Blog Posts - Open the Kpop

Jeong Eun Ji - Being There: music video review

10/21/2018

The Queen of gentle aesthetics is back with a new song entitled “Being There”. In fact, I think it’s an entire album, so I’ll be jamming to that later tonight. Jeong Eun Ji is one-sixth of Apink and is probably one of the most recognizable for her enormous smile that wraps around her face. She is beautiful and has a unique voice which is well suited for the folk style she has taken on in past comebacks. Hopefully she sticks to that sound for this release.

The music video took the format of a story with a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning, Eun Ji was about to board a train, but last minute decided to board a different train. Throughout the video, we see Eun Ji interacting with her mother and reminiscing through old memories. She finally has to leave, and boards a bus back to the city.

The video was very lovely because it showed the tediousness of going about daily life, but how making spontaneous changes can make yourself happy and sometimes those around you happy as well. Don’t get too involved in following a routine. Learn to live a little. Don’t forget your roots. I think those are a couple of the messages in this video.

Eun Ji has a way with folk music that always surprises me. Her voice is so lovely, it complements the guitar sounds very well. All of her sounds have a calming feeling about them. It doesn’t matter if her songs are upbeat dance tracks or solemn ballads, she always has a way to create peace and tranquility in her music.

Do you agree that Eun Ji always creates peace with her music? What did you think of this song? Did it bring back any memories for you? Let me know in the comment section what different emotions came to you as you watched “Being There” by Jeong Eun Ji. Thank you for the support. I’ll see you in the next review.

Weki Meki - Crush: music video review

10/11/2018

Last time our girls came back, they were singing “La La La” but now they are here to “Crush” the competition with a new single. Weki Meki is one of those girl groups that has a unique twist on girl group concepts. I’m not sure what it is, but they pull out the sexiness along with the cutesy and quirky all at the same time.

Unfortunately, this release is just a single, but hopefully they will release later tracks to complement this track. I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of “La La La” so let’s see if Weki Meki can convince me this time. The teaser photos look promising.

What an interesting music video. The majority of the video was the girls beefing themselves up with weapons and various “dangerous” skills, but also being very clumsy at it. When they are making their raid, one of the girls bumps the alarm, resulting in their imprisonment. One thing I will say about their raid though, is there were way too many people to go on the actual raid. You don’t need 8 people to sneak around in the dark. You need 3 or 4 and then a couple on lookout and a couple on security, such as the hacking we saw earlier.

What was unique about this song wasn’t just the fact that is was a mesh of Rock, Pop, EDM, Dance, and Trap, but also the fact that it had a reminiscent feeling. Did you, while listening to this song, feel like you were transported back to 2005? While the song definitely had an old, classic Kpop vibe to it, it also remained fresh and had some newer elements within the song. As for songs by Weki Meki go, this song may be my new favorite of theirs.

With all that being said, we see the cutesy side with their clumsiness, the sexy side with their desire to be “dangerous”, and we also have a quirky side that is done through the music, but also the concept. It’s a take on a bad ass, cutesy concept which isn’t often done. Do you agree with this definition of Weki Meki? What words would you use to describe this up-and-coming group? Thanks for the support.

IU - Bbi Bbi: music video review

10/10/2018

Lately, one artist has peaked in my radars as not only a complete ball of talent, but also as one of the most lovable idols in the game. As the Daughter of South Korea, IU stands out above the rest because of her loving attitude, her talent, her youthfulness as well as how humble she seems to be while receiving so much attention. IU has my vote of confidence in everything she does, and I don’t think a new song will change that at all. I have no doubts that every song she will put out will be amazing.

At the mark of her 10th year anniversary, IU released a new single entitled “Bbi Bbi”. I’m beyond thrilled for this single but part of me is also disappointed it wasn’t a new album. Every time a favorite artist teases a comeback of any sort, you always hope it’s a comeback.

When an artist takes something as plain as dancing in an apartment or sitting on bleachers at a stadium and makes it gold, you know you have talent. Everything IU did in that video was mundane but not for a second was I bored or tired of looking at the screen. She took that amount of mundane and made it fun. For example, the striper (I’m not sure if that’s even what it’s called, but the tool used to draw stripes on various sporting fields) she used had yellow stripes and she drew stripes inside a circle until it filled it up.

Another thing IU did was in a crowd of black umbrellas, she had a yellow umbrella which has a couple different reasons why it’s cool. First off, she was obviously in love with the color yellow in this video. But even beyond that, her message seemed to be looking at the brighter side of life. Everyone totes their black umbrellas but she had a vibrant yellow umbrella to show the world that she is happy.

The final reason the yellow umbrella is cool is for all the HIMYM (How I Met Your Mother) fans. While the show itself kind of declined into a rather lousy ending, the show focused on the black umbrellas of the world and opportunity being visualized as a yellow umbrella in a world full of darkness.

Moving on, we hear a song that is unique, not just for IU but in the world of music as well. Her song is very Hip Hop influenced but still holds true to that airy lightness that is IU’s style and sound. The thing that is unique about this is the fact that Hip Hop is typically heavy and lower even when it’s considered light, it still has a dragging element. This song felt nothing like any other Hip Hop song I’ve ever heard. It had the beats but IU’s voice and tone lifted it up. If I were to think of an artist similar to this sound, it would be Mad Clown.

I don’t think IU does any huge, impressive vocal adlibs like in “Good Day” or “Dear Name” but she stays consistent and understands that some songs require over-the-top vocals to keep the interest of the audience, but other songs can remain in the realm of simplicity without needing any big development.

I like that about IU and Kpop in general because when you look at all these American Pop stars trying to make the highest note or achieve the greatest 18-note run, it’s ridiculous. Not every song is going to have that heart-wrenching moment and it shouldn’t. Some songs are simply fun and don’t need to be a show-off of one’s vocal abilities. I wish American artists could realize that it’s not all about range but sometimes about emotion as well. IU is a huge example that emotion isn’t always volume or range, but sometimes silence.

I gave you my thoughts on what I thought about “Bbi Bbi” by IU. Now it’s your turn. Let me know your thoughts. What was your favorite part of the video? What did you make of all of the coordinated nonsense? I love IU and can’t wait for more new music from her. She is an inspiration to everyone. Thank you and I’ll see you in the next review.

Yuri - Into You: music video review

10/9/2018

There’s a sadness about my life that is whenever I get really excited about something, some event or circumstance takes precedence over the thing I’m really excited about. For instance, “Into You” by Yuri is something I’ve waited for for nearly 10 years. I love Yuri and she definitely deserves her solo album. With that being said, she finally debuts and work gets really busy. It always happens like this. I hate it sometimes.

While I was engulfed in this music video, I felt like I had been taken to Heaven or somewhere pretty damn close. The purity, the sexiness and the wonder that made of this video were symbolized very well, all by Yuri herself. She had three main outfits. The white obviously represented her purity, while the red encapsulated her sexiness and passions. Lastly, I think it was a blue-ish dress that was meant to represent curiosity or wonderment, I believe. The visuals in the video were on point as well, taking scenes that are very typical in Kpop and bland and making them pop and Yuri just makes it work.

This haunting mix of Pop and Ambient-textured Rock along with major elements of EDM works really well for Yuri. A while back she did that song with Raiden that had the exact same elements and honestly, that is Yuri’s style, just like raw acoustic music is Taeyeon and Yoona’s style. And Hip Hop/EDM is Hyoyeon’s. Each member is to represent themselves apart from the main group of SNSD and to do that, you need to have uniqueness in your sound. Yuri’s song “Into You” has a familiar vibe due to the 4-chord pattern, but she still brings her own flare to the music.

It was kind of a short review this time, but honestly I thought this song was incredible and I can’t wait to listen to the rest of the album. Sometimes I wish Kpop would do away with mini albums and just release full length albums every time. What did you think of Yuri’s official debut? I mean, technically “Always Find You” is her “official” debut, but I like both songs. I’ve always loved every song that Yuri has been a part of whether it’s SNSD, Yuri and Seohyun or just plain old Yuri. Leave your thoughts in the comments. Thanks.

Dreamcatcher - What: music video review

9/20/2018

It feels like it’s been forever since Dreamcatcher released something but in actuality, it wasn’t all that long ago. Their last release “You and I” feels like an eternity ago. They are back today with their latest song “What” and hopefully a new mini album. Or better yet, a full length album. They deserve it!

From what I can tell, the girls are inside the snow globe that appears at the beginning of the music video. The only evidence I remember for this is the fact that the crystal inside the snow globe is the first and last thing seen in the video, giving me the idea that the entire music video took place inside the globe.

There are a ton of different scenes in this video that I’m sure have some reference back to previous videos of theirs but the one connection I really saw was the book that we saw in “Good Night”. A bed is heavily featured, suggesting it has some importance in the storyline. The police tape is also another piece I saw show up a bunch. One thing that stuck out that wasn’t shown over and over was the TV with the static on the screen. I wonder what that is referring to.

When Dreamcatcher first came out, I was super excited to have a girl rock group in Kpop but their first few releases were pretty much a rip off of Anime rock introduction songs. I loved them but that’s what they really were. This song feels like some of the rock I would listen to on my own time. This song feels almost to the level that is Babymetal.

If I were to change anything about this song - and there’s not much I would want to change - it would be taking out Dami’s rap and replacing it with some belting vocals into the final chorus. I’m not saying Dami’s rap was bad, but for a minute, I felt like this was a real rock song and not something Kpop had thought up. But the rap line brought it back to Kpop for me. Also, that final hit to end the song I wish could have been a reiteration of the piano intro part but maybe slower; something to draw the song out rather than just abruptly ending it.

Anyway, did you think this song was Dreamcatcher’s best song? If not, what song do you think beat this one out? Let me know in the comment section. Thank you for the support. I appreciate it and I’ll see you in the next review.

WJSN - Save Me, Save You: music video review

9/19/2018

Speaking of girl groups that have “SN” at the end of their name, WJSN is one of those many groups that I love and have followed since their debut. They are a powerful group with powerful concepts backing them. I will say that “Dreams Come True” was a weaker music video for them but it was a song that was very addictive and quite an earworm.

Today, they have made their comeback with “Save Me, Save You” and I’ll say that I’m stoked for this comeback. Not that I’ll necessarily understand all the hidden bits and pieces in the music video but I’ll still take a stab at it.

The Cosmos seemed to be the focus at the beginning of the video but it was clearly about witchcraft. They were toting large books with strange writing on them, mixing chemicals and producing light from their hands. However, it seemed darker than just witchcraft and wizardry. There was a scene where three of the members were pressing their thumbs together as blood brothers do.

In fact, the whole music video seemed to have a two-sided theme going on with the light outfits compared to the dark outfits. Even with Exy was rapping, the tone of the song and the video seemed to switch. But beyond the various theories that are being thought up as I write, a really cool part that stuck out to me was near the end of the bridge where the music paused and the camera zoomed in on an eye which shattered and burned up. I thought that was incredibly well done as far as visual effects go.

The introduction into this song had a very Classical style that was immediately disrupted by the heavy Electronic sounds. Honestly, I don’t have much to say about the song that I haven’t already mentioned. The song was very black and white, good and evil sounding with the light vocals of the group and the off putting rap style of Exy. It kind of reminded me of the way I felt the first time I listened to “Ah Yeah” by EXID.

What did you think of WJSN’s comeback? Was it as good or better than you thought it would be? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. Thank you so much for your support. I appreciate it very much. Thank you and I’ll see you in the next review.

UNI.T - Begin with the End & I Mean: music video review

9/18/2018

After catching myself up to Kpop now, I’m ready to start fresh with Kpop music video reviews. Today I will be reviewing “Begin with the End” by UNI.T. If I remember correctly, the last UNI.T song I heard was the song that sounded like “Why So Lonely” by Wonder Girls. I don’t remember the name of the song but I do remember loving it even more than Wonder Girls’ song.

I honestly don’t know that much about UNI.T other than they are a girl group formed on some survival show probably through MNET. For those of you who know me, I’m not a fan of survival shows or MNET but if the group is its own standalone thing rather than what I.O.I or WannaOne became, I’m fine with it. As long as the members of this group weren’t pulled from various other labels and used to promote MNET rather than the individual labels, I’m fine.

What an emotional music video. The video for “Begin with the End” highlighted the girls’ experience on the survival show and especially the moments when they were selected as part of the group. The beginning and end of the video focuses on the girls sitting around each other in a circle, smiling and teary-eyed.

The song is definitely a Ballad that emphasizes their vocal talent while creating an emotional track for the complementing video. I think the song was played twice through on this video because they wanted to highlight each girl in the group and it took longer than expected, but it worked out alright.

The music video for “I Mean” wasn’t anything really special. It was essentially a dance performance video with some special effects. With that being said, I will say the song was bubbly and had a mix of retro and tropical sounds within it. They showed off their vocal ability again in this song. The beat was fast paced but for a short moment went from regular time to half time or double to regular or whatever you want to say. It slowed down the beat and created a great amount of space in the track.

Which video was your favorite? If you’re a fan of UNI.T then I’ll assume the first was your favorite due to the nostalgia. I would have to say “I Mean” is my favorite because I’m not as connected to these girls as I am with other groups. They are all talented, of course, but I just don’t connect as well. Thank you for the support and I’ll see you in the next review.

Got7 - Lullaby: music video review

9/17/2018

Got7 is back. In case you didn’t know, Got7 has officially made a comeback with their new track “Lullaby”. They have been amping up for a comeback for some time now but of course, I don’t watch teasers. I don’t watch teasers because they are deceptive and sometimes spoil the song, which I understand why they are sometimes called spoilers. I want to experience the song for the first time in its entirety.

That music video was a trip. I’m not entirely sure what was happening but it was entertaining. Each of the members were on their own trip and things were flying around them without any control. The video was extremely bright and colorful and definitely had a lot of effects used throughout. It created a fantastical world without the video for Got7.

The atmosphere of the song was unique, but also something I’ve heard several times before. It had a very classic Dance style while implementing the Funk sound within creating a very SHINee style song. I’m in no way comparing SHINee to Got7 or vice versa, I’m just stating the style it reminded me of. If anything Got7 added their personal touch to the song making it a Got7 song. However, I wouldn’t call “Lullaby” a lullaby at all. It was more of a party dance song.

So what did you think of Got7’s comeback? What were you expecting with Got7 and their latest comeback? Let me know your thoughts below. Thank you for the support. I’ll see you in the next review.

GWSN - Puzzle Moon: music video review

9/14/2018

How many girl groups have “So Nyeo” in their group name? I’m sure you could name a few, but regardless, there is a new girl group that debuted called GWSN. I forget what the “GW” stands for but I do know that the “SN” is “So Nyeo”, meaning “girls”.

GWSN is a new girl group and I know literally nothing about them. I didn’t even realize they had debuted until I saw a new video in my YouTube feed but not through my subscriptions but rather my Home page. I’m excited to see what they have to offer but hope they don’t disappoint.

I honestly didn’t have a lot to say about this debut especially as far as the music video goes. I will say though, why is the quote they have at the beginning incomplete. It’s not a complete sentence. “We may seem trivial and insignificant but each one of us possesses a unique…” A unique what? Unique isn’t an object, it’s an adjective.

Other than that, the music video was brightly lit and had some cool themes spread throughout. There was some spectacular effects used on the video. The overall story was about these girls trying to solve the puzzle or decode the system. I’m sure there was a deeper meaning but that’s all I noticed at this point and I’m not digging further than that.

As for the song, it started out fairly normal. I didn’t find anything super original about the introduction and the first verse, but man, was I blown away by that chorus. The instrumental and minimalist beat with their incredible voices caught my attention. Like I said, I don’t have much to talk about with this debut but it doesn’t mean it’s a bad debut. In fact, I love it and GWSN will be on my radar. Their song reminded me of 4 Walls era f(x), which I loved as well.

What are your thoughts on this new girl group GWSN? Will you follow them? I haven’t picked out a bias yet but please let me know who your bias is. It will definitely help me know who’s who. Thank you for the support. I always appreciate it. I’ll see you in the next review.

Day6 - Beautiful Feeling: song review

9/14/2018

I almost didn’t want to do this tonight but what else do I have going on? I skipped out on extra work hours to come home early and sit around, so I might as well do a review for some Kpop that has come out recently. However, while I was looking through my huge list of songs I still need to listen to on my own, I was trying to find a song that I felt was important enough and something that I love even more than the other various songs I have piled up.

That’s when I came across a random release Day6 made about last week called “Beautiful Feeling”. I love Day6 and I tried to review as many of their Every Day6 project releases as I could. I reviewed their latest release “Shoot Me” and loved that song. I haven’t found a Day6 song that I hate. In fact, I love almost every song they’ve ever put out. Therefore, reviewing a Day6 song seems to be painless and simple enough because of my love for them and dedication to their music. Not to say I don’t love other groups but Day6 has a special place in my heart.

The Rock Ballad style is something that Day6 does so well; better than any group anywhere. The combination of the members’ voices and their voices individually as well, brings such emotion to their songs that no other combination of members in a rock band could possibly bring. The energy throughout the song stays pretty level and the song almost sounds anthemic.

Honestly, I feel like rather than having a lyric video, JYP should have made a video looking back at their live performances and the successes they had and playing this song over those performances. I know it’s a little cliche to do that style of video for a powerful Ballad such as this, but I was a little disappointed with the style of video they chose for this release.

What did you think of Day6’s song “Beautiful Feeling”? This song took me by surprise not only from the emotion but also the release. Did you have similar feelings about the song? Let me know. Thank you for the support. I truly am grateful for such awesome fans and subscribers. Thank you and I’ll see you in the next review.