Here I flaunt my Asian pop culture fandom, ramble about Japanese anime, films and TV shows, share artworks, and sometimes I write for a bit o' cheese (read: moolah).
Follow my blog!
As much as I admire BEAST, I never really grew attached(?) to any of their songs before. It's not that their songs are terrible, they're pretty much likable actually, but what annoys me is that, despite having completely different melodies and moods, their songs always used the same old beats/percussion thing that came across as too teeny-boppy for me. I think the composers wanted to give the songs a stronger, energetic vibe, but it sounded so awkwardly out of place in Shock and Breath that it frustrated me to hell.
But thank God they didn't stop at Breath last year, and released Lights Go On Again soon afterward. The songs were beautiful and it was their best album to date, in my opinion. Until they took me aback and returned this week with their first full album, wonderfully titled FICTION OR FACT.
Oh. My. God. I love the mature, Western-like, emotive yet easygoing feel of The Fact, which is the intro song (Why are their best songs always the short intro ones?!). I love the emotions in the unplugged version of Lightless. I love the '90s-boy-band vibe of You. The title track, Fiction, is my favorite, unsurprisingly, and is about someone who wants to cling on to a lost love by writing a novel, thus the title. The piano melody is melancholic and very beautiful, which is even more emphasized in the orchestra version (why can't SME let SHINee do something like that?).
They obviously went all out on their first album, and it shows. I love all the songs to bits after the first listen, which rarely happens to me. This album tops all their old ones for sure.
FICTION (MUSIC VIDEO)
The choreography looks pretty slick and great by the way.
These two girl groups made their comebacks recently with Virgin *giggle* and Pinocchio (Danger) *more giggle* respectively. Since I haven't found the time to listen much to either albums I'll save my cents for later. I did, however, watch a couple of their other music/dance videos.
With the chanting and the drum beats, this song to me is like a cross between their previous single Bang! and Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl, and I actually like it! Combined with the smexy red shoes, the chic black and white dresses, the tap-dance-slash-ice-skating choreography, AND 8 statuesque women, the song's so much more badass. I like how they stuck to a simple concept for the oufits, although I can't seem to understand the sash-like ribbons across their torsos. But hey it makes the dresses stand out even more so, I'm good.
To be honest I'm not a die-hard fan of After School but I keep track of their album concepts because they usually emerge with something new and more innovative than what most girl groups come up with. I like how they did Because of You in black and white with contrasting monochrome oufits. Bang!'s marching band concept was a BIG breath of fresh air, and was one of the most original in the kpop industry. I admire the girls' patience and determination to learn even the drumming for another song in the album.
In other words, After School's image, or concept, is neither too cute nor too sexy, too badass nor too dance-y. That's why I like After School. (But to me SNSD's sailor concept for Tell Me Your Wish is still the best, maybe because it was backed by a good song, which is where Bang! poof-ed).
GANGSTA BOY - F(X) (rehearsal video)
Err.
I expected too much from f(x) since their debut considering that they're promoted as more of a pop dance girl group by SM Entertainment itself, only to be let down with messy comeback songs like Chu~ and NU ABO. Until SME gives them a more polished song, I'm only keeping track of (1) their dancing, which is usually choreographed by no other than Rino Nakasone (from Beat Freaks), who also works on most of SHINee's dances, and (2) Victoria's dancing, because she's just as epic as Rino is. Mommy Vicky is lurve.
Gangsta Boy is no different from their other songs. I honestly don't know what to make of it, the rapping, the catchy yet annoying chorus coupled with Krystal's nasal voice, the awkward parts that sound like chanting and rapping combined, and Amber's "my gangsta, my gangsta" parts in the chorus are mindfucking. Everything sounds frustratingly wrong.
Actually I think a lot of f(x)'s songs have the, well, potential to be more polished-sounding if the composers thought more, listened more, tweaked it a little bit more, and experimented less. I feel like SME's using f(x) as a sort of medium for songs that they're "experimenting" with, and they're horribly failing.
So at the moment I've little care for their songs and just shift my focus on the moves. With all the footwork and sharp moves, Rino Nakasone goes all out on this one yet again.
Finally, SNSD (or as Japan knows them, Shojo Jidai) released a dance version video of their new single Mr. Taxi! And thankfully the video DID NOT disappoint. Addictive choreography, check. Bright, we-stand-out-because-we're-awesome outfits, check. Pretty short-haired Taeyeon, check. Blonde Yuri, check. Less Yoona and more Hyoyeon dancing, check.
I don't know why they released a dance version MV first, though. To tease us, maybe?
I'm a bored person and I like to procrastinate by drawing, watching Asian dramas, listening to K-pop, and spazzing away.
Sometimes I also sleep and tweet.
I respond to the name JoKimiko. Cheers.
My top 5 dramas:
The World That They Live In (2008)
49 Days (2011)
Hana Yori Dango (2005)
Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang (2005)
My Girl (2006)
(Here's the list of dramas I've watched so far, in case you're even interested.)
Films: Inception, The Devil Wears Prada, Memoirs of a Geisha, Legally Blonde, Pirates of the Caribbean.
Actors: Hyun Bin, Jung Il-woo, Jae Hee, Gong Li, Alan Rickman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Reynolds, Johnny Depp
Music: SHINee, BEAST, Big Bang, Panic! At The Disco, Rihanna, Chris Brown
Art Influences: Ruben Toledo, Max Cabrera (Pyromaniac), Stanley Lau (Artgerm), Lois van Baarle
Contact
You can reach me through email at purple_city20@yahoo.com. Or you can send me a quick message through this box. Just be sure to include your name/contact/blog/whatever.
As much as I admire BEAST, I never really grew attached(?) to any of their songs before. It's not that their songs are terrible, they're pretty much likable actually, but what annoys me is that, despite having completely different melodies and moods, their songs always used the same old beats/percussion thing that came across as too teeny-boppy for me. I think the composers wanted to give the songs a stronger, energetic vibe, but it sounded so awkwardly out of place in Shock and Breath that it frustrated me to hell.
But thank God they didn't stop at Breath last year, and released Lights Go On Again soon afterward. The songs were beautiful and it was their best album to date, in my opinion. Until they took me aback and returned this week with their first full album, wonderfully titled FICTION OR FACT.
Oh. My. God. I love the mature, Western-like, emotive yet easygoing feel of The Fact, which is the intro song (Why are their best songs always the short intro ones?!). I love the emotions in the unplugged version of Lightless. I love the '90s-boy-band vibe of You. The title track, Fiction, is my favorite, unsurprisingly, and is about someone who wants to cling on to a lost love by writing a novel, thus the title. The piano melody is melancholic and very beautiful, which is even more emphasized in the orchestra version (why can't SME let SHINee do something like that?).
They obviously went all out on their first album, and it shows. I love all the songs to bits after the first listen, which rarely happens to me. This album tops all their old ones for sure.
FICTION (MUSIC VIDEO)
The choreography looks pretty slick and great by the way.
These two girl groups made their comebacks recently with Virgin *giggle* and Pinocchio (Danger) *more giggle* respectively. Since I haven't found the time to listen much to either albums I'll save my cents for later. I did, however, watch a couple of their other music/dance videos.
With the chanting and the drum beats, this song to me is like a cross between their previous single Bang! and Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl, and I actually like it! Combined with the smexy red shoes, the chic black and white dresses, the tap-dance-slash-ice-skating choreography, AND 8 statuesque women, the song's so much more badass. I like how they stuck to a simple concept for the oufits, although I can't seem to understand the sash-like ribbons across their torsos. But hey it makes the dresses stand out even more so, I'm good.
To be honest I'm not a die-hard fan of After School but I keep track of their album concepts because they usually emerge with something new and more innovative than what most girl groups come up with. I like how they did Because of You in black and white with contrasting monochrome oufits. Bang!'s marching band concept was a BIG breath of fresh air, and was one of the most original in the kpop industry. I admire the girls' patience and determination to learn even the drumming for another song in the album.
In other words, After School's image, or concept, is neither too cute nor too sexy, too badass nor too dance-y. That's why I like After School. (But to me SNSD's sailor concept for Tell Me Your Wish is still the best, maybe because it was backed by a good song, which is where Bang! poof-ed).
GANGSTA BOY - F(X) (rehearsal video)
Err.
I expected too much from f(x) since their debut considering that they're promoted as more of a pop dance girl group by SM Entertainment itself, only to be let down with messy comeback songs like Chu~ and NU ABO. Until SME gives them a more polished song, I'm only keeping track of (1) their dancing, which is usually choreographed by no other than Rino Nakasone (from Beat Freaks), who also works on most of SHINee's dances, and (2) Victoria's dancing, because she's just as epic as Rino is. Mommy Vicky is lurve.
Gangsta Boy is no different from their other songs. I honestly don't know what to make of it, the rapping, the catchy yet annoying chorus coupled with Krystal's nasal voice, the awkward parts that sound like chanting and rapping combined, and Amber's "my gangsta, my gangsta" parts in the chorus are mindfucking. Everything sounds frustratingly wrong.
Actually I think a lot of f(x)'s songs have the, well, potential to be more polished-sounding if the composers thought more, listened more, tweaked it a little bit more, and experimented less. I feel like SME's using f(x) as a sort of medium for songs that they're "experimenting" with, and they're horribly failing.
So at the moment I've little care for their songs and just shift my focus on the moves. With all the footwork and sharp moves, Rino Nakasone goes all out on this one yet again.
Finally, SNSD (or as Japan knows them, Shojo Jidai) released a dance version video of their new single Mr. Taxi! And thankfully the video DID NOT disappoint. Addictive choreography, check. Bright, we-stand-out-because-we're-awesome outfits, check. Pretty short-haired Taeyeon, check. Blonde Yuri, check. Less Yoona and more Hyoyeon dancing, check.
I don't know why they released a dance version MV first, though. To tease us, maybe?
RSS
