[single] Nadia – Twinkling Boy

Twinkling Boy, released on 11.18.09, is 나디아’s first single and is SM’s newest project.

The title track 「Twinkling Boy」 is an upbeat electric pop song with the vocalist’s vocals being vocoded. Immediately, the song gives a nice fresh feel and the song itself is really cute as well as well done. The chorus especially is catchy with its repetition and upbeat-ness.

「Rewind」 begins really softly with a simple electronica playing quietly as the vocalist sings. The lyrics are nicely spaced out and gives the song a sweet, almost sophisticated feel to it. It’s a nice, quiet song that would be really nice to listen to on a quiet, good weathered day perhaps.

Before the single came out, I watched the cover of KARA’s Mister that Nadia did and found the vocalist to have a really great, mature voice. Definitely sounded like something different for SM. This single definitely didn’t disappoint and although I have a dislike for autotuned vocals, it really works when it’s used in Twinkling Boy. I especially am fond of Rewind as it’s nice and quiet; just perfect for those quiet days where you lie listening to your mp3 player ;D.

[single] Yamashita Tomohisa – Loveless

Loveless, released on 11.18.09, is Yamashita Tomohisa’s (a.k.a Yamapi of NEWS) 2nd solo single and his first after three and a half years (first single was Daite Senorita in ‘06).

The title track, 「Loveless」, is a sad love ballad with a sweet piano instrumental. After a few seconds of instrumental, Pi comes in (and horribly nasal, but I can forgive that because this is a nice song) and I like the way he sings as it shows a sufficient amount of emotions that really make this song work. The song has a mid-tempo beat and while it is a soothing, sad ballad, at the same time it has energy that makes it far from a song that’ll make you sleep instead. Love, love this song, especially its sad lyrics.

Next up is 「Crush on You」, which has more of an oldies guitar feel as Pi sings a breathy high key, “I’m crushing on you, baby,” He returns back to normal vocals during the verses, but he goes high again for the choruses. This song is definitely something I didn’t expect to hear from Pi, and while it does have its perks, it does nothing to “wow” me. Though props to Pi for going to the choruses’ high key.

「Dance Jam」 has a rather neat beat and instrumental, and as suggested by its name, sounds like something you would be able to dance to. It seems like most of the song is sung in English and the chorus is a bit catchy, but it doesn’t really do much to excite me to dance or anything (but it’s good enough for an almost slow but mid-tempo type dance, I suppose).

Another ballad, 「After the Rain」 is a slower tempo than Loveless and has a nice beat to it, but already sounds generic. As expected, Pi still sounds very nasally here (most notable when he goes a higher key or sings in a higher volume) but he does a great job in the way he singing the lyrics. This song is nice and I can sort of picture it something you would listen to in the rain or after it.

「Run from You」 is one of the more faster songs of the single, with a cool instrumental though the verses sound very broken since Pi sings, pauses, sings, rinse and repeat. The chorus is sung in a higher key with supporting vocals in between. The song is sung all in English and has a bit of an American feel to it, but blah, it’s nothing special to me but it does stand apart from the other songs so far.

「ME」 is a dance song that starts immediately with high sung, “Me, me”s and that definitely catches the listener’s attention. It has a similar feel to MOLA, both in the way it is sung and particularly the sexual-sounding lyrics, but it’s definitely not as out there as MOLA. It’s unique, that’s for sure, especially how Pi ends off the song with a low, “Me.”

Last is 「Moon Light」, is a very nice R’n'B-like song and I like how Pi sings the lyrics of the song (which were written by himself, btw.) The chorus is particularly nice as, although high, the transition is very smooth and sound really good. Definitely one of the better songs of the single.

A PV was made for Loveless. The whole PV was filmed in New York City and basically shows Pi traveling around New York. There are a few shots of him with a girl as he holds her hands tightly in his and for a majority of the PV he has a stoic expression (while the song is sad, maybe a bit more emotion would help, Pi?) The scenery is fabulous however.

Disappointing, since I loved Daite Senorita, but of course things can change in three and a half years. Pi’s style has definitely changed and become more of his own, especially with the large amount of English incorporated into these songs (Pi has been studying English for a while now). And while I do know that Pi is not a very good singer, albeit he has a very unique voice, there are some songs where he is super nasally or his vocals near the “unbearable” line. I really like Loveless and Moon Light, though :).

[single] Arashi – My Girl

(Will replace with larger cover scan when I can find one)

My Girl, released on 11.11.09, is Arashi’s 28th single. My Girl is the theme song for the dorama of the same title while Tokei Jikake no Umbrella is the theme song to 0 Goushitsu no Kyaku.

「マイガール (My Girl)」 is a sweet song with a wonderful orchestra instrumental. Immediately each group (usually it’s Sho-Nino-Aiba and Matsujun-Ohno as the groups) sing their parts and once it reaches the chorus, you can tell that this song is expressing their gratitude (the beginning of the chorus is, “Arigatou to,”). The song itself, by the way the members sing it, is sweet and the emotions they sing has a feel of gratitude to it.

The european-sounding 「時計じかけのアンブレラ (Tokei Jikake no Umbrella)」 is up next as Ohno is the first to start with an mysterious and seriousness to his vocals. The other members soon follow as Ohno leads them and, as soon as they sing, “Tokei Jikake no!” the chorus begins. The instrumental blends together with their vocals, no longer having a distinct strum to it, during the chorus, but returns back after the chorus. Immediately after the chorus, Sho does his rap and it really seems to fit the mood.

This time, 「スーパーフレッシュ (Super Fresh)」 brings a techno-ish feel to the single except with a lighter feel. Sho starts off the song with what sounds like a rap but rather it is really fast-paced lyrics. Immediately, I don’t really like this song because they sound so emotionless singing it with the chorus as a exception but even during the chorus, they sound dead. As the song goes on, many elements overlap like each others’ lines to create a unique feel and the song does sound a bit brighter, but still, sounds very dead to me, not at all “super fresh”.

A PV was made for My Girl. Basically, all five of Arashi are brothers in the PV and are in the process of moving out of their house. As they pack things away, Aiba finds a photoalbum while Nino finds a picture frame of their deceased mother. Near the end of the PV, Aiba finds a letter at the end of the photoalbum, telling the boys that although she is gone, their mother will always watch over them from this (the house they’re moving out of) house. In the end, the five of them decide to live in their house for a little while longer. This PV is sweet, just like the song :).

First of all, although the actual date has passed, happy 10th anniversary Arashi :). With that aside, this single did not wow me at all; in fact, although I did like My Girl, it all sounded like a typical Arashi song (or at least that’s how it sounded like the first time I listened to it). It’s kind of disappointing, but there are various other Arashi songs out there where they do really good in, so I can only hope for newer concepts in their future singles.

[single] Nakashima Mika – Nagareboshi

Nagareboshi, released on 11.04.09, is Nakashima Mika’s 30th single. Nagareboshi is used in a House Mate CM while Memory feat. DAISHI DANCE is used in a Kanebo KATE CM.

「流れ星 (Nagareboshi)」 is a slow ballad ala ORION style (which I absolutely loved) and has a sweet intro before going into a short instrumental break. The first verse begins and Nakashima sings with subtle emotions that fit right into the song’s mood. The chorus begins as she slowly sings the syllables of “Nagareboshi” which leads wonderfully into the rest of the chorus. There is an instrumental break after the second chorus before the instrumental quiets down into only a piano solo for the third verse. Another amazing ballad from Nakashima.

Next up is 「Memory feat. DAISHI DANCE」 which begins with a solo piano instrumental that sounds very lovely before other sounds come in to create a neat and unique instrumental. A capella vocals do some ad-libs before going back into the instrumental. No vocals come in until Nakashima comes in at around 1:30 into the song and her vocals match well. The chorus is sung in a very high key but Nakashima does a really good job in hitting the right notes and not making it sound horrible. The song is close to 7 minutes long, but it’s a really neat track at worth at least one listen.

A PV was made for Nagareboshi. The PV is very simple but coupled with wonderful imagery makes it a very good on at that. All of Nakashima’s scenes are during the night where she simply swings on the swings as she sings along to the song. It also shows a (long) train journey of a young woman who does things to keep herself occupied but one thing that reoccurs is the showing of a pin that (I’m guessing) she received from someone special because at the end of the PV, while holding up a necklace and the pin located on the neck of her turtleneck, she cries.

Again, Nakashima Mika brings another wonderful single. She is an amazing singer and this single doesn’t detract from that fact. Although both songs on this single are quite long (the first at 6 minutes and the second at close to 7 minutes), they are both sung wonderfully and composed wonderfully as well.

[single] BIG BANG – Koe wo Kikasete

Koe wo Kikasete, released on 11.04.09, is BIG BANG’s 3rd Japanese single. The title track is used as the theme song for the dorama Ohitorisama.

The title track, 「声をきかせて (Koe wo Kikasete)」, begins with a sweet instrumental that show the song’s nice, slow pace in contrast to their other songs. Taeyang starts up first as he sings very nicely along the beat of the song followed by Seungri then Daesung. Daesung’s higher vocals which then lead into the chorus is a really nice bridge that provides a bit of change to allow the chorus to come in. After the second chorus, G-Dragon and TOP come in with their raps although I think GD did a better job with his rap than TOP (his came off as a little bit awkward coupled with what the listener has already heard of the song). Overall, a very sweet melody that I’m sure others will love.

Last is 「オラ Yeah! (Ola Yeah!)」 with TOP introducing the song right away. This song has GD and TOP doing some more in the song than they did in Koe wo Kikasete and Big Bang’s vocals sound nice. Just listening to a bit of the song already doesn’t impress me too much; now if they had more power and fierceness to their vocals, perhaps this song would work. However, right now it feels too weak and unforgettable.

A PV was made for Koe wo Kikasete. The PV has a bit of monochromic-ness to it and beautiful scenery and backdrops as well. The lighting provides a very pretty effect and the boys sure look handsome and definitely are eye-candy. Didn’t really get the thing with the melted ice cream on the ground, but the rest of the PV was fantastic.

Not feeling Ola Yeah! but I’m definitely loving Koe wo Kikasete. It has a slow feel to it and also feels different from BIG BANG’s usual song patterns. It was kind of funny how I started watching Ohitorisama and was like, “Wait… this sounds like Big Bang!” when the theme song started playing :P. Will definitely enjoy hearing it coupled with the rest of the drama now :D.

[single] BoA – BUMP! BUMP!

BUMP! BUMP!, released on 10.28.09, is BoA’s 29th single. The single features VERBAL from m-flo and the A-side was used for NTV’s MUSIC FIGHTER POWER PLAYER and music.jp’s CM.

The A-side, 「BUMP! BUMP! feat. VERBAL (m-flo)」, is a neat song that begins with only BoA’s sole vocals. After saying “hit it”, VERBAL’s rap verse comes up and the instrumental comes in as well. Although the song isn’t that “out” there, it’s a neat unique song and definitely is new material that BoA works well with. It’s simple but at the same time, it has a lot of energy put into it. Really love this track.

VERBAL introduces 「IZM feat. VERBAL (m-flo)」 with vocoded vocals as he says, “wanna be in love withchu”. After repeating the phrase a few times, BoA comes in with her strong vocals as she sings back, “You wanna be in love with me,” and enters into the verse that way. The instrumental has this mysterious techno feel to it but is simple, which is good as is BoA’s support as she sings. VERBAL comes back in after the second chorus and this time he’s without the vocoder with the instrumental completely halting for a moment. After BoA sings one last chorus, the two of them alternate between their lines “I wanna be in love withchu” with muffed vocals (and VERBAL has his vocoded vocals back) with BoA ended the song by repeating IZM until the end.

A PV was made for BUMP! BUMP! It’s pretty simple with a dark setting but the two of them exhibit a lot of energy and, since BoA and VERBAL have worked together before, they also show their familiarity with one another. BoA rocks her dance in this song as well with some creepy-masked back up dancers but the PV itself is fun and makes the listener/watcher pumped up.

I’ve been waiting for BUMP! BUMP! to release ever since I heard about it and I’m definitely not disappointed! I love BUMP! BUMP! and, while IZM isn’t that outstanding of a song it does have its pros. I’m looking forward to BoA’s winter singles as I’ve always loved her winter ballads (Meri Kuri, Winter Love, etc) :)!

Jdramas and Kdramas of Summer & Fall 2009

This is sort of a quick filler post but I thought I would talk about something other than music for once. My review for BoA’s BUMP! BUMP! will follow after this, but for now, I will discuss the Japanese and Korean dramas that I have personally watched from this year’s summer and fall season.

[mini-album] SS501 – REBIRTH

REBIRTH, released on 10.20.09 (10.22.09 for Normal Version), is SS501’s 4th mini-album. It is their first release in a year and a half since releasing something as a group.

Opening the album is 「Wasteland」 that starts with a piano solo along with ad-libs before the first verse begins. The verse is nicely paced, but as it nears the bridge and chorus, the tempo speeds up a bit. Their vocals are strong and match nicely with the song, but honestly, this song is kind of “blah” and forgettable. It does match its Wasteland theme, which is cool, but it could use some work.

「Love Like This (네게로; For You)」 is the title track which was exchanged with the original title track (unfortunately it had to be taken out due to unknown plagiarism issues). The song itself is upbeat, especially the chorus which stands out when the members sing, “Love, negero, love like this, negero, negero (negero being “for you”).” The song itself isn’t that spectacular, but the chorus is kind of catchy.

「하루만 (One Only Day)」 is a calming ballad that the members sing with nice, low voices. As the song nears the chorus, the volume of their vocals (mostly solo parts) gradually increase until the chorus where their vocals are noticeably louder. The second chorus shows their wonderful harmonizing and they definitely do well to sing nicely together. The ballad is beautiful and I’m definitely loving the amazing harmonization.

「Obsess (중독; Poisoning…)」 is a neat, unique track that has a really cool instrumental. The chorus especially has an almost chilling feeling to it as they sing, “I’m obsessed with you… wanna be with you…” As they sing it, it shows their need of that person and thankfully doesn’t come off as creepy (haha!) The third verse is more of a mid-tempo rap before allowing two members (can’t tell who the other one is, but I know the second one is Young Saeng) to sing their solo parts. This track really has a unique feel to it and it’s also really nice.

The last track is 「완.두.콩. (Green Peas)」 which draws your interest with the crackling of a fire and the sound of slow clapping, the ocean, and an acoustic guitar. It provides a nice feeling of hanging out at night by the ocean as if the members themselves are not singing in a studio, but outdoors. The song is calming and has a warming feeling to it, enough to make me smile :). I really like this track; it’s neat and it was a cool idea for the members to take this idea and make it into this song.

This mini-album didn’t impress me at first with the first two tracks, but the second half of the album really did blow me away. I love the last three songs and how they did everything. I ESPECIALLY love Green Peas, it was a really warming idea and gives the listener a very calm, nice feeling.

[mini-album] SHINee – 2009, Year of Us

2009, Year of Us, released on 10.19.09, is SHINee’s 3rd mini-album.

Steady percussion beats begin 「Y.O.U」 as Onew starts up the song with some quick-paced lyrics. There some lengthy pauses between each line in the verses but the verse is soon followed by the bridge. Taemin sings, “Nothing can stop me from loving you,” which leads into the chorus as they sing “you” particularly in a slightly higher key. It certainly stands out as they sing “you” every time with a higher key than the rest of the lines. The second chorus is followed by an interesting third verse which is different from the rest of the song as they sing a bit lower and alternate between singers. The song doesn’t go by too fast nor too slow; just enough to allow the listener to take in everything.

The hot promotional song 「Ring Ding Dong」 is up next! Described as the new genre “acoustic electronic” by SHINee/SM, it sure is different with its congo drums and sounds. Jonghyun does the honor of starting up the song which is then followed by an opening chorus “ring ding dong”. There is a bit of vocoder being used here, but their actual vocals can still be heard. The bridge where they sing, “so fantastic, elastic, elastic” is so addictive even with its repetitiveness. The rap fits in really nicely here and it is a great lead into the third verse where it takes a different turn. The song is so fantastic, I love it.

A fantastic opening and Jonghyun’s wonderful vocals begin 「JoJo」 as it then leads into the first verse. Their singing matches nicely with the instrumental, which has steady beats created by the percussion. The chorus has them singing in a higher key, “JoJo” of course standing out the most. A low English solo part sung by Minho leads into the second verse; Minho’s vocals certainly grab your attention. This song is neat and definitely an amazing one at that.

「Get Down」 is a rap battle between the two rappers of the group: Minho and Key. It has a very American hip hop feel to it as Minho starts up the rap battle as he raps for the entire first verse and chorus. Next, Key takes over for the second verse and chorus. After that, the two of them alternate between their raps. It is an interesting concept and idea, but not really that great if you’re not a fan of rapping in the first place.

An interesting beat opens 「SHINee Girl」 as Jonghyun and Onew sing for the first verse before going into a short bridge that then leads into the chorus. Things speed up for the chorus as the words they sing to describe “SHINee Girl” stand out as the supporting vocals sing it in English. The third verse is particularly interesting, especially the way they lead into the last chorus with “I want you, I need you, my love is true” as it is very unique.

Ending the mini-album is Onew’s solo (also the only solo on this MA) 「내가 사랑했던 이름 (The Name I Loved)」. The song is a piano ballad coupled with some acoustic guitar as Onew sings in a low whisper before his vocals gradually grow louder. Supporting vocals (which is just an echo of his vocals) sing along with him during the chorus along with the growing instrumental. I see Onew’s vocals as the second best vocals of the group (behind Jonghyun) so this song really allows him to show off his lovely vocals.

I absolutely love 2009, Year of Us! It certainly is a change from ROMEO and definitely much, much better as well. The promotional song Ring Ding Dong is fantastic and addictive and, coupled along with a pretty darn good PV, it makes it one damn awesome promotional song. Also, although not all of the members’ new hairstyles are that good, I particularly liked Jonghyun’s and Key’s as both of them know how to work their hair. The others’ hair can also be good depending on how it is styled. Love love this mini-album; check it out!

[mini-album] B2ST – Beast is the B2ST

Beast is the B2ST, released on 10.14.09, is B2ST’s (pronounced as BEAST and stands for Boys to Search for Top) debut mini-album. This boyband is from Cube Entertainment (JYP’s sister company).

Introducing the album is 「Beast is the B2ST」, the album’s namesake, and starts with a neat attitude-filled intro as the boys yell, “HO!” A rap starts up the verse before being followed by some vocoded vocals. The chorus follows with more singing with background vocals saying, “is the best! is the beast!” A neat short intro to prepare for the rest of the album.

「Bad Girl」 starts ala piano solo and some vocoded vocals that is followed by a rap-like voice in the background. Everyone comes in as they sing, “Down, down, we gotta get down!” The rest of their vocals are vocoded (with the exception of the rappers whose vocals aren’t vocoded). The song has a kind of fresh feel to it in terms of instrumental and sound.

A intro done by one of the rappers and along with a vocoded voice starts up 「Mystery」. A whisper is heard before they go into a starting chorus as they repeat, “mystery mystery (why)”. The verse also follows a pattern of repetition of some syllables and the pattern of repetition is heard throughout the whole song. The song provides some nice attitude and edge to their vocals, but it feels a bit lacking.

「아직은 (Yet)」 opens with a short dialogue as the listener hears the sound of a storm in the background. The verses is sung in a fashion where they go between singing their lines medium to quick. This track is a neat R&B ballad which showcases more of what the boys can do, especially during the chorus where they harmonize quite nicely. The chorus fades into a slow rap (mostly in English I’m guessing; I heard “oh shit”, haha) which leads into the next verse.

The album closes with the medium-tempo ballad 「Oasis」 as the percussion in the beginning leads into the instrumental. The verse is sung with simpleness (a bit nasally as well) as in between lines supporting vocals “whisper” into the song. The chorus begins as they sing, “I will live dreams for you and me” (could be wrong) as they sing in a higher key and it gives the song a light feel to it. The 2nd verse is sung with the same pattern as the third verse is primarily the rap as well as the last chorus.

This was another boy band that I was looking forward to and although they don’t exactly impress, they don’t disappoint either. They have the potential, which is always a plus for the anticipation of future releases. However, this album isn’t very diverse and it’s somewhat the same stuff track after track. My favorite track of this album though is Oasis. I also liked Yet :). Hope to see more of B2ST!