Blog Archives - Open the Kpop

Exo - Universe: music video review

12/30/2017

I'm very far behind on my reviews for the end of 2017. I'm at my parent's house and the WiFi is sometimes spotty and there are a bunch of other circumstantial situations I don't want to get in to. Right now, I have the music video for “Universe” by Exo waiting to be reviewed. I'll try to catch up on my other things soon, but for now, it's all about Exo.

There was a bunch of symbolism within that video that I'm not going to even attempt to dissect. The video focused on a cafe and coffee. One of the members was tied up with ropes to a chair and at the end of the video, he was cut loose. It was a dramatic video with lots of coffee. There was one scene when the chorus came in and I think it was D.O sitting at a table with a bunch of cups of coffee and each time the piano hit a chord, the coffee would shake. I thought that was a cool effect.

A gentle piano dominated the majority of this song, but later was added upon gradually. The song was full of emotion and I definitely felt it in the chorus. I will say this about the piano at the beginning. It sounded raw. More raw than typical piano sounds used in a recording for a song. Later, the drums and guitar came in to add a huge sound to the song. But right before the first chorus, it sounded like an organ came in very quietly. I may be wrong but that is what it sounded like to me, which is awesome if they did that.

I hope you enjoyed this review of “Universe” by Exo. I will try to put out some more music video reviews more often, but it might be hard before I return to Arizona. Anyway, thank you for your support. I always appreciate it. Like and share this review on social media. Don't forget to comment your thoughts in the designated section and support Exo as well. They deserve it. Thank you again and I'll see you in my next review.

Chuu - Heart Attack: music video review

12/27/2017

The time is here! Member number ten is here to slay us with her perfect cuteness. LOOΠΔ revealed their newest member a couple weeks ago and finally we get to see what beautiful Chuu has to offer with her song “Heart Attack”.

In the music video for “Heart Attack”, we see Chuu and Yves hanging around together, but Chuu is continually trying to give Yves an apple. Eventually Chuu bites into the apple as well. While Yves' music video screamed rebellion to me, this video screams innocence. Chuu is an innocent person who fell to be like Yves. She's seen doing a lot of the same things Yves did in her video. From what I remember, I think Chuu is a penguin. I only caught a glimpse of it.

I don't know how to peg this song. It was bright and cute but still down to earth. Chuu definitely had a deeper voice than I initially expected. Her voice suits her style very well. There were some subtle jazz influences and a bit of dance oriented music influencing this song. It was strange and I haven't heard this style in k-pop very often. All I know is I'm super happy to welcome Chuu to the LOOΠΔ family on behalf of all Loonatics everywhere.

What did you think of the song? Are you excited for LOOΠΔ to debut? Please leave your comments below. Like and share this review on social media. Please support LOOΠΔ and if you'd like continue supporting me. Thank you for all your support thus far. I'll see you in my next review.

BoA - Jazzclub: music video review

12/24/2017

I honestly wasn't expecting this but BoA from SM Entertainment released a new music video tonight. The song is called “Jazzclub” and I'm still in shock from how fast SM dropped this on us. Or maybe it wasn't fast and maybe I've just been out of it for a while. I'm at my parent's house which has slower internet. Anyway, let's jump right in.

BoA tries to distract herself from life in her music video for “Jazzclub”. At the beginning of the video, BoA is talking on the phone to a guy who says he just recently got married. BoA becomes annoyed and pissed off. She gets in a taxi and asks to go anywhere fun. The remainder of the video takes place in a club where she is the highlight. BoA takes to the stage and lights up the night.

“Jazzclub” is a perfect descriptor for the genre of this song. It is a club song with some jazz influence. I'm not sure what instrument is being featured here (and I'd hate to make a side comment about something I have no idea about even though I never claim to be an expert in any of the fields I'm discussing) but I believe it is a trumpet. I could be wrong. In fact, I could be wrong on the genre. I absolutely could be wrong about everything I've said thus far. But even if I am wrong, I'm just saying what comes to mind and my thoughts on it. I've never claimed to be an expert in music theory or music or video production. I would never say I know everything about literature and rhetoric but I'm just basing all my statements off of my knowledge. If I say something sounds swing to me because it has an offbeat drum pattern, it sounds like a swing song to me. It may technically be jazz or whatever but I try to reassure all my readers that I don't know everything. I am just one person stating my opinion.

Sorry for my off topic rant. What did you think of the song? Did you love it? Are you excited for BoA's return to the Japanese market? Please support BoA in all her endeavors. Like and share this review on social media. Leave a comment below. Thank you for always supporting me. Thank you for your love and I'll see you in my next review.

Twice - Merry & Happy: music video review

12/21/2017

Twice is back. They came back with “Merry & Happy” the second additional song that was added to their Merry & Happy repackaged album. I guess this dropped a lot earlier on their V Live but I prefer YouTube over V Live. Anyway, Twice is back and they're going to slay!

In Twice's new music video “Merry & Happy”, Twice is seen celebrating the holidays with snack making, being festive, exchanging gifts, and just being around each other. It was a very heartwarming music video. It is one of the best Christmas videos I've seen so far this year, although Monsta X was a pretty good video as well. I may be biased here, but it seemed like Chaeyoung got a lot more screen time than usual. I love Chaeyoung and Dahyun and Sana and Momo and all the members in Twice. They seemed to be actually enjoying themselves rather than it being a set for a video.

I've already heard the song prior to watching the video but I still love the hook. Some of the parts that stood out to me in this listen through of the song was Momo's part where she had a couple of lines and the raps. The raps in Twice songs are typically short but in this song, they seemed a bit longer, even if they weren't. I love Twice and even if you don't love Twice, you should love the positive effect they are having for k-pop.

What did you think of the video? Who is your bias in Twice? I already mentioned mine. In fact, there was a point in time where I searched out lyric videos of all of Twice's songs on YouTube and basically looped all of Chaeyoung's raps. Please support Twice. Like and share this review on social media. Thank you for supporting me. If I don't get back to reviewing for the next couple of weeks, have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Monsta X - Lonely Christmas: music video review

12/19/2017

Boy groups were initially hard for me to come by because I prefer female groups. Recently I've gotten more into boy groups such as BTS, Got7, Seventeen, and BTOB. If you follow my Twitter account: @openthekpop, you'll know that I just announced that Monsta X has officially taken the number 2 spot where Got7 once reigned. My top 5 boy groups at this moment are BTS, Monsta X, Got7, Day6, and Seventeen. With that being said and in celebration of my transformation into a Monbebe, I'm here to review “Lonely Christmas” by Monsta X.

Monsta X brings us a soft and sultry Christmas song with a studio recording music video. In the video, the members are sometimes goofing off, but mostly just singing and rapping into studio mics. A good portion of the video is black and white but color sneaks its way in here and there giving the video a sort of nostalgic and reminiscing feeling.

Like I mentioned, the song is soft and wintry. It begins with a meaningful piano and then kicks in with the beat. I don't know all their names really well but I believe it is Jooheon and I.M killed the rap lines as usual and strangely enough, the tempo met a speed change right after the raps. The song was very welcoming and pleasant. It didn't have that edge that Monsta X exudes but I wouldn't expect that from a winter/Christmas song.

What did you think of Monsta X's Christmas song? Who's your bias in Monsta X? I think mine is I.M for the time being. I have a feeling it will change soon enough. Please support Monsta X and support their Japanese release “Spotlight” coming soon. Like and share this review on social media. Leave a comment below. Thank you for supporting me and I'll see you in my next review.

B.A.P - Hands Up: music video review

12/13/2017

When I think of boy groups, I usually imagine a group of five to nine boys, dressed up pretty, and dancing to poppy songs. However, B.A.P isn't what comes to mind when I think of boy groups. That's because B.A.P is different than other boy groups. They typically have grit and dirt. They are usually edgier and harder than the typical boy group. That's one of the main reasons I love B.A.P. They released their new music video for “Hands Up” a few hours ago and I'm going to review it.

The video for “Hands Up” was basically a dance video in various rough locations. The entire video looked like a wasteland mixed with the ghetto. The dance was really simple looking but it was effective and still made them look so bad ass. They had some interesting cameos from ninjas and female dancers. But overall the video was pretty awesome. I do however want some more story based concepts with shooting and violence because that's how I remember B.A.P.

The song was surprisingly softer than I expected but there was still so much grit in the song that I'm not even worried. B.A.P does grit and chiller stuff really well. The entire song had a Hip Hop vibe but there was a presence that felt massive in the song. I believe that presence was created by the piano instrumental in the verses and build up. One last thing I'd like to mention, is the orange haired member hit that high note so well. And the way it climaxed during the introduction into the final chorus was epic. Well done TS Entertainment.

What did you think of the song? Did you like it? What is your favorite B.A.P song? Please support B.A.P. Like and share this review on social media. Leave a comment. Thank you for always supporting me and I'll see you in my next review.

Soyou - The Night: music video review

12/13/2017

Former member of Sistar, Soyou makes a comeback with her song “The Night”. There are so many holiday comebacks happening that I'm sincerely hoping this is another holiday release. There's definitely not enough k-pop Christmas music and can always be added to. I haven't seen any teasers for this video. I'm going into it completely blind.

In the video for “The Night”, we see Soyou upset about being alone. She's very lonely and wants a companion. She goes on a date with a nice gentleman and imagines the events of the night and the next morning. However it was all in her head, until she finds a black song that definitely isn't hers. She freaks out and when she thinks it's all in her head again, she falls her head down on the couch to have it stopped by a pair of masculine legs.

The overall vibe of the song was very Hip Hop oriented but there was a hint of Christmas cheer tossed in. The chord progression used was very similar to many Christmas tunes. But while Soyou isn't my favorite member in Sistar, she definitely has the ability and has proved that now with this song. Her voice is soft and sultry while powerful and emotional.

What did you think of the song? Please support Soyou so she can release more amazing music like this. Like and share this review on social media. I don't know if I've told you this before but you keep me wanting to write. Because I know you all are reading these posts or a large portion of you are reading these posts, I feel the want and desire to keep making content and posting my opinions on the internet. I feel like I'm very biased but when I need to I can be extremely unbiased. I know how to view things from various viewpoints. So I thank you all for the support and the fact that you keep on reading and sharing these posts. Thank you and I'll see you in my next review.

LOOΠΔ/ViVi, Choerry, Yves - The Carol 2.0: music video review

12/12/2017

I don't know why I wasn't expecting this, but BlockBerry Creative just dropped the lyric video for “The Carol 2.0” by LOOΠΔ/ViVi, Choerry, Yves. This is what I believe is the first example of various sub units existing in the group and becoming interchangeable. If you remember, last year, Ha Seul released “The Carol” as part of her solo debut. I'm so ready for this and for some reason I wasn't expecting it.

Let's talk about how cute they are. Choerry was wearing her signature color of purple but the other two girls, ViVi and Yves were in red and green. They were celebrating the holidays and being festive in a small apartment. I wish the video image was bigger because there was a huge border of red around the entire video. But either way the video was too cute.

The song was basically “The Carol” but with different members. Although the intro for this version seemed a bit slower. I'm so excited for LOOΠΔ to debut. They need to debut already. Yves was especially cute in this video. One thing I want almost more than anything is for ViVi to be dark haired for one comeback.

What did you think of the song? Which version do you like better? Please support LOOΠΔ. Like and share this review on social media. Please leave a comment. Thank you for supporting me and I'll see you in my next review.

DPR Live - Text Me: music video review

12/12/2017

I've always been a man of change. I need a constant change from everything to feel comfortable. I've jumped through several genres of music which is why I feel like k-pop is the perfect genre for me. There are so many different options and music is constantly being released. The norm for me is to listen to the most popular girl groups and be satisfied, but lately, I've been listening to some underrated and underground music that is surprisingly enough, male artists. One of them is DPR Live which I haven't yet reviewed, but they or he released a new music video for the song “Text Me”. I'm here to review this video and tell you my thoughts about it.

Throughout the music video for “Text Me”, DPR Live was roaming all over the place, waiting for his girl to text him, but the song insisted she get to him when she's free. We see a junkyard, an upper class neighborhood, a Falafel place, a convenient store, subway, large staircase and a couple other places. There's a shot where he's standing near a large bridge and it appears to be England, but I could be wrong there. The video was basically him getting antsy waiting for this girl to respond.

What do you think of when you heard DPR Live? I personally think of chill vibing music that his heavily influenced by the Hip Hop culture. I love DPR Live and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them. This song was seriously turnt up, but I still like “Please” a little better. That song is my jam.

What did you think of “Text Me”? Are you a fan of DPR Live? Leave your response in the comment section. Support DPR Live. Like and share this review on social media. Please spread the word about DPR Live. Thank you for supporting me and I'll see you in my next review.

Taeyeon - This Christmas: music video review

12/11/2017

Sometimes the gods decide to gift us mere earthlings with something great. They see us dwelling in our own filth and feel compassion towards us. Therefore, every once in a while, they see us suffering and choose to give us something wonderful. That something today is the gift of Taeyeon's voice. Taeyeon was a gift given to us several years back and while some of us have taken advantage of that gift, I do not and I know my followers do not as well. Taeyeon has returned to us to bring us the best Christmas present; the present of her voice.

Taeyeon delivers a solid music video as expected from her. “This Christmas” follows Taeyeon looking back at memories of her and her father. Through the Christmases as she got older, the more she rejected him until it was too late. I'm tearing up writing this. Her younger memories stem from her receiving her first bike when she was little all the way until she was a teenager and didn't need him anymore. But at the end of the video, the car Taeyeon is in pulls up to a Christmas tree and Taeyeon imagines she sees her dad one last Christmas. Seriously, I'm a mess. Only Taeyeon can do that to me.

The song was very orchestral and emotional. The ballad takes the traditional soft Christmas music and plays on that very well. Taeyeon is the perfect person to take on a Christmas album alone because her voice can be so full of emotion and so solemn with what seems like little effort from Taeyeon. The song matched the video well. Especially the climax of the song which brought the strings loud and intense, also brought Taeyeon out of the car and facing her inner demons and regret from rejecting her father for so many years.

What did you think of “This Christmas” by Taeyeon? Did it match or exceed your expectations? Taeyeon always exceeds any expectation I think I've set for her. She could never be held down by limitations or expectations though. Please support our dear King Taeyeon, our sweet King Slayeon. Like and share this review on social media. Leave a comment. Thank you for supporting me and I'll see you in my next review.