Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"SOLOWEEN" by Aural Vampire
It was a pleasant surprise to see this dynamic electronic duo bringing something for the Halloween season. This definitely gets me pumped for all the horror-a-thons I will be having as well as new music from them. It's still fresh, yet keeps their signature style that makes them lovable. I warn you that this song is very addicting and you won't be able to resist dancing to it.



"Push and Shove" by No Doubt feat. Busy Signal & Major Lazer
Upon the release of "Settle Down", I was spazzing all over the place when another one of my favorite 90's artists were coming back. It feels like they never took a break at all. It's a nice transition from their previous release. Not just the sound is familiar yet refreshing, but the chemistry among the members still reminds me of good times and that puts a huge grin on my face. I'm looking forward to delving into their comeback album.



"Play the Game Boy" by A*M*E
If you're not following me on Tumblrdore, then I'll repeat that I'd rather have this girl bridge the gap to kpop and international sounds than Chad Future. She brings something new to the table that has kpop influences and old school synth-pop without trying too hard or blending in too much to be a gimmick. She has the right attitude with charm, sweetness, and sass. I'm looking forward to a full length album.



"Your Body" by Christina Aguilera
Continuing with this vintage meets modern sounds, Christina returns with fierce vocals, a devilish seductive attitude, and an alluring style. I'm enjoying this way more than "I'm Not Myself Tonight" and that song was decent, although the video was a bit try too hard in some ways. The music isn't too in your face and simply highlights the vocals which is one of Christina's strongest points and the reason I chose her back in the day over all the blonde pop songstresses. The story is amusing and entertaining and I'm looking forward to more. Keep the momentum!



"Your Woman" by White Town
It's been forever since I've seen/heard this song and I was reminded by it through procrastination someone's video about the music that shaped him from a child to his adulthood. Overall, I kinda want to do a video like that, but all the details would be a little hazy. Anyway, I remember hearing this song on the radio during the late night when they would play dance and obscure-ish music. I never knew who sung it or anything. I was pretty young at the time, but it had a nice beat and the chorus was memorable. Seeing the video now makes me appreciate the song a little more. Don't be discourage because it's old or black and white. This is the beginnings of techno-pop, guys!

Miko vs. SuG

I was introduced to SuG by a former friend. They were new to the scene and introduced the world to "heavy positive rock". It took me a little time to adjust to the newbies of PS Company with their debut PV "Scheat". It was almost too cutesy for me, but, with the release of "Alterna." and "Love Scream Party", I adored their energy and charisma as well as their music.


Over time, I grew to love this energetic quintet that livened up PSC since Miyavi was evolving and moving on and Alice Nine. was losing their way. SuG was quick to go major with Pony Canyon and endured a member change. The music was so-so and growth didn't show as much. During the time Takeru gained interest with fashion, the band's music became clashes of noise and their PVs were overly visual. Some fans read this era as Takeru being selfish and only gaining attention with his fashion. The band tried to do new things by incorporating rapping and choreography which appeared out of place. For me, it came too close to LM.C's standards and made me slowly lose interest in the band.


I continued to hold onto the few things I enjoyed about SuG like their energy, personalities, and openness to try new things. "Umbilical" showed a different side to them and "Pastel Horror Yum Yum Show" almost hit the mark for me. It wasn't until their single release for the month that they finally found a balance between the old and new sounds while trying something different. "SweeToxic" gave me hope and somewhat rekindled my love for the group. I'm hoping one day that other PSC bands I enjoy will have the same rebirth soon.

Sori's "You're Not My Style" vs. RaNia's "Style"

Upon seeing RaNia's latest music video for "Style", I was pleasantly surprised with this new direction and higher production value in the overall product. I really enjoyed this evolution and the YG team definitely put some care into these nearly forgotten rookies. Although, when I came across the translation, I was a little less impressed and thought of Sori, another forgotten talent.



Lyrics
The song is about Sori being tired of these men always hitting on her, especially when she has no interest in them. She doesn't care how competent, handsome, or whatever they are, they won't capture her heart that easily. I think this is a good confidence boost for women to have and show that they can have standards. Women don't have to settle for uninteresting men or change themselves either. It also shows that it's okay to follow your heart/gut feeling to find the man you want.

Music
I remember hearing this around the release of the mini album and it flowed with her previous style. It's a nice blend of hip-hop and electro-pop elements. It's danceable, but has a strong attitude and subtle sex appeal to the melody that you can move your hips to or strut your stuff.

Visual Content
With South Korea's obsession with figures, I always thought Sori actually had some curves to her. She's a beautiful woman and she has a nice classy, but sexy style to her. Although, her last dance outfit I wasn't particularly fond of. The video is rather dark with little hints of whites and blues. There's a simple story to the song, so the transitions have some sense to them. The production isn't all that high, but the message is still effective visually.




Lyrics
The lyrics to the song play between fashion and men, which I think is clever. It's not completely straight forward. I guess the fashion items could be metaphors for men that don't fit their personal style. It's also used as a bribery or boast for the men to flirt with the ladies, but they're not interested in just wealthy, good looking men. This is also another confidence boost for women and not settling for the superficial.

Music
Unlike Sori, this goes with the trend of electro-pop with a runway flare. It's classy, sleek, and easy to move to. In some ways, the sound can be refreshing, but still the same thing that's been heard before. I like the smooth music transitions from the soft voices and the chorus has a nice burst of energy to emphasis the lyrics.

Visual Content
Of course this is a step up in production from "Dr. Feel Good" and "Pop Pop Pop". Seeing this classy, sleek, and stylish transformation was quite refreshing from the controversial garbs of "Dr. Feel Good". There's no raunchy dancing either. The choreography is quite minimal and when it's highlighted, it's nothing extremely special. I think the main focus is the vocals and the mature transformation. The sets and metaphor set ups are quite impressive and effective to the lyrics. Thanks, YG, for your contribution.


Obviously, both of these songs have similar lyrical content. I think Sori executed it better than the ladies of RaNia. Their lyrics were repetitive and I was sad to find out that the first and second verses were exactly the same. Sure, it's easier to sing to the catchy tune, but I like progression. There was also an actual story going on in Sori's video as opposed to little scene gimmicks. Although, the production was way better in RaNia's video and their styling was overall better as well. Both musical styles are nice and different from each other. For now, I'm listening to more of "Style" than "You're Not My Style", but maybe because it's newer and the sound is what's trending right now. In the end, I believe Sori wins this round despite RaNia having almost the better video. What do you guys think? Did you enjoy Sori or RaNia?

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"HIGH FIVE!!" by ROACH
It's always exciting seeing new things from this band. They have been consistently awesome and growing. They try new things, but keep their roots in tact. I love Taama's voice and the fun energy the members bring to the video. It's a great summer track, even though summer is mostly over. I like the outdoor atmosphere since you don't see this kind of scenery in jrock videos. It reminds of me of Pay money To my Pain's "Out of my hands" when they did everything outside and interacted with the environment. This is how you utilize your scenery, kpop.



"IDOL is DEAD" by BiS
Looking at the name, all I could think of was the disbanded jrock band and totally forgot about these jpop girls. I think this video is a continuation of the earlier PV release of "IDOL". I was a little confused by it like BABYMETAL. The vocals aren't as fluid or comprehensive, but the whole concept is intriguing. I like the dark imagery, chaos, and aggressive vocals. I guess those old businessmen are enjoying these cutesy jpop girls using these heavy rock/electronic elements.



"Fashion Monster" by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Seeing a new PV from her was exciting, especially since she got some exposure on Kids React. I think she got back her catchiness that she was lacking in her last single, but I enjoy her overall body of work. Anyway, this was another clusterfuck of a PV like "PONPONPON". Sometimes it seemed like too much with the dancers, but I got used to it. I must admit though, I kept thinking of Tommy heavenly6 watching this PV, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment. Looking forward to the new release!



"Stop Girl" by U-KISS
It's kinda hard to get Supernova's version with the similar song title out of my head, but these guys did an awesome job too. I like this classy, sleek look they've been doing. The music is very deep and refreshing for the guys. They seem a little more relaxed in this video and I really appreciate the maturity of their appearance and the content of this song. Although, I'm kinda tired of the awkward one sided hair thing. I hope they continue in this direction and include female dancers. Miss you, AJ~



"Take on Me" by Seo In Guk
A classic song from the iconic A-ha and a very good cover at that. I don't know how I missed this one, since I admire this guy's voice and charm. This definitely displayed both of those elements in this video. It doesn't lose the original idea from A-ha's version, but still brings something new to the table by making it more modern. Not many people can pull this song off this well.

Review: G-Dragon's "One of a Kind"

G-Dragon - One of a Kind (2012, South Korea) Rating: 2.5/5
Favorite Tracks: MISSING YOU, Light It Up

Since the summer was a bit of bust for my creativity, I wanted to make it up by reviewing G-Dragon's latest creation for the year. I'm sure a lot of fans were looking forward to the follow up to Heartbreaker, which I can understand. Lately, it seems like the boys' solo projects are stronger than their group work. What's going on, guys? Anyway, I wanted to follow a similar format as Big Bang's Alive album review for this one, which means that I will be adding some brief commentary on the music videos. It seems like some VIPs want to read the three videos as some deep, philosophical thing when it really isn't. Let's get to it!


I remember hearing that G-Dragon wanted to take a new direction with his music and try to be controversial. Did he succeed with his mission? Well, his first track (and also first promotional video) was "ONE OF A KIND" which kinda brought something new to kpop. I was a little confused by the sounds I was hearing from my speakers because it really sounded like almost everything I dislike about American hip-hop music, but somehow it was a little entertaining. There's not much of a melody. The flow is clearly through his voice and everything is muted, bass, and minimal produced sounds. For once, the music matched the imagery very well. It felt like a huge parody of what rappers want to be. They brag about what they have (or don't have) and have this cocky attitude. Honestly, the first time I watched this video I thought, "Definitely a Lil' Wayne parody". There's so many elements that could pointed to him, even though I'm sure there are Korean rappers that act the same way. This isn't a video I watch repeatedly. The only parts I really enjoyed were GD's split personality scene and the female dancers. Everything else was either annoying, silly, or embarrassing. *coughs*Taeyang*coughs*


I heard "CRAYON" before the music video was released and honestly, I really liked this song in the beginning. It carries on a similar rap cocky attitude over with his delivery and the music. Strangely, I was kinda feeling the music. It seemed familiar with what's popular here to an extent except it was missing an obnoxious female rapper, then it switched to this electronic party music. It threw me for a loop and I was disappointed, but listening to the track a little more, I've grown to like it a little again. After reading the lyrics to this, like the previous track, everything made sense and I understood the purpose of it all. This is another rap parody video! From the opening lines and matching scene is parodying Soulja Boy. Can you see it? But overall, it's just a fun song with no deep meaning like everyone's trying dig out. It's amusing that just now VIPs are realizing that the message is just be yourself and "go crazy!" or as young people these days say, "Get your cray on". Get it now? How hard was it to figure that out? Seriously.

"Eventually" features one of the girls from the mystery new girl group that YG is hiding from us. It's a slower song and the music isn't that bad either. They have some emotion behind them, but it's very minimal sound until the chorus, which works perfectly. G-Dragon's voice isn't that bad, although I think this song would've been a hundred times better without the autotune for both his and the girl's voices. It ruins the song and it's really a nice song too.


I must admit that interpreted "That XX" wrong and I appreciate it a little more. I saw the video first and I really didn't like it that much. Since it followed the release of "ONE OF A KIND", I was really concerned with the direction of this mini. I'm not a big ballad fan and you should all know this by now. The video isn't that bad, it was mostly the stupid filters or whatever they used to sharpen the objects that made me turn my nose up. Reading the lyrics saved the song for me, instead completely hating it. At first, I thought it was a jealousy thing which I thought was amusing, but then thinking of it as this bastard as being the same person is kinda different. I don't think anyone's used that concept before, especially with a curse.

"MISSING YOU" sounded like this was going to fall under the same category as "어쩌란 말이냐?" from the T.O.P collaboration mini. It has a different sound as well and looking back at everything, the tracks are different from the previous, but takes a little piece from it to the next track. It's a relaxing track and I really enjoyed the guest vocals and the guitar. I don't think I could listen to this all the time, but it isn't too bad or too crazy either.

"TODAY" takes the drums from the previous track and runs with this slightly modern Beatles feel good sound. Yeah, I'll pass. This is definitely not my type of track. I'll give him points for trying something new again, but the high vocals are a little irritating and just the overall vibe doesn't appeal to me. It does sound like a couple recent Big Bang songs that get on my nerves like "Somebody to Love" and "Hands Up". Maybe that's why I can't enjoy this track.

"Light It Up" was a track I was really looking forward to because the sample sounded nuts and featured Tablo and Dok2. The music definitely has a fun vibe to it that's a little different from "CRAYON". I guess I expected "CRAYON" to stay on this hip-hop vibe like this song does. I'm sure this isn't the best these guys can do lyrically, but I'll accept it as this mini didn't blow me away one way or another. It's probably my favorite track on here and I can easily dance around my room to it, feel the vibrations from the bass. Although the "barking" noise reminds me of my childhood playing around with my keyboard. This whole song could've conspired from just messing around with sound effects and I really don't care. The song's cool.

When all's said and done, G-Dragon did complete his mission of trying something new and possibly bring new elements to the genre. Was it controversial? Adding a few profanities here and there makes it more amusing (or annoyances when censored) for outsiders than controversial, but I'm sure the Ministry had loads of fun ripping the mini to shreds. The mini isn't all that solid for me and my mood for tracks fluctuation from day to day. Some days I like certain tracks and the next day I hate them. It was a nice try, but nothing spectacular.

Miko vs. the Sixth Guns

Originally, I had a rant planned out to express my thoughts on the GazettE's musical evolution, but since I had a new idea in the works and being decided by you, my precious Cult followers, I decided to abandon the post completely in case the project was a go. Remember, it's up to you guys whether you would like to hear my personal retrospective on the band or not, but the poll will be posted later. Anyway, on this post, I'm moving on to the supposed second part of my thought of the band which is the fandom. In the beginning, I was only going to focus on the band's endeavors and my personal thoughts on their growth like I did with Miyavi, but a situation occurred and I wanted to put my two cents on the table about it. Unfortunately, due to my creative and motivational block, the situation has somewhat past, but my thoughts about the fandom is still somewhat relevant. Before I begin, I would like the Sixth Guns to have an open mind to this. If you're sensitive to criticism about the fandom (and the band), then I will kindly advise you to skip out on this post because it's not going to be pretty.

I must admit that no fandom is perfect. Some get along quite nicely with minimal drama, some divide and accept their differences, and some can be quite unreasonable. Since the release of the GazettE's Division album, the fandom decided to tear each other apart. This isn't the first time I've witnessed such harsh treatment among the Sixth Guns either. Fortunately, I can say that I am not a Sixth Gun. Honestly, there's not many music fandoms that I claim especially internationally. From year to year, I have observed that the Sixth Guns are constantly competing for the craziest fandom I've witnessed. Their biggest competition are Tokio Hotel's fangirls and their mothers and Sones (SNSD's fans). Even though the Sixth Guns are too much, they provide some interesting entertainment for outsiders that enjoy the GazettE's music or a general jrock fan. So, what makes Sixth Guns amusing, crazy, and harsh?

Let's start back in 2007 when Stacked Rubbish was being promoted and released. Sure, there was a small division between the releases of Disorder and NIL as I've witnessed through a friend who enjoyed them at their beginnings. Stacked Rubbish really stepped away from their roots and, in my opinion, visuals seemed more important. Most will agree that this was their worse or weakest album, if not that then their follow up album DIM. Of course, there is that hoard of Sixth Guns that would argue differently. Like most kpop fans, Sixth Guns can be a delusional bunch and can find no flaws in the band's work. As a casual fan, my purchase loyalty fell upon Stacked Rubbish's release. But to make things fair, I'm sure you know I love Dir en grey very much with nearly all my being. I can admit that out of their more recent albums, The Marrow of a Bone was the weakest.

Now let's move on to the band's personality and attitude. For two years, I remember hearing Sixth Guns' whining about the GazettE touring America or guesting at an anime convention. This might sound weird, but I think they might be a little too popular for a con. I guess I could see them at one of the bigger/major ones, but otherwise I'm not sure where they would fit in. As for a tour, even back then and now I don't think they're prepared nor interested in America. I remember reading about their dream of performing in the Tokyo Dome. This familiar goal was brought to you by the legendary X Japan. I'm not saying that it's impossible for the GazettE to tour here, but I feel that we (North America) are a low priority. Just think of it as the common Japanese attitude in the mainstream music industry has toward being international. There's just more profit and security at home than elsewhere. Remember, this is a major reason for the Hallyu wave in Japan.

As for the band's attitude, some fans say one thing and some say another. For example, the claim that Ruki is arrogant and a diva. This may or may not be true. This could be part of his persona or he really could be losing himself in the band's success. Either of these scenarios I can imagine fitting him. The only person I can really comment on is Aoi. I love Aoi, but sometimes he needs to realize that he needs to be careful of what he says on these social networking sites. His tweet concerning Division caused an uproar among Sixth Guns, but, of course, this isn't the first time he's caused controversy.

Aside from some surprise fanservice, I remember the fandom scrambling when a live report revealed that Aoi's temper showed and he exited the stage unexpectedly. After a while, he returned, apologized to the fans, and continued with his band mates to perform some encore songs. When this news was released online, some Sixth Guns panicked and rumors of disbandment arose. Of course, I didn't think nothing of it. A million things could've happened to cause Aoi's behavior that evening. I have my own speculations of what set him off, but I won't go into that rant. I didn't hear any rumors of Dir en grey disbanding when Kyo was upset about some technical malfunctions beyond his control at overseas show.

Recently, upon Division's release, Aoi expressed his disappointment and perhaps frustration through a slightly ambiguous tweet. The guitarist mentioned how he was proud of all the work they put into making the album and that it saddened him that fans didn't want to put in the money to pay for the music they created. He compared this act of stealing to murder, which I can understand where he's coming from. Every time a person downloads and doesn't choose to pay for the music is slowly killing the industry one track at a time. You can see the results of this with American artists' record sells. Of course, in some way, I don't think downloads are the whole reason that music sells are low either. How did Sixth Guns take this bit of information?

Well, a group of fans shared Aoi's attitude toward the illegal behavior and began attacking fans who downloaded the album instead of preordering or buying it. Some would go about this attack aggressively by using harsh words on social networking sites to guilt trip them. I've seen a couple of friends feeling nearly less than nothing with these aggressive attacks. Others would attack a bit more passively by announcing to the fandom how loyal they are. In this case, they would talk about how they've bought every album and never participated in any illegal activities concerning the band. At first, this blow up was amusing for me and a friend, but then it became a major headache all in one day. When feelings start getting hurt, it's time for people who aren't die hard or at least sensible Sixth Guns.

My friend already put her two cents in via Tumblr and I completely agree with her. Since my post is late, I might be reiterating the same ideas as her, but I highly doubt any international fan (meaning fans outside of Japan) found out about the GazettE through legal means nor avoid illegal activities. According to PS Company, if you download or upload their music, videos, and pictures you are participating in illegal activities. Yes, those fanvids you've spent hours on are illegal. The pictures you've scanned from magazines and manipulated for artistic graphic use in icons, avatars, wallpapers, layouts, and whatnot are frowned upon.

Any normal music lover does not blindly purchase CDs, especially overseas, without listening to the content in some way. Since jrock isn't mainstream anywhere outside of Japan, there's an extremely low chance of hearing bands on the car radio or seen on MTV. To my knowledge, PS Company and the GazettE have not created an official YouTube or Vevo channel for themselves, so you have watched their PVs and other videos illegally. This is the sad hard truth that aggressive and passive aggressive Sixth Guns need to realize during these attacks. We also need to be a little smarter about our grey area illegal activities by not showing the musicians the evidence. I heard that some fans outed fan sites and shared download links with the band members through Twitter. Smooth move, newbies~ I remember this same problem occurred when Kyo expressed his disappoints when fans openly complimented Dir en grey's album when it leaked a couple days before release. We can't be that stupid, people! If you're gonna do it, at least be discreet about it. Otherwise, Sixth Guns (and other fans) should understand that not everyone is trying to be a bad guy when it comes to sampling/downloading. Remember, not everyone has the resources to immediately support these artists, especially international fans and more importantly, hardly anyone is innocent from participating in illegal activities when it comes to these bands.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"sweeToxic" by SuG
I was waiting for the official release before posting this one and I'm so happy to finally show my love for the group. We've had some rough times like most of the PSC bands, but it's nice to see that the band has figured out how to catch my attention again. This PV combines their more recent style with a taste of what made them appealing in the beginning and something fresh to keep me interested. The visuals are saturated in some places and vibrant in others which shows that balance they have finally claimed with this musical style. It's not overwhelming either, it's just enough to make me happy again and I hope they keep this direction up for future releases.



"Eclipse" by Moran
I was really curious how the new additions of Vivi and Ivy would work out with the band and I'm happy to say that it only made an awesome a more awesome band. They haven't lost their initial sound, but simply enhanced it even more with this addictive track and natural energy. The PV is simple and highlights each member while delivering so much energy. I am even more anxious to hear their first album as a quintet.



"Controversy" by Natalia Kills
Sometimes less is more, but this one could be a hit or miss for fans visually. The concept points out social commentary of what we digest through media from day to day. It's lyrically simple, but possesses a truthful message with its words. I read that Natalia's concept for the upcoming album this song will be featured on will be chaotic and noisy and this song definitely fits in that category without being obnoxious about it. Everything is very simplistic, but it holds so many topics that people can discuss for hours on end. I'm looking forward to the album and delving into this new direction.



"WOW" by BTOB
This was an interesting new sound for the group...and kinda kpop as well. It's a mixture of 90's pop and current electro-pop elements which surprisingly works well for the boys. They're slowly breaking out of B2ST's shadow, but they still have quite a ways to go to truly not be compared by their labelmates. The story is pretty standard and the styling matches the musical mash-up ranging from 90's throwback scraps and recycled and revamped B2ST wardrobe.



"Don't Let Go (Love)" by En Vogue
So, I've decided instead of just waiting for something more interesting to pop up or just settle for okay, I would pick something from the past that I'm sure the younger generation haven't been exposed to. This will only occur if I can't find anything to fill the space. Anyway, this is a memorable and empowering song. I remember when it came out for the Set It Off movie. I don't think I've seen the whole movie actually. I believe I was too young to watch it at the time. ^^; Like typical soundtrack based songs, they insert snippets of the movie in between the groups' performance. Normally, this would be quite boring, but for this song it doesn't need anything flashy and over the top. The ladies' emotion filled power vocals make up for everything. I miss R&B songs like this that provide strength to women and really touch your soul.

V-log: Hype, Scandal, Change, & Updates Ahoy~

It's been a few months since I did one of these, so let me explain the situation of what's been going around here. Hopefully, you will forgive me for the inconsistent stream of content here. I'm hoping that I will get back into the groove of things, so please bare with me while I adjust to everything. A new poll should be up by the end of the week concerning my new idea for my channel which is in the second part of my v-log. Please check that out. Also, you can always send me requests, questions, and suggestions no matter how busy my schedule is: zetsu_nightmare2.0.9[at]hotmail[dot]com.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"BLACK OUT" by VERBAL (m-flo) feat. Namie Amuro & Lil' Wayne
Not much of a fan of any of these artists, but there's a couple things I like from VERBAL and Namie. This was posted on aramatheydidnt as an unreleased video and it didn't seem like many people liked this one, but I was one of the the few that obviously did. Sure, it's seizure inducing, but this seemed more interesting than Kanye West's "All of the Lights". The visuals are intriguing and the song is quite awesome...until Lil' Wayne adds his egotistical lines into a perfectly good song. What is up with crap rappers ruining amazing songs!? Please stop this epidemic, artists! I'm happy I didn't have to see his ugly face. I'm still trying to get over the mental scars of seeing Rick Ross shirtless in "Lemme See". >.<


"Royal Blood" by Rin -the end of corruption world-
It's been a sad week for jrock and Rin is part of the news. I won't go into detail about the situation, but it's nice to post a PV by these guys since I was really worried about their direction. Honestly, they were a bit lackluster and I kept longing for Phantasmagoria, then this came out. It seems almost fresh and new, even though I've seen this concept before with SID but Riku's voice is so effortless. The bass is really deep and the composition isn't that bad either even though it's quite simple compared to Kisaki's other works. I still appreciate it and I hope that Rin continues to live on despite the closing of Under Code.



"Lolita" by The Veronicas
I honestly haven't listened to these girls since "Untouched" was released, so obviously I'm not a fan nor do I keep up with their releases very closer. I saw this update on The Prophet Blog. I agree with a comment on this video that they're not being properly promoted in America like they should be, because they really do have talent. Anyway, the video and song are both very simple, slightly aggressive dance track. It has a badass alien concept with some artistic shots mixed in. The vocals are very easy on the ears, the lyrics are simple, and the music has a subtle dubstep sound to it. Maybe America will re-embrace these girls again.



"She's Gone" by G-Dragon
Yes, I'm very aware that Senor Dragon has two new videos for his upcoming solo album, but I have problems with both somewhere. I won't get into details until the album is released, then I'll spill. Anyway, this video seemed a bit overshadowed, but it has a nice, dramatic, and dark feeling that I've realized that I enjoy from GD. I realized this through "One of a Kind". I'm a fan of GD's dark, twisted side. The lyrics aren't as impressive as his recent "That XX" to me, but it's visually appealing and the concept works with the lyrics. I kinda want him to do more dark things like this, but not too often.




"The Shadow" by BoA
I'm not much of a BoA fan, but I understand why fans were looking forward to this song being her next promotional track. The song is more interesting than "Only One", but I think I enjoy the choreography more from the other song more than this one strangely. Anyway, the video still has it's signature SM color palette and settings, but they tried to do some different camera angles to fit the tone of the song which was a welcome change. The song's not that bad. It has a strong Janet Jackson vibe and the concept is kinda cool too. It's not quite a flawless MV as the still shots kinda ruined things. SM, still rotating shots are not cool. STOP USING THEM IN YOUR VIDEOS!!