Twice - Feel Special
Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. Twice's "Feel Special" is definitely their best song to date. Like I mentioned in the previous post, there's many things to like about this comeback. The vocals, the setup, and upon further review the choreography is super clean too. The evolution of their style over the years has reached its peak with "Feel Special," and it appears all too likely that Twice have made their position on the Best Of 2019 clear: they'll be there in December when it's all said and done.
Laboum - Firework
Laboum have long been stranded in the black hole of nugu status despite some pretty good songs like "Hwi Hwi" and "Turn It On." This recent release of "Firework" seems like the spiritual successor to "Turn It On" and I can easily hear the verses transitioning between each of those two songs. ZN and Soyeon have their moments and the song as a whole is very smooth with some Latin influence mixed in. Definitely worth checking out even if they don't have the resume or popularity like top girl groups. And unlike "Turn It On," there are no questionable zombies lurking in the music video.
Bolbbalgan4 - Workaholic
Digital monsters Bolbbalgan4 are back with "Workaholic" and they immediately dominated the charts. Jiyoung's unique voice is as smooth as ever and that's a key component of their continued success...y'know besides the whole having great music to go with that special voice. With a relatable message and even more relatable MV - wait why is Blogger saying "relatable" is incorrect? Anyways, "Workaholic" works its way into your heart and library. After falling in love with "Some" last year, it's criminal I haven't checked out the rest of their discography. "Beer cheers whoo" is my new life motto. Except not really because I don't like beer (hard liquor all the way) but hey details.
Akdong Musician - How Can I Love The Heartbreak, You're The One I Love
Winners of the longest title I've ever seen in a song, Akdong Musician are back with Chanhyuk's military service complete. Rumors (or reports) are that Chanhyuk worked on this and other music while away? That's pretty skillful no matter how you look at it. What else is skillful are those gorgeous voices and harmonies that we haven't gotten to listen to for a while. It's simply a beautiful ballad from start to finish with an equally beautiful piano accompaniment. They're not with YG anymore, are they? Please escape from the dumpster fire if they still are.
AOA - Egotistic
Even though I haven't watched any episodes of Queendom, I simply had to mention this stage. AOA is the veteran group taking on the Queendom show and it's needed given they are now operating in a world without Choa or Mina. The former was their star vocalist and the latter arguably their most popular member and most defining variety force. If nothing else, this cover of Mamamoo's "Egotistic" shows that a great song can still elevate a less talented group. No shade or disrespect meant, but a vocal core of Yuna, Hyejeong, and Seolhyun leaves much to be desired when compared to the original artist. Still, they do extremely well. Jimin and Chanmi also get to strut their rap stuff. Grass grows, birds fly, and Seolhyun and Hyejeong look amazing. It's merely a cover, but this performance showed that AOA can work as five. Here's hoping an official comeback soon.
Zico - Human
After leaving Block B and establishing his own label, Zico has dropped the first half of his first studio album "Thinking." If the title track is anything to go by, we're in for a treat. "Human" is a very calm and very real track, where his voice takes us through it all with his singing and rapping. Honestly he isn't bad as a vocalist and that really shows here. Zico may just be the most versatile male soloist in the industry: you truly never know what you'll get from a Zico song until it's out. Perhaps I should have placed "Human" after "Workaholic," because those are two hard-hitting songs about life that everyone should take a listen to.
No comments:
Post a Comment