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?).
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| 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.
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| 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
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?
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| 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*
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| 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. :)
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| 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
