[Review] Super Junior - Magic

In natural S.M. tradition, Super Junior has returned with a repackage album. The album cover is absolutely atrocious, which frankly seems like they don't even care. But really, S.M. probably hasn't cared for a long, long time. "Magic" is like the late spiritual successor of "No Other" however many years ago, both in the sounds and the style of the MV. The audio is happy and energetic. In contrast to "Devil," Super Junior sounds more together and in sync. Perhaps that's what you want if all of your members are chasing after the same girl...again. Even though it's almost certainly not on purpose, the pronunciation of "girl" creates a utility phrase, where they could be heard saying either "magical" or "magic girl." Both make sense, so even if this was unintentional, well done.

The majority of the video is dominated by the basketball court scenes where tacky dancing, mediocre basketball skills, and a plethora of special effects come together. It's certainly eye-catching at first, but gets boring rather quickly, despite all the fancy moves the boys try to break out. Thankfully we're treated to Kyuhyun being downright hilarious at 1:59. He is probably the last member I would think of doing that move. The remainder of the MV revolves around the Super Junior team trying to show off and attract attention from the lovely lady. I was expecting the cliche Siwon pick but in the end Kangin wins. They should've had him at center for the ending shot. The magic tricks edited in throughout the video were quite the treat, both entertaining and effective at supporting the overlying theme of the song. Heechul and Eunhyuk handle the rapping and the former does a better job than the latter. Eunhyuk's voice was never really that suited to rapping so it's not surprising that Heechul sounds much better. He's been on the upswing with raps since "This Is Love" anyway. The English used is still a little suspect, but not quite as bad as those seen in "Dumb Dumb." As this is a project / celebratory release, I doubt we'll be seeing the full set of choreography anytime soon (save maybe for the major performances come the end of the year).

Comparing Super Junior to Big Bang this year comes down to a battle of quality vs. quantity. Big Bang certainly made more noise and waves with their months of releases, while SJ dropped "Devil" and "Magic." Super Junior's titles were simplistic in nature but very charming to the average listener, whereas the plethora of Big Bang songs could be used against them if people aren't prepared for what's coming. Big Bang also had a few misses, whereas both Super Junior songs are most certainly huge hits. I said in my "Devil" review that Super Junior have aged gracefully since debut, and this release doesn't alter my opinion in the slightest.

[ Overall: 87 / 100 ]

[Review] iKON - My Type

Rounding out the rookie corner this week is YG Entertainment's newest group iKON. 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.

Let's start with the good: "My Type" has smooth written all over it. The song isn't too slow or too fast. It hits the elusive sweet spot and you can hear the hip-hop (or is that R&B?) resonating in the background even if the main vocals are slower. The iKON voices aren't too bad, and I do appreciate the fact that they cure rapper syndrome right away by giving Bobby and B.I the chorus. They are a considerably large group, so leaving out the rappers could've happened, but thankfully it didn't. Not sure who the main vocalist of this group is, but Junhoe should comprise that role. He has a voice full of depth and it's not as high-pitched as the others. Out of both the trainee groups, his voice is the most interesting and has the most potential.

Perhaps the influence of his non-iKON appearances have overwhelmed me, but Bobby's rap was pretty forgettable. Now obviously this song can't be put in the same realm as his Show Me The Money performances or "Born Hater" but I definitely was expecting more from him. Mino showed that he could still have solid raps after an official debut so a shame Bobby couldn't do the same. B.I on the other hand was a pretty big miss. His voice reminds of G-Dragon but he's (a) got a higher voice and (b) simply not as good as his sunbae / mentor. Oh, and that part at 3:00. Never again. Never. Again.

We're treated to a pretty classic MV. Yet another group of boys find interest with one girl. When will the idols of Kpop ever learn? Probably never. Actually, wait a minute. Didn't one of Big Bang's latest videos gave everyone their own girl? I guess it'd be tough giving all 7 members (except it wouldn't be). Almost the entirety of the video shows the group hanging about and doing seemingly arbitrary dance moves out on a basketball court / athletic area (I did see traces of a track field or something similar). I laugh every time they race by on their scooters. It was silly when Sistar did it and it's still silly now heh. Other than that, there weren't too many specific / individual interesting things that stood out to me for the video. Stereotypical videos have been getting painful for a long time now but I'll manage. It's the audio that intrigues me the most anyway.

I would still call this song the little brother of "Empty" by Winner though. I just can't shake the feeling of familiarity from my head no matter how many times I listen to either. Not to say this is a bad resemblance, as "Empty" was an excellent track. Decent vocals and a decent set of raps equal a decent song, naturally. In the grand scheme of things, it's a pretty average debut that will be bolstered heavily by the YG name.

[ Overall: 80 / 100 ]

[Review] DAY6 - Congratulations

JYP sure is liking his bands lately. The newest rookies of JYP Nation are DAY6, and thankfully, there are 6 members in the group. Considering that GOT7 had a very 2PM-esque debut with "Girls Girls Girls," and since the Wonder Girls take on the band concept wasn't as smooth as I would have liked, I didn't really know what to expect out of this group.

This is most certainly rock / pop rock, and I am very pleased. As someone who first discovered Younha with songs like "Houki Boshi," "Ima Ga Daisuki," and "Te Wo Tsunaide," "Congratulations" rings out familiar nostalgic vibes. The chorus is driven off the instruments, along with the chants powering behind the "congratulations." For a while, I wondered why GOT7 struggled with their vocalists, but turns out they were all waiting to debut under DAY6 ha. Seriously though, Sungjin and especially Jae definitely stand out with their voices and delivery. I'm not sure how I feel about the rap from Young K. It's not bad, and I'm convincingly reminded of Yubin's segment in "I Feel You." At the end of the day, a decent rap that doesn't hurt the song should be good enough. Both raps are good enough and build into the final chorus so there's not much else to be said after that.

Unlike Wonder Girls and "I Feel You," "Congratulations" differs in having no choreography since they were primarily marketed as band. This makes sense. DAY6 is a band from the get-go, as opposed to Wonder Girls who were a group-turned-band (sort of). I'd dare say that this group's take on being a band is more serious than their sunbaes (though I understand WG did indeed practice their instruments). Maybe it's once again the fact that they're a band from the start but their style seems more authentic to me, or I'm just weird. Moving onto the MV, we get a decent plot behind everything, another nice change of pace compared to "I Feel You," which was just rertro fanservice of sorts. The story involves a young man and his ex-girlfriend in a chance encounter on the subway. Complete with flashbacks and everything, the video is cut up into him staring her down, reminiscing on past love, and shots of the band (of course). Might I add that setting up on a subway probably isn't the brightest idea, that seems like a safety hazard. Also, why is Young K the only member who "talk to" the girl? I thought that was a little weird since nobody prior had scenes with the new couple.

DAY6 starts off their career on the right foot, with a splendid song and a relatable MV. The instruments power through the song and provide a strong backbone while Jae's vocals give the song extra flair. Young K's rapping may not be spectacular but it's able to work with the song and he honestly may be one of JYP's better male rappers already. "Congratulations" is the debut track DAY6 needed to show that JYP can put together not just groups, but bands, too.

[ Overall: 87 / 100 ]

[Review] Red Velvet - Dumb Dumb

Red Velvet is somewhat of an anomaly. On one hand, RV's debut was pretty horrendous compared to their company sunbaes, despite all the EXO-esque teaser hype (and even that didn't deliver the same weight of justice). "Happiness" was just bad no matter how you looked at it, the song was not good and video had some controversy. On the other hand, the group had released some excellently smooth slower songs, like the remake of "Be Natural" and "Automatic." With the hilarious theory that they require some S.M. sacrifice before / when things happen to the group, Red Velvet  will kick off the fall reviews with "Dumb Dumb."

"Dumb Dumb" is an addicting dance number. It's as simple as that. The chanting of "dumb dumb" worms into your head very quickly and is a much better hook than the creepy "lalalalala" from "Ice Cream Cake." At least with this one, I don't feel like I'm walking into a fairytale horror mix. The instrumental really drives the song with tacky noises everywhere that don't distract too much, though they do cloud some of the adlibs. Where they improve on the hook compared to ICC, they falter in the chorus department. The range just doesn't sound as comfortable, and they definitely sound like they're reaching for those notes. Even worse is if this was adjusted. This leaves the verses as the main highlight, which is a shame because they're so short and limited in number. Instead we get...

One of the worst rap inclusions of the year. The rap as a whole is extremely questionable, not to mention the distribution. Yeri is about as filler as filler can get, so I understand they probably wanted to give her more lines. But the entirety of the rap sections just don't fit with the song. It's common that having a rap which is slower than the verses or chorus results unfavorably and this is certainly a good example. Not to mention that awful string of English / Michael Jackson songs used in the latter rap part. That was just uncomfortable, especially when what followed was the bridge. Talk about awkward transitions. S.M. continues to show they can still struggle with this kind of stuff. Ack, this song could've gone places they kept with the high-impact verses / chorus.

What the hell is happening in this music video. Like what in the actual fuck. It's not quite seizure-inducing like with T-ARA videos, but there's still so much going on and absolutely none of it makes any sense. By the way I still can't really tell who anyone is that isn't Wendy. At least S.M. was kind enough to not dress them all entirely the same and go back to colour coding. The bizarre scene changes disrupts from watching the choreography, which is brilliant, lively, and powerful. The dance is fun, too, and there's many subtleties with the moves that make the whole routine fun to watch, an example being the "hahaha" part at the chorus with the girls shaking their heads and covering their laugh.

Even though S.M. may have dropped the ball (and that's some serious droppage) with the amount of rapping and non-vocals in this comeback, the choreography is delightful and the MV is artistic, if but a little crazy. Ultimately the song's faults do outweigh the non-faults, and "Dumb Dumb" lands behind "Ice Cream Cake" as Red Velvet's signature tune, but maybe not that far behind.

[ Overall: 80 / 100 ]

[Bonus] Girl Group Power Rankings (#5-#1)

5. Apink
Alright, top 5 time. Initially, I was hesitant to put Apink so high on this list, but if Wonder Girls deserve #10 out of legacy, Apink surely requires a top 5 placement. Like I mentioned earlier, very pop-focused songs aren't my style. I enjoy them every once in a while, but that's about it. Luckily for Apink, the "every once in a while" pop song is more often than not one of their tracks. "Mr. Chu" and "Luv" are different styles of pop but they cater to the same audience. Outside of Mamamoo, Apink competes for the best / balanced vocal lineup, as everyone from Eunji to Naeun ranges excellent to passable. Naeun in particular has been making strides of improvement, and the support singers like Chorong and Namjoo really impress. "Remember" wasn't quite able to compete with some other summer songs but rest assured this group will carry on for a long, long time. What could really help Apink this fall would be an Eunji solo debut. Please make it happen!

4. Sistar
This was a heavily contested slot, but Hyorin can only carry so far. Sistar has been on the rise since as early as 2012. Sistar has Hyorin, the incredible juggernaut of an idol that makes being in the same group substantially more difficult (heck, she snagged a spot on a rapping show). Soyu has an impeccably clear voice that shines in some of their songs, but is most obvious in the various collaborations she's been a part of. Bora and Dasom are often overlooked for being an inferior rapper and essentially group filler, but the former certainly is capable and the latter has (like Naeun) been making improvement in her voice. While "Don't Be Such A Baby" was a delightful B-side to "Shake It," most of the past year of content has unfortunately paled in comparison to what Sistar was releasing back pre-2014 with "Alone" and "Give It To Me." The fact that consecutive summer songs "Touch My Body" and "Shake It" haven't been able to stand up to "Loving U" and were generally disappointing says a lot of Sistar lately. In the end, a slightly weaker series of releases places Sistar at #4.

3. Girls' Generation
The once unshakable queens of girl groups have (finally?) been dethroned. And in reality all it took was an average album followed by losing Jessica. Jessicagate shook the fandom to the core, given that the group used to be heralded as the pinnacle of member stability. Taeyeon and Tiffany are still 2 of the nation's best girl group vocalists, and the departure of Jessica has given the support vocalists in Sunny, Yuri, and Sooyoung more lines. Although the first release as 8 wasn't very appealing with "Catch Me If You Can," Girls' Generation are getting back into motion. "Lion Heart" was a versatile studio album that redeems the previously mediocre albums of "Mr. Mr." (and even "I Got A Boy" to an extent), no doubt thanks to having triple title tracks. Combined with the upcoming long-awaited solo debut of Taeyeon, as well as solo efforts from Tiffany and a TTS subunit comeback, Girls' Generation will be fighting back hard for their spot at #1.

2. AOA
Ace of Angels are everywhere. They're dominating the charts, from "Miniskirt" to "Heart Attack," the girls have been promoting vigorously with good success. While "Miniskirt" remains their strongest song to date, "Heart Attack" was one of the best tracks this summer and the album as a whole was very good. AOA is plenty active elsewhere, having a plethora of variety show appearances and acting in dramas. Seolhyun remains one of the nation's femme fatales, while MINABOYS dominate le reddit. Choa isn't necessarily top tier, but her voice carries the rest of the group on her back (though Yuna is commendable), and Jimin, much as I dislike her voice, has serious technical ability that cannot be ignored in her rapping. The visual game is almost unrivaled, having the quadruple threat of Seolhyun, Hyejeong, Choa, and Yuna.  AOA is responsible for eye contact dance practice videos, which receive just hype for the all the right fanservice-y reasons  I do feel sorry for Youkyung though. she and AOA Black haven't been around since 2013. Nonetheless, AOA has brought their A-game for the past year plus, and continue to reap the fruits of their labor.

1. Girl's Day
If there's anything the other groups on this ranking have shown, it's that a strong promotion cycle works wonders, and Girl's Day are the uncontested winners of having the best series of comebacks. "Expectation," "Female President," "Something," and "Darling" were an incredible sequence of title tracks that rivaled 9MUSES' run in 2013. If you include "I Miss You," then there was something for just about everyone. Following that, Minah made a pleasant solo debut with "I Am A Woman Too," showcasing her crystal clear voice with R&B ballads. Afterwards was "Ring My Bell," a good-enough track spearheading a better album. Hyeri is the 3rd and final member of the current "lead girls" in Kpop right now, along with Hani and Seolhyun. Her personality is a bit eccentric but perhaps that's simply more of her charm. While Yura is often glanced over, she doesn't suffer from rapper syndrome and gets a charitable amount of singing lines, not to mention her recent raps have shown some growth. This group's music can be considered safe, with Sojin and Minah doing the singing, but there isn't another group with such fair line distribution and they have covered plenty of genres, including going from cute to sexy then back to cute. 2015 may not have been as strong for Girl's Day as 2014, but the record still shows that they are the current girl group to beat.

Final Glance
10. Wonder Girls
9. 9MUSES
8. T-ARA
7. EXID
6. Mamamoo
5. Apink
4. Sistar
3. Girls' Generation
2. AOA
1. Girl's Day