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Guilty Pleasure MMTG Stage Classic Song Reviews (Teen Top, T-Ara, U-Kiss, SS501)
I have been listening to a lot of the special Chuseok guilty pleasure stages. While I may have initially called the songs performed here 'Cheesy' back when they were released (from 2009 to 2013), they are all now undisputable K-Pop classics. I am really using this as an excuse to review the songs.
NOTE: I am reviewing the original studio versions of the songs, not the Chuseok stage versions, I will embed the original song and will provide the link to the Chuseok re-release (click the song title)
T-Ara - Sexy Love
This Shinsadong Tiger production is a camp classic. From the weird instrumental which emphasizes brass, to the way too catchy chorus. There is a weird rap verse mid-way through the song which still makes me raise my eyebrows, but everything around that is pure fun. The post-chorus electronic section should not work, but boy does it work. If you are looking for the new 'Bohemian Rhapsody', this is not the song, but if you want to dance around while doing chores, this is perfect. Fun fact, the second part of the tragic story MV of 'Day by Day' was given to this song. It is an interesting choice...
Rating: 9/10
T-Ara - Roly Poly
Side Note: There were like 500 versions of the MV, how come most were set to private and only the full version and audio were available for embedding (not counting Copacabana, which is also great).
Released at the peak of their career, 'Roly Poly' stands as the group's peak, one of Shinsadong Tiger's peaks, and one of the biggest and best songs of 2011. The moment the disco vibe starts, you know we are getting an instant classic. The verses stand as the best example of toe-tapping fun. If one feels slightly emotional listening to the track, it is due to nostalgia. Or like me, is pretty sure it is there to support the incredible MV.
The hard-hitting stomp/clap percussion counters well with the high-pitched vocals through the verses, always in a state of build. The chorus is just perfect disco fun. Look at this 2020 disco, this is how we like our throwbacks. One cannot help but just dance to the post-chorus electronic section.
We get a bridge led by disco strings, and you just have to love the unabashed fun of this track. And the last 30 seconds are just perfect. I debated the score to give, but I had to give a 10/10 score this weekend anyway. I am also going to embed the Copacabana version because it too deserves the 10/10 score (in fact, it deserves it more).
Rating: 10/10
Teen Top - No More Perfume on You
I felt more awkward than ever listening to this song. First, the lyrics sing about secretly having an affair (ugh). Plus, the members stated that they hate the song and they don't want to perform it again. I am pretty sure their company (Andy of Shinhwa's Top Ent.) forced them to this, because they look awkward and kind of frustrated while performing. Instead of this, they should have performed 'Love Is', but since when has any corporation listened to me? Beyond the horrible lyrics, the song is actually pretty good. The beat is infectious, and in the studio version, young Teen Top actually seems to be having fun (the guys claim they were so young, they did not understand the lyrics to the song). All in all, the lyrics forced me to push the score down big-time, which is just a testament to how good the beat is. Also, the dude behind this song's line distribution probably inspired the guy behind Everglow's 'Dun Dun' line distribution.
Rating: 8.25/10
Teen Top - Rocking
Teen Top's signature song and one of my favorite K-Pop songs from one of my favorite months. Whenever some song says in the description "X song is a hype track", I think, " it probably cannot hype me like Teen Top did with Rocking". Brave Sound gives one of his most aggressive production ever, the chorus is just a master of hype (boy can Teen Top dance), while the verses still maintain melody. A master of the classic K-Pop build, this song just makes me want to groove. Though no longer my favorite Teen Top single, this one is still a show-stopper.
Rating: 9.5/10
U-Kiss - Man Man Ha Ni
THE performance of the night, I also wanted to embed this performance version, thought I did not. Kevin (officially no longer part of the group) and Soohyun just look like they are having a blast. Back in the day, this was one of my favorite K-Pop songs, from Kevin's bad hair day. To the style Dongho emitted in the chorus. The verses feature some fantastic energy, all building to an amazing pre-chorus (one of the best, ever) by Soohyun, I could say that the pre-chorus is the stand-out moment in U-Kiss's giant discography. Initially, the chorus feels too whimsical, but the vibe eventually won me over. This song is almost a 10, and may become one if I just listen to it a bit more.
Rating: 9.75/10
U-Kiss - Shut Up!
One of the most iconic Mordney tracks.'Shut Up!' is an unfortunate song, held back by its heavy autotune. The rappers and swaggers stand out in a moody dance track like this, and they do so here. The instrumentation is great, but a more vocal-heavy chorus may have made this one of my favorite K-Pop songs ever.
Fun fact: Bang Shi-hyuk, PDOGG wrote and composed TEEN TOP's No More Perfume on You (best song I would say for me), I was actually shocked that he wrote this, but then again I'm sure the EXECUTIVE PRODUCER (Andy) just forced them to.
ReplyDeleteI knew Bang Si-Hyuk was involved in production, not Pdogg, hmm
DeleteBang Si-Hyuk had some great Pre-BTS songs, particularly for G.O.D. I know he and JYP were roommates at one point, and most people believed at debut that BTS were a JYP ent group (me included)!
Ya, as much as I love Shinhwa, I can't help but occasionally am perplexed by Andy's management of his groups.