November Mini Song Reviews (Younha, ABBA, Naniwa Danshi, Stray Kids, Billlie)
Yeah, sorry about my large silence these days. I have been busy and will continue to be busy for a while. I initially wanted to do a few album reviews to close the month, but I think a mini song review feature will have to do.
Younha - Stardust
I could honestly review anything from Younha's new album End Theory and call it a highlight. Stacked to the brim with gems with various styles, she really knocked it out of the park with this release. In the end, I went with the lead single Stardust, but Wish, Oort Cloud, or much more. This is honestly one of the year's best releases.
In the end, I went with Stardust, and its classy mid-tempo styles. Much like Kim Jong-Wan's material, composer Kwon Sunil opts for a slow balladic build, with the repeated phrasing reaching a crescendo in perfect union, peaking the song at its final moments. Younha's strong and personal performance works perfectly with the ornate strings, producing one of the year's best songs.
Rating: 9/10
ABBA - When You Danced With Me
ABBA's whole album too is filled with highlights, many trendless and nostalgic songs. I could, and eventually should, write on Keep an Eye on Dan and Ode to Freedom, but the folksy and holiday-ready When You Danced With Me is just perfect for the season.
The simple melody is only augmented by with the old-school instrumentation, provided with some nice retro packaging and sugary goodness. This song sounds like a Christmas in the far north, and I could not ask for anything else.
Rating: 8.75/10
Naniwa Danshi - Ubu Love
I feel like knocking off points just due to those atrociously pink outfits in the MV! Besides the highly-kawaii MV, Ubu Love is a pretty strong debut for the Johnny's boy band, even if it fails to live up to the 2020 one-two-punch that SixTONES Vs. Snow Man provided.
The joyous instrumentation and the surging chorus is worth praise, with the melodic pre-chorus remaining a severe highlight, right before the sugar rush that is the chorus.
Rating: 8.25/10
Stray Kids - Christmas EveL
The first definitively holiday track of the year from Korea, Stray Kids refuse to release a ballad, instead opting for an over-the-top trap hip-hop track with minor industrial and EDM elements throughout. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Stray Kids know not to be self-serious, and the song ends up a golden spoof of Christmas K-Pop.
From the delightful MV to the creepy Christmas vibes, Christmas EveL is not your traditional Holiday ballad, or a new Miracles in December either, but something strange and fun. Topping off with the epic 'Felix Navidad' climax makes this song high on this year's early holiday highlights.
Rating: 8/10
Billlie - Ring X Ring
Ring X Ring has slowly been one of the year's biggest growers, with its utterly bonkers structure, and strong performance. From the sirens to the slipping refrains, Billlie and their composers refused to let go of any energy through this bonkers track.
The production goes heavy, but the melody is surprisingly slick, moving from strength to strength. Give it the time, and I believe this song could be one of the most memorable of the year.
I'm glad you enjoyed the Billlie track as well!!! I was confused at it at first because people kept on saying it's experimental but actually it doesn't change a lot to be called experimental. Instead I viewed it as if ghost9 think of dawn is a gg song and that kind of strangely made me appreciate the song?
ReplyDeleteI think the Billlie track is considered experimental as many of its instrumental choices are idiosyncratic, and the melody has a very loose yet controlled feel, almost like a train riding freely after leaving the tracks. With this weird, and almost surreal feel, the song is kind of experimental. The Think of Dawn correlation works though!
DeleteAh yes i totally get it now! My initial reaction to the song when i heard it was like "ehh? i think the song follows the standard pattern of a girl crush song that almost sounds like a bg song due to the sound choice used, but hey the chorus is interesting" i think because i was really expecting a lot of switch ups like IGAB due to people who kept on saying this is the most experimental gg song they heard this year. Funny because what i first felt with ring x ring is the same as think of dawn like "oh this is another type of that bg song but hey that chorus transition is pretty interesting". Also both songs tend to be better the more you listen to them become you discover that they have something special and they set apart from other songs in that genre even though they do not sound as unique (for me) at first.
DeleteAh, great analysis! The chorus is great!
DeleteI know have listened to Naniwa Danshi because I am binging BLs these days (Kieta Hatsukoi is a very interesting drama tho), and the song is definitely not really what I anticipated, I mean bubblegum pop can be a hit or miss depending on how well executed and creative it is. This release is very cute. It's not really my cup of tea and I enjoyed Snow Man's song in the drama better. But yeah, maybe a B for Ubu Love.
ReplyDeletethe other songs, well you know my opinions of them so I will not say it again. I just came here to read the Ubu Love review. Hehe
Well, I can see how Ubu Love can be divisive. It is a little Kawaii, and does overdo things at times. That is likely why I have not came back to it too much. That said, I will say it is a well-written song.
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