S.H.E - SHERO Album Review

12/01/2011 11:50:00 PM

LaurenLCD

Via request by kdiana.

This is honestly my first time paying any attention to this group, since I know that for the most part they're actresses now-a-days. S.H.E consists of Selina (middle), Hebe (right), and Ella (left). Selina handles the soprano lines, Hebe does the high harmonics and mezzo lines, Ella is the alto who contributes the low harmonies which in my opinion are very vital to any girl group where soprano bias runs rampant.



SHERO was the last album they released as of 2011. Unfortunately, due to an on set accident that left 40-50% of her body in 3rd degree burns, Selina will be on an indefinite hiatus as she recovers (and enjoys her new marriage which was on the 31st of October) and Ella and Hebe are in the midst of their solo careers since their 10th anniversary must be postponed. Considering that they are now in their 30's (which is any healthy female's vocal prime), have their vocals aged gracefully with time, or are these girls people you don't want to be their shero?



Album: SHERO (2010)
Album #: 9
Tracklist:
01 SHERO 
02 Ru Guo Ni Shi Nu Hai 
03 Wo Ai Yu Ye Hua 
04 Liang Ge Ren De Huang Dao (Feat Judy Chou)
05 Shao Le Yi Ge Ren 
06 Shou Liu Wo 
07 Chao Ke Neng
08 Ai Shang Ni (Ost. Down With Love)
09 Ni Bu Hui
10 Ai Jiu Dui Le





01 SHERO
Track 1 starts off with a bang with the album's title track. For those of us who are new to the group, it's a relief that they have distinctive voices that don't sound exactly the same with similar timbres. Selina's voice is airy compared to Hebe's whose is fuller, despite being similar in tone. Ella's strong, low timbre is complimentary to Selina and Hebe's as she sings the harmonics and ends each solo.

The instrumental is strong enough to make one listen, especially when it builds from the solos, into the pre chorus, and then peaks with the chorus. SHE sings the chorus in a way where you can definitely tell who's doing what. Thankfully the chorus does change in key towards the end, so it doesn't feel like the song goes nowhere after all that build up.

Rating: 5/5




02 Ru Guo Ni Shi Nu Hai
This song on the other hand... It's direction is somewhat the opposite. It starts off strong with the instrumental that sounds unique in that it sounds traditional with some modern claps and kicks added in. Their vocals are clearly processed (T-Pain'd) by the second verse, though tastefully, but it doesn't escape my notice. The instrumental doesn't change much throughout and it's easy for this song to become background noise. I usually like chord changes, but for this song, I could have done without it. Hebe's voice is not pleasant to listen to when it's been T-Pain'd and thrown in a higher key.

Rating: 3/5






03 Wo Ai Yu Ye Hua
This song eases you in with Chinese recorders, and I believe a pipa (Chinese lute). Very easy on the ears. It's a nice contrast when they start the song off with Ella (In Taiwanese dialect), followed by Selina singing in chest voice (though it's not her strongest area - at least from what I've heard live). The beat is just fast enough for them to have to pseudo-rap, (I'm not sure if rapping is their forte). Selina and Ella are a nice contrast during the bridge. I love the background echos from Ella and especially how polyphonic the end gets with Ella's background, Selina and Hebe's chorus, and the additional background vocals. This is definitely a song where multiple parts work for the best and only serves my point of having at least one alto in a female group. Ella's voice adds depth where this song could have been thin and would have felt lacking. I hope that the following women in Kpop groups: Yubin and Amber get the chance to serve such a purpose in their respective groups.Yea, sure they're rappers, but rapping in Kpop has become dime a dozen and there are few females who have the natural talent and don't come off sounding contrived (I'm looking at you SNSD. What the hell did you think you were doing in The Boys? But that's a whole 'nother review).

Rating: 5/5



If the vocals are coming only from the right speaker, it's not your computer or ear/headphones. It's the video.

04 Liang Ge Ren De Huang Dao (Feat Judy Chou)
Once again, it's another ballad. This time with a guy (with a feminine name...). All compliment each other beautifully, with Selina's harmonies (which sound kind of Rainie Yang-ish), Ella and Judy's vocals, as well as Hebe's. If the last song was vocally busy, this one is even more so. It's an easy listener for when you feel like dozing off - in a good way. I imagine it would be a real pain to cover though.

Rating: 5/5




05 Shao Le Yi Ge Ren 
By now I'm starting to get drowsy. Mental note: don't try to listen to this album in one sitting. I love ballads as much as the next person, but Jiminy Cricket on a Pogo stick! This is one too many in a row. They sound nice, but due to the constant bombardment of ballads so far, it's easily background noise if you try to listen to it after listening to the previous tracks.


Rating: 2/5




06 Shou Liu Wo 
Finally, something a bit faster! It's still rather mellow, but at least I'm not falling asleep. They're heavy on harmonics which I love. However... It's still a bit too slow for my taste - at least in the context of this album. By itself, I like it, but when combined with the rest of the album, it's just a step above the other slow sleep inducers.

Rating: 3.5/5




07 Chao Ke Neng
Dear God another ballad.

At least until the first 35 seconds has passed!

To be honest, it sounds like something that would be done in Korean by f(x) or Wonder Girls. This is more upbeat and fun compared to all the soft ballads from earlier and can give this album a much needed boost. I love layers of course, and this has plenty of them. I can actually hear this being done for a drama, actually. I like.

Rating: 5/5




08 Ai Shang Ni (Ost. Down With Love)
This time we get another OST track from a drama, as well as another feature. This time it's J.Wu (thank you youtube comments!)  Luckily this is another mid to dance track. Hebe and Selina really shine in this track, it's just too bad that Ella got the short end of the stick. Only a couple of lines as lead in the chorus and a few lines during the middle 8.

Rating: 4/5




09 Ni Bu Hui
Once again, the album brings things down a few notches with yet another ballad-y song. It's nice that Ella got a lead part after being shunted in the last song, but it feels out of left field in the context of the album. *spoiler* the last song is rock infused *spoiler* 

Rating: 3.5/5




10 Ai Jiu Dui Le
 This is actually a cover of  Kate Voegele's Angel. Ella's voice, while certainly wonderful, was a bit strong to start with. I felt that Selina could have started the song with Ella coming in second as opposed to the reverse. Their voices alone (except Selina who's tied with her) are stronger than Kate's. Together, they blow her out the water I'm afraid. Sorry Kate. I wish their were more tracks like this on the album (that are original of course).

Rating: 5/5

Overall Score: 41/50 = 82%
Most Recommended: SHERO, Wo Ai Yu Ye Hua

Rock may not be their primary genre, but they pull it off really well and it's [SHERO] a good track to get your feet wet with. I had this song on constant repeat before listening to the rest of the album. Wo Ai Yu Ye Hua really gives a good impression on their cultural roots with everything from the instrumental to their use of dialect. It's perfect if you're looking for something that doesn't sound like it was ripped off from Kpop, the US, etc.


Least Recommended: Shao Le Yi Ge Ren, Ni Bu Hui, Ru Guo Ni Shi Nu Hai


Because they're bad? No, but because Shao Le Yi Ge Ren comes after being subjected to 2 other slow tracks that its addition makes the album feel more lethargic than it needs to be. Ni Bu Hui suffers the same problem. Its timing and placement in the album (after 3 slower tracks and a couple of 'waker uppers' and right before a song that infuses rock) is jarring. The third song lost love from me with the autotune on Hebe which just sounded atrocious.

Final Thoughts
The album's points were really brought down with how many slower tracks? 4? 5? If this were a group that only did ballads as their genre, I could understand the prevalence, but because they proved that they can do rock and other up tempo tracks, the constant barrage of slow songs in a row made the album feel that it dragged for longer than it needed to.

Labels: Music Reviews

Brown Eyed Girls - Sixth Sense Album Review

9/27/2011 12:20:00 AM

LaurenLCD

It's been 2 years (the Kpop equivalent of forever and a day) since the Brown Eyed Girls graced the screen, stage, and ears with their presence. During this break of sorts, they promised to deliver an album to top their 'break out' album Sound G which give them the recognition they deserved after years of being over shadowed by artists in the Big 3 mainstream crowd. While I'd argue that the way they earned their success was less than ideal (they had to surrender their beautiful voices to autotune and their classiness to hip thrusting and strip teasing in Abracadabra's video, earning them an only after 11pm spot on music stations), the fact that these ladies were still known for their voices did not go unnoticed (which was the original goal: their voices and musicality, not their looks or following the trend of cutesy, technicolor vomit). Do these ladies deliver the goods, or do they fall short of expectations?

Note: Under normal circumstances, I would provide videos so that you maybe able to judge the songs on your own terms and be free to agree or disagree with my position. However, as of 9/27 midnight, all videos pertaining to the new songs have been blocked by Leon Ent./leonent. Sorry for the inconvenience.


1. Swing It Shorty (intro)

Right off the bat, you can listen to this 95% intrumental  - 5% vocalizing and tell that they're aiming for a distinct sound that doesn't get covered a lot in mainstream kpop. It's jazzy. It screams of the Ragtime, Jazz, and Swing era when going out to dance your heels into the ground was not just for fun, but a courting ritual and a musical revolution. It's complex while still being easy for the ears to digest. It doesn't clobber you over the head with synthetics, or techno-electronica. It's fun and makes you want to grab a hoop skirt. BEG have always liked infusing old with the new and it shows with this first track. They are one of the few groups that can do this without sounding contrived or fake, like they're just doing what the company demands of them.

2. Sixth Sense

Video wise: Well, they're still gyrating and molesting the ground (Jea), and Gain is once again in a torture situation that borders on BDSM (From Abracadabra to now, I'm seeing a pattern here), Narsha's being water tortured (Another pattern. Anyonne notice that ever since Sign, somebody's submerged in water?), and Miryo is a general starting a revolution. They're sexy, it's true, and every NARROW MINDED feminist in the world will ony see them as hoes, but liberation (as a woman in the world of music and in visual art) is the point they want to convey. Whether it takes home that point is up to subjective interpretation on part of the individual. We must remember that despite the name, Brown Eyed Girls are not underage like the majority of sexualized girl groups. As grown women over the age of 21 (all but Gain pushing 30, Jea being 30), they were never teenie boppers masquerading as innocent little angels in booty shorts. They were women when they debuted and they are women now. Let's not even complain or get into a debate on whether or not they're "too sexy" because the Korean FCC is doing that for us.

The music alone: Is it big? Yes. Is it bombastic? Yes. Does it take everything you know about music past 2008 and bitch slap it across the face? Yes. And it is awesome. Believe it or not... they use real instruments (insert apocolyptic music and a high, girly scream from producers addicted to electronica and synths), they aren't processed up the wazoo, and Jea tells Mariah Carey to sit her butt down and let a soprano who still has her pipes to show her how it's done. These women all have distinct personalities and styles in their voices and it blends well to bring a dynamically complex piece of work. While the track itself hits us over the head with strong strings, and brass instruments in a rhythm that's reminescent of a march, Gain and Narsha keeps us all grounded until Jea turns everything up about 5 notchs in the chorus. The bridge and rap gives us a few moments to breathe before we hit the stratosphere. There is nothing further I can say that hasn't already been said about the glass breaking whistle register vocalizings that are performed by Jea and Gain that hasn't already been gushed over? I must also state that this song shows a mastery of control. In the lives, they could have gone over the top, but no, they managed to sing this song without breaking their mics, killing their voices, or bleeding my ears.

3. Hot Shot

This was released prior as a single, but in the context of the album, it doesn't sound out of place. It definitely continues the salsa groove that Gain started with her 2/4 Step album. The fusion of Latin and Korean is definitely an interesting combination and it does show that Korea is not obsessed with copying America's every move. Other then that, the song can become background noise and it feels repetitive. It's not bad in the least, but without the visuals of the stage, it washes over me and I easily zone out, reliving my Spanish classes where I learned the native dances of the merengue, bachata, and salsa.

4. La Boheme

This gives us something to chill to. It feels like a throw back to the 90's or the 80's. Gain's sweet voice, the 'la-la, la-la, la la boheme' in the background, as well as Miryo's whispers add a bit of depth to her enlongated stanzas. It's a song all about freedom. Freedom in love, life, from conformity. It could have easily been something flighty and could have deviated from the theme of the album and gone into 'oppa, saranghae' territory. Thank goodness it doesn't or else the next track would sound very out of place.

5. An Inconvenient Truth

If La Boheme was a throw back in a musical time period, this is a throw back to BEG's debut period. Some of you out there may not remember that long, long time ago (2006) when Brown Eyed Girls were that now extinct type of group called a vocal group (instead of 'idol' group) in which the main focus weren't how pretty the members were or their legs, but the focus was their voices. Here, we get a reminder of what Brown Eyed Girls are: vocalists. This is composed by leader Jea and it allows them all to shine as they ask for release from a now loveless relationship in which neither lover has the courage to leave. Miryo gives a saddening rap that drips of desperation. The song itself is the paradox of not wanting to be alone, but wanting to be away from the stranger that is oneself and the stranger that claims to love another. It's a love that has grown so routine, it's empty and robotic.

6. Lovemotion

I think this is a song to remind international (and national) Kpop fans complaining of 'too sexy' that BEG are grown women and that the concept of sex and sexuality are no longer foreign subjects to these ladies. This song is pure and simple: the art of flirting and seduction as well as owning up to those desires without shame. I will thank them graciously for maintaining their classiness and sophistication, considering how conservative Korea is and how touchy a subject they tread. It will earn them a 19+ sticker, sure, but this album is about pushing some boundaries and editing a few rules that Kpop music stands by. Rules such as: Women must be sex pots, but be demure nuns off screen/stage. They must desire to please their 'oppas' but have no desire for themselves. 2ne1 made Girl Power popular, but BEG are the ones actually making music to reflect it. I can admit, the arrangement is simplistic to borderline sleep inducing. It's so simplistic that it goes nowhere and this is probably the most anti-climatic track out of all 8 (9 if you add Sixth Sense' instrumental).

7. Countdown (Interlude)

This is so epic. Everything from the accapella they start in, to the Motown inspired instrumental. It's mostly English and it's mainly to be filler, but it's a nice filler and lead into Vendetta.

8. Vendetta

This song is like the Jekyll to "An Inconvient Truth's" Hyde. If An Inconvenient Truth is a want to leave a loveless relationship, in this one: there's no love lost. BEG want their men gone. I'll admit that the intrumental brings nothing new to the table as far as innovation goes, but it doesn't necessarily have to. It was meant as a throwback in style and the lyrics alone makes the song a great track.

Vocals: 5/5

These girls going on break made me miss them all the more. Their vocals are as clear, sharp, and on point. I have absolutely no complaints.

Lyrics: 4.5/5

Whether it was due to the translations, or the songwriting in general, the song La Boheme was all over the place. I had to make an educated guess on what the song wanted to convey. They come across sounding like their ages and not trying to be 'cute' or innocent. These ladies are far too old to play into the innocent vixen role that Korean men love.

Cohesiveness: 5/5

There wasn't necessarily any song that made me go 'WTH? Where did this come from?' They didn't stick to one tried and true genre like the rest of Kpop would have done. Instead, they dabbled with Jazz, Swing, Latin, and a bit of R&B, never losing their roots and never sounding like fishes out of water. I like that it's not one big never ending Jazz-Salsa-Motown-Swing party and that they do allow for some down time with An Inconvenient Truth, La Boheme, and Lovemotion.

Best Tracks: Sixth Sense, An Inconvenient Truth

Worth a Listen: La Boheme, Vendetta

Not bad, but you wouldn't miss anything if you skipped: Hot Shot, Lovemotion

Avoid like the plague: None. No track is downright bad or terrible. All of these were produced well and it comes down to personal taste.

Final Verdict: 14.5/15

Labels: Music Reviews

Chi Chi's Don't Play Around Review

3/29/2011 04:21:00 PM

LaurenLCD

Reviewer: Lopsided Maniac



Ok, so this is Chi chi’s debut song and we all know how a debut song can make or break a group, right? Well, let’s get this massacre started!

Hmm… what do you think about when you hear the endearing word CHI CHI? Boobies!!!! (BTW it’s Spanish slang…) Just the group name makes me look at my own boobs and go ‘Where are mine?’ -_-”

I know this is Korea, and Koreans don’t really pay attention to other languages other than badly pronounced Konglish and grammatical errors that are questionable, but really, Chi Chi? I feel depressed now. Besides the group name, I have to say that this girl group is enormously generic. 7 girls, with the same style as most of the new girl groups that are coming out these days and really, if they want to get noticed, they need to do something about their epic-ness…

 Vocals
The vocals… well, of course they were fine (If their vocals sucked, then they wouldn’t be debuting as singers, now would they?).
But!!!! Big but, what’s up with the melody?!?!?
It was so repetitive, I started getting a headache, after listening to them sing the chorus over and over again. I want to die. (Lighting strikes) The rappers were the most exciting out of the whole song. Their voices were bordering on an adolescent boy and P!NK, but I think if I tried really hard, I could make a voice like that too.

Video
Oh my god, what is there to say?
After watching it, I was moaning and groaning with complete and utter distress.
They made it colorful, they made it cute, they made it fun, but instead of making me feel happy and jump up and down and scream like a little girl, it made me want to puke. And this is me trying to be nice to these girls!!!
It feels like this theme has been used before…


Concept
They changed a lot in this video. I think there were at least 3 clothes changes?
The first is the everyday wear, very casual, very random and kind of boring.
The second is the little dresses, when they were in the doll boxes. Oh my god. They were really bordering on lolicon. Ok, so they’re probably already in their 20s or something, but you get my point.
Next was their pink tops and striped pants…
Hmm… the pink top was ok, but to pair them with the striped pants kind of made me dizzy. They should have just gone with hot pants, or skinnies.


Overall Rating
Song: ♪ ♪/♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
Visuals: ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
Overall: ♪ ♪ .5/ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

Labels: Music Reviews

Coin Jackson Debut MV "Feedback" Review

2/08/2011 07:48:00 AM

LaurenLCD

I'll keep this short if only to keep from listening and watching this anymore than I have (i.e The MV in it's entirety the first time, then trying to listen to it once more and lasting less than a minute.).

Like many a group making their debut these days, these girls were promoted and over-hyped to make people impressed by them before they even began singing in the recording studio. Like many a non Big 3 company these days, they promise to show something different and to give a style we've 'never heard' or to 'revolutionize a genre.'

Like most new groups that make these grandiose claims of being different from the crowd...

They fall flat due to poor execution and a production team that must have grew up listening to music from the 1960's and 1970's because they think that hip hop and electronica were just born last night and that autotune is the best invention since sliced bread.

I am so happy that I now have no expectations for this new generation of Kpop. This way, I can't be disappointed when a new group falls flat on its face.

From beginning to end, the song is painful to listen to.

From my knowledge, 2 girls sang solo: The girl with the long colored pony tail, the girl with the straight black hair. 2 girls... rapped (I use that term loosely). Someone randomly belted all the while looking like she was in pain, and the crayola red haired girl just whispered back up. All this was over bad electronic samples and bad use of bass. If this song was sung without autotune, I wouldn't even know the difference because their voices (If that is their real, untouched vocals) don't sound anything special with or without. The dance break was out of nowhere, and as a dancer, I wouldn't even call it a dance. Dropping to the floor, and putting your booty shorted butt to the camera does not a dance make. If their mini album/EP contains more than this, I'll give them another chance to make an impression. If not, I writing these girls off as just another girl group that will be forgotten once the song ends.

Because I'm too annoyed by this song, MV, and group my Overall without getting deeply analytical is ♪/♪♪♪♪♪

Labels: Music Reviews

GD&TOP Baby Goodnight Review

2/01/2011 10:18:00 AM

LaurenLCD

*takes a few deep breaths to keep from spazzing at 6:22 in the morning* Once again GD & TOP have gone beyond my expectations. How can they manage to be so... sexy without even doing anything?

Visuals: The cameras have a field day with blurs and close up shots. Seriously. There's one every few seconds. It's a screen capture gold mine for icons. Thanks to the magic of Sony Vegas effects, the overall filter paints everything a soft sepia yellow and blacks are replaced with greens and blues, still maintaining the reds of the candles, roses, and pomegranates while lowering their intense vibrancy. Despite the rain and thunder outside, GD & TOP's apartment/house make everything warm and inviting. Lens blur effects add to the overall ethereal feel, and thankfully is rather subtle. One almost doesn't notice such tiny attention to detail which without them could have made the video by itself feel as bland as oat bran on a subconscious level.

Transitions are all cross fade, fitting the tone of the slow, jazzy pace of the song. There is a switch of transitions used by the 1:35 mark which become straight frame by frame just in time for the middle 8/bridge which is when the pace begins to pick up as far as G Dragon's vocals reaching into his higher register until his second falsetto of the song mid phrase (cotton candy to my ears). It switches back to fade to transition TOP back in for scenes with on-screen love interest (via split screen). By the time TOP raps, the transitions become white flash and the filters are removed for pink and blue lighting that's subtle yet goes perfectly with TOP's silver hair in making one side pink and the other blue. Of course the filters aren't away for long as everything flashes back to the original color scheme. The video ends playing with "lightning" effects as GD & TOP sit at their couch and chair respectively just looking stretching and looking sleepy-yet still cool and blinks to black with the final second.

Fashion: ... GD... G-Dragon... Kwon Jiyong... please, please, please stick with that hair. Aside from that, I loved that red jacket. High school uniform is FTW. TOP would make a hot professor. I don't quite know what to make of GD's leopard print jacket, and the pants with the hotel cheap hotel curtain pattern (and TOP's robe. But that's because i want those boys topless... Don't judge me! You want them topless too.) but I will say it's all a step up from the...



*cue apocalyptic music* *screams like a boy who's screaming like a little girl*

Music as it relates to the video/story: Who cares! I just want to see a topless GD! Ahem. On a serious note, the music video illustrates the attempted seduction of the on-screen love interests which ends in failure due to GD&TOP's infatuation with said women. If I may be a bit crass and direct: they're whipped before they can get it. The girls are so high on a pedestal of innocence, beauty, and being cherubic that they simply can't give in to their temptations (symbolized by the snake; symbolized by the robe TOP wears which are in a tied rope pattern). The girls (at least one of them as shown) gets up when she discovers TOP is not in bed and is like 'What? Huh? Why'd you go?' as TOP & GD leave their girls to sleep peacefully.

Final Verdict:

Visuals: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
Fashion: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
Music Relation to video: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
Overall: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

This is fangirl fanfiction fuel and a photoshopper's/cimenatographer's wet dream come true. The only thing I can think of that may top this is Jibe Gajima if YG doesn't cancel it for Big Bang's comeback despite the fact that the "comeback" is in the form of a concert that will be shown in theaters (doesn't mean they won't perform on Inki, etc.).

Labels: Music Reviews

Seungri's VVIP Mini Album Review

1/28/2011 11:48:00 AM

LaurenLCD

Artist: Seungri
Album: VVIP
Genre: Pop & R&B
Label: YG Entertainment
Year: 2011

Tracklist:
1. VVIP
2. What Can I Do?
3. Open The Window (feat. G Dragon)
4. Magic
5. I Know (feat. IU)
6. White Love
7. Outro (In My World)



First thing's first, what do you guys think of the new Big Bang layout? I was going to go with Adam Couple but I didn't want you fangirls to blow out your keyboards with tears.

Big Bang's baby Seungri is all grown up and will be legal this year, so naturally he has to celebrate his soon-to-be legal status with his first mini album. (Don't worry Ri. You'll get a full album like your hyungs when you turn 21.) Big Bang's GD and TOP had me singing their praises so, shall we see if Big Bang's underdog keeps the momentum going?





VVIP
Huh. A title song that's for once the first song of the track list. This track pounds our eardrums with it's drums and bass. It was almost painful. Thankfully it settles by the first verse. Seungri's vocals are pretty good and there is little to no autotune, thank goodness. The song gets annoying with the 'Oh! Oh-oh-oh Oh! Oh!' chorus in between Seungri's own vocals and the assaulting bass and drums that accompany it. It's mildly headache inducing and I wouldn't recommend repeat listens. The song by itself feels... disjointed. I don't know where this song is supposed to go structurally. The constant change throughout G Dragon's Obsession was better executed. The MV is pretty much it's saving grace because it makes the disjointed feeling seem sensible.




What Can I Do?
I've already sung the video's praises here but does the song hold up without the eye-candy? Yes. Yes it does. Is it the same ol' electro pop? Yes. Are there areas where the synths sound like Ke-dollar sign-ha's Tik Tok? Yes. Does it make me think of Breathe from GD? Yep. Is there autotune? Yep. Is the chorus full of one worded phrases? Yes (seriously, have people still not found a word to rhyme with 'down' besides town?). Do I like it even with all the now cliche musical elements? Yes. Simply put, I can listen to this song all day. I've stopped looking for originality in pop music. The melody makes good use of his higher register even if it does make his range sound severely limited. I know it's not, but the song sounds really uniform.





Open The Window
This... makes me think of MJ or Janet Jackson with the chorus and background voices alone. Is he channeling their cool factor? The instrumental sounds like something Janet could sing over. Seungri certainly sounds nice, even if I can't take him too seriously (lyrically). The instrumental is nice and relaxing, even if it does sound very recycled. Seungri takes advantage of those harmonies and the middle 8/bridge. The ending however feels like a ice cube being put down my shirt. It's sudden and out of left field the way the song winds down to a stop. I must admit, that G Dragon makes this song sound more credible as far as lyrics are concerned.




Magic
*Snickers at these lyrics* Ah boy... These lyrics when translated (the worst part is, the worst lines are in English and I can understand despite his accent) are bad... Jason Derulo bad. Ah... Panda Ri... you're trying so hard dear. I'll let you off the hook since you're still young and haven't gotten a guide of how to avoid such terrible pick ups. He sounds good though. He's utilizing his lower to mid register this time around and it's nice. This boy has a timbre that makes anything he sings sound nice. Choice... Choice37... You're not helping. Great producer, but you should be telling the poor boy that telling a girl 'Even though I don't know who you are, what your name is, or if we're even compatible, I so want to do you.' is not going to get him laid any numbers. Take the G Dragon approach. Start by saying 'Hello.' The instrumental is nice by itself, but generic. I have no real issue with this song beyond the lyrics. It's pretty unremarkable. It's not something I'd release as a single. It's easy to tune out. It's... okay. Not bad (it screams 'bad songwriting skills' however) but not wonderful either.




I Know feat. IU
This song is cute -not diabetes inducing, but cute. It's nice to hear from an artist not from YG make a guest appearance. I'm glad they didn't cutesy this up too much. It's clear that IU's no hip hop artist and she doesn't have the type of voice to expect such a transition, so I did expect something sickeningly cute. Their voices blind nicely together. Seungri should invite more artists to duet with. He uses his middle register to counter IU's naturally lighter voice and it's a nice balance. This song, I can actually take seriously in the lyrics department. Seungri's going on 18/19 (in American years). He spent most of his teen years in training and as a member of Big Bang with a company that's majority male, so he could only have but so much interaction with girls around his age (Minzy). Now that I think about it, most of these songs are written (at least partially) by him so I shouldn't be surprised at the corny/cheesy factor, especially if your reference for picking up girls comes from MVs and movies.

A comment on IU's "three octave vocals..." She certainly has a pleasant voice, but I'm not impressed by three octaves. The average pop star - even the average Joe Schmo without classical training has two to three octaves. Why in a world that has Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston (at least they both used to have 5 octaves), Christina Aguilera (4 octaves), and Janet Jackson (Yes, she has range. 3 1/2 octaves to be exact.), are people impressed by this? I don't get it.


http://prince.org/msg/8/264879 As you can see, three octaves is very common.




White Love
This song is something I can take seriously from him. I must say this song is really cute and nice to listen to. It's also nice to hear him breaking into falsetto territory since he rarely gets the chance to try it and show it off. This would make a nice summer hit. I can admit that it's schmaltzy as a continuation of sorts with I Know with IU, but I'll take it for what it is: A song that puts a smile on my face and makes me forget that it's snowing/snowy and cold where I live.




Outro/In My World
This song is beautiful. Lyrically and vocally. I don't care that his voice isn't made to do ballads like say... Daesung. His vocal ability (or lack thereof) doesn't stop the fact that this song sounds nice simply by the emotional conveyance. I only have two requests from YG: Re-release this a la B2ST's Lights Go On Again to make it longer, and let Seungri sing ballads. What he loses in vocal maturity and real life experience, he makes up in giving believable emotional response which is a requirement for 90% of idols who have/had no life outside of the corporate company's bubble.

Final Verdict:

Uptempos: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
VVIP's bombastic factor gave it a 2. What Can I Do saves this score.

Midtempos: ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
 This category is hit and miss. It's too... mainstream. It has all the elements that makes a mainstream audience want to listen, but it also makes you want to ignore it simply because it sounds like everything else. Some of these songs are catchy, but some are 'Meh.' The lyrics kill Magic and Open the Window (with the exception of G Dragon's parts), but are suitable for I Know and White Love.

Ballad: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪.5/ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
There's only one and it's nice, but too short. 'Nuff said.

Overall: ♪ ♪ ♪.8 / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

This score is based purely on the music alone- if only because even though his voice is gold, the lyrics are lacking. If I had to judge on lyrics, it would have to be a 3 simply because of the corny/cheesiness of some of these lines. Is this to say that Seungri has zero writing talent? No. Instead, I'd say he should have been worked like G Dragon was while he was still a trainee.

G Dragon (and I'm sure this was a requirement for Taeyang as well) was instructed by Papa YG to write songs every week to be given evaluation and now he does it because he wants to develop as an artist. One has to keep in mind that it's not all about writing 'your own' lyrics that makes an artist an artist. There's a difference between a singer who writes (bad) lyrics and an artist. An "artist" has a good command of the country's language and is able to craft words together to make a coherent whole that gives more than the most basic meaning of a line. Seungri is a good singer that can convey emotions into the lyrics he's given, but if I can't take his lyrics seriously, then I can't take his emotional depth seriously. Once he begins to craft better lyrics and has more life experience, I'm sure my feelings will change on this.

I didn't expect anything new as far as concept or the revolution of a genre, or anything (Is that to say I expect anything less than awesome? No. But, Seungri is coming into his own as a soloist and it wouldn't be fair to judge him on the same standards I expect of GD, Taeyang, and TOP who were all soloist at some point in time before Big Bang). Seungri as an artist and vocalist is rather predictable as far as musical style is concerned and this is his effort without the Big Bang influences. He draws influence from Justin Timberlake and Usher and it shows. That is why I'm not hung up on how generic this mini album is. It does have a clear structure. Uptempos => Midtempos => End with a ballad. It's not a CD that put its songs together to be a random discombobulated mess and I'm thankful for this. He's showing growth even though he just hasn't found his true niche just yet. The Outro as well as Next Day - I believe - are the stepping stones he needs to find just what works for him instead of emulating his favorite artists.

Labels: Music Reviews

Seungri's What Can I Do? MV Review

1/20/2011 02:04:00 PM

LaurenLCD

Oh My Goodyear Bar!

Visuals: This is what GD's Breathe could have -should have- been. It's stylish, yet clean, flashy, yet keeps a mildly conservative vibe. It screams futuristic, but not so out there that it leaves me with a feeling of 'Eh? WTF?!' I love how this video looks. At the moment, I don't care if the visuals have anything remotely to do with the lyrics of the song. Usher's OMG *shudders.* (The lyrics are so stoopid! (Yes, I misspelled 'stupid' on purpose.)) could be playing and I'd still be starry eyed from how this MV looks.

Music: I'll write a full album review later, but I really like this. Panda Maknae is all grown up now... Dare I let the thought pass through my subconscious, but Seungri is fighting for my Numero Uno spot that is occupied by G-Dragon. I love G-Dragon to bits (BTW, get well soon oppa. I know you wanted to perform with Panda, but you shouldn't work yourself into the hospital!), but sometimes... sometimes... fashion wise (apocalyptic music plays while visualizing the flower jacket from Breathe)  and musically, he hits a sour note (I love Heartbreaker's album, but ehhhh... excessive autotune made him sound really chipmunky at times on the studio version *cough* Breathe *cough*). Seungri's vocals are shining as much as the music video does. His vocals are for the most part untouched by the autotune for the main verses (it's there, but very minimal. You almost can't hear it). Crisp, clear, and he holds his own without his hyungs being the driving force. He's not the vocal powerhouse that is Daesung, but he's not as R&B-nasal as Taeyang. The synths make me think of Ke-dollar sign-ha's Tik Toc or GP Basic's Game remix #noplagiarism.

Visual Meaning in Musical Context: I'm afraid I can't judge this too accurately since I have no English Translations. For the moment, I'll interpret it to be in the vein of Heartbreaker/Breathe/Strong Baby: fantasy combating the reality that is real life. He fantasizes about and looks for someone that only exists in an alternative reality; i.e a hologram.

Fashion choices: Love the black and white and the stark contrast it all has between the whites and fluorescent blues and pinks. The jackets feel MJ-ish only without sequins and glitter and excessive frills. I like that he has white fingerless gloves on which only add to the appeal. He's the only one so far that's kept his hair somewhat 'normal' out of all the Big Bang members (BTW TOP, *whispers* I can see your roots. Time to get those bleached.) The only thing I don't like is the jacket with the gigantic flower. Why? o.O I know you admire your hyung, but don't steal from G Dragon's closet anymore. I'm still waiting for 2ne1 to stop borrowing from him and Lady Gaga. Now I have to wait for you? Stop while you're ahead. I could have down without the mesh shirt too, and the chainmail(?).

Dancing: It's not a song that I expect acrobatics from, so he didn't deliver excessive frills. It's simplistic in the same vein of Justin Timberlake or MJ, yet complex beneath the surface. Smooth and slick like Beast's Shock, just how I like it.

Camera: I usually have a love hate relationship with cameras and angles and whatnot. The cameraman did know what he was doing. This could have annoyed me like Touch's Nan/I/Me did, but it didn't, surprisingly. This was filmed with a very good camera. I could actually see one or two of his blemishes in the close ups and noticed that his circles are slowly getting lighter as time goes on (either the camera is that HD, or I'm very observant?).

Overall: 4.9/5
- .5 for the giant flower.
- .5 for the mesh over the polo/button down.

Will be back later with the album review.

Labels: Music Reviews

Piggy Dolls Piggy Style Mini Album review

1/08/2011 10:57:00 AM

LaurenLCD

Artist: Piggy Dolls
Album: Piggy Style
Release Date: 2011.01.06
Genre: Dance Pop / R&B / Ballad

Track list:

01 Intro       04 Darling

02 Trend      05 아니잖아 03 그거 아니

Ughhhhhhhh...

I hate the name of this group. I mean, could it be worse?

Piggy... Dolls... *cringes*

Anyway, these girls just debuted on Korea's 6th and our 5th with their concept of being 'big girls.' I use that term loosely because "big" in Korea is average size here in the States while normal there (small as I -4'10"; 2.5 juniors; 94 lbs- or smaller) is anorexic or underweight here.Their goal is to make girls that aren't built like Barbies feel good about themselves. Nice enough goal as long as they don't act like the obnoxious comedian/actress Monique.

As far as their music goes; the girls say that they aspire to be like 2ne1. I hear it, but in all the wrong ways.

Trend is aptly titled, because they follow all the same trends that I have heard all through 2009 and last year:

Labels: Music Reviews

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