3ZUMMA – Gift

Gift is 3ZUMMA’s debut single and it was released on October 8th, 2009.

♠Tracklist♠

1. No No
2. Fool
3. Fireworks

The first track of this particularly unknown group is No No. Not only was I impressed by each of the girls stronger than normal vocals, but by how great of a pop song it is. It has instruments like piano and strings at moments but it’s the rushing synth in the chorus that really makes the song. It’s catchy as heck too. I would have loved to see this group perform this song live as it sounds like something that could have a really fun step.

Going in a  totally different directions is the soothing, laid-back Fool which focuses on its wide array of acoustic guitars and emotional vocals. The verses are really relaxed, yet keep you entertained while the chorus shows off how powerful the groups vocals can get. I thought the vocals were well manipulated to match the music while not overshadowing it. Another good track.

Closing off the single is Fireworks which is totally different form the last two tracks. I would describe it as a song with a euro-pop sound but with a typical K-Pop arrangement. The song starts off with a bang of techno beats and synth, calms down in the verses and then rises again once the chorus arrives. This style for the girls is really quite unique as one doesn’t hear this genre of music much with such great vocals. Maybe this song might overwhelm listeners the first few times(which is what happened to me) but once given a chance, the songs greatness really begins to shine.

The overall package of this non mainstream group is something I don’t see a lot with the more popular groups these days who only focus on the title track instead of the individual songs. The single had a nice arrangement of music, great vocals and interesting instrumentals so I definitely recommend it to any fan of K-Pop with strong vocals(that don’t necessarily have to be made for ballads).

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

No No

f(x) – LA chA TA

LA chA TA is f(x)’s debut digital single and it was released on August 31st, 2009.

♠Tracklist♠

1. LA chA TA

Breaking their way into the K-Pop scene is f(x) with LA chA Ta, a retro pop song with an amazingly catchy chorus and it’s unique, synthy instrumental. The group is composed of very talented vocalists, so their singing skills are in now way against them. Every bit of the song is just so freaking catchy, it’s almost annoying when you want to change the song because you just love the next part thats coming. In the group is Amber, their rapper. While she is native in English, all she raps is in English. While I find her rapping to be pretty impressive, she does this thing with her voice in which she heightens the pitch of her voice and is slightly annoying. Apart from that, the rap is as catchy as the rest of the song and should be no reason to put aside this great debut track.

Being labeled the female SHINee, I think they did a decent job of mimicking the groups sound while adding their own feminine, classy twist to it. The girls really worked hard promoting this track and have earned themselves a steady fan base because of it. I can only hope that their next release will be as good.

♠Digital Single Rating♠

2NE1 – 2NE1 1st Mini Album

2NE1 1st Mini Album is2NE1’s 1st mini-album and it was released on July 8th, 2009.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Fire
2. I Don’t Care
3. In The Club
4. Let’s Go Party
5. Pretty Boy
6. Stay Together
7. Lollipop w/ BIG BANG

Kicking off this amazing mini-album is the song that 2NE1 is known for, the insanely catchy Fire. It’s a crossover of typical K-Pop synth with an amazing R&B beat, giving birth to this high energy, extremely danceable and just oh so fun to listen to song. Each girl shines in their particular vocal parts, Minzi and CL take care of the rapping with their amazing charisma while Bom and Dara show their best as vocalists with extraordinary voices. Fire really is the best way to introduce someone to 2NE1, it has a little bit of everything, plus, who doesn’t love a good Dara “CHALLA CHALLA CHALLA CHALLA!”?

Next is the heavenly I Don’t Care, an R&B pop song, almost on the point of being a ballad with an infectious chorus. I really like the harp in the instrumental, it adds a feeling of gentleness to the song, which when contrasted with the R&B beats make for a very unique combination. The girls give their best performance in the vocals, particularly Bom who dominates the chorus perfectly with that infamous “I don’t care-e-e-e-e-e-e” line. CL’s and Minzy’s rap before the final chorus is also notable. The only negative thing I could say about the song is the sudden ending. I thought that the I don’t care line could have been repeated just a bit more, or at least had the song fade out, as it kind of ends abruptly.

My all time favorite 2NE1 song has to be In The Club. You could say it’s the “saddest” song on the album, and indeed it is. You’d expect an upbeat club song when looking at the song name but while it does have a very heavy deep club sound, the song is actually pretty slow-tempo’d, focusing on the vocals and emotions the girls express. I love the acoustic guitar in the background and the faraway synth. I also have to mention Dara’s outstanding job in the bridge. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Korean artist express so much emotion through their voice than she has in this track. Bom once again shines in that great chorus.

Let’s Go Party adopts that same club style featured in the previous song but instead makes it an upbeat, party track. I wasn’t too fond of this song at first but then slowly began to appreciate the above average instrumental the song has. You also can’t deny that the chorus is pretty darn catchy as well. This type of club sound for 2NE1 really works great for them. The ending of this song is something similar of what I Don’t Care should have had.

The award to fiercest instrumental is no doubt for Pretty Boy. That brass driven instrumental is made to spell out instant hit. The song, with its heavy bass, beats and synth just make for a really fierce song in the similar road as Fire. CL really makes the song though, her voice and charisma are what make the song as good as it is. The chorus is different though, as it drops the bass-line and turns more to the pop genre(with Bom leading, of course). Another great track.

finishing off the album is the half ballad/club track Stay Together. The hybrid of that club style with a slower, almost ballad like(for 2NE1 standards) make for a very special result and accompanied with each girl giving their best performance in their respective fields(Bom singing, Minzy rapping…), its one heck of an album finisher. Absolutely love the chorus in this song, “we gotta stay together”~.

Featured as a bonus track on the album is Lollipop, a duet song between 2NE1 and BIG BANG. While I really enjoyed this club-like pop, very YG Teddy like song at the beginning, it kind of grew annoying for me as the girls began to release better music. While the instrumental is in no way an annoyance, it must be because of the vocals. Maybe it’s G-Dragon’s slightly annoying rapping or maybe Dara’s “lolli, lolli, oh lollipop” high-pitched lines. The chorus can have it’s catchy moments and the song isn’t a total failure but it gets overshadowed by the rest of the tracks.

2NE1 was my first official release in the K-Pop industry and I’m more than proud to say that they definitely left me wanting to hear more of this new style of music. Every song easily had the potential to be released as a title track and the variety between all of them was just outstanding. The songs(minus Fire) are all structured very similarly but the different was the girls sing, the hooks and chorus make them all distinguishable. The girls should stick in this direction and they’ll be all set for that new album coming out soon.

♠Mini-Album Rating♠

♠Favorite Tracks♠

1. In The Club
2. Fire
3. I Don’t Care

After School – New Schoolgirl

New Schoolgirl is After School’s debut single single and it was released on January 15th, 2009.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Play Girlz
2. AH
3. Bad Guy
4. AH (Inst.)

After School’s debut single begins with Play Girlz, an intro of very high quality that could have easily made a really great full track. The song is mostly the girls rapping(impressively I may add) until singing for the more powerful part of the song. Great intro.

AH takes a slightly more pop sound when compared to the intro. It focuses on its catchy hook of repeating the song’s name and its synchronized synth. Even though most of the song is rapping, the parts that they do actually sing are nicely done, although don’t blow me away in any way. I don have one complain though, the song is terribly short at only 3:09. I thought they could have at least added another 30 seconds to it.

Making use of a heavy bass line and dark, smooth synth is the provocative Bad Guy. The song actually begins very simply but then explodes into an array of really catchy synth and a great melody. During the second verse, I was surprised by the swearing(although censored) that the girls did. It only added to the maturation of the song. This song is even shorter than the previous at only 2:53. Even though it’s a great song, I would have like if they added a rapping section before the final chorus.

After School’s debut definitely began with a bang. Just about every song impressed me in some way, with my only complain being the length of the songs. The style of this group is a lot different to other groups, as they take a more mature sound mixing pop and R&B(think the Pussycat Dolls but Korean and better).

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Bad Guy

Morning Musume。- Nanchatte Renai

Nanchatte Renai is Morning Musume。’s 40th single and it was released on August 12th, 2009. It reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 70,299 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Nanchatte Renai
2. Aki Urara
3. Subete wa Ai no Chikara [40th Single Commemorative]
4. Nanchatte Renai (Instrumental)

Momosu keeps the trend of the synth and string heavy crossover songs with Nanchatte Renai, a song very similar to Shouganai Yume Oibito but by Naichau Kamo’s producer, making it that much more unoriginal. The song isn’t bad at all, in fact, it has very pretty string work, along with a lovely harp and a great use of synth but theres something lacking in the song. Maybe it’s that I’ve gotten tired of this style for them. Ai and Reina take care of the vocals, as always, while 8th gen, Sayu and Koharu shine during the rapping bits of the song right before the chorus. Although they’re quite short, it’s nice to see rapping back in a Momosu single after such a long time. The chorus is excellent but the song itself just lacks that immediate catchy flair that SYO had.

The b-side featured on normal versions of the singles is Aki Urara. It begins with a promising intro and a very solid first verse with smooth vocals and a constant keyboard but as the song reaches the chorus, it get progressively worse. The vocals maintain the same, thus not matching the heavier instrumental of the chorus and the overall harmonization was pretty bad executed. It’s a sexy song but is weighed down by its uneven vocals. Still, props go to the song for having a non-generic H!P b-side instrumental.

The b-side exclusively on the 40th anniversary version is Subete wa Ai no Chikara. It’s an improvement over the previous b-side’s line distribution but by only that. The song itself is pretty loud, obnoxious and annoying. The instrumental is a messy mix of synth and typical b-side beats and when paired up with a very disturbing chorus, the overall result isn’t that great.

For being the group’s 40th anniversary single(not to mention their highest selling one in years), I wasn’t very impressed. The a-side has its good points but failed in trying to renovate the synth+string combo. The b-sides were 50/50. One was passable but the other was an absolute mess. Hopefully Tsunku will focus more on the overall package instead of just the a-side with further releases.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Nanchatte Renai

°C-ute – EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!

EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!! is °C-ute’s 10th major single and it was released on September 16th, 2009. It reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 27,750 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!
2. Amai Wana
3. EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!! (Instrumental)

Tsunku managed to capture the essence of summer with EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!, a breezy and tropical light pop sound with fresh vocals from the girls and a synth instrumental. Even though they still continue with these safer, lighter songs, the a-side doesn’t totally fall into the generic category. It’s instrumental alone is worth nothing, not to mention °C-ute’s impressive vocals. I liked the was the sang the second chorus together as a group instead of solos, it really gave the song a type of united feeling.

Amai Wana is actually completely different to the a-side. It makes use of the electric guitar, along with various other rock elements, giving us a very °C-ute style rock song(think FOREVER LOVE but b-side material). I have no complains at the vocals, although I thought they could have had a bit more energy and life in them. For a b-side(and one from °C-ute if anything), it’s not bad at all, though I would pass it over the a-side any day.

I really wish Tsunku would take the girls back to their older sound from songs like Namida no Iro and FOREVER LOVE. Sure, these cute pop songs aren’t insanely bad, but it just doesn’t stand out as much as °C-ute releases usually tend to do. Anyway, an overall nice release from the girls, even if it is Erika’s last.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!

Buono! – Take It Easy!

Take It Easy! is Buono’s 8th single and it was released on August 26th, 2009. It reached #10 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 18,170 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Take It Easy!
2. Kirai Suki Daikirai
3. Take It Easy! (Instrumental)
4. Kirai Suki Daikirai (Instrumental)

Take It Easy! takes a different direction from Buono!’s typical cutesy pop-rock and instead is a light pop song driven by its acoustic guitar and western instrumentals. It might possibly be on the verge of being considered a ballad but it’s just not slow enough to honestly be considered one. Vocals are fair this time around, with Momoko being the biggest offender, particularly during her solos in the verses. Although it isn’t the catchiest thing they’ve released, it’s still a nice change from their typical releases and is nicely arranged.

Continuing the trend of great b-sides, Kirai Suki Daikirai actually has the potential to pass off as an average sounding a-side. It’s centered around a repetitive and catchy guitar rift with calmer verses that lead to an explosive chorus. The girls also sound much better here, harmonizing quite well during the songs climax. Once again, another great b-side.

I’m quite satisfied with this Buono! release. Although not many people may like the a-side, I found it was a nice change from their typical releases, leaving out the possibility of fans stating that all their music sounds the same. Hopefully they’ll continue this awesome string of releases.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Take It Easy!

Morning Musume。- Kimagure Princess

Kimagure Princess is Morning Musume。’s 41stsingle and it was released on October 28th, 2009. It reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 36,274 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Kimagure Princess
2. Aishite Aishite Ato Ippun
3. Kimagure Princess (Instrumental)

Morning Musume。finally manage to strongly impress me with their current hybrid synth+strings genre with Kimagure Princess. Think of this song like the birth-child between Odore! Morning Curry and Nanchatte Renai. It has that ethnic/oriental sound to it mixed perfectly with heavy use of synth and some string-work(although not as prominent as in previous singles). The arrangement is done so perfectly that even the girl’s strangely high-pitched voices won’t let you enjoy let it. Lines are spread evenly between Ai and Eri(a first for a Momosu single) while giving other solos to Reina and Risa, leaving Sayu and 7th+8th gen without solos. I can’t help but mention the “suggestive” lyrics of the song with lines such as:

Like a butterfly with beautiful flapping wings
She’s a sexy princess with an alluring butt
Isn’t it nice? A little bit of an erotic smile

Despite that unfortunate flaw in line distribution(when compared to SYO), the lead singers do an excellent job of matching the songs upbeat style, which we haven’t seen in a VERY long time in Momosu.

Much to my pleasure, Aishite Aishite Ato Ippun doesn’t suck! It’s still b-side material(which is immediately obvious due to solos from members from the 8th gen) but doesn’t fall into the generic group that b-sides from the Nanchatte Renai single did. This time around, the song relies heavily on synth-work but also from the girls non-stop vocals and an enjoyable, memorable melody.

I’m so relieved that Tsunku was able to make something different with that style he’s adopted for the girls recently and it really shines in Kimagure Princess. It’s also nice to have an upbeat a-side once again after about three Emomosu singles. Since this will be Koharu’s final single(along with the ever great 9-nin lineup), it’ll be interesting to see how the lines will be given out in future releases.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Kimagure Princess

°C-ute – Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu

Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu is °C-ute’s 9th major single and it was released on July 1st, 2009. It reached #5 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 33,613 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu
2. Zansho Omimai Moshiagemasu.
3. Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu (Instrumental)

As many of you may know, Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu is actually a cover of the original song by Candies. It seems that Tsunku has given each of H!P’s flagship groups their own cover song recently and unfortunately, this is the worst one of the three. The song has been given a more modern and fresh breezy arrangement with a very typical pop sound. The vocals were also made to match this, being very high pitched, even Maimi’s parts, not to mention Airi who are the only girls that get solos. The song is pretty short at just 3 minutes but thats really all it should be. While not a terrible song and having a pretty memorable chorus, overall it’s weak compared to their previous a-sides and not anything groundbreaking.

Surprisingly, the b-side Zansho Omimai Moshiagemasu., is a solo by Suzuki Airi. Don’t let the title confuse you though, it’s not at all similar to it’s counterpart. It’s a mellow, mid-paced pop song with pretty synth and an almost heartbreak atmosphere. It should be mentioned that Airi did a very nice job vocal wise though nothing extremely impressive. This couldn’t have passed as an a-side, but as a b-side it’s particularly well made.

Once again Tsunku has equipped °C-ute with that typical boring pop sound. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end here and my expectations of their next album are beginning to get real low. At least the b-side this time around wasn’t bad and was the more eye-catching part of the single.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu

Morning Musume。- Shouganai Yume Oibito

Shouganai Yume Oibito is Morning Musume。’s 39th single and it was released on May 13th, 2009. It reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 53,950 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Shouganai Yume Oibito
2. 3,2,1 BREAKIN’ OUT!
3. Shouganai Yume Oibito (Instrumental)

Quickly reaching their 40th single release, Momosu proves that their experience does grant them talent with Shouganai Yume Oibito. The song, simply put, is beautiful. It’s a spring feeling song with the perfect combination between airy synth and gorgeous string work. The instrumental really is what makes this song so great. Of course, we are also granted with a much improved line distribution compared to other singles, giving more importance to the 8th gen while not loading Ai and Reina with lines. Theres really nothing bad I can say about this song. It’s almost sad message it gives off is really something we haven’t seen from the girls recently and easily marks its spot as one of my favorite Momosu songs ever.

Now I had a really hard time getting into 3,2,1 BREAKIN’ OUT!. Actually, I think it was the instrumental of the song that had me in doubt. It’s not your typical b-side stuff but instead a mixture of electric guitars, random beeping sounds and an unsteady beat. That overall strangeness, accompanied by the vomit inducing line distribution(Ai and Reina fest) made this a really hard song for me to get into. Fortunately, the song gets better as it progresses and the chorus is insanely catchy, although the ending is just kind of sudden and awkward.

I feel that anyone, those who aren’t even Momosu fans are going to love the a-side while only half of actual fans will enjoy that freaky b-side. Unfortunately, the b-side ruined the overall quality of the single for me, even though it was an innovation compared to their previous releases. Tsunku still has to work on his b-sides as I consider that his better b-sides for Momosu were debut-2001.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Shouganai Yume Oibito