Chained Up - Vixx Album Review (An Ode to Video Games)

Chained Up - Vixx Album

There seems to be trend in the KPOP scene: sound like video game music. Both Shinee’s and F(x)’s latest albums sound like Japanese role playing games I played when I was younger. VIXX seemed to join in on the fun. 

With the latest comeback song with “Chained Up,” VIXX has also graced the music world with their second album of the same name. Like I mentioned earlier, I thought the album reminded of a video game. The one I had in mind was Final Fantasy VII. For some reason, I imagine Cloud and the rest of the gang sojourning their worlds while multitasking (I was doing homework and listening to the album). I guess it’s because of the concept for the “Chained Up” video. 

I have to say in addition to the video game-like songs, I am reminiscent of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. 

The album tricked me though. The intro track, “Mistress,” gives off a horror movie feel or another when you’re walking through a dark forest just before you face off with the final boss. I was expecting dark and heavy songs filled with somber feelings and regret. There would probably be a few enticing and seductive songs like “Hot Enough.” But then, there were cute and poppin songs like “Heaven” and “부시시.” There were some songs that made me feel like I was falling in love too, like “지금 우린.”  

Here are my thoughts for each song based on the timbre/feel of the song since I don’t understand Korean: 

• 사슬 (Chained Up) *Title
• Their title song sounds like a KPOP song to me. There might be some suggestive lyrics, but it could also be something else. It could be the guy is a slave to the girl’s love and he’s losing his freedom to her.
• MAZE
• I get this feeling that the guy in the song is running away. Maybe he’s running away from toxic relationship? 
• Stop It Girl
• The feeling of the song goes along with the guy falling in love. Since he is a bad guy, he doesn’t want to hurt the girl. He isn’t the best option for her, but he wants to move forward in their relationship. These lyrics would probably be the basic plot line for a Korean drama I would invest so much time and effort in. 
• Hot Enough
• This song gives me the vibes of an attractive guy who is bragging about how hot he is. 
• Spider
• This is probably a song about a toxic relationship too. 
• 부시시
• I feel like this is about a relationship that lasted for a while. The time spent with his lover must have been like heaven and he’s falling in love everyday.
• Heaven
• This song is probably telling a girl that she is beautiful no matter what. The girl is an angel and she doesn’t have to change how she is or how she looks like. 
• 지금 우린
• This song reminds me of a love song from the late 90’s and early 2000’s, like a Brian McKnight or Boyz II Men song. It gives me the idea of slowly falling in love and embracing every feeling along the way. 
• 기적 (Eternity)
• The lovers are stuck with each other. For some reason, I’m imagining spies partnering up and trusting each other. From that trust, they’ll find love too. 
• Error
• I haven’t looked up the lyrics of this song, but I could only imagine the music video of this song. haha I’m getting a mix of hurt and regret here though.
• Can’t Say
• The guy in the song can’t admit that he is in love and can’t form his love into words. I think the lyrics are probably the sweetest thing!

With my first listen through the album, my favorite song is “Stop It Girl.” I’m a sucker with songs, literature, and dramas about people who believe they are hopeless in love falling in love. They feel like they don’t deserve it, so they try their best to make their lover happy. 

Please give VIXX’s new album a listen and let us know what you think!

-Kristine

GOT7 is Back! #GOT71STWIN

If You Do - GOT7

The awaited comeback of GOT7 is here with their title track, "If You Do!" Compared to their sweet and playful song, "Just Right," GOT7 shows their anger and "bad boy" side. After watching the MV I was very surprised by their acting skills. Their emotions were great and I can't believe they were destroying the sets by hitting the car with the baseball bat and ripping all the beautiful artwork. I was very impressed with the amount of work they put into it. Great job GOT7, many of your fans were totally not ready for this change, but they are absolutely loving the concept. Other than their acting, the song is also amazing. Yugyeom received more parts than their last song and he shined through them. My favorite line in the whole song is the beginning during Jr.'s part when he says, "니가 하면 GOOD 내가 하면 끝." When the MV came out I was already reeled into their song with that one line! The only weird thing about this song is who is that girl?! I love her British accent (is it a British accent?) though so I approve of it! Also, what happened to Mark's mad scene or maybe he did not have one? Check out the music video below if you did not have the chance yet and make sure to click the "CC" button to read the english translations! 

Other than their promotion song, I really love Good, Eyes On, and Tic Tic Tok. For all of these songs, they are all upbeat and the vocals are just amazing! There is also a great balance with the raps. I really love that Jackson and Mark write their raps because it allows them to show their creativity side. Kristine and I also think that these songs reminds of 90s music, which we both love! From the limited English lyrics they have, these songs focus on the good aspects of a relationship they have with a girl. They seem to always to keep their "eyes on" her and that they are trying to get her attention. Especially with the songs "Good" and "Tic Tic Tok," I feel like they want to get a girl's attention by showing off to her.   Overall, these songs and the other two songs on the album are very catchy and should get more attention! Even if you do not think their promotion song is not your favorite, maybe another song on their album will! So do not forget to check it out! Also, one thing I really love about GOT7 is that even though there are members that do no have that many lines in their promotion songs, they shine with the other songs on the album. Let me know which songs you love and why!

Finally, CONGRATULATIONS TO GOT7 FOR THEIR 1ST WIN ON "THE SHOW" (10/06/2015)

-Rhea

Daehan Minguk MANSAE! (Not the Triplets, but the group SEVENTEEN)

MANSAE - SEVENTEEN

Just a couple months after their "Adore U" promotions ended, Seventeen is back with their 2nd mini album with their promotion song "Mansae." I have been waiting for their comeback, even though its been a couple months, and I am already loving their song! Its very upbeat and has a catchy chorus! One of my favorite parts of the song is when Vernon and S.Coups rap, but compared to their parts in "Adore U" they did not rap as much. But that gave everyone else in the group a longer time to sing/rap. Their dance is also adorable, its a step up from "Adore U" and I love how they still added a little of the choreography into the song. It is more intricate, especially during the first verse and very clean. Overall, this song is incredible and it shows all the hard work and talents they put in. 

Lets talk about the rest of the album. Seventeen's album is coming out in two different versions, a 'Hide' & 'Seek' version. So if you want to show you support for the group, you should buy both versions! Plus, you get twice the photos and possibly twice the photo cards? haha. You still get to see the songs from the subunits within the group which is what I love about this group.

For the hip hop subunit, their song 표정관리 (Fronting) is a fusion between all the subunits. You get to hear the wonderful raps from Vernon, Wonwoo, S.Coups and Mingyu and then the vocals from Hoshi and Woozi. I have not found any english translation for the song yet, but just by listening to the song it is very cutesy. As you can tell, I'm pretty biased towards the hip hop subunit, but I love everyone! haha 

Other than their promotion song, they have been performing another hit on their album called 'Rock.' This song is also one of my favorites.  I love the flow of the song, but when I first heard the song the chorus caught my attention. When they say, "You take me to the top and straight down like a gyro drop" I thought it was kind of random and funny at first. Let me know what you think of the song and if you have not seen the performance yet, check it down below! 

If you have any comments on the songs from this album or just want to express how much you love Seventeen comment down below! :D 

- Rhea

Reloaded (Calm Down, Lu-Ge)

Reloaded - Lu Han

I know that Lu Han isn't in the K-POP scene anymore but I will still be a fan of Lu Han wherever he is. OT12 FOREVER. There had to be some influence from his experience in the Korean music industry in the making of this mini album, so it's okay to write a quick review on the Deer's newest work. 

There are only two songs on the album which made me a little sad. I was expecting maybe three or four. 

• The first song, which will also be getting a music video, is "That Good Good." The song is a little too repetitive constantly resounding "I got that good good" five million times in your ears. He needs to calm down with that phrase, but that's my only complaint. I like that the audience gets a glimpse of Lu Han's rapping skills since he mentioned in "EXO Showtime" that he was initially a rapper. It was also nice listening to Lu Han's voice especially since he sounds more mature as a singer and as a man! You go Lu Han, you go!

• "Adventure Time" is the second song on his mini album. There is a lot of autotune in this one. I was a bit disappointed since he was trained and picked by SM because of his natural and calming voice (that may not have been the reason, but that's what I want to believe ha). The autotune was like listening to your best friend talk with a cup over both of your ears. Anyway, the song sounds so American and I applaud Lu Han for trying this type of genre. 

There really is a lot of American influence on his tracks. He worked with producer Djemba Djemba, who's from LA, so that could be the main reason why haha, and I believe Lu Han does also like to listen to the music of the States. Lu Han was probably trying to target a wider audience than just his country, similar to how the Korean industry aims for an international appeal for music. 

On a final note, I liked the album and am looking forward to more. When I watched a little bit of the interview with Djemba Djemba, it was very interesting to hear that he classified Lu Han's album as "Future R&B." I also agree with Djemba Djemba that his music is "modern music." I was already a fan of Lu Han as solo artist, but if he continues to make music like this, then I might have to follow him for a very long time. 

Lu Han-Ge, I'm so proud of you! 加油！

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Please check out the song and read Lu Han's mini album, then let us know what you thought of it. 

-Kristine

"That Good Good"

"Adventure Time"