Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"Automatic" by Red Velvet
I feel bad for this group. They've received a lot of backlash due to the situation with f(x) and they really don't deserve that. Similar to "Be Natural", this is a very mature concept that I'm surprised that SM Entertainment pulled out. Let's start with the obvious not in a box approach. Just the amount of effort put into the editing and angle choices is very sophisticated and fits this sensual, mature tone of the song. Even though it's minimal, I enjoy the choreography and their voices are very lovely. I'm looking forward to listening to their mini-album.



"Love or Die" by Choix2
I'm very happy I gave this newcomer a chance and his mini-album is wonderful. I'm looking forward to reviewing it for you guys. As for the video, it's kinda cliche, switching from shots of him singing alone, with a group, dancing in a group, and a little bit of story. Nonetheless, I like this fusion of rock and R&B. It has a great arrangement and combines idol elements with a Seo Taiji style in the visuals. I'm really hoping this isn't a one off because I would love to see more videos from this artist...and perhaps less sparkling grill. In short, it's a very powerful piece that doesn't need too much flashy visuals to get its point across.



"S Mastering" by Anda
Formerly known as Andamiro, I was happy she came back with some new music. She's one artist I will be talking about more in the future, because I feel like she deserves more exposure. But let's focus on her comeback video, which is a little different than her Andamiro material, but doesn't stray too far away from that style. It's still quirky and cute, but has a little more maturity to it. Of course, not too much that it seems out of place. Her vocals might bother some people with its whispery tone, but it fits this laid back tone that'll make you bob your head. I hope she continues on this fun, grown-up direction.



"THE BEGINNING" by Royz
Arena settings have been used before in jrock (and I'm sure in other genres), but each one takes the bands' unique styles to make it something different and this is one of them. This high energy song makes you feel like you're part of the neon light party with the band and fans. It's a simple concept, but it combines almost surreal visuals with real showmanship. There's plenty of good shots of each member, the band as whole, and the synchronization from the fans and members that you would find at a live show.



"UNTIL THE FADE" by DISREIGN
Remember Seremedy? Better yet, remember YOHIO? Well, he was a thing in Japan for a while and then...I hadn't heard anything for a while until this band arrived. The sound is mixture of his solo work and his previous band with a darker, harder edge. It's not all aggressive guitars and growls, there are some nice light breaks in the verses where YOHIO's voice gets to shine through. Some might miss the lighter, androgynous, or evenly princely appearance, but I think this slightly insane, dark version of him as well as the band suits him just as much. The visuals are simple with some individual shots of each member, YOHIO going nuts, a few goth images, and the band rocking out together.

Top 5 Recommended Music Videos

"Erase" by Hyolyn & JooYoung feat. Iron
It seems like Hyolyn/Hyorin has been doing a lot of solo stuff, but I'm not complaining. Her voice is amazing and every time she's on screen, she brightens up the atmosphere with her smile. I think songs like this are her strong suit. It has a pop, ballad, R&B mix to it in the melody and vocal arrangement. JooYoung's voice complements Hyolyn's very well and I don't feel like one or the other overshadow each other, which happens from time to time. The lyrics are well written and the visuals go along with the story of relationship disentigrating over time. Although I thought Iron's rap verse was completely unnecessary, it wasn't that bad.



"I'M DIFFERENT" by HI SUHYUN feat. Bobby (iKON)
I wasn't all that impressed with Lee Hi's solo material and I casually enjoyed AKMU's MV releases. Oh, and Bobby's decent. I was curious how this crossover duo was going to work out and I think this is exactly what Lee Hi needed for her short musical career. Their voices work very well for this almost retro, Duffy/Adele-esque melody. The video is super cute as the girls follow and oogle Bobby shyly. It really looks like they had fun and it kinda made me like Bobby a little, although I think I would've been okay if he didn't have a guest verse in it and just acted in it for visual promotion. Nonetheless, I hope YG does something with this duo again because they have really good chemistry.



"Pendulum" by FKA twigs
Every now and then I saw this name pop up on my Facebook feed, so I was curious what her music sounded like. It's very avant garde both musically and visually. She possesses a very soft and unique voice. The music tends to come and go throughout the song. There's barely a beat or melody, just some noises through the verses and then the melody comes in during the chorus. It's oddly beautiful and the visuals reflect that as well. Lots of close ups of FKA twigs singing, then some artistic shibari, visual effects, and costumes. It's definitely worth checking out at least once for the experience, but I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea as it's so out there and ambient.



"Hip Hop for the World" by #HIPHOPISHIPHOP
Visually, this video isn't anything special while it does feature some great scenery, fun little art animations, and break dancers. The video is mostly rappers in their home country rapping in their native tongue. I found this video out through San E and learned it was a video supporting musical education, which is all well and good. Despite the lack of eye catching visuals, I think hearing the different languages in a rap is mindblowing and fun to hear. With the subtitles for me was amusing to decipher all the syllables said. I'm very pleased with who was chosen to represent America too. I recommend this one for all the hip-hop fans out there.



"REVELATION" by Royz
Every now and then I feel the need to post one of these band centric videos, because they are interesting sometimes. They have fun little visual effects that are stimulating to the eye, like this PV. There's plenty of solo shots of the members playing their instruments in the ring of fire and some great shots of Subaru with cooler color tones. The music is very energetic and has a passionate vocal delivery to match. It mixes a little bit of electronics and rock without letting one overpower the other. The costumes are pretty awesome and I love the ink work on Subaru in his solo shots.