EXO's "Overdose" MV Teaser is out!

Okay, so EXO just dropped their MV teaser for their latest title track "Overdose". It's the promotional track from their latest mini album, so they will promote as two separate groups for this comeback.

Based from parts of the song that are included in the teasers, so far so good. EXO's XOXO album really shot them to fame, and I think this comeback song sounds promising. So yeah, I will be anticipating their comeback. :) I am actually excited. Haha :D

Tiffany T.T

Nah, I'm just going to rant here because news just broke out that my beloved dearest ultimate bias in Kpop which is none other than Hwang Miyoungie just publicly announced her relationship with 2PM's Nickhun. I'm still shocked, actually. I don't know how to describe specifically my reaction about this. Tiffany has been the center of my fanboyism for years because she's just so amazing. 

Anyways, she's still a human being, and she deserves to be happy too. I, along with the thousands of Tiffany fanboys out there just have to accept this. D: NICKHUN, I MUST SAY YOU'RE ONE LUCKY BASTARD. Try your best to make our Panyang happy. Otherwise, you're dead meat. Just kidding.

End of rant.

Thoughts on A Pink's latest EP, "Pink Blossom"

Last April 1, A Pink released their latest EP called "Pink Blossom". This is their first release since the successful Secret Garden album promotion. The girls promised to present to us a slightly more mature sound based on their teasers.

So how did the album turn out?

The girls, in my opinion, delivered an album that does its job in presenting us a slightly grown up A Pink. The main title track, Mr. Chu, is fun pop song that takes us back to old school days of Kpop, with the edge of modern sound because of the instrumentation. It actually has two versions, the Original and the On-Stage version. Honestly, the On-Stage version took a while for me to understand why it is like that. This version plays with dynamics because the of the change of tempo occurring during the verses. It actually is a good tweaking of the song in my opinion because it shows how flexible this pop song can be. Play it in slower tempo and it will still sound like a good pop song.

The verses starts off with member Ha Young, then Na Eun, two of A Pink's weakest singers. I think the arrangement of the song is done well. The melody is easy enough to sing, but enjoyable at the same time. Then came the chorus. A Pink's last title track "NoNoNo" will always stay on my mind as the song with the most annoying hook part. Annoying, because it's so catchy it's really hard to get it off your head once you're hooked. In the case of "Mr. Chu", the hook sounds slightly forced in my opinion. It's the type that says, "You should remember me. I won't stop until you can get me of your head wahahahaha" rather than NoNoNo's "Hi. I know I'm catchy, I know you can't get me off your head ;)" type of hook. You know what I mean?! Hahaha. Also, one thing that can be observed in this song is A Cube's staying away from showing off Eun Ji's vocals too much. Heck, this song is as easy as 123 to sing for Eun Ji. I don't really know actually how I feel about this because as a big Eun Ji fanboy, I think she deserves to show off that vocal chops more, but it also shows how the other members of A Pink are not on par with Eun Ji when it comes to singing. Don't get me wrong, Bo Mi and Nam Joo are good, but they're nowhere near the level of Eun Ji. That's pretty much the weakness of this group. My favorite part of the song would be the choruses towards the end where intensity builds up along with the instrumentation.

Overall, "Mr. Chu" is still a good pop song. The melody at the choruses and Eun Ji's vocals are enough to carry the song. I will personally play this song on loop for several days because it's so enjoyable. 

"Mr. Chu" is actually the second track in th album. The album actually starts off with "Sunday Monday" a midtempo song that, in my opinion, is one of the weaker songs in the album. Intro songs should be able to introduce us to the kind of sound that the album will be presenting. "Sunday Monday" falls short on that note in my opinion because it sounds like something that wouldn't have any problems fitting in with their previous releases ("Secret Garden").

The third track in the album would be "Crystal". Honestly, when I first heard the teaser for this song in the highlight medley, I didn't like it that much. Now, hearing the song as a whole, it's one of the better songs in my opinion. The moment that the chorus hits, I literally clapped my hands while listening to it. The vocals are just gorgeous, especially Eun Ji's. Bo Mi's voice also shines during her parts. It just sounds so unique and good. I just keep banging my head while listening to this song.

Next song would be "Fairytale Love" a sad ballad from A Pink that will melt your heart. As usual, Eun Ji, Bo Mi and Nam Joo sound great but the other members also sound comfortable in their parts. Cho Rong's voice thrives in these kinds of songs because her soft timbre suits really well with the song. However, compared to "Secret Garden" (the song, I mean) this ballad is just okay. In my heart, "Secret Garden" will always be their best ballad so far. 

Now, on to the next song. The song that nearly teared me up because of its beauty. "So Long" is my favorite song of the album. It's an RnB type of song, and this is the song that best represents the maturity of A Pink as a group in my opinion. The verses are beautiful, all the members sound like they are really feeling the song. I like Nam Joo's parts in the verses. Bo Mi and Eun Ji just flat out slayed their parts during the chorus. They are really giving off mature vibes that is expected from this album. But my favorite part, ironically, would be Na Eun's part during the bridge. It's unusual that I find her parts in the song as my favorite, given that she usually sounds flat, especially in these kinds of songs that require good vocals to pull off. But that part really suits her voice. I've said it before, but Na Eun has a nice tone to her voice, but she just doesn't know how to sing properly.

The last track in the album is actually the original version of Mr. Chu. Nothing to say much, I think it's just a more upbeat version of the song for all those listeners who just wants to bang their heads all throughout the song.

Overall, the album is good, but I still like "Secret Garden" better, just because of the number of songs that I really like in that album is greater than "Pink Blossom". My favorite songs would be So Long, Crystal and Mr. Chu. :)

Wew, that was looooooong. I hope I didn't bore you with the length of this post. Lol. Maybe next time, I will try to express my thoughts about SNSD's latest EP "Mr. Mr." 

Until next post. :)

A Pink

So I've been back to blogging, now that classes are off and I have four freaking months of vacation (yehey!) so yeah, I have some time to update this blog now. :)

So I've found this girl group APink interesting a few months back when they released their EP, "Secret Garden" with the title track NoNoNo used for promotions. And boy, do they work the aegyo concept well. I can't help but be sucked in into the cuteness that these girls possess. They do it just right: cute, but not overly cute. You know what I mean? Haha. Anyways, in this post I will introduce the lovely girls of APink along with my thoughts about them.

Park Cho Rong

She's the oldest member and leader of A Pink (though she doesn't look like it lol). She's cute and very pretty. I actually think she's one of the prettiest members of APink. :D But then, she's just my second favorite member. She's one of the relatively weaker members when it comes to singing, but her hardworking nature as a leader is a huge score for me :). I just hope that that hardwork will bear fruit in the context of her singing because actually, her voice is just very soft. Too soft. She nicely delivers in soft ballads but often suffers when it comes to upbeat pop songs that requires a much stronger voice. Anyways, I still love her, so I'll still rank her 2nd on my list lol.

Yoon Bo Mi

Oh Bo Mi. The second oldest member but still one of the cutest of the bunch. Sigh. Hahaha. She's the main dancer of A Pink, so yeah she pretty much rock those dance moves in their videos. But she's not only their main dancer, but one of the lead vocalists. Talk about being talented. She's the one who usually sings the catchiest parts of their songs (chorus). But I have a problem sometimes with her voice because it is unstable live. She sounds amazing in all their recorded music, but not so amazing live. One thing that I also noticed is the size of her mouth (lol ok). Nothing really much, just thinking that her mouth is too small (?!), which makes her look weird to me sometimes hahaha. But I still like her, I'll put her 4th on my favorite members list.

Jung Eun Ji ^_^

Aasdfghjkajdvjsfvdfhksghd LET'S JUST SAY I LOVE EUNJI OK? HAHAHA. I think she's the one who pretty much carries her entire group vocally. Well, that's because she's the main vocalist of A Pink. This girl is just amazing. She's pretty. She can act. She's talented. Biases aside, I think she's up there with the "elite" when it comes to best vocals. She did not even auditioned as an idol. Her dream before was to be a vocal trainer. But then, maybe A Cube saw how amazing this girl is so they persuaded her into being an idol. Haha. Thank A Cube for that lol anyways, before I start fanboying all over her section let's just end this with the fact that she's pretty much the whole package to me. She's perfect in my eyes hahaha XD Ok. Eunji. Eunji. EEEEEEUUUUUUNNNNNNJJJJJJJJJIIIIIIIIII ADWFNANFSEJBGHBSJSBFHEDJEHBGJSGDF so don't even ask me what her rank is in my bias list. Lol :)

Son Na Eun

She's tied with Cho Rong for the title of being the prettiest member in my opinion. She's the face of A Pink, no doubt. I think she's also one of the better dancers in A Pink. She's famous for having an "ant waist" and a petite but gorgeous body. She's tied with Ha Young for the least vocals in my opinion. I mean, she has a nice tone actually, but many times it's flat. She struggles in singing her lines. But because she's very pretty, her visuals make up for it. Kpop isn't really known for gorgeous vocals, you know.

Kim Nam Joo

To me, she's the one of the least popular members. Oh poor Nam Joo. In my opinion, she's actually the next behind Eun Ji in terms of vocals, because she is much stable live than Bo Mi. Her dancing is also good, maybe because she had been a student of an arts school before she trained as an idol singer. I think most people just don't notice her because in terms of looks, she's usually at the bottom of the list. It's not because she's ugly, but because the other members are just really pretty. I find her looks OK, though. ^_^ She's 3rd in my bias list by the way. :)

Oh Ha Young

The maknae or the youngest member of A Pink, Ha Young is the one who looks more mature than the other members. The appearance of these girls are very deceiving in determining their ages lol. Unfortunately, she's the one I least like in A Pink. Maybe because she kinda sucks at singing. I find her voice annoying sometimes actually. I'm sorry. :( But she's young. She has a lot of time to grow up and improve those vocal chops. If she's able to that, then we'll see D: As you may have observed now, I'm biased towards the members who are singers. Sorry Ha Young, you're at the bottom for now. In terms of looks, there's no doubt that she's pretty. Actually all of the members are. :D

So there you go! My first post in a whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile. Sorry for not updating this blog for too long. Studies first, I believe. Lol. Hope that you'll be able to appreciate A Pink too, just like me. :)

SNSD Vocal Commentary :)

I will admit to you that I'm really kinda biased towards SNSD since they are my favorite girl group. So, I have decided for my first post to comment about their so-called singing prowess. I will also admit though, that the vocal ability of SNSD as a whole is far from what you call an outstanding vocal ability. There are members who are really good, while for some of them, looks like they have to catch up. A LOT.

I will clarify first before I proceed to the main part that I'm a big SNSD fan, so you can assume that I have listened to tons of songs that they have released. Therefore, my opinion here is base on many reference songs that I've heard, and I'm going to rank them according to my preference. But, the way that I will describe each member's vocal ability will be as objective as I can muster. :D So, here we go!


                                                            TAEYEON

Of course, many fans know she's the main vocalist of SNSD. And she is, for a ton of reasons. If I were to describe her voice in one word, it would be gorgeous. Its powerful sounding, controlled and the most important feature of her voice is her technique. Seriously, she's one of the best singers in Kpop not because of her mad range or her outstanding ability in emotion delivery. It's her attention to technique. Even Hyorin from Sistar is still behind her in my list(though I must admit, she's very good too!). Also, she has a good timbre, and yes, a mad vocal range (as mentioned earlier). She shines the most in ballads, or songs like Run Devil Run that requires great vocal skills. Just to mention, have you heard her "Devil's Cry", the intro to the RDR performance of the girls during their Japan Concert? If you haven't, then you missed a lot!



                                                               TIFFANY

Yeah, yeah. Everyone says that Jessica is the second vocalist of SNSD, but this is my opinion and my opinion is that Tiffany has range, the emotional delivery, blah blah blah the good qualities of a voice. But the most important feature of her voice would be the incredible, beautiful timbre of her voice. OMG  the timbre. It makes your ears explode with joy when you hear her sing. Have you heard the opening lines of their song "I'm in love with the HERO"? *faints* IT'S SO SEXY. The advantage of a good timbre is that you don't have to have an excellent singing technique, as long as you know how to properly sing, you'll sound good. And did I mentioned how I love her voice in ballads? Theoretically, when you have a beautiful timbre (it's different from powerful), you're fit with ballads. That's exactly the case here. Its very emotional, and hauntingly sexy when it comes to uptempos.


                                                            SEOHYUN

In my opinion, she's like a "weaker" version of Taeyeon(just like when Taemin is the weaker version of Jonghyun). She has a decent range, and the technique is also okay. The timbre is okay too (though I slightly had a hard time distinguishing her voice). What I like about her though is the fact that she is the most consistent singer live. She NEVER lets loose, she has great control of her voice. The problem is that, there are no songs where she shines. She's always behind Taeyeon, Tiffany, and maybe Jessica. Maybe its because I never heard her go out of her comfortable singing zone.


                                                             JESSICA

To be honest with you, the first time I heard her voice, I was baffled. She has this shrillness in her voice, and I personally don't like it. Especially when she tries hitting high notes. For heaven's sake please let her sing in a lower range! But hearing her in many SNSD songs I have learned to appreciate her voice, but only when she sings soft ballads that uses falsetto rather than head voice. Her cover of the song "Almost" performed during their Japan Concert is awesome. So overall, I still don't like the shrillness (or even the timbre. I'm sorry), but make her sing in a lower singing range and you have a beauty. I will also acknowledge the fact that she sounds the same live, so kudos to her for that.

                                                               SUNNY

When I heard her voice in recorded songs, I thought I was going to put her in the 2nd or 3rd place. But when I heard her sing live, it's justifiable that I put her in 5th place. She doesn't sound the same live, though its not bad, its underwhelming, considering how she sounds in studio versions. Its actually very good, slightly higher pitch than Taeyeon, but not as shrill as Jessica. I also love her voice in ballads (almost all vocalists in SNSD actually). She tends to strain her voice when hitting high notes though. One last note: it annoys me when she tries hard to sing cutesy. It just won't do for me. D:


                                                                YURI

Here comes the sub-par vocalists of SNSD. They are actually more of dancers, but they are still singers by definition, so I will still critic their voices objectively.

I honestly don't know which voice I prefer, Yuri or Sooyoung, so let's just consider them tied. I have heard somewhere that her only line in Gee was the one line in the bridge part of the song because her voice doesn't fit the cutesy verses of the song. I must agree with this, because frankly, can you imagine her singing cutesy?! Her voice is kinda deep, but there are times when this timbre is a problem. When she sings very low notes, she tends to sound like a man to me (sorry, just have to say that...can't think of anything else to compare to). But there are times, when she's in her A-game, that she will sound wonderful, mostly in ballads. Overall, she's like a hit or miss to me. At least she's almost consistent live.


                                                           SOOYOUNG

Sooyoung has the better timbre in my preference, but she has a problem with her singing technique. There are times when she'll sound airy, and during live performances, you can clearly hear those awkward moments of breathing. I like her voice though in the sense that it is easily distinguishable, and again, she sounds good at her comfortable range (at least in the studio version of their songs). I don't really know where her voice stands out, because she and the rest of the dancers barely get three lines in a song.


                                                            HYOYEON

She's the main dancer of the group, but unfortunately for her, she lacks something in her vocal ability. One good thing that I noticed when I listen to SNSD songs is that, the moment when Hyoyeon sings her one or two lines, I can always distinguish her voice. There's a unique tone in her voice which makes me think that her voice is like out of place. It's like her vocals is not fit for the singing ranges that SNSD sings. Her line in "Mistake" is quite good sounding, I must admit. And though she sucks live, I've heard her sing in a slightly higher range (in "Snowy Wish" she has the same line as Taeyeon in the chorus. Wait, what???!! Taeyeon?? Are you kidding me? LOL), and I think she is capable of hitting those notes. Most of the time though, her voice just doesn't do it for me.

             
                                                               YOONA

She once admitted that when it comes to singing, she is the least. I may agree with her at some point, but I think the reason she is the least singer before is that she doesn't have confidence in her voice. Actually, I think that her voice is quite good, but in most songs, especially in ballads, I observed that it lacks something, like she is just trying to be in tune with the song. No power, no emotional delivery, just a slightly good timbre with poor singing technique. I don't know with her, but she even goes out of tune live, even if the only line she sang in "How Great is Your Love" was a line in the first verse of the song, sung in a very low range. My conclusion is that, she maybe is the least for now, but everyone can improve their singing you know. When she learns to be confident in her singing, maybe she'll rank higher in my list.




So there you go!^^ My first formal post of this blog. So what do you think of SNSD's vocals?

         

This is the start: Why I like Kpop music?

I have introduced myself to you in my previous post, and now I'm going to explain why I created this blog. I have stated in my introduction that almost all things that I will post here will be about my thoughts and opinions about kpop. It will include vocal commentaries on different idol groups (since I can assure you that I know enough about music to critic these Kpop idol groups when it comes to their vocals), album reviews on recent releases in the Kpop industry, and maybe, some stories about Kpop that I would like to share to you. So watch out for my first formal post!^^

Introduction: Blogger

Hello!^^ I'm Paul Gonzaga, 18 years old, and a proud student of University of the Philippines in the Visayas, taking up BS Chemical Engineering. I have a lot of interest, but this blog is mostly to express my thoughts about my one main interest: Kpop music.

I like Kpop. My interest here has started in my high school years, during my fourth year. I'm a second year college student now, so I can say that I have been a fan for almost 3 years now.

First, I must admit that I'm a bit biased to some groups (mostly SMTown artists) but I will make my posts here as objective and unbiased as possible. I will try to review the newest materials that are released in the Kpop world this 2012. I still have a lot of academic work to do, so my next posts will maybe start this summer. Please watch out for my thoughts about Kpop music!