August Multi-Song Review (Sunmi, BZ Boys, ADOY, CL)
August had quite a few almost highlights which I never got around to reviewing. Thus, this was one month where the multi-song review.
Sunmi - You Can't Sit With Us
Honestly, I considered just forgetting this existed. When it comes to modern musicians who have influenced my musical taste the most, Sunmi would nearly top that list. The main reason for this is that Sunmi somehow blended strong music with artistic ideas. However, both of these are lacking here.
For starters, regular producers such as Teddy and Frants lie absent, replaced by the omnipresent Melanie Fontana. Awkward phrasing and strange musical choices, such as the second verse rap, break what would have been a clever analogy for a relation falling apart.
Rating: 6/10
BZ Boys - Close Your Eyes
StillBangtan, AKA Deforested Music, was basically running wild the other day proclaiming how underappreciated Close Your Eyes has been. Thus, I gave it another listen, and it actually has aged really well.
The central element here is the traditional instrumentation building on Razer's strong dance groove. The hooks are excellently written, culminating in an incredible high note. The only real downside is that the vocal performance is a bit too raw. Nonetheless, this is a highlight worth checking out.
Rating: 8.5/10
ADOY - Simply
Okay, my turn to complain about a song heavily underappreciated! Simply takes '80s textures and applies them to a retro R&B landscape for a blissful yet mournful piece. The result is a slow and soothing track with just enough energy to make it stand out from the crowd.
The vocal hooks are also gorgeous, perfectly mixed with the instrumentation. Due to the fact that I have so many songs of this style in my playlist, I am unsure how much I'll come back to this, but it is truly solid.
Rating: 8.5/10
CL - Spicy
CL is a really talented artist, and the first solo release released to preview her full talent was Hwa, a slow grower for me. Unfortunately, Spicy is a little bit of a swag-fest, not providing any strong beats such as in Hwa, or any really strong segments, such as her feature in Epik High's Rosario.
The lyrics seem to be about Korean pride. But coming after Tiger JK released a strong release with that style, this comes off as a dated swag-fest with messy lyrics. I would not mind it, but CL can, and has, done better.
I also, kinda surprisingly, don't like You Can't Sit With Us much. It's just incredibly awkward and I'm very sad about it. I thought i would like it but after watching the mv (a few days late) I was like... this is what I get? this?
ReplyDeleteExactly. Sunmi is forever condemned to be compared... to Sunmi. Unfortunately, the YT views suggest that this is one of her more successful songs, I hope she does not continue down this style.
DeleteFinally! Finally! Finally! According to my TrackScore calculations, Bz-Boys now has an 83! YES! YES! PREACH! Thank God this happened! I really love 108Ent! This is what we love to see! More to this underrated reviews! Now I just need K-Pop Insights, 555 Reviews and KPOPREVIEWED to review this and it might end up to my Critical Standouts (which I have posted but I will edit).
ReplyDeleteAs a present I will also review ADOY' Simply and Tiger JK's recent masterpiece. These two might have a shot at the Critics Association awards. I also agree to your assessments of SUNMI and CL. I didn't really listen that much to SUNMI and now I find the song kind of not my liking. I guess another downgrade in my score! Also CL, well I won't bother.
Now onto my quest to make the critics review, Bz-Boys!!!
Haha, I knew you would be glad the song got a positive review. May you be successful in your quest to make many review and appreciate the track.
DeleteOoh, I'd love it if you reviewed Simply and Love Peace!