Saturday 20 July 2013

WEEK IN REVIEW [15/7/13-19/7/13]

Okay so none of us have been active on this blog for a while... but it doesn't mean we've forgotten about it. To attempt to make up for some of it, I'll be doing a recap of some of the releases this week. There have been so many new MVs this week that's almost been hard to keep up. Haha. No rest for the feels.




EXO- Wolf [Drama Version]


So this isn't a new song but it is a very big (and surprising) release for this week. Since Wolf promotions technically ended last week, fans had practically given up hope that the drama version will ever be released. So what did I do when I saw this video uploaded after I woke up from my nap? I essentially just rolled around in my bed for a good five minutes.
I really don't understand what SM was trying to do with this. The story sort of makes sense in a cliche sort of way (basically a fanfiction come to life) but there was some... completely ridiculous things in this. Lots of people agree on the pointless parkour. It looks cool but it's slowing you down Luhan so just run AROUND the boxes please. Also how the main girl seems to be the only female in their class? Lay is the worst goalie in the history of soccer. You're suppose to run TOWARDS the ball darling, not AWAY from it. Just kidding, I love you anyway Yixing. SM, WHAT IS THIS "TO BE CONTINUED" BUSINESS? You aren't going to make us wait till the end of their follow up promotions to release it right?
Going to stop ranting now. Basically, I'm glad they finally released it. The different songs could have been blended together a bit better but I think were chosen appropriately (though I don't know why this is a Wolf MV when it only plays for half the video). Cinematography was good (but the red vision thing was just... why?).

Poor Kyungsoo



Infinite- Destiny



YESSSS! Infinite is back! I really wanted to see the clips of them in the airplane crash set but I agree it was an appropriate decision to make this B version and remove the clips after the Asiana plane incident. That doesn't stop the MV though from being ridiculously awesome. The city and warehouse sets still look good though I am starting to feel warehouses are being overused now. The boys looked good (minus Sungyeol's useless man corset because I don't get that...).
On the first listen, the song really surprised me. I was a bit worried about Infinite moving away from Sweetune because I loved all the songs they did with them. The song feels stronger than their previous releases and yet they still manage to retain a quality that is uniquely "Infinite" which is always a plus. Destiny is a vocally strong song (I seriously love Sunggyu in this) but I think the highlight for me is definitely Dongwoo's rap. WOW. YES.
Choreography from just watching the MV isn't as distinctive as their previous songs (see Come Back Again to Chaser) but is still appealing and in sync as per usual. It was also nicely filmed and edited together with good distribution of shots to all members.
Overall I am very impressed by this comeback. It took a few listens for me to love it but now I'm definitely addicted to it.

Coz you're my destiny


BTS- We Are Bulletproof Pt 2


This isn't a new song either and just a new video. I hesitated writing about this video because I don't really consider myself a BTS fan (please don't shoot me see what I did there?). However I do like this song better than No More Dream. It's a simple video with only one set that still comes off as visually appealing with good cinematography. The members all look too (sorry I don't know their names so I can't go into specifics).
The only thing that I was really torn over is if I like the lyrics on screen or not. In some cases they add an effect but sometimes it's just distracting. Regardless, I like the lyrics themselves. Choreography also matches the song well. The hat part is very cool. :)
I think it all comes down to personal preference with BTS. I know they already have quite a international fan following and I often feel like I'm one of the few that don't really like them that much. It's not like I'm a hater. I acknowledge that they are talented, it's just that their style of music isn't exactly my cup of tea. However if I listen to this particular song enough, I could like it. To all the people who are starting crap about them copying BAP or "insert group here", for the sanity of everyone please just stop.
TL;DR BTS is going fairly well for a rookie group of 2013 under a small label (though I do believe 2AM is now under this label?). Looking forward to what they bring to the kpop scene in the future. Maybe one day I will like them. Who knows?

Everywhere I go everything I do
I’ll show myself as much as I’ve sharpened the knife
All those people who’ve ignored me now 
Oh oh oh oh oh oh hey shout it out


BAP- Hurricane


First thing I need to say, BAP PLEASE TAKE A VACATION! DO I NEED TO KIDNAP YOU AND LOCK YOU A DESERTED ISLAND!? Okay now that it's out of my system we can talk about Hurricane. My honest opinion is that I did not like this song when I first heard it. I don't like this trend of disjointed songs that seems to be making it's way through the kpop scene. SOMEHOW, after listening to it over and over again... I LOVE IT NOW. It defies all reason for me to like this song but for some odd reason that I can not explain... I do! It's probably because of Himchan's loof
Daehyun and Yongjae's vocals are really strong in it though. BYG and Zelo's raps are on point as per usual. Himchan's car with no loof? OH YES. Jongup's purple hair. SUPER YES. I don't know if it's the official choreography or if it's freestyle but the dancing was AWESOME. Sorry for the caps. Cinematography was good. I didn't find anything mindblowing about it but it worked. 
In summary, this is really different from Coffee Shop (which I am still recovering from since it was so very not-BAP but I <3 it anyway). I'm really curious as to what the final title track sounds like. Is it going to be like Hurricane, like Coffee Shop or something entirely new that we've never heard before from them yet? I'M SO CURIOUS YEAAAH!

THE LOOF IS ON FIYAHHH

Kim Hyun Joong- Unbreakable (feat. Jay Park)


Our favorite SS501 leader is back! To be honest, the beeeep noise at the beginning of the song really annoyed me when I first started listening to it so I was prepared not to like this song, but once I really got into the song I really liked it. I just need to ignore the beeeep sound now when I listen to it. This is probably my favorite Korean release of his so far in his solo career. 
The video has some really cool parts. The dancers/martial artists were awesome. The part where they drew the dragon had me O.O *claps* The actual choreography for the song was quite nice too. BONUS shirtlessness for those who like that sort of thing. 
The set looked like just one very large room that they divided into different parts to have different back drops and props. It worked and I think it was shot quite well with good long distance panning shots, close ups, slow motion and sped up sections. 
Kim Hyun Joong to me isn't particularly vocally strong but I think he still pulled off the song. Jay Park's feature was pretty good too. Sometimes I question the necessity of features in some songs but I think this one was appropriate. 
In conclusion, glad he's back with a strong song. I liked the overall feel of the song. *thumbs up of approval*

KHJ is unbreakable!


Beast- Shadow



BEAST IS FINALLY BACK! They've released some singles since their last come back but it's nice to see them officially releasing their second full album. YES. From the teaser, I already knew this video was going to amazing. The dark feel with the reflections really lifted the aesthetic value of this video. The cinematography was superb. I really enjoyed watching it. It felt like a cross between VIXX's Hyde, Jaejoong's Mine with some Kim Hyun Joong's Unbreakable and Hangeng's Wild Cursive. My friend says the set looks like they let a bunch of elephants onto the Caffeine set. LOL.
Just a few things to point out though... what is with the eagle/bird theme that's invading kpop videos these days? Jaejoong had one, Kim Hyun Joong had one and I think Hangeng did too (though he's not kpop). New trend? Another small complaint is that I didn't feel like I saw all the members. I didn't notice Doojoon until the end half of the MV and I didn't feel like I saw much of Dongwoon. Junhyung, Hyunseung and Yoseob got quite a bit of screen time throughout though. They all looked excellent so why I can't see equal amounts of all of them? Junhyung's eyes rolling back really creeped me out... seriously.
Moving onto choreography, I have a similar thing to say about Shadow as I said before about Destiny. Beast and Infinite for me have really recognizable dances. With Destiny and now with Shadow I didn't get that same effect when watching this MV. I didn't see one move that I wanted to copy straight away and that was distinct enough. Maybe this is just a personal preference but regardless the choreography was excellently executed. 
Now for the song, I'm again finding myself to be very conflicted over whether or not I like it. In terms of feel and strength it's not as mellow as Fiction but not as powerful as Shock. It lies sort of between and it doesn't really fit tightly in a particular mood. It's nice and I like it, but I don't love it. I think Beast took a slower approach with this album with the exceptions of maybe the bookend two songs of the album. I found a few of the songs sounded very similar, all with a similar pace to Shadow (though Shadow doesn't have a creepy feel to it which the others don't have). 
TL;DR I liked Shadow but it's not my favorite Beast release. Glad they're back promoting together though. :)

THIS SET WAS AMAZING

To end this extremely long post, I just wanted to pick my personal favorite out of this busy and hectic week for my feels. When I combine the song and the video together, my favorite would probably be Infinite's Destiny the most, followed by KHJ's Unbreakable. I liked both the song and videos for both these releases (KHJ loses because of the annoying beeeep sound). I liked the video for Shadow but the song is still growing on me and I liked the song for Hurricane but the video was okay for my tastes. It was really flashy. I'm more the angsty type as you can probably tell and I'm a huge fan of good unique cinematography. EXO's drama version is fun to watch but it came too late for me to go absolutely insane over it and the plot is hmmm... I'm hoping to gets more interesting rather than sticking to cliches. I'm hoping BTS grows on me in the future because I want to like their music but right now it's still not my cup of tea. 

+Admin K
Listening to: Infinite Destiny, BAP Hurricane, KHJ Unbreakable






Saturday 9 March 2013

Confessions on U-Kiss' "STANDING STILL"

None of us have updated this blog in a long time, so I thought it was about time to write something. There's no better group to talk about than U-Kiss!


OH MY!! They're finally back in Korea! To be honest, these boys are so busy all the time that I'm surprised they haven't all passed out yet! I'm glad that they are releasing more Korean music but is there any chance of them getting a break!? Like seriously!? PLEASE! On a lighter note, WELCOME BACK AJ!!


The song didn't hit me as strongly as Stop Girl did but it was nice the first time I heard it. The vocals are wonderful as always but I didn't find the song particularly catchy at first. Man was I wrong. I'm totally addicted to it now. I still don't like it as much as Stop Girl but it definitely has grown on me significantly. It's nice to hear some substantial English sentences and not just random words and phrases scattered throughout the song.

The MV is simple and a classic dance MV (with some confusing shots of a green eyed woman?). They all look good (though Dongho's hair isn't the best hair they could have give him). I don't even mind AJ's blue tint. Who cares!? He's back! Hoon I think looks the best. Wow!

The dance doesn't stand out as much as their other dances. There isn't particularly a strong movement that I can follow along with and the leg movement that is their supposed dance point, isn't strong and eye-catching enough for me. However, U-Kiss still impresses through synchronization and energy in this dance.

Quick note about the rest of the <Collage> album. I love it. Great songs and I love the duets between Soohyun and Hoon and AJ and Eli. Kevin's solo also is great. You've got a dubset intro, dance songs, ballads, cute serenades and partayyy songs. I think there's a song for everyone in this album. :)

Listening to: U-Kiss- Standing Still

+Admin K 

Saturday 19 January 2013

Confessions On Infinite H's Debut "SPECIAL GIRL"




FLY HIGH TRACKLIST

1. Victorious Way
2. Special Girl (feat. Bumkey)
3. Without You (feat. Zion.T)
4. I Can't Tell You (feat. Gaeko of Dynamic Duo)
5. Fly High


Guys, guys, guys.
What can I say?
This is pure perfection.

SPECIAL GIRL is your standard cute, fluffy, love song, 
but with none of that high pitched, aegyo singing.
Dongwoo and Hoya's rapping brings something new to the table,
 with this song deviating from your usual Infinite sound.

The perfect amount of smooth, flowing rap and of course, 
Bumkey's unique vocals add to the recipe for a great song.

The MV is exceptionally cute  because jfc Dinowoo as well, which had me squealing like a baby
and flopping over my Starbucks table like a fish.
(I watched it 5 times in a row)


(this was me jamming out in the middle of Starbucks after view no.6)


(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

I love their bright coloured theme as well and their hair looks so good!
dinowoo let me eat your cotton candy hair fml

This MV was made even better by the fact that Primary and their CEO was in it


(Primary in his signature mask and ah...
always the humble CEO-nim)

I also loved the cute little acting scenes that Hoya had.

The dance to this song as well was
p.e.r.f.e.c.t.
As usual, Infinite never fails to impress with their dance moves.





Safe to say this song has secured a place in my heart forever, 
I like it so much that I bought it off Gmarket (first Inpini album ever you guyssss)
and is now my ringtone yay!

So whenever someone calls, Bumkey will be calling me beautiful and special
/swoons

But lol no that won't happen.
No one calls because oh baby i'm so lonely lonely lonely.

Admin S

Listening To: Standing In The Rain - Nell













Friday 18 January 2013

Confessions on Kim Jaejoong's "MINE"

If last year was the year of the Junsu, then this year must be the year of the Jaejoong (and next year the year of the Yoochun?). Well, Jaejoong is finally releasing his own solo album (his first I believe) called 'I' with the title track 'Mine'.


Track list
1. One Kiss
2. Mine
3. 내안 가득히 [There`s Only You]
4. 나만의 위로 [Healing for Myself/My Only Comfort]
5. All Alone

Firstly does anyone else think that the title track 'Mine' doesn't completely integrate into the rest of the album that well? The others seem to be very smooth and slow and then Mine is rock-ish and faster paced? Let's just say it's more likely to make you headbang while listening to it than the other songs? However...




WHAT IS THIS GLORY!!?? There is just so much in this MV to talk about that my mind can not comprehend it and put it to words right now. 

There's "bound" Jaejoong...




...epic slow-mo running Jaejoong...



...then "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING!?" Jaejoong...



...and finally finishing with Angel Vampire Jaejoong.



Sets, lighting, makeup, clothing, props, cinematography, everything was amazingly beautiful and totally fit the song. It gave the whole finishing product a very J-Rock Visual Kei feel to it. I loved everything!! Except for that... thing... I can't even describe what he was wearing. 


As for the rest of the album my favorite songs would have to be "All Alone" and "내안 가득히". Jaejoong's wispy and breathy voice I think suited those the best. 

+Admin K

Listening to: Speed- 슬픈약속 (That's My Fault)

Monday 14 January 2013

Happy KaiSoo Day! (13.01.2013)


As you readers may know, us admins here at CITC are big stans of Exo.
So we'd like to take this opportunity to wish our two boys
Kyungsoo (12.01.2013) and Jongin (14.01.2013) a very Happy Birthday!


It's been a little over a year with Exo. 
Congratulations to you 12 who have persevered and come a very long way.


I hope you have fun with your 6 Macbooks and 5 cakes, Kai...
Make sure you share and be nice to Se Hun.
 It's been a joy to watch you perform and be yourself so far.
Continue to persevere and work hard and keep derping.


To our dearest Do Kyungsoo,
I hope you continue take care of yourself and the rest of the members, 
seeing as they said you play the Umma role.
Continue hitting your high notes and stay happy and positive.

To the rest of the members,
rest well, take care of your health and we'll see you soon.
May 2013 be as brilliant as 2012 was!


And to our dearest readers,
Thank you for supporting us for another year.
We apologise for not updating sooner and would like you wish you 
a (late) very Happy New Year.

We hope 2013 treats you well and we hope see you in the coming months!

Much love and Happy New Year,
Admin S 







Tuesday 18 December 2012

Confessions on Kim Sunggyu's "I NEED YOU" MV

OMG... I was not expecting this GLORY. Definitely a VERY pleasant surprise.
I LOVE IT~ It's so aesthetically beautiful and matches the delicate feel of the song. EUGHHHHH....


Did anyone else recognise the stairs at 1:54?


EXO Kris [Teaser]



Big Bang- Beautiful Hangover


Sunggyu- I Need You
Hehe. :)

The smoke near the end was also perfect. Hnnnnnggggg.... *more inhuman sounds exit my mouth* Not to mention the final few seconds where he looks back over his shoulder towards the camera and then walks off... ajf;dsursakfr;suars

I really like this side of Sunggyu. It suits him really well. :)


+Admin K

Listening to: Nell- Holding Onto Gravity

Monday 17 December 2012

Confessions On The MelOn Music Awards 2012





Following MAMA, another awards ceremony has just taken place, namely, the MelOn Music Awards.
Firstly, I'm just gonna go ahead and say how much I liked MelOn compared to MAMA.
Even though it's not as big a deal, I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.


Now, I must admit, I missed almost half of the red carpet but I gathered enough from what I saw.
Which, admittedly wasn't a lot... since I couldn't understand what the MC's were saying anyway.

I was pretty startled during the awkward complete silence every time the idols were being photographed though...

The line up of the red carpet was:

Dynamic Duo
Julien Kang
Simon D
K.Will
B.A.P
Huh Gak
Ailee
Kim So Hyun
INFINITE
B2ST
Seo In Guk
HaHa
SISTAR
A-Pink's Eunji
T-Ara
Kim Yoo Jung
2NE1 






Red carpet footage can be found here.

The MCs of the night were INFINITE'S Woohyun, B2ST's Gikwang, Moon Hee Jun and Danny Ahn. 
First off, I think they did a spectacular job running the whole event (even though I don't understand most of what they said)...

The line up for the performances were:

Simon D, Rhythm Power & Dynamic Duo


K.Will feat. INFINITE's Dongwoo and Hoya


B.A.P


T-Ara


INFINITE


SISTAR



Nell


Ailee and Huh Gak


2NE1

B2ST


WOW. Ok, first of all, AMAZING. SO GOOD. Seriously enjoyed it, much much better than MAMA.
INFINITE, SISTAR and B2ST left my jaw hanging. My three favourite performances of the night.

Honestly, I thought all the stages were amazing and well thought out and interesting.
Except... T-Ara's... I'm not sure what their concept was or if the song choice was bad? But I was really bored and uninterested in their performance and actually swapped tabs to Tumblr to see what was going on there. Actually, the other idols looked pretty bored too.
I loved SISTAR's little video skit at the start. Creative, relevant and oh, so sexy! (unfortunately the skit is not shown the the video above).
And 2NE1!!! Omfg. I actually like near cried during their red carpet. I haven't seen them in sooooo long and damnnn Bom. So hot, you make me tear ;___;
Ailee and Huh Gak's collaboration was beautiful as well.

The list of award winners of the MelOn Awards 2012 are:

Artist of The Year - B2ST
Album of The Year - Busker Busker
Song Of The Year - PSY (Gangnam Style)
2012 Top 10 Artists - B2ST
                               SISTAR
                               Huh Gak
                               2NE1
                               INFINITE
                               PSY
                               T-Ara
                               Big Bang
                               IU
                               Busker Busker

Best New Artist - B.A.P
Global Star Award - PSY
2012 Netizen Popularity Award - B2ST
2012 Hot Trend - Troublemaker
Best OST - A-Pink's Eun Ji & Seo In Guk
Best Rock - Nell
Best Rap/Hip Hop - Dynamic Duo
Best R&B/Ballad - K.Will
2012 MBC Music Star Award - Super Junior's Shindong & Kim Shin Young of "Show Champion"
2012 Songwriter Award - Duble Sidekick

Can I just mentioned that I noticed that there was not one JYP nor SM artist (besides Shindong) present at MelOn?

Admin S






Saturday 15 December 2012

Confessions on Sunny Hill's "GOODBYE TO ROMANCE"



It's been a while since Sunny Hill has come back with a song. After Pray, Sunny Hill has definitely established the image of being a group that makes a social commentary with their edgy songs. As a result, of course I was surprised when they came out with Goodbye to Romance which is definitely not as powerful and impacting as their previous songs (after the addition of members). 


Despite some criticisms, I think this return to their previous style prior to that long hiatus is refreshing. To be honest, I actually miss this part of Sunny Hill. I didn't know about them until their long awaited return with Midnight Sun but exploring their past a bit, I actually really liked the sweet/cute feel of the old Sunny Hill. With the sort of "a couple and a female third wheel" feel to it. LOL. Especially from Dial Back Tone. I miss Janghyun's lines....


Goodbye to Romance is reminiscent of this sweet side of Sunny Hill which I was hoping to see again. The song is simple and very appropriate for the Winter/Christmas period. Personally, I'm a sucker for MVs with cute kids... Also the one-shot style of the MV is also nicely and smoothly done. Definitely an impressive point to note.

Though the lyrics aren't particularly showing much of a social commentary, they are still quite thoughtful. From the teaser and the translations (http://popgasa.com/2012/12/14/sunny-hill-goodbye-to-romance/) it seems like the song is about childhood romance and reminiscing about lost love. That's my interpretation anyway. Loen has provided English subtitles if you want to watch the teaser.



Overall not my favorite Sunny Hill song but definitely something to check out along with the rest of this mini-album. :)

 +Admin K

Listening to: BoA- Only One