[Review] 9MUSES - Drama (Revisited)

"Drama" came out a little over five years ago, and it was yet another rebranding of 9MUSES who had suffered through their most dramatic roster shift yet, losing Sera, Lee Sem, and Eunji. Some pillars remained like Hyemi and Hyuna, while new members Keumjo and Sojin made their debuts.

• The song itself is quite good. "Drama" is carried by the pretty vocals of 9MUSES, with Kyungri and Hyemi at the top of the list. There's a variety of structure in the song and all the members do well in filling those roles out. Having said that, "Drama" is rather bland and while the "only you~" hook is catchy, nothing else really makes this song unique, per se. Past releases like "Wild" and "Glue" had a signature 9MUSES sound to them, and while this song is most like "Dolls," the chorus is not nearly as powerful and the rapping is too segmented to be very effective.

Slightly contradictory comments everywhere in this paragraph. Bland chorus but pretty vocals, segmented structure but quite good. In present day I simply revere the older catalogue too much to have much appreciation for "Drama" like this.

[Review] Girl's Day - Something (Revisited)

Despite my best efforts, here is some writing about writing of an old song. I will soldier on this year and we'll see how far things go.

• So with that said, I’m going to go ahead and review the “Something” that didn’t have me cringing, although I was first concerned on how Girl’s Day and TVXQ would be releasing a lead track with the same title. I’m pretty sure Girl’s Day is the first group to have pieces reviewed for a third time, which is impressive given I only discovered them last year.

Girl's Day were one of the most hype girl group discoveries across my many years of Kpop, and so the instant infatuation led to multiple reviews. Also, I wonder about the other various occurrences of groups releasing a song with the same title.

[Review] 4minute - Hate (Revisited)

Man, the RNG really do be blessing me with revisits while also making me nostalgic and sad as hell. 4minute's "Hate" is up for the December rerun and that title accurately describes how I'm feeling about 2020. Should we be glad it's almost over, or terrified of what is to come? Anyway let's see how wrong (or right) I was about "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.

Man, Skrillex is a name I haven't heard in a long time. Granted I listen to exactly zero dubstep so that isn't surprising in any way. Regardless, collabs like this were pretty rare so it was at least some form of cool news. Now I wouldn't have called 4minute "obscure," but they definitely weren't in the highest tier of girl groups prior to the release of "Crazy," and despite some bangers in "I My Me Mine" and "Volume Up," they were never consistent enough to reach the next echelon.

[Review] Sonamoo - Friday Night (Revisited)

This will be an interesting revisit since the original review was a shortened version. I'm guessing I'll pick apart lines more minutely than other normal revisited pieces, which will potentially let me expand on stuff some more. To be fair the random number generator decided this was the song to go for so you can't call me lazy on this one.

• Sadly, this piece won't be published on a Friday night.
  

But this one will! Let's gooooo.

[Review] Block B - Jackpot (Revisited)

It has become so difficult to attach videos in this new Blogger, I fucking hate it. I don't understand why this shit has to be so damn difficult. Everything keeps shifting around whenever I try to add a video, or the alignment gets all fucked up ughhh. Anyway, just in time for the spooky holiday is a revisit of an old Block B classic. "Jackpot" has plenty of Halloween imagery from the masks to the carnival, and general creepiness of their actions in the music video. What did I think of it then, versus now?

• If there was ever a song without Taeil as the main leading vocal, I’d be surprised to see (or hear) it. Taeil’s vocal prowess is present in the chorus, which I believe is the highlight of the song, with the high energy, general sassy and fun vibe.

Block B would of course go on to have a variety of songs that mix things up regarding the chorus, but 2014 me didn't have the benefit of future sight. But what I was correct about was the absolutely powerful chorus that drives the entirety of "Jackpot." It's fun and energetic, and makes it almost disappointing when followed up on by the lackluster "lalala" chants.

[Review] EXID - Hot Pink (Revisited)

Doing a revisited piece for a disbanded group is like sadness and nostalgia rolled up into a burrito. Even though EXID technically are not defunct, in terms of mainstream media they pretty much are. Anyway, if not for the linked video I'd have forgotten this song existed. In 2020, I don't think it holds up well. Let's see how right my prediction is.

• For starters, "Hot Pink" has deviated itself far from the "Up & Down" formula that gave EXID their chance at glory. The only instance of similarity was at 1:12 right before Solji's part. You could probably insert the latter half of the "Up & Down" chorus from there and that'd be a seamless transition but outside of that the comparisons are lacking. This is good, since we want EXID to find success on their own without the need to piggyback of their "ultimate" song.

Yeah as far as "Up & Down" goes, EXID and their various producers milked that shit for everything possible when it came to future comebacks. In some cases it worked out quite nicely ("Ah Yeah") and in others, not as much ("Hot Pink"). It's different from a group like Dreamcatcher because at least DC has much more variation in song structure and style while staying within their signature sound.

[Review] FIESTAR - Mirror (Revisited)

Not gonna lie I get excited when working on a review revisit. That's because the suspense of using random.org to pick the song gets the adrenaline pumping through my husk of a body. Anyway FIESTAR won the sweepstakes for September's revisited with their track "Mirror," which was their second to last comeback before disbandment. Surprisingly, this was their second worst peak placing on the Gaon Digital Chart, while the album tied for their career best on the weekly album chart. Anyway let's see what kind of glasses we see through "Mirror" now that four years have passed.

• I'm not sure if this is just me, but the instrumental slaps you across the face with similar key notes to "You're Pitiful." While not as delicate, they are used more aggressively but eventually after enough listens I can't really hear the comparisons anymore. Anyway "Mirror" is very much the daughter of "You're Pitiful." From the sombre overtones, soft singing, and the visual styles of the MV, definitely pays homage to FIESTAR's best song to date.

Too true! While the tempo of the instrumental is much slower, no one can deny that "Mirror" is the clear successor of "You're Pitiful," and I think the distinction is important. A successor takes the motifs and expands on it, whereas a clone is just the same concepts with very minimal changes. Also I misspelled "somber" ha!

[Review] Sistar - Give It To Me (Revisited)

The RNG spun the wheel and this is the winner for the next revisit. I considered going over Soyu's "Gotta Go" but the random number generator decided otherwise. Here's yet another girl group titan of years past with one of their most popular songs at the time. Sistar's "Give It To Me" was fast and exciting, but has it held up over the last seven years?

• Sistar really came back with an improved synchronized sound. Dasom and Soyou really stepped it up with the light high notes. Dasom’s English is a little strange sounding, as I heard “that’s what I mean” instead of “that’s all I need” but whatever. Hyorin is still flawless, belting at the end of choruses and the power notes at the song’s climax are amazing.

"Give It To Me" was released in the early era of Sistar stepping up their game. After "Alone" and "Loving U" achieved breakout success this was their follow-up and yeah, the synchronization and unified sound is everything. Hyorin (as with any singer) sounds the best when in their comfort range and she rocks her moments in the spotlight. Again this was during the sectioned years of reviews so the revisit will also feel clunky, oh well.

[Review] Girl's Day - Female President (Revisited)

The way I've done these revisits is simple: I go and watch the original MV followed by a live performance (usually the one linked in post). Then I bring up the original review and write my reactions or adjustments accordingly. With Girl's Day's anniversary recently passing by, let's take a look back at "Female President," which was conveniently reviewed a little over seven years ago. Back then I still did categories, so maybe for the next revisit I'll pick one that is more recent.

• I love the high notes and energy that the chorus (I guess that is mainly a mixture of rapping and singing) provides. Unfortunately that’s really all there is to the vocals. Minah and Sojin doing excellent work, while Yura and Hyeri with support roles.

Right off the bat my old self surprises me because I did not enjoy the chorus at all. The vocals are strained leading in and the lines themselves are boring and repetitive. This was 2013 Girl's Day, so the rift in vocal talent between Sojin, Minah and Hyeri, Yura was huge. I still remember their cover of "Someone Like You" on some show where Yura and Hyeri just got to sit there awkwardly while Minah and Sojin sang their hearts out. Anyway, I didn't say much on the vocals besides that. Oh and I claimed Yura's second verse opening was comparable to Sojin, which is fucking hilarious in retrospect.

[Review] Jay Park - Joah (Revisited)

Jay Park was still wearing shirts in 2013 ha! That's how you know this shit is throwback. Throw in Clara making a main appearance in the music video and that's vintage 2013 Kpop. The original review was published about a month later so let's see how it differs from some of my more reactive reviews. Also since it's from that long ago the review was segmented by category but I'll manage.

• I’ll be honest with you here. I never liked Jay’s voice. I found it higher in range, less flexible than most, and usually tend to gravitate more towards his rapping than singing. I considered Taeyang from Big Bang a better vocal substitute for pretty much all of his solo work. 

To this day I still stand by these sentiments. Not only is Jay better off in the rapping / hip-hop sphere, but Taeyang basically does what he does singing-wise, except better. Come to think of it, if you fused Taeyang's emotional softer voice with Jay's more intense rapping voice...hm.

[Review] KARA - Cupid Revisited

Another episode taking a look back at some of the song reviews I've done across the years. I'm not sure if I'll always stick to five year revisits, but for now it'll have to be the case. "Cupid" was the final main release for KARA and if memory serves it was quite anticlimactic. Let's see if my opinions have changed. Linked is one of their best performances of the song but unfortunately despite their amazing outfits the video quality is lying through its teeth.

• Seungyeon and Gyuri handle the bulk of the vocals, especially the excellent work at the end of the song. Gyuri has such a voice that I don't know how to describe, but regardless she shines here in "Cupid," utilizing her high range and pristine voice. Gyuri's voice definitely is "imperial." Gyuri might be the goddess but as far as visuals go in "Cupid" she surrendered that title to Hara.

In the final phase of KARA the duo always did all the work vocals-wise. Gyuri's voice has fluctuated from good to bad for me over her career but it definitely shone in "Cupid." Also funny is how I mentioned "surrendering" the appearance title but I'm pretty sure Hara has always held that crown over Gyuri. Maybe some comebacks would make the competition close but worst case Hara dangled the title only to yoink it back at the last second.

[Review] iKON - My Type (Revisited)

Through a fine-tuned random number generator (AKA asking my sister for a sequence of numbers), this next revisit will be of iKON's debut single "My Type." Since then they've amassed a large compilation of tracks, released subunit / collaborations, and lost a member. Let's see how well their first official track holds up after five years. Rather than repeat post the music video, I figure it'd be at least more interesting to link a live performance of some kind instead. So here we go.

• Originally the Team B that lost to Winner, this set of trainees had to wait an extra year before their debut with "Welcome Back." While a year is certainly a long time, iKON had to be careful to not be similar to their now-sunbaes, but maybe the YG flag would be enough to give them (more than) a pass regardless.

You know, this statement about not being like Winner made a lot of sense when I wrote it, but with how these groups played out...did it really matter? Both groups have had their ups and downs, their bops and flops, consistency and controversy. In reality, the fact that they spawned from the same survival show probably was a benefit to each side of the scale, in a way.

[Review] Sistar19 - Gone Not Around Any Longer (Revisited)

The fact that Sistar19 only ever released two songs is depressing. "Ma Boy" was sensational with audio and choreography, so the sophomore release had a lot of expectations. "Gone Not Around Any Longer" was quite a mouthful of an English title, considering how short and to-the-point the Korean title is. Let's see what my thoughts were on it from seven years ago, and how the song holds up nowadays. This review was during the 2nd season of my blog so each aspect of the song was compartmentalized. If this revisit comes off a little choppy, that's why.

• Yeah, I’m giving Hyorin 5 (read: not 10) points in vocals. You know why? Because of that fourth word: Hyorin. She is everything and everything in this song and by everything I mean Bora has no lines sung for three plus minutes. At least she got something in “Ma Boy”. Yes, Hyorin sounds absolutely divine. Yes, her high notes are fancy, pretty, and charming. Yes, the variation work is quite lovely if but a little awkward structure for the ending. But that’s all Hyorin, no Bora. 

I still stand by how annoying this was. Yes, me being a huge Bora fanboy (especially during those days) factored in but you can't tell me that this shit was fair. Considering groups in the current age still have line distribution woes, it's unacceptable that a duo had one member with all of the singing lines. If instead of calling this a Sistar19 release Starship had labeled this Hyorin featuring Bora then it'd be less obnoxious.

[Review] TWICE - Like Ooh-Ahh (Revisited)

In honor of Twice's fourth anniversary, let's take a look at "Like Ooh-Ahh" and how the Kpop world was introduced to their newest girl group overlord and my reaction to their first song. Also holy cow it's been four years already since this debut. Help me I'm old.

• Before this debut though, my honest opinion is that Twice doesn't have to try very hard. Miss A has yet to establish themselves as a top tier girl group, plus the general inactivity has left a gaping hole in JYP's girl group roster. Anything from a decent to average song will suffice.

Imagine telling 2015 fans that Twice would not only be the best girl group ever seen out of JYPE, but one of the top girl groups of all time in three to four years. Not to mention that both Wonder Girls and miss A would be out of order shortly after this debut. "Like Ooh-Ahh" matches up favorably to "Irony" and "Bad Girl Good Girl" and serves as one of JYP's best debuts to date.

[Review] 9MUSES - Lip 2 Lip (Revisited)

"Lip 2 Lip" was first reviewed three years ago. Let's see how time has handled one of 9MUSES' twilight pieces. I wanted to finish this yesterday as the original review was posted on August 7th but of course my lazy and procrastinating ass couldn't get it done in time, so here we are.

• For starters, "Lip 2 Lip" is a pretty standard dance track. The girls sing lightly but also with purpose, while the instrumental provides a bounce on their step. Hyemi and Kyungri take center stage, charming us with their voices from start to finish, but when has Kyungri ever been away from the spotlight? I'm pleased to see Hyemi get a fair share of the singing, because frankly she doesn't normally get these kinds of opportunities. In that vein though, I once again find myself lamenting the lines that Sojin was unable to acquire. Even though I didn't predict she'd have a rap, I still expected her to get some form of singing because we've seen her do it in releases past, even if only briefly.

"When has Kyungri ever been away from the spotlight?" Never. The answer is never. Once she was added to the group there was no turning back and she was the main girl from then until disbandment. Strangely, she was not like Hyuna who soaked up all the attention and love from media. Perhaps this was due to the larger group, or the way the talent was distributed among them. Either way, she enjoyed her status for sure. Had we known Sojin was about to make her way into the rapping department, this setup would've made much more sense at the time.

[Review] miss A - Only You (Revisited)

Since I don't want to write anything about the recent news regarding YG Entertainment (where would I even begin such a post), it's time for another edition of reviewing a review. I'll try doing these more often, but within reason. My initial blueprint is to have at least two new and two revisited reviews a month.

• Musically, this song is an intermediate between past releases of "Hush" and "I Don't Need A Man." It's not nearly as intense as "Hush" was in terms of the instrumental and sound but isn't as cute and quirky as "I Don't Need A Man" either. Whether or not this is a nice medium between those songs remains to be seen, I'll have to listen some more before I form an opinion.

After all this time, I still like all three songs mentioned. The question is in what order. "Hush" is definitely first because it's more mature and has that girl crush energy so many newer groups lack. "I Don't Need A Man" is really fun and right up miss A's quirky attitude alley, and if I was in a neutral mood, I'd want to listen to "I Don't Need A Man." more than "Only You" because the former is sassy fun while the latter is more tame and mellow.

[Review] SHINee - Dream Girl (Revisited)

SHINee recently had their anniversary, so let's check out an old classic of "Dream Girl." Remember that for whatever reasons, they hadn't registered a superstar track yet despite being five years into their career by the time "Dream Girl" released in 2013. Let's see how opinions changed in the six years since.

• SHINee’s incredibly high vocal standard only increased with “Dream Girl”. Everyone but Minho had quality lines, which is acceptable. Taemin’s vocal prowess continues to expand, as I felt he had a bigger presence throughout than Key or Onew. / Catchy and explosive vocals from SHINee once again.

Ha! That not-so-subtle burn of Minho. With a roster of Jonghyun, Onew, and Key, SHINee always brought the vocal firepower. I don't know the exact timeline, but this was most likely during Taemin's ascension into a higher plane of existence in the Kpop world. His progress is crazy: the difference between "Replay" and "Dream Girl" is only mirrored by the difference between "Dream Girl" and "Move" or other current material. The catchy tunes of this song still hold strong, and you always want to shout "dream girl" with the boys in each chorus.

• To any other group, the intensity of the colours, makeup, and outfits would be too much, but for SHINee, this is also another standard that has become very familiar to Shawols. Some say this was over the top for even SHINee, but I disagree.

Yeah I mean SHINee has never shied away from being flamboyant with their costumes. You can take any music video's outfits and drop them into an older (or newer) video and nothing would really change. Their style is forever, and only the technology around them has changed.

[Review] JJ Project - Bounce (Revisited)

These revisits will temporarily conclude now that I've looked at the first three reviews on the blog. Plus with a plethora of July releases on the way there'll be no shortage of material to talk about, though time will be another story. Here's my thoughts about my thoughts on JYP's newest project at the time - a duo that would eventually lead to the core of GOT7.

• JB’s pink mix with blonde is interesting, definitely not something I see other singers pulling off so props to him. Also something to note: there were no hairstyle changes throughout the music video, only costume switches. Speaking of which, their outfits are also not anything amazing, which matches their schoolboy appearance and subsequently the MV set location.

Back in the day, I talked about appearances in my reviews because - and let's be honest - visuals are very much a driving force in Kpop and the younger me was even more easily swayed in my early Kpop years. Which of course made it weird talking about boy groups but alas.

• I love this choreography, partially because it is reminiscent of 2PM’s early stuff and I miss seeing variety. Also, this dance absolutely destroys anything 2TVXQ had (at least for now, S.M. may surprise me).

While "love" seems like a strong choice in retrospect, I had no idea about the skill ranges of choreography back then. But that's why I'm looking back in the first place, to see how times and opinions have changed. It's still a fun dance with plenty of energy that matches the song. The headbanging is definitely a solid touch, and the dance moves themselves aren't too difficult while still being neat.

[Review] f(x) - Electric Shock (Revisited)

The problem with mobile Blogger is that it doesn't translate to when you post from a computer. There are differences font-wise, spacing, etc. that will irritate my OCD. As I'm back next Monday this will be the last post from Asia - and I can fix everything that was posted previously. Today, it will be another revisit to a review from my humble Tumblr beginnings in 2012. Here's a group we haven't seen or heard from in a long ass time.

• So S.M. finally decided to show Amber some love and gave her singing lines! What a pleasant surprise! Sulli and Victoria’s vocals continue to improve and refine, and Krystal’s is nothing short of fantastic.

Come to think of it, f(x) was really the first girl group to have their rapper do some singing in title track releases. Amber was originally recruited as a vocalist anyway but still they set the precedent way back then. Surprising that I give Krystal's voice a lot of love. I always had liked her voice more than her sister's, but not to that extent.

• Is it strange that I thought Luna’s “I’m in shock, electric shock” sounded better than Krystal’s, even though Krystal is the fluent English speaker?

No, it's not strange because Luna's English isn't bad. This was a case of underplaying Luna's language skills and overplaying Krystal's.

[Review] Wonder Girls - Like This (Revisited)

Well, assuming I can format correctly via mobile here's an idea that I can write while on vacation - albeit sparingly, as to save that precious phone battery. Plus it can be a recurring post even after my trip. In this blog's younger days I wanted to review songs of years past every now and then. What this series will do is let me revisit these songs and writings, to not only see my opinions then, but also how they've held up over time (and be irked with how I used to write). Because of this weird combination, I'll figure out how to properly categorize them. As I'm on mobile, there won't be any links, videos, or pictures. I'll have to create and edit them in later. But they should pretty brief with commentary on excerpts from the original piece of writing. What better review to revisit than my very first song on the blog back in 2012: Wonder Girls' "Like This!"

• The variation in vocals of the Wonder Girls has always impressed me, just within the last couple of releases.

This was never something I truly focused on. Just things you notice coincidentally. But it does help prevent songs from sounding stale. Recently VIXX' "Scentist" did just that and I noted the change as a nice touch. Same here.

•  I would like to see some Yubin lines in the future, because I’m assuming she’s had some vocal training.

Man, 2012 me would have loved to see this timeline play out. I mean, not the whole Wonder Girls disbanding part, but the Yubin getting to sing in a couple releases. Sidenote: have you heard her solo debut yet? She sings the entire song without a rap break. Truly inspirational.