really hope that's a wig) is bad and they should feel bad. Out of the new members, she was more in line with the 9MUSES' visuals so having that bleach blonde is awful. Keumjo looks better than she did in "Drama," so props. Hyuna and Sungah are the visual spotlight for me this time around, though Hyuna has never lost her spot from the center of attention. There's no awkward acting a la "Drama" in "Hurt Locker," just dance sequences and eye candy. The choreography is impressive because it incorporates a lot of variety. The tutting intro is super serious business, and the moves look polished amidst the frantic position changes and hair flying everywhere. While "Drama" kept the dance safe, "Hurt Locker" has some aggressive dancing to compliment the energetic song. Consider this a trademark girl group dance of 2015, honestly.

With the "new feel" of added members and "Drama" behind them, 9MUSES make a statement with "Hurt Locker." The song is energetic from start to finish, with superb vocals from Kyungri, Hyemi, and Keumjo carrying through. Strong choreography and a sick instrumental augment the power of this song. All in all, the qualities make this song worthy of the top summer release so far. The next wave of comebacks like Girl's Day, A-Pink and of course Girls' Generation have some challenges ahead. This summer should be a flurry of competition.

[ Overall: 92 / 100 ]