[Album Review] EXO - XOXO

* This has been in my draft bin for sometime now. I figured it was time to complete it.*

Song of The Moment~BTS~Danger

Bangtan Boys are back and better then ever! Literally the first couple seconds of this video had me speechless. Not only do they all look good but the group plays bad boy really well. Or I should say, jilted ex-lover very well.

"Danger" is a very aggressive song that explores the end of a relationship that has become one-sided. The other person has lost interest in maintaining that relation and stops trying altogether. Clearly, BTS isn't having it and hashes it out with the girl through their words and dance.  Everything from the dance to the verses scream the internal feelings of anger and hurt. I like how they continued the storyline from "Boy In Luv" which showed the first feelings of falling for someone. Through "Danger" we see the gradual fall of the relationship and what went wrong. BTS put in alot of time and patience to make this work but the girl constantly rejected their love and instead used it against them. I find one of the lines from Jungkook's rap to be pretty ironic.

"Whenever I turn sulky you ask me “Are you mad at me?”
  Have you ever really done something to me?
  You are a sweetie! But I’m just a poor boy"

Instead of taking the blame for not giving parts of herself, the girl turns it around on BTS. Making her the mature one in the relationship when in fact, she's the reason behind their problems. The more I listen to the song, the more I get how personal it really is. Once again, the Bangtan Boys give me another reason to fall for them.

As always I love every member's contributions in this song but my standouts were J-Jope, V, Jungkook, and Suga. We are used to seeing J-Hope always smiling and just being a happy guy onscreen but in this MV, you could feel the anger during his rap verse it was very well done. Suga, as always, was perfect. I could say more but that would be showing my fangirl side which honestly would take over this entire post! V & Jungkook were awesome! Jungkook isn't a bad rapper, he has the right vocal flavor that it works for him. They are starting to give V bigger parts which is great because he has a nice, distinct deep voice that works for them. My overall opinion was that this was a great comeback single. Can't wait til the album comes out!


Danger

Song of The Moment~ Taeyang~ Eyes, Nose, Lips

Finally he is back with a fabulous ballad!! I've missed listening to Taeyang's ballads like "Wedding Dress" as those were the songs that drew him to me the most. While "Ringa Linga" was great I was awaiting this comeback just to see what else he had made while on hiatus and "Eyes, Nose, Lips" did not disappoint. It's the perfect break-up song showcasing Taeyang's vulnerable side and the lyrics are raw and moving. The bouts of symbolism splattered in the song, like the burning picture of the ex-girlfriend, were a pretty fitting tie-in with the words.

"But like a burnt out flame,
  Burnt and destroyed
  All of our love
  It hurts so much, but now I’ll call you a memory."

The chorus is my favorite part, taking the simplest features of a person, to paint us a picture of his heartbreak. I'd say that's pretty ingenious.

"Your eyes, nose, lips

 Your touch that used to touch me,
  to the ends of your fingertips.
  I can still feel you."

This was a very serious relationship that clearly Taeyang wasn't ready to let go of and I am really glad he used the loss of that to write such a beautiful song.

Vocal-wise, I feel this is the best song Taeyang has ever sung. His voice captures all the right emotions and that smooth falsetto he does at the end of the chorus is perfect.

Eyes, Nose, Lips

Song of The Moment~ 2NE1~Crush (Japanese Version)

I have a confession to make. I haven't been looking forward to any new 2NE1 songs since 2011's "I Am The Best" skyrocketed to fame. As the only K-pop girl group that I was really into, lately most of their releases have disappointed me in some capacity. But they have redeemed themselves with their latest release "Crush." Personally I believe that "Crush" should have been their comeback single instead of "Come Back Home." Not only did it deliver better but the way the song is structured it would have been awesome to hear it on SBS Inkigayo. The difference I feel between the Korean versus the Japanese version, is that the latter flows better with the music. It's got the main components that make 2NE1 so great. The catchy chorus to sing along with, the booming bass, the killer verses, I could go on! The fierceness that they are so famous for can be heard once again in the song. It's exactly what I wanted and much, much better then the original release which unfortunately let me down. This is the 2NE1 I've been dying to hear again. I only hope to see more music videos like this in the future.

Obsession Corner: Daeho's Cover of 2NE1's "Missing You"

Found this in my draft folder and realized I never got around to posting this!

I recently discovered this phenomenal singer Daeho from YouTube~of course! And he is an extremely gifted and talented person. He sings, plays the piano, and creates awesome videos, I'm surprised he isn't more popular. AllkPop even mentioned him in one of their latest posts. He collaborated with another YouTube-artist named Jungmin, and they covered 2NE1's Missing You. Personally I find it better than the original. They put such heart and soul into it, that I can feel the emotions from their voices better than when 2NE1 sang it. And this is in no way bashing 2NE1 because I love them, but I could never fully get the "feeling" of the song until now. Besides doing a phenomenal job singing-wise, I love the editing of the video. Simple so as not to distract from the singing but it still catches your eye.

Song of The Moment~BTS~Boy In Luv

BTS have had such a great year - can we even still call them rookies? While still young, and relatively new to K-Pop they show more maturity than others their own age. Each single they have come out with fully embraces their growth and I'm super proud of them. In some instances they remind me of my other fave group, Block B, in that they have similar styles of writing confessional lyrics. I love K-Pop don't get me wrong, but I love it more when the artists write about the world they live in opposed to hiding or not acknowledging it. But let me get off my soap box and talk about the song.


Just like the title suggests, the song is about a guy whose in love with a girl - pretty simple stuff - but what makes this song so great is how they express their love. The song is full of longing for that one person, every thought, every emotion, is on full display for us to see. I like that it's so plainly stated who and what they want, no tricks or games, just like telling it like it is. The vulnerability of the song is another key thing I love about it. It reminds me of those times when I was interested in that special someone and that longing to be with them. Though they may be young, they have the talent of exposing their feelings through clear cut lyrics and letting the audience see their heart. That's the thing I like most about BTS, they don't hold anything back and allow the world to see who they are and what they represent.

Besides the lyrics, I'm loving the rock vibe of the song. At first, I thought it would be cutesy - how could I ever doubt them - but thank God it wasn't anything of the kind. It was a total BTS-esque sound. The guitar and drums together in the chorus were awesome, I'm a big rock fan so seeing that kind of music integrated into K-Pop is heaven on earth for me.

Now if only Block B would come out with a new single soon, my life will be complete.

Boy In Luv

Song of The Moment~Kiss&Cry~Domino Game

I gotta say this song pushed me out of my temporary bloggers slump. Once I listened to the song, it had to be part of Song of The Moment for this week. It's funky,upbeat and such a happy song. First off, I rarely if EVER like a rookie group's debut song, but this song is soo refreshing to hear. Quite frankly I've been tired of the sexy concept that's been going on for awhile within the girl groups and wanted something new and fresh. Thank God for Kiss&Cry to debut around the time that I was almost going to give up on girl groups. Each member has their own individual voice so it wasn't hard to pinpoint who was who. Dia is the one member who stood out the most because she doesn't have the aesthetic looks popular in the girl groups....and I love it! I can only hope she never changes her look to fit in. She's a phenomenal singer who did a cover of "Let It Go." Yes I know it seems every popular Korean-Pop singer has covered that song but I put her version up there with Ailee's and Hyorin's. I'm sure as they get more songs under their belts, I can do a feature piece on them but so far I'm quite proud of this group and can't wait to see what happens next.

Domino Game

Song of The Moment~EXO~Black Pearl

This song is pretty golden! I have no clue have took me so long to discover what a gem it really is. Now I don't really follow EXO all that well, I can't tell you the names of each band member, and I admit there are times I mix up one or two of them BUT that doesn't mean I'm deaf to all they have been doing since they first debuted in 2012. Their on fire and only getting hotter as they get more comfortable in the world of K-pop. Now I absolutely hated "Wolf" when it first came out though I love the music video for some odd reason. I thought "Growl" was pretty cool but nothing had grasped me yet until I heard "Black Pearl." When people say that usually the promoted singles aren't the best songs off the albums their right. There's so many hidden gems that aren't promoted and honestly I would have picked "Black Pearl" over "Wolf" to promote instead. The song has a nice darkish vibe to it, I absolutely love it when groups go to the dark side. I was pleasantly surprised that they could pull dark so well therefore they made a believer out of me. So while I'm not quite a fan, I can still appreciate a good song when I hear one. :)

Black Pearl

Song of The Moment~Shut Up Flower Boy Band OST~Wake Up

This song.....I have no words for it.....

Every single time I hear that beginning melody start to play, my thoughts immediately go to the gang. I miss them dearly and so thus I listen to "Wake Up" over and over again to reminiscence in those sweet memories of friendship, love, loyalty, and family. This particular song is my absolute favorite from the drama, I'm always playing it and it gives me those warm, cozy feelings. I'm still in the midst of writing my review for Shut Up Flower Boy Band so I can't promise I'll have it soon, since school just started back up again. But I WILL have it done. I promise.

Song of The Moment~ VIXX~ Light Up The Darkness

I just realized that for 2 weeks running Vixx has been in my SOTM posts. This wasn't intentional at all! Discovered this song from a blogger recently and I just love it. I find myself  falling for Vixx a bit and I don't know if I can handle another group to fangirl over! This particular song really fits both Leo & Ken's respective voices and I like Ravi's rap in this also. But the absolute best thing about this song besides how awesome the beat sounds is watching Leo really get into the song. I'd say this fits his style real well.

Enjoy!

Most Underrated Songs of 2013

Ahhh I cannot believe 2013 is almost over!!! Where did the year go!? This year in the K-Pop world we saw alot of different songs and concepts come out. Some were better than others and some were worse. I'd say overall that 2013 was a great year musically for me personally, because I branched out of my little "bubble" of music groups and started to listen to more soloists. This list is based on personal feelings so yeah its gonna be a wee bit biased. Alot of these songs come from artist who I believe are extremely underrated amongst the bigger "top" stars and unfortunately don't get the attention they deserve. Without further ado here are my most underrated songs from K-Pop.


MBLQ~Smoky Girl
I did a SOTM for "Smoky Girl" and didn't realize how much love they would get. Its an incredible song that should have gotten more exposure. I feel they fit this style better than their previous concepts it just seems more natural. The more I see of these guys the more I fall in love with them.

UKISS~Standing Still
I admit I didn't like this song at first, it took alot of  listening to it over & over again in order to appreciate what a gem it is. And I liked how they went with a different music producer this time around. It really helped give them more leeway to different concepts and themes. I'm a big fan of UKiss and I can only hope that they continue to grow musically and personally.

BTS~No More Dream
Had to decide between this and "We Are Bulletproof" and based on the lyrics went with the former. Both songs did well enough but didn't get the exposure that I would have liked to see. BTS caught me by surprised as I though they were just another new Hip Hop group to come onto the scene. "No More Dream" is a wonderful song about going after your dreams, regardless of the outside pressure coming from parents wanting their kids to go on certain career paths and society forcing you to conform to their standards. This is the kind of song that speaks to young people like myself who are in the midst of still trying to figure out our life goals. My favorite part is when Rap Monster raps "Open your eyes now, dance now, dream a dream now, and stop hesitating." Such powerful lyrics coming from a rookie group.

Seungri~Gotta Talk To You
Well this one is pretty self-explanatory. I've always believed Seungri was overshadowed by the other members of Big Bang since his voice is more softer and not as strong as the others. But finally he has come into his own style & it fits soo well with him. He's not trying too hard to impress anyone,  and he doesn't have to, he's Seungri! That entire album was a gem too bad he didn't get noticed more. After "Gotta Talk To You" I believe people will take him more seriously in the future.....well that's my wish at least.

Kim Lim~Goodbye 20
Ahh this song speaks to me the most. I was/am in the same rut wondering where did 20 go and why did it feel like I hadn't accomplished anything substantial yet!? Kim Lim (or is it Lim Kim!?) has a great funky tone to her voice. Its unique and I like how she sings as if she's standing in front of you talking about it. I'm currently watching SUFB and when I saw her went "OMG isn't that the girl from the "Goodbye 20" song she seems like a reserved but cool person in real life.

Younha~The Real Reason We Broke Up
Another one I talked about in my SOTM posts. Its a touching song about a relationship that has run its course and the emotions during that time. I really like the song because while the lyrics are sad and nostalgic, the music keeps a hopeful upbeat tempo. To me, that symbolizes that the person is hopeful that they'll come out of this experience a much better and happier person.

Ladies Code~Hate You
I can't remember if it was Pandora or Youtube that I first heard this song from but it caught my attention right away. Ladies Code's voices blend well together in harmony. For being rookies they seem like pros in the way they carry themselves and with their vocals. They beat some big time singers in K-Pop who have been singing for far longer than this group. I don't have alot of girl groups that stand out to me but this year Spica & Ladies Code have really made me change my views on girl groups. Hope there's even more to come from these girls.

San E~ Break Up Dinner
I always remember San E as that one hilarious MC guy from Gurupop. The thing about San E is that he released at least 3 songs this year and each and every one was fantastic so you can understand my dilemma when trying to narrow it down. And the videos he puts out have some well thought out concepts. I really like how he can be funny and upbeat during some parts of the songs and then change to a more serious tone later on. San E's got some talent and I love how each and every video has a theme about relationships. "Break Up Dinner" is a song about not being able to let a relationship go. The video is downright sad and this time you can hear in his voice the emotions he feels, its not upbeat but more melancholic. At the beginning is voice is hopeful & optimistic but as it gets closer to the end, it becomes somber. And its so sad to see him all happy about his dinner date not realizing that he's dead in the video. Him being "dead" represents not understanding that the relationship has long run its past and San E isn't ready to accept that. I thought the plot of the mv was pretty good, heart-breaking but realistic.

CN Blue~I'm Sorry
"I'm Sorry" is such a jamming song. Slightly funky intersected with pop/rock the perfect combination. I felt that this song didn't really get any attention, granted it has been almost a year since it was first released. Jung Yong Hwa is not only beautiful to look at but his voice is perfect. I could listen to it all day.

Lee Hyori~Amor Mio
Lee Hyori had a great comeback this year. Monochrome was one of my top favorite albums of the year. Sadly, "Amor Mio" got buried beneath the success of "Bad Girls" and "Miss Korea." I found this gem while listening to the album and was surprised to find there was also a video for it! Its very simplistic but her voice fused with Park Ji Yong's was perfection.

Nell~Ocean of Light
Just a great song. Everytime I listen to it I feel nostalgic and start remembering things in my past. Nell is a group that I only became aware of earlier this year with their song "The Day Before." Funny thing but I couldn't remember who sang that song or anything else but that it had those 2 model guys in it and one was from 2NE1's "Ugly" video. "Ocean of Light" is the perfect song to just relax with. The music is so soothing and it lets your mind wander to the happy places. Nell knows exactly how to create music that fits life perfectly. Every song of theirs hits my emotional spot and this song is no exception.

B.A.P~Coffee Shop
Such a beautiful and smooth mid-tempo song. The piano in the song is just so exquisite, it brings such a nice touch. After looking up the lyrics I fell even more in love with it. BAP is usually known for being the tough-guys of KPop but through "Coffee Shop" showed the world that they could venture into the smooth areas of music as well. Having never listened to any of their ballads before (that is if they had any) I was pleasantly surprised how smooth the boy voices were. Personally, I think this is their best song aside from "One Shot" because they take a risk and get away from their comfort zone. The music video is one of my favorites of the year. Its so simple but I adore the many landscape shots and different places shown in the video.

2PM~A.D.T.O.Y
Not being a fan of this group before, they surprised me with "A.D.T.O.Y" its such a great mature sounding song. Having listened to their previous songs, they've really grown up in the last couple of years musically and individually. I really liked the rap in this song because it flowed nicely and it wasn't too cheesy or anything. So bonus points for that. Secondly, I like the simplicity of the video. Black and white always looks cool in music videos and it helped focus the attention on the group. Also, using the chairs as props was genius. The dance was simple, could actually be considered too simple, but adding the chairs gave it a even more special effect.

Song of The Moment~ Vixx~Voodoo Doll

I gotta say I've been quietly watching Vixx do their thing over the past few months and I am thoroughly impressed.  They do dark and creepy very well. Their consistency in every video that comes out always has a great theme and dance routine to it like "Hyde" for instance was also another one. I'm not very familiar with all the members yet but the one with the creepy eyes in the video really did a great job, he should consider trying out some acting projects. While the song isn't the best I've heard, its still got some cool elements in it, like in the pre-chorus right before the stabbing part. I just love the way the music starts to rise there. Really gives it an epic feel. Another thing I like is the "Ooooh" part during the song. In the midst of such a chaotic presence in the song, the ooohs bring some much needed relief. The dance is the best part about "Voodoo Doll" it goes along great with the lyrics and just adds more to the song. I really like the guy whose always in the front - he's usually doing the stabbing - not only is he great eye candy but the dude can dance! I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I can't wait to see what concept they will tackle next. Enjoy.

Voodoo Doll

I also included their dance practice video because its better to see the whole entire choreography.

Song of The Moment~Hyorin~Lonely

Such a soothing ballad to listen to. The lyrics are pretty sad highlighting the feelings of loneliness but the music adds that uplifting happy beat to contrast with it. My translation of the song is that the person is trying to keep an happy outlook on life even though they might be feeling lonely and sad inside. It's the perfect song that showcases how one might act despite their circumstances. The song is really good and I personally like it better than her other single "One Way Love." To me, this song shows off her talent more and OWL sounds like a Sistar-esque song.

I really enjoyed the video because it showed-cased Hyorin's personality. The shots of her walking around different places in London were beautiful and I felt that I got a glimpse of who the real Hyorin is. Happy, sad, melancholic all were parts of her. She's got a beautiful, husky voice that stands out against other current artist.

Obsession Corner: Def Dance Skool

Lately I have been obsessed with watching this dance crew's videos on Youtube. They are extremely talented and their energy is just off the charts. The way they present the movements so clean and crisp makes me enjoy watching them versus the actual artist. They really put all their heart and soul into the routines, making it entertaining to watch. These 4 videos are my currents favorites that I literally watch everytime I'm on Youtube. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Song of The Moment~Miss A~Hush

Source

Wow. Two JYP songs of 2013 that I actually liked, this is a record for me. Miss A has always been that girl group that while I knew they existed and listened to a couple of their songs, didn't really give much attention to them. With "Hush" they popped up on my radar again.

This song is very addictive. At first, I thought it was pretty mediocre but after finding myself humming the tune throughout the day I realized how good it really is. The buildup is slow which is probably why I wasn't so into it, but its definitely worth the wait. The girls are really talented and I like how each member has her own well deserved spotlight during the video. They are fierce and sexy all at the same time and never once overdo it. The choreograph was simple but had a Miss A stamp on it. From watching their previous works, they never go too hard with their dances but just add enough sultriness to make it worthwhile. Cannot wait to see what else they have in store for us in the future. Enjoy!

Song of The Moment~Seungri~Gotta Talk To You

Source

 This is an extremely late review on this comeback song from Seungri. I actually forgot about it, amidst all the other things on my list to write about. Well Baby Panda is back and I for one was extremely proud of his latest album. There was obvious maturity not only in the music but his voice also. It seems that he became more aware of what his voice and do and the type of music that will suit it. "Gotta Talk To You" is one of my favorite songs of the Fall/Winter releases. It felt like we had a slump there for awhile and then BOOM great, though-provoking music was released. I love the smooth mid-tempo beat of the song, perfectly accented his voice/music style and its just super awesome. And that ending is right on point!! It fits Seungri soo well. Had me jumping off my feet wishing that it would last just a tinsy bit longer. Great song and video!

Gotta Talk To You

Memorable KPop Dances

We all have that one Kpop dance that we could never get out of our heads and even attempted to try the moves for ourselves... maybe not perfectly but well enough. Well, here are my favorite dances in no particular order. Enjoy!

                                            Shinee
                                    Sherlock (Clue+Note)

                                               100%
                                          Want U Back

                                           Super Junior
                                           Sorry Sorry

                                               Ukiss
                                            Neverland

                                         Wonder Boys
                                             Tarzan

                                            Henry Lau
                                                 Trap

                                               Infinite
                                       Before The Dawn

                                               Tasty
                                         You Know Me

                                               Evol
                                 Magnet (Dance Version)

                                                Infinite
                                            The Chaser

                                             Block B
                                             Nanrina

                                               TVXQ
                                            Catch Me

                                              TVXQ
                                              Mirotic

                                                  Ukiss
                                               Stop Girl

                                              Shinee
                                              Lucifer

                                               Miss A
                                               Breathe

                                                Boa
                                             Shadow

                                                2NE1
                                         I Am The Best

                                        Super Junior M
                                            Perfection

Ukiss

                                                Tick Tack

                                                Beast
                                               Fiction

                                                Boa
                                            Only One

Song of The Moment~Spica~Tonight

 I know this song came out almost 2 months ago, but I'm now just listening to it and my God is it excellent! While I enjoyed their single "Painkiller" I wasn't a fan of their other released singles of the past year. But their latest comeback hit the right marks from the teasers to the overall production of the song/music video. The artsy-flower girl concept I've yet to see in Kpop until now really works for the girls. Their previous concepts really didn't emphasize their identity all that well and it seemed like they were still figuring it out for themselves. I hope they can stick with this because its working really well for them. This is the only female group that I've listened to where each individual has an unique voice and no one is better than the other. They really nailed it with this song/video and with thanks from Lee Hyori I hope it will bring them out from obscurity. Because these girls are too good to be underrated. The thing that really stood out to me besides how awesome the video was, is how happy and relaxed they look in the video and when they performed live. Its like their in a place where their finally at their peak and can only go up from here. It made me want to go out and buy some flower headbands and dye my hair pink! Enjoy!


Tonight

Photo Credit~Allkpop

Song of The Moment~Block B~Be The Light

THEIR BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

With a happy heart I can finally say that the boys are back on the K-Pop scene. Though this isn't their single comeback they decided to bestow upon us a pre-release to hold us over until the album comes out. My God was it totally worth the wait! You can tell not just by the appearance of the group but the style of music is something not done by them before. A new sound, new mature look - Zico back with brown hair, this is what we've been waiting for. Me likey! After everything Block B has been through, their finally able to put all that stuff behind them and get back to what they love, that in itself is why I'm ecstatic for this comeback. That scene where the guys unite together and pick up U-Kwon was touching. To me, it was like they were picking up themselves and coming stronger than ever before. Welcome back guys, you were terribly missed.

Be The Light

Photo Credit~ Lovequakes

Song of The Moment~Wonder Boyz~Tarzan

 Cannot believe I lucked out in discovering this group. They are a great up and coming K-Pop/Hip-Hop group that I wished had wayy more exposure then they do now. This is the latest comeback song Tarzan, which has the funniest chorus line "Like Tarzan make a thrilla in Manila or an Island!" I didn't even hear this until someone mentioned it haha. I've seen both versions of the song but my favorite has to be the dance version. This video has one of the best choreographed dances come out of Kpop this year. Using the Tarzan theme and making it into a graphic novel was genius, love the utilization of the beat with the background singers, it adds this thumping sweet melody to the song. The in sync dancing wasn't the fanciest but it was memorable enough for me to try and replicate the moves myself *snicker*. Overall this is the group to watch out for. Hope you enjoy!


Tarzan

Dance Ver.

Photo Credit~ K-Pop U Love