[Review] Compilation Review of KPop Recent Releases (Part 1)
AHHHH AHHHH, I am so behind on these songs. So instead of releasing single posts, I’m release a whole album instead! I’m gonna just quickly review recent hit singles and get into the Queendom ending songs. Alright, let’s go, click on list below if you don’t want to read everything!
GIDLE’s- “Lion”
Alright, this should be a simple one. This is because this group used their Queendom song as actually their latest comeback song. You see Queendom competition ended with the various groups writing a song and performing it to fans so that the show can decide who has the biggest “Fandom”. The song that was premier in the finale, is different from their “official comeback”, or it could be the same as in the case of GIDLE they just took the song they wrote for Queendom and made it their latest comeback. Both videos are shown below…..
You know what I like it. I just want to point out that G-IDLE does have this nice progression with their sounds and songs. No two songs, from “Alone” to “Uh Oh” or even “Seniorita” to “Lion” sounds the same. With other groups there is usually one distinct “sound” that you are like “oh yes def that’s so and so”. Like GFriend, there’s a soft ballad type of innocence sound that I can’t really describe without sounding like “man this manz is faking it”. Like you guys get what I mean though!! There are songs that you listen to and you like “Yup, it checks out as blah blah”. Usually I attribute drastic sound change to either 1) Old groups breaking out of “their mode” or 2) New groups trying to find a “hit” sound. I think G-IDLE though fit into none of these caterogy at the moment and I like how each song is distinct from others. Now that being said they are too young of a group (like 1 year old) to like develop a running common “sound” through their songs yet but so far, I hope they don’t if that means they can consistently churn out good sounding music like these. But as we all learn with HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, the OLDER YOU GET THE LESS YOU GET TO EXPERIMENT WITH THINGS WITHOUT BEING JUDGE (this case fans) BY OTHERS. Beside all the sucking up their fans do with them which honestly is a little bit much, I honestly think G-IDLE could and should be consider a top girl group in the future. Which is why CUBE shouldn’t SELL OUT TO BIGHIT NO NO NO!
Now onto “Lion”, again it’s a good song. I like the music, and the steady drum beat, oh my bad “African Drum” beat in the background. There’s also a factor of funny, love the way they fail to pronounce “Queen”. I know English is not their first language and I would probably fail to pronounce korean words but that didn’t stop my friends from poking fun at me when I was in grade school saying “Drapa zoid” and “Lie berry” soooooo. The beginning with Minnie singing over a silent background except for a simple drum beat and then transition to Soyeon was pretty smooth increasing in intensity all the way to the chorus. Also like the fact that there was minimal use of electronic music, I mean yes there was that “clicky clack” in the background and some in the chorus but overall the beat was dominated by drums, cymbals and snare (?) with piano sprinkle toss in. Of course I don’t know if this is certify as “Ethnic Hip” because this is certainly not “Ethnic” music that Soyeon was trying to go for. This might be the one thing about what’s keeping me from liking the song, it’s a product of pure racism and misinformation. It’s like you see this picture…..
UWU. UWUUUU. UWWWWWWWUUUUUUUUU. HOW CUTE. WHAT A CUTE BABY. MANY KAWAIISSSSS. Wait a second why does this baby look familiar it’s like I’ve seen this photo somewhere…..
No.
That’s exactly how I feel, BAMBOOZLED. I want to like this song, but it’s racist!! Now I don’t want to get into it, but when you know you are racist when a hardcore chinese person, a group of people who literally imprison people that doesn’t look like them #Uighyurs, Yuqi is shook by what you said.
It’s suprising since I didn’t expect Soyeon to be the racist one here, to be honest all of them are probably lowkey racist. I mean the whole squad begin drumming when Soyeon ask what “African” Instrument they should use. I’m surprise they didn’t all take out Weed Pipes and began to blow through it. I mean I thought Soyeon was the “Hip Hop” and the “Rap” member of the group, a genre of music that was brought to you by the blacks and yes DRUMMING INCLUDED. If I was in that room I would have dropped a verse when she said “African Instrument” and the whole of GIDLE can’t think of anything else but drumming and chief “tribal call”. Not only this song being supposedly “Ethnic Hippy” the group go full on racist with Acrylic Nails, I know that was probably not on purpose but I DON’T EVEN KNOW ANYMORE. I can only imagine what ran through Soyeon mind when she perform “GIANTS” for League of Legends Finals alongside Becky G, Keke Plamer, and Thutmose. All I got to say is if Soyeon was really Akali, True Damage’s members skin composition will look more like KDA.
Ha. Hilarious! That’s right, you are looking at the exact moment when I drop the N word at a dinner party hosted by white businessmen from the 19 fucking 00’s. Minnie is definitely a little bit TOO EXCITED and Miyeon “Good Idea” make it seem like she was one of those congressperson who approve the Compromise of 1850.’
“Lion” is currently #22 in the ICharts, one of Korea official charts.
AOA’s- Sorry and Come See Me
Ah yes AOA, a group that is the visual representation of what happen to your memories when you get older. Anyways, AOA, the first truly big girl group in the new era of Gen 3. You know the Alexander the Great before Julius Caesar. The Tetrapodomorpha before Amphibians. OOOOOOOOHHHHH TETRAPODOMORPHA, I’M ON FIRE WITH MY APPLY BIOLOGY KNOWLEDGE. AHA… HA… HA.. ha…. haha… WAHHHHHHHHHHH. Weird flex hours.
Anyways AOA was the first big group in Generation 3 KPop if you use EXO as the marker seperating Gen 2 and Gen 3 which is the common marker. Their release big hits such as Heart Attack, Like a Cat, and Miniskirt (or was it Short Hair…)
the three songs which is considered to be their best song. Recently though, they have of course tether on disbandment from the leaving of ChoA to their little known drummer Youkyung to Mina the lastest leaver which left AOA at the state of 5 member. With their steady decline and refusal to go on indefinite hiatus have some KPop fans joking that Seoulhyun have to feed the whole group. I guess Seoulhyun wasn’t really sucessful because Jimin- good to see her healthy-ish now! AOA’s latest release of “Bingle Bangle” was not a Banger, yes it suceeded digitally but physically? Let’s just say if you see the numbers you would think AOA was a new group.
AOA I think is the group that probably put their all into this show, with every performance being suprising, confident, and more powerful. They definitely regain some of their prestige with the Korean fan base even though Queendom had an abysmal like 2% tune in rate in a country of 50 million people or so and even though AOA came in 4th place. AOA was the sunbaenim, wait Park Bom was from Gen 2, and they really show why they were with their performances.
Let’s start with “Sorry” first, the group song for Queendom.
I like the Old Western Aethestic, it was cool and wasn’t racist unlike G-IDLE or even fucking Mamamoo who I will get to in a moment. Love the performance with the classic Western BAR FIGHT, nice dance moves from Chanmi there BUT I PERSONALLY WANTED REALL PUNCHESS. I feel like Old West style fit them really well, it’s like the Old West is a thing of the past, but we still reminsces over it. The Old West is still a time that modern people still think about and romanticize. AOA is like the Old West in that their days, while probably numbered and over, it doesn’t mean they can’t continue to impact the modern Korean music scene.
The song itself is catchy and I really do like the instrumental. With the “oooooooooh ooooooooh” in the background that puts a antiquity feel to it. The piano and the drums and even WHISTLING, were not overpowering and the song had half a modern feel, and half something that took place in the past. I must say, this is more lyrics than I would expect from an AOA song which usally have a catchy tune but really doesn’t have much lyrics to it. This song though, combines both. I do feel like they deserve more than 4th place, but if it’s explicitly fandom size we are speaking which was the goal of Queendom, their glory days are in the past, that doesn’t mean they can’t reborn and release some good hits.
Wow you know what, not much Youtube views but dang did AOA revive their Korean fanbase. It’s debuting at #8 on the ICharts, only losing out to Mamamoo at #3 which is actually accurate because Mamamoo is still a big girl group. Very very advance, I like the BRAIN IN JAR esque picture. Yes this means AOA album explore the depth of human conceptions of reality, truth, mind, and the conscious. Me and you both know that what I just said is BS, I don’t know why there are BTS fans out there being like the “Map of the Soul: Persona” speak to some deep Freudian shiz just because BTS slap some words together that is associated with Freud and psychology. If you ARMYs want some deep shit, try Kendrick Lamar.
This song rocks! AOA is definitely taking another route here from the traditional AOA, I just wish they have brung sexy back man that concept been dead forever. We definitely got a preview of what this song is going to be like, there was a lot of guns just like in “Sorry”. If there’s one thing I don’t like about this song, is it’s not unique. It’s unique if you judge AOA as an isolate group, this is something they have never tried before most definitely. You can even say reborn since yes there’s no AOA song that has this theme, modern girl crush. But you know what this song reminds me off? Red Velvet + I can’t place my finger on it + Itzy. It’s like a fusion between these three. Red Velvet is notorious for weird as fuck music video concept either killing a pizza delivery guy or each other. AOA seems to go down this track because there is a whole lot of guns and there’s a whole lot of pointing it at each other. It’s either getting kill by Chanmi’s arrow, Hyejeong’s pistol, Seoulhyun’s rifle, Yuna wait a second she’s running never mind, or Jimin’s sword which I would say Jimin noona really lacking range here how is she expected to destroy a running Yuna if she’s rooted in one place with a sword? Unless you go the Princess Bride route and chuck the sword. Also this music video have a hint of Itzy in it, with Yuna (Lol…) dress in all black with that video camera scene. Literally lowkey “Dalla Dalla” feels right there. I swear the bowler hat in all brown looks like some music video I swear OMG I can’t place my finger on it! Also Jimin in behind those glittering beads? Looks like TWICE “Feel Special” and like many other groups, but I feel like TWICE’s “Feel Special” pinpoint that exactly. There’s also a hint of 2NE1 in here, espcially the scene where they walk down dress in black holding a stick to smack shiz with.
But then again maybe that’s a unique point, it’s a fusion, it’s an innovation instead of a brand new concept that have not been seen before in a KPop music video. This is truly a new AOA, since this song isn’t catchy at all. It’s good, but it’s not basic simplistic tune + catchy line that they have always try to go with in “Like A Cat” or even the recent “Bingle Bangle”. It seems like instead of innocent sexy angels concept that was in “Bingle Bangle” they have “broke out” into I guess badass fallen angel? It works, the tune is more complex with plenty of mixes and synthizers along with drums. Nothing overpowering though because the lyrics and vocals take the show here. Not everything has changed though, there is still a what I describe in all AOA song as a uniquely Jimin part. She always introduce them with like “The pretty girls A-O-A” in an annoucer-esque tone. The uniquely Jimin part is “hey” throughout the chorus. For me this song is a bop, the rebirth is complete! It remains to be seen if they will release songs like regularly or just once per contract cycle which they have been doing ever since ChoA left.
WSJN
Starship CEO: FUCK FUCK THE POPO ARE ON TO US. First Monsta X, then it’s this Mnet shit. WE NEED A COMEBACK TO DISTRACT THEM
Starship Minion: How about a song about granting wishes. But get this instead of the Western Santa being in the North Pole, we make it on the MOOOOOON somewhere they will never check!
Starship CEO: What a genius idea my minion! They gonna spend thousands of dollars if they want to catch me begin packs up
Starship Minion: Wait sir, no it’s a song idea…. For Cosmic Girls…..
Starship CEO: disappointed Oh…… So, I’m still screw….?
Starship Minion: Yeet
Well this is new. Very very unique I see. You see Korean and like most East Asian countries have this latern festival where we light up laterns and either toss them into the river or float them onto the sky our wishes and dreams. You westerners know about this, uh remember “Tangled”? Yeah that movie where Rapunzel wanted to go out and she finally sneak out with that DASHING HANDSOME YOUNG MAN to see the latern festival?
Cosmic Girls with the “Cosmos” concept really takes this to the next level. You can always expect their videos to be aethesteically pleasing.
“No pervs NO I’m NOT A PERV.”
Like I know it’s CGI, but I always have love picture of celestial objects with their various burst of colors in each of Cosmic Girls song. It’s a pretty nice background that never fails to disappoint. I have just recently got around listening to them with “Save Me Save You” and “Secret”. As far as I have seen, their main style seem to be EDM along with a bit simplistic chorus line along with dances and pictures of members on a gorgeous background. Kinda of like old AOA before “Come See Me” but hey I never said I disliked old AOA.
And you know what, this song isn’t half bad! The introduction is cool, the little high voice is kind of annoying though. Strange because I happen to like TWICE. Anyways the bass line seems very harmonious with the synth throughout the first part of the song. I really like how they slow things down pre-chorus with a simple but sped up drum line before cranking it towards the beat drop in the chorus. The beat drop is pretty good, it’s clean and not crazy although I must say I don’t really see the point of that high pitch voice within the chorus, can’t we just fired it after it say “as you wish” earlier? The chorus mix well along with the beat, and it’s clear that the classic WSJN formula strikes success again.
