Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"Mr.Heartache" by SEKAI NO OWARI
With every PV release, I keep hoping this group gets more recognition because they really make some unique stuff! This PV shows even further how diverse this group can be. Some may know them for their more gloomy visuals or sound, but they also have this bizarre, upbeat side to them as well. This PV perfectly describes the group's sense of humor and natural chemistry, while they dance around in fruit, vegetable, and animal costumes or watch cartoons. Sure, the song is about dealing with a broken heart, but the lighthearted and real approach to it instantly puts a smile on your face, mending all wounds. It's really hard not to enjoy this PV completely.


[Insert PV Here]
"Nokoriga" by MORE
I never was much of a Sugar fan, but I did enjoy them live and their music is not that bad. Nonetheless, it was exciting to see another active (at the time) ex-Sugar member and, for me, Tomoyuki from 12012. The music does remind me of Sugar and Moran, which is a good thing in my opinion. It's a very jazz lounge rock sound that suits Loki's voice very well. The visuals aren't overly produced and mostly feature Loki interacting with a woman or flower petals. The shots of the whole band are just as interesting as you can really see them get into the music and move along as they play their respective instruments. It's gonna be difficult finding new music with such a band name as "MORE", but I am looking forward to more.



"DOPE" by BTS
Have I mentioned that BTS is truly killing the kpop scene lately? Well, they are! When this music video came out, I was super excited to see such a fun concept and even more fun of a song. The song gives each member a chance to show off their talents and gives us a glimpse of their personalities in each of their respective scenes. The costume concept with the pseudo-one take feeling with the camera really makes the video move along smoothly and makes it all the more interesting compared to the usual formulaic approach with some vague story and choreography laced in between. I do have to admit that the vibe I get from this video is very Block B and I mean that as a seriously good compliment. It's just nice to see the members let loose, show their passion through their delivery, and don't forget that ridiculously tight choreography.



"Oasis" by Crush feat. ZICO
If this was not your summer jam of last year or even one of your current jams, then you need to hop on board! This video utilizes location better than most Korean acts and makes you want to be there with Crush enjoying the beauty and space. He looks like he's feeling himself and admiring this beautiful lady from a far. I believe the chemistry without them being in the same shot. I even enjoy the indoor shot with the vibrant colors and beach set pieces. The song is easily enjoyable and has a very catchy chorus and bridge that makes you want to bop and sing along to. Even though ZICO has a "Keith Ape" moment, but somehow he pulls it off better than Keith Ape, he doesn't ruin the essence of this party track. Also, the brief appearance of Zion.T is very much welcomed. Looking forward to jamming to this in summer 2016!



"Bad" by INFINITE
As much as I love this group, their music has been a bit hit and miss for me lately, which is a little depressing as a casual fan. When this video came out, I was ecstatic! It felt like another growth spurt for the group and showed an elevated dark side to them. They've had dark concepts before, but this suited their style more than certain tracks previously. I enjoyed the polished, subtle dark, and abstract imagery. There's so much to look at and makes me want to look at more to see all that effort they put into these set pieces. The song has a very catchy chorus and has a lot of dimension in the melody and vocal arrangement. Sure, it's not the best song the group has put out in all their years, but it's a breath of fresh air for me compared to some of their more recent stuff around that time.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"Psycho" by HISTORY
HISTORY is a group I tried so hard to like, but every video they released was kinda the same. They blended way too much into the scene, but I'm happy my mind is still open to give them chance after chance to prove themselves. Obviously, this video meets my approval. Even though I could still gripe about the melody still feeling a bit awkward in places and the whole style doesn't stand out from the others, something about it has some unique points here and there. As I shortly mentioned, the melody sounds a little odd in places, but I really like the transition from the verse to the bridge and even a little to the chorus. Something about taking away musical elements and letting their vocals shine and letting them lead their own trail. Their outfits are pretty goofy and I've seen it before, but the choreography and story is interesting, especially the execution of using special effects and playing with set pieces. I still want a little more from this group, because I find it really strange how much I want this group to be good yet have little interest in them at the same time.



"One More" by Fiestar
I honestly have no feelings for this group and I mostly became intrigued by this song and video because of one of my subscriptions. Despite me being sick of these high waisted, form fitting outfits trying to feed into this "sexy" concept all these girl groups are doing, they mix it up with some playfulness and a variation of outfits that give them personality and unity. The way the video is shot reminds me of SNSD's "Mr. Mr." by using different types of framing and odd settings for the girls to look pretty in. The music is pretty catchy too with its smooth bass, upbeat melody, and a touch of funky horns. In short, this is an artistically eye catching video with beautiful women modeling in between shots. I don't think I'll ever be a fan of Fiestar, but I am a fan of this song and it's hard to resist singing along to the repetitive chorus.



"Saturday Night" by G.O.D
I actually like this group and I like Kim Tae-Woo's solo material too. I don't really listen to them that much, so I can't really say I'm a fan of theirs, but I admire their soulful and diverse vocals as well as acknowledge their contribution to the kpop genre. I was surprised to a see a new video from them and I'm kinda hoping maybe one day H.O.T follows their footsteps and surprise their fans with something new. This is purely a fun video and song. It plays off their ages and what men do, lie about their lives to make up for their mundane routines. It really fits their image and their ages while still being a fun video and song. It doesn't try to make them like the current rookies and has a clear demographic to their fans who know who they are, but at the same time is entertaining enough for younger kpop fans...kinda like PSY's "Gangnam Style".



"Good Bye Bye" by NU'EST
My feelings for toward this group haven't really changed much, but they are still gradually growing with each release. This latest video surprised me a lot. Ren isn't a girl anymore! I'm glad to see them breaking out of their bishounen versions of B1A4 and SHINee and claiming their own identity. The song and visuals are more mature like "HELLO", but appeals more to my taste. The vocals and harmonization are gorgeous and match the heavy, melancholy tone of the melody and visuals. The visuals are not overdramatic and have a nice bold color tone with simple settings and storytelling to suit the lyrics. I like the mixture of techniques of light, slow motion, fastforwarding, and lots of dramatic motions with the body as well as interesting transitions such as opening a door to another scene. Lastly, the main point this video caught my attention completely was the song. I like the transitions from a slight emptiness with a lonely piano to a more energized pain, although I could've lived without the dubstep breakdown. I really hope that NU'EST keeps going in this direction and follow the same path as VIXX.



"Back" by Infinite
I really like Infinite...a lot, but lately their music hasn't stood out too much or met my expectations for them. This has made me sad and ToHeart didn't do anything for me either. When this video came out, I was back to being happy...not completely, but happy enough. Similar to NU'EST's "Good Bye Bye", I love the use of piano in this song and the transition from the beautiful gentleness to the strong determined spirit. The action and acting match this transition very well. The story is simple and I've seen it before with Block B and B.A.P, but whatever. Of course, the choreography's on point and I like the individual spotlight on each member. The boys look very mature in this, even though they're bloodied up and injured during this video. It gives me close to similar feelings I had with "BTD (Before the Dawn)" and "The Chaser", taking their softer and energetic sounds together in one beautiful symphony. Although, I wish they didn't get that SM influence of unnecessary sound effects popping in and out of the music. It's totally not necessary.

Favorite MAMA 2013 Performances

Welcome to the Mnet Asian Music Awards! Where everyone has fun and the awards don't matter~

Yes, this is the post to replace my usual long-winded v-log talking about the year end MAMAs. Why am I not doing a v-log this year? Well...honestly...there's not much to talk about. I could easily rant about everything I disliked about this year's awards and how it falls into the same problems as American music awards, but then you'd almost have an essay. So, for once, I'm gonna leave the extra commentary out and stick to the performances...more specifically the performances I enjoyed.



JAURIM, Lee Haneul, & Jay Park
Songs: JAURIM - Icarus (ENTER THE DRAGON ver.), Lee Haneul - Enter the Dragon

Over the 4 years of watching MAMA, I think this is the first time I've felt nearly satisfied with the opening musical performance. As someone who doesn't listen to a lot of Korean rock music, I felt the need to check out JAURIM. I really loved the female vocals and the music was dramatic and powerful, then Lee Haneul and Jay Park came in. I'm not familiar with Haneul, but I enjoyed his performance. The mixture of all three artists surprisingly worked out pretty well.



Infinite
Songs: BTD (Before the Dawn), Destiny

I was really surprised to see this group at the MAMAs and I was a little embarrassed that I didn't recognize them right off the bat either. Anyway, Infinite is one of the few groups I can expect near flawless choreography live and I was pleasantly surprised that they chose their strongest song, "BTD". Even though I'm not that big of a fan of their new song, "Destiny", I think they did a really good job performing that as well. And just for added context of HyunA's appearance at the end, their set was tied in with Trouble Maker's story of two rival gangs. It really isn't worth mentioning in this post. ^^;



Ylvis & Crayon Pop
Songs: Ylvis - The Fox, Bar Bar Bar

I'm sure some people are sick of this YouTube hit song and I will admit that "Bar Bar Bar" gets on my nerves, but it was interesting seeing these two strange trending songs come together. Watching A Pink and Sistar laughing and singing along to "The Fox" is quite memorable. Also Ylvis did a very good job with the choreography for "Bar Bar Bar".



EXO
Songs: Growl, Wolf (remix)

It's a little scary to admit that I was kinda looking forward to EXO's performance. They were mere rookies last year and played it up with labelmates SHINee. This year, they were on their on and, since they're on this list, it's obvious they did a good job. I really enjoyed their imprisoned concept mixed with this ongoing school thing. For "Growl", I thought it was cool that they incorporated the same camera work as the music video. Kai and Luhan's section was slightly unnecessary, but entertaining nonetheless. Lastly, I enjoyed the remix and tweaks to both songs. Of course, their performance did have some criticism from my end that I won't be expressing here, but overall I'm proud of them.



Big Bang - The Human
Songs: T.O.P - Doom Dada, Tae yang - RINGA LINGA, Seungri - Strong Baby (remix) & Let's Talk About Love, G-Dragon - Crooked, Fantastic Baby

Another year of solo releases for Big Bang, so another year of solo performances leading to a reunion. Starting off with the most recent of solo releases was T.O.P. There's really not much to say. I mean T.O.P is T.O.P. He commands the stage with confidence and charisma while letting a little goofiness slip in the right places. Tae yang followed up with his own recent release and I feel that he really stepped it up with his choreography. I'll slip in one little complaint: I wish I could hear his voice more, but it's forgivable. Once Seungri arrived, I was surprised he threw in an old track along with a new one. Similar to last year's performance, everyone (except Daesung) had their own style and dancers to match their set. They concluded with the energetic "Fantastic Baby" and I think this time around was slightly better than last year's in certain aspects.



Rain - Man of the Moment
Songs: How to Avoid the Sun, It's Raining, Hip Song

If I wasn't already spoiled by this surprise appearance, I would've been spazzing all over the place...more than I did when I watched this. You have no idea how excited I was to see this man on stage, singing live, hypnotizing us with those deadly hips, and slaying all those youngins. Once Rain started performing "It's Raining", it felt like no time had past since the last time he set foot on stage. Aside from his amazing and nostalgic performance, the promotions following after of a documentary type of release for December and a potential comeback for January nearly killed me.



Stevie Wonder - It's a Wonder
Songs: Lately, Isn't She Lovely, Superstition

It was shocking to see the legendary Stevie Wonder grace the MAMA stage and nice to witness the reverence and respect the artists had for him. It seemed like they were overjoyed and near tears by his music. Mr. Wonder is proof that no matter how much time passes, he still brings an amazing presence and uplifting atmosphere to any stage his on.


I guess if enough people are interested in my gripes and complaints about the show, just leave me a comment. I'm sure everyone knows that I love to have a good rant.

Quick Music Review

Dok2 - Love & Life, The Album (2012, South Korea) Rating: 4.5/5
Favorite Tracks: Best Time (In Our Life), Let Me Love U, 비밀 2, Can't Let You Go
"Love & Life" opens this album with a different tone that I'm not used to with Dok2. He has done songs like this before, but this is a different trip than previous albums. Anyway, this has a simple little R&B sound and nice sprinkle of piano as well as guest vocals from a previous collaborative partner Rado. Their voices still compliment each other very well. "Best Time (In Our Life)" is a little less upbeat R&B than the first track. It has more of a piano emphasis with a nice snap effect. It's very smooth and it works really well with Dok2's voice. I'm really impressed with this track. It shows a softer side to this normally cocky rapper. Only criticism is the voice effect that throws off the mood a little. "Let Me Love U" brings it back up to the upbeat R&B sound from the first track. It still maintains a nice mellow beat and the chorus is kinda catchy. "비밀 2" strips away a lot music to the simplest form which allows Zion.T's sensual vocals shine with the subtle beat. Dok2 doesn't overdo it with his flow, so both voices work together well. "Plenty" shares a similar minimal sound and brings back the sounds of 90's love making music of America, especially with Jinbo providing his voice for the chorus and the ascending keyboard effects. "They Love Who?" departs from the romantic R&B sound to a more softer hip-hop sound. The music is more subtle, but the delivery has a slightly quiet aggressive edge to it. "Leave Me Alone (Fuck You)" maintains a balance between R&B and hip-hop. The music is minimal, but Dok2 attacks his subject while the chorus seals the deal on the message of this break up song. "Can't Let You Go" falls back into atmospheric, minimalistic R&B sound. The aggression is exchanged for a more pleading delivery by Dok2 while Bumkey adds a little more sympathy with his soulful vocals. "It's Alright" drops the R&B sound for an acoustic pop type sound and optimistic delivery by Dok2 which is a little odd, but not completely uncomfortable. "Lonely Nights" continues with an acoustic sound, but exchanges the pop for R&B and a female vocalist to carry on the chorus. This goes back to the sensitive Dok2 style that goes quite nicely with this sound. "어제 같은 오늘" jumps into 90's keyboard R&B territory and dramatics. It feels like a soothing blast from the past who are familiar with this sound and a great way to close the album off. I'm still not fond of the vocal distortion, but this song is really good. As a casual fan of Dok2's, I think this is his strongest album yet. It has a surprising emotional, sensitive direction to it, but it works really well.



Infinite - INFINITIZE (2012, South Korea) Rating: 2.5/5
Favorite Tracks: The Chaser
"INFINITIZE" opens up with wild, belting guitars and some electronic and symphonic entwining elements as well as a preview of the boys' wonderful vocals. So refreshing~ "The Chaser" was used for promotion and I don't blame them for this pick. The song takes a few elements from the introduction, balancing subtle electro-pop elements, horns, guitars, bass, and drama. The chorus is powerful and the verses are slick, allowing the vocals to shine. "Feel So Bad" has a playful piano sound and a slight symphony sound to it. It’s a light, airy like song that highlight the chemistry between the members’ voices. “In The Summer” continues the playful, light sound but with an acoustic guitar. This is a song that will make fans’ hearts flutter and give you the urge to run through a field of fresh flowers. “Only Tears” goes into the sorrowful sounds of piano and strings. The vocals are softer and tugs at your heartstrings bit by bit. “니가좋다” jumps back up to upbeat territory with an electric guitar and a poppy tone musically and vocally. “With...” closes the album off with a soft, perhaps pleading tone.



Ulala Session - Ulala Session (2012, South Korea) Rating: 3/5
Favorite Tracks: 아름다운 밤
"URBANIC (울랄라 Prologue)" brings an optimistic, refreshing a Capella opening with some very strong vocals that can be compared to the legendary Boyz II Men. "울랄라" begins with a gimmicky showcase of horns and an upbeat pop sound, but the vocals still remain strong. This gives a great amount of energy and interest for listeners to just let loose. "아름다운 밤" is the song responsible for me trying out these guys. The song begins off romantic and slow with a swoon worthy piano backing, then it picks up to a fun pop tune that could easily be found in some sort of bright musical. You'll have a hard to resisting this one. "다 쓰고 없다" slows down things with a few strings and piano accompanying these soft, skillfully controlled vocals. "DYNAMITE" goes in a more electro-pop sound that reminds me of the latest KAT-TUN for some reason. This is definitely different from the previous tracks. Perhaps to keep up with what's trending with using a simple, generic beat and auto-tune. It's not a terrible song. It's still fun, but a bit out of place and a downgrade for the vocal skill set. "WEDDING SINGER" opens with a Sandford & Son introduction on the horns, then abandon it temporarily for a very simple beat and a lot of vocal pauses that remind me of older Japanese male vocals in old songs. It's a little strange and islandy. "난 행복해" closes the album off on a soft note and retreats back to their strength of vocals. This is definitely one of those drama OST type songs or at least an ending.



Dalmatian - State of Emergency (2012, South Korea) Rating: 2.5/5
Favorite Tracks: E.R, Drive
I remember not liking this group, but something about "E.R" made me give this group another chance. This is definitely more mature than their debut and has some great elements. It has a nice, toned down dance beat with some piano points cleverly placed with various levels for emotional effect. This song also shows off the boys' vocals more than the stuff they were given in the beginning too. "Drive" has a nice R&B beat to it and probably would provide a smooth driving song. This definitely continues that maturity displayed in the previous song. "Hurt Me" has the same feeling as "Drive", but a little more simplistic. I almost like this song just as much as the previous but the drums or whatever pack too much punch that becomes a bit distracting during the quiet moments. The chorus is a little weak too. Sometimes it feels like it doesn't match the sweet tone of the verses and the auto-tune is unnecessary. "Still By Ur Side" pulls in some guitar work and a little English dialogue before the song begins. It's a decent song, but it feels like it's missing something I can't put my finger on. I'm quite pleased with this growth and it seemed like the guys carried this mature image to their new name DMTN.



2NE1 - Scream (2012, Japan) Rating: 2/5
Favorite Tracks: Scream
I think this is the first original Japanese track that these girls have made. I'm completely ignoring that catastrophe with m-flo. Anyway, the song isn't that bad. Although, I felt that everyone's voices seemed stifled and too soft, except Bom's. They always crank up the volume for her for some reason, which is really annoying. Somehow the song remains enjoyable, but nothing extremely new or quite the same from their previous tracks. The next track is a Japanese remake of one of their hit singles, "Fire". Originally, I really liked this song, but once you hear certain tracks too much they tend to fade. The song's still not that bad, but the transition from Korean to Japanese seems a bit awkward. I don't know if it's just me because I'm so used to listening to this track in Korean, but it's odd. Last track of this single, excluding instrumentals, is a remix from m-flo of "Scream". It's a pretty good remix by mixing piano elements and electronic sounds. Although, I could've lived without the beat dropping and Verbal's vocal input in the song.


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Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"FROZEN" by lynch.
After seeing "Inferiority Complex" PV, I was a little worried what this would sound like and I really love it. Nearly flawless lynch. is back and better than ever! I'm really looking forward to their new album with this new sound and new members. It's a nice mixture of old and new. There's a lot of powerful bass and Hazuki's voice is warm and rough. Totally in love!




"Beautiful Night" by Ulala Session
This was an unexpected find on YouTube and I absolutely love them so far. I've heard the first part of their release and not only do they have amazing charisma, high entertainment value, and a catchy tune, but they possess some great vocals when they're not doing fun little tracks like this. This is definitely a feel good, goofy, fun song and video that you can't help but smile at. It also stars SE7EN's beautiful girlfriend. I hope my wedding reception turns out that crazy.




"Tarantallegra" by Xiah Junsu feat. Flowsik (AZIATIX)
This might be a surprising pick to some who know me personally and my feelings toward DBSK/JYJ. In short, I'm not extremely fond of them, but I have some DBSK songs. They're not that bad. This is the second time that I've been seduced by Junsu's seductive, artistic ways. It's making me question my choices. There's a lot of risks being taken here, but honestly I don't think he cares and I commend him for taking the sexy, dark route again. The song is easily catchy and probably isn't the most amazingly constructed work, but it's definitely hypnotizing like the the title suggests.




"The Chaser" by Infinite
I've been waiting for a comeback that was more appealing than "Paradise" and "Be Mine" and this is definitely it. I've always enjoyed these underdogs from the beginning and they've grown so much. Their vocals still blow me away and their choreography is on point. If only they can get it together on stage.. The visuals have a cool deluded colorization that make things more dramatic and clean, like a few other videos that have been released lately with less vibrant videos. I hope they keep this up. Sung Jong has grown so much. ;~;




"Bounce" by JJ Project
For some reason I thought this was JYJ related. Silly me~ Anyway, I think this is how Bang Yong Guk and Zelo's "Never Give Up" was suppose to be, because this is a lot more appealing visually and audibly. This has a good mixture of hip-hop, electronic, and rock sounds. The boys are cute and charismatic which makes the song and video very enjoyable. The only thing I didn't like was those shaky camera movements they borrowed from 2pm's "Hands Up". I'm looking forward to their first release for sure.

Quick Music Review

KAT-TUN - RUN FOR YOU (2011, Japan) Rating: 3/5
Favorite Tracks: RUN FOR YOU, COSMIC CHILD

Something happened and I've grown to like this group more than before. "RUN FOR YOU" is a super catchy dance track with loads of good moments and the video isn't half bad either. Sadly, this has become one of my favorite KAT-TUN tracks. Damn you! "COSMIC CHILD" has a dramatic opening and almost confuses you into thinking this track will go some different direction than the opener, but it keeps a smooth, electronic sound. It's a great marriage between orchestral elements and electro-pop. "DIAMOND" brings in hint of rock to the group's electro-pop song. It's a decent track, but it feels like everything's going a bit downhill from the title track. "& FOREVER" is a sweeter song and shows off the guys' impressive harmonization to some emotional electric guitar work. "SWEET CHAIN" leans more to a ballad sound compared to the previous track and pulls the vocal work forward more.



Cinemaglam - LOVE AVANT-GARDE (2011, Japan) Rating: 4/5
Favorite Tracks: サディスティックラブ, I've no name

"LOVEコレクション" mixes old rock elements and happy song elements you would probably hear from a jdrama opening or something. It's an interesting combination, but it definitely keeps you in to hear more from this debut mini. "サディスティックラブ" has the same feeling as the first track, but I'm more impressed with the melody and guitar work in this one. It maintains that feel good emotion from listening and keeps you hooked in to continue forward. "I've no name" reminds me of a present day Beatles track in some ways. I really like the vocalist's voice and the song definitely sticks easily. "君に愛された理由が分からない" displays a good partnership between acoustics and bass. It's an easy song to listen to and it's almost relaxing in some ways. "愛ヲ持テ進メ" picks up the tempo some and wakes up our bodies to move a little. "愛の罪人" completely shifts the mood to something almost haunting, but beautiful at the same time. It has strong musical elements and the vocals are pretty impressive. Sadly, not much is known about the artist/group, but I'm looking forward to more.



miss A - A Class (2011, South Korea) Rating: 3/5
Favorite Tracks: Good-bye Baby, Mr. Johnny, Breathe, Love Alone

I've been looking forward to an album from these girls, yet I feel conflicted by the title of it simple because it's similar to Miss $'s album name. "하나부터 열까지" opens with an almost different, tame sound from the girls. It has a nice piano melody that repeats in the background and it's dancy, but sadly not a strong opening for me. It feels a bit strained. "Good-bye Baby" was the promo song for this album and this is what got me interested to what they had to bring to their first album release. It's really catchy, powerful, and somewhat stays true to the girls' sound. Although, in some ways I'm reminded of the Wonder Girls. "Help Me" combines electro-pop with R&B elements. It does spotlight the girls' vocal talents nicely, but it's not a track I would listen to a lot. "Break It" was featured on the girls' first single and features simple beats and autotune. Never was a fan of this track and still am not. "Mr. Johnny" brings back my interest to this album and I can listen to this repeatedly. It's fun and dancy and doesn't take away from the girls' vocal abilities without the overuse of autotune. Once "그 음악을 틀어줘요 DJ" popped up, I thought my iTunes skipped to a T-ara track or something. I don't think this style fits miss A's style. "Step Up" doesn't quite transition that smoothly from the previous track, but the song's decent. It was featured in the last single release from the girls. "Breathe" was also featured on the same single. Sure, we've heard this song already, but this track still remains great and memorable. "멍하니" is R&B ballad track that almost falls victim to those boring, generic kpop ballads that annoy me, but the orchestral track saves it barely. "다시 사랑" was one of miss A's debut songs. It still remains a good song, but it pales in comparison to the growth of "Good-bye Baby". "Love Alone" jumps in as another promotional track from the album. It has an electro-pop and R&B sound which somehow makes it replayable for me. Although, I wish the music video was better though. "Bad Girl Good Girl" was the song that put the girls in the spotlight and even though it's not as polished and mature as the previous track, you can still tell that these girls have talent from the beginning. Lastly is "Good-bye Baby (Silver Mix)" which slows things even further and strips away the melody. In the end, I'm pleased with what they've put together and I'm looking forward to more growth.



Infinite - OVER THE TOP/Paradise (Repackaged) (2011, South Korea) Rating: 2.5/5
Favorite Tracks: 내꺼하자, 3분의1, Paradise

Like miss A, I was anticipating an album from this group as well and I strangely feel conflicted with it too. "OVER THE TOP" opens the album with a positive feeling that this album is going to be great. It has minimal, but dramatic snippets from the next track. "내꺼하자" took me a while to like, but it's a pretty good song. It's not as strong as "BTD (Before the Dawn)", but it still shows the guys' vocal chemistry. "3분의1" has become my favorite track from the album. It has an effortlessly vocal tone to it yet it remains in your mind for longer than 10 seconds. "Tic Toc" opens with a little orchestral sound and minimalistic music arrangement. "Julia" has more of an arrangement and it reminds me of a weak Backstreet Boy ballad when they were a five member group. It has nice vocals, but nothing interesting for me. There's a couple solo songs featured on this album as well. One is "Because" sung by Sungkyu. It's okay and has some good moments, but nothing super interesting. Next is a ballad by Woohyun called "시간아" which automatically doesn't keep me in for long. "Amazing" brings all the members back together for the remainder of the album. It has a nice piano arrangement and the guys sound good, but it's not a powerful track. It's a very safe N'SYNCish pop song. "Crying" intertwines pop and R&B elements together. This song isn't that bad, but nothing I'd repeat very often. Baby H takes over a good portion of the song and I wonder how it would sound without her. "Real Story" keeps the easy pace steady and closes out the album. If you bought the repackaged version, then we have 3 more songs to cover. "Paradise" brings violin and nostalgic 80s synth-pop together. This song also took me a while to like. It's not great, but at least it's on the same level as "내꺼하자". "Cover Girl" kinda throws me off on what direction Infinite is trying to go and, honestly, this track seems a bit of a joke for what they're working with talent-wise. So the fans requested a remix of "내꺼하자". I bet they didn't expect it to turn out like this. I really like the original more, but the guitar work is decent. Overall, the music is way too dramatic. Sadly, I'm disappointed with the final work, but I'm still cheering for them to rise up to their talents.



the GazettE - VORTEX (2011, Japan) Rating: 2/5
Favorite Tracks: UNCERTAIN SENSE

"VORTEX" sucks you in like the song title. It's a bit wild and goes in and out of old Gazette and new sounds with a hint of autotune. It's not particularly strong, but it's not extremely boring either. It gives the listener just enough. "UNCERTAIN SENSE" also has a musical arrangement that matches the title. It goes back and forth to the band's generic rock sound to an effortless vocal flight before tugging you back in for a couple yells and guitar punches. "BREAK ME" almost reveals a different side of the band that almost seems completely borrowed from someone else. It doesn't quite fit their skill set and teeters on the edge of boring. I bet you guys are waiting for me to praise the GazettE. It'll happen one day~


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Promo: Infinite

[from left to right] Sung Yeol, Dong Woo, Woo Hyun, Sung Jong, Hoya, L, & Song Kyu
|Official Site|


2010 was full of rookie (or barely established) boy groups. They were on the rise like MBLAQ, U-KISS, B2ST, and so on. I tried out all these groups and found Infinite to be the underdogs of the pack. They debuted with an old school sound in "Come Back Again" with smooth dance moves that suited the style of music. It caught on pretty easily and they moved onto promoting a connection video with "She's Back" to lure us into buying their first mini-album, First Invasion. I'm not completely sure on the success, but they were determined to work harder and make a name for themselves.



January 2011 was the start of a brand new Infinite. Something stronger and more mature. They practiced and practiced and established the deadly "scorpion dance" which they showed off in the music video for "BTD (Before the Dawn)". The choreography was impressively sharp and precise and the vocal arrangement was strategically more thought out than before. This song definitely gave a few boy groups a little run for their money and I'm pretty sure it might've upped sells for their second mini-album, Evolution. Recently, the boys have released a first single, Inspirit.


Take that "Lucifer" XP

Compared to some, I still believe Infinite are the underdogs and I kinda like it that way. They are definitely a powerful force that shouldn't be tampered with. They don't have many releases at the moment, but you can tell that these guys have grown a lot. Evolution has definitely proven that to me compared to their first release and their latest single has me swooning over their growth. Aside from their talent, they have great, genuine chemistry with each other and share the same passion for growing as men and as performers. I'm ecstatic to see what their next CD brings to the table. I hope they continue to be humble and become stronger with their talent as entertainers.