Girl Band F(x) Comeback With the Fourth Album 4 Walls

F(X) ~ 4 Walls

'4 Walls' has a lot of 'four' influence in it from the title song to the number of members in the group (*sniff* we'll miss you, Sulli!), to the fact that this is their fourth LP. But f(x) is back and haven't lost any of their experimental nature with this release. This is their first album as a foursome. 

"4 Walls" starts out quiet but insistent and soon picks up a beat in a bit of defiance to its synth washes, which disappear during the chorus. It's smooth and stylish, a nice bit of deep house. It's a lot quieter than previous title tracks like "Red Light" or "Electric Shock," but in some ways it's better with unexpected bridges and a sense that everything builds toward the majestic ending. I particularly love Luna's parts, in many cases blending seamlessly with  Krystal's vocals.   

The second song, "Glitter," didn't grab me as the first song did. Not too sure about the main verses; they seem disjointed and  the chord progression is off. I like the chorus and bridge, though, when their voices go high and soft.  "Glitter" also has a nice hook: "Crazy crazy for your love. Glitter Glitter Glitter." The song is primarily about a guy.

"Deja Vu" begins with a zigzagging synth and Krystal's sweet voice. I love the way this builds to a more complex song with nicely-timed bridges and raps. This one is also insanely catchy with great hooks. The message is that when they look at a guy, it summons up memories. Not quite the same as Deja Vu, but keep trying. Someday, K-Pop will get it right.  

Synth wubs characterize "X," a piece of synth funk, well-behaved and smooth, and you can hear an occasional horn in the chorus, too. A little bit Prince + a lot of f(x) is awesome. At first seeming like the perfect song to go with an EDM-style direction (drug reference), it's more about the magic moment when you touch hands with that special someone. 

"Rude Love" launches with rapid keyboards in piano mode, but soon kicks it up with a sweet dance groove. I wasn't entranced in the beginning, but it did not disappoint, with awesome vocal layering and a build and fade to autotune and back. There's a hook that buries itself in the music,  "I'm wantin' you baby,"  until it finally drowns in the bridge and surfaces again, clearer towards the end. It's all about dispensing with courtesy and just going for it.  

"Diamond" owes more to a trap influence than anything else. It's got a nice chant where Amber's voice is the clearest, and the happy patter of synth drip-drops here and there before a silky harmony in the chorus. It's sharp and edgy, like a diamond.
The tune is about toughening up and knowing your value. 

"Traveler"is a bit impertinent with an occasional echoey synth cough layered over some bass. It starts out with Zico, which I thought was a bit odd, almost like Zico ft. f(x) than the other way round. He does a capable job, but I have to ask why? It's a pretty song, not ballad but chill. The lyrics are about wanderlust, but there's enough in there to indicated that it could be a metaphor about a lover's encounter.

"Papi" of the highest energy-songs on this LP. It starts with a bit of chanting, and then Amber's rap helps kick into high gear. It's incredible, body moving, and sassy, and not only that but also Amber has a second rap just ratcheting up the awesome. It's got that trademarkf(x) sass that I love so much. The title is the Central American term for father (or French for grandpa), and it's not explained well at all. The song is a bit open-ended, but I can well imagine the girls grabbing a guy's hands and running off with him. 

"Cash Me Out" starts out peppy and straightforward, seeming like something that we might hear on 'Electric Shock' -- until a minute in, where the synth and EDM builds to a crushing crescendo. What's funny is after that, the song proceeds apace, like nothing epic had happened, at least until the last third, where it kicks up again. The lyrics are about giving all your love: "My heart is like the rich/So Cash Me Out"

"When I'm Alone" is the finisher, and it's slow and chill, until the chorus gives life and body to the piece. That's when the beat comes in and suffuses the rest of it, and the killer synth effects are as sharp and crystalline as broken glass. Full-bodied and epic, the message is easy to divine: they're asking the guy to come to them when they're alone.

Track Listing :

4 Walls Click Here
Glitter Click Here
Deja Vu Click Here
X Click Here
Rude Love Click Here
Diamond Click Here
Traveler (Feat. ZICO) Click Here
Papi Click Here
Cash Me Out Click Here
When I'm Alone Click Here

Source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/10/album-mv-review-fx-4-walls

Boy Band B.A.P Comeback With the Fourth Mini Album Matrix

B.A.P ~ Matrix

After a year's hiatus, B.A.P. are back with the album  'Matrix.'Their matoki actually delivered the album's title in teasers, one character (and letter) at a time. Leader Bang Yong Guk produced this highly-anticipated release, featuring five new tracks, including the title track "Young, Wild & Free."

"Take You There" is a buttery-smooth, disco-inspired tune. Starting with a piano riff, and adding crackling beats, the track never loses momentum, keeping largely the same melody, with the bridge being the same but more pronounced than the main verses. The chorus is repetitive, but raps quickly come in before you can get bored. There's even a second bridge to liven things up even more. The song proposes that the girl just let them take her wherever she wants to go. . 

"Monologue" is a dark-sounding track, starting with spoken words that quickly turn to intense rapping by the band, along with an electric guitar. The pounding beat tells the rest of the tale, and it is all trademark B.A.P.The lyrics express the pain of overcoming obstacles and make reference to their title track  "Young, Wild & Free." 

"Young, Wild & Free," an energetic, in-your-face song, characterized by aggressive, angry raps and a fierce chorus. There's a ferocity here that just makes the thing pop. The song's message is that they do what they want and no one can stop them. 

"Be Happy" is the EP's party song, punctuated by blasting horns, jangling guitars, and easily chanted lyrics. There's still some power here in the vocals, which is what you get when six members tell you to "be happy."  It's primarily a feel-good, turn-off-your-brain tune, but incredibly catchy at the same time. I'll give you three guesses as to what this song is about.  

"Blind" slows things down and brings them back to earth with a somber tune. It's a definite contrast to the previous track. There's some emotional rapping, and some intense, wafty vocals. It The song alludes to being blind and not being able to see love. But the way it's expressed is almost as if they're hiding the pain of heartbreak

Track Listing :

Take You There Click Here

Monologue Click Here

Young, Wild & Free Click Here

Be Happy Click Here

Blind Click Here

Source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/11/album-mv-review-bap-matrix

Girl Band Twice Debut With the First Mini Album The Story Begins

TWICE – The Story Begins

'The Story Begins' for Twice, JYP's new girl group. the 9 member band consists of Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina , Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu. Quite a few are from japan, one is from taiwan. This is their official debut. The album released on October 22nd 2015.

The title track , "Like Ooh-Ahh," starts out cute and sweet, with a flute, and pretty standard cute fare, but 30-seconds in, they switch it up. The girls go from adorable to bold, and that's when the tune picks up. They make good use of their number in the chorus, where it sounds like an army of girls are singing. Not only that, but the instrumentation gets a boost, and the song turns into an Avril Lavigne-style rocker. I like the time changes in the song, and the brattiness gives them more cool-cred, in my book. The message? The girls want a guy who will put them at a loss for words, "like ooh-ahh."

Beginning with vocals, "Do It Again" quickly gets a buzzing cool synth and sassy vocals. This is where the girls really get to showcase their voices. There's almost an R&B groove, but definitely updated for modern era. The raps here come as fierce as the rest of the song and mesh extremely well. They want the guy to come back to them.

"Must Be Crazy" is very R&B-based, and quite smooth. It's quite different from the other tracks, and the chorus with all nine of them singing adds some definite power to the tune. It's also got a great hook:

"Look at me, crazy
Look at me, crazy
I can not quit you."

The lyrics are pretty clear from the title: a hot guy is driving them mad. 

"Truth" has a retro feel to it initially, and then it hits a more hip-hop vibe during the main verses, with insistent rapid-fire singing, and then a pure pop vibe when we get to the chorus. It could have been awkward, but instead it's got a great energy to it. The song is all about a confession to a guy.

The fifth song, "Candy Boy," has a marching band beat is stylistically similar to their title track, but is definitely its own tune. The raps are not as well-written as they could be, but there's still a boldness here, an impertinence that I like. There's some more of those amazing pipes in here, as well, along with hints of some soul. It's an ode to a guy that the singer has to have.

"Like a Fool" is a soothing tune to an acoustic guitar and harmonica. It's a very smooth song, and really shows off their vocal power at times. While not powerhouse-style like Ailee, there's some definite talent there, especially Dahyun. And the song is a great finisher. The lyrics indicate they're waiting for the guy to say he likes them too.

This album is a breath of fresh air as far as girl bands go. There seems to be a glut of either cute or sexy girl bands debuting nowadays, and that's it. While the fierce concept is nothing new, it's underused, and it's good to see it back. And it's stylishly done, with tunes that don't sound like everyone else. I can't wait to see what more this band has in store for us. Twice fighting!

Track Listing :

Like Ooh-Ahh Click Here
Do It Again Click Here
Must Be Crazy Click Here
Truth Click Here
Candy Boy Click Here
Like a Fool Click Here 

Source: http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/10/album-mv-review-twice-the-story-begins 

Girl Band Brown Eyed Girl Comeback With the Sixth Album Basic

Brown Eyed Girls ~ Basic

Brown Eyed Girls is back with a new album (their first in 2 years!), and they prove they're anything but 'Basic.' Known for hits like "Abracadabra" and "Sixth Sense," not to mention their cutting-edge concepts, they've unleashed their talents on their sixth. The album released on November 5th 2015.

  

The album launches into the guitar-driven dance track "Ice Cream Time." It's an attractive, slick production, punctuated by Ga In's vocals and Miryo's raps. The refrain "if I had to die tonight/in your lips" gives you an idea of what it's about. There's some innuendo there, but I'm not sure what this has to do with the album concept. 

"Warm Hole" starts with sassy horns and the chant "fire in the hole." It's a  catchy, bold song that grabs you by the ears and won't let go. Lyrics like "touch me down there" might give you an idea of what the song's about, but not quite. While some of it is purely sexual (and boldly so), there are other snippets that suggest transportation and the girls being in a tunnel -- the purpose of a wormhole (which is what the Korean title actually is).

"Waves" tames the semi-frantic nature of the first two tracks and is smooth like the tides rolling in and out. The insistent beat and seductive vocals complete the aural picture. Partly about love and loss, partly scientific, they're not singing about waves on the beach: "the waves came and changed things."

"Brave New World" has a backing track that reminds me a lot of "Sixth Sense," but the similarities stop there. There's some staccato effects, a marching beat, and some space age sounds on top of the girls' amazing voices. The title itself was lifted from the dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley, but the song is about the universe changing.

"Obsession," like "Ice Cream Time," is probably one of the most down to earth songs on the album. It's got a jazzy, pseudo Spanish groove going on here. It's smooth and seductive, but in an entirely different way than "Waves." But even this song tends to have its head in the clouds:

"Every night before going to bed
I see the lights,
I see a lot of visions
I got a feeling
it's not real but illusions."

"God Particle" is an exciting, danceable tune with blasting horns and the brassy attitude that we've come to expect from BEG. The God Particle is also known as the Higgs boson, a particle important to the building blocks of all matter, which could have destroyed the universe shortly after it was born. While there's some innuendo here, there are also hints about the dangerous nature of the thing. 

"Light" has a hip-hop vibe running through it with probably the largest part Miryo has on this album. It's got a pretty chorus and some bratty rapping as well. There's a nice time-change near the end, and it all combines to make an awesome tune. It's a song of hope, striving to capture the dream in a ray of light.

"Atomic" changes things up bit; it has a sweeping, epic feel to it, with some interesting layering effects for the hook "atomic bomb". The tune relates the excitement in a relationship to an atom bomb:

"Trillions of cells in my body are
Having a party
we have fission
(atomic bomb)"

"Dice Play" has a ton of Spanish groove influences here with the guitar and honking horns, the maracas, and all of that. It's a pretty, stripped-down song, absent of most K-pop influences with a frantic rhythm. As to how this relates to their concept, their Facebook page confirms what I first thought: Einstein, denouncing quantum theory, proclaimed that "God does not play dice." 

"Fractal" is the closest we have to a ballad, more of a mid tempo tune than anything. It's a pretty song, sung to an acoustic guitar. There's an English fail in the chorus, "Stop don't breaking my heart," but it doesn't detract from the overall beauty of the tune. The lyrics seem to describe a breakup while inside a fractal. Want to know what a fractal is? It's an infinitely repeating complex pattern, like a snowflake or broccoli floret.

This is an absolutely original concept album. The LP is primarily concerned with science and physics, wrapped up in plenty of more terrestrial concepts like love and breakups. It's a unique fusion, something I really haven't seen in K-pop, and certainly not on this scale. If I had to draw a comparison, it might be to Voivod in their prog-rock phase or the space rock of early David Bowie. It's something unique here, and I applaud it. Highly listenable, driven by the unique charm of these four talented women, this album is probably the most fun you'll have with science. 

Track Listing :

Ice Cream Time Click Here
Warm Hole (Wormhole) Click Here
Waves Click Here
Brave New World Click Here
Obsession Click Here
God Particle Click Here
Light Click Here
Atomic Click Here
Dice Play Click Here
Fractal Click Here

source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/11/album-mv-review-brown-eyed-girls-basic

Girl Band Melody Day Comeback with the Third Single Album Speed Up

Melody Day ~ Speed Up

Formed in 2012. rookie group Melody Day has dropped their new single 'Speed Up.' Formed initially as a group that sang exclusively for drama OSTs. in early 2014. Viewga Entertainment debuted them properly. Their New Album Released on October 7th, 2015.

A high-tempo dance number, "Speed Up" starts with a funky bass line and electrifying guitar riffs. The bridges are slower, but no less frenetic, giving the whole song a definite body-moving energy. This is a fierce yet fun number that's different than what they've done before. If they were trying to revamp the band's image, this is the song to do it with. The tune is an upbeat reminder to keep going and get what you want, although I think the line "parking in the party" would look more like this:

"Hallo" is a power ballad and more akin to their previous output. It's pretty, but not entirely my style, though the raps seemed decent enough. One part that I do like is the raps at the end, with the chorus layered over them. Amusingly, they keep saying "Halo," like the first-person shooter. The subject matter is standard -- its an ode to a guy. 

In the same vein as Unicorn's "Huk," the last song is "Want U Bag." It's another dance track, but different from the first, playful with a great hook. The lyrics are clever as well as catchy; the refrain is "I Want You Back," but the lyrics could be talking about a purse or handbag as much as a man, with lines like "you're a little different like limited edition" and"sold out? no way."

Track Listing :

Speed Up Click Here
Hallo Click Here
Want U Bag Click Here

Source : http://www.allkpop.com/review/2015/10/album-mv-review-melody-day-speed-up