One of my favorite performances by Utada Hikaru if not my favorite. Not only is she sounding her best, but her energy with her band and the audience makes this so epic. Here, it seems like she found her performance style and puts out everything that makes Utada Hikaru who she is. This is my favorite concert tracklisting by her because not only does it include hits, but also all the other epic songs that compose her DEEP RIVER and Distance eras.
The DVD begins with some backstage footage of Hikki and her father rehearsing and getting the whole spectacle on its way, it also shows Hikki warming up with her band. The DVD actually shows a set of concerts, and this shows through Utada’s outfit changes in the middle of singing, which is a bit distracting, but because the audio suffers no alteration whatsoever, it becomes a part of the orgasmic visuals and audio.
光
traveling
Letters
Another Chance
In My Room
If she begins her American tour the same way she began her concerts in Budokan, the crowd is going to be in tears as soon as she steps out. The concert begins lit down, until everything begins full-throttle in its visual magnificence with 光. Blue lights and the nostalgic song make for a tear-worthy entrance. To lift up the spirit even more, the next song is traveling, and Utada is jumping around, genuinely cheering up the crowd with her energy, and she sounds so good doing so, however, my favorite songs of the sequence (光 doesn’t count because it’s way too stellar) come after it. Letters is one of my favorite Hikki songs of all times, and whenever I hear these characteristic strings, I go wild.
Another Chance seems to be brought back from Bohemian Summer 2000, but more of a new and improved, refreshed version. I love this live and if it was to be compared to her performance back in 2000, it’s a clear contrast of just how much she developed as an artist. The backing vocals and the instrumentals are stunning and it seems like a whole other song, despite the simple changes done to the arrangement. In My Room is also very developed, Hikki sounds a lot more comfortable with it and improvises with her vocals frequently, making it sound even more unique and fresh. This sequence is fantastic to kick off the concert and I love how stunningly fresh Utada’s vocals are and how comfortable she is when she’s on stage, it’s very beautiful to see.
Can You Keep A Secret?
Addicted To You
SAKURAドロップス
Hikki fast-forwards to her Distance era after the brief flashback of First Love with Can You Keep A Secret?. During this concert, both, Can You Keep A Secret? and Addicted To You gain a certain identity that was masked by Utada’s inexperience during her Bohemian Summer 2000 concert. It’s like her artistic maturity made them stand out more. I have to admit, SAKURAドロップス isn’t one of my favorite Hikki songs, and somehow, Hikki always manages to make its performances shine. She uses pink lights for this segment as to bring forth the cherry blossom theme and the instrumentals are very intricate and beautiful. I love the guitar, and even though it’s a very unusual song, she always picks its pieces together and brings on a beautiful performance.
サングラス
サングラス is one of my favorite Hikki songs and I love it that it was included in the tracklisting even though it’s not necessarily part of the concert. This segment is footage of her rehearsing in the studio for this song, and it’s so beautiful! Her voice flows so easy and beautiful. It’s one of my favorite lives by her and this song brings me back so much. It’s an irresistible part of the concert and I could spend days watching it non-stop. Her expressions are really cute and the R&B is too contagious. I love it!
甘いワナ ～Paint It, Black
Movin’ on without you
Right after the smooth ending of サングラス, we get some hot chords and an outfit change to take a step back into the First Love era with 甘いワナ ～Paint It, Black. This is nearly a remake, it has a heavier rock feel than the studio version and Utada brings it on full-on with her onstage chemistry. This certainly brings up the mood of the tracklisting! After its dramatic closure, Movin’ on without you comes in to steal our hearts. Once again, the instrumentals sound a lot more rock than R&B, and this song is just too epic. Utada performs it with magnificence and that Utada flair that only she can bring to the table.
蹴っ飛ばせ!
Wait & See ～リスク～
蹴っ飛ばせ! is a crazy, rock masterpiece and I love it. I started to really enjoy this song after I saw her perform it. Before, the beginning turned me off because it sounds like she said “I want your baby” but after you fall in love with the song, Utada can want your mom, your dad and/or your dog and you’re still going to love the song to death (I recently found it she says “I want you, baby”).
Wait & See ～リスク～ along with Can You Keep A Secret? and Addicted To You are Distance clichés that possibly have performances for every concert of Hikki’s, so they don’t catch my attention as much as other songs, but I understand that they are hits of hers and deserve to be played over and over, and this is an interesting performance because of the sync between the instrumentals and the lights, so the visuals and the vocals make up for the overplaying of Wait & See ～リスク～ everywhere else, even though they’re all great songs (besides, I love the “here we go!” at the end).
COLORS
First Love
Deep River
DISTANCE
嘘みたいな I Love You
COLORS is a really amazing song and because I watched Utada United before Utada Hikaru in Budokan 2004, this performance sounds incredibly original to me for sticking to the original instrumentals (since COLORS as performed during Utada United was arranged in a whole other way that is simply stunning and breath-taking) and it’s one of the highlights of the concert, because it’s very unique and stands out between the other songs.
I think there were better places to place First Love during the concert . . . to build up some nostalgia and then throw it out to touch fans’ hearts . . . it doesn’t make sense to play it right after COLORS. It wasn’t as heart-touching as First Love was meant to be.
Deep River, on the other hand, sounds and looks beautiful. The instrumentals are incredible, and Hikki conveys so much emotion and beauty, it’s breath-taking, and that’s all there is to it. Genius. DISTANCE is a great choice to feed off Deep River and bring back the energy subtly from the ballads. The instrumentals are really cute and it’s a great addition to the tracklisting, especially since Hikki usually performs FINAL DISTANCE, DISTANCE’s intense alter ego.
嘘みたいな I Love You is Utada’s juicy attempt at some heavy rock ‘n’ roll and goes so well for this orgasmic segment. The lights are intense and go perfectly with the song. After what seems like the end of the song, the instrumentals restart, and there comes the lights, it’s so energetic and amazing and is one of the best performances of the night, for sure.
Automatic
Automatic is such a pleasant song after such an intense segment. It holds some nostalgia and the way Hikki performs it is always smooth and sweet, it makes you feel good. All of her performances for this song are epic.
幸せになろう
B&C
I love how happy/cute/uplifting 幸せになろう is, and it has a very regal, cheerful sound, and it’s exactly the type of song that should be performed more often, it’s one of the classics of DEEP RIVER for me, and it makes you feel good, so it’s such a great addition to the tracklisting. B&C ends the concert nostalgically like in Bohemian Summer 2000, and it’s once again, very sweet and a very smooth way to end the concert. The instrumentals also went through some changes to make it extra amazing live and it’s pure love!
Utada Hikaru in Budokan 2004 is an amazing register of just how amazing Hikki is, her confidence is so stellar and it seems like she found herself this time, before she was very young and slightly lost, but now she’s comfortable and confident and it really shines through. Her maturity and experience made this one of her best up until today! It’s so fresh and beautiful and it’s impossible not to fall in love with her performances and personality! ♥
Final Score:
95/A
To build up excitement for Utada’s In The Flesh Tour across the United States and Europe (even though I’m sure we couldn’t be more excited), I’m reviewing each one of her Japanese tours monthly, starting with Bohemian Summer 2000 and ending in UTADA UNITED 2006, so in January/February I get to review Utada’s In The Flesh concert from Los Angeles!
[OPENING MOVIE]
Addicted To You
タイム・リミット
In My Room
time will tell
The introduction to the tour isn’t very stimulating to kick off the concert if not for the shining logo that begins the DVD after the helicopter scene. Maybe it’s just because I can’t read whatever’s written on the e-mail that is being sent in the video. After the opening movie, A small part of Automatic starts to play and grows into a rock version of the instrumentals, but once it stops, we see Utada coming down to sing Addicted To You. The stage, dancers and Utada’s outfit make the concert look like an average rock concert, but I believe it’s because Utada was still looking for a while to present herself live, since she’s nothing like other J-Pop stars out there. This segment of the show runs very smoothly, composed of two hits from her Distance era (Addicted To You, タイム・リミット) and two from her First Love era (In My Room, time will tell). Her vocals are amazing despite her very young age and you know she’s going to give it all she’s got by the time she ends time will tell. I really like In My Room because it feels like she gets carried away by the song and gives us a stunning performance. I started paying more attention to First Love for this very segment.
Never Let Go
Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
Another Chance
For You
This one is one of my favorite segments from the concert. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) is more famous for this live than for being an actual b-side, and even though Utada does add in a lot of vibrato to the song, and it affects its fluidity a bit, but it’s still fantastic. Never Let Go and Another Chance are two of my favorite First Love songs because of this tour as well. Before I didn’t pay much attention to them because they sounded a lot like the rest of the album, but seeing how they do have different kinds of energy and how Utada conveys this to the audience made them magic for me. From the first time I watched this concert, I wouldn’t stop listening to these 2 songs.
Automatic
Take On Me
Finally we get some Automatic! She fooled us in the beginning, but it’s here! Hikki comes out with an outfit change to initiate my favorite half of the concert, full of covers and fun. Automatic was amazing as expected, but I really love Take On Me! It shows a bit of Hikki’s musical background and it’s an English song, so it really brings her American background to the table as well. This segments shows off the crowd a little more and it’s a sea of people! I love it!
Give Me A Reason
はやとちり
Give Me A Reason is a regular First Love track, but one of the special Hikki songs that can become very memorable in a tour for the fans. She make a regular album song sound so sweet and single-worthy. She’s truly something special, this Hikki! はやとちり is one of my favorite songs by Hikki and I wasn’t even aware of its existence until I watched Bohemian Summer 2000. Live is so much better and it’s pure magic, you just feel good when you hear it! It’s a short segment, but both songs are really special and sang wonderfully!
I LOVE YOU
I LOVE YOU is a segment of its own because Hikki happens to forget the lyrics of the cover, but once she finally gets it right, she gets it RIGHT. It’s an epic, beautiful performance and it’s so impressive she could pull it off so well at such a young age. She reacted in a really cute manner once she got the lyrics wrong, but the crowd sea of people cheered her on and her good humor made for the stunning performance that followed.
プレイバック・パート2
Movin’ on without you
First Love
I’d never heard of プレイバック・パート2 before, and this presentation caught my attention because of the flair and originality of the song. It sounds like something Hikki’s mother would compose and I love it! Even though I’m not a big fan of Hikki’s mother’s work, it sounds very traditional and has a strong Japanese presence. Movin’ on without you is an epic Hikki song, and there is nothing anyone can do to ruin it. The band did justice to the instrumentals (that are simply amazing) and Hikki did her part with her breath-taking vocals.
I don’t think I even have to get started on First Love . . . but I will! Hikki sings with so much feeling every time she’s performing First Love, that it’s impossible not to feel some nostalgia and get a little emotional. It’s the single song that mostly affected her career and a highlight on her debut album. The arrangement of the instrumentals for this live is very beautiful and goes perfectly with Utada’s voice.
Wait & See ～リスク～
Once again, Hikki sings us a new song from her Distance era, Wait & See ～リスク～, by that time, it wasn’t a classic yet, but the live is incredible. The lights, camera and the action (this wasn’t on purpose, it’s true!) all bring together a beautiful performance that’s very memorable between the others from the tracklisting! The live remix is very fun and perfect for performances. The fireworks ending was also epic and gave me chills!
甘いワナ ～Paint It, Black
Living On My Own
Hikki leaves briefly and comes back with a new outfit to end the concert and sings yet another highlight from her debut album, 甘いワナ ～Paint It, Black. Her lives for this song are always incredible and it’s a very original composition. The energy is very contagious and her chemistry onstage is so awesome! After that, there’s yet another English cover, Living On My Own. It’s just as fun as the first one and the cover songs for this concert grab my attention in the best way! She rocks ‘em out far better than anyone else!
B&C
First Love – John Luongo Remix
B&C is a sweet song, very upbeat and nostalgic. Once again, the arrangement of the song for this concert is very amazing and is a great concert closer because of the energy it brings to the crowd, which is always clapping along, besides, Hikki looks amazing and very excited to be there!
The last song shows footage of the making of the concert and is more of a complementary song to end the concert in a nostalgic, yet promising way as for everyone to leave with high spirits. At the end, there’s a fireworks special, and it’s a very unique way to end her first true concert, I’m sure everybody who got to see it live loved it!
Bohemian Summer 2000 is a very memorable concert! The tracklisting consists mainly of her First Love and Distance eras, and she pulled through fantastically, even at such a young age! I think that even though it had many little surprises (like the fireworks), it lacked a real theme, since the dancers weren’t all that attention-grabbing and the stage wasn’t very neat, it looked very a-nation-like, but it was just her trying to find her place in Japanese pop music and figuring out how to convey her image in a live stage!
It’s still fantastic and I love it!
89 / B+
Artist: Brown Eyed Girls
Album: SOUND G.
Release Date: 07.20.2009
Ever since I started looking into the works of the Brown Eyed Girls, I was initially drawn to SOUND G., because it’s their latest release, I was partially unaware of their soulful background, and even after I fell in love with their previous hits, it only made SOUND G. seem fresher and a great shot at contemporary K-Pop, and that’s probably why Abracadabra was such a hit. I did miss their beautiful, strong vocals for this album, though. While their previous works are more timeless and really good to listen to to feel good, this album is their surrender to the genre adopted by most of the girlbands out there who represent modern K-Pop.
The album begins with Glam Girl, a simple song that introduces the listener to the modern style of the album. It’s a feministic, egotistical song that’s very easy to listen to, with light beats that sound a bit video game-like, followed by smooth vocals. It’s a good introduction to the album because it holds that Brown Eyed Girls element, and makes a smooth transition to the electronic genre.
Abracadabra, on the other hand, goes full-on electronic pop, with a heavy sound and distorted vocals. During the chorus, the voice of the girls sound a bit strained because they’re simply singing the words and not working much on their vocals, I think their voices sound very raw during the chorus and could have used a bit more work to ease it into the song, but overall, the song is very catchy and I love listening to it anytime.
중독 sounds a bit darker, but it’s one of my favorites. Their voices are very natural for this song, despite the electronic influence. I really like the variety offered by the vocals and instrumentals for this song and it’s a lot less straight forward than Abracadabra because it’s less mainstream and has more feeling to it. The voices get distorted in all the right places as well, and make for a fierce song.
The first single, Candy Man, truly sounds like a first single. It has a mainstream feel, but in a very alluring way, just that feel inherited when a song is very catchy. This title brings me an old school connotation because of Christina Aguilera’s Candyman, so it’s very weird to listen to a Candy Man so ahead of his time. It’s a very catchy song with very good vocals and filled with electro-pop goodness! (yet another song with distorted vocals in all the right places)
Moody Night brings back the dark vibe broken up by Candy Man. The instrumentals sound a bit chalk-like to me, for some reason . . . But it’s very hot chalk. The song has a laid-back, disturbing, yet pop feel that really fits the mystery of its title. It’s one of my favorites too because it’s very fresh and sounds very natural. The vocals are very simple, with the team members joining up only during the chorus, leaving the rest of the song solo.
I think 이상한 일 is the most original song off SOUND G.. It was an instant favorite of mine when I listened to the album, because the girls sound very cute and simple with the playful instrumentals. As I listened to the album more, I noticed there were other gems, but this song is too cute. Its monotony is very alluring and makes for a smooth listen, and I really love it when it’s around 2 minutes into the song.
못 가 is the first true ballad in the album. It’s the closest the girls get from their previous works. This song begins with some cellphone dialing that is way too long. That number’s gotta get shorter if it really wants to get in a song, it got lucky this time. Once the dialing is done, though, the song is unexpectedly very beautiful. The girls show off their voices really well and the instrumentals are also really cute and good to listen to. This song certainly stands out in the best of ways for SOUND G..
여자가 있어도 begins in a very weird manner, and then becomes what seems like a club song . . . then a ballad, then back to club song. It sounds mainstream in a subtle manner, but I can see being a theme song for something . . . Maybe because it’s very easy to like. Once again, the girls sound very natural and this is the sort of upbeat song I’d like to hear more from them (with an exception of that weird beginning) . . . it’s very uplifting and fresh. It’s sounds like more a natural transition song from their previous album, 떠나라 미스김 to SOUND G. (when compared to Candy Man or Abracadabra), but it’s not single material.
The last song, (of the first disc, at least) 잘할게요, is yet another ballad. I love ballads, and it’s one of the things the Brown Eyed Girls do best, their voices are very harmonious and go so well together. This is old school Brown Eyed Girls, and I love it! A great way to wrap up the album and leave listeners wanting more!
Artist: Brown Eyed Girls
Mini Album: SOUND G. [REPACKAGE]
Release Date: 11.02.2009
The SOUND G. [REPACKAGE] EP was released in an attempt to include two new songs to the original album, and I hope it represents a new era for them, because both these songs are amazing!
SIGN is the closest a dark, mysteriously alluring song gets to mainstream. It sounds very intense, but the repeating of the word dot during the course. It also makes the song slightly fierce. It took me a while to notice because of the repetition of dot and not so much of sign, but they say
[...] Sign Sign / dot dot dot dot dot
and that’s fierce with a mainstream edge right there!
Their choreography for the live presentation of this song seems to be from the same choreographers of Abracadabra and might even make another impact on K-Pop! This time they use fans and it’s very hypnotizing! This song should’ve made it to the original album!
잠에 취해 would also have made a fantastic addition to the record, even though I think the album has enough ballads for its electronic goodness. It’s one of my favorite ballads by them and I can’t get enough of it, it’s so sweet and they sound very comfortable, with a strong vocal performance that makes a very amazing, sentimental ballad. Being in the same repackaging as SIGN and being so different from it makes it a very good re-release!
I really love SOUND G. even though it’s not as soulful as their previous releases, it has an electro-pop theme that is really likable, especially between the releases of other girl groups in Korea! The repackage made the album even better for me and it’s certainly one of their best!
Final Score:
94 / A-
Brown Eyed Girls – SIGN
From the cycles of America’s Next Top Model I have watched so far, (cycles 6-10, 12-13), there was only one Asian model casted, Gina Cho. Gina was very confident in the beginning of the cycle, but through the competition, she proved that she was all-talk, and her pride for her Asian background became a struggle and she lost all the confidence she had, not even mid-way through the competition, leading to an awful photoshoot that gave way to her elimination.
5 cycles later, another Asian model was cast, Jennifer, and I was very happy and a bit disappointed, since it’s a special cycle for petite models, and I was hoping there would be more Asian models that got to the top 13, but one way or another, Jennifer represented young Asian women very well with her confidence and talent for modeling! I really liked her since the beginning and rooted for her the whole time, even though she didn’t need it much because she was one of the best models this season.
Something that I thought was going to get her eliminated in the earlier episodes was a muscular disorder she had on an eye, making it look bigger than the other occasionally, but that was only a concern on the first photoshoot, she taught her make-up artist to do her make-up as to hide this problem, and I forgot all about it later on in the cycle, but sometimes, it was a struggle for her to ’smile with her eyes’, and her facial expression for her shoot this week got her eliminated.
I love Jennifer for so many reasons, but one of them is because of her random, hilarious quotes, and I think the one she says right before she has to jump off a cliff and into the ocean, (this cycle the girls had to go to Hawaii) for a challenge proposed by Nigel Barker and Marissa Miller, has to be one of my favorites:
I don’t know if I can do this. I’m so scared, like, I could fall into that coral, break my head open, and die in front of Nigel AND Marissa Miller. That’s not how I wanna go!
Jennifer was one of the girls with the most personality, the judges really liked her for being so sweet, always smiling and paying attention to criticism, and on a certain photoshoot where the girls were photographed by Tyra, and had to work with vibrant cloth, Jennifer stole Tyra’s attention by asking her if she could breathe and scream while on set. Tyra loved that, and Jennifer took the #1 picture that week, and when she was eliminated this week, Tyra told her she’d never forget that photoshoot.
Jennifer was the girl with the most #1 pictures this cycle, so I don’t agree with the judges at all when they eliminated her for a single picture that she didn’t fare as well as previous times, even though she never landed on the bottom two before. I’m sure that if it weren’t a double elimination (she was eliminated with a girl who was bottom two 3 weeks in a row), she would’ve made it to the final 3, since her body of work is very strong, and so is her personality. In an interview after her elimination, she stated that the show edited her as a very sweet, friendly girl and cut off all the parts where she’s bitching around, that nobody can be that sweet and friendly. She’s not complaining, just saying that her portrayal on the show isn’t very accurate, but very positive. Finally there’s an (edited) Asian bitch on the show!
My favorite picture by her has got to be the one taken under the sea in Hawaii. Jennifer wasn’t sure of what to do and remained on the surface for a while, but because she had extra frames that week, she was able to talk it over with the director of the photoshoot, who advised her to dive deeper and be more fluid, and she took, once again, the #1 picture of the week. The actual taking of the pictures was very hypnotizing because of her movements underwater and I really like how the picture turned out. It’s like a mixture of The Grudge with underwater modeling.
I guess I need to start rooting for the models I want to eliminate, because none of my favorites ever won a cycle but always get so close! That’s what’s so nerve-wracking, but I really enjoyed watching Jennifer’s performance and I think she did an excellent job!
I wish her luck on her modeling/acting career!
Jennifer’s Cover Girl Commercial:
Simply the fiercest of all the Brown Eyed Girls. Ever since I started looking for some music for COUNTDOWN: Unforgettable K-Pop, I’ve been hypnotized by Ga-In’s confidence, sex appeal and attitude, be it during a promotional video, live performance or as a guest in a reality show.
This all began with the PV of Abracadabra. I loved her style immediately, and she stood out from the other members to me with how she worked her boy-cut and her heavy make-up. All the members of the Brown Eyed Girls are very individualized, so I had to do no research at all to figure out who she was, and already watched her appearances in a few reality shows (MNET SCANDAL and We Got Married), she’s so much fun to watch!
Her MNET SCANDAL appearance was certainly my favorite. Not only because she looked exactly like how she did in the Abracadabra music video, but also because she cut her “boyfriend’s” hair exactly like hers (except his was cut more “manly”, as she puts it) and we get to see her strong personality as she tries to act like a stranger’s girlfriend for a week. I only watched the first episode, but am eagerly looking/waiting for the rest!
I love her bold style for clothes, she’s always wearing short shorts and some sort of a top or a jacket, which just adds to the cool vibe she has, but her clothes aren’t the only thing bold about her:
On this scene from Abracadabra, Ga-In and Narsha simulate a kiss, and the PV ends by the time they get too close, but several times they’ve paid references to this scene and it’s very cute that they have this careless attitude and can shock just as much as entertain (even both at the same time).
Back when the Brown Eyed Girls were very R&B and had intense, beautiful songs to the piano and the saxophone, Ga-In recorded a solo song to be released along with their sophomore album, entitled 내가 웃고 있어요. It’s a very cute, fresh ballad, with wonderful vocals, proving how Ga-In is not just the girl with the attitude. She’s the one with the attitude and the fierce voice.
Ga-In - 내가 웃고 있어요
I guess she’s the most dispersed of the group, possibly because of her strong presence, and not only created her own solo effort, but also joined up with UEE, HyunA and Han Seung-Yeon to create 4TOMORROW, a side group. They released Tomorrow together, a very upbeat, cute and optimistic song (with small dramas in which each member of the group represents a character and her difficulties), and despite being overly positive, it’s a great song to have around for when the mood strikes! I love it!
4TOMORROW – Tomorrow
Overall, Ga-In is talented, fun, fierce, and full of attitude, and this all comes to light in the PV of Abracadabra:
Compiling unforgettable songs for K-Pop is very different from J-Pop, and since I’m still learning in the K-Pop music scene, I asked for help from my classmate, Stephanie and a friend from Twitter, @cityincolors (I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Mr. Alan! But you were the first one who came to mind with your K-Pop awesomeness!), so they took control over the COUNTDOWN with me and introduced me to some really awesome groups. Something to take note of is how different both countdowns turned out, and I think that’s what makes each of these genres so unique and amazing.
DBSK – Hug
DBSK’s debut single is one of their sweetest. Don’t let the J-Rock-inspired cover of their debut album fool you, since this is a very cute ballad, and shows how much talent each member has. They were at their youngest, and still had voices that would make older artists jealous. This was the beginning for one of the greatest boybands in all Asia, and is well embedded into the memories of all their fans!
BoA - 공중정원
Girls On Top was a closure to BoA in Korea as of now, and within the album are many gems, and between them is 공중정원. It’s not a single from the album, but it has so much style and beauty that it’s a pity it isn’t one. From the first time I listened to it, not even 10 seconds into the song, I was already in love, and it’s because of this song that I started to consider K-Pop as another good Asian genre to listen to! 공중정원 is an epic example of BoA’s work, and it’s simply atemporal, a song for anytime.
Brown Eyed Girls – Abracadabra
(recommended by Alan)
Abracadabra is one of the year’s most popular K-Pop songs, not only announcing the return of the Brown Eyed Girls, but also spawning the epic Dirty Eyed Girls parody. Abracadabra put many listeners under a spell and was very talked about since the day of its release. The PV is very contemporary and fierce and demonstrate how the Brown Eyed Girls aren’t kidding around and are here to make their presence known with their fierce music, impossible to take away from our minds.
Hyori Lee – U-Go-Girl
U-Go-Girl was my first introduction to K-Pop, if I’m not wrong, and it was also a big highlight within the genre. Hyori got to show off her good looks and powerful dance moves with a great, fun and entertaining song that captivated many people. Her pronunciation of the word girl is very hypnotizing and cute on this song and she gets me all the time. It’s a very strong pop song that isn’t exactly fierce or cute, it’s somewhere in between, like it has a flair of its own, and once you listen to it, the words you go girl will never sound the same!
Wonder Girls – Nobody
There’s something very familiar about them and from the first time I listened to Nobody, I thought I had heard it before . . . I hadn’t, but I should’ve, since it’s one of the songs that made it big, and it even brought the Wonder Girls to the American market as well and the beginning verses of the song made a lasting impression for K-Pop and fans of the Wonder Girls.
2PM – 기다리다 지친다
기다리다 지친다 is the first song by 2PM without Jaebum, and because the English title is Tired Of Waiting, it sounds like an appeal to Jaebum’s return. This song hasn’t caused too much of a stir yet, despite the dramatic countdown that lead to it, but it certainly has in the hearts of all the fans waiting for Jaebum’s return. This ballad-turned-club-song is very good evidence that the group is on its way, even though they miss their ex-team member, and it might mean a new era for the group.
Big Bang – 바보
(recommended by Stephanie)
Stephanie told me how there are people who cry over this song and how it’s so amazing, and to be honest, I agree with her! Big Bang is usually very rap-centered (from what I’ve listened to by them), so it was a pleasant surprise to listen to something that flew so smoothly, without much rapping. This is entirely feel-good material, and I love it! The instrumentals are very unique and the working of higher notes make this song very memorable and wonderful to listen to.
DBSK - 주문
(recommended by Alan)
DBSK has come a long way since Hug, and MIROTIC, their latest Korean album, is here to stay. The cute ballad they sported as their debut is a piece of its own, and 주문 is one of the strongest dance tracks in K-Pop, and one of the group’s greatest attempts at the dancefloor. They didn’t back away from their vocals, though, and the song is completely full of energy and attitude that is impossible to get over, both, vocally and instrumentally.
SNSD – Gee
(recommended by Alan)
There’s something about Gee that’s very generic, and yet, very unique, if compared to other girlbands in Korea. The song contains a refreshing quality, and the voices of the girls is a lot more girly than that of other girlbands. Besides, it’s popular enough to inspire another parody, and set the stage for SNSD. It’s a very sweet pop song and yet another example of how girlbands can make an impression in the K-Pop market so strongly! This song feels like an icon of K-Pop music this year, really.
Xiah Junsu – XIAHTIC
Junsu always stood out between the other members to me, and lately I started to look into his works, not only solo, but also in contribution to DBSK, and I had no idea how talented he was in composing, and his solo song, XIAHTIC, is a favorite for me. Some people actually have it as one of their favorite songs by DBSK, even though it’s Junsu’s solo effort. This song made for an amazing live presentation during their tours and his stunning vocals won’t get out of your head so easily!
I hope I did K-Pop some justice! Enjoy the selection, it’s mostly pop/dance music that’s very enjoyable, to shake off the emotions inherited by the J-Pop COUNTDOWN! (especially since it started right away with Only Human, the saddest song in music history)
What are your unforgettable K-Pop songs? I’d love to know! ♥
The Japanese musical business is always growing, and yet, there are certain songs we hold dear, and when it comes to J-Pop, a genre taken so seriously, meaningful songs turn out to be very meaningful, maybe because it came out in a drama, because it marked a certain period of the artist’s life in a very deep way, or simply because the lyrics express the emotions of the fan very well, there’s always a way for fans to relate to their favorite artists through music, even if they don’t necessarily speak the same language.
K – Only Human
This song is definitely a #1 for anyone who has watched 1 Litre of Tears or even came near its soundtrack. Only Human is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever listened to, and can have your tears pouring the second it begins, and by the chorus, you’ll be bawling and asking yourself how can this song be so sad and so genius all at once. You won’t forget it, and every time you remember, be sure it’ll hit your soft spot.
Utada Hikaru – 光
光, for many, was the crossover to J-Pop because of its popularity between listeners and gamers. It’s one of Utada’s best works, and possibly the song she’s the most known for, even if First Love is the best selling. This song is a must if you’re starting out listening to J-Pop because it’s a showcase of emotion and beautiful vocals. It (probably) won’t get you bawling like Only Human, but it’ll certainly make you feel good inside. The instrumentals and the vocals work perfectly in an emotional mix that is unforgettable.
Koda Kumi – you
(recommended by Junnior and I)
you is part of the compilation that truly kick-started Kumi’s career, and if it wasn’t, I don’t know what would, because it’s one of the most emotional songs I’ve ever heard. Initially, I found it to be quite boring and hard to listen to, but eventually, it grew on me (especially its amazing PV and the orgasmic ~piano version~), and now I see how beautiful a song it is. The instrumentals have a very unique flavor (like many of Kumi’s songs), and it’s a very original, sentimental ballad that means a lot to the fans and to Kumi.
Hitomi Shimatani – 愛の詩
愛の詩 is simply beautiful, it’s like a masterpiece. You start tearing up just listening to it, for no reason. It has a nostalgic feeling even if you’ve never listened to it before, and it’s very fresh and incredible. It’s 6 minutes long, and it’s not tiring at all. The instrumentals are wonderfully put together and everything is so intricate, and yet, so smooth and flows so beautifully well. It just makes you feel good, and it’s very original and bold, because it’s a very soothing ballad, and not very mainstream.
BoA – 永遠
I think this song has more of a meaning to me because it was released in a point of my life when I was trying out many new things and meeting new people, and this song has a bit of everyone in it, but it has a very nostalgic vibe even though it’s very upbeat. It marked a new era in BoA’s career, because it’s her last Japanese single before she began her American career. I really love this song, because it has feeling and is very upbeat in a bohemian way, it’s very enjoyable and certainly a highlight between BoA’s songs.
Ayumi Hamasaki – A Song for ××
(recommended by Adonias)
A Song for ×× is in Ayumi’s debut album, and even though it didn’t generate a single, it’s a fan favorite and made it to Ayumi’s first A BEST compilation, and remade with new vocals, even. It’s a very special song to Ayu, because it’s about the changes she went through in moving in Japan, and it truly is an unforgettable song that’s very unique, because it shows an Ayu that’s so different from that of today, but her vocals are still very impressive and it’s a very neat song, easy to listen to and the beginning of a phenomenon.
Namie Amuro – WHAT A FEELING
(recommended by Raphael)
After Namie’s sudden hiatus from the musical industry, she returned with 60s70s80s, a single full of edge that exposed her new image and announced that the queen of hip-hop was back! WHAT A FEELING brings on a very upbeat song, that’s sort of familiar, in a way that makes the song relatable, and its youth and brightness is very contagious, because she’s been active since then, it’s very meaningful to the J-Pop market, since Namie was very popular in her time and can still bring it nowadays!
Koda Kumi – Moon Crying
Koda Kumi, however, did not have a smooth comeback, and after the unnecessary overreaction scandal midst the promotion of her Kingdom album, Kumi took a break and released MOON, containing one of the best ballads she had ever done, Moon Crying. Not only is this song meaningful to the fans, but it also began a new phase for her, it was truly an unnecessary change, but she was able to pull through, and instead of pulling off a TABOO on her fans to make matters worse, she was able to show her emotion with this beautiful ballad.
Shiina Ringo – 本能
This song revolutionized fashion and proved just how strongly jazz and rock can come together. Not only is the song a masterpiece, but the whole single, and it turned Shiina into the jazz/rock diva she is today. 本能 is one of the best by her, her originality is shown with a mixture that no other artist is bold or experimental enough to make it work, and Shiina pulled it off. This song is impossible to forget and appeals to the masses in different ways.
Utada Hikaru – First Love
This song could not miss out, because it’s been touching people’s hearts ever since its release back in 1999, and until today, it shows up in compilations of the best love songs. It’s not my favorite Utada ballad, but it’s very memorable, and it’s showcased even in Brazilian radio! Even people who dislike Utada’s music have a soft spot for First Love, and to many, it’s yet another song to bawl for. Many people have different interpretations of this song, some find it heartwarming, others find it melancholy, but either way, it’s unforgettable.
What are your unforgettable J-Pop songs?
I hope you enjoy the selection, because each song is very precious and I’m sure you’ll enjoy every one! ♥
One of my favorite pastimes lately is looking up videos of DBSK. I love just how random and amazing they can be, and during one of my ventures through YouTube looking for more (it’s seriously addicting), I started to know more about Junsu’s twin brother, Junho.
I knew he had a twin brother, I just didn’t know how talented he was and hadn’t noticed how much they looked alike until I saw Junho on Introducing Star’s Friend, where he danced to Tell Me and U-Go-Girl.
Junho is finally going to debut as a singer! He does look very talented and a great fit for the entertainment industry. The odd part is that he’s going to be debuting as a C-Pop (Chinese pop) singer instead of in Korea like his brother. It does make me like him more because in a way, he’s not stealing the thunder from anyone and he’ll start from scratch in a whole other genre . . . But C-Pop is so different from K-Pop and J-Pop . . . It makes me wonder how his music will sound like. Especially because he rapped with Junsu once . . . But I hope it’ll be something more soulful.
Junsu is said to be coaching Junho, so I hope his techniques will match Junsu’s!
Junho is no stranger to the entertainment industry, since he worked as a model several times, and even appeared, and he also spoke to Junsu at a talk show once, to celebrate their 22nd birthday (this is mostly a tribute video, but the beginning shows how their conversation went):
They have a very close bond, and it’s great that they support each other so much in each one’s career, and I know that if it depends on Junsu, Junho will be very popular in whatever market he decides to debut in! Now that SM c interfere an’twith the solo careers of the members of DBSK, maybe Junsu will be able to work on something with Junho! I’ll be looking forward to it, because Junho just looks like someone born for show business, baseball player is too small a title for him! I mean, you can see just from the way he dances to U-Go-Girl. Hyori ain’t got nothing on him!
Best of luck for Junho! ♥
Watch the tour here
I’m a huge fan of Koda Kumi and her tours are always amazing, so I’m always excited when a new ones comes out, since I know it’ll be impressive! I’m not a big fan of the TRICK album, though, but she managed to keep the tracklisting fresh and very enjoyable for younger and older fans!
Before, she had announced that while she was composing TRICK, she was thinking a lot about how she was going to present it, and it really shows. The tour has a series of magical tricks, special effects, and the way which everything is put together is very amazing and I find myself rewinding the video from time to time, trying to figure out how she does certain things.
[OPENING MOVIE]
TRICK
TABOO
Driving
show girl / BUT / キューティーハニー / 恋のつぼみ / D.D.D. / show girl
SHAKE IT
The first segment of the show is a lot of fun. It begins with a video recapping the Kingdom Tour of 2008, to initiate the new one. However, Kumi has the tendency to make her voice sound sloppy when she’s performing fast-paced dance songs, and she makes her voice way too deep, so TABOO and Driving ended out sounding weird to me, especially because her range on the studio versions is very much high, but performance-wise, it was fantastic, with explosions, Kumi had a synced choreography with that of the Kumi moving about on the screen at the back of the stage, and it really set the mood.
There’s another interlude video between Driving and the show girl medley, and I love it! Kumi looks beautiful in her show girl outfit and the way the video depicted her wardrobe change was epic. Kumi asks the viewers if they’ve been good and if they’re ready to get dirty and really nasty, and she means us, because after the amazing show girl medley (full of songs I love, and when BUT begins, I got little semi-chills), SHAKE IT begins full-throttle with its sexual performance. It’s a live side of Kumi we haven’t seen in a long time! It was certainly a pleasant surprise.
Midway through the song, Kumi asks her dancers to go look for some fans, and they bring her 4, one of them is crying and it’s so cute how she reacts so much to anything Kumi does near her, so Kumi picks her to dance to and bring backstage, and so she does, to get ready for the next segment of the show.
[INTERLUDE MOVIE 1]
Hurry Up!
That Ain’t Cool
ECSTASY
Your Love
Moon Crying
Bling Bling Bling
The interlude video this time is very annoying, there’s a clown who makes weird squeaky noises. As if one isn’t enough, Kumi turns them into a million clowns, and starts shooting them off to space with a cannon, making the sky even more starry. The screen of the concert reveals its new starry nature and Hurry Up! begins with Kumi on a floating motorcycle while the screen draws a path for her, looking like she’s really driving. This segment is really well-thought of because the motorcycle even rotates accordingly to the road, and it’s very amazing.
The tracklisting for this segment isn’t my favorite. I’m glad Kumi made up for it with amazing props, because the performance saves it. I thought Fergie was going to pop out to sing with Kumi, so I was disappointed that Kumi was solo there, especially since Fergie sings through the whole song, basically. I also have no idea why Kumi followed ECSTASY with Your Love and Moon Crying. Both these songs looked really out of place because of Kumi’s rock outfit, being that both are ballads. I was happy to see ECSTASY there, though! It’s a very recent song, and it’s good Kumi included her 3 SPLASH single with the rest of the tracklisting. Kumi likes to pull of the crying scene, and her favorite performances to do so are Moon Crying and walk, and it just looks very weird seeing her crying mid-concert and then coming back to dance and sing to Bling Bling Bling. The tracklisting for this segment is very wrong.
[INTERLUDE MOVIE 2]
stay with me
you
Always
This is not a love song
![Koda Kumi - LIVE TOUR 2009 ~TRICK~ [Promo]](http://4lvy.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/koda-kumi-live-tour-2009-trick-promo.jpg?w=270&h=386 "Koda Kumi - LIVE TOUR 2009 ~TRICK~ [Promo]")
Once again, the annoying clown is on the intro video, making his annoying sounds that can freak anyone out. However, finally Kumi presents us with a proper ballad segment, and it’s very beautiful, with a different outfit for each song. stay with me has an epic performance that has Kumi singing up on a mechanic dress that towers over the whole stage. The screen behind her traces wings while she sings, and depending on the intensity of the song, it’s traced in different ways. It’s very fairy tale-like, and very unique!
When she comes down, she’s wearing a very plain dress, and sings you. It’s a very sentimental part of the concert because all the fans are crying while Kumi is singing, and it’s very amazing to see this strong response from the audience. It places the concert under new light, to reveal this emotion from Kumi’s older hits.
Her dancers then bring her a wedding dress to perform Always. She sounds amazing, with lots of range, and looks beautiful as well. Her dancers are also very talented, and it’s a very smooth performance. Kumi’s dancing at the end is really cute and starts the next song, This is not a love song, with a very unexpected, peaceful vibe. Suddenly, her male dancers are dressed up as odd-looking creatures and the intensity of the lighting diminishes a lot. This is not a love song’s performance is my favorite one, where Kumi is trying to run away the whole time, but the creatures grab her and she turns into a dark version of the bride she was. It’s very fun, especially the part where her outfit changes entirely before our eyes. The segment ends with her disappearing from a chair. This is the performance I try to rewind and understand. It’s very well done.
[INTERLUDE MOVIE 3]
Winter Bell
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE / Venus / Lady Go!
Joyful
It’s the cutesy segment now, and the intro video shows a forced Kumi trying to be cute, just like on the previous one. Sometimes she’s really funny and cute, but overall it just looks forced. The impressive way is how Kumi gets on stage after the interlude! The video is showing the virtual Kumi pushing down a bag down a chimney, only there’s the outline of a person inside the chimney, so she can’t push it down, but when she does, Kumi falls off the screen, as if she was the person inside the chimney. I thought it was very intelligent!
I forgot how Winter Bell is sweet, so I had fun with the performance, it’s very cute, even with the constant portrayal of candy and sweet things. I love JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, so there’s no way she was ruining this song for me. The performance was still very cute (Except that, this time, no sweet things around). Venus has a lot of energy and the dancing is very fun. I still can’t understand anything Kumi says for this song, but it’s the energy that counts! And Venus is full of it!
I love Lady Go! and her performance had lots of enthusiasm, but I couldn’t help but notice that she was waving a towel, like for the performances of girls. It better not be a substitute for it! girls is eternal! Joyful, on the other hand, is on the dark side of Kumi’s music. It just sounds very Ayumi Hamasaki-like, and I really don’t like it, but Kumi’s live version of it made it sound acceptable. She added lots of range and we don’t have to stand the overly-enthusiastic chorus for too long.
[ENCORE]
Sweet Kiss / 愛のうた / Someday / 空 / LOVE HOLIC / WON’T BE LONG / Butterfly / It’s all Love!
走れ!
Lick me ❤
walk
The last segment’s tracklisting is also a turn-off for me. The medley was very much fun, with many previous hits, but then 走れ! and Lick Me ❤ begin, and the dark side of 3 SPLASH, along with it. They’re my least favorite songs, and there are many better songs she could’ve picked, but I guess she wanted to add all the songs from 3 SPLASH to the tour, which is alright . . . Or would be, if they were any better.
It’s a Kumi tradition to end her concerts with walk, and I love the song, so I have no problem with it. Kumi’s outfit, on the other hand, doesn’t fit the occasion, but I forgive her because her range was very good and her crying is always really emotional, I don’t think it’s forced. Rain starts to pour and Kumi ends the concert with her trademark pose, it’s very beautiful, if not for the baby-like outfit she’s wearing.
The tour ends with a promise that the storyline (Which I think has been going on since the ~First Things~ tour) of the concerts will end on the next tour:
The entire story will be completed on the next stage
It’s quite promising! I’ll be looking forward to it!
Kumi brings us yet another amazing tour this year, and I really loved her Black Cherry and Kingdom tours. This one’s no exception to the chain and all of Kumi’s hard planning for the tour worked, because it’s very impressive! She did it again! Yet another beautiful tour, and this time with a promise of continuation, the TRICK tour took Kumi’s performances to a new level!
95 / A
For a while now, 3 members of DBSK (Jaejoong, Junsu and Yoochun) have been fighting against SM’s contract in a very intense lawsuit that have kept us, fans, hoping for the best, and every now and then a few new details come up that leave me even more shocked with the situation, like SM’s absurd contract, which states the following:
- DBSK will follow the instructions of the assigned manager unconditionally. Contracts and promises of activities cannot be done personally.
- You are not allowed to reveal anything that goes on in the inside to anyone on the outside.
- If there are any setbacks or failures to do a broadcast or a performance without a good reason, DBSK is responsible for the disruption.
- A regular album should be produced twice a year.
- 6 months before the end of the contract, a new album must be released. All entertainment activities should be accomplished.
- Any third parties that would like to write for DBSK will have to get permission from SM. However, even without getting the consent of DBSK, SM can give any singer inside SM the song DBSK produced themselves.
- Any days an activity is postponed due to a personal reason, those days will be added on to the length of the contract.
- Revenue:
- 50,000 – 100,000 : 2% of the revenue
- 100,000 – 200,ooo : 3% of the revenue
- 200,000 and above: 5% of the revenue
- If you are not the permanent guest of a show, you will not get paid for the appearance on the show.
- In the event of early termination, DBSK has to pay 3 times what SM invested in them and 2 times the revenue they will miss out on, even if they agreed on the termination and even if it’s SM’s fault.
- DBSK’s manager, food costs, and coordinator costs will be paid by DBSK
It’s very surprising how far they came with such a restricting contract! They truly have to love what they do (for coming on to so many shows apart from the group to earn no profit from it proves how much they must love their fans), and I have no doubt they do, and still, you’d really need motivation to continue, because this contract is awful. SM explores their artists far beyond I would imagine. I hope things get better from now on, at least.
The lawsuit, however, was successful, in a way, and the court has taken sides with the 3 members that filed the lawsuit against SM. The court recognized how the contract had many violations and now the record label needs to watch out for the needs of these 3 members to make sure no more damages are done to them and/or the group.
It’s not a complete victory because the contract wasn’t named as void yet, but now SM can’t interfere on what each members does with their solo careers!
It’s hard to see DBSK coming together strongly after such an usual situation like this, but I hope they come back strong in Korea! They have a new Japanese single coming out in January of 2010, they say it’s to cheer up the younger fans, so I’m not sure what they’ll be releasing, but I hope it makes up for the wait for new Korean material! ♥
At least the lawsuit is reaching an end and our DBSK can finally rest!
