[Review] Younha - Run

Departing from the classical structure of my music reviews, I have to write a little differently to talk about Younha. Younha has no fancy choreographies to show off, and hardly ever raps in her pop rock dominant style of music. So, the only viable options to talk about are her vocals and the music video, both of which I will rank out of 25.
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Vocals: 25 / 25

I have said this numerous times and I will say it numerous times more, Younha is hands down the best vocalist in South Korea. Yeah, she is under some serious competition with the rising powerhouses like Ailee and Hyorin but for the moment she remains #1 and will be there for some time. Younha miraculously blends enough power and proper emotion into anything she sings. Between quality control, high levels of energy, an innocent / cute sound, lower husky voice, beautiful falsettos, Younha can do it all. Having all these talents grants her incredible versatility in singing bubblegum pop in “1,2,3” to emotional ballads like “Broke Up Today” and powerful songs in “Hero”. “Run” in particular emphasizes her smooth vocals and happy / upbeat emotions, along with some brilliant falsettos. You can practically be swept away if you just close your eyes and follow the song. With the vocals and music video, it really flows well together, almost as if truly running. Needless to say, Younha does not disappoint.

Music Video: 23 / 25

This is a very straighforward and colourful (okay, it’s mainly black and white, but still) music video! The song is called “Run” and Younha is running! And looking good, while at it. Younha is one of the original short cut wearers, and while it’s a great / cute look for her, the long hair is far more flattering and more mature. Younha’s eyes shine brightly (a sort of radiant bright, different from the Tiffany moonshine eyes or Sulli’s eye smiles), especially at the beginning of the video. The various camera angles and effects were perhaps a little excessive (like the turbine part, what) but they did compliment and enhance the straightforward video. Throughout the crazy effects and flares, Younha is running for her life amongst flying debris, some creeper on a carriage, and a metal whale(?). How she managed to land on her feet after getting absolutely slammed by a large chair is beyond me. You mean she’s athletic, too? Man that’s practically not fair! All in all it’s a different type of video for a different type of song than what most Korean music is used to.

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Overall: 96 / 100

After what seemed to be an eternity, Younha returned with a spectacular album with standouts in “Run” and “Would We Have Changed”. “Run” is a refreshing ballad that will surely lighten your mood, and is a song which covers Younha’s struggles when she was under Lion Media.

[Review] Psy - Gangnam Style

Vocals: 7 / 10

Compared to “Right Now”, there is even less singing in this song. The verses are pretty much all rap and so is the very simple chorus, leaving the buildup to chorus and the infamous “Ayyyyyy sexy ladayy” segments as the only ones with vocals, and as such a similarly clean, short, sweet and to the point marking for Psy. Think of it this way, if Psy was a really talented singer it must just be a little unfair for everyone else in the competition!

Appearance: 8 / 10

Has Psy changed since the last time we saw him? No not really, at least not that I could distinguish any significant weight gain or loss from the get go, I knew I would / should be expecting more of the same, anyways. The song is about living life and as such, all the costumes are clean, simple, and nice, leaving another impression of being down to earth. I did not and could not even realize that Big Bang’s Daeseng and Seungri were hidden in the video, either. They are supposedly the two old men playing chess / board game together during the explosion scene. Highlights go to the young Hwang Minwoo (I think that is his name) and Yoo Jae Suk in a striking yellow. Hyuna, please get some eyebrows, thanks.

Dance: 10 / 10

How many celebrities around the world have tried to mimic this dance? That alone should tell you the scale of how big this dance is, mostly because it just looks so freaking stupid! What else is there to talk about? Go join a “Gangnam Style” flashmob and you will see for yourself (although admittedly most of the attempts in the United States has just left everyone dancing around like total idiots, technically the same result, but just a tad different). Little Minwoo’s dance is quite the killer as he shows off his skills and happy facial expressions, while the nation’s MC Yoo Jae Suk literally crushes Psy in a pseudo dance battle. The elevator scene will easily go down as one of the top moments in the video alongside the “Ayyyyy sexy laday” parts. Hyuna’s dance was uhh, strange? I guess one would feel good if they walked into a subway and an attractive girl with no eyebrows was doing a dance for you before breaking out into the horse riding dance.

Rap: 10 / 10

What makes Psy’s raps stand out is the quality, not necessarily the quantity, although there sure is quite the quantity. Psy provides the high level energy and even some power in certain lines which only heightens the appeal of the song. If you just include the faces Psy makes while rapping, it makes it all the more funny. In my opinion it would be worth having / seeing G-Dragon and or T.O.P. Come sing this song with Psy, with YG’s signature rappers, you know stuff will go down.

Music Video: 10 / 10

Just watch the damn video again, it’ll speak way more than what I can put into words. :3

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Overall: 90 / 100

While Psy’s song may currently be the entire world’s new love, one can only imagine the thoughts and plans behind that man’s brain as he prepares for his next album. Will it shock and disgust us? Or will it captivate us and cause us to love him all the more? Regardless of which action he takes, it’s clear Psy has been a significant marker in Korean music’s expansive history. In the meantime, keep on Gangnam stylin’.

[Review] Psy - Right Now (Throwback)

Vocals: 7 / 10

Psy isn’t exactly the greatest singer, but he can still carry a tune (one would hope so after having like ten year career). Even though this song doesn’t exemplify fantastic singing talent or anything, Psy does a nice job with the chorus and definitely can hit some of those upper notes in repitition. Since the chorus is the only part with vocals, I can’t drag out this segment much. As such, a clean score for Psy.

Appearance: 8 / 10

This man is not out there trying to fool anyone. He isn’t the most attractive and not the most built, but that gives him a much more friendly vibe without shooting eye smiles and acting all cutesy / aegyo. From the nerdy office worker look to the stylish party out in the middle of the streets look, Psy looks charismatic as always. As with other flashmob videos, the backup dancers / participants look and are in very typical settings and so do not look too extreme. Even Psy doesn’t change costumes until the crazy party begins to breakout. The pinkish white looks pretty fancy and contrary to popular belief so he doesn’t wear sunglasses all the time.

Dance: 9 / 10

There isn’t too much choreography, the most notable being the bridge / buildup to the final verse, and with reason. It’s a flashmob song which emphasizes letting loose everyone once in a while so there isn’t so much set choreography. Of all the dancing though, the fellows at the subway sure know how to impress and battle with each other across the lanes. During the bridge there’s a slow paced build that matches the song and even a nice little homage to Super Junior’s smash “Sorry Sorry”.

Rap: 10 / 10

Psy earns a perfect score here. No, it isn’t because he raps the fastest, no it isn’t because he raps with the best flow or rhyme schemes, his charisma is more than enough and he’s probably one of Korea’s most charismatic, ever. He may not be on G-Dragon’s level of charisma but he has the energy of a thousand suns and if you watch his live performances they are all just as ridiculous as the last.

Music Video: 10 / 10

The music video provides the setup and perfect mixture of dance sequences and crazy partying / hilarity. Like some other signature YG videos, there’s just so much to comment on. The calm buildup with office worker Psy dancing around like a moron amidst traffic. All the scenes where it’s just a few people but then hype builds out through the song and then it’s just one crazy party flashmob. Psy and his “ripped body”, etc. There is a Seo Woo version of the music video where she lipsyncs from her perspective instead and it’s a neat variation I suppose, if not for her awful lip syncing. Also did you see the blonde guy? He was in every scene. He’s a magician!

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Overall: 88 / 100

Before the global sensation of “Gangnam Style”, was “Right Now” and this song really drew me to Psy where I realized what a great personality / character he was. While it may not be the dropdown silly antics and hilarious choreography, it’s still a very well produced hype song perfect for flash mobs and parties. Performance wise, Psy was so into it that he ripped his pants once on stage. ‘Nuff said.

[Review] TVXQ - Catch Me

Vocals: 8 / 10

Only 15 seconds in, and Changmin is powering through some kickass belts already? I am going to like this song. Or so I thought, until I remembered the teaser was all sorts of high energy dubstep and so was tentatively waiting for the dubstep to kick in. And so the dubstep enters and I’m like “Okay, I could still dig this.” but then shortly after it returned to the original ballad theme. Couple minutes later and we get a rap to dance bridge akin to the dubstep and back to the chorus and one final hurrah with the wubwubwubs. The way the song presented itself was very confusing to me, and it would have been so much more appealing if the entirety of it was either dubstep or ballad, not some bizarre mixture of both. But there are major saving graces here. Yunho’s voice is actually a perfect compliment to this specific ballad style / tempo, which is great since I never found his voice that strong. Not much really needs to be said about Changmin, he holds a permanent slot on the top 10 male vocalists in all of Korea, hitting those high notes like it’s a walk in the park.

Appearance: 8 / 10

Not many male singers can pull off having lots of hair, and Yunho is no exception. Bring back the shorter hair, man! On another thought, maybe it’s not necessarily the length of the hair as it is the style, maybe I just don’t like it. Also, both members have one set where their hair kinda just drops down on their faces like mops which makes them look pretty silly. Changmin being a hero and saving the day though, looking good in the blonde. Somewhere along the lines of “incapable of looking bad”, someone scribbled “Max / Changmin” into the crevices. The backup dancers also don’t look quite as creepy as they did the last time around in “Keep Your Head Down”. Cut your hair, Yunho, and you’ll have a perfect score for your next comeback. Or something.

Dance: 7 / 10

To be honest, this dance really isn’t even that appealing. While it is great to see TVXQ depart to more of the duo style choreographies (not simply a mirrored or back and forth version of each other), It’s more or less a collection of straightforward movements / sequences with some powerful moves that are overexaggerated by flashy camera effects and lighting. The seemingly unnatural high amounts of repetition also did little to help this score. The choreography of the chorus is really good, but everything else after that is “ehh, it’s alright”. Additionally, the dance bridge was rather underwhelming compared to the rest of the song. The inconsistency of the song also affects the choreography, leaving slow fluid movements for the verses and chorus but powerful moves for the dubstep and bridge parts. They play together like a whole unit with their backup dancers, though, leaving no one behind. All in all it’s a good dance, and I’m sure I would’ve been more impressed had there not been any of the flashing lights / splashing water / slow motion camera pans.

Rap: 7 / 10

I am willing to give this rap said score for Changmin’s brilliant vocals and fierce expression. The bridge isn’t half bad with Yunho’s even paced raps that almost make me forget how bad he was in “Keep Your Head Down”. The “push and pull” between Yunho’s low rap and Changmin’s high power notes sound strong together. Furthermore, Yunho’s voice matches well with the song and dubstep portions, something I mentioned earlier. It’s a little repetitive but nothing too far on the negative aspect.

Music Video: 4 / 10

Not only are TVXQ still stuck inside interestingly designed rooms, but this time they only got one other new room to play with. I counted one other set that was significantly different than the others, of which were just the same room with some minor changes and different lighting. TVXQ’s rooms / sets for their solo shots don’t even count. The earlier ones are merely extensions of the main dark room and the later one is literally the same for both members. At least in “Keep Your Head Down”, they had unique ones and the MV for “Before U Go” was actually interesting. The one save I like is that the outfits are identical for Yunho, Changmin, and the backup dancers, making both members seem more incorporated with the dancers and vice versa. In “Keep Your Head Down”, it was a little awkward seeing Yunho and Changmin rotate with outfits that stood out from the others. Yunho and Changmin have some good charisma throughout the video though, just for some minor saves.

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Overall: 68 / 100

Man, I remember “Before U Go” and thought “Wow SM can actually make a good video!” Those days are long over, and it’s back to same formula. I am convinced SM loves their slow motion centralized camera pan just as much as YG loves spitting “EH” in 2NE1 songs and JYP loves…well himself LOL. Good song, but I know everyone is just waiting for the live performances, myself included.

[Review] G-Dragon - Crayon

Vocals: 6 / 10

I think compared to “One Of A Kind”, there are even fewer lines which are being sung, so again there’s a matter of weighing this the same amount as the other categories, but this is marked low for one specific reason: the various filters that sort of autotune or muffle GD’s voice throughout the song are really irritating to my ears and severely hurts the overall pleasantry of the song. If it was just one sort of muffle that was consistent it wouldn’t be a problem, but it’s multiple. Had it not been for them, I could probably listen to the song on repeat but as it stands I can only listen to the rapping sequences whenever I load up the song.

Appearance: 8 / 10

Considering this is a sequence of appearances by G-Dragon in short succession, I can’t really elaborate too much (I mean I could, but it’d be stuff I said before). G-Dragon looks more or less the same compared to his appearance in “One Of A Kind” and “That XX”. I saw glimpses of Zelo with his hilarious / wacky facial expressions while he was in the bathroom, and from the haflway point of the song and onward the faces he makes are nothing short of extraordinary. Although I will comment on how people thought the girl in the TV scene was GD in a dress, but I don’t think it was since I’m pretty sure his arms are splattered with tattoos of various sorts.

Rap: 10 / 10

“If I were to rank Korea’s top five rappers, G-Dragon would easily be in the top three if not top two. With nearly every release, he continues to showcase his dominance and talent. This song in particular is a little weird since it’s got a slow intro that suddenly picks up into a blitz.” Does this sound familiar? Well it should, the rap style and sequence is a little like that of “One Of A Kind”, where the tempo is mostly slow but still rather erratic and unpredictable, but this is the style that G-Dragon excels in. If it worked for a previous song, it’s still going to work now. Excellent work all around.

Music Video: 10 / 10

Talk about an exciting music video. If you thought “One Of A Kind” was clever, this smashes that to the ground. G-Dragon has many many friends, and they’re all here to party and not lipsync very awkwardly. The sets get even more bizarre and the outfits more intriguing: being the DJ / person inside his crazed self, fighting / dancing in puffy sumo-esque suits, literally going insane on the dance floor, etc. The use of camera angles were also really nice and helped emphasize G-Dragon getting his “cray on.” Did you see the creepy / cheeky grin when the girl butts were shaking behind him? Extremely serious.

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Overall: 85 / 100

In the end, I have given “Crayon” a handful of listens but I may just try to find a condensed version where it’s only the raps strung together. The autotune and muffles are really distracting and hurts the replay value of the song by so much. While I would say this is the weakest (use the term loosely) of the three releases thus far, it’s by no means a bad song and has some great rhymes and hilarious music video.