Blog Archives - Open the Kpop

Yuri - Always Find You: music video review

1/30/2018

I feel bad because I've been so behind on my music video reviews. I haven't had time or I've been sick and because of that, I'm way too far behind. I'm working my way through the music video reviews though. Today, I'm going to be reviewing “Always Find You”, the SM Station song by Yuri and Raiden. I don't know who or what Raiden is, but I'm always excited to see something Girls' Generation related.

I felt like the music video was strange. Everything happening felt awkward and out of place. First we see Yuri being, what I can only assume as, shy about joining some girls at the pool, even though Yuri has the best body ever. Then she's hanging out with the girls and partying around town and ends up at a concert. She approaches a blonde guy in the crowd and wakes up in bed with him, seemingly regretting her decision. It felt out of place because nothing really connected to each scene. How does she go from fearful about these girls to partying with them. It was sort of disjointed and a poor job on SM's part. They could have done so much better with Yuri's video.

I still don't know who Raiden is, but the song was beautiful. It's that rainy day weather kind of song. It's not sad, but it has a sort of Chillstep vibe to it, mixed in with some tropical flare. While the song was a bit repetitive, it's in the genre. Chillstep tends to be repetitive, so I can forgive that. I really did like the song and Yuri's voice is so unique and beautiful. However, the video took from the song. It didn't fit very well and SM could have just put her in a room with a DJ behind her with her singing into a microphone and it would've been a better video.

Overall, I liked it. I sort of gave my opinion on both the video and song already, but I really did enjoy the song. It's unfortunate that the video was so poorly done because that makes people less attracted to it and it doesn't get shares. Yuri deserves more. If you are reading this, please share this review. Like it and support Yuri. I know our Sones are doing their best but we need to give Yuri some love. At least stream the song on Spotify or iTunes. Let me know if you agree with me. Did you like the video? Tell me why. Thank you for your support. I'll see you in my next review.

Go Won - One & Only: music video review

1/29/2018

The 11th member is finally here. Go Won is the 11th member of LOOΠΔ and she's been stirring things up. “One & Only” is her music video and I have a feeling it will be a dark concept. I don't know why but I feel like Yves' concept was dark, Chuu's concept was lighthearted but Go Won gives me mysterious vibes.

The video had some darker themes but the song was a lot lighter than I expected. We see Go Won in a dark hall peering out into the open. She's opening the window, the door, to try and venture out of her comfort zone. Go Won is the third girl to fall of Eden but I thought it was quite clever. They had an apple appear in the video but the fruit she partakes is actually a pineapple. Which I guess that's technically an “apple”. In the video, she's running through the halls with shadows, playing with shadows and after she eats the pineapple, Yves and Chuu are with her. It was interesting how the director of the video used light and shadow in this video to represent a sort of knowledge of good and evil. Before she ate, she could only see shadows, but after she ate, she understood things more clearly.

The song was a bit lighter than I expected, as I mentioned earlier. I was sort of thinking the song would be a mix of Yves and Jin Soul, but it was really lighthearted. Honestly I didn't pay really close attention to the song because with LOOΠΔ, I've become obsessed with trying to understand the concept and the underlying, encoded messages within the videos. But I did like this song. I liked it better than “Heart Attack” which is saying a lot. Right now, with the latest releases I like “New”, then “One & Only” and then “Heart Attack”.

Obviously I really enjoyed this. But what did you think? Are you excited for LOOΠΔ to finish off with the 12th member next month? What do you think the full group concept will be? Please support LOOΠΔ. Thank you for supporting me, even though I may not necessarily deserve it. Like and share this review. Let me know your thoughts and I'll see you in my next review.

Red Velvet - Bad Boy: music video review

1/29/2018

Red Velvet had a busy year in 2017 and it looks like they are moving at a fast pace again for 2018. With their second album repackaged, comes a new music video that they have been teasing for a while now. “Bad Boy” is the title track for the repackaged album The Perfect Red Velvet. Along with this, there is a B-Side track “All Right” as the second song on the album. I don't know if any of you were concerned but it appears this album will be just one version as opposed to various versions in past releases. It definitely helps my wallet heal a little.

The video for “Bad Boy” was interesting. It started out with all the members sitting in an empty hot tub. Snow is falling and we have pure Yeri in white. In the video, they are ordering food at a restaurant. (For those who are trying to connect tables in Red Velvet videos, here's another one.) They are later seen spray painting, pointing a gun, but never actually shooting it, and burning stuff. In fact, at the restaurant, they burn a camera, as if to say, “burn the evidence”. At the end of the video, they all wake up in a bed together.

I wasn't expecting this song to be honest. The style was peppy and poppy but had a trap beat pretty much throughout. It has that happy-go-lucky feeling, but with a bit of a sinister edge. The song is a bop and is so dance-able. As far as the members that stood out to me the most; those were Seulgi (of course), Joy, and Wendy. One more thing I'd like to comment on. That money shot when Seulgi is shooting money guns is bad ass.

Anyway, I loved the song and the video kept me interested. What are your thoughts? Did you like this song more than “Peek-a-Boo”? Why or why not? Please support Red Velvet. Like and share this review. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you for always supporting me and I'll see you in my next review.

Suzy - Holiday: music video review

1/28/2018

My girl Suzy Bae is officially making her comeback. I'm super thrilled for this because if you didn't know, her album from last year was one of my favorite Kpop albums of last year. Her song “Holiday” featuring DPR Live should definitely be a bop. I haven't checked out any teasers or anything so this will be completely fresh.

The video starts off with Suzy walking through the sands of a desert wearing a sun dress and a large straw hat. Throughout the video, she is relaxing and enjoying her time on a beach and on the ocean. She is rocking the long hair again, even though I miss her short hair. I'm not even lying, I think JYP was doing a photo shoot and kept the camera rolling because every single shot in this video looks like something from a photo shoot. Suzy is so breathtaking.

DPR Live definitely had some influence in this song because it sounds like something straight off Coming to You Live. But Suzy matches that style very well. The song alternates between droning synths and throbbing synths underneath a neat piano tone. Then the funky bass line comes in and keeps the song moving. Everything about this song seemed natural and fluid. Nothing was out of place or abrupt. Each part came in and did its job and then ended when it was meant to end. Volumes, from what I could tell, were mastered well. This song was just heaven.

I don't know if I'd quite put this song above “Yes No Maybe” but it's really close. This song is phenomenal and I can't wait to check out the rest of her album. Please support Suzy. Like and share this review. Thank you for all your support. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you and I'll see you in my next review.

iKon - Love Scenario: music video review

1/28/2018

I know it's been a minute. iKon released some new music and I haven't gotten around to reviewing it. I've been pretty far behind on a lot of things but I'm trying to make it up. To be completely honest, I'm not the biggest fan of iKon. If I had to choose between iKon and Winner, I would hands down choose Winner. Now, that being said doesn't cut iKon out of the new releases and songs I want to review because there are iKon songs I like and I really want to like them more. In fact, I love Bobby. I think his voice and style is so aggressive and angry sounding sometimes. So “Love Scenario” is the comeback of iKon that YG was promising us. Today I will review “Love Scenario” with an open mind. I'm going into this as if it's a completely new artist.

Starting off the video, we see the production of a video clip done with older technology. Actual images are being placed onto two spindles and being cranked to create movement with the images. A light is being projected to show the images. In the past, in theaters they would use a similar technology but each image was placed into a device that would project the image onto the screen. Then the screen would go black and it would place another picture. This was done quickly enough to create the illusion of movement. The entire video is supposed to be a representation of the old film making techniques. We can even see spots where the images are burnt or faded in the video.

Along with the video techniques, a thing you will notice is the circular movement throughout the video. This, I believe, is representative of the use of spindles and wheels in the past, but it can also be a way of describing a relationship. The song is called “Love Scenario” so it's trying to tell various stories of love. In fact, one scene you see members sitting on chairs and this scene is supposed to be playing out a break up.

I wasn't expecting to like this song as much as I did, but like I said, I went in with an open mind. The song has a groove to it that is chill and a bit bouncy. This effect is done by the alternating parts on the piano. The left hand or bass clef smashes a chord and then the right hand or treble clef bounces two or three notes out. It switches off between hands creating a bouncing motion. The residing piano in the song creates a chill factor throughout. In fact, I didn't even realize the chorus had come until that low rumbling bass kicked in. The chorus almost didn't feel like a chorus. The rhythm and melodies were still the same as the verses so I assumed it was another verse. It was a different song. I enjoyed it a lot, maybe even more than “Apology”, my all-time favorite iKon song. While it sounded new and fresh, it still had that iKon sound. I'm glad they didn't stray too far away from their style.

Overall, I really enjoyed the song and the video. The song, like I said, had this new, bouncy vibe to it throughout that completely threw me off guard. It was pleasant to listen to and still reminiscent of iKon original sound. The video had a cool concept that has been used before, but they made it their own. Please support iKon. Like and share this review. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you so much for your support and I'll see you in my next review.

Na Haeun - So Special: music video review

1/27/2018

Who is Na Haeun? Who is she and where did she come from? Honestly, I don't know. She appeared in my feed as a suggestion and I'm excited to watch her music video because it's pretty obvious that she is a child and not a full grown adult. She is younger than the typical age of a girl that debuts into the Kpop world. Her music video “So Special” is the video that appeared in my feed, so I will be reviewing it and possibly following her in the future.

I don't know what I was expecting when I first watched this video. I went into it, thinking this is going to be normal, but it's not normal. It's unique. It's not bad. The video was her being cute with a bunch of other little kids. They were dancing. At one point there was a little boy hitting on her. It was a cute music video.

The song was a little hard to digest. It's not because the song was bad because the song was not bad. I think the tone the producer chose for her voice filter was a bit cringey. There was clearly auto-tune used on her voice which is fine, but the tone was a sort of grainy high pitched style like a cartoon character would sound like. Now, watching this little girl perform and her swagger that she exudes, the voice option was a little harsh. I like her. I like the song and her voice and style, but maybe less of the filter over her voice and let more of her natural sound come through.

As for my opinion on it, I think I'll give her some time to grow up and get into her style a little more before judging her too harshly because she is, in fact, a little kid. It was a bit strange seeing little kids dancing like this but it was cool. I really did enjoy it. Please support Na Haeun. If for anything, at least watch it to see how adorable she is. Thank you for your support. Like and share this review. Let me know your thoughts on Na Haeun. Do you think this is too young for an artist to debut? Thanks again and I'll see you in my next review.

fromis_9 - To Heart: music video review

1/27/2018

A new group debuted recently and when they released their pre-debut track, I loved it. This group I'm talking about is fromis_9 as you probably already know from the title. “To Heart” is their debut song and I'm super excited for this girl group because they have so much potential already.

For fromis_9's debut, we get a typical school girl concept which I'm actually okay with. They pulled from a lot of concepts but they still made it their own. There seemed to be a fixation on origami whereas groups from the past have focused more on candy or vehicles. The video followed the girls at an empty school. They were cleaning while being distracted. Like I said, they were folding origami and basically ignoring whatever else they were doing, but if I remember correctly, they were folding origami in their pre-debut video. Is that going to be a theme throughout their videos?

With the song, we have a violin intro that abruptly ends into a guitar funk, bubblegum pop style. The appearance of the video reminds me of a Gfriend or Lovelyz music video but the sound they went for in this song sounds more like April. Back to the introduction, it seems an abrupt end to the violin portion and maybe that's because they want to introduce us to the sound that will be present for the chorus and the final moments of the song. Either way, I hope the violins are cut from the actual songs because it's too drastic of a change for my ears. Another point on the ends of the song, the intro feels a bit dragged out and the ending also feels longer than it needs to be. Now, the intro I've discussed, but the outro may seem long because nothing was happening in the video. One of the member walked towards the camera offering a piece of origami.

Overall I really enjoyed this debut. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm thrilled for these girls and what they have to offer. I'll check out the album pretty soon here. Please support fromis_9. Like and share this review. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. Thank you as always for your support and I'll see you in my next review.

Davichi - Days Without You: music video review

1/26/2018

I am too far behind in my Kpop music video reviews, but I'm being choosy today. Out of all my videos I need to review, I decided to review “Days Without You” by Davichi today because I love Davichi. Their vocals and their talent is almost unmet in the world of Kpop. They are seriously so good and if you haven't listened to Davichi, you need to now. They are a duo that sings mostly ballads. I know some of you don't like ballads, but Davichi does ballads differently, somehow.

I'm not entirely what was happening in the video or what time period it was supposed to be set in. A man was living in the mountains, in a cabin of some sort. He used a candle for light, a quill for writing and one of those pictographs for viewing images. But later in the video, he somehow had access to a Walkman. I'm not sure how that has anything to do with the time period represented in the video, but he seemed to be trying to reach out to a girl.

If you didn't believe that Davichi does ballads differently, you have to believe me now. That song was enormous and powerful and emotional and went through enough changes to not be boring. It is phenomenal how they do it. The combination of piano, strings, drums, guitar and their voices amazes me. Not to mention the key change into an instrumental chorus followed by a final overwhelming chorus should definitely not be missed. I'm so excited to check out the rest of their album. Davichi has been one of my favorite ballad groups for a long time and I can't believe this year is their 10 year anniversary since debut.

Please support Davichi. Seriously, if you don't know them, look them up. Thank you for the support even after I've been M.I.A for the past couple days. I've been sick and was recovering from that illness. But I'm back and I'll try to put out new content more often. Like and share this review on social media. Thank you so much and I'll see you in my next review.

Jonghyun - Shinin' & Before Our Spring: music video review

1/24/2018

SHINee member, Jonghyun, has passed away a couple weeks ago and SM, in respect for him, decided to release one last album featuring a bunch of his songs that he had recorded but never released. They also put together two music videos for the songs “Shinin'” and “Before Our Spring”. I love Jonghyun and pray for his family and friends. I never said my words during the storm of condolences but I am truly grateful I lived on this earth during the time while Jonghyun also lived. I am truly sorry for those who were close to him and he will go down in history as a legend.

First things first, I know this might be disrespectful and I mean no insult, but it is weird seeing Jonghyun performing new music. How long did SM have this prepared? Was he going to release a new album? It's just strange, but the song and the video for “Shinin'” felt like classic Jonghyun. I'm not talking the “Lonely” Jonghyun but the “Crazy” Jonghyun, the “She Is” Jonghyun. It felt like a vision of what he truly was musically.

Like I mentioned above, the style is reminiscent of Jonghyun's earlier solo work. It has a very classic 80s/90s vibe to it that is what Jonghyun has been, even in SHINee. It's interesting watching him and listening to him now. I've always loved SHINee and “Crazy” is one of my favorite songs of all time, but it's different listening to this and knowing this will be his last album. It's heartbreaking really.

“Before Our Spring” is a heartbreaking song and video. The video showed clips of Jonghyun just being goofy. There are several clips shown of him being the goof in SHINee. I guess the ones with the happy presence are often times the saddest souls.

There is something haunting about this song. I don't know what his situation was, when this was recorded or anything, but the emotion in his voice sounded like he was saying goodbye to his fans. The presence that he sang this song with was almost a farewell. This song was probably far from his last song he recorded but it sounded as if it was his final recording so he gave it his all. All it takes is a piano, a voice, and emotion and you have a recipe for tears and heartbreak. Goodbye Jonghyun. You did well. You can now rest peacefully. Thank you for all you've done.

Suzy - In Love with Someone Else: music video review

1/21/2018

Last year, Suzy brought forward one of the best albums of the year. She released her Yes No early in the year, so it had a long time to put up a fight and there were a lot of great contenders but it still held up as one of the best of last year. Now, January 2018, and she's at it again, this time with “Faces of Love”. “In Love with Someone Else” is her pre-release track that was supposedly written by the same person who wrote “Pretend”, her pre-release for her album last year. Today I will be reviewing her pre-release song. She's going for two years in a row to try to be the best album of the year. Will she hold her position?

The music video shows Suzy in love with a guy. They seem happy together but she has regret or disappointment on her face. She doesn't really love the guy. She eventually tells him that she doesn't love him which causes them to fight and eventually break up. There was a scene in the video where Suzy has her hair pulled back and I thought for one hopeful second that she had short hair again. The message of the video seemed to be similar to a message found in her previous pre-release track “Pretend”. Her lyrics in that song were about pretending to be happy even though she is not.

What do I say about the song? There was so much emotion in this powerful track. It was a ballad but it was so much more than a ballad. Suzy's vocals were on point and so emotional. I almost got distracted from the video with how perfect the vocals and the song was. I think it will be a while before I get over this beautiful song.

What did you guys think? If this was Suzy's pre-release song, what do you think her comeback is going to be like? I can't wait. Please support Suzy. Thank you for your love and support. Please like and share this review. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Again, thank you and I'll see you in my next review.